YuGiOh! Forever
by Neon Majestic
Summary: Years after the adventures of Yugi Muto, his son Yugo and his friends have adventures of their own, with lots of exciting ventures, lots of baddies, and lots of Duel Monsters! It's time to dddddddddduel...again! COMPLETED!
1. Chapter 01

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Yu-Gi-Oh! and all of the original characters in the show do not belong to me. They are the sole property of Kazuki Takahashi, Shonen Jump, Kids WB! and Cartoon Network. I do, however, own the new characters and several of the real-life cards **(evil chuckle)**.)

**CHAPTER 01**

_Characters' First Appearance in Story_

_YUGI_

_NAME: Yugi Muto_

_AGE: 20 (32 later on in story)_

_HAIR: Red/blond/dark_

_EYES: Violet_

_CLOTHES: Black leather jacket, pants and boots (think Battle City)_

_KAIBA_

_NAME: Seto Kaiba_

_AGE: 24 (36 later on in story)_

_HAIR: Brown_

_EYES: Blue_

_CLOTHES: White trench-coat, black underclothes and boots (think Battle City)_

TWELVE YEARS EARLIER, A.D. 2006

At the Duel Monsters World Championship Dome in illustrious Tokyo, Japan, spectators were cheering wildly as the two legendary duelists clashed against each other. Everyone who happened to be a fan of the game knew who these two were. Everyone knew their names, their cards, and what kind of strategies they used. And now, these two rivals were facing off against each other in a duel to end all duels.

Inside the dueling arena, the two duelists were oblivious to the cheers of their respective fans; their concentration was only on each other. One had brown hair, cold blue eyes, and was sporting a white jacket. The other, dressed fully in black, had red-and-black hair with yellow bangs over his brow. Both had looks to kill on their faces.

"This is it, now, Yugi," said the blue-eyed duelist. "After all these years, this one last duel will decide which of us is truly the better duelist."

"That it will, Kaiba," remarked the other duelist. "We've both fought many battles and come a long way in this tournament to be where we are now. Now, we can truly fight without holding anything back."

On the giant scoreboard far above the arena, the stats showed themselves clearly: Seto Kaiba was in the lead with 6400 life points. On his side of the field were Vorse Raider (ATK 1900, DEF 1200), Rare Metal Dragon (ATK 2400, DEF 1400) and Blue-Eyes White Dragon (ATK 3000, DEF 2500), all in Attack Mode, and he had one card face-down in his magic/trap card slot, besides having three cards in his hand. On the other hand, Yugi Muto had 3350 life points; on his field were three cards face-down in his magic/trap slot, and he also had Queen's Knight (ATK 1500, DEF 1600) in Defense Mode, and he also had four cards in his hand.

Yugi took his turn and drew a card, adding it to his hand. "Now, then," he announced, "I activate my face-down magic card, Monster Reborn, to return Sangan (ATK 1000, DEF 600) from the Graveyard!" One of his face-down cards flipped face-up, and from it materialized a small, ugly hairball with green arms and legs.

Kaiba laughed. "And just what is that supposed to do, Yugi – scare me?"

"Maybe it should, Kaiba," replied Yugi, smirking. "Because now I offer both of my monsters to summon my almighty Dark Magician (ATK 2500, DEF 2100)!" And as he played a card from his hand, both his Queen's Knight and Sangan disappeared, and in their place materialized a man dressed in purple robes, wielding a green staff.

Kaiba's eyes widened in astonishment. "Whoa! Not him!"

"Oh, yes, him!" Yugi smirked again. "And, in addition, Sangan's special effect when it goes to the Graveyard allows me to select any monster from my deck with an ATK of 1500 or less, and add it to my hand, after which I must shuffle my deck." He pulled his deck out of its slot on his Duel-Disk and thumbed through it carefully. "And I choose…the Magical Scientist (ATK 300, DEF 300)!" And he added it to his hand.

"Now," Yugi continued, activating the second of his face-down cards, "I activate the power of my face-down magic card, Dedication through Light and Darkness! This will allow me to offer my Dark Magician as a tribute to summon a more powerful monster from my deck – the Dark Magician of Chaos (ATK 2800, DEF 2600)! Come forth, my magician!"

As Kaiba's eyes widened even more at this sight, suddenly the Dark Magician disappeared, and in his place stood a sorcerer with a blue-and-red headdress and leather outfit, with a red-and-white staff. "This is impossible!" he exclaimed.

"Nothing's impossible, if you believe in the heart of the cards," Yugi responded calmly. "Now, as for my new magician's effect – his power is so great, it allows me to take back one magic card from my Graveyard and add it to my hand…and the card I choose is Double Spell!" And he retrieved the card from his Graveyard pile.

Kaiba's eyebrow twitched. "What're you gonna do with THAT card…?" He frowned more. "…unless…"

"That's right, Kaiba," said Yugi, playing the Double Spell magic card. "As you know, by discarding one magic card from my hand…" Here he took another card from his hand, the Card Destruction magic card, and sent it to the Graveyard. "…I can select one magic card from _your_ Graveyard, and use it as my own card. And the card I choose is…Raigeki!"

As Kaiba looked, on, shocked, suddenly a magic card emerged from his Graveyard pile and flew into Yugi's hand. "Now, I activate Raigeki!" Yugi shouted. Immediately a huge shower of lightning bolts rained down, obliterating all of Kaiba's monsters. Kaiba instinctively shielded himself to protect against the power of the lightning; when he looked up again, all that remained of his monsters was black soot.

"NO! My monsters!" he yelled.

"And what's more, now, Kaiba," Yugi finished, "you've got nothing on your side of the field to protect you from my attack! Now, Dark Magician of Chaos, attack directly with your Chaos Scepter Blast!"

The Dark Chaos Mage then powered up his staff with energy and fired it off in a giant blast, directly at Kaiba. But the latter suddenly laughed. "Yugi! You forgot about my face-down card! Activate the trap, Waboku!"

The Dark Chaos Mage's attack hit Kaiba square in the stomach and felled him to the ground; however, to everyone's surprise, he stood up completely unharmed. "Waboku reduces any battle damage I get during this turn to zero," he explained. "Your attack has failed, Yugi!"

Yugi smiled a small, quiet smile. "I should've expected something like this from you, Kaiba," he remarked. "I guess I'll just have to do better next time."

Kaiba took his turn, drawing his card. As he looked at it, he chuckled, then started laughing outright. "Yugi! I hold in my hand the card that will seal your demise today!" he declared. "Now, I summon Cyber-Stein (ATK 700, DEF 500) in ATK Mode!" And as he played a card from his hand, a robotic Frankenstein emerged on the field.

Yugi, of course, was dumbfounded. "And how will that help, exactly?"

"Allow me to show you! Now, Cyber-Stein, activate your special ability!" And Kaiba laughed uproariously.

To Yugi's and everyone else's astonishment, Kaiba's life points dropped dramatically to 1400. "By paying 5000 of my life points, I can activate Cyber-Stein's effect," Kaiba explained. "Its effect allows me to Special Summon a monster from my Fusion deck to my side of the field. And I think you know which monster I'm going for…"

The truth hit Yugi like a brick to the head. "Oh, no!"

"Oh, yes! I summon my Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon (ATK 4500, DEF 3800)!" And as Kaiba held out both hands dramatically, a huge behemoth of a dragon, with three roaring heads, emerged behind him in a flash of light.

"Yes…the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon…has finally emerged," Kaiba continued. "However…" he chuckled evilly. "Do you really think that _this_ is the monster I'm going to use to defeat you?"

Yugi's eyes widened in growing horror. "…no…not that…"

"Yes, THAT!" Kaiba cried. And he played another card from his hand. "I offer my Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon as a tribute to bring forth my ultimate creature – the mighty Blue-Eyes _Shining_ Dragon (ATK 3000, DEF 2500)!"

The Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon's skin cracked in various places, light shining from within. Then suddenly it exploded outward, as a metallic, futuristic-looking dragon flew about the stadium, shining brightly. Yugi stared in awe as the Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon then came to land beside its master.

"You've faced my Shining Dragon before, so you know what it's capable of, Yugi," said Kaiba. "Its ATK is increased by 300 for every Dragon-type monster in my Graveyard. So, let's do some math…one Blue-Eyes White Dragon, one Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, one Rare Metal Dragon, one Masked Dragon (ATK 1400, DEF 1100), three Troop Dragons (ATK 700, DEF 800 each) and one Koumori Dragon (ATK 1500, DEF 1200) – that comes to a grand total of 5400 ATK points for the Shining Dragon! Well, what can I say, Yugi – you ain't got a chance!" And he laughed maniacally.

"This is bad…" Yugi grumbled. "Unless I can…" and he shot a quick look at his one remaining face-down card.

"Now, Shining Dragon, attack his Dark Magician of Chaos! Shining Neutron Blast!" Kaiba ordered. And the Shining Dragon charged up particle energy in its mouth to fire at Yugi's mage.

"Not quite, Kaiba!" Yugi exploded. "I activate my face-down trap card, Spellbinding Circle! This will paralyze your Shining Dragon and stop him from attacking!" And as he spoke a huge magical crest emerged underneath the dragon.

But then, the Shining Dragon fired a transparent blue beam from its mouth, engulfing the crest; and the trap disappeared as quickly as it had come. "What!" Yugi yelled out.

"Sorry, Yugi," Kaiba was the one smirking now, "but you forgot about my Shining Dragon's other effect – it allows me to choose which monster, magic or trap effects can or cannot be used against it. Now, Shining Dragon, use your Shining Neutron Blast!"

Again particle energy charged up inside the dragon's mouth, and this time it fired all of that energy straight at the Dark Chaos Mage, ripping him apart. Yugi screamed in pain as he felt his monster's destruction tell on his life points, reducing them to 750. Yugi almost fell down, but he managed to stay on his feet.

But Kaiba wasn't done. "Now, Cyber-Stein, it's your turn to attack!" And this monster fired a photon blast from its mechanized arm-cannon, this time hitting Yugi directly in the chest and sending him stumbling. He cringed in pain as smoke rose from his burnt chest.

"So much for you. Next turn, it ends," Kaiba declared huffily.

Painfully, Yugi got to his feet. His life points were down to 50, he had no more cards on the field, and now he only had four cards left in his hand. He then looked at his deck. This had been a long duel, and as a consequence he only had one card left in the deck slot. "Only one card left…" he moaned quietly.

Darkness seemed to surround Yugi as he considered the odds that were against him. _All the odds are in Kaiba's favor now…can it truly be that, all this time, he was destined to be the stronger of the two of us…?_

His thoughts became reflective. He remembered when, four years ago, he'd owned the power of the Millennium Puzzle; back then, he and the Puzzle's guardian spirit, a 3000-year-old pharaoh named Atem, had been joined together in one body, and Atem's ancient knowledge had helped Yugi to win many duels. But all that was before four years ago, when Yugi had successfully assembled all seven of the Millennium Items and aided Atem's spirit to depart to the afterlife, where it truly belonged. Now, was it beginning to look as though Yugi was nothing without Atem's guidance after all…?

"Don't give up, Yugi!"

Yugi's head shot up sharply as he heard this, coming from several fans in the stadium. And then the cheers became louder.

"Give it everything you've got, Yugi!"

"You can still win, Yugi!"

"We're all rooting for you, Yugi!"

Kaiba heard the cheering of Yugi's fans and was understandably annoyed. "Delusional idiots," he muttered.

But now Yugi was looking at his deck slot, a faint glitter of hope in his eyes. "Kaiba…"

"Huh?" Kaiba looked up and smirked again. "So, you're going to give up after all?"

Yugi held his head up, his eyes now blazing with newfound vigor. "Not in this life, Kaiba!" he snapped. "This duel is still on, and I still have one card left to play! And you're right…this next turn is the turn that will decide this match!" And with that, he drew his last remaining card.

As he looked at it, he chuckled. Then he started to laugh outright. "Kaiba…I'm going to defeat both you and your Shining Dragon!"

Seeing the determination on Yugi's face, Kaiba was dumbfounded. _How can he look so confident in the face of defeat?_

"Now, I summon the Magical Scientist!" Yugi declared, playing the card he'd taken earlier via Sangan's effect. A bald old man in a lab coat emerged on his side of the field, smirking.

Kaiba was even more dumbfounded. "What's _that?"_

"You'll soon see," Yugi assured him. He then played the second card from his hand. "Next, I play Dian Keto the Cure Master, to increase my life points by 1000!" And as he played the magic card, his life points increased to 1050.

But Yugi wasn't finished. "Next, I'll equip my Magical Scientist with the Axe of Despair, to boost his attacking power by 1000!" And he played another magic card, equipping it on the Magical Scientist to shoot his ATK to 1300.

"Big deal," Kaiba scoffed. "But that's not going to make a difference against me!"

"But I'm not done yet, Kaiba," Yugi reprimanded him. "Now, I'll use Magical Scientist's effect! Trust me, Kaiba – you're not the only one who can Special Summon Fusion monsters!"

Kaiba's eyes widened in alarm. "WHAT!"

Suddenly, much to everyone else's astonishment, Yugi's life points decreased back to 50. "By paying 1000 of my life points," he explained, "which is a far lesser cost than you paid for your monster, Kaiba, I can Special Summon one Fusion monster from my Fusion deck for this turn. But this one turn is all I'll need to bring forth my – Dark Flare Knight (ATK 2200, DEF 800)!" And as he finished speaking, a warrior wearing dark robes and carrying a huge black shield and a flaming saber appeared.

"Next," Yugi continued, playing another magic card on the field, "I play the magic of the Banner of Courage! This will increase the ATK of all the monsters on my side of the field by 200 points during the Battle Phase of this turn. Now, then…Magical Scientist, destroy Cyber-Stein!"

The Magical Scientist dashed forward, his ATK increased by Banner of Courage to 1500, and with one hefty stroke of the Axe of Despair the Cyber-Stein was cleaved in two, and Kaiba's life points dropped to 600. "That's the end of your first monster," declared Yugi. He then set his gaze on the Shining Dragon. "Now, all that's left is your dragon…"

But Kaiba laughed loudly. "Your Dark Flare Knight's far weaker than my Shining Dragon!" he pointed out. "There's no way you can win against 5400 ATK points!"

"Watch me."

Kaiba was stunned by that. "You can't be seriously…!"

"Dark Flare Knight, attack!" Yugi ordered. And the Knight then charged into battle, its sword burning brightly. But the Shining Dragon countered with a blast of energy that totally decimated the Knight and created an explosion where he'd been standing.

"Too bad," Kaiba mused. "Yugi probably wanted to go out with a bang instead of just quietly giving up…_HUH!"_

Materializing in the smoke was another warrior; this one carrying a scythe in one hand. "Kaiba…meet the Mirage Knight (ATK 2800, DEF 2000)," Yugi's voice came through to Kaiba, and he saw his rival playing the very last card in his hand onto the Duel-Disk. "When Dark Flare Knight is destroyed as a result of battle, I suffer no damage…plus, when that Knight is destroyed in battle, I can summon his stronger form, the Mirage Knight, from my hand or deck."

"This can't be!" Kaiba yelled.

"And there's more," said Yugi, cutting Kaiba off. "When the Mirage Knight battles, it increases its ATK by an amount equal to its opponent's original ATK. Your Shining Dragon's original ATK was 3000, so add that to Mirage Knight's current 2800, add another 200 through the Banner of Courage's magic…and my Knight has a grand total of 6000 ATK points."

"No! That's enough to wipe out both my dragon _and_ my life points…!" Kaiba said weakly.

"Now, Mirage Knight, finish it with your Final Scythe Slash!" Yugi ordered. And the Mirage Knight did just that: bright light energy emerged on the edge of its scythe as it slashed at the Shining Dragon, cutting it cleanly in two. The Shining Dragon howled as it disappeared, and Kaiba slumped to his knees as his last remaining life points dropped to 0.

There was complete silence in the stadium as the holographic projections slowly disappeared. Yugi broke it with four simple words.

"It's over. I win."

And then the loud cheering of every single spectator in the stadium almost drowned out the announcer's words: _"Winner: Yugi Muto!"_

----------

HALF AN HOUR LATER

"Hmph." Kaiba couldn't help but smile. "I gotta say, Yugi…that was the closest battle we've ever fought in years."

The two were standing together at the airport terminal, where Yugi was to catch a plane to go back to Domino City. "Yeah, it was," Yugi agreed. He had the World Championship trophy safely tucked under one arm. "It was good that we could finally settle the eternal question like this, old friend."

"I'll say." Kaiba nodded. "So, now what will you do, now that you're World Champion?"

"I think I'll retire from it all," Yugi answered.

Kaiba was amazed, and with good reason. "Retire? You? You're not that old yet!"

"I know, but…" Yugi looked up through one of the overhead windows at the night sky, at the stars. "I have a wife and child waiting for me back in Domino City. I want to really be a husband and a father to them, and…as much as I hate to admit it, dueling won't allow me the time to do that. The same goes for you, I think…?"

Kaiba nodded, reluctantly. "Well…it was fun while it lasted, at least," he admitted. "I'll be back in Domino sooner than you know, so…see you around, Yugi."

Yugi nodded. "See you."

And the two rivals shook hands…for the first time in years.

----------

**_neomage:_** Well, that's the first chapter, ladies and gents. My mental math sucks ass, but I tried the best I could, and will continue to do so for the duration of this story. So…R&R, please, and let me know what you all think! Any corrections and criticisms are welcome, as well as anything else, but just don't flame me…please?


	2. Chapter 02

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Yu-Gi-Oh! is owned by Kazuki Takahashi, Shonen Jump, Kids WB! and Cartoon Network. I do not have any affiliation with these companies or this person. Nuff Said.)

**CHAPTER 02**

_Characters' First Appearance in Story_

_YUGO_

_NAME: Yugo Muto_

_AGE: 14_

_HAIR: Blond (same appearance as Yugi's)_

_EYES: Black_

_CLOTHES: Black leather jacket and jeans, white undershirt, black suede shoes_

_KYO_

_NAME: Kyo Bakura_

_AGE: 15_

_HAIR: Dark_

_EYES: Violet (wears glasses)_

_CLOTHES: Green jacket, aqua T-shirt, purple sweatpants and white sneakers_

_JENNA_

_NAME: Jenna Wheeler_

_AGE: 14_

_HAIR: Blond_

_EYES: Brown_

_CLOTHES: Yellow T-shirt, short black skirt, black sandals_

_SETA_

_NAME: Seta Kaiba_

_AGE: 16_

_HAIR: Blue (dyed)_

_EYES: Blue_

_CLOTHES: Silver jacket, white pants, black undershirt and gray boots_

TWELVE YEARS LATER, A.D. 2018

"Yugo…Yugo! Yugo, wake up already!"

14-year-old Yugo Muto groaned and rolled over in his bed. "Aw, c'mon, Grandma, let me sleep just a little longer…" he grumbled.

"Yugo, no! Wake up now or else you'll be late for school!" his grandmother scolded him. "It's almost 7:00 already, and you know what'll happen if you're late again! So come on now, young man – GET UP!" And with that she gave him a vigorous shake, one that finally succeeded in waking a very sleepy and very annoyed Yugo.

"All right, all right…I'm up," he grumbled as he stumbled out of bed and blindly headed for the bathroom.

Twenty minutes later found Yugo at the table, gobbling his breakfast down. "Now, now, Yugo, take your time or else you'll choke," his grandmother reprimanded him.

"Gimme a break, Grandma – I'll be all right," Yugo scoffed.

Grandma then went over to the counter and picked up a letter. "By the way, dear, your father wrote again," she announced.

Yugo paused in mid-bite. "Dad wrote, huh? Did he say when he's coming home?"

"Not for another month or so, I'm afraid," Grandma revealed. "But he did say to give his love to you…and also to give you a present."

That got Yugo's attention. "A present? For me? Well, where is it?" He looked around expectantly.

"Not so fast, Yugo," Grandma laughed. "You're not getting it until after you've come home from school, understood? Now finish up and be on your way, and I'll see you later. It's getting late!"

"All right, Grandma. 'Bye!" And with that Yugo swallowed the last mouthful of breakfast, rushed to the door and grabbed his bag, and in a few moments was off to school.

----------

As Yugo ran along the sidewalk, down the blocks to reach to Domino High School, he thought he saw someone in the distance. Looking again, he recognized the person. "Kyo! Yo, Kyo, wait up!"

A few blocks up ahead, Kyo Bakura heard Yugo call his name and slowed down a little. "Hey, Yugo, woke up late again?" he wisecracked.

"Ha, ha," Yugo replied sarcastically as he caught up to his friend. "So, what's on the agenda for today?"

"Well," Kyo replied, pushing his glasses further onto his face, "I've been hearing a lot of rumors around school since yesterday about some new kid who's transferring here today. I don't know much about him, but the word is, he's supposedly the son of some rich hotshot tycoon. Personally, I can't wait to see what this guy looks like – if he'll be some dumb nerdy kid or something."

"Like you, maybe?" Yugo needled. That earned him a death glare.

"Anywaaaay, let's hurry up or we'll be really late!" And Kyo quickened his footsteps, Yugo hurrying to catch up to him.

----------

HALF AN HOUR LATER, AT DOMINO HIGH SCHOOL

"Students," announced Mr. Jurai, their homeroom teacher, "I have a special announcement to make. Today we'll be welcoming a new member of the student body to our classroom. It's my hope that you will all do your best to make him feel at home and get him comfortably settled into our regular routine here at Domino High School."

Most of the students were leaning forward in their seats, listening eagerly and looking around with great interest. The new student hadn't come into the room yet, but everybody was eager to see what he looked like and who he might be. Only Yugo, sitting at the very back of the room, didn't seem much interested.

"Probably just some nerdy klutz who'll make himself a pain in the ass on his very first day," he muttered.

Sitting right beside him was another of his friends, Jenna Wheeler, and she turned and looked at him with disapproval. "Yugo!" she hissed. "At least you can pretend to be nice. This is a new student, after all; we have to make him feel at home!"

"Whatever." Yugo just shrugged.

"Now, class," Mr. Jurai was saying, "please join me in welcoming the newest member of our group – Seta Kaiba!" And he started the applause, followed a moment later by the students.

The door, already slightly open, now opened wider, and in stepped a young man with a polite yet somewhat bored expression on his face. His blue hair came down in a sharp point over his brow, and he surveyed the room with eyes that, though they seemed filled with distaste, nevertheless checked off everything in view, missing nothing.

Upon seeing him, many of the girls in the room began to swoon. "Oooohh…he's SUCH a dream!" they cooed, hearts replacing their eyes.

"Seta, why don't you tell your new classmates a little about yourself?" Mr. Jurai offered.

"Sure." Seta shrugged. "As Mr. Jurai has said, my name's Seta Kaiba. My father is Seto Kaiba, the owner of the powerful business industry Kaibacorp. We were living in America for a few years, but then Dad decided to move back here to Japan, and so he enrolled me here at the school he himself used to attend." He paused. "I don't have very many interests, but I do like to read and do research, and I'm pretty handy with computers and other such technology."

Yugo rolled his eyes. _What'd I tell you, huh? A major geek._

Seta's eyes continued to roam around the room as he talked, observing everything, marking everyone's faces. But when they came to Yugo, they paused. Seta raised an eyebrow and looked rather hard at the other boy. Yugo noticed only then that Seta was looking at him, and returned the stare, eye for eye.

_What's HE lookin' at?_

Seta then smiled rather smugly. "And, for anybody who's interested," he said, not once taking his eyes off Yugo as he spoke, "I happen to be a good Duel Monsters player, just like my father was in his youth."

Yugo looked back at Seta and narrowed his eyes. He could see it clearly: in Seta's eyes screamed the word "CHALLENGE!" Seta had the look of a proud duelist, and he would fight anyone and everyone who challenged him.

Yugo's thoughts were accentuated further by certain knowledge he had. He knew who Seto Kaiba was, of course. Who didn't? Years ago, according to what Yugo's father Yugi had told him, Seto was the reigning champion of Duel Monsters, until Yugi himself defeated him in a upset victory. The two became eternal rivals after that, and many times over the years they clashed against each other in tournament after tournament, with Yugi always being the victor. And now…

_This Seta…son of Seto Kaiba…could he know who I am? Is that why he's looking at me like that? Does he actually know that I'm Yugi Muto's son?_

Yugo chuckled. With a grand flourish, taking everyone else by surprise, he jumped out of his seat and walked up to Seta, extending a hand for him to shake. "I'm Yugo Muto. Glad to have you with us, on behalf of everyone here."

Seta looked at the hand before him. He smirked again and grasped Yugo's hand in his own. "I'm sure we'll have a good time together, perhaps."

Mr. Jurai looked at the two boys and couldn't help but smile. _This should be an interesting semester now…_

----------

AN HOUR LATER, ON THE SCHOOL GROUNDS

"Yugo!"

Yugo looked up from where he'd been laying on the grass and found Kyo and Jenna standing over him. "Hey, guys, what's up?"

"I saw your reaction in class," Kyo remarked. "You seemed rather excited when Seta Kaiba mentioned that he was a duelist. Why, are you thinking of challenging him?"

"I…I don't really know," Yugo admitted. "I just felt…something…pass over me when he looked at me like that. It was as though he was saying with his eyes, 'C'mon, duel me!' It just felt…so amazing!"

"Well, may I remind you, Yugo," said Kyo, speaking very seriously, "that it's been ages since you last picked up your Duel-Disk to fight anybody? The last time you did, you said that it was gonna be the last time, and all you've done ever since is act like a normal guy."

"Yeah…I know." Yugo looked down at the grass, his face suddenly becoming reflective. "It's just…everybody knows my dad as a great duelist. They called him 'the legendary duelist,' for heaven's sake. And then…every time people looked at me, all they saw was him…and everyone started talking about how I'd grow up and follow in his footsteps…"

Kyo and Jenna looked at him, their eyes softening as they saw the resentment in his face.

"All I ever wanted…was for people to see me as _me…_not as my dad!" Yugo's voice grew husky with emotion. "That's why I made that vow, long ago…that the day I ever picked up a Duel-Disk again, I'd start on a quest to make my own duelist's identity…to be independent of Dad's fame…"

Jenna reached out and gently laid a hand on Yugo's shoulder. "Yugo…we've already acknowledged you," she whispered. "No matter what happens or what anybody says, Yugo is Yugo. That's all there is to it. Right, Kyo?"

Kyo chuckled and pushed his glasses further up on his face. "Damn straight."

Yugo smiled a little. "You guys…"

Suddenly footsteps coming in their direction could be heard, and the trio looked up. "Excuse me," said a familiar voice.

"It's you…Seta!" Yugo exclaimed.

Seta was now standing over them, a faint look of amusement on his face. "It's just as I thought…you ARE the son of _that_ guy, who defeated my father so many times in the past…Yugo, was it? Are you as good a duelist as our old men were?"

Yugo stood up. "Maybe. Are you?"

"I'm the best of the best." Seta smiled. "While I was in America, I won lots of Duel Monsters tournaments and collected many cards. Do you have any good cards worth mentioning?"

"I might have a few…"

"Good!" Seta seemed pleased. "All right, then, here's what I propose. You want to duel me? Then come to Kaibacorp's main building in town tomorrow after school. I'll see if I can get my old man to lend me one of the dueling arenas for this event. Oh, and Yugo…" Seta smiled. "Make sure you show up. I hope to be entertained." And with that, he turned and walked off.

"Hmmm…an interesting guy, if I do say so myself," said Kyo.

"He's given you a day to get yourself ready, Yugo. What'll you do?" asked Jenna.

Yugo looked down at the ground, clenching his fists, relaxing them, and then clenching them again. Then he looked up and smiled.

"I guess I could go dust off my Duel-Disk."

----------

LATER THAT DAY, AT YUGO'S HOUSE

"Grandma! Grandma, I'm home!" Yugo shouted as he came into the kitchen.

"In the living room, dear," Grandma's voice came through. Hearing this, Yugo put down his book bag and went to the living room. Here he found her sitting on the couch, a smile on her face.

"So, you're home," she greeted him. "You ready for that present I told you about this morning?"

"I sure am, Grandma," said Yugo, and he sat down beside her. "Well, what did Dad send me?"

In a mysterious manner, Grandma walked over to a small cabinet across from the dining table. Opening it, she pulled out a medium-sized yellow box and brought it back to the couch. "Here it is, Yugo," she said.

Raising an eyebrow, Yugo took the box and examined it carefully. It had what appeared to be Egyptian hieroglyphs all over it, and on the very top of the lid was a figure of an eye. "What is this?" he asked.

"Well," said Grandma, "when he was younger, your father kept all the Duel Monster cards he collected in that box. He used to say that that box used to hold a precious treasure, a treasure so priceless to him that he carried it everywhere he went. And now, he's giving this box and what's in it to you, his son."

Yugo looked down at the box. Slowly, carefully, he raised the lid and peered inside. "It looks like there's a…a deck of cards in here!" he exclaimed.

"Yes, that's right," Grandma nodded. "As you know, Dad retired from dueling a long time ago, just after you were born. He kept his own personal deck locked away in this box, but he always took it with him wherever he went. I guess the memory of the days gone past was too precious for him to just let go of like that…until now. Now, he wants you to have that legacy that his own grandfather gave to him, and which he has now given to you."

Yugo reached into the box and took out the cards. He carefully went through them and nodded. "Thanks, Dad," he muttered. To Grandma: "Thanks for the gift, Grandma. I like it very much."

Grandma and he looked at each other and then went into an affectionate embrace. "Of course, dear," she replied.

----------

KAIBACORP H.Q., AT THE SAME TIME

"So…you want the use of a dueling arena tomorrow afternoon?"

"Yes, Father, that's right."

Seated at his desk in his office, Seto Kaiba smirked. Now sporting a beard and graying slightly at the temples, nevertheless he was still a dashing man, the kind of man that would make ladies swoon. Seated before him was Seta, his son.

"This kid you speak of…He really is Yugi Muto's son?" asked Kaiba.

"Yes, he is. And he's accepted the proposal."

"I see." Kaiba considered what his son was telling him. "Well, do what you wish. Personally, I'd like to come and watch this match, but I have to be at an important business meeting in the afternoon. But if you can videotape this match and bring the tape to me…"

"I understand, Father. I will not fail you." Seta stood up and put one fist over his breast. "I will definitely win this duel tomorrow."

"I hope you will, Seta. Now, go do what you have to do to prepare." Kaiba then swung the chair around to face the window, signaling that that was the end of the interview. Understanding, Seta turned and left the office.

Kaiba was now brooding with his own thoughts. _So, Yugo Muto…Yugi, it looks as if history will be repeating itself. Our two sons will clash tomorrow…and Seta, take this as practice for the upcoming tournament. You must do well!_

----------

**_neomage:_** Second chapter finished! As you may have noticed, at the beginning of each chapter I'm putting in a bit of physical description of each new character that shows up in the story. I'll continue to do that for the duration of the fic, so please don't let it annoy, offend or otherwise bother you. And, as always, please review and let me know what you think!


	3. Chapter 03

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Do I HAVE to do this again? Sigh…I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! It's the property of Takahashi-sama, as well as having rights to usage owned by that crappy company called Kids WB! You wanna flame me for dissin' Kids WB, go right ahead. I don't care. They love to cut the good stuff out of their otherwise good shows in the name of "protecting children's innocence." I know a few people at this site who'd agree with me, too, so there.)

**CHAPTER 03**

THE NEXT DAY, AFTER SCHOOL

The next day seemed to be very long for Yugo. Impatiently, he endured his classes, every time anxiously glancing at the clock. _Can't that damn last bell ring already?_ his mind raged.

For several hours the previous night, he'd spent a lot of time working on modifying his dueling deck, untouched in such a long time until now. Taking out several of the cards he'd received in his gift box, he'd experimented with different deck combinations, until after some tiring effort he finally came up with a strategy that he felt sure would be unbeatable.

Now, as Yugo went through his daily school routine, he wondered to himself, _What should I expect from this Seta guy? Everybody knows that his dad always used to use a dragon-themed deck, but…Seta might use something completely different. Will the strategy I came up with be good enough to handle him, a champion duelist…?_

By and by, much to Yugo's relief, the last bell rang to signal the end of the school day. Grabbing his stuff, Yugo hurried out of the building amid the crowd of excited students. He caught sight of Jenna and Kyo and hurried over to them. "Hey, guys, what's up?" he asked.

"Just look at everybody hurrying out of school," Jenna commented, shaking her head. "Yugo, everybody's heard about your upcoming duel with Seta, and they all want to see it. They must all be heading toward Kaiba Corporation right now."

"Yes, they are," replied Kyo, adjusting his glasses like usual. "And all things considered, this should be a most interesting duel, wouldn't you say, Yugo?"

"I guess…" Yugo shrugged.

"Do you have your necessary stuff with you?" Jenna asked.

"Yep!" Yugo fondly patted his bag. "My Duel-Disk and my cards are right here!"

"Well, in that case, let's hurry over to Kaiba Corporation, shall we?" asked Kyo matter-of-factly. And with that, the three friends hurried toward the school gate to catch a taxi to head downtown.

----------

KAIBA CORPORATION, A FEW MINUTES LATER

Roland, faithful retainer to the Kaiba family since Day 1, examined the arena where young Master Seta and the visitor Yugo Muto would soon be having their duel. "Perfect," he mumbled. "Everything's in place."

He took a long sweeping glance of the room. The surface area of the arena was an impressive twenty-five feet by thirty-seven feet, and the walls were one and a half stories in height. Spotlights were erected on the ceiling, as well as cameras to capture the whole action. Walking up a few flights of stairs to the control booth that was near the very top of the room, Roland pulled a giant switch, and a moment later a multitude of lights shone from every angle of the room to illuminate every nook and cranny, missing nothing.

"Good…very good." Roland nodded in approval. "Everything is in readiness."

As Roland switched the multitude of lights off, Seta walked in. "Are the preparations complete, Roland?" he asked.

"Yes, sir," Roland nodded. "Just as you ordered, Master Seta."

"And the hologram system is functioning properly?"

"Yes, sir. I checked it three times, and it's working fine."

Just then Roland's comm.-link beeped, and he answered it. "Yes?...Is that so…Yes, I understand. I'll inform him at once." He then looked at the young master. "Master Seta, it seems your opponent has arrived…and several students from your school are here to witness the duel, as well."

Seta chuckled. "Admit them all, Roland. The more, the merrier, I always say."

Roland nodded understanding. "At once, Master Seta."

----------

Yugo exited the taxi, followed a moment later by Jenna and Kyo, and stared at the gigantic building before him with awe. "So, this is Kaibacorp…"

"Nervous?" Jenna teased.

"Well…yeah…this is the first time I'll be inside such a famous place, you know," answered Yugo. He swallowed a little. "I hope I do well here. It's been so long since I've been in a duel against anybody…"

"Don't fret, pal," Kyo placed a reassuring hand on Yugo's shoulder. "Just do your best, that's all you need to do."

The multitude of students from school was gathered at the entrance to the building, barred from going in by the suit-and-tie security guards with frowns on their faces. "This isn't a picnic place, you kids!" one of them shouted.

"Aw, c'mon! We wanna watch Yugo and Seta dueling!" one of the kids in the crowd protested, and the others shouted their agreement.

Just in time, however, Roland came through the doors, and on seeing him all the other suits stood at attention. "Mr. Roland, sir!" they exclaimed.

"Let them through. Master Seta's orders." Roland's voice was decisive.

As the guards obeyed and began escorting the kids indoors, Roland's eyes, hidden behind his shades, caught sight of Yugo and his friends. "Yugo Muto?" he hailed him. "Master Seta has been expecting you. Please, come this way. But your friends will have to join the others inside if they want to witness your duel."

Yugo cast a questioning glance at Jenna and Kyo. The two shrugged. "It's OK, Yugo; we'll watch from the sidelines," said Kyo.

"And we can always call out our encouragement to you!" Jenna added happily, and she bounded up the steps behind the now-dwindling crowd. Kyo followed, albeit more slowly.

Yugo chuckled. He walked up the steps to meet Roland. The latter promptly turned and walked inside, escorting the visitor to the dueling arena.

----------

By and by, Yugo came to the entrance to the arena. Here Roland, leading him, paused before he opened the door. "Beyond this door is the arena where the duel will take place," he affirmed. "Are you absolutely sure you want to go through with this?"

Yugo nodded. "Yeah, I'm positive," he replied. Reaching into his bag, he pulled out his Duel-Disk and cards, and strapped the former onto his left arm. Then he pulled out his cards and kept these in hand, to put in their slot on the disk when the battle should begin. "Open the door!"

Roland nodded understanding and pushed the door open. Yugo swallowed, bracing himself, and stepped through the doorway and into the arena. _Let's do this!_

To his surprise, as he put one foot through the door, numerous disco lights shone here, there and everywhere and illuminating the room with numerous colors. All around him, he could see the other kids who had come to watch the duel, all seated in such a fashion that, for a moment, he thought of the ancient coliseums of Rome. At one extreme end of the room stood Seta, arms folded, Duel-Disk on his left arm and a smile on his face.

"Glad to see you again, Yugo," Seta welcomed him. "I hope you're ready to give all our schoolmates here the show of a lifetime. Are you ready to duel?"

"I know I am, but what about you?" asked Yugo.

Seta smirked. "I'm always ready!"

In the crowd, Jenna and Kyo were seated side by side. "This should be very interesting," Kyo mused. "Now all I need is a cheese-steak sandwich and a couple of sodas, plus a box of popcorn and some donuts would be nice, too…"

"Geez, do you ever think of _anything_ besides your gut?" Jenna reprimanded him. "Our friend is down there, about to duel! The least you could do is to give a show of support!"

"Well, don't forget that he's going up against Seto Kaiba's son," Kyo reminded her. "One way or the other, it's going to be a tough duel."

Jenna looked down at the arena. "Yeah…you're right about that."

The flashing lights finally stopped as one big spotlight high above illuminated the whole room, bright as day. Below, Seta was saying to Yugo, "The standard Duel Monsters rules apply here. We each start with 8000 life points, and the first player to reach 0 loses. That cool with you?"

"Sure!" Yugo activated his Duel-Disk, setting his life points to 8000, and pushed his deck of cards into the slot. "Now, prepare yourself…to lose, that is!"

Seta smirked again as he heard the challenging talk. "Big talk coming from somebody who hasn't dueled in ages," he remarked. Then he touched a button on the collar of his jacket. "Roland! Activate the big-screens so our other guests can see everything!"

"Yes, Master Seta," answered Roland.

To everyone's amazement, two panels in the ceiling opened. Then, four giant screens, facing different directions, were slowly lowered down so the audience could get a view of the duel and the stats. On seeing the screens lit up and both duelists' life points set at 8000, the crowd went into one giant burst of cheering.

Seta then activated his Duel-Disk and slipped his cards into the slot. "Now, may the best duelist win," he said.

"Yeah!" Yugo answered, ready for battle.

Then both players yelled the familiar phrase: _"Let's duel!"_

----------

High above the two players, in the control room, Roland activated the video-cameras that had been strategically placed. "Master Kaiba will at least get to see the video of this duel," he remarked. "Now, let the fun begin!" And he turned on the holographic projection generator.

----------

Suddenly, in the middle of the arena emerged a huge holographic coin. "Let's have a coin toss to decide who goes first," Seta offered. "Heads or tails?"

"Tails!" Yugo replied.

As if on cue, the coin flipped itself into the air, spinning numerous times. Both duelists watched it with growing impatience. Finally, the coin landed face-up…and it was heads.

"Looks like you lost that toss, Yugo. Sorry about that, but I'll just have to go first." Seta drew his first five cards, and Yugo did likewise. Then Seta drew an extra card for his first turn. Looking at his hand, he smirked.

"All right, now!" he announced. "First, I'll summon the Koumori Dragon (ATK 1500, DEF 1200) in Attack Mode!" And he played his first card. As he did, a massive purple dragon appeared on his side of the field, letting off a terrible howl.

"Wow!" exclaimed Yugo. "What an UG-LEEEE dragon that is!"

"Well, try getting past it, if you can," Seta challenged.

"All right then, I will!" And Yugo drew his card. Then he examined his hand and smiled.

"Seta…I'll set one monster in Defense Mode, and also I'll set another card face-down," and he placed the two cards onto the Duel-Disk. The holographic projection showed the images of the two cards. "That's all for now."

"Playing defensive, eh?" Seta observed. "Good strategy…but it won't be enough to defeat me!" He drew his next card. "Koumori Dragon, attack his face-down monster now!"

The Koumori Dragon reared its head back, then forcefully thrust it forward as it spewed a blast of crimson flame at the face-down monster. The card was flipped face-up, revealing an old man in sorcerer's robes, and was quickly set aflame. However, to Seta's surprise, the old magician raised his cane and fired a blast of energy at the dragon, destroying it also.

"What the hell just happened?" Seta asked when he managed to find his voice again.

Yugo smirked. "That monster was my Old Vindictive Magician (ATK 450, DEF 600)…and his effect when flipped face-up allows me to destroy any one monster on the field. So, naturally, I chose your Koumori Dragon. Now, we're both without monsters."

"Not quite correct," Seta answered. "I still have a little something to stand up to you!" Whereupon he played another monster to the field, the Spear Dragon (ATK 1900, DEF 0), a winged dragon with an extremely long and pointed snout. Then he set one card face-down and ended his turn.

As Yugo drew his next card, he considered his hand and what was on the field. Both players' life points were at an untouched 8000. On Seta's side of the field was still a face-down card and his Spear Dragon; whereas on Yugo's own side of the field he still had his face-down card. He needed to put a strong monster on the field, pronto.

"I'll set another monster in Defense Mode, and end my turn!" And Yugo did so.

Seta swallowed hard. He did not trust Yugo's face-down monster at all. If he attacked, it might be a monster with a high enough defense to ward off his Spear Dragon. Or, it might turn out to be another effect monster – maybe even a second Old Vindictive Magician. And then, too, there was the matter of Yugo's other face-down card…perhaps it was a trap card that Yugo was patiently waiting to spring.

But when he drew his card, he chuckled. "Looks like luck might be on my side after all," he remarked. "I will place one card face-down…" and this he did. "…and summon the King of Yamimakai (ATK 2000, DEF 1530), offering my Spear Dragon as a tribute!"

The Spear Dragon immediately disappeared in sparks; in a moment, in its place stood a gigantic behemoth of a monster. "Now, King of Yamimakai, destroy his face-down monster!" Seta ordered.

The fiend rushed forward and slammed one fist into the defending monster. But to Seta's utter amazement, the other monster withstood the attack. "The defense of my Royal Magical Library (ATK 0, DEF 2000) is enough to stand against your fiend's onslaught," Yugo informed him, as several shelves of books emerged from the ground and surrounded him. "Both my monster and I are safe."

"Not bad," Seta admitted. "Well, I guess for the time being I'll just have to end my turn. Your move."

Yugo drew his next card. "All right! Now I'll tribute my monster, too – to summon the Magical Marionette (ATK 2000, DEF 1000)!" And almost instantly the bookshelves retreated, and in their place stood a massive puppet-master in a red cloak, controlling a knife-wielding doll.

But then Seta laughed. "You fell for my trap, Yugo! Activate the Trap Hole!" As he said this, one of his face-down cards flipped face-up. Suddenly a gigantic hole appeared underneath the Magical Marionette, and Yugo could only watch in shock as his creature disappeared from view.

"Damn! My life points are wide open!" Yugo cursed.

"Sorry, Yugo, but it looks like your luck has just run out." Seta shrugged.

Up in the stands, Jenna was calling out encouragement to Yugo. "Don't give up, Yugo! You can do it!"

"Of course he will…if he plays his cards carefully, that is," Kyo remarked.

"Can't you be a little more supportive? Yugo's your friend, isn't he?" Jenna protested.

"Yes, of course, but I'm just being practical here," Kyo shrugged off her anger. "Yugo has to be prepared to risk losing, as well as to face winning. It's a fact."

Seta was now taking his turn. He stared long and hard at the card in his hand, then chuckled. Then he laughed altogether. "Yugo! Prepare to meet the most powerful creature in my deck!"

"What could that monster possibly be?" asked Yugo.

"Only the greatest of all Duel Monsters to ever exist!" Seta answered.

Watching from above, Kyo was starting to feel uneasy. _This monster…could Seta be talking about THAT creature…?_

"To start things off," Seta went on, playing his cards, "I'll play the magic of Monster Reborn to revive Koumori Dragon to the field!" And as he played the card, a giant cross-shaped object appeared in the air above the two players, bringing Koumori Dragon back from the Graveyard, roaring in all its fury.

"And then," Seta added ominously, twiddling the card he'd just drawn in between his fingers, "prepare for the beginning of the end! For now…" As everyone in the stadium stared open-mouthed, he held the card up high. "I sacrifice both my Koumori Dragon and my King of Yamimakai to summon my ultimate beast!"

Yugo braced himself. _I've got a _**really** _bad feeling about this…_

Then Seta slapped the card down onto the Duel-Disk. "Prepare to meet the furious might of – _the Blue-Eyes White Dragon _(ATK 3000, DEF 2500)_!"_

On hearing this, every spectator present gasped collectively. Jenna was horrified. "What did he just say?" she cried out.

Kyo sighed resignedly. "It's begun."

"Huh?" Jenna looked at him.

"The Blue-Eyes White Dragon is one of the most powerful monsters in existence," Kyo explained. "From here on out, Yugo's going to have an extremely difficult time if he plans to beat Seta."

Jenna cast her eyes back upon the arena. "Yugo…"

Down below, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon let out a howl that seemed to shake the very room. Yugo could only stand there and stare at the majestic creature before him. "So…this is the Blue-Eyes White Dragon…"

----------

**_neomage:_** The gloves are off! The Blue-Eyes White Dragon has emerged! How is Yugo going to get himself out of this jam, ladies and gents! Read and Review, please, and prepare for the next chapter!


	4. Chapter 04

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: The great Kazuki Takahashi is the proud owner to the rights of the product called Yu-Gi-Oh!)

**CHAPTER 04**

KAIBA CORPORATION, INSIDE THE DUELING ARENA

As the legendary dragon roared in front of him, Yugo found himself in a very serious predicament. _How am I gonna beat something this strong?_

"Blue-Eyes – White Lightning Attack!"

"HUH!" Yugo snapped back to his senses just in time to see the dragon charging up particle energy inside its mouth. _It's now or never!_

"Hold it right there, Seta!" Yugo shouted. "Since you've declared your attack with your Blue-Eyes, I can activate my trap card – Blast Held by a Tribute!" And as he spoke, his face-down trap card revealed itself, depicting a man with a cancerous bomb in his chest.

As Seta looked on in surprise, to himself Yugo gloated, _Since his monster was Tribute Summoned, I was able to activate this Blast Held by a Tribute trap, thank goodness. It'll destroy his monster AND put a big dent in his life points – 1000 points of damage, to be exact! Then I'll be in the lead where life points are concerned, plus this'll give me a chance to come up with a counter-strategy next turn!_

"All right, Yugo! You got him now!" Jenna cheered, and Kyo smiled a little.

But Seta cackled loudly. "Nice try, but I won't let my dragon be killed just like that! Activate MY face-down trap, the Trap Jammer!" And as his trap was activated, a huge image of a bear-trap appeared, caught by a huge sealing spell underneath it. To Yugo's astonishment, as well as everyone else's, the bomb was caught in the trap, now safely rendered harmless.

"Huh?" Yugo was at a loss for words.

"This is the effect of my Trap Jammer," explained Seta patiently. "It can only be activated when my opponent activates a trap during the Battle Phase, but that trap will be negated and destroyed. So…Blue-Eyes White Dragon, resume your attack!"

Having charged enough energy, the Blue-Eyes fired its cannon-like blast directly at Yugo. The young boy screamed in agony as he felt the electrical energy hit him straight in the chest and push him several feet back before knocking him down altogether. The damage to his life points was very apparent, too – swiftly shooting from 8000 down to 5000.

"Goddammit…that's…too strong…" Yugo gasped out as he lay flat on his back.

"Ha, ha! See the power of my Blue-Eyes at work!" Seta laughed triumphantly. "Hey, Yugo, hope you're still in the mood to duel after that attack you just got! Now, get back up and fight!" His eyes narrowed and the smile left his face. "Or are you going to be like so many of my past opponents, who would run away at the first sight of my dragon's strength?"

On hearing this, Yugo raised his head. "Are you calling me a coward, Seta?" he asked dangerously.

"Well, if you're not, then prove it!" Seta shouted.

Trembling with exertion, Yugo slowly picked himself up. Although he really hadn't suffered any apparent physical damage, nevertheless the force of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon's blast had taken its toll on him. _I have to find a way to beat that dragon. My first chance is now gone, so I have to make up for it somehow._

He drew his next card. "Okaaaaay…now I think I'll set one card face-down, put another monster face-down in Defense Mode…and that's it for me," he announced as he played his cards.

"Still playing defensive, Yugo? What, you can't think of anything else to do?" Seta shook his head sadly. "You really are nothing like your dad."

Yugo glared at him. "Don't compare me to my father!" he snapped.

"Why should I bother? Your skill is really weak. When I heard that you'd been out of it for some time, I never imagined that you would've deteriorated like this." Seta beheld the crowd. "Just listen to everybody…already they're starting to get upset about the whole matter."

Indeed, the spectators were not happy with the low level of performance being displayed by Yugo. "C'mon! Can't you do better than that?" somebody shouted, and everybody else hollered in agreement.

Jenna and Kyo, still watching from above, could hear the shouts of discouragement from the crowd. "Poor Yugo…he's taking a terrible beating out there…" whispered Jenna sadly.

To her surprise, Kyo got up in one swift motion and started to shout, completely out of character for him. "YUGO!" he yelled. "Don't give up! We're right behind you!" He then looked at Jenna. "Don't just sit there! Give Yugo your support, too!"

"Y-yeah!" Jenna took up the cheering now. "Do your best, Yugo! I know you can win!"

Yugo looked up as he heard his friends calling out to him. A faint glimmer of hope filled his face. _Guys…thank you…_

Then he turned back to Seta, his eyes now blazing with newfound energy. "C'mon, Seta! What's the matter? Afraid to attack me?"

Seta gritted his teeth. "I fear nothing!" he cried as he drew another card. "I summon the Lizard Soldier (ATK 1100, DEF 800) in Attack Mode!" As he played the card, a small dragon-soldier armed with a machete and a stone shield appeared on his side of the field. "Now, Blue-Eyes, destroy his face-down monster!"

The Blue-Eyes fired another megaton blast from its mouth, destroying Yugo's face-down monster, the Magician's Valkyrie (ATK 1600, DEF 1800). Then, with that resistance out of the way, the Lizard Soldier could attack directly, reducing Yugo further to 3900 life points.

"Pathetic," Seta scoffed. "I end my turn!"

_This isn't good,_ Yugo thought to himself. _If I don't do something quickly, it'll be the end of me!_

So, as soon as he drew his next card, he announced, "Now I'll activate my face-down trap card, Frozen Soul! Since my life points are more than 2000 points lower than yours, your monsters can't attack me during your next turn!" As his trap activated, a huge blue skull flew out of the card picture and circled around Seta's monsters.

"Big deal," said Seta. "So I won't be able to attack. So what? It won't mean a thing. You'll just end up losing anyway."

"Really?" Now Yugo smiled. He looked at his hand and decided on a strategy.

"I activate the Pot of Greed magic card, which will let me draw two more cards from my deck!" Yugo declared, playing the card. A big grinning green pot appeared on the field and spat out two cards, and Yugo took them into his hand to give him a total of five cards. "Well, well, well…this looks very, very good…"

Seeing the sudden confidence on his opponent's face, Seta frowned. _Is he up to something?_

"Now, Seta, I'm going to summon a new monster to the field – Copycat (ATK 0, DEF 0)! Come forth, my monster!" Yugo ordered. At once a clown jester holding a mirror in front of its face appeared.

Seeing the new monster's stats, however, Seta was dumbfounded. Then he started to laugh, as did several members of the audience. "Are you crazy? THAT is going to be your salvation?" he laughed uproariously.

Jenna, too, was confused. "Has Yugo finally lost it?"

But Kyo wasn't so sure. "Don't give up on Yugo just yet," he counseled Jenna. "Not everything is as it seems…"

Yugo thought so, too. "Don't go mocking my monster before I tell you its special ability, Seta," he said to his opponent. "For you see, Copycat has a very dangerous effect: When it is summoned, it can immediately copy the original ATK and DEF of any monster on the opponent's field that I choose."

"Any monster…?" Then the truth dawned on Seta. "Oh, _shit…"_

"That's right – I'm going to have him copy your Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

As Seta looked on in shock, suddenly an image began to appear in the Copycat's mirror – an image of the Blue Eyes White Dragon's face. Then, the Copycat's entire body began to morph, until at last it was the splitting image of the original dragon itself.

"It can't be true!" Seta shrieked.

"But it is, Seta!" Yugo countered. "And what's more, I'm not even done yet!"

He held up two cards from his hand and played them immediately. "First, I'm going to activate the magic of the Yami field magic card, which will increase the ATK and DEF of all Spellcasters and Fiends by 200 points…and also decrease the ATK and DEF of Fairy-type monsters by 200." As he played the card, several dark shadows began to fill the arena, giving a very spooky impression. Yugo could hear some whimpering from a few of the spectators as the darkness enveloped the place.

"And next," Yugo continued, "I activate the magic of my own Monster Reborn card to bring back my Magical Marionette from the Graveyard!" And as he activated the card, the red-clad puppeteer reappeared. Its stats quickly changed to ATK 2200 and DEF 1200 due to Yami's effect. Since the Copycat Blue-Eyes still counted as a Spellcaster in spite of its new appearance, its stats changed to ATK 3200 and DEF 2700 – far stronger than the original Blue-Eyes!

"Now, Copycat, destroy the Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" Yugo ordered. And Copycat Blue-Eyes did just that – charging up a blast of energy in its mouth, it fired it off at its original, completely ripping it to pieces and reducing Seta's life points to 7800.

"Marionette, it's your turn!" Yugo commanded. And the mage moved its fingers, commanding its puppet to slice the Lizard Soldier, ripping it apart. Seta grimaced as he felt his life points drop further to 6700.

Finally, Yugo took one of the two remaining cards in his hand, and set it face-down in the magic/trap slot. "Now, one more card face-down…and with that, I finally end my turn."

"Impressive comeback, Yugo," Seta congratulated him. Then he smirked. "But my life points are still much, much higher than yours! It's going to take more than just a few lucky moves to bring me down!"

"Well, I'm not going to give up so readily, either, Seta," Yugo declared firmly.

Now the crowd was starting to cheer again. "This is really some duel!" someone exclaimed.

"I'll say!" another agreed. "The best I've seen in a long time!"

"Those guys sure know how to play!" added a third.

Smirking again, Seta drew his next card, giving him a total of three in his hand. "All right…now I'll set one monster in Defense Mode, then one other card face-down, and that'll end my turn."

Kyo, seeing this, was surprised. "Okay…so now Seta's playing on the defensive? He must be up to something…"

Yugo suspected something, too, but wasn't sure what game his opponent might be playing. _Is he trying to lure me into a trap? I should play this carefully, but…I really need to get a shot at his life points, or else I'll never catch up to him!_

"Okay! Magical Marionette, attack Seta's face-down monster!"

Again the Marionette controlled its puppet, slashing the opposition into bits. But Seta laughed. "That was my Peten the Dark Clown (ATK 500, DEF 1200) that your magician just destroyed! When he's sent to the Graveyard, I can remove him from play to Special Summon another one like him to the field from my deck!"

Seta then took the card from the Graveyard and placed it in his Discard pile. In turn, he thumbed through his deck, then immediately summoned another Peten the Dark Clown to the field. Due to the fact that it was a Spellcaster, Yami's field effect caused its stats to go up to ATK 700 and DEF 1400. Peten then delivered a raspberry with its tongue straight at Yugo, who was quite annoyed with it.

"Whatever!" Yugo barked. "Copycat, destroy that one too!" And the Copycat Blue-Eyes fired yet another blast, obliterating this Peten. But Seta just shrugged, removed the second one from the game, and Special Summoned a third one to the field.

"Annoying little guy, isn't he?" he taunted.

_Well, at least one thing's for certain, _Yugo mused. _There's a limit to a certain type of card in one's deck. A duelist can only have three copies of any one card in a deck at any one time, so…he shouldn't have any more Peten the Dark Clown cards after this one. Next time, Seta…next time!_

Seta now took his turn, drawing his card. "Now, I activate my face-down trap, Jar of Greed! This will let me draw one more card from my deck!" As he activated the card, a red version of the Pot of Greed came onto the field, and it spat out one card which Seta then added to his hand. He looked at it and smirked.

"Next, I'll play the magic card, Graceful Charity! This will let me draw three more cards, but in turn I'll have to discard two from my hand to the Graveyard." He played the card, and a beautiful angel appeared on his side of the field, offering him three cards. He took them, examined his hand, then picked two cards and discarded them, so now he was left with three cards in his hand in all.

"Okay…now I summon the Lord of Dragons (ATK 1200, DEF 1100)!" In a moment, a mage dressed in a cape and a helmet shaped like a dragon's head appeared next to Seta. Since he was a Spellcaster, Yami's effect strengthened him to have ATK 1400 and DEF 1300.

"See my Lord of Dragons, Yugo? He's one of the most important monsters in my deck because of his special abilities," Seta remarked. "For one thing, as his name suggests, he's a master dragon wielder. His powers are so mighty, and his control of these great beasts so superb, nobody can stand in his way. And…" He held up another card from his hand. "This card works well with him, too – The Flute of Summoning Dragon!"

As Seta played the card, a horn in the shape of a dragon appeared in the Lord of Dragons' hand, and he blew a note on it. "When I activate the Flute while the Lord of Dragons is on the field," Seta explained, "I can Special Summon up to two Dragons from my hand. Well…actually, right now I only have one dragon in my hand, but it's okay. Now, be summoned, my Rare Metal Dragon (ATK 2400, DEF 1200)!"

As the Lord of Dragons continued to play the Flute, a metallic dragon appeared on Seta's side of the field, growling menacingly. Seta smiled. "Plenty of firepower here," he laughed.

But then he stopped laughing and looked at Yugo's side of the field again. "Huh? What the hell gives!"

He had good reason to ask. Just moments before, when the Magical Marionette had emerged on the field, it had stats of ATK 2000 and 1000, increased to 2200 and 1200 respectively via Yami. But now, its ATK was 2600!

"Think back to a few minutes ago, Seta," explained Yugo. "Magical Marionette has a very wonderful effect – each time one of us activates a Magic Card, the Marionette gets what is known as a Spell Counter, which increases its ATK by 200 points. And, by my count, you've activated two magic cards – your Graceful Charity and that Flute of Summoning Dragon."

Seta paled considerably. _This isn't good at all,_ his mind raged. _Yugo might actually beat me if I'm not careful! I have to get rid of him soon!_

Now Yugo took his turn. As he drew his card, he chuckled. Seta was still in the lead in terms of life points, but Yugo was about to give him a major surprise. "OK, Seta, let me show you another ability of my Magical Marionette!" Yugo declared crisply.

"WHAT!" Seta yelled. "Another effect!"

"Yes! Observe!" replied Yugo. And then, as all watched open-mouthed, the Marionette's ATK sharply dropped back to 2200 – and two giant balls of flame were floating in front of the puppeteer.

"By removing two Spell Counters from the Marionette," explained Yugo, "I can destroy any monster on the field that I choose. And I choose…your Dark Clown!" And as he spoke, the balls of flame merged as one and then flew toward Peten, incinerating him and wiping him out.

"Now – I'll conduct battle!" Yugo declared. "Copycat, destroy the Rare Metal Dragon!" And Copycat Blue-Eyes fired a White Lightning Attack, blowing the Rare Metal Dragon to pieces and dropping Seta's life points to 5900. Then – "Magical Marionette, it's your turn!" And the Marionette's puppet rushed forward and stabbed the Lord of Dragons to death, and Seta's life points went down further to 5100.

Seeing this, Jenna was ecstatic. "Way to go, Yugo! Now he's got no monsters to protect himself!" she exulted.

"That's right," said Kyo. But to himself he added, _Still, Seta's a much better duelist than that…surely he'll find a way to regain control of this duel…_

"In your face, Seta!" Yugo boasted.

Seta smiled quietly. "Maybe…but this duel's far from over!"

He drew his next card. Looking at it, he smiled immensely. "I'll just put this monster face-down in Defense Mode, and end my turn. It's all I can do right now."

Now everybody was cheering and chanting Yugo's name. "Yugo! Yugo! Yugo!" echoed throughout the stadium.

"Go ahead, Yugo! You've got this duel in the bag! Get him now!" Jenna screamed.

But then she felt a restraining hand on her arm. "Hey, Kyo, what's the matter?" she asked indignantly.

Kyo's face was grave. "Don't celebrate yet, Jenna," he counseled. "Remember, Seta just put a monster card face-down without hesitation. He might _want_ Yugo to attack him."

As he looked at Seta, Yugo frowned. _This is too easy…Seta wants me to attack. I just know it. Well…I'm not going to miss out on this chance to win, but just in case..._ He drew his next card. "Now, Copycat! Attack his monster!"

But as Copycat-Blue-Eyes charged up its attack, Seta started to laugh. "You're gonna regret that, Yugo!" he sneered.

Copycat Blue-Eyes fired its attack, destroying the opposing monster. But as the monster was flipped face-up, it turned out to be the Cyber Jar (ATK 900, DEF 900). "What the heck?" Yugo exclaimed when he saw what it was. But there was no further time to wonder, for almost immediately both Copycat Blue-Eyes and the Marionette were destroyed, as well, as the field turned bright with a massive explosion!

"Whoa! That's too much!" Kyo exclaimed as he instinctively shielded himself, as did most other people.

"I see you know this monster," Seta chuckled as the smoke gradually cleared.. "When the Cyber Jar is flipped face-up, every monster on the field will be destroyed. But not to worry – afterward, we'll each pick five cards from the top of our respective decks and show them to each other. Then, we'll Special Summon all Level 4 or lower monsters that we pick up, and the other cards will be added to our hands. So, start picking up."

Grumbling, Yugo picked up five cards, and Seta did likewise; then they walked toward each other and held up their respective five cards. In Yugo's hand were the Gemini Elf (ATK 1900, DEF 900), Swords of Revealing Light, Magic Jammer, Kuriboh (ATK 300, DEF 200) and Book of Secret Arts; in Seta's hand were Raigeki, Mystical Space Typhoon, Interdimensional Matter Transporter, Troop Dragon (ATK 700, DEF 800) and the Dragon Dwelling in the Cave (ATK 1300, DEF 2000). Swiftly, Gemini Elf was placed in face-up Attack Mode and Kuriboh in face-down Defense Mode; and both Troop Dragon and the Cave-Dwelling Dragon were placed in face-down Defense Mode – and all the other cards they'd picked up were added to their hands, giving Yugo a total of six cards and Seta a total of three.

Since it was still Yugo's Battle Phase, his Gemini Elf, powered up to 2100 ATK and 1100 DEF by Yami's effect, prepared to fight. "Now, my twin elves, attack his face-down monster on the right!" Yugo ordered, silently hoping it was the Troop Dragon…and it was.

But as that Troop Dragon was destroyed, another immediately appeared in Defense Mode! "What happened?" Yugo asked, stunned.

"That's Troop Dragon's effect for you," said Seta. "When it's destroyed in battle, another Troop Dragon will be Special Summoned from my deck to take its place. So, too bad."

Disappointed, Yugo set another card face-down. "Okay, make your move."

"Be glad to!" Seta drew another card – and started to laugh. "This is it! This is the end! I activate two magic cards – first, Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy the face-down card you just set…" As he played the card, a mighty tornado came onto the field, destroying Yugo's selected face-down card and almost blowing Yugo away in the process.

"…And then I'll play Raigeki to destroy every monster on your side of the field!" And Seta, laughing maniacally, played the magic card, creating a hail of thunderbolts that completely destroyed Yugo's monsters.

"No!" cried Yugo.

"And then…" Seta slowly raised the card he'd just drawn. "I'm going to offer my Troop Dragon and my other monster, the Dragon Dwelling in the Cave, to summon something you'd never expect – my second Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

Yugo's eyes widened in alarm upon hearing that. _"What!"_

----------

**_neomage:_** Quite a lengthy chapter, no? Well, this duel will soon be over, as Seta has now revealed his second Blue-Eyes White Dragon! How will Yugo combat this one, especially after he'd just managed to destroy the first? R&R, and stay tuned!


	5. Chapter 05

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: I don't need to say this again, do I? I DO NOT OWN YU-GI-OH!)

**CHAPTER 05**

KAIBA CORPORATION, INSIDE THE DUELING ARENA

"I now tribute both of my monsters to summon my second Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" Seta shouted triumphantly, playing the card onto his Duel-Disk. Then, as both his Troop Dragon and his face-down Dragon Dwelling in the Cave disappeared, there was a thunderous roar as the second Blue-Eyes White Dragon emerged, howling in vengeful rage.

"This…is…impossible…!" Yugo whispered, staring at the massive dragon in shock.

Seta chuckled. "What? Did you honestly think that I had just _one_ Blue-Eyes? Then you'll pay for that error – with every life point you have!" He raised an arm. "Go, my Blue-Eyes, avenge your fallen brother! Use your White Lightning Attack and attack him directly!"

Heeding the call of its master, the Blue-Eyes charged up energy in its mouth, then fired it all off in one massive blast, heading directly for Yugo!

Jenna's eyes widened in horror. "Oh, no, Yugo!" she shrieked.

But Kyo seemed quite calm. "Don't give up on him yet…"

And, to the amazement of everyone watching the big-screens, Yugo appeared to be…smiling. "Activate my face-down trap, Magic Cylinder!"

Seta's eyes widened in alarm. "What'd he say!" was all he could manage as, before his eyes, Yugo's face-down card flipped face-up. Two huge cylinders appeared immediately – and one absorbed the White Lightning Attack. The other barreled it all right back at a now very frightened Seta, who still couldn't believe what had just happened…and who suddenly howled in agony as his own monster's attack ripped through him, knocking him down and severely reducing his life points to 2100.

"See? What'd I tell you?" Kyo smirked.

Jenna sighed in relief. "That Yugo…always scaring people…"

Down in the arena, Seta smarted from the impact of the blast as his clothes smoldered. "Goddammit…" he groaned as he struggled to get back up.

"Hurts, doesn't it?" Yugo questioned. "Being hit by the force of the Blue Eyes White Dragon's attack…it's not very pleasant, is it, Seta?"

"Shit…how could I have been careless…I completely forgot about your other face-down card…" Seta shook his head.

Yugo lowered his hands a moment. "Hey, Seta, I gotta admit…this duel's been so good for me," he revealed. "I…I haven't had such a strong opponent in such a long time…someone who could force me to play a decent game…"

Seta looked at Yugo, an eyebrow raised.

"Let me tell you just why I hung up my Duel-Disk so long ago," Yugo went on, his face bearing a small, sad smile. "Everywhere I went…no matter how I fought…all people saw was the legacy of my father, Yugi Muto…I never had anybody acknowledge me as _me_...and not as my dad…" He looked up. "It was…the same for you…wasn't it…?"

Seta's eyes widened in surprise.

"You…being heir to such a powerful company like Kaibacorp," Yugo continued, wiping a hand over his brow. "You went through an identity crisis, too, right? I mean…people expecting you to live up to the name of your father, the great Seto Kaiba…it must've been hard, wasn't it?"

Seta looked long and hard at Yugo…then lowered his eyes. "Yeah."

The entire arena was now quiet. Every person there sensed that this was a critical moment for both players. None dared utter a single word. Jenna and Kyo looked on knowingly.

"It…almost came to the point where…I was going to start hating Duel Monsters…and everything my dad stood for," Yugo admitted, his hair now overshadowing his brow. "And I would have, too…if not for them…"

He looked up into the crowd, right where Jenna and Kyo were sitting. "Jenna Wheeler…and Kyo Bakura…my best friends…both children of legendary duelists, just like me…when we first met, they didn't see Yugi Muto…they saw me…_me_…" He looked up, his voice about to break. "And I made myself a promise: The day I picked up my Duel-Disk again, I'd begin my own crusade to surpass the legend my father had become…to become a champion in my own right, without having to rely on his fame…" He smiled again. "Same for you…right?"

Seta didn't say anything for a long moment. Then he looked up. "Yugo…for making that comparison between you and your old man before…I apologize."

Yugo's eyes widened.

"Yeah…It was tough, all right," Seta continued. "I never had anybody acknowledge me as me, either…until now…" He smiled a little. "Who would've thought that the child of my father's greatest rival…would be the first to acknowledge my skill as my own?"

"That's…so emotional…" Jenna seemed ready to weep.

"Those two are true duelists, after all," Kyo acknowledged.

Seta straightened up again. "Yugo Muto! Come on – we've got a duel to finish, you and I! Show me your true abilities, now!"

Yugo's eyes were still wide with wonder. _He…acknowledges me, too…_ A huge smile crossed his face. "Yeah!"

Almost as though on cue, a burst of cheering erupted the place again. The spectators, every single one of them, were cheering for either of the two duelists. "Go, Yugo!" and "You can do it, Seta!"

And then…the duel was underway again.

With a grand flourish, Yugo drew his card. "All right, Seta! I'll show you what my strength is really like!" He swiftly selected two cards in his hand. "First, I'll play my Swords of Revealing Light magic card, to stop every monster on your side of the field from attacking for your next three turns!" And as he played the card, three shining swords of light suddenly came down on Seta's side of the field.

"Then…" Yugo played the other card on his Duel-Disk. "I summon Double Coston (ATK 1700, DEF 1650) in Attack Mode!" Immediately two grinning ghosts, about the size of basketballs, emerged and started circling around Yugo. "And now I'll end my turn for now."

Seta drew his next card, and seemed especially pleased at what it was. "I'll activate my own Pot of Greed, to draw two cards!" And this he did, so that moments later he held three cards. But when he saw what he'd acquired, his smile widened. _One half of what I need…_

"I'll set one card face-down," and he placed one of the cards onto the field. "Then I'll summon the Kaiser Seahorse (ATK 1700, DEF 1650) and end my turn!" he announced. And then a majestic sea creature wielding a trident appeared on Seta's side of the field, beside the Blue-Eyes White Dragon.

As one of the three swords slowly disappeared, Yugo drew his next card. "All right! Now I'll set one card facedown and…" He raised another card in his hand. "Then I'm going to summon something you would not be expecting! You see…" He chuckled. "Double Coston's effect allows it to be treated as two monsters when I'm going to tribute summon a Dark monster to the field. So, I offer this monster to summon – my Dark Magician (ATK 2500, DEF 2100)!"

"What!" Seta asked in surprise.

The Double Coston gathered as one monster, and then evaporated. Then, emerging in a flash of purple light was a magician in purple robes and carrying a green cane. Its ATK and DEF increased to 2700 and 2100, respectively, through Yami's effect. "That monster…that was your father's best monster," Seta breathed.

"Just as the Blue-Eyes White Dragon was your dad's signature monster," returned Yugo, grinning. "Now, we can really duel."

"Incredible…they actually have two legendary monsters out there now," Jenna remarked.

"Yep," replied Kyo. "And from what I've heard, back in the day of Yugi Muto and Seto Kaiba, since those two were rivals, the Dark Magician and Blue-Eyes White Dragon were considered rivals, too. Let's see how this showdown turns out, huh?"

But Yugo looked anxiously at the face-down card Seta had on the field. _That card…it must be the Interdimensional Matter Transporter he drew earlier, but I've never seen that card before…What does it do? Should I take the risk? Maybe…_ Then, aloud, he announced, "I'll attack Kaiser Seahorse with my mage's Dark Magic Attack!"

So saying, the Dark Magician charged energy on the end of his staff and fired at the Seahorse – and hit thin air! "Huh?" Yugo wondered.

"Seems you forced me to reveal the effect of my trap card, Interdimensional Matter Transporter," Seta remarked, as a huge mechanical object that pulsed energy floated beside him. "It allows me to take one monster on my side of the field out of play until the end of the turn. And, it so happens I have plans for my Kaiser Seahorse, so…"

Yugo shrugged. "Yeah, well…It's your turn now, I guess."

As the Kaiser Seahorse came out of empty space and returned to the field, Seta drew his card – and his eyes lit up. "Surprise, surprise, Yugo," he laughed out. "Kaiser Seahorse's effect allows me to treat it as two monsters when I'm going to tribute summon a Light monster. And I'm gonna summon something really awesome, now – my third Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

Yugo reared up. "You gotta be kidding me!" he exclaimed.

"I kid you not! Now, show yourself, my mighty dragon!" And Seta sacrificed the Kaiser Seahorse to summon the third of his ultimate dragons, roaring in all its power.

In the stands, Jenna was amazed. "Oh, man…once the Swords of Revealing Light disappear, unless Yugo does something soon he'll be mincemeat!"

"That's pretty cool…" Kyo murmured. "Who would've thought that Seta would have inherited all three Blue-Eyes White Dragons from his father, Mr. Kaiba? And…if he somehow manages to revive the Blue-Eyes that's in the Graveyard now, it'll mean big trouble for Yugo…"

The stats now stood thus: Seta had his two Blue-Eyes White Dragons on the field, one card in his hand, and 2100 life points to boot. On the other hand, Yugo had his Dark Magician, plus his Swords of Revealing Light and Yami magic cards and another facedown card on the field, three cards in his hand, and 3900 life points. And things were about to get even more interesting…

The second of the swords of light disappeared as Seta ended his turn. "Just one more turn, and then afterwards I'll be able to attack," he declared. "Make the most of the time you have left, Yugo!"

"I intend to!" Yugo answered, drawing his next card. "I think I'll power up my Dark Magician a little more, with the Book of Secret Arts!" And he played this magic card onto the field. Within moments the Dark Magician was holding a book of spells, and his ATK and DEF shot up to 3000 and 2600, respectively. "Now my Magician is just as powerful as your dragons!"

"Not for long, he won't be," Seta said frostily. He drew his next card and smiled. "Okay! Now I'll activate the magic of Premature Burial! By paying 800 of my life points…" and here his life points dropped to 1300 as he activated the magic card. "…I can resurrect one monster from my Graveyard to the field. Now, all three of my Blue-Eyes White Dragons will be together on the field!"

As Seta spoke, the ground beneath them shook violently. Then, a rift opened up as the formerly deceased Blue-Eyes, killed earlier in the duel, flew out and then landed beside its fellow dragons, roaring with wrathful vengeance in mind.

"Holy crap!" Jenna cried. "Now he's got all three of those dragons on the field!"

"Yeah," Kyo nodded. "And the Swords of Revealing Light are about to lose their power…"

The third sword finally disappeared, and Seta smiled when he saw this. "Next turn, I'll definitely beat you, Yugo!" he swore. "So make _very_ good use of the little time you've got left!"

Now scowling, Yugo drew his next card. He stared at it for a long time. "Hmmm…a good card…I'm glad I put this in the deck, but I need _that_ card to make it worthwhile…"

He picked two cards from his hand and set them face-down in the magic/trap slots. "All right…now I'll end my turn. Bring it on, Seta!"

Seta drew his next card…and his eyes lit up with delight when he saw what it was. "All right! Now, I'm going to weaken and destroy your Dark Magician!" He held up the card he'd just drawn. "Activate the field magic card, Luminous Spark! This will decrease the DEF of all Light monsters on the field by 400 points…" His eyes narrowed. "…but their ATK will skyrocket by 500 points in exchange!"

True to Seta's description, his Blue-Eyes White Dragons' respective DEF shot down to 2100, but their respective ATK shot up by 500 to give each dragon a thunderous total of 3500! In addition, as Yugo registered this info with horror, the Yami field card was destroyed, dropping his Magician's ATK and DEF to 2800 and 2400, respectively! _Shit!_ Yugo's mind screamed.

"Now…" Seta laughed, as victory was just within his grasp. "Blue-Eyes, destroy the Dark Magician!" And one of the dragons charged up its White Lightning Attack, then fired it off in one mighty blast. The Dark Magician tried to block it, but instead got consumed; and Yugo grimaced as his life points went down to 3200.

Seta laughed again. "Time to end this! It was fun dueling against you, Yugo, but everything has an end sometime!" And as he spoke, his two remaining Blue-Eyes charged up their attacks, ready to finish it off.

"No, Yugo!" Jenna cried.

"Well…he fought well, at least," Kyo sighed.

The two blasts of light covered Yugo's side of the field, and were so bright that anybody close to that end had to cover their eyes. Seta, meanwhile, was laughing victoriously. "Yes! That's it! I win! I win!" he crowed.

But then he stopped and looked at the stats on one of the big-screens. "Huh…? WHAT? His life points haven't gone down? What the hell!"

The smoke cleared on Yugo's side of the field – and Yugo himself was still standing! "I activated my trap card, Waboku, which reduces all battle damage I get after activation to zero during this turn," he explained to a stunned Seta. "I'm still in this game, so…sorry."

"Damn it!" Seta screamed.

"Wow! Yugo's so cool!" Jenna cried out. "This is your chance, Yugo!"

Kyo looked intently at the arena. "This is Yugo's **only** chance…if he can't do anything in this turn, he's finished."

Calmly, Yugo drew his next card and stared at it. "YES! Just what I needed!" he exclaimed. "All right, Seta – this duel ends now!"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Seta demanded.

"Watch and learn!" And then Yugo activated his other remaining face-down card – the magic card Premature Burial. "I'll pay 800 of my own life points to revive my Dark Magician to the field!" he declared, as his life points dropped to 2400 and the mage returned to the field.

"Next…" Yugo held up the card he'd just drawn. "I'm going to activate the magic of Polymerization! I'll fuse two monsters together – the Dark Magician I have on the field, and the Buster Blader (ATK 2600, DEF 2300) in my hand!" And, as he played the Polymerization card, he discarded the Dark Magician from the field and the Buster Blader from his hand.

Seta looked on in surprise. "What the hell!"

Slowly emerging on the field was a new monster: a mage dressed in robes similar to the Dark Magician's, but the robes were dark blue with gold trim. In his hand he carried a sort of scimitar. "Seta…meet the Dark Paladin (ATK 2900, DEF 2400), a powerful and mighty mage with extremely intense powers," Yugo introduced him. "And he's got a very powerful effect that I'm sure you won't appreciate…"

"Huh?" Seta could only look on in shock.

Yugo smiled. "Dark Paladin increases his ATK by 500 points for each Dragon on the field and in either of our Graveyards," he explained. "And, let's review how many dragons you've got in your Graveyard right now…"

Swallowing, feeling suddenly uneasy, Seta pushed a button on his Duel-Disk, and almost immediately a holographic display of the cards in his Graveyard appeared. Yugo looked at the cards, counting off the Dragon-type monsters he saw. "Koumori Dragon, Spear Dragon, Lizard Soldier, Rare Metal Dragon, two Troop Dragons, and the Dragon Dwelling in the Cave – that's seven dragons times 500 points, equals 3500…add that to Dark Paladin's original 2900 ATK, and that gives me a grand total of 6400 points! Plus, your three Blue-Eyes White Dragons here on the field, times 500 points…that's a punishing total of _7900_ ATK points for my Dark Paladin!"

Seta looked very frightened. _That's too much! That's way too much!_

Then Yugo held up the last card in his hand. "Introducing my Diffusion Wave-Motion magic card," he announced. "By paying 1000 of my life points and selecting one monster on my side of the field, I can have that monster attack every monster on your side during this turn. Face it, Seta – your dragons are powerful, but they're not invincible!"

"H-hey, wait a sec!" Seta cried.

"Too late, Seta!" Yugo called out as he played the card. His life points went down to 1400, and the Dark Paladin raised the scimitar as he prepared to strike. "Now, my Dark Paladin! Wipe out your enemies!"

The Dark Paladin slashed downward, creating a mighty sonic wave that ripped through all three Blue-Eyes White Dragons. The dragons roared as they were sliced in two, and then disappeared – and Seta dropped his hands in defeat as his life points shot down to 0. "I win," Yugo said simply.

The stadium was very, very quiet. Then Jenna broke the silence. "Way to go, Yugo! Woo-hoo!"

Kyo simply smiled and adjusted his glasses. "Well played, Yugo," he said quietly, even as the rest of the stadium burst into cheering and applause.

Seta, even in the face of defeat, showed that he could lose with good grace. He walked over to Yugo and extended a hand. "Nice play there, Yugo," he nodded with approval. "I've never seen anything like it. You truly are a great duelist."

"Gee, thanks," said Yugo, somewhat sheepishly.

Seta then smirked. "But this won't be the end of it," he declared. "In exactly one month, Kaibacorp will be hosting a big tournament right here in Domino City, and after seeing your performance here, I've decided to give you a personal invitation. You see, I'm the champion of this contest, and this duel was just to warm up my skills. Hope you're not offended at being a guinea pig, so to speak."

Yugo just laughed. "A guinea pig, huh? Well, if it means that I'll get to face a stronger Seta Kaiba next time, then I guess I can let it slide."

Seta nodded. "I'll be training diligently for our next confrontation, Yugo," he assured the blond-haired boy. "You are probably the first duelist to have ever beaten me, even if this was just a test duel. I almost envy you, Yugo. From this moment…" He extended a fist at Yugo. "You and I shall be rivals!"

Yugo couldn't help but grin as he extended his own fist to touch Seta's. "Just like our parents, eh?" And the two boys burst into laughter.

----------

In the control room, Roland was on the phone even as he watched the boys from above. "I'm sorry, Mr. Kaiba, sir, but Master Seta lost his duel against the Muto boy," he reported.

The voice of authority on the other end of the line answered immediately. "It doesn't matter – at least two things have been accomplished. One is that Seta has gotten a chance to test his skills against a worthy opponent…and the other is that he has acquired footage of his opponent's skills to study and learn how to counter for the next time they will duel. And…" Kaiba paused.

"Yes, sir?"

"I have a feeling that Seta will invite that boy to participate in the company's upcoming tournament. If that's the case, then some measures will have to be taken. Roland…later tonight I will call back and explain my plans to you, so make sure you are on standby to receive my call and to follow my instructions as I will give them to you. Am I clear?"

"Very good, sir." And Roland nodded to himself.

----------

**_neomage:_** PHEW! That brings the first duel of this story to an end! But what does the senior Kaiba have planned? Plus, I got e-mail asking who the kids' mothers are, but I'm not telling – yet! I'll drop a few hints here and there, so keep reading and looking out for updates, and as usual, please send in your reviews! Thanx much to all!

Updated 26/11/2005: Forgot to include the BEWDs in calculating Dark Paladin's ATK.

Updated 01/12/2005: Revised for Interdimensional Matter Transporter's proper use.

Updated 04/03/2006: Revised the chapter because of an incorrect placement and usage of a certain trap card. Thanks for pointing out the error, LucienShadowMaster!

Updated 09/09/2006: Made some extra clarifications with the math near the end of the duel.


	6. Chapter 06

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. Never have, never will. The new characters and the real cards are mine, though. Bleh.)

**CHAPTER 06**

_Characters' First Appearance in Story_

_MIKI_

_NAME: Miki Taylor_

_AGE: 14_

_HAIR: Brown_

_EYES: Blue_

_CLOTHES: Pink blouse, dark green shorts, green sneakers_

YUGO'S HOUSE, THE NEXT DAY

"Yugo! Wake up, already!"

Yugo grumbled and flopped over, looking up. "Who the hell let you in, Kyo? You know I like to sleep in on the weekend!"

"Not today, you're not," and with a grand flourish Kyo ripped the covers off Yugo's bed. "Get up, you lazy punk! You've been sleeping since you got back from Kaibacorp yesterday, and frankly, it should not be so!"

"And who told you that?"

"Your grandmother. Who else?"

"Ugh…" A disgruntled Yugo finally got up. "Honestly, I wonder sometimes where you get all your energy from…"

"From lots of food, of course!" Kyo grinned.

"Whatever," Yugo sighed, heading out of the room and toward the bathroom.

----------

Half an hour later, Yugo and Kyo were heading down the street together. "So, where do you wanna go to?" Yugo asked, somewhat bored.

"How about we head over to Jenna's house? I hear she's got a really cute cousin who's supposed to be coming to Domino City today!" Kyo sounded excited.

Yugo gave Kyo a look. "Does widdle Kyo have a cwush on sumone?" he asked in baby talk.

Kyo turned red. "It's…it's not like that!" he blurted.

"Kyo has a cru-ush! Kyo has a cru-ush!" Yugo teased in singsong, dancing around Kyo.

"That's it – you are SO dead!" Kyo snarled, rushing at Yugo. The latter, however, merely laughed and stuck his tongue out as he dashed out of harm's way.

"Too slow, Kyo! Much too slow!" Yugo teased.

"Come back here, you little prick!" Kyo snapped.

Yugo just laughed and ran off, in the direction of Jenna's house, just two blocks away by now. Kyo chased after him, swearing about what he would do once he got his hands on the other boy.

By the time they arrived at Jenna's front lawn, both boys were panting from exertion – and from laughing. "I swear, Yugo, you'll never change," Kyo remarked, wiping the sweat from out of his eyes.

Yugo ran a hand through his hair. "That was fun!"

"Why, hello there, boys," said a female voice. The two immediately looked up. Standing there was Jenna's mother, in her bathrobe. She was holding a rolled-up morning paper in one hand and had a smirk on her face.

Kyo and Yugo turned red. "Uh…h-h-hi, Mrs. Wheeler," Kyo stuttered. One couldn't blame him for stuttering – Mrs. Wheeler was a drop-dead gorgeous woman, even in her thirties.

"Is – is Jenna awake yet?" Yugo asked, swallowing hard as he did his best to keep cool.

Mrs. Wheeler laughed. "Oh, Jenna's been awake for the last two hours," she replied. "She's around the back with her dad. Why don't you guys come inside and have breakfast with us? We'd be glad to have you."

"Uh, sure, yeah, we'd love to," Kyo nodded vigorously.

"I second that," Yugo replied, also nodding vigorously.

A deep male voice right at the door caused both of them to jump. "I do hope you boys will remember that my wife is already taken and accounted for," the voice remarked good-naturedly. "And if you ARE going to eat with us, you'd better hurry up or else I'll eat both your shares."

Mrs. Wheeler laughed and brushed her blond hair out of her eyes. "Oh, Joey, leave them alone. Of course they know all that!"

"Well, come on up," Mr. Wheeler offered. "We're having cheese omelets, and we're makin' lots of them right now."

"Oh, boy!" Kyo and Yugo exclaimed, practically running over each other to get to the kitchen.

----------

"Boy, that was good," Yugo chuckled, patting his stuffed belly. "You make great omelets, Mrs. Wheeler."

"Thanks, but I didn't make them this morning," Mrs. Wheeler informed him. "Jenna did."

"Oh?" Yugo blushed a little. "Wow…great job then, Jenna."

Jenna was seated beside her father, right across from Yugo. She blushed and held her head down. "Gee, thanks."

"So, Jenna, is it true that you've got a cousin coming to Domino today?" Kyo asked for the sake of conversation.

"Yep!" Jenna brightened. "Her name's Miki, and she'll be coming to stay here in Domino City – permanently!"

"That's right." Mr. Wheeler took a sip of his orange juice. "I don't suppose you guys have heard of the company, Devlin & Taylor?"

"I think I have," Kyo spoke up. "That's a multi-national environmental rights organization, isn't it?"

"That's right," Mrs. Wheeler nodded. "Tristan Taylor – that's Miki's father – and his partner, Duke Devlin, started Devlin & Taylor as part of a move to promote environmentally friendly means of managing industry and commerce. Mr. Devlin had quite a lot of money saved up from previous business engagements he'd had with various top business figureheads across the country…and so, with his funds and Tristan's insight, they were able to create a company that now offers advice to numerous conglomerates on ways to conduct business without harming the environment. Quite an achievement, if I do say so myself."

"That's pretty awesome, I guess," Yugo remarked.

"So, what's Miki like, Jenna?" asked Kyo.

Jenna shrugged and looked away. "To be honest, I don't really know for sure. It's been so long since we last saw each other – we haven't seen each other since we were little children. I wonder if she even remembers what I look like…"

"Well, she'll be here today, honey, so you guys will have plenty of time to catch up," said Mr. Wheeler. "By the way, Yugo, any word from your dad?"

"Not coming home for another month or so, Mr. Wheeler," Yugo informed him.

"Ah, well, too bad," sighed Mr. Wheeler. "I really need to catch up on old times with him one of these days. How about your dad, Kyo?"

Kyo adjusted his glasses. "Dad's work with Grandpa takes him out of the country a lot these days," he admitted. "Luckily, Mom's still around – otherwise I'd probably burn the house down, trying to cook." He grinned.

"You'd burn anything, including the food you're trying to cook," Yugo needled him.

Before Kyo could kill Yugo, a loud car horn outside got the group's attention. "Could that be them?" Jenna asked excitedly.

"If it is, they're kinda early," admitted Mrs. Wheeler.

Mr. Wheeler got up and went to the front door. Opening it, he then exclaimed, "Well, well, well! If it isn't ugly ol' Tristan with the stupid haircut, as always!"

Emerging from a seemingly spotless Peugeot was Tristan Taylor, with a neatly-trimmed mustache and a sly grin on his face. "You should talk, Joey – bet you haven't looked at yourself in a mirror lately!" And with that, the two men raced at each other, collided with a loud BANG, and then tussled on the ground.

Kyo and Yugo stared openmouthed, and Jenna looked on in embarrassment. "Uh…is this normal?" Kyo asked.

"For those two, I'm afraid so," admitted Mrs. Wheeler.

Looking at the car, Jenna spied someone in the backseat. "Is that…Cousin Miki?" she asked, breathlessly.

"Oh, yeah." Mr. Taylor got up off the ground. "Hey, Miki, honey, c'mon out and say hello!"

The back door opened, and out stepped a pretty young girl. Her dark brown hair came down her back, swept in a wave as she walked; a slight touch of red was on her lips; and she had an innocent little smile on her face. "Hi, everyone," she greeted them.

"Hey, how's my little niece doin'?" Mr. Wheeler asked jovially, sweeping her up in his arms and spinning her around before setting her back down. "Glad to see you again!"

Mrs. Wheeler came out to them and hugged Miki, though not as extravagantly as Mr. Wheeler had done. "So nice to see you again, dear," she said. "But by the way, where's your mom? Didn't she come with you?"

"No," Miki shook her head. "She couldn't make it this trip – had to stay with Dad's firm in England. But she sends her love to everybody."

Miki then beheld Jenna. "Hey, cuz, long time no see," and she went up and held her cousin in a tight embrace.

"Yeah," Jenna answered. "Great to see you, too, Miki."

Miki then looked over Jenna's shoulder and noticed Yugo and Kyo. "And these are…?"

"Oh – oh, right." Jenna rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "Miki, meet my two good friends, Yugo Muto and Kyo Bakura."

"Nice to meet ya," Yugo greeted Miki as he shook her hand.

"Uh, yeah…my pleasure, too," Kyo muttered, blushing a little.

Yugo glanced knowingly at Kyo. "Poor guy…you'll get over it," he snickered.

Kyo shot him a death glare. "Shut up."

Miki giggled. "I like you guys," she remarked. "You're both so funny!"

"So, come on in, everybody," Mr. Wheeler invited. "Tristan, Miki, there's still breakfast here for you…"

"Sure, wouldn't mind having a bite myself," Mr. Taylor grinned.

----------

"So…both of your dads are archaeologists, huh?" Miki remarked. "Must be a boring life they lead."

"Well, not really," Kyo replied. "My dad and Mr. Muto sometimes come back with interesting stuff. They always manage to find something to make them the top guys in the history buff's world."

The four teens were hanging out on the porch of the Wheeler house. Jenna, sitting on the railing, cocked her head to one side. "Just listen to those old folks in there," she said. "I swear, Dad and Uncle Tristan can be so childish when they get together."

"That's only natural," Kyo said thoughtfully. "They were best friends in their childhood, after all. It's only natural that they should act like goofs when they're together, like today."

"Well, how Mom can stand it is a mystery," Jenna sighed.

Miki then looked at Yugo, who'd been relatively silent during the exchange. "Hey, is something wrong?" she asked, concerned.

"Huh? Oh, sorry…no, nothing's wrong," he replied, apologetic. "I was just thinking about something, that's all."

"Share it with us!" Jenna was now interested.

Kyo chuckled knowingly. "If I have to guess, Yugo…you were thinking about Seta's offer, weren't you…?"

Yugo now smiled. "Yeah."

Miki looked confused. "Um…"

"Seta is the son of Kaibacorp's president, Seto Kaiba," Kyo explained for her benefit. "Yesterday, he gave Yugo here an invitation to compete in the company's tournament next month."

"Oh? You're a duelist?" Miki asked, intrigued.

"That's right," answered Yugo. "Why, are you interested in the game?"

"Well, I like to collect cards," Miki acknowledged, "but so far, I've only managed to get a few really good cards."

"Well, let us see them," Jenna offered.

Miki reached into her pocket and pulled out three cards. "I only started collecting a few days ago, actually," she confessed, "so I don't have as many cards as I would've liked. But these are the ones I have gotten."

Kyo, Jenna and Yugo crowded together to see Miki's cards. She had two monster cards and a trap card: Orgoth the Relentless (ATK 2500, DEF 2450), Disc Fighter (ATK 1000, DEF 1000), and Kunai with Chain. "Hey, these are actually pretty good!" Kyo remarked, looking them over.

"Thanks." Miki smiled. "I really like those three cards, you know…"

Jenna looked at her. "Gifts from somebody?"

"Yeah…from the three most important people in my life." Miki blushed.

The other three looked at her knowingly. "A gift…from the person most important to you…nothing can ever rival that," Yugo said softly.

"Yeah, well…" Miki became thoughtful. "I always wanted to have my own deck, you know, but…I never could get enough cards to make one for myself."

The other three looked at each other. Then Jenna grinned. "Maybe we can help you!" she exclaimed.

"How?" Miki asked, in surprise.

"Well…" Kyo spoke in a mysterious tone. "All of us have plenty of cards, so, perhaps we can give you a few of the cards we've got, buy a couple more, and help you construct a deck. What do you say?"

"No, really, I don't want to inconvenience you…" but Miki was cut short.

"No inconvenience, really! And – by the way, do you know how the game is played, since you're collecting cards?" asked Yugo.

"A little," Miki admitted.

"Then we'll teach you!" Kyo nodded with decision. "So, what do you say?"

Miki didn't say anything for a long minute. Then she smiled. "Guys…you're all so kind…"

"Then it's decided!" said Jenna. "We'll help you develop a theme for your deck, give you the right cards, and in that way help you get started as a duelist!"

"And…" Yugo could barely contain his chuckle. "Who knows? Maybe you can enter Kaibacorp's competition next month, too!"

Kyo and Jenna smiled alongside him. "Then, I suppose we'd better get our decks ready, also," Kyo reasoned. "Because I don't get to duel nearly enough these days. It's a good way to maintain my practice."

"Me, too," Jenna affirmed.

The teens were so absorbed in their plans, they failed to see their parents watching them from the window. "Just like us when we were younger, eh, honey?" Mrs. Wheeler spoke to her husband.

"Definitely," agreed Mr. Wheeler.

"Especially that Yugo," added Mr. Taylor. "Just like his old man used to be."

----------

**_neomage:_** You know, I had a lot of trouble deciding what should be in this chapter. I had to wrestle with a whole truckload of ideas before finally settling for what you've just read. But anyway, as lame as this chapter might seem to some of you out there, nevertheless it sets the stage for the next month of training that Yugo and co. will have to endure in time for the Kaibacorp tournament. On another note, I'm thinking of creating a few sagas for this, with this one being the first…except, is there a limit to how many chapters per story one can write at Please, let me know, everyone. And BTW…if you haven't figured out who Miki's mother is, then either you're new to Yu-Gi-Oh or you're stupid…and I'd like to think it's the first option. So, keep reading and reviewing, everybody!


	7. Chapter 07

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**CHAPTER 07**

KAIBACORP, LATER THAT NIGHT

Roland sat at the computer, frowning as he looked at the information spread out on the monitor before him. "Hmmm…looks like Master Kaiba did a lot of research to get this information," he mused. "Well, if this is how he wants to do this, then so be it. Who am I to question his motives…?"

----------

Elsewhere, in his room, Seta was carefully going through his deck. As he did, he was watching the video of his duel against Yugo, making note of all the cards being used by both players. "Okay…so I need to find something to counter that…and I need this, and…" He flipped through the cards in his deck, frowning. Then finally he shook his head.

"Fine," he murmured. "Time to go to the stash."

Reaching under his bed, he pulled out a massive suitcase and opened it. Before his eyes was spread a massive collection of Duel Monster cards – monster cards, magic cards, trap cards – everything was there!

"Who says money is the root of all evil?" he snickered. "I say it's the best way to get cards!" And with that, he started to raid his stash, picking cards to add to his deck…

----------

DOMINO CITY, OVER THREE WEEKS

Over the next couple of weeks, many youngsters in Domino City were feverishly scrambling to get good cards to make into compatible decks. By now, everyone had heard of the Kaibacorp tournament and was preparing for it.

On the Monday afternoon after Yugo and Seta's duel, Seto Kaiba had appeared on every big-screen TV in the city and made an announcement about the tournament. Every person in the city who was a duelist was instantly paying attention as he began to speak.

"Greetings, duelists everywhere," he had begun. "Sharpen your ears and listen well. In one month from today, right at Kaiba Corporation's main building, we will be hosting a grand tournament, the Kaibacorp Challenge Cup. The winner of this tournament will get the grand prize of $700,000, plus an opportunity to get some extremely rare cards from the personal stock of yours truly, Seto Kaiba. So, get your cards, Duel-Disks, and skills ready! Remember, one month from today!"

Since that time, people had been getting cards and Duel-Disks, and were now feverishly training and improving themselves. One month is not a lot of time, after all; and the idea of getting the prize money and some rare cards was very appealing to some.

The situation was no different with Yugo and his friends. Each was spending his/her spare time assembling cards. They all wanted to be part of the excitement, too; and they wanted to be sure that they were truly prepared.

Having gotten settled into her new home and also at school, Miki was slowly but surely getting new cards, with the others' help. For her deck theme, she had chosen Knights, saying, "I always wanted to have knights in shining armor by my side." Whereupon Yugo, Kyo and Jenna, having some monster cards that fell into that category, gave them up to her and bought cards for themselves to make up the difference.

In the meantime, Kyo was going through his own stash of cards that he'd collected over the years. _I need to restructure my deck carefully,_ he noted. _I want to make a good impression on the others. Plus, I really want HER to see me in action…even if anybody else laughs at my deck strategy, as long as she's impressed by it…_

Yugo, too, wanted to make an impression – but on someone else. As he went through his cards, one thought kept repeating itself in his mind. _Dad…it's too bad that you won't be here to witness this, but…this will at least be the first step to fulfilling my dream – to prove that I can – and will – surpass you as a duelist and create my own legacy!_

Jenna, however, was having a problem. After Kaiba's announcement to Domino City, both of her parents, having collected lots of cards individually, had compiled decks and then presented them to her, asking her to choose one. However, she also knew that both her parents had their duelists' pride, and she was afraid to hurt one by choosing the deck of the other. So, she was at a loss.

One evening, as the appointed time for the tournament drew closer, Jenna sat in the living room, staring at the two decks, left on the coffee table by her parents, covered by a transparent dish-cover. She looked at one, then the other. The decks were packed into boxes of different colors – one yellow, the other orange. The orange one was her father's; the yellow, her mother's.

"DAMMIT!" she shrieked in frustration.

Her parents, upstairs, heard the shriek and came rushing downstairs. "Jenna, what's the matter?" asked Mr. Wheeler, concerned.

"I'm sorry," Jenna whispered, blushing. "It's just…I can't choose between you guys. I just can't."

Both parents looked astonished. "What are you talking about, Jenna? Who said you should choose between us?" asked Mrs. Wheeler.

Jenna hung her head. "That's just it…that's exactly what you guys are asking me to do, right now…" and she cast a now disdainful look at the two decks.

Mr. Wheeler looked at her and understood. "Jenna, honey…nobody's asking you to choose between us – we both love you, and we know you love both of us," he said softly. "Choosing one of our decks is only a small matter. It doesn't mean you'll end up loving one of us more than the other. No matter what your choice is, you'll always be our daughter. So, don't fret about that, okay?"

"Your dad's right, dear," put in Mrs. Wheeler, gently stroking Jenna's hair. "No matter what your choice, we'll both be there to support you. And…once you choose the deck you want, it's up to you to edit it any way you like. So, don't be afraid, okay?"

Jenna wiped her eyes. "Thanks, Mom, Dad."

Her parents smiled at her gently, awaiting her decision. With newfound courage, Jenna raised the dish-cover, exposing the two decks, and reached out her other hand…

----------

YUGO'S HOUSE, ONE WEEK BEFORE THE TOURNAMENT

One day, one week before the tournament was to begin, Yugo came home from school to find his grandmother in the kitchen, a huge smile on her face. "Oh, Yugo, glad to see you're home," she greeted him. "Have I got a surprise for you!"

Puzzled, Yugo set his bag down and came to her. "What is it, Grandma?"

"Go look in the living room," she whispered.

Now very confused, Yugo stalked into the living room…and was amazed at what he saw. "Can it be…?"

Standing at the window, his back to Yugo, was a fairly tall man in a brown coat, his hands in his pockets. His hair, like Yugo's, was spiky, but it had three different colors: red and black with yellow bangs. He turned around slowly, a smirk appearing on his lips. "Long time no see, son."

"D…Dad…?" Yugo could barely speak, he was so stunned.

"In the flesh."

Indeed, the man standing before Yugo was his father, Yugi Muto…the man celebrated by many as "The Legendary Duelist." In his youth, he had been very short, so short that some called him a midget. Now, at the age of 30, he'd overcome that height problem and stood at an impressive 5'10'', taller than Yugo by only three inches. "Aren't you going to give your old man a hug?" he asked, arms outstretched.

Impulsively Yugo ran up to his father and threw his arms around his neck. "It's so good to see you again, Dad!" he exclaimed. "But…how'd you get back so soon?"

Mr. Muto chuckled and released Yugo. "Well, the excavation went well, and so I decided to surprise you and come back a few weeks ahead of schedule," he explained. "And then, I heard about this new tournament that Kaibacorp's hosting, and that you might be in it…"

"Definitely!" Yugo grinned.

"So, you've prepared your deck already?" Mr. Muto continued.

"Of course! And…" Yugo nodded. "I got that special deck from Grandma, the one you used to use. I have to thank you for it."

"Of course. But then, I'd intended to give you that deck, anyway." Mr. Muto nodded.

They didn't say anything for a long moment. Then Yugo got up and walked over to a framed picture on a nearby mantelpiece. "Yeah, it's going to be so exciting," he whispered. "I just wish…she could be here to see it…" He held his head down a little as he spoke.

Mr. Muto got up and walked over to where his son was. The picture Yugo was looking at was of a young woman with blond hair and glasses, with an impish smile on her face. "Your mother…" He smiled a sad smile. "Yes, I know, son. I miss her, too – but this much I know: if she were alive today, she would be proud of the young man you've become."

"Your mom was quite the woman, you know, Yugo," Grandma's voice came from behind. Turning slightly, the two saw her standing at the entrance to the living room. Her gaze was set directly on the picture of Yugo's mother.

"Yes…she was quite the woman," Grandma continued, walking over and putting her hands on her son's and grandson's shoulders. "She achieved much in her life, becoming a world-renowned archaeologist at the young age of 22 and making many important discoveries that aided in the shaping of the past. It's sad that she died, but one thing I can say for sure…she never let her work get in the way of her family. She loved you guys very much."

"A good wife and mother, she was," Mr. Muto agreed.

Yugo reached out and touched the photo. "Mom…" he whispered.

----------

KAIBACORP, THREE NIGHTS BEFORE THE TOURNAMENT

Seta placed the finishing touches on his deck and whistled in appreciation. "Now, THIS is a deck!" he grinned.

There was a knock at his door. "Come in," he invited.

Standing at the door was Roland. "Master Seta, your father wishes to see you right away," he announced. "He says it's of great importance – and to bring your deck and Duel-Disk with you."

Raising an eyebrow, Seta picked up his equipment and followed Roland down to – much to his astonishment – the arena where he and Yugo had had their match. They went up to the control room, where Kaiba waited, arms folded.

"What's this all about, Father?" asked a confused Seta.

Kaiba narrowed his eyes. "Seta, I've observed you fitting up your deck in preparation for the tournament, and you've been doing well. But, to determine if you're really ready, I've prepared a little test for you. Pass, and I'll give you something that will aid you greatly in the competition."

"Is that right?" Seta asked. "Well, okay."

Kaiba nodded. "Go down into the arena and ready your Duel-Disk!"

Seta nodded assent and left the room. A few minutes later he was down in the arena, his Duel-Disk at the ready. "Bring it on!" he challenged.

Kaiba chuckled. _We'll soon see if you're really prepared, son…_

Suddenly, on the other side of the room across from Seta, two panels in the wall opened up, revealing a round sphere suspended by wires. As he stared in surprise, the sphere opened up to reveal a small robot – with a Duel-Disk on its arm!

Seta then heard his father's voice over the loudspeaker. "I trust you're familiar with the Duel Computer?" Kaiba said. "This is your opponent for this match, and its dueling level has been put at the highest available! Defeat it at its level, and then I'll know that you're worthy of being in this tournament! Do you understand?"

"Gotcha!" Seta replied.

The Duel Computer began to beep and whirr as it calculated its opponent's duelist data. "Subject name: Seta Kaiba. Duelist level: 8. Probability of victory against subject: 83."

_We'll soon see about that, tin-bucket,_ Seta thought grimly as he slotted his cards into his Duel-Disk and set his life points to 8000.

"Deck analysis complete. Life point settings: 8000. Ruling system: conventional. Are you ready?"

"Bring it on!" Seta declared.

Both players' life points were displayed. The familiar coin appeared on the field and spun. "Heads. Probability of success: 74."

"Whatever," Seta grumbled.

The coin landed on the ground, and just as the computer had said, it showed heads. "Coin toss result confirmed. I shall go first," it beeped.

"Bring it on, computer!" Seta snapped, drawing his cards.

The Duel Computer drew six cards, then held up the last one it had drawn. "Alligator's Sword (ATK 1500, DEF 1200), Attack Mode," it announced as it played the card, revealing an alligator clad in armor with a sword. "Two cards face-down," it continued, placing two cards face-down in the magic/trap slot. "End turn."

Seta drew his card with determination. "Okay, here I go!" he announced. "I summon the Blindly Loyal Goblin (ATK 1800, DEF 1500) to the field!" And he summoned a bald-headed warrior with a sword in hand, ready to fight. "Destroy the Alligator's Sword!"

But as the Goblin ran forward, sword ready to chop, slice and dice, suddenly one of the Computer's face-down cards flipped face-up. "Activate the trap card, Energy Drain! This card increases the ATK and DEF of one monster on my field by 200 times the number of cards in my opponent's hand till the end of this turn."

"What!" Seta cried out.

Since Seta had five cards in his hand, he watched with astonishment as the Alligator's Sword's ATK and DEF shot up to 2500 and 2200. This monster blocked the Goblin's attack and then countered with a wicked backhand chop, decapitating its opponent and bringing Seta's life points down to 7300.

"Grrr…" Seta selected another card from his hand and set it face-down. "I end my turn!"

As the Alligator's Sword's stats returned to normal, the Duel Computer drew another card. "Gray Wing (ATK 1300, DEF 700), Attack Mode!" In a moment a gray-scaled dragon appeared on the computer's side of the field, letting out a loud screech.

"How wonderful," grumbled Seta.

But then the second of the Duel Computer's face-down cards flipped face-up. "Activate the trap, Ultimate Offering! By sacrificing 500 life points, I can Normal Summon another monster to my field."

"What'd he say?" Seta asked, in disbelief.

Then the Duel Computer raised another card in its hand. "Activate the magic card, Pot of Greed, to draw two cards from the deck." And in a moment it had a total of four cards in its hand. "Now, offer 500 life points for Ultimate Offering's effect in order to Normal Summon a second monster, Spirit Ryu!"

Immediately, as the computer's life points dropped to 7500 another monster appeared on the computer's side of the field – Spirit Ryu (ATK 1000, DEF 1000). Then, it discarded one card from its hand, leaving it with two.

"Gray Wing's effect: When I discard one card from my hand during the Main Phase, Gray Wing can attack twice during the same Battle Phase during this turn."

Seta took this in with a disbelieving look on his face. "This…is…bullshit!" he rasped.

The computer then played another card in its hand. "Activate the magic card, Super Rejuvenation," it explained. "For each Dragon-type monster discarded from my hand or offered as a tribute during this turn, I can draw one card during the End Phase of this turn. Now attack directly, Alligator's Sword!"

The Alligator's Sword dashed forward, embedding its blade into Seta's shoulder. Seta cried out as his life points shot down to 5800. Then, as that monster jumped back, Gray Wing flew forward, delivering a crushing bite to Seta's arm, reducing his life points further to 4500. Then, as according to its effect, the dragon flew around and attacked him again, reducing his life points further to 3200. Finally, the Spirit Ryu flew forward, its body shining with mystical energy. But then, to Seta's utter surprise, it discarded its last card from its hand. But that wasn't Seta's concern, as suddenly Spirit Ryu's ATK and DEF increased by 1000, putting both at 2000!

"Spirit Ryu's effect: For each Dragon-type monster that I discard from my hand to the Graveyard during the Battle Step – if it attacks during this turn – Spirit Ryu's ATK and DEF are increased by 1000 until the End Phase of the turn."

But just at that moment Seta laughed. "Ha! I activate the trap card, Nutrient Z!"

Immediately a huge contraption appeared, with the number 4000 on its side, and it burst open, swiftly increasing his life points to 7200. "If I'm about to get Battle Damage of 2000 or more, Nutrient Z increases my life points by 4000 before the damage is calculated!"

But even as he said this, Spirit Ryu crashed into him headfirst, and he winced as his life points went back down to 5200. Then, as that dragon went back to its place on the field, the computer ended its turn, drawing two cards in the process. Seta realized that it must have discarded two Dragon-type monsters – the one discarded for Gray Wing's effect must have been a Dragon.

_I am in some serious shit here,_ Seta mused. _The Duel Computer brought my life points down so low in just one turn…only the Nutrient Z trap card saved me, but…now I'm going to have to get really serious if I want to win! I HAVE TO WIN!_

----------

**_neomage:_** Okay, I gave some serious clues as to who Yugo's mother is, and I do hope somebody comes to me with the right answer! Now, the Kaibacorp tournament is only a few days away, and Seta's in some serious trouble as he faces off against the Duel Computer's test! Stay tuned and keep reviewing!

July 02, 2006 UPDATE: Went back and reworked this chapter after viewing some card info. Took me a while, but I did it!


	8. Chapter 08

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Sheesh. I've already said that I don't own this show. Kazuki Takahashi does. He doesn't own the new characters, though. So there. Bleh.)

**CHAPTER 08**

KAIBACORP, THREE NIGHTS BEFORE THE TOURNAMENT

As the duel between Seta and the Duel Computer continued, the stats stood thus: Seta had 5200 life points, no cards on the field, and four cards in his hand; while the Duel Computer had 7500 life points, two cards in its hand, and on the field it had Alligator's Sword, Gray Wing, Spirit Ryu, and the Ultimate Offering trap card. Up in the control room, Roland watched the stats with some concern. "Master Kaiba, I beg your pardon, but do you think it was wise to put the computer's skill level at maximum?"

Kaiba watched the duel calmly. "It was necessary to push Seta's skill to the limit," he replied. "Plus, he already has the motivation he'll need to win…"

Back in the arena, Seta drew his next card. He studied his hand carefully, then decided on a strategy. "All right, then! I activate the magic of Polymerization, to fuse together two monsters from my hand – Lord of Dragons (ATK 1200, DEF 1100) and Divine Dragon Ragnarok (ATK 1500, DEF 1000) – to form my powerful King Dragun (ATK 2400, DEF 1200)!"

As he held up the respective cards, images of the Lord of Dragons and the Divine Dragon Ragnarok appeared on the field, then suddenly seemed to be sucked together into a whirlpool vortex. After a moment, however, the whirlpool ceased spinning, and where the two monsters had been, in their place stood a giant Lord of Dragons with green shoulder plates, gold scales, wings and the lower body of a dragon!

"Register this into your systems," Seta told the computer with a sneer. "As long as King Dragun is on the field, you can't target any Dragon-type monsters for the effect of any card. Plus, once per turn, I can Special Summon one Dragon-type monster from my hand to my side of the field. And, right now, I choose to Special Summon from my hand – Cave Dragon (ATK 2000, DEF 100)!"

King Dragon gathered energy in his hands and growled. A moment later, a monstrous dragon emerged beside him, growling as it readied for battle. "Okay, Cave Dragon, destroy Alligator's Sword with Molten Cave Breath!"

The Cave Dragon took a deep breath, then exhaled. The resulting breath of flame was so noxious and hot, Alligator's Sword was consumed, and the Duel Computer's life points were reduced to 7000.

"Now, King Dragun, it's your turn! Destroy Gray Wing!" Seta commanded. And King Dragun collected fiery energy in his hands, releasing at Gray Wing and destroying it, reducing the computer's life points further to 5900.

"There." Seta seemed quite satisfied. "Had enough?"

But apparently the Duel Computer hadn't had enough. As it drew its next card, giving it three cards in all, it spoke again. "One monster, facedown in Defense Mode." And a moment later the monster card emerged facedown on the field. "Now, I offer 500 life points for Ultimate Offering's effect to summon Kaiser Glider (ATK 2400, DEF 2200), offering Spirit Ryu as a tribute."

And in a moment a golden, flaming dragon with bird-like wings appeared in Sprit Ryu's place, even as the Ultimate Offering trap card reduced the computer's life points to 5400. "Now, attack and destroy King Dragun."

"What is this thing – nuts?" Seta asked.

Kaiser Glider dashed forward at King Dragun, flames pouring off its body as the two monsters collided. Seta covered his ears as the deafening collision occurred, certain that both creatures would be destroyed…but when he had the courage to look up again, to his utter astonishment Kaiser Glider was still standing. "What is the meaning of this!" Seta demanded.

"Kaiser Glider's effect: this monster is not destroyed if it engages in battle with a monster with the same ATK," the Duel Computer informed him. "And now…" it played the last card in its hand. "Activate the magic card, Monster Reborn, to revive the Blue-Eyes White Dragon (ATK 3000, DEF 2500) from my Graveyard."

Seta reared up in utter shock. "BLUE-EYES WHITE DRAGON!" he shouted. Then the truth hit him like a brick: _one of those Dragon-type monsters that the computer discarded earlier – it must have been the Blue-Eyes White Dragon!_

As the Blue-Eyes White Dragon emerged on the field, up in the control room Roland was astonished. "The Blue-Eyes White Dragon? But, Master Kaiba, aren't there only three copies of that card in the world?"

"Not anymore." Kaiba smirked. "Quite a few more copies of that card have been made in recent years. And, besides…" He chuckled. "That dragon you see down there now, in the Duel Computer's deck…it's only one-third of that computer's real power."

Roland looked up in alarm. "Sir…! You didn't - !"

"I did." Kaiba said this flatly.

Now the duel's score stood at this: Seta had 5200 life points, one card in hand, and on the field he had only the Cave Dragon to defend his life points. Meanwhile, the Duel Computer had 5400 life points, no cards in hand, and on the field it had Kaiser Glider, one facedown monster and one Blue-Eyes White Dragon, plus the Ultimate Offering trap card was still there. From Seta's point of view, things were not looking good at all.

Now Seta took his turn and drew his next card. As he did this, he stared at the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, and as he did, he felt a harsh twinge of fear in the pit of his stomach. _Yugo…is this the fear you felt when you faced my Blue-Eyes White Dragon for the first time…?_

But then in the next instant he shook his head violently, fighting off the fear. _No! I must not be afraid! I'll find a way to beat this computer! I have to!_

"Okay," he said aloud, "consider yourself lucky! If I don't have any other Dragon-type monsters on my side of the field, Cave Dragon can't attack! So I'm going to set one card face-down, and end my turn!" And he did so.

The computer simply drew its next card. ""I now flip Magician of Faith (ATK 300, DEF 400) face-up in Attack Mode!" And it flipped over its facedown monster, revealing a young maiden with red-and-blue robes and carrying a rod with a golden moon design at the tip.

"Magician of Faith's effect: When this card is flipped face-up, I can return one Magic card from my Graveyard to my hand – and I choose Pot of Greed." And, as Seta watched in consternation, the computer retrieved the card from its Graveyard, giving it four in hand. But even then the mechanical opponent wasn't done. "Blue-Eyes White Dragon, attack Cave Dragon. Chosen attack – White Lightning."

As the Magician of Faith kneeled in a defensive stance, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon charged up its attack and blasted the Cave Dragon to pieces, bringing Seta's life points to 4200. Then, Kaiser Glider prepared to attack directly.

But Seta would have none of it. "No friggin' way! Activate the trap card, Sakuretsu Armor! This destroys one attacking monster when you've declared an attack with that monster!"

As if on cue, suddenly a huge, spiky suit of armor covered Kaiser Glider, squeezing it until it was crushed into pieces. "Plus," and Seta couldn't help but smile at this, "when Kaiser Glider is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, you have to return one monster on the field to its owner's hand. And, there are only two monsters on the field – on YOUR side – that I should consider troublesome. Your choice."

The Duel Computer merely took back the Blue-Eyes White Dragon card into its hand. "Good strategy, Seta Kaiba," it droned. "You defy logic…nevertheless, your chances of victory: 18."

"What?" Seta roared, rightly feeling insulted.

"End turn," the computer replied.

_This piece of trash is PISSING me off!_ raged in Seta's mind. Nevertheless, he drew his next card _That tin-bucket probably can't summon anything. So, I'll have to bet on that._

Aloud he announced, "Now, then! I'll put one monster face-down in Defense Mode and end my turn."

But upon drawing its next card, the computer did manage to summon something, much to Seta's chagrin. "Avatar of the Pot (ATK 1200, DEF 1300), Attack Mode," and a green monster with a grinning face appeared. Then: "Magician of Faith, shift to Defense Mode." And the spellcaster kneeled down, holding her rod in front of her for protection.

Then the Duel Computer held up another card. "Avatar of the Pot's effect: Discard one Pot of Greed card to the Graveyard to draw three cards."

"Say what!" Seta shot at the computer.

But much to his dismay, the computer did discard the card and, in exchange, drew three cards from its deck, giving it a total of five cards in hand. "Now…my chances of victory: 99."

Hearing this, Seta was stunned speechless. _And why is that?_

Up in the control room, Kaiba chuckled.

The Duel Computer held up another card, King of the Swamp (ATK 500, DEF 1100). "King of the Swamp's first effect: Discard this card to the Graveyard to add one Polymerization magic card from my deck to my hand, then shuffle my deck." And it did this action, discarding the card, retrieving one Polymerization from its deck, and then shuffling the deck before replacing it in the Duel-Disk. But even then the computer wasn't done.

"Activate the effect of the magic card, Premature Burial," it went on. "By paying 800 life points, Special Summon one monster from my Graveyard to the field…and the monster selected: King of the Swamp."

Now Seta was confused. "Why would this thing resurrect the very monster it just discarded?" he wondered.

As the gooey, slimy monster appeared on the field and the computer's life points dropped to 4600, the machine held up the Polymerization card. "King of the Swamp's second effect: it can be substituted for any one Fusion-material monster."

"Huh?" Seta looked up at that. _What's he gonna fuse together?_

"Now…" The Computer played one more card. "Activate the magic card, Polymerization, to fuse together the King of the Swamp on the field and the two Blue-Eyes White Dragon cards in hand to form my deck's ultimate creature: the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon (ATK 4500, DEF 3800)!"

Roland went pale upon hearing that. "You did put that card in the computer's Fusion deck…"

"That I did," Kaiba was now smiling widely. "Seta must be wetting his pants right now, just looking at that thing…"

Indeed, Seta's face was a picture of fright as, without warning, the arena shook as a thunderous howl could be heard. Then, on the field materialized a monstrous version of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon: three gigantic heads, large wings, and a terrible roar.

_This…is…awesome…the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon…I always heard Dad talking about it, but…never would I have thought I'd see the day when I could witness it inaction first-hand…only, I wasn't counting on having it used AGAINST me…_

"Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, attack the opponents' face-down monster. Chosen attack: Neutron Blast."

Immediately the Ultimate Dragon charged up three different colors of energy in its three mouths – red, green, and blue; then it fired them all off as one collective blast. The monster, blasted to oblivion, turned out to be Troop Dragon (ATK 700, DEF 800); in an instant, Seta utilized its effect and Special Summoned another from his deck to the field in Defense Mode. But Avatar of the Pot was ordered to attack next, and that Troop Dragon was destroyed, too. Seta promptly Special Summoned the third one to his field.

But now what was he to do? He had 4200 life points, one card in his hand, and only one remaining Troop Dragon on his side of the field; by sharp contrast, though it had no cards in hand, the Duel Computer still had 4600 life points, and on the field it had the Avatar of the Pot, the Magician of Faith, and one very cross Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, not to mention that its Ultimate Offering trap card was still there.

Taking his turn, Seta drew his card and saw at once the situation before him. The Avatar's ATK was low enough for him to destroy it with any strong enough monster that he could easily summon, and the Magician of Faith's stats were obviously weak enough so he could destroy her, too; however, if he did do that, that would leave his monster open for an attack from the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon. _How am I gonna get out of this mess?_ he wondered to himself.

Seta sighed as he looked at the cards in his hand. _Hmmm…99 chance of victory, huh? Well, I guess I'll just have to bet on that remaining 1..._

"I activate Pot of Greed, which will let me draw two cards!" And he played the magic card on the field and retrieved two cards from the top of his deck, giving him a total of three cards in hand. When he saw the cards he'd drawn, he snickered. "Okay, you stupid computer! You're going to regret ever crossing me!"

He held up one card and slapped it down on the Duel-Disk. "I activate the Change of Heart magic card, to take control of one monster on your side of the field until the end of this turn! But…this is the last turn for you, for I am gonna control the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!"

A malevolent spirit flew out of the card and into the dragon's chest. It shuddered momentarily, then flew over to Seta's side of the field. "Even if your chances of victory are 99, there's always still a chance you'll lose – and this is it!" Seta yelled. "And now…" He held up one more card, the very card he'd been waiting to play.

"I activate the magic of Megamorph! Since my life points are lower than yours, the ATK of the monster I equip with this will double! And so…I'll equip it to the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, to bring out its true power!"

As Seta played the card, Megamorph's magic flowed into the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon. Instantly it got bigger and bigger, until its very size threatened to tear the place in two. Its ATK shot up to a very dangerous 9000!

"Sir!" Roland breathed, utterly astonished. "Are you seeing this?"

"Roland…I see it." Kaiba still appeared calm, but deep inside he was tingling with excitement. _My son…you've managed to bring out the dragon's true potential, even though it was meant to be used against you…_ A faint smile now crossed his lips.

"Now, Blue-Eyes! Neutron Blast!" Seta screamed.

Once again the dragon charged up energy in its three mouths, then let it all go in one thunderous blast. It utterly destroyed the Avatar of the Pot, but the accompanying shockwave also obliterated the Magician of Faith, the Ultimate Offering trap card, and whatever else might have been on the field – and short-circuited the Duel Computer's circuitry, too.

"Malfunction…! Malfunction…! Defeat not possible! You definitely defy logic!" the machine blubbered, before coming down in a ball of flame, crashing to the ground and breaking into pieces.

Seta breathed heavily as he watched the holograms disappear and the mechanical opponent burn to ashes. "Damn…that was one tough duel," he managed to whisper.

A hand on his shoulder startled him, and he turned to see his father. "Congratulations, my son," Kaiba nodded his head. "You have passed the test."

"I have…?" Seta seemed relieved to hear that. "How wonderful…so, what is it you promised to give me if I won?"

"Oh, yes. About that." Kaiba reached into his coat and pulled out a card. Taking it, Seta was astonished to see what it was.

"The Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!"

"Yes." Kaiba nodded again. "This duel was merely a test to see if you would be able to conquer one of the most powerful strategies in Duel Monsters. You proved to me that, not only were you capable of beating that strategy, but you were also capable of controlling the monster at the heart of that strategy…the combination of the three most powerful creatures in your deck. This is the instrument with which you will earn your victory in the upcoming tournament…and with which you will crush all opposition to your goal."

Seta nodded and pocketed the card. "I understand, Father. Thank you."

Kaiba patted his son's shoulder. "Good. Now, go back to your room and get enough rest. In a few more days, the tournament will begin, and you need to be amply prepared for it. Understood?"

"Yes, sir." Seta saluted, and then exited.

Kaiba smirked as he watched Seta leave. "Now, Roland," he said calmly, "how about getting an extinguisher to put out that fire before it burns down the building?"

----------

A few hours later, Seta was in his own bed, but sleep kept eluding him. He was too filled with excitement; he was thinking about the great power that he'd only recently earned from his father.

_Such an amazing card I have in my grasp now…such power…and to think that I'm the one who gets to control it…_

He looked to the window nearest his bed and beheld the stars outside. _Yugo, my friend and rival…are you also preparing yourself for the tournament, perhaps right now? Are you as psyched about it as I am? I hope you are…for I sincerely hope that you and I will get to fight each other again. I am eager to see what the outcome of our next match will be. Will my new creature, the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, bring you to your knees? Or will you surprise me…?_

With these thoughts, Seta finally fell asleep.

----------

YUGO'S HOUSE, AT THAT MOMENT

Yugo lay in his bed, his deck neatly stacked on the night-table beside him. He couldn't sleep, either; his mind was on the tournament that was to take place in just a matter of days. And, just as Seta supposed, Yugo was overly excited about it, too.

There was a knock at his door. "Yugo…? Are you still awake?"

"Yeah."

Grandma came into the room and sat down beside him. "You really should get some rest, dear," she admonished him gently.

"I know, Grandma, I know. It's just…I'm so excited about this tournament."

"I know you are dear. Your father and I can't wait to see you in action, too. But…every good duelist needs his rest. You do understand that, right?"

"I know."

"Well, good night. And remember, we'll be rooting for you at the tournament." And she bent over him and kissed his brow.

"G'night, Grandma." And as Grandma exited the room, Yugo switched off the light and closed his eyes. Soon he, too was fast asleep.

----------

**_neomage:_** Only a few days until the tournament, and already Seta's earned himself a trump card – or a trump monster, if such a term exists :). In the very next chapter, the tournament will begin, and new characters will be introduced! Keep reading, dear fans!

July 02, 2006 UPDATE: Went back and reworked this chapter after viewing some card info. Took me a while, but I did it!


	9. Chapter 09

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Me no own Yu-Gi-Oh. Me own this story, though.)

**CHAPTER 09**

_Characters' First Appearance in Story_

_BLAZE_

_NAME: Blaze Redman_

_AGE: 19_

_HAIR: Auburn_

_EYES: Hazel_

_CLOTHES: Red sleeveless jacket, white blouse, pink shorts, brown boots_

_WADE_

_NAME: Wade Ocean_

_AGE: 20_

_HAIR: Green (dyed)_

_EYES: Blue_

_CLOTHES: Blue T-shirt, blue jeans, white sneakers_

_MARCUS_

_NAME: Marcus Ironside_

_AGE: 19_

_HAIR: Silver_

_EYES: Black_

_CLOTHES: Gray jacket, black jeans and boots_

_FLORA_

_NAME: Flora Green_

_AGE: 18_

_HAIR: Brown_

_EYES: Green_

_CLOTHES: White shirt with floral pattern, green pants, white sandals_

YUGO'S HOUSE, THE DAY OF THE TOURNAMENT

Yugo's eyes slowly opened. "Man…" he groaned, instinctively brushing his bangs out of his eyes. "Do I feel tired…"

He glanced over at the alarm clock by his bedside. Just at that moment, it began to buzz the hour of 7:00. Sighing, he reached over and snapped it off.

Yawning massively, he shook his head to clear the spider-webs out of it, then happened to glance over at the calendar on the far. He could see the red X's that he'd crossed off the last couple of days, including yesterday and the day before…

"OH, CRAP!" he jolted fully awake as he realized what the X's were for. "Gotta get up! Gotta get UP!" And with that, he literally somersaulted out of bed and made a mad dash for the bathroom.

Fifteen minutes later he was back in his room, hurriedly dragging his clothes on. Picking up his Duel-Disk, he slipped it onto his left arm. Then he grabbed his deck and pushed it into one pocket. Slinging his leather jacket over his shoulder, he paused to glance at himself in the mirror, and seemed satisfied at what he saw. "Okay, handsome, do a good job today!" he winked at his reflection, running a hand through his blond hair before heading out the door.

As he was heading out, Yugo heard his grandmother's voice. "Yugo, aren't young going to have something to eat before you leave?"

"Sorry, Grandma, but I can't! I'll be late for the tournament!" he called back.

"Well, just make sure you get something to eat, then," Grandma replied, her voice filled with warmth. "Your father and I will be there to see you competing, that's for sure!"

"Thanks! Later!" and with that parting shot, he was gone.

----------

KAIBACORP, HALF AN HOUR LATER

As he rushed through the streets, Yugo took note of all the other duelists who were heading toward Kaibacorp. _So many of these guys…this is going to be a little lengthy and difficult…_

In ten minutes, however, he was right outside the Kaibacorp building, mixed up in the crowd. "How am I supposed to get through these guys to get inside now?" he grumbled.

"Yugo? Is that you? Hey, man, over here!"

Looking to his right, Yugo caught sight of Kyo waving to him from fifteen feet away. Heading in that direction, he saw that Jenna and Miki were with Kyo, and all had smiles on their faces.

Kyo was munching on a submarine sandwich. "I was saving this for lunch, but I figured that there'd be a lot of action in the morning, so I decided to have something in my stomach before then," he explained.

Yugo cocked an eyebrow at him. "You _did _eat breakfast before you left this morning, right?"

"Yeah, so?" Kyo took another bite of his sandwich.

Jenna giggled. "Did YOU remember to eat at all, Yugo?"

Right at that moment, Yugo's stomach growled noisily. "Ooohhh…I guess I forgot," he said sheepishly.

"Never mind," said Jenna kindly. "I managed to sneak some cold cuts out of the fridge. Here, have some." And she presented the sandwiches, which a grateful Yugo accepted and began to devour immediately.

Miki, her Duel-Disk on her arm, looked around nervously. "So many people…is everyone here going to compete in the tournament?"

"Yeah, I suppose so," said Jenna. "But don't be afraid, Miki. For a lot of these people, it's their first time, too."

Kyo looked about him as he took another bite of his sandwich, and scowled. "I've seen a few of these guys before," he remarked. "Some of them couldn't duel to save their necks. They should be arrested just for being here."

"I totally agree with you there, four-eyes," a suave voice behind them spoke up. Turning, they came face-to-face with two older teens, also wearing Duel-Disks. One was a young woman with long red hair, blood-red lipstick and a stern look in her eyes; the other was a man with spiky, shoulder-length green hair and deep blue eyes.

"Oh, hey, I know you guys!" Jenna exclaimed excitedly. "You're Blaze Redman and Wade Ocean, aren't you? You're two of the world's top duelists!"

"That's right, kid," Blaze confirmed, brushing a stray lock of hair out of her eyes. "You're lookin' at Blaze Redman, the hottest Fire duelist anywhere on the planet…"

"…and Wade Ocean, the biggest Water duelist since the legendary Mako Tsunami," added Wade, smirking. "And we're gonna stomp the competition that's here now. Are you here for the tournament, too?"

"Uh, yeah," said Yugo. "It's only our first tournament, but we wanna do our best and see how far we can get…"

"Your first time, huh?" another voice emerged from the crowd. This one belonged to another man, one with silver hair and a cold gleam in his eyes. "Then you should do the sensible thing and back out now while you've still got your lives."

"What was that?" asked Yugo.

"Still up to being your arrogant self, eh, Marcus Ironside?" Wade chuckled. "I swear, some things really never do change."

Marcus snorted. "Isn't it obvious, Ocean, that these kids don't belong here? Especially these two little girls," and he flicked a disdainful look at Jenna and Miki, who looked ready to kill him.

"Oh, leave them alone," a pleasant female voice emerged. This time, a young woman with curly brown hair, green eyes and a friendly smile stepped up. "Everybody who happens to be a duelist had a first start somewhere. Including you, Marcus."

"Whatever." Marcus shrugged and looked the other way.

"Little ones, my name's Flora Green," the newcomer introduced herself. "And I must apologize for Marcus – he can be that way all the time, even with his friends."

"That he even has any friends is a wonder in itself," Blaze muttered.

Kyo introduced himself and his friends. "I hope we'll all do well in this contest," he smiled at Flora.

"And I wish you and your friends good luck too…you'll need it." Flora laughed softly.

Wade was looking at Yugo. "So, your name's Muto…as in, related to the legendary Yugi Muto?"

"He's my dad," Yugo nodded.

"I thought as much," Wade nodded, looking Yugo over. "Hairstyle's the same, although it's all one color…face looks about right…well, I'll remember you, kid. I hope we get to duel in the tournament. I'd like to see if you use the same strategy he used to use. I always wanted to duel that guy, but…I guess you'll do, if we meet up."

"Maybe you will, maybe you won't." Blaze shrugged. "Frankly, kid, I don't care if you ARE related to Yugi Muto…you get in my way, I'll stomp you. No offense, but that's how it is in Duel Monsters." And with that, she turned and walked off.

"Geez…what's wrong with _her?"_ Jenna protested.

"Let it go," Kyo admonished. "That's precisely the same attitude that some of these other duelists will have. Better get used to it."

A loud voice above their heads caused everybody to look up. "Welcome, duelists, to the site for the Kaibacorp Challenge Cup," Kaiba was saying on the big-screen TV above them. "Will everyone please follow the guards at the front entrance into the building, where you will receive further instructions…"

"That's our cue, guys," Jenna straightened up and smiled. "Miki, are you ready to do this?"

"Y-yeah!" Miki nodded her head determinedly. "C'mon!"

"Well, we'll see you later, then, eh? Come on, Wade, let's go," and with that Flora turned and walked off. Wade waved a hand and followed after her.

Marcus, heading off on his own, paused and glared at the group of friends. "You pipsqueaks had better hope you don't face me in any match," he growled. "But if you do, I'll take great pleasure in wiping you all out, one by one." And he turned his head and walked away.

"I don't know about you guys, but I HATE that asshole," Yugo seethed darkly, and the others nodded agreement.

----------

Following the guards into the building, the many duelists were all itching to begin battling, and Yugo in particular was trembling with excitement. _I just can't wait!_ he kept saying to himself, over and over.

But by and by, the large group was led into a room with a dome-shaped ceiling far overhead. In the room was a large assortment of desks and chairs, all neatly arranged in straight rows. There were twelve rows; each row had ten desks and chairs, and the space between each row was approximately two to three feet. In short, it looked like an examination room.

"What is this?" someone bellowed. "We came here to duel, not to take any damn tests!" A few others roared their agreement.

"Quiet down, all of you!" a loud voice snapped, filled with so much authority that the complainants immediately shut up. The voice belonged to Roland, and he was at the front of the room, looking very stern. "There is a reason why you are all here at this moment, and all will be explained in a moment. So have some patience!"

Kyo adjusted his glasses and noted the large stacks of paper on the table in front of Roland. _A written test in a Duel Monsters tournament? This is new to me, but hey, what the hell._

"Once you are all seated, I will explain the reason for this test," continued Roland. "The guards will direct you to your seats…right now."

In a matter of minutes, all the seats were filled. Satisfied, Roland went on. "Now, a number of you are wondering why we should have a written test in this competition, but as I have said, there is a reason for that. Mr. Kaiba, the tournament organizer, will explain." And at this point he glanced toward a separate doorway.

That door opened, and a moment later in stepped Seto Kaiba himself. "Greetings, duelists," he began. "You wonder why you have to take a written test? Well, I will explain, so listen up. And I will not be repeating myself."

Everyone was silent as they waited for him to continue.

"In the game of Duel Monsters, there is more to it than just putting on a Duel-Disk, having a deck of cards, and saying, 'Yes, I'm a duelist!' There is more to it than just engaging in a battle and having more life points at the end of it. There is a lot of knowledge that is needed to be able to play the game properly and well." Kaiba's eyes narrowed as he spoke. "One of the most fundamental things needed to be deserving of the title of 'duelist' is for you to have a thorough knowledge of the rules of the game, of the workings of each card, and also an understanding of the different strategies that you will be bound to encounter.

"Therefore," he went on, "this test will examine your general knowledge of the game of Duel Monsters, as well as your understanding of the cards used in the game. You will have to call upon all your experience as duelists in order to do well here. Now, Roland, please hand out the papers to these people…"

"At once, sir. Guards, hand out the papers!" Roland ordered.

The guards swiftly took up the stacks of paper and went down the rows, placing one paper facedown on each desk. Roland barked out again, "Everyone, do not turn over your papers until you are instructed to do so!"

A few minutes later, all the papers were handed out. Roland continued, "Now, would you please look inside your desks? You will see that inside your desks, there are cases containing pencils, rulers, sharpeners, erasers and pens. Take out the cases and place them on your desks."

There was a flurry of noise as the duelists obeyed.

"Has everyone been served with a paper?" Roland asked. "Good. Now, I will explain the guidelines that will dominate this test. Please turn over your papers."

Another flurry of noise as the papers were turned.

"As you will see on your papers," Roland went on, "this test consists of three parts: Duel Monsters General Knowledge, Card Knowledge, and Strategy Assessment and Management. The first two parts each have three sections where you will be required to write short answers, answer true or false, and fill in the blanks. The third section requires practical skill, and you will be required to write your answers in full. This section has seven questions, of which you will be required to choose four to answer. The entire test will be marked out of 100; anyone who gets less than 70 points…will not be permitted to compete in the tournament!"

There was a slight shudder among the duelists when they heard this.

"The time is now 7:55," said Roland. "I have set the alarm on the clock on the wall…" and here he indicated a large clock right on the front wall, in view of everyone. "…for 8:00. When you hear the alarm, you will begin. The test will last for 2½ hours, which means that you will stop writing at 10:30. And, one more thing…"

Hearing the ominous note in Roland's voice, all looked up.

"Cheating will not be tolerated in this test." Roland's voice was filled with doom. "This includes looking at any of your own cards, or asking for help from any of your fellow duelists. The guards will be monitoring each and every one of you in this room. If you are caught cheating at any time, you will automatically fail."

Kaiba smirked as he saw the sweat on some of the duelists' faces. _I love seeing some of these worms squirm,_ he thought to himself.

Roland looked out of the corner of his eyes at his master. _Master Kaiba was wise to come up with this scheme,_ he mused. _Only a handful of the persons here actually deserve to compete in the Kaibacorp Challenge Cup. By using this test, Master Kaiba can weed out the pansies and losers, and only the best of the best will remain._ He then cast a glance around the room. _Without a doubt, those duelists who Master Kaiba personally invited to the tournament will pass this with flying colors. And…_ He scanned the rows until he caught sight of Yugo, who was patiently waiting. _That boy…how well will he do?_

Unaware that he was being watched by Roland, Yugo took a small glance around him. Two rows away, to his right, Kyo was seated, polishing the lens of his glasses with care before putting them back on. Three rows to his left and a few seats down to the back, he could see Jenna tapping the top of her desk with some nervousness. _Kyo's so calm about this…knowing him, he just might pass. And I can't say I blame Jenna for being nervous…I myself wasn't expecting this test at all…_

Then he shot a glance one row to his right and eight seats toward the front. _But it's Miki I'm really worried about…she barely has any experience with this…if she fails here, it'll devastate her badly…_ He sent up a silent prayer that Miki would pull through with a passing grade.

Miki herself was wiping her hands on her lap, doing her best to wipe them clean of the cold sweat that was gathering on her palms. Kaiba saw this and suppressed a chuckle. _A newbie…will she fall by the wayside? Or will she surprise us?_

The hand on the clock that was ticking off the seconds came closer to the big number 12. _Tick…tick…tick…tick…_

Then it reached. And just at that moment, the minute hand pointed at the number 12, also. And the hour hand was now pointing directly at the number 8.

The alarm went off: three loud buzzes.

"You may begin!" Roland commanded.

And with a mad scramble, every one of the duelists in that room took out their pencils and pens and began to inscribe their names on the front page of their papers.

----------

**_neomage:_** Okay, I confess. The whole bit with the examination certainly was not intended to be part of the story, but I decided to just go ahead with it. I based this mainly on my own examination experience in university (where I still am, by the way); but one can also draw an inference from the written test in the Naruto series, without the unfair grading system and the enigmatic "tenth question." (And before you sue me, Naruto isn't mine, either. It belongs to Masashi Kishimoto and Shonen Jump comics. I really like Naruto, too, BTW. I'm currently stumped at Chapter 2 of the fic I'm writing, because I want to get a lot more information on what happens after the Naruto vs. Sasuke fight before I continue. Anybody care to spoil it for me? Please?) Anyway, as always, R&R!


	10. Chapter 10

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: You all know what I'm going to say, so I won't say it. What? You want me to say it? Sigh…I don't own this show. You happy now?)

**CHAPTER 10**

KAIBACORP EXAMINATION ROOM, 8:00 a.m.

Miki looked through her test paper. Section A – Duel Monsters General Knowledge – stared up at her. She remembered what Roland had said – that the first two parts of this paper each had three parts: short answer, true and false, and fill in the blanks. She decided to look at the General Knowledge section, but swore not to take up too much time on this section alone.

She examined the first question in the short answer section. _"What is the name of the company that manufactures the Duel Monster cards?"_

That one was easy. Anybody who had even a remote knowledge of Duel Monsters knew that the company called Industrial Illusions created the cards. She swiftly wrote down the answer and moved on to the next question.

_"What is the name of the game that was based on the original Duel Monsters game and created after it?"_

That was easy, too. She knew that the game in question was Dungeon Dice Monsters, a game that was just as popular as Duel Monsters, though not more. She swiftly wrote down that answer.

But then she looked at the next question and frowned. _"In the Duel Monsters game, what is the maximum number of cards allowed in a deck?"_

Now, what was the answer to that…? Forty? No, that was the minimum number allowed. Okay…Fifty? Maybe…but then again, that assumption was based on the number of cards she knew always came in starter decks. And she knew it couldn't be any number that was too high, because for practical reasons that would be overload. Maybe it was sixty…no. She also knew that Fusion monsters were not counted as part of the conventional deck. So…

While Miki frowned at the question, not far away Kyo was looking at Section B, Card Knowledge, and was in the process of answering the true or false section. Truth be told, he liked answering the true and false sections on any paper before anything else. He hadn't started on Section A's true or false section yet, because he knew it would take a little while to assemble the correct answers to general knowledge questions.

_"True or False: Rare Metal Dragon can be Normal Summoned or Set."_

_That's too easy,_ Kyo thought smugly as he wrote down the answer: False.

Then he studied the next question. _"True or False: St. Joan and Guardian Angel Joan have the same ATK and DEF."_

_Another easy one,_ he gloated, and again wrote the answer: True.

A little distance away, Yugo was looking at the true and false part of Section A. _"True or False: The Battle City finals were held in Domino City."_

Yugo chuckled a little when he saw this. He knew what the answer to that question was, of course. After all, his own father had been a finalist in that tournament. "False," he muttered, writing it down.

He checked the next question. _"True or False: There are more than 20 monster types in Duel Monsters."_

"Hmmm…" He frowned as he tried to remember the various types. Then he wrote his answer: False.

And a few seats away, Jenna was looking at the fill-in-the-blanks in Section A. _"There are (blank) ways to summon monsters in Duel Monsters."_

She chuckled. This was a no-brainer. "Normal Summon…Tribute Summon…Flip Summon…Special Summon…Ritual Summon." And she wrote her answer: 5.

But then she frowned and looked at the question again. _Hold on…I seem to remember hearing somewhere that a Tribute Summon can also count as a Normal Summon, and that a Ritual Summon counts as a Special Summon…_ She crossed out her first answer and wrote the number 3 instead.

Meanwhile, Kaiba stood at the front of the room, casting a glance at every person who was writing. Roland and the other suits, in the meantime, were walking down the rows, checking the answers of the duelists, missing nothing.

Then suddenly one of the suits called out, "Hey, you!"

Everybody turned to see who he was shouting at. At the very back of the room, sitting just one row away from where Marcus Ironside was sitting, a young man paled as every eye in the room turned to look at him. As it turned out, he had somehow managed to sneak some of his own cards into his desk and was sneaking a peek at them for assistance with the answers when he was caught.

"You're disqualified! Out of here at once!" the suit yelled.

While Marcus scowled viciously, the guy groaned and got up, exiting the room.

_He lost his chance…and so early, too…_ Miki's heart was filled with pity for the guy, but in the next instant she dismissed it. _Never mind…I have to do this!_ And she turned her mind back on the questions set before her.

----------

It was now 8:50. Already Yugo had finished writing his answers for the last part of Section A, and was now going on to Section B. As he examined the Short answer section, he frowned at the first question that caught his eye.

_"Arsenal Summoner's effect allows the user to select one card that includes the word 'Guardian' in its name and add it to his/her hand. However, there are five cards that fall into this category that Arsenal Summoner's effect does not allow the user to select. Name any three of these cards."_

Now, here was a problem that Yugo did not really know the answer to. He had never used the Arsenal Summoner (ATK 1600, DEF 1600) before, and he was stumped. He decided to leave that question alone for the time being and move on to the next one.

But the very next question nearly floored him. _"State the effect of the Ultimate Obedient Fiend."_

Yugo nearly swore. He had no idea what the effect of the Ultimate Obedient Fiend (ATK 3500, DEF 3000) was, for he'd never even heard of that card before.

But Blaze, sitting two desks behind Yugo, apparently knew what the answer to that question was. Snickering, she wrote it all out, then put her pen back down and looked the paper over again.

But if Yugo was having it hard with this section, then Miki was suffering greatly, for many of the cards that were being mentioned in this section, she'd never heard of before. But then she came upon another question in this section, and her mood brightened a little. The question read: _"Which cards work best with Queen's Knight?"_

Miki was now quite happy, for Queen's Knight (ATK 1500, DEF 1600) happened to be a card she knew about. She wrote down her answer and moved on.

Meanwhile Kyo had already moved on to Section C, the Strategy Assessment and Management part of the paper. He studied the seven questions before deciding on his first one.

The question he chose showed a diagram of a dueling field. On one end of the field was the Berserk Gorilla (ATK 2000, DEF 1000) in Attack Mode, and on the other was one face-down card in the magic/trap slot. The question read: _"In this diagram, the defending player, i.e. the player with no monsters on the field, has only 1800 life points. An attack from the other player's monster can wipe him out. How can the defending player counter this, using the face-down card in his magic/trap slot, without inflicting damage to either player's life points? Illustrate your answer with a diagram." (N.B. The face-down card cannot be the Mirror Force trap card.)_

Kyo chuckled as he looked at this. There were several answers one could give to this. For one, the player in question could use the trap card Sakuretsu Armor, which would destroy the attacking monster. Or, the player could use the trap card Zero Gravity, since that would immediately flip the monster into Defense Mode – and since Berserk Gorilla's effect caused it to be destroyed when it was in Defense Mode…Kyo smiled and wrote his answer, then carefully drew his illustration.

Meanwhile, Jenna paused from her writing and glanced around. From what she could see, Kyo was writing briskly, Yugo was thinking hard about what he should put on the paper, and Miki…it was hard to tell, but from Miki's grave expression Jenna guessed that her cousin was having it rough. _Hang in there, Miki,_ she silently begged.

Then she looked around at the other participants. Blaze seemed to be pondering each answer before she wrote. Wade, at the far end of the room, had a big smile on his face as he wrote. Behind him, Flora was calmly tapping the eraser end of her pencil on the desk before she wrote her response. And at the back end of the room, Marcus's face showed no emotion whatsoever as he scribbled his own responses down. All the others seemed locked in concentration, with a few furrowing their brows in deep thought.

Jenna sighed and turned back to the question before her. She was in Section B, and was in the True or False section. _"True or False: There can only be one Field Magic card in play on the field at a time."_

She smiled and wrote down the answer: True.

Next question: _"True or False: The trap card Seven Tools of the Bandit requires 1000 life points to activate, while the trap card Trap Jammer requires the player to discard one card from the hand to activate."_

Jenna scoffed at this. She'd seen for herself when Seta activated the Trap Jammer during his battle with Yugo, and knew that the answer to this question was false – even if the part about Seven Tools of the Bandit's effect was true. She wrote her answer down quickly and moved on to the next question.

----------

While the participants were writing, Kaiba had momentarily stepped out of the room and was now lounging outside the door, calmly munching on a granola bar. He looked at his watch; the time was now 9:15. "Plenty of time yet," he grumbled.

----------

Miki glanced up at the clock. 9:17. She was now in the fill-in-the-blanks section in Section B, and she was at a loss as to what to write.

_"The effect of (blank) increases its ATK by 200 for every Fairy-type monster in the user's Graveyard."_

_"The only effect of (blank) removes any monster it destroys in battle from play."_

_"(Blank) cannot be summoned unless the magic card Shooting Starbow – Ceal is on the field."_

_"Mass Driver is a (blank) magic card."_

Miki sighed in frustration. She knew the answers to none of these at all. On impulse, she turned the paper a few pages back and looked at it in woe. She'd managed to answer some of the questions so far, but many remained unanswered. She decided to go straight to the last section and put her hopes there.

Not far away, Yugo was now working on Section C. He fingered his chin as he examined the second question he'd chosen to answer out of this section.

_"Your opponent uses the Destiny Board in his/her deck. So far, he/she has managed to put 4 of the 5 letters on the board. It is now your turn, and if you end your turn, the last letter will come on the board and your opponent will win. Your magic/trap slots all have the following cards: an active Swords of Revealing Light, three face-down cards, and an active Call of the Dark trap card. One of your face-down cards is a monster revival magic card, which you cannot activate because of Call of the Dark's effect, and another is a magic card that will allow you control of your opponent's monster (not Change of Heart). In your hand is Mobius the Frost Monarch _(ATK 2400, DEF 1000)_, whose effect is the only available way to defeat the Destiny Board. Your opponent also has a face-up Dark Blade _(ATK 1800, DEF 1500). _Using a diagram to illustrate, state how you can use these cards to prevent the last letter of the Destiny Board from coming onto the field. In addition, give the names of the two facedown magic cards and their effects, and also give the effect of Call of the Dark and Mobius the Frost Monarch."_

Yugo frowned as he tried to remember the cards' effects. "C'mon, c'mon," he growled, "this is something you learned from trading cards with your friends! Think, Yugo, think!"

Yugo looked long and hard at the question again. Then he thought about the scenario and what sort of card could be substituted for Change of Heart. Then suddenly a grin lit up his face as memory served him well; he swiftly picked up his pen and wrote down the following answer:

"The two facedown magic cards are Monster Reborn, which allows a player to Special Summon a monster from his own or his opponent's Graveyard to the field in face-up Attack or Defense Mode; and Snatch Steal, which allows a player to take control of one face-up monster on the opponent's side of the field, but the opponent's life points will increase by 1000 during each of his/her Standby Phases. The effect of Call of the Dark destroys all monsters that were Special Summoned using Monster Reborn, and in addition Monster Reborn cannot be activated as long as Call of the Dark appears on the field. The effect of Mobius the Frost Monarch destroys up to two Magic or Trap cards when it is Tribute Summoned successfully. To win, the defending player should take control of the Dark Blade using Snatch Steal, then tribute it to summon Mobius the Frost Monarch, then use Mobius's effect to destroy the Destiny Board."

Yugo looked at this answer. Then, as if for afterthought, he added, "The player should also use Mobius's effect to destroy Call of the Dark, in order to be able to activate the face-down Monster Reborn." Satisfied, he took up his pencil and began to sketch furiously.

----------

10:00. Just half an hour left.

Jenna had gone over the answers she'd written, and was now writing her final answer for the chosen fourth question in Section C.

_"Using a diagram to illustrate, show any number of ways to defeat a player who uses an Exodia strategy."_

She swallowed hard. She knew that Exodia was a powerful monster, especially when used correctly. But how to beat it? There were very few effective ways.

As she thought about it, she remembered Seta using his Cyber Jar (ATK 900, DEF 900) during the battle with Yugo and its effect, and a smile graced her lips. She quickly wrote down her chosen scenario – then thought of another one, where a player could use the effect of a Needle Worm (ATK 750, DEF 600) to send five cards from the top of the opponent's deck to the Graveyard, or…Every idea that came to her mind, she wrote it down.

Kyo had just finished checking his answers and put the paper down with a smile. Then he looked ahead to where Miki was sitting, and his expression changed to a frown. _Will she pass? Will she?_

As for Miki, she was glancing frantically at the answers she'd written down. Some seemed to be right, but a lot of them she'd had to guess, and she now had just one more question from Section C to choose. And all of them seemed so hard, and she wasn't sure which one…

_Oh, to hell with it!_ Miki's mind screamed out. _Just pick a damn question and finish it now!_

And so, bracing herself, Miki turned the last page and beheld the final question:

_"Your opponent has activated the trap card, Tower of Babel. The effect of this card allows him/her to put one counter on the card for each magic card activated by either player; if 4 counters are on the card, the player who activated the magic card at that time will lose 3000 life points. Your opponent already has 3 counters on the card. Using a diagram to illustrate, show how you can use a magic card to destroy the Tower of Babel without losing life points."_

_Without losing life points? Are these people kidding? How can you activate a magic card without losing life points in this scenario…unless…_

Miki thought about it for a moment. Her mind crossed on a card she'd gotten from the others recently. Mystical Space Typhoon…a quick-play magic card…

Her mind raced as she thought of the rules of the game where activation of cards was concerned. Each card fell under a certain speed category – some cards' effects would resolve faster than others. So…

Bursting with newfound knowledge, Miki quickly scribbled down her answer, explaining how she could use Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy the Tower of Babel before the fourth counter could be set on the trap card. Then, satisfied with her outline, she grabbed a pencil and furiously drew the outline.

Miki had just put down the pencil when the alarm on the clock buzzed again. The time was now 10:30. "Time's up! Stop working!" Roland ordered.

Miki sighed in humongous relief. Yugo fell forward at his desk. Jenna leaned far back in her seat and closed her eyes. Kyo just twirled his neck, cracking the joints. It had been long and difficult, and now all that remained was the grading scheme.

As the guards came along and picked up the papers, all the competitors waited with anxious breath to see what the results would be. For they all had a good feeling that their results would be shown to them very, very soon, to determine who would get to stay and participate and would be kicked out.

"All right…please remain in your seats, everyone," said Roland once all the papers had been collected. "Momentarily we will read out your scoring results and determine who among you will be allowed to participate in the Kaibacorp Challenge Cup!"

----------

**_neomage:_** Whew! I spent nearly an hour coming up with the various questions, and I based them on cards that I actually own and on information that I gleaned from the Internet. The answers to most of the questions are in the text; for those that were not, here they are:

Arsenal Summoner's effect forbids the player from selecting "Celtic Guardian," "Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress #1," "Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress #2," "Guardian of the Labyrinth," and "The Reliable Guardian."

The effect of the Ultimate Obedient Fiend as written on the card: "This card can only attack when you have no other cards on your side of the field, and you also have no hand. Negate the effects of all Effect monsters destroyed by this card."

Queen's Knight works in co-ordination with King's Knight (ATK 1600, DEF 1400). King's Knight's effect, when you normal summon it while Queen's Knight is on the field, allows you to Special Summon one Jack's Knight (ATK 1900, DEF 1400) from your Deck.

The effect of Mudora (ATK 1500, DEF 1800) increases its ATK by 200 for every Fairy-type monster in the user's Graveyard.

The only effect of D.D. Crazy Beast (ATK 1400, DEF 1400) removes any monster it destroys in battle from play.

Guardian Ceal (ATK 1700, DEF 1400) cannot be summoned unless the magic card Shooting Starbow – Ceal is on the field.

Mass Driver is a Continuous magic card.

And by the way, the real Yu-Gi-Oh English cards are manufactured by Upper Deck Entertainment in the USA, originally designed by – you guessed it – Kazuki Takahashi.

So, did you like the idea of me using a preliminary written test? Or did you not? And what will be the fate of these aspiring duelists? Keep reading!


	11. Chapter 11

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Not mine, not mine, not mine, not mine, not mine, not mine…)

**CHAPTER 11**

KAIBACORP EXAMINATION ROOM, 10:40 a.m.

With the examination over, many of the participants were relieved. However, an edge of tension was still in the air, as the results would soon be revealed, and everyone there had the vague impression that a large number of them would not pass. After all, the questions had been difficult; only a seasoned duelist could have answered them correctly.

Jenna was running her fingers through heir hair. Yugo was just sitting there, seemingly staring into space with a scowl on his face. Kyo adjusted and readjusted his glasses over and over again. All three were thinking the same thing, about the same person.

_Will Miki pull through this?_

Indeed, Miki herself was wondering the same thing. Fretfully, without realizing it, she started biting her nails. _Will I be one of those who'll get eliminated…?_

"Hey, kid. Biting your nails isn't good for you."

Startled, Miki looked up into Blaze's eyes. "Huh…?"

Blaze's mouth was still set in a stern line; but as Miki looked into the other girl's eyes, she thought she saw a spark of kindness in them. "You really should calm down," Blaze counseled. "You can't know the result until you actually get it in front of you. For now, just be thankful that you did your best." And with that, she walked back to her seat, leaving a mystified Miki behind.

By and by, Roland returned. "Listen up, everyone," he announced. "Our computers have just finished calculating all your scores, and now we'll call out the names of those who scored highest. Those of you who hear your names, please come to the front."

He held up a sheet of paper which, the duelists guessed, was the list of names. Looking at the names, he began.

"First, with the highest score of 95 points – Flora Green!"

Flora emitted a small squeal of joy and jumped up, hurrying to the front. Roland then read the next name.

"Second, with 87 points – Kyo Bakura!"

Calmly, Kyo got up and headed for the front.

"Third, with 85 points – Yugo Muto!"

Stunned, then elated, Yugo let out a loud whoop as he headed up to the front. Flora nodded in congratulations, and Kyo smirked his assent.

In the back of the room, Marcus scowled fiercely. _Those brats got high scores? Unbelievable!_

"Fourth, with 83 points – Blaze Redman!"

Coolly, Blaze headed for the front, tossing her hair back as she went.

"Fifth, with 76 points – Wade Ocean!"

Wade grinned as he walked up to join the others.

"Sixth, with 74 points – Jenna Wheeler!"

Jenna was astonished, as were the others. _I…I actually got a good score? All right!_

But as Jenna got up and bounded up to the front in her joy, she didn't catch Marcus's murderous scowl raking her back. The others at the front saw it, though; and Yugo and Kyo, in particular, were not happy about it.

Miki smiled a little. _Cousin Jenna…I'm really happy for you, but…what about me…? I waited so long for this, and now…if I get any score lower than 70 points, I won't be able to compete…I'm sorry…_

"Seventh, with 71 points – Miki Taylor!"

Miki's heart jumped to her mouth. _WHAT? Did…did he actually just call my name? Oh, man, I can't believe he just called my name!_

Relieved and elated, Miki got out of her seat and joined the others at the front. As she did, she went up next to Blaze and whispered, "Thank you."

"Think nothing of it, kid," Blaze replied, shrugging.

Roland then read the next name. "Eighth, with 70 points – Marcus Ironside!"

Slowly, Marcus got out of his seat and walked up to the rest of the group. As he did, he fixed a piercing stare upon Miki and growled, "I can't believe a ROOKIE got a higher score than me! Me, a ten-year veteran at Duel Monsters!"

Feeling suddenly scared, Miki retreated behind Blaze. The other girl, in turn, stepped up to face Marcus head-on. "Drop it, Mac," she said sourly. "Just be glad you have a place and be done with it."

The two stared daggers at each other; then Marcus sighed and stepped away. "Whatever."

Roland then folded up the paper and put it in his pocket, to everyone else's surprise. "As for the rest of you…you all FAIL!"

There was a general response of shock at this news. "Hey, man, what the hell are you saying? You must've made a mistake or something! We MUST have gotten good grades!" one guy screamed, and the others roared in bitter agreement.

"There was no mistake," Roland answered frostily. "I'll tell you where you fell down. Most of you flopped where the general knowledge questions were concerned, some of you just didn't know anything about the cards themselves, and a shameful number of you failed in the third section, as well. All you were concerned about was that you could get to the competition quickly, and therefore you didn't take this test seriously. This test was examining how well you could think and plan – especially in the third section. Let me give you an example of what I'm talking about."

He looked directly at Miki. "This young lady, Miki Taylor, did remarkably well in Section A because her general knowledge about the history of the game and the important figures instrumental to its success is very high and commendable. In addition, though it was evident from Section B that her experience with the cards is limited, she made up for it in Section C – the way she answered the questions she selected, while amateurish at best, showed that at least she was thinking. And then, the total tallied points enabled her to be No. 7 on this list."

Roland fixed a severe stare on the rest of the duelists. "By stark contrast, most of you couldn't give a sensible answer to the questions in Section C – my God, even in Section A, a number of you couldn't even get the question about who the creator of the cards was correct! Some of you even went so far as to confuse Industrial Illusions with Kaibacorp! Disgraceful!"

Silence followed his tirade. A few of the losers were now looking away in painful embarrassment; they knew that he was right, too awfully right.

"And now," Roland finished, apparently calmed down from his outrage, "all of you, please leave. The guards will escort you to the front door."

He then turned to the eight chosen ones. "The rest of you, please, come with me." He turned and walked toward a separate doorway, and the eight followed after him. Soon, they were walking in a rather long corridor.

"Psst…hey, Miki, congrats! I knew you could do it!" Jenna gushed.

"Thanks." Miki nodded. "But, I'm a little worried…"

"About what?" asked Jenna, immediately concerned.

"That Marcus Ironside guy…I don't like him…I saw the way he was looking at us," Miki sighed.

Kyo turned his head and looked at Miki. "Fret not, Miki. If he tries anything, I'll knock him flat!"

"Same here," added Yugo. "Nobody messes with my friends!"

Wade, walking nearby, chuckled. "You guys seem tight-knit," he remarked. "But, of course, you do realize that this tournament will pit you against each other, right?"

"Well, we're here just to test our skills and have fun," Jenna replied.

Flora giggled. "It's nice to see you with such optimism," she remarked.

"True, true," agreed Kyo.

Miki now asked, "Guys, what do you make of Blaze?"

"Blaze? Why do you ask?" asked Yugo.

Miki looked up at Blaze, at the head of the procession. "I get the feeling that she'd like to be friends, but…she just seems so…aloof and alone," she whispered. "I don't get it…it's as if she's carrying some burden on her shoulder…"

The others were surprised – that hadn't crossed their minds. "Well…I guess it's not our business to ask about hers," Kyo observed wisely. "If she's hiding something private, let it stay hidden."

By and by they came to a halt in front of a door. Roland pushed a few buttons on the console, and a moment later the door opened. "Password-protected," he explained.

The group entered into a dark room, where Roland motioned to all of them to halt. He then snapped his fingers, and a moment later a light shone down from the ceiling, illuminating the entire room. "Whoa!" exclaimed Yugo.

"Greetings once again, duelists," a familiar voice was heard. Looking up, they all saw Kaiba standing on a platform, overlooking them. "Hmmm…eight of you? Yes, that's a good enough number for our tournament," he continued, chuckling.

"Mr. Kaiba, will you explain, or should I…?" asked Roland.

"That's all right – I'll tell them." Kaiba took a deep breath. "Now, then. The eight of you have done well in the written test that I compiled, and now you are here, ready to actually duel. The tournament itself will not start just yet, however; I will give all of you a grace period of two hours in order to finalize your decks and be prepared. In the meantime, I will explain the rules of this contest, after which you will begin your final preparations."

They all waited with bated breath as he continued.

"The rules will be the conventional ones, as follows: in each match, you will each begin with 8000 life points; monsters of Level 5 and 6 will require one monster for a Tribute Summon; monsters of Level 7 or higher will require two; et cetera. And…" His eyes twinkled. "At the end of it all, when there is only one among you who is left after elimination, the winner will get the privilege of facing my son, Seta Kaiba, this tournament's champion, in a duel. If, by some stroke of good fortune, you manage to defeat him, then you will gain the prize of $700,000 and some rare cards from me!"

Yugo shuddered with excitement. _Man, I don't care about the prize money or those rare cards. Just getting a chance to face Seta again in a real match is enough for me!_

_Rare cards, huh?_ Miki smiled.

_To impress her…I'll do all I can!_ Kyo repeated to himself determinedly.

_That prize money sure sounds good!_ That was the thought on the minds of Jenna, Blaze and Wade.

_I want to see how far my skills have progressed,_ Flora mused.

As for Marcus, he just regarded the others with a cold stare.

"Now, as I said, you all have two hours to finish preparations – after that, the first match will begin!" And with a grand flourish, Kaiba turned and walked off.

----------

"Yo, Yugo!"

Yugo looked up from where he was assembling all his cards. "What's up, Kyo?"

Kyo had a grave look on his face. "Could I talk to you for a bit?"

"Sure. What about?"

Kyo narrowed his eyes. "I'm a little worried about Jenna and Miki…especially Miki."

"What? Why?"

Kyo looked hard at Yugo. "I have a bad feeling, Yugo…I think that that Ironside guy might try something."

Yugo immediately got serious. "What do you mean, 'try something'?"

"You saw how he was looking at Jenna and Miki back in that exam room. That look in his eyes…it was a look that was screaming bloody murder. Frankly, I'm scared for them." Kyo dropped his gaze. "I sincerely hope that none of us gets to duel him…and that he gets knocked out in the first round. That way we won't have to contend with him."

"Well, we don't have any control over that. We'll just have to wait and see."

"Yeah."

Yugo gave Kyo a searching glance. "Kyo…you really do like her, don't you…?"

Kyo was astonished. "Huh? Who're you talking about?"

"Who else, asshole? I'm talking about Miki!"

Kyo turned as red as a tomato. "I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Sure you do. Don't lie to me, Kyo – it's written all over your face." Yugo was grinning impishly now, and that made Kyo blush even harder.

----------

"Master Seta?"

Roland had left the tournament competitors in the solitary room by themselves and had gone to check on the young master. Now he stood in front of the door, tapping it with his knuckles.

"Yes, Roland, what is it?"

"Sorry to bother you, young master, but the tournament participants have been chosen. I thought you might wish to come and watch the first match."

A pause. "Is Yugo among them?"

"Yes, sir, he is."

A chuckle escaped from inside. "Is he the first one dueling?"

"I do not know, sir."

"Well, it's all right, then. I think I'll stay here and continue to fine-tune my deck. Come and call me when it's all over."

"I understand." And Roland left Master Seta in peace.

----------

TWO HOURS LATER

"I'm getting seriously bored here!" Wade cried out in frustration.

Standing by himself by the wall, arms folded in resignation, Marcus wasn't impressed. "Shut up," he growled. "They'll come back to us in due time."

"He's right, Wade," Flora put in. "Let's just have a little more patience, that's all."

By and by, Kaiba and Roland returned, the former holding a sheet of paper. "Sorry to keep you waiting, everyone," said Roland. "Will you kindly follow us, please…?"

"About time!" Wade exploded as the group of eight followed the two men out of the room.

The group walked out the door, then went up a nearby staircase and walked up several flights. At length they came to another door, which Kaiba pushed open. The duelists walked in and were amazed.

The room they were in had a big space in the middle of the floor, elevated by stairs. At the top was a railing near the edges of the platform. The platform itself was roughly twenty feet long and thirty feet wide. "This is where you will all be dueling," Kaiba explained. "Now, I will read the order of the matches. Once you know who your opponent is, there can be no change, so don't complain."

Everyone waited as he read the order of the duels. They were in this order:

DUEL 1: Wade Ocean vs. Blaze Redman

DUEL 2: Marcus Ironside vs. Miki Taylor

DUEL 3: Yugo Muto vs. Flora Green

DUEL 4: Jenna Wheeler vs. Kyo Bakura

Kyo cringed. _It's just as I feared,_ he groaned inwardly. _Miki, please don't get hurt! Just beat him when your turn comes!_

"Wahoo! I get to duel first!" Wade exclaimed happily.

Blaze sighed. "Well, let's do this, I guess."

"Step up to the platform!" Roland ordered.

Everyone else backed away a little and watched as Wade and Blaze stepped up and readied their Duel-Disks. This, they all knew, would be an interesting fight.

----------

**_neomage:_** Yeah, yeah, I know. In the show they like to wait until the actual match is about to start before they tell you who your opponent is; but ladies and gentlemen, that's just not my style. I hope you're not disappointed with that. I can promise you that from here on out, the duels will be hot and spicy! So, do yourselves a favor and keep reading, faithful fans!


	12. Chapter 12

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Not mine, not mine, not mine, not mine, not mine, not mine… slaps self This is getting to me…)

**CHAPTER 12**

KAIBACORP DUELING ROOM

"So…you're my first opponent, huh?" Wade remarked as he and Blaze stood on opposite sides of the platform. "Should be an interesting match – the eternal rivalry of Fire and Water. Well, good luck, anyway."

"Sure." Blaze's answer was short and to the point.

The two duelists' life points rose to 8000. As this happened, suddenly large cameras hidden in the ceiling panels emerged, trained on Blaze and Wade. "Huh? What's up with this?" asked Blaze, looking up.

"This is simply to give the people of Domino City a good show on all the big screens throughout the city," Roland replied. "Now, prepare to duel!"

As the holographic system was activated, the familiar coin appeared in between the players. "Blaze Redman, heads or tails?" asked Roland.

"Tails!" Blaze replied.

The coin was flipped – and when it landed, it showed tails. "I will go first, then," Blaze announced as she and Wade drew five cards each.

The other competitors were interested in seeing the duel get underway. "This should be good," Jenna muttered.

"Both Blaze and Wade are expert duelists," Flora nodded. "This will be a good match."

Then Roland raised his hand, bringing it down sharply by his side a moment later. "Begin!"

----------

Outside the Kaibacorp building, many people were going about their business as usual. Suddenly, the big-screen that graced the top of Kaibacorp flashed on, showing the tournament about to begin inside.

"Hey, look!" one man nudged his friend excitedly. "The Kaibacorp contest is starting!"

"So it is!" his friend answered. "Let's watch!"

Everywhere in the city where a big screen was, the reaction was the same. Pretty soon, small crowds had gathered everywhere – in the square, near major buildings – and all were eager to see the match get underway.

Inside bars, stores and supermarkets, everybody paused what they were doing as the nearest available television sets began broadcasting the tournament. And in some places, betting factions were created to determine which of the two duelists would win this fight.

----------

YUGO'S HOUSE

"Mother, come on, or we'll miss Yugo's duel!" Mr. Muto exclaimed, exasperated.

"I'm coming, son," Grandma replied.

Shrugging, Mr. Muto finished combing his hair and was just putting on his jacket when he heard his elderly mother cry out. "Yugi, quick! They're showing the first duel on TV!"

In a moment he was in the living room, where Grandma was sitting in front of the TV, entranced. "Is Yugo dueling?" Mr. Muto asked eagerly.

"No," Grandma answered. "Two others are, though."

Mr. Muto looked at the screen. "Hey, I know those two," he remarked. "They're two of the world's top contenders in Duel Monsters."

"Sit down, and let's watch, eh?" Grandma invited. And so her son sat down, and then the both of them looked at the TV with interest.

----------

KAIBACORP DUELING ROOM

"Now, then, let's do this!" Blaze drew her first card. "I summon Darkfire Soldier #1 (ATK 1700, DEF 1150) in Attack Mode!" A moment later a soldier carrying a big sword and wrapped in flames appeared on the field.

"Wow!" Kyo exclaimed, putting up a hand to shield from the heat. "That's hot!"

"You haven't seen anything yet," Flora grinned. "Just watch."

Blaze then set one card face-down. "That'll end the turn for me," she remarked. "Bring it on, water-boy!"

"With pleasure!" After drawing, Wade also set one card face-down, then summoned the 7 Colored Fish (ATK 1800, DEF 800), a fish with a snakelike body and scales that glistened with every color of the rainbow. Then he held up another card in his hand.

"Now, I'll play the field magic card, Umi! This'll increase the ATK and DEF of all Fish, Sea Serpent, Thunder, and Aqua-type monsters by 200 points, and it'll also decrease the ATK and DEF of all Pyro and Machine-type monsters by 200!" he explained as he played the card. "Behold the mighty power of the deep blue sea!"

Suddenly a huge ocean appeared out of nowhere, and the water caught the players up to their chests, so high that they had to hold up their Duel-Disks to prevent them from getting wet. But what happened next startled Blaze: The 7 Colored Fish's stats shot up to 2000 ATK and 1000 DEF, while her Darkfire Soldier #1's ATK and DEF decreased to 1500 and 950, respectively!

"Now, 7 Colored Fish, attack with Rainbow Scale!" Wade ordered. And, jumping around in the water, the fish suddenly swam forward toward the soldier, intent on killing it.

But then Blaze laughed. "You must have water in your brain, Wade!" she mocked. "Activate my trap card, Widespread Ruin! When you declare an attack against me, this card destroys one monster on your side of the field with the highest ATK!"

Suddenly the 7 Colored Fish exploded, much to Wade's astonishment, and fish parts scattered everywhere, dropping into the water with various loud splashes. "Too bad, Wade," Blaze chuckled.

Wade shook his head. "Okay, so I made a wrong move there," he admitted, "but I can always make up for it. Your turn."

As Blaze drew her next card, she cast a worried glance at the Umi card, which was powering the sea around her. _This isn't good…a lot of my monsters are Pyro-types, so they'll be weakened considerably by this ocean…I have to get rid of the water somehow, but how? I don't have a card in my hand that'll help me right now. I'll just have to ride this wave, so to speak…_

"Okay! Now I summon Blast Magician (ATK 1400, DEF 1700) to the field!" And as Blaze gave the command, a mage dressed in red robes and carrying a crooked staff appeared.

Blaze smirked. "Blast Magician may be a Fire monster, but because he's not a Pyro-type his stats won't be decreased by Umi," she gloated. "And by the way, Wade, in case you didn't notice, your life points are wide open for a direct attack! Blast Magician, use your Fireball Spell Attack!"

The Blast Magician began to chant, and a moment later his staff turned burning red. Then the redness gathered into the jewel at the tip of the staff, until it appeared to resemble a flaming torch. Then he pointed the staff at Wade, ready to fire!

But Wade just laughed. "I activate the trap card, Tornado Wall!" He flipped his facedown card face-up, creating a literal wall of tornadoes around himself, just as Blast Magician let loose with the attack. But the fireball simply bounced off the tornadoes, leaving Wade unharmed!

"Okay…could somebody tell me what just happened?" asked Blaze in disbelief.

"Be glad to!" Wade seemed very pleased with himself. "I could only activate this trap card, Tornado Wall, when Umi was active on the field. As long as the Tornado Wall stays on the field, any damage I get from battle becomes zero. So, in other words…your attack has failed, babe." And he winked at her.

"Seems Wade certainly has his strategy well planned out," Yugo remarked, looking on in wonder.

"Yeah," Jenna agreed. "He did plan this well! The Tornado Wall is invincible!"

Standing a little distance away, arms folded, Marcus snickered to himself. _Actually, that's not entirely true, kid. The Tornado Wall does have one little weakness…and if Blaze is smart enough, she'll soon figure it out…_

Since she couldn't attack with another monster, Blaze had no choice but to end her turn. "Make your move," she told Wade.

"Certainly!" Wade drew his next card, then looked at it long and hard. Then he laughed. "Oh, this is simply incredible! Who would've thought I'd get THIS card so soon in the duel?"

Blaze looked at him, puzzled.

"All right…first, I'll remove the 7 Colored Fish in my Graveyard from play to Special Summon a monster from my hand – the Aqua Spirit (ATK 1600, DEF 1200)!" And as Wade removed the named monster from his Graveyard, he played a card on the field. Immediately a beautiful water maiden appeared, her stats increased to 1800 ATK and 1400 DEF by Umi's effect.

"And next," and here Wade waved the card he'd just drawn, "I'll offer the Aqua Spirit as a tribute to summon one of my best monsters – The Legendary Fisherman (ATK 1850, DEF 1600)!"

Immediately the Aqua Spirit disappeared in a shower of bubbles. In her place, rising up from the water, was a wild-haired man riding an orca and wielding a spear in one hand. "The Legendary Fisherman is such a mighty warrior, for a reason," Wade remarked. "The power of the sea grants him many great abilities. As long as Umi remains on the field, he cannot be affected by any magic cards whatsoever, and he cannot be selected as an attack target. And now…Legendary Fisherman, attack and destroy the Darkfire Soldier #1!"

The Fisherman readily threw his spear, hitting the Soldier right in the chest and sending him flying back. As the Soldier landed in the waves, the Fisherman's orca dived underwater. In a moment the two resurfaced, the Fisherman having retrieved his spear…and Blaze scowled as her life points went down to 7650.

"And now…I'll end my turn," Wade said, a big smile on his face.

----------

ELSEWHERE IN DOMINO CITY

In a bar only a few blocks from Kaibacorp, the patrons were watching the match on TV with relish. "That Wade Ocean sure knows his strategies like good, man!" one man remarked, and several others agreed with him.

"Yeah, but that Blaze chick is no pushover," another guy countered. "She'll probably come up with a strategy of her own to beat that guy."

"No, she won't!" the first guy snapped. "Just look at the predicament she's in now! Wade said it himself – she can't touch him!"

"Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah!"

"All right, then!" the second guy growled. "Let's have a bet on this!"

All the other patrons shook their heads knowingly. Both these squabbling men, regulars to this bar, were known gamblers, and would make a bet for even the smallest things.

"A bet it is, then," roared the Wade fan. "I say that Wade will definitely win this match!"

"And I say that he won't!" the Blaze fan countered. "Loser buys five beers for the winner."

"You're on, motor-mouth!" the Wade fan yelled.

The other patrons had to suppress their laughter. Now, this was a bet to see!

----------

KAIBACORP DUELING ROOM

The stats of the duel now looked like this: Blaze had her Blast Magician on the field, plus she had four cards in hand, and her life points were now 7650. On the other hand, Wade's life points were still at an untouched 8000, and on the field he had The Legendary Fisherman, the Tornado Wall trap card and the Umi field magic card, and in his hand he had two cards.

It was now Blaze's turn, and she drew her card. She looked long and hard at it, then sighed. _This card could work with the right strategy, but I have to rely on HIM in order to pull it off. So…I guess I'll just have to wait a little while longer…_

Aloud she declared, "Okay! Now I'll summon the Solar Flare Dragon (ATK 1500, DEF 1000) in Attack Mode!" And then, quite suddenly, a massive flame-covered dragon appeared from the water, howling in rage. But Blaze wasn't done.

"Next," she continued, "I'll remove one Fire monster in my Graveyard from play to Special Summon another creature to the field – Inferno (ATK 1100, DEF 1900), in Defense Mode!" And when she removed her chosen card from the Graveyard, she summoned a flaming bird-faced creature with a beak full of skulls.

Because of Umi, Solar Flare Dragon's ATK and DEF went down to 1300 and 800, and Inferno's ATK and DEF rapidly decreased to 900 and 1700 – but Blaze didn't seem very much disturbed. "All right – finally I'll place one card facedown." And she did. "Make your move, Wade."

Wade drew his next card and frowned at Blaze. _She seems a little too calm…something's up! I just know it! Still…there's no way she can penetrate my solid defense now!_

Wade looked at Blaze's monsters that were now on the field. He knew that Solar Flare Dragon's effect prevented it from being an attack target while there was another Pyro-type monster on the field, which was certainly why she'd Special Summoned that Inferno monster in such a hurry. Well, he could summon another monster, too.

"I summon Skull Mariner (ATK 1600, DEF 900) to the field!" And in the next moment, a large red pirate ship emerged, with a giant skull at the bow. "Now, my Legendary Fisherman, destroy Inferno!"

Again the Fisherman threw his spear, catching Inferno right in the mouth and sending it crashing into the waves.

"Now, it's your turn, Skull Mariner! Pirate Battering Ram!"

With that the Skull Mariner picked up incredible speed, slamming into the Solar Flare Dragon with such force that the other monster was thrown back – and Blaze grunted as she lost more life points to put her at 7350.

On the sidelines, Miki was shaking her head. "Gee," she remarked, "Blaze sure is getting her butt kicked, isn't she?"

"Don't be so sure, little one." Flora smiled knowingly. "If I know Blaze, right about now she'll come up with a really dastardly strategy."

Indeed, as Blaze regained her bearings and drew her next card, she chuckled. "Oh, Wade, I guarantee that you're going to hate every bone in my body now," she declared. "For by having me as your opponent, you've just sealed your own death!"

"Huh? What do you mean?" Wade asked warily.

Whereupon Blaze revealed the card she'd drawn earlier – Lava Golem (ATK 3000, DEF 2500). "Once I bring this monster onto the field, nothing you can do can help you!"

"But how are you going to get that on the field? You don't even have any monsters to tribute for that!" Wade argued. For Lava Golem was a Level 8 monster, thus requiring two tributes.

Blaze just smiled. "Who said anything about tributing _my_ monsters?"

Wade stared at her – then gaped as the truth dawned upon him. "Oh, hell, no!"

"Oh, hell, yes! I'm going to tribute the two monsters on your side of the field to Special Summon this big guy to the field!" And Blaze laughed out loud.

Suddenly, much to Wade's dismay, The Legendary Fisherman and Skull Mariner disappeared from the field. In their place now stood a massive behemoth made entirely out of piping hot lava. And, much to Wade's consternation, he was locked in a cage, suspended from the monster's neck by a giant chain!

"Aren't you glad I gave you such a strong monster, Wade?" Blaze mocked him. "But then again, it's not like you're going to get any chance to attack with him! For now…" she held up one of the two cards left in her hand. "I activate the magic of the Mask of the Accursed! Equip this to the Lava Golem!"

A mask appeared on the field, and started floating over to Wade's side. Since the mask itself was too small to fit on Lava Golem's face, it was instead embedded in its chest. As the others looked at it, they marveled that it wasn't burnt up by Lava Golem's fire at all.

"Now, here's the deal," said Blaze. "During each of your Standby Phases, as long as you control the Lava Golem, its heat will weaken you by 1000 life points. In addition, during each of **_my_** Standby Phases, as long as the Golem's equipped with the Mask of the Accursed, it can't attack at all, and since you're the controller of this big guy YOU'LL lose an additional 500 points. Sound like torture? Well, just wait till the lava gets to you and makes you sweat better than a pig!"

"Whoa…she's cruel…" Yugo gulped, hard.

"Bah, that's nothing," said Marcus, speaking for the first time. As they turned to look at him, he went on, "I've seen Blaze perform before, and she's done a hell of a lot worse to her opponents. Even this is like a walk on the beach compared to what I've seen." He looked up at the arena and smiled. "Looks like Ocean can't take the heat – but unfortunately for him, this is one kitchen he won't be able to get out of so easily!"

Blaze shrugged. "Unfortunately, I can't summon another monster in the same turn that I Special Summon Lava Golem, but…that just won't matter. Why don't you look so smug now, Wade?"

"Uh…aren't you forgetting something, Blaze?" Wade smirked a little. "You may have trapped me with this hellish thing, but as long as the Tornado Wall is up to protect me, I can't suffer any battle damage whatsoever!" He beheld the tornadoes still swirling upward from the ocean around them. "So, even if I do suffer effect damage …your plan's still flawed!"

But Blaze shook her head. "Not really. I'll now activate my face-down magic card, Burning Land!"

"WHAT!" Wade shouted in shock.

"Ah, I see from your face that you know what it does," Blaze remarked as the card was flipped face-up. "Well, I'll explain anyway, for our viewers who don't know. This nice little card will destroy all Field magic cards, and in addition, as long as it stays on the field, both of us will get 500 points of damage during our respective Standby Phases. So, if my math is right, I'll only get 500, but YOU, Wade…with Lava Golem's effect, the Mask of the Accursed, and now the Burning Land card – that'll mean 2000 points worth of damage!"

"Shit…you really had this planned out, didn't you?" Wade stormed, furious.

Suddenly a blast of fire from heaven came down and completely incinerated the Umi magic card, drying up the ocean in the process. Since Umi was destroyed, the Tornado Wall trap card was destroyed along with it, and all the tornadoes diminished and disappeared altogether. In short, Wade's protection was now gone.

Wade cursed himself mentally. _Goddammit – how could I have let her string me along like this! This isn't fair!_

----------

**_neomage:_** WHEW! The action's getting intense! Blaze has managed to come from behind to deliver a shocking combination to Wade! Now, which side will survive? Oh, and BTW, congrats to those of you who guessed the kids' mothers correctly! Yes, Yugo is Yugi and Rebecca's son, Miki is Tristan and Serenity's daughter, and Jenna is Joey and Mai's daughter! I won't reveal who Seta's and Kyo's mothers are yet – but take heart, they'll be revealed soon! Keep reading, everyone!


	13. Chapter 13

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Yu-Gi-Oh belongs to Takahashi-sama. Nobody else. I wish I owned it, though. Then it wouldn't be butchered by the American stations.)

**CHAPTER 13**

KAIBACORP DUELING ROOM

The duel between Blaze and Wade was now at a pause, with the stats as follows: Blaze was still behind in life points, with 7350; she had one card in hand, and only two cards on the field – the Burning Land card, which was now active, and Mask of the Accursed, which was now equipped on the Lava Golem on Wade's side of the field. Wade's life points were still at 8000, he had two cards in hand, and the only thing he had on the field was the Lava Golem, courtesy of Blaze's "generosity."

And now, Blaze's generosity was about to cost Wade big.

As Wade took his turn and drew his card, suddenly a large load of lava landed on the bars of his cage. Though none of it caught him, just the intense heat alone was enough to knock him down. As he grimaced, he lost 1000 life points, putting him at 7000. Then, as if that weren't enough, a blast of fire from the sky – thanks to Burning Land's effect – hit his cage directly, and he groaned as he lost another 500 life points, putting him at 6500. _This is bad! Very, VERY bad!_ his mind kept screaming.

He looked up at the Lava Golem's chest, where the Mask of the Accursed was embedded, and frowned with distaste. If that weren't there, stopping the monster from attacking, he could at least attack Blaze directly and knock her life points for a loop. But obviously that wasn't going to happen anytime today. He had to think of something, fast.

On the sidelines, Kaiba was watching the duel along with the others, and he couldn't resist the smile that came across his face. _I certainly chose well when I invited this woman to compete in my tournament,_ he thought to himself. _Then again, I did invite Wade Ocean to compete, too. They don't call him "the Ocean Master" for nothing._

Now, as Wade prepared to play his card, he growled, "Blaze, believe me, you are going to regret this!"

He then announced his next move. "I'm going to remove two Water monsters in my Graveyard from play to Special Summon another creature from my hand – Fenrir (ATK 1400, DEF 1200) in Attack Mode!" A moment later, a huge, snarling snow wolf emerged, glaring at Blaze with cruel red eyes.

"And next," he continued, playing another card from his hand and leaving him with one, "I'll summon another creature to the field – the Enchanting Mermaid (ATK 1200, DEF 900)!" And in the next minute a beautiful mermaid appeared on the field next to Fenrir.

"Take a good look at these two, Blaze," said Wade, his face void of any smile now. "Your life points are, like, extremely wide open for an assault! This is for what you've just done to me! Enchanting Mermaid, attack!"

Seemingly floating on air, the Mermaid approached Blaze, then stopped about halfway across on the field. She started to sing – a beautiful melody that had Kyo and Yugo drooling with lust. Jenna looked at them with disgust, and Miki just looked bemused. But for Blaze, the song was anything but melodic, as she was holding her ears and screaming in agony. Her life points swiftly dropped to 6150.

"Now, Fenrir, it's your turn!" Wade ordered once the Mermaid was back in her place on his side of the field. Needing no further instruction, Fenrir dashed forward at astonishing speed and delivered a nasty bite to Blaze's arm. She cried out and tried to get him off, and only after a minute of torturous biting did he let her go. As her life points decreased to 4750, she felt very cold and numb in the spot where the wolf had bitten her.

"Had enough yet?" Wade asked, the grin now back on his face.

"You obviously don't know who you're dealing with, do you?" Blaze retorted, drawing her card. As she spoke, Burning Land's flame hit her full force, dropping her further to 4250 – and then the Mask of the Accursed kicked in, sapping Wade's life points down to 6000.

Marcus smirked. "Blaze had better watch herself if she wants to win," he commented.

"Uh-huh…and why is that?" asked Yugo.

"Because, kid, Burning Land is a two-edged sword," Marcus replied with mock patience. "It saps the opponent's life points, but it also drains the user's life points. And right now, there's not much to say about Blaze's life points…if she really wants to win, she'll stop screwing around and get into the game."

And that, apparently, was exactly what Blaze had in mind. "Now, Wade," her voice was very soft, very cold, "you're about to meet the main reason why you should have never screwed with me. Activate the magic card, Monster Reborn, to revive Inferno to the field!"

In a moment the flaming specter was back, screeching – but Blaze wasn't finished even then. "And now," she held up the last card in her hand, "I offer Inferno as a tribute to summon Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch (ATK 2400, DEF 1000)!"

Inferno exploded in a rush of fire; then, in its place among the smoke stood a massive man in a suit of armor with a red cape, holding a ball of flame in one hand. "Whoa! Check that out!" exclaimed Jenna.

"That, everyone, is Blaze's most famous monster, and the most popular one among her fans worldwide," said Flora. "Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch…with a dangerous special effect…"

"HUH?" Yugo and his friends stared at her.

"I'll explain," Blaze interrupted them. "When Thestalos is Tribute Summoned successfully, I can randomly discard one card from my opponent's hand…and, if the card is a Monster card, I can use Thestalos's effect to do damage to my opponent equal to 100 times the number of Level stars the monster has."

"That's crazy!" Wade exploded, looking down at the one and only card in his hand in panic.

"Do it! Thestalos!" Blaze yelled. And with that, Thestalos formed a ball of fire in his hand and fired it directly at Wade's hand. Wade screamed out as his card was practically burned and sent to the Graveyard – then he grunted in pain as he suffered 400 points of damage to his life points, leaving him with 5600.

"A Level 4 monster, eh?" Blaze remarked. "I was hoping for a higher level than that, but I guess we can't always have what we want…but now, it's time to do battle! Thestalos, destroy that annoying Mermaid with Flamethrower Cape!"

Without further ado, Thestalos began to spin, getting faster and faster with each spin, until his very cape was burning. The edge of the cape sliced into the Enchanting Mermaid, burning her to ashes and further reducing Wade to 4400 life points.

"Fresh from the kitchen: Barbecued Mermaid Scales!" Blaze tinged with laughter at her own joke. Even the others on the sidelines couldn't help laughing.

Hardly anyone seemed to notice a slow, sinister change in Wade's mood…until he spoke. "Blaze…"

Blaze looked up, her laughter gone instantly. Something about Wade's tone of voice just now…for some reason, it unnerved her.

"Shut the hell up and let's finish this." Without a second statement, Wade drew his card. Again, Lava Golem's burning hot lava scorched him, reducing his life points down to 3400…and then Burning Land's effect hit him once again, dropping him even further to 2900. But when he looked up again, gone completely was the jovial look in his eyes. In them, now, was something that made Blaze's own eyes widen with horror.

Pure, unadulterated hatred.

Kyo saw it, too. "Jesus Christ," he whispered. "I've never seen somebody have that look in their eyes before…"

Then, again, Wade spoke. "Blaze…do you know what you've just done…?"

Blaze was at a loss. "Huh?"

Wade's eyes narrowed even more. "That monster you just destroyed…the Enchanting Mermaid…that was one of my most favorite monsters…but…she was more than just a card to me…she…and all the others you _butchered…_they were a reminder…a reminder to me…of that time…_"_

Blaze said nothing. Wade was trying to say something, to bring across a point, she realized. She decided to wait and let him finish.

"There's a reason…why I decided to become a duelist," Wade continued, his voice still dripping poison. "My sister…she used to be a marine biologist. She loved those sea creatures…was always concerned about them…she always was one to love the sea. Until that day…"

Blaze's eyes softened. "What…happened…?"

"That day…that day, she was on a cruise ship, with some friends," Wade went on, his head hung low. A mighty storm had been predicted by the weather channels, but the captain of the vessel just decided to throw all caution to the wind, and…the squall became too much, and that beautiful liner sprang a leak…only a handful of people escaped that sinking ship, but…Sis wasn't among them…" Tears were flowing down his cheeks now. The others, looking on, felt somewhat sorry for him.

"They found her body a few days later," he continued, wiping his eyes with the back of his arm. "After the funeral, I could never bring myself to even set foot on the beach for three years. _Three years!_ And after all that time, he came to me…the great Mako Tsunami…retired from dueling by then, but still a powerful and respectable guy. He knew what I was suffering, because…he'd suffered a similar loss himself…and…" He smiled a little. "He told me that I had to conquer my fear of the ocean – my very namesake – and live on for my sister's sake. Then he gave me his own personal deck, the very deck he used to use himself…and he told me to never stop fighting for what I believed in. And I trusted him…I trusted him, and I kept on living…even in those times when I just wanted to die…to be able to duel took away the pain I felt…" He looked up at Blaze. "Is it any wonder why I'm so jovial all the time? Because I carry such a burden on my back, a burden I never want anyone else to have to experience even for a moment…" He sniffed and released a sob.

Blaze didn't – couldn't – say anything for the longest moment. When she finally did, it was in a subdued voice. "Wade…"

"What?" he asked gruffly.

Now it was Blaze's turn to hold her head down. "It may sound strange, coming from me…but…I understand your loss, far better than you think. I really do. It hurt, didn't it…? To lose that precious someone, to wish you could be with her even one more time…"

Wade's eyes widened as he heard Blaze say this. In all the time he'd known her, she had never spoken quite like this before.

Yugo looked at Blaze with amazement. _This person…did something happen in her past, too…?_

Then Blaze looked up, the haughty look back in her eyes. "Wade! We still have a duel to finish! Come on, now – show me what you've got! Give me your all, RIGHT NOW!"

Wade still had that surprised look on his face. Then, slowly, the cocky grin reappeared. "You got it!"

Holding up the last card in his hand, Wade announced, "I activate Pot of Greed to give me two more cards!" And he drew the two cards from his deck – then held up one. "Time to break free from your trap!" he shouted.

"How're you gonna do that?" Blaze taunted.

Wade smirked again. "By offering both Fenrir and Lava Golem as tributes to summon Levia-Dragon – Daedalus (ATK 2600, DEF 1500) to the field!"

Blaze reared up in alarm. _Holy shit – if he tributes Lava Golem, then the Mask of the Accursed will disappear and he won't lose any more life points! And, if he has THAT card in his hand – Oh, I am **so** screwed!_

Both Lava Golem and Fenrir disappeared from the field, as did the Mask of the Accursed. And then, as Wade was freed from Lava Golem's cage, there was a loud hiss as a massive blue sea serpent appeared. Then, ominously, Wade held up the last card in his hand. "Now…time to activate another Umi card!"

"WHAT?" yelled almost everyone.

Wade smirked. "What? Did you really think I had just ONE Umi card? Dream on!" He played the card, refilling the arena with the ocean yet again.

Blaze, of course, was very concerned, since Umi increased the Levia-Dragon's ATK and DEF to 2800 and 1700, making it far stronger than Thestalos, whose ATK and DEF were reduced to 2200 and 800. "This sucks ass, man…"

"Oh, but do you think I'm going to just attack you like that?" Wade chuckled. "Nope! I, dear lady, am going to do something far worse! Now, Levia-Dragon, I activate your effect!"

Suddenly, as the serpent bent its head down into the water, to everyone's astonishment it seemed to – suck up the sea?

"What're you doing?" Blaze asked worriedly.

"By tributing one Umi," Wade explained, "I can destroy everything on the field except Levia-Dragon."

"NO!" Blaze shrieked, realizing what the consequences would be.

"That's right! Now, my sea creature – spew that water out!" Wade commanded. And, as Blaze looked on in horror, Levia-Dragon did just that, washing away both a hapless Thestalos and the Burning Land magic card.

"Now, time to attack! Levia-Dragon, attack directly!" Wade ordered. And the creature did just that – with a mighty whish of its tail, it rammed Blaze violently, severely reducing her life points to 1650.

"Shit!" Blaze screeched. Her mind was raging, _I can't take another hit like that! I gotta find a way out of this, pronto!_

Somewhat shakily, she drew her next card. Looking at it for the longest time, she decided to do something. "I'll set this monster facedown, Defense Mode. Then I'll end my turn."

"Oh, getting desperate, are we?" Now it was Wade's turn to mock her as he drew his next card. "Okaaaaay…your time's finally come, babe! Time for me to finish this game and get really serious on your ass!"

"What're you talking about?" Blaze demanded.

"Just this: I'll offer Levia-Dragon as a tribute to Special Summon his true form to the field – The Ocean Dragon Lord – Neo-Daedalus (ATK 2900, DEF 1600), truly the most powerful monster in my entire deck!" And as Blaze looked on in disbelief, Wade played the card. In a moment, the Levia-Dragon had swiftly mutated into a massive, two-headed sea snake, stretching the length of the entire room.

"Neo-Daedalus, destroy Blaze's face-down monster!" Wade ordered. And, with a mighty lash of its tail, the massive sea serpent did just that, flattening what turned out to be the Flame Ruler (ATK 1500, DEF 1600).

"So much for that," Wade remarked.

But now Blaze was smiling. "Oh, Wade…that's just so rude of you, to underestimate my monster like that! Now, I'll also show you the true force of my deck!"

She drew her card, and as she looked at it, she smiled with satisfaction. "Now, I'll activate my own Pot of Greed to gain two more cards into my hand!" And very soon she had two cards. Looking at them, she laughed triumphantly.

"I activate the magic of Premature Burial, giving up 800 life points…" And here Blaze's life points dropped to 850. "…to bring back Flame Ruler from the Graveyard!" And in the next moment the Flame Ruler, a blue-haired man with a red jacket and flames burning around him, emerged once more.

"Now," Blaze continued, "since Flame Ruler's effect allows me to treat him as two monsters if I'm going to summon a Fire monster, I'll offer him as a tribute to summon the truly most powerful beast in my deck – the Ultimate Obedient Fiend (ATK 3500, DEF 3000)!"

"What!" Wade cried out, astonished.

Flame Ruler disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Then, suddenly a terrible rumbling could be heard as the ground quaked. Next thing Wade knew, the floor burst open, and from out of the hole came a terrible heat, so fierce that he had to back away. But what he saw next amazed him: Coming out of the hole was the biggest giant anyone had ever seen. His skin was as red as a boiled lobster, he had horns on his head, and here and there on his body were eyes.

"Meet my Ultimate Obedient Fiend…straight from the lava pits," Blaze smirked. "Now, since I haven't got any cards in my hand and I have no other cards on the field – my Fiend, attack his Neo-Daedalus with Flaming Fist of Loyalty!"

The Obedient Fiend drew its fist back, then let loose with a mighty punch that completely incinerated Neo-Daedalus and destroyed it, lowering Wade's life points all the way to 2300. As she watched the sea serpent's body disintegrate into ash, Blaze chuckled. "Can you counter that? Don't disappoint me now!"

Wade was feeling sore that Blaze had just destroyed his favorite monster, but gone was the feeling of rage. Instead, he laughed. "Now, THIS is what I call a duel!" he cried as he drew his next card. Then he stared long and hard at the card, and laughed.

_Okay! Now I'll have to bet everything on this card…_ "I'll set one monster in Defense Mode, and then I'll end my turn!"

Blaze drew her next card. Since the Ultimate Obedient Fiend couldn't attack while she had a hand, she decided to summon the monster card she'd just drawn. "I'll remove one Fire monster in my Graveyard from play to Special Summon the Spirit of Flames (ATK 1700, DEF 1000) to the field!" And a moment later a giant flame spirit appeared, growling menacingly. Then, as Wade looked on in amazement, its ATK shot up to 2000.

"The Spirit of Flames increases its ATK by 300 during each of my Battle Phases," Blaze explained. "Now, Flame Spirit! Destroy Wade's facedown monster with Corrupt Fire!"

The Spirit of Flames turned into a mighty wall of fire, ramming into the facedown monster. But, to Blaze's dismay, that monster turned out to be the Nightmare Penguin (ATK 900, DEF 1800), a smartly dressed penguin complete with a top hat.

"When Nightmare Penguin is flipped face-up," said Wade, grinning, "you must return one card on your field to your hand. So…"

Grudgingly, Blaze took back the Ultimate Obedient Fiend into her hand. "Annoying bastard," she moaned.

"My turn again!" Wade drew his next card and smiled broadly. "Now I summon Gora Turtle (ATK 1100, DEF 1100) in Attack Mode!" A moment later a brown turtle appeared on the field.

"And what is THAT?" asked Blaze.

"Well, as long as this little guy stays face-up on the field, all monsters with an ATK of 1900 or higher cannot attack. That means that even your Spirit of Flames won't affect me at all during your Battle Phase. Your move."

Blaze sighed. _This is going to be harder than I thought…_

But when she drew her next card, her face lit up. "Oh, Wade…this is the end of you!"

"And how do you figure that?"

"Because of this! I summon the Ultimate Baseball Kid (ATK 500, DEF 1000) to the field!" And the Blaze summoned – to everyone's amazement – a little boy in red baseball clothes and carrying a big bat.

"Oh, come on! Is that supposed to be a joke?" Yugo bawled.

"Oh, it's no joke," Blaze answered. "Because this kid gets 1000 ATK points for every other Fire monster on the field – and since there's one other monster on the field now, his ATK is 1500!"

Wade took in the situation at a glance. "Damn! That's enough to wipe out Gora Turtle!" he exclaimed.

"Now, Baseball Kid! Destroy Gora Turtle!" ordered Blaze. And in a moment, the baseball bat cracked Gora Turtle's skull, destroying it and putting Wade's life points at 1900. Then, its ATK raised to 2000 by its effect again, Spirit of Flames attacked directly…

…and reduced Wade's life points to 0.

With that, Roland announced, "Winner of the first duel: Blaze Redman!"

----------

ELSEWHERE IN DOMINO CITY

The two gamblers in the bar stared at the TV as Wade's life points were eliminated. Then the Blaze fan chuckled. "I think you owe me five beers, pal."

The Wade fan looked up the ceiling and screamed, "NOOOOO!" while everyone else laughed at his loss.

----------

**_neomage:_** Just for those of you that have the "Ocean Dragon Lord – Neo Daedalus" card, I described its summon conditions according to recent updates from Upper Deck, so don't e-mail me saying that I'm wrong, all right? Now, the tournament continues! R&R!


	14. Chapter 14

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Yu-Gi-Oh is not my property. All I own are the cards and this story.)

**CHAPTER 14**

KAIBACORP DUELING ROOM

As the holograms disappeared, Blaze and Wade were breathing hard. It had been a tough, lengthy duel, and both were exhausted. Then suddenly Wade, getting up from the floor where he'd been knocked down, started laughing.

"Man, that was one of the best battles I've ever been in!" he exclaimed. "Blaze, I really have to say it: You rock as a duelist!"

Blaze nodded. "You're not so bad yourself," she remarked. "I see now why they call you the 'Ocean Master.'" She turned to leave the platform. "Hey. Maybe someday we'll duel again. I look forward to it."

Wade nodded respectfully. "Me, too. Until then…"

The two of them stepped down from the platform. As they approached the others, Miki stepped toward Blaze.

"Hey, Blaze…that was really cool, how you came back from behind at the last minute," she remarked. "You're really a good duelist."

"Uh – thanks, I guess," said Blaze. "But hey – don't you have to duel now?"

At that Miki's expression changed to a frown. She looked over her shoulder at Marcus, who was already walking up. "Yeah…"

Yugo, Kyo and Jenna walked up and surrounded Miki. "Don't worry about a thing, cousin. You hear?" said Jenna.

"Just do your best," said Kyo.

"We'll all be rooting for you!" added Yugo.

"Thanks, you guys," Miki replied. With that, she turned to walk toward the platform, her Duel-Disk and cards at the ready.

"The second match, Marcus Ironside vs. Miki Taylor, is about to begin! Duelists, prepare yourselves!" Roland commanded.

----------

THE WHEELERS' HOUSE

Mr. Wheeler was watching the matches on TV, and eating popcorn at the same time. "Hey, Tristan, where are you?" he bellowed. "You missed the first duel, man!"

Mr. Taylor came out from elsewhere, shaking his head. "Can't a guy use the bathroom in peace?" he bellowed.

"What d'you have – diarrhea?" Mr. Wheeler cracked.

"Whatever, man," Mr. Taylor grumbled.

They then beheld the upcoming duel. "Hey, it looks like Miki's gonna duel now!" said Mr. Wheeler, a note of anticipation in his voice.

"Well, let's start rooting for my little girl! GO, MIKI!" Mr. Taylor raised his arms and shouted.

"GO, MIKI!" Mr. Wheeler echoed.

----------

KAIBACORP DUELING ROOM

"God, I'm so nervous," Miki whispered as she made it up to the arena. "I hope I don't mess up…"

Across from her, Marcus had an emotionless face. "Humph…having to face a rookie like you…it disgusts me."

Miki looked up at him. "Well, you were a rookie once, yourself," she replied. "You shouldn't look down on beginners just for being beginners."

He raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? Well, let me tell you this from now, kid. The moment they picked you as my opponent, you'd already lost this duel."

Kyo, standing nearby, would have none of it. "Don't listen to that nut-job, Miki! I know you can do it!"

Miki looked down at him and nodded. _They're expecting so much from me…I can't let them down…_

"Heads or tails, Marcus?" Roland asked.

"Tails, I suppose," Marcus said with a sigh.

The coin was flipped, and the end result was tails. But then Marcus did a surprising thing. "Let the girl go first," he declared. "Since she's going to lose anyway, I may as well grant her this much."

"Jerk-off," muttered Yugo.

"That's not the right word to describe him," Jenna murmured.

The two duelists drew five cards each. "Begin!" Roland yelled.

Miki drew the first card and looked at it. "All right…I think I'll summon Disc Fighter (ATK 1000, DEF 1000) to the field!" And she played her card, a moment later revealing an armored man with a discus in each hand.

"Such a weak opening…you really are a rookie," grunted Marcus, drawing his first card. "I summon X-Head Cannon (ATK 1800, DEF 1500) in Attack Mode!"

A monstrous floating robot with two cannon barrels, one on each shoulder, emerged on the field. "Blast the Disc Fighter!" Marcus ordered. And it did just that – firing a mighty blast from its cannons, killing the Disc Fighter and reducing Miki's life points to 7200.

"Hang in there, Miki! You can do it!" Jenna cried.

Miki nodded and drew her next card. "Okay…now I'll set a monster facedown and end my turn!"

Marcus just laughed. "Do you really think that'll do anything to me?" he demanded. "Well, if you want to play that way, fine! Now I'll summon Y-Dragon Head (ATK 1500, DEF 1600) to the field!" A moment later a robotic red dragon appeared on the field.

"Hmmm…both of those monsters are Machine-types," Kyo observed. "I guess it's safe to assume that Marcus's deck revolves around Machines, right?"

"Yes, that's the theme of his deck," Blaze nodded in agreement. "And there's more…"

"How much more?" asked Yugo.

"See those two monsters there, X-Head Cannon and Y-Dragon Head?" said Wade, pointing to the field. "They are only two-thirds of a powerful force that Marcus has under his control. They happen to be his favorite monsters, too."

"Uh…how powerful are we talking?" Jenna asked worriedly.

Flora looked directly at her. "Very."

And Marcus was about to demonstrate that. "Now, Y-Dragon Head, activate your Union ability! Equip yourself to X-Head Cannon!"

"Union ability?" Miki asked in disbelief, even as she watched a panel on the Y-Dragon Head's back open up, allowing the X-Head Cannon to seat itself comfortably within.

"Allow me to explain," said Marcus. "There are certain Effect monsters in Duel Monsters that are known as Union monsters. By their own effect, they can equip themselves to certain monsters for varying results. In this case…" He indicated the X-Head Cannon and Y-Dragon Head. "Y-Dragon Head is a Union monster that can only be equipped to X-Head Cannon – increasing X-Head Cannon's ATK and DEF by 400 points!"

Indeed, X-Head Cannon's ATK and DEF were suddenly showing as 2200 and 1900, respectively!

"Now, my monster – destroy her facedown monster!" Marcus ordered. And, with a mighty blast from its cannon, X-Head Cannon decimated Miki's Defense position monster, the Giant Soldier of Stone (ATK 1300, DEF 2000).

"Is this your friend's first time dueling?" Flora asked suddenly.

"Uh, yeah," replied Yugo. "Why?"

"This is bad…this is very bad," Flora muttered. "You see, when it comes to dueling, Marcus will not show even the slightest bit of mercy to any opponent. It's a documented fact – whether man, woman or child, whether old or young, he'll skin his opponents alive and leave them out to dry."

Eyes wide, Jenna turned and yelled, "Miki, be careful! This guy's a monster!"

"I already figured out that much!" Miki retorted.

She drew her next card and examined her hand. She now had six cards in hand, and she decided to start getting a little more serious. She'd purposely been playing the way she had to test Marcus, but…now that she knew what he was capable of, she knew not to hold back any longer.

"I'll set two cards facedown, and summon Marauding Captain (ATK 1200, DEF 400) to the field!" And a moment later a man in armor, a green cape and holding twin swords appeared.

"As long as this guy stays on the field, you can't select another Warrior-type monster as an attack target," explained Miki. "Plus, when I Normal summon him successfully, I can Special Summon one Level 4 or lower monster from my hand…and I choose my second Marauding Captain!"

As Marcus looked on, a duplicate of the first Marauding Captain appeared beside his twin. "Hmmm…interesting…" he muttered.

"Good thinking, Miki!" said Yugo. "Now he can't attack you at all, thanks to Marauding Captain's effect!"

"Yeah," Kyo smiled and nodded. "Since you have two of them on the field, their effects interlink with each other, practically making an impenetrable shield. That was very smart of you."

"But, guys, she can't attack," Jenna reminded them.

"That's all right," Yugo answered. "As long as she can stall him, she can come up with a plan to take down his life points."

Miki looked at the cards on her side of the field. "Looks pretty good to me from here," she nodded, and with that she ended her turn.

But Marcus wasn't amused. "You think that's going to stop me?" he demanded. "Not likely!" He drew another card. "I summon Z-Metal Tank (ATK 1500, DEF 1300) to the field!"

A large yellow tank emerged on the field. Marcus snickered. "Now, I'm going to get rid of your little defense," he vowed. "Y-Dragon Head, disassemble from X-Head Cannon!"

To everyone else's astonishment, Y-Dragon Head and X-Head Cannon separated and went back to being individual monsters. "That's the beauty of Union monsters," said Marcus with an evil chuckle. "During the Main Phase, you can either make them Equip cards, or change them back to being monsters. And now, time to show you what they can do when they're fused together!"

"Say what?" Yugo and Kyo shouted simultaneously.

"Now, X-Head Cannon, Y-Dragon Head and Z-Metal Tank – combine to form the XYZ-Dragon Cannon (ATK 2800, DEF 2600)!" And Marcus held his arms out wide and laughed insanely.

A panel on the top of the Z-Metal Tank opened up, and the Y-Dragon Head's feet were tucked in as it landed inside this panel. Then the panel on the Y-Dragon Head's back opened again, and once more the X-Head Cannon was comfortably tucked in. As it now appeared, it was a weapon of war.

"But hold on – if it's a Fusion monster, shouldn't you use Polymerization?" Miki protested. "You can't fuse monsters without using the Polymerization card! That's cheating!"

"Under normal circumstances, yes, that's true," Marcus acknowledged. "But the XYZ-Dragon Cannon is a unique Fusion monster, in that I don't even need the Polymerization card to fuse the monsters together. All I need to do is to remove the three monsters from play to Special Summon the XYZ-Dragon Cannon to the field. And…" He held up a card in his hand, then discarded it to the Graveyard. "By discarding one card from my hand, I can use XYZ-Dragon Cannon's special effect – to destroy one card on your side of the field! And I choose – your Marauding Captain on the left!"

"But you can't attack! You shouldn't be able to!" Miki screamed.

"It's not an attack, rookie – it's a card effect," Marcus corrected her. "Now, my cannon monster, blast the Marauding Captain on my left!"

As Miki looked on in utter terror, the XYZ-Dragon Cannon fired a massive blast composed of three – one from X-Head Cannon, one from Y-Dragon Head, one from Z-Metal Tank – and utterly demolished the chosen Marauding Captain. "Hee, hee," said Marcus, now grinning widely, "now are you going to admit that you don't even belong in this tournament?"

"Well, I got a higher score on the written test than you!" Miki reminded him.

"So what? That was just beginner's luck!" Marcus stormed. "Now I'll really put you in your place! XYZ-Dragon Cannon, attack!"

Again the Dragon Cannon charged up energy to fire off – but just as it did, Miki chuckled. "I activate my facedown trap, Sakuretsu Armor! This'll destroy your monster for good!"

"WHAT?" Marcus yelled in shock. But there was no time to wonder, for suddenly Marauding Captain's armor changed to one with lots of spikes, reflecting the attack and destroying the Dragon Cannon with its own attack!

"Woo-hoo! Way to go, Miki!" Yugo cheered.

Wade looked astonished. "Gee…for a first-timer, she's playing like an expert!"

"That's only natural – it shows that she's been making good use of her time from last month," Blaze remarked. "Lots of training, collecting good cards and practicing one's strategy can get anyone a good distance in the world of Duel Monsters."

But anyone looking at Marcus could see that he wasn't taking his monster's destruction well. "This is bull!" he exploded. "I'm a veteran at this! I'm not supposed to be outplayed by some beginner!"

"News flash: you just were," said Miki.

Marcus turned to look at her. "I won't forget this," he vowed. "That was my favorite monster, and you destroyed it! I'll make you pay for this, you little slut! Just you wait!"

Unfazed by his threats, Miki drew her next card. "You really need to lighten up, you know," she sighed woefully. "It's just a game, after all. You lose one game, it's not the end of the world."

"Let's hear you say that again after I crush you!" Marcus answered venomously. "Your move!"

Miki then looked at her hand and decided on her next move. "Now, then! I summon Armaill (ATK 700, DEF 1300) in Attack Mode!" And when she played the card, a strange-looking monster appeared – an armor-clad warrior holding a sword in each hand, and having what appeared to be a long tail with a bladed tip. "Attack his life points directly!"

Armaill slithered forward like a snake, stabbing Marcus in the shoulder with its tail; Marcus winced in pain as his life points were reduced to 7300.

"Okay, Marauding Captain, it's your turn! Double-X Slash!" Miki commanded. And with that, Marauding Captain rushed forward and slashed Marcus's chest twice in an X formation, further reducing him to 6100.

"Now, that's a good one! Put that bastard in his place!" Jenna cried.

"Hold on," Flora warned her. "She may be playing well right now, but Marcus has a way of bouncing back – with ruthless force."

Marcus's shirt was sliced through from where Armaill and Marauding Captain had attacked him, and blood was flowing. He snarled through his teeth as he drew his next card, "So help me, when I get my next monster on the field, I'll bury you!"

He examined his hand and then looked back at her. "The buck stops here, bitch!" he declared as he summoned the Ground Attacker Bugroth (ATK 1500, DEF 1000). Then, as if for afterthought, he placed one card facedown. "And then…I think I'll end my turn.

"Huh? Why didn't you attack?" asked a dumbfounded Miki.

"Do I have 'stupid' printed on my face? You don't really think you'd catch me with your traps a second time, do you?" Marcus growled at her.

_Damn…I wanted a chance to destroy his monster and expose his life points again, but oh well…_ "Okay! My turn!" Miki drew her next card. "I'll place one card facedown, then I'll shift my monsters to Defense Mode…" As she said this, Armaill and Marauding Captain crouched in a defensive stance. "And that ends it for me!"

"Good move," said Kyo. "If he's got a stronger monster on the field, the only sensible thing to do is for her to put her monsters into Defense Mode. That way, he won't get the chance to get at her life points."

Marcus then took his turn. He drew his card, and looking at it, his eyes lit up. "Good! This is just what I – "

"Not so fast!" Miki countered. "I activate my trap card, Drop Off!" and she activated the very she'd just set facedown. "This card forces you to send the card you just drew to the Graveyard!"

"WHAT THE HELL?" Marcus roared, but he sent the card to the Graveyard anyway. "You are SO going to pay for that little stunt! Count on it!" he yelled.

On the sidelines, Kaiba smirked. _To think that a rookie like Miki can actually rattle a professional like Marcus…it's so amusing, it's almost embarrassing!_

Marcus examined his hand. "Well, since you just ruined my plan," he growled, "I'm going to make you pay! I summon Robotic Knight (ATK 1600, DEF 1800) in Attack Mode!"

A black-and-red robot with what looked like a swashbuckler's hat emerged on the field, ready to fight. "But I'm not going to do anything right now! I'll just end my turn!" Marcus announced, and he did just that.

_Is he planning something else? I don't like this one bit!_ Miki thought to herself. She then drew her next card. "I'll offer Armaill as a tribute and set a monster in Defense Mode!" she announced.

Armaill disappeared from the field, and a facedown card emerged in its place. "And I'll end my turn," Miki finished.

Marcus drew his next card – and started to laugh. "Oh, this is just so wonderful!" he exclaimed. "Now I'll offer Robotic Knight and Ground Attacker Bugroth to summon another creature to the field – my almighty Barrel Dragon (ATK 2600, DEF 2200)!"

In the blink of an eye, Robotic Knight and Ground Attacker Bugroth disappeared. In their place stood a behemoth of a mechanical dragon, with three massive cannons on its back. "Now! Witness the beginning of your destruction!" Marcus yelled.

----------

**_neomage:_** Sorry about Marcus's bad language, but I wanted to keep him as much in character as possible. And in addition, I don't really want to give Miki any higher experience than she's been showing; I want to keep her as much of a rookie as possible. Miki fans, feel free to flame me if you want because of this. In the meantime, please continue reading, everyone!


	15. Chapter 15

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Yu-Gi-Oh belongs to Takahashi-sama, and nobody else.)

**CHAPTER 15**

KAIBACORP DUELING ROOM

Miki's life points were at 7200; on her side of the field she had Marauding Captain and a facedown monster in Defense Mode, plus she had one card facedown in her magic/trap slot; and she had three cards in her hand. Marcus's life points were at 6100; on his side of the field, he had Barrel Dragon and one facedown card; and in his hand were two cards. And it was still Marcus's turn.

As everyone looked on, suddenly three coins appeared on Marcus's side of the field. "This is Barrel Dragon's special ability," he explained. "I get to flip three coins, and if at least two of the three results are heads, I can destroy one monster on your side of the field. Now, coins – flip!"

The three coins were simultaneously flipped into the air, and Miki watched apprehensively. Then, one by one, they landed and showed their results. The first was tails, the second was heads, and the third was…heads! "No!" Miki cried out.

"Hell yes!" exclaimed Marcus, obviously pleased with himself. "Now, then! Barrel Dragon, use your effect and destroy the facedown monster she just set!"

The three cannons on Barrel Dragon's back charged up with particle energy; that energy was then released in one large blast, utterly destroying Miki's facedown monster. Miki instinctively raised her arms as shields to defend against the force of the blast.

"And now…" Marcus raised a card in his hand. "I activate the effect of Monster Reborn, to revive a monster from my Graveyard!" He curled his lips in a nasty smile. "Do you remember that card that I drew, but then had to discard because of your Drop Off trap card? Well, I'm going to show you what it was! Say hello to Jinzo (ATK 2400, DEF 1500)!"

As Marcus played the Monster Reborn card, a tall, thin cyborg with a green metal body and an ugly mask emerged on the field. "This card's effect is a powerful one," he remarked. "It prevents and deactivates the effects of all Trap cards on the field. So, that little card you've got over there – it's virtually useless now!"

"Oh, no!" cried Miki.

"Oh, yes!" Marcus countered. "Now, Jinzo, destroy the Marauding Captain! Psycho Shock!"

Jinzo charged up electrical energy in between its palms, releasing it in a wave of energy that electrocuted and burnt Marauding Captain to a crisp. Miki flinched – she knew what was going to happen next.

"Barrel Dragon, it's your turn!" Marcus laughed maniacally.

"Miki, NO!" Jenna screamed, even as the Barrel Dragon charged its attack.

"This is bad," Kyo exclaimed, glaring all the while at Marcus.

Then the Barrel Dragon released its particle attack…

----------

THE WHEELER'S HOUSE

"No! Not my Miki!" Mr. Taylor yelled and jumped up, almost upsetting the bowl of popcorn on the table. But even as he said it, on the TV the Barrel Dragon's attack hit Miki directly, reducing her life points to 4600.

"Tristan, there's nothin' you can do," Mr. Wheeler said gravely. "That Marcus guy is a professional player; an' I could see from the start that he wasn't gonna hold back at all. I hate to say it, but…it really does look like Miki could lose this duel…"

"But – this is her first duel, Joey! She can't lose – not here, not now!" Mr. Taylor exploded.

Mr. Wheeler sighed. "That's just it, Tristan. Not everybody can win the first time."

Mr. Taylor knew his friend was right. Sighing in utter despair, he slowly sank back into his seat and stared at the TV.

----------

KAIBACORP DUELING ROOM

Miki struggled to get up, after the attack had knocked her down. "I won't…give up now!" she vowed through clenched teeth.

"Can't you see that it's hopeless, rookie?" Marcus retorted, utterly fed up. "You're facing a master duelist! You are nothing more than garbage!"

Kyo's eyes flashed when he heard this. "That does it – I'm gonna rip his lungs out!" And he took one step forward – but Wade stopped him.

"Don't do anything stupid, man," Wade warned. "If you try to interfere in the duel, she'll be disqualified. Let her try to get out of this on her own."

"He's right," Flora put in. "The only way a duelist can learn from his mistakes, is by himself."

Reluctantly, Kyo stood down. "Miki…" he whispered.

Painfully, Miki drew her next card. _This looks like a good card…I can use this in a combination attack, like this…_

"Okay – I'll summon The Fiend Megacyber (ATK 2200, DEF 1200) in Defense Mode!" And, to Marcus's surprise, a warrior in golden armor appeared on the field, crouched in a defensive stance.

"Hey, hold on – that's a Level 6 monster! You need to tribute for that!" Marcus yelled, flustered.

"Not for his effect, I don't," replied Miki, smiling smugly. "If you have at least two monsters more than I do on the field, I can Special Summon the Fiend Megacyber without tributes. And, since this was a Special Summon, I can summon another monster to the field – but not just yet! Now, I'll activate the magic card, Tribute Doll!"

Immediately the Fiend Megacyber disappeared, and a silver doll appeared in its place. "By offering one monster on my side of the field as a tribute, I can Special Summon one Level 7 monster from my hand – and I choose to summon Orgoth the Relentless (ATK 2500, DEF 2450)!"

As Marcus looked on in astonishment, the doll disappeared and was replaced by a gigantic sword-wielding knight in blue and purple armor – but Miki wasn't done. Holding up the last card in her hand, she whistled with happiness.

"Now – I'll Normal summon the Exiled Force (ATK 1000, DEF 1000)!" And a moment later a small army of soldiers appeared beside Orgoth.

"So, you managed to get a few monsters onto the field," said Marcus. "Big deal."

"Oh, it is a big deal – especially with the Exiled Force's effect," said Miki. "By offering it as a tribute, I can have the Force destroy one monster on the field – and I choose to destroy your Barrel Dragon!"

"What!" Marcus shot out.

But there was no stopping the Exiled Force now. The army of soldiers charged forward, slashing and hacking Barrel Dragon to tiny metallic pieces. Then, the Force disappeared.

"Now, I have a stronger monster on the field than you do," Miki teased. "Unfortunately, Tribute Doll's effect says I can't have Orgoth attack you this turn, so I'll end my turn now."

Marcus's eye twitched. "Such an annoying girl," he muttered to himself.

----------

THE WHEELER'S HOUSE

"Wow!" Mr. Wheeler exulted. "Now that's pretty good playing!"

"Orgoth the Relentless…that's Duke Devlin's favorite card, isn't it?" Mr. Taylor asked, looking on in wonder at the massive knight.

"Yeah, it is," agreed Mr. Wheeler. "But how'd she get it?"

Mr. Taylor thought back. "Now that I think about it, I seem to recall hearing Miki say she got cards from a very special friend…hey, you don't suppose…?"

"If Duke was willing to part with his best monster, it must have been for a good reason," Mr. Wheeler surmised. "Hey, look, that Marcus guy is about to play again!"

"He's got the personality of Bandit Keith," Mr. Taylor sighed with disgust. "You remember him?"

"Remember him? I was trying my best not to!" Mr. Wheeler growled at the memory of one of his most obnoxious rivals.

----------

KAIBACORP DUELING ROOM

Marcus drew his next card, giving him three in all. Then he looked at his hand and started to laugh. "Well, well, well…your lucky streak ends here, little girl!" he announced.

"Huh?" Miki looked at him with surprise.

"Allow me to show you! Now, I summon Gradius (ATK 1200, DEF 800) to the field!" And in a moment, a fighter jet emerged on the field, hovering beside Marcus. Then he held up the second card in his hand.

"And now…" He held up the card and played it in the magic/trap slot. "Say goodbye to this tournament, girlie! For now I activate the magic of Limiter Removal, which will double the ATK of all Machines on my field!"

To Miki's horror, the ATK of Gradius doubled to 2400 – and Jinzo's ATK went up to 4800!

"A word of advice, kid: Knights were popular during the Dark Ages – not in the modern day!" Marcus laughed savagely. "Now, Jinzo, destroy Orgoth the Relentless! Psycho Shock!"

Again Jinzo charged its attack, blasting Orgoth's head clean off his shoulders. As Orgoth's lifeless body collapsed and then disintegrated, Miki's life points went down to 2300 – enough for Gradius to wipe out.

"NO!" Kyo cried, rushing toward the platform…

"Gradius, finish it now! Fighter Bomber!" Marcus yelled.

Gradius flew at supersonic speed, zooming close past Miki's head. A split second later, a massive sonic boom ripped through Miki, causing her to scream out and literally lifting her off her feet as her life points went down to 0.

Rushing like a wild man, Kyo finally reached the arena and caught Miki before she could hit the floor. He knelt down, gently cradling her in his arms. "Miki…Miki, can you hear me?" he whispered, gently shaking her.

No response. Then as Kyo looked at her, his eyes widened in horror. Slowly trickling from the corner of Miki's mouth was a trail of blood.

By this time Yugo and Jenna were up on the platform, right beside Kyo. "Miki - ! Miki, dear God, no!" Jenna whimpered in fear.

Yugo bent down and placed a hand over Miki's nose and mouth. "Whew…she's still breathing," he announced. "But she doesn't look good at all – we gotta get a doctor!"

Uncertain what to do, Roland looked at Kaiba. His employer nodded. "Announce the winner, Roland," he said. "I'll take care of this." And he began to walk toward the platform.

Reassured somewhat, Roland said loudly, "Winner of the second duel: Marcus Ironside!"

"Can't somebody get a doctor, Goddammit!" Yugo yelled.

"Calm down, kid." Taken by surprise, Yugo looked up to see Kaiba standing over him. "I've already called the medic over my comm.-link. They should be here any moment now."

"…" Jenna's mind was filled with rage. She turned wrathful eyes upon Marcus, who was just beginning to leave the arena. _"Bastard!"_ she screamed.

Marcus stopped, slowly turning to face her. "Be grateful. The little bitch got off easy."

Jenna had had more than she could take. Clenching her fist, she charged at Marcus. "Why, you dickhead - !"

To her surprise, a strong hand caught her arm from behind before she could launch her fist. Turning, she came face-to-face with Blaze. "Take it easy, girl," Blaze said calmly. "You want revenge? Then do it the only way a duelist understands – with your Duel-Disk."

Marcus scoffed. "Whatever. My match is over." And he walked back down the stairs to the ground floor.

By this time the medic had already arrived, and she examined Miki on the spot. "This is bad, Mr. Kaiba," she reported. "We need to get this girl to the ward at once!"

"Fine," said Kaiba. "Get her there, now."

----------

THE WHEELER HOUSE

"…no…" Mr. Taylor stared disbelievingly at the screen.

Mr. Wheeler looked at his friend, not knowing what to say. _Sorry, Tristan…I know you wanted Miki to win, but…_

----------

KAIBACORP MEDICAL WARD, TWENTY MINUTES LATER

Yugo and Kyo were seated outside the medical ward, while Jenna was pacing fretfully up and down. Then the medic came out of the room.

"You're the girl's friends?" she asked. "Well, she had to be treated for shock, but she'll be fine…physically."

"What do you mean, 'physically'?" Jenna asked warily.

The medic sighed. "Well, she's still unconscious, and nothing seems to be able to wake her. It's as if her state of mind took a beating in that duel along with her body."

The three friends looked at each other. "Poor Miki," sighed Yugo.

Kyo turned and walked away. "Hey, wait a sec! Where are you going, Kyo?" Jenna cried out.

But Kyo did not answer; he just kept walking until the darkness of the corridor swallowed him up. "What's with him?" Jenna wondered, shaking her head.

Yugo smiled a little. "It's as I suspected – Kyo's feeling something for Miki. Right now he feels bad because she got hurt. I don't think anything we say can cheer him up now."

Jenna looked down at the ground. "Miki…Kyo…"

----------

Kyo kept walking, oblivious to everything around him. It was only when he felt a hand on his shoulder that he jerked back to reality. "Huh?"

Standing behind him were Wade and Flora. "There's no use moping around, dude," said Wade. "The kid'll be okay."

"Yeah, she will," Flora nodded. "Just give her a little time and let her get some rest."

"You make it sound so simple, but it's more than that," Kyo shook his head. "She was hoping to be a real duelist…and she spent a whole month preparing for this…and me, Yugo and Jenna – all of us did our best to help her…and now look where she's ended up!"

"Look man, what happened couldn't be helped," Wade remarked. "That Marcus – yeah, he's a pain in the ass, but he's been dueling ever since he was nine years old. No matter how you look at it, your friend wouldn't have won against somebody like him." He chuckled. "And anyway…sometimes you learn a lot more from a defeat than you do from a victory. She'll have to understand that."

Kyo looked searchingly at Wade. "Did Mako Tsunami tell you that, too?"

Wade sighed. "Well…not the exact same words, but…yeah." He closed his eyes at the memory. "Even before her death, my sister had her good working days and her bad working days. She just took what happened on the bad days as a learning experience, and made up her mind never to make the same mistakes again. She was always like that, you know?"

"Cheer up, sweetie," Flora added. "Miki's lost this duel, but hey – experience begins somewhere. Who knows – maybe the very next time she duels, she'll win that battle. Then she'll treasure the idea of victory even more."

Kyo chuckled. "Yeah…I guess so."

----------

YUGO'S HOUSE, AT THAT MOMENT

Mr. Muto exited his room, putting on a jacket, and was at the door when Grandma called after him from the living room, "Aren't you going to stay and watch Yugo's match? It's going to start shortly."

"Don't worry, Mother – there's a big-screen near Kaibacorp," he assured her. "If we hurry, we can still be on time to see it."

"Okay, okay. Just let me get my coat."

----------

KAIBACORP DUELING ROOM, TEN MINUTES LATER

Roland was looking around with some impatience. "Where are those two? Don't they know it's time for their match to begin?"

But Kaiba was quite calm about it. "Don't stress yourself, Roland," he advised the retainer. "Yugo's not the type to back away from a duel. He and Flora will be here."

By and by, Yugo arrived at the arena, and Flora came along shortly after. "Sorry we're late, but here we are," Yugo apologized.

"Just hurry up and get up there, that's all," said Roland.

Kaiba said nothing. _This'll be the first time I'll be seeing Yugo's skills in person. Now, then, kid…show me the skill that defeated Seta!_

Roland raised his hand, then let it drop. "The fourth duel, Yugo Muto vs. Flora Green, will now begin! Duel!"

**_neomage:_** Another player has been defeated! Now, two players are confirmed to enter the next round of the tournament, and only two are left to be decided! Please R&R, as always, everyone!


	16. Chapter 16

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Mr. neomage had a tale, E-I-E-I-O

And in this tale, he wrote on Yu-Gi-Oh! E-I-E-I-O

But he doesn't own the show, so that everyone'll know

So the chapter can commence and the story can go

Mr. neomage had a tale, E-I-E-I-O!)

**CHAPTER 16**

KAIBACORP DUELING ROOM

Yugo climbed up to the platform, then turned to face Flora. "Well, are you ready to do this?"

She smiled a little. "Yes. But before that, I want to ask you something, Yugo."

He raised an eyebrow. "Huh? What is it?"

Flora looked him dead in the eye. "Why do you duel?"

The question caught Yugo completely off-guard. "What do you mean?"

"Just what I asked. Why do you duel?"

Time seemed to stop for Yugo. He sighed and held his head down. "Well…it's complicated, but…all my life I wanted to be free from the fame of my father, Yugi…I wanted to be recognized in my own right, instead of having to live off his popularity…that's why I'm dueling. So that, one day, I can surpass the legend he became and be a true duelist with my own fame."

Flora regarded him. "So, in other words…you want people to acknowledge you for who you are, instead of for who your dad was?"

Yugo nodded. "Yeah, that's right."

She sighed. "Well…this is just my personal opinion, but…that's somewhat selfish."

Yugo jerked. "Say what?"

"Let me tell you why _I_ duel," said Flora gravely. "My grandmother used to be a botanist. She was very passionate about plants, and it pained her to see the daily news about entire forests being destroyed every DAY. Then, last year…when I was at her deathbed, she made me promise to do whatever I could to save trees and wildlife everywhere. I've been doing the best I could do ever since then, but there's one hurdle: lack of interest by the big-name corporations to cooperate.

"Whenever you turn on your TV, or pick up your newspaper, you see it: the big companies worldwide, cutting down trees, destroying entire rainforests in order to expand their empires. I may not be able to do much, but if even one person is fighting for nature, even if it's just me, then that's all the motivation I need to keep fighting. That is why I duel, Yugo: so I can keep my promise the best way I can!"

Yugo sighed. "I think I understand. But, Flora, if you really want to realize your dream, first you'll have to defeat me."

"And that's what I intend to do!" Flora readied her Duel-Disk. "Now, let's do this!"

_About time,_ thought Kaiba. _This philosophical bullshit was starting to bore me._

The coin appeared on the field, and Flora announced, "I choose heads!" Then the coin was flipped…and it did turn out to be heads.

"I'll go first, then," Flora said triumphantly, drawing an additional card to give her six in hand. "Now, I'll set one monster facedown in Defense Mode and end my turn!"

Yugo frowned as he considered something. _She just might have given herself away a while ago with that speech about the environment…if my guess is right, she probably uses Plant-type monsters in her deck…and since some Plant-type monsters work in coordination with Insect-types, there's a chance she might have those in her deck, too. In that case, I'll have to tread very carefully here…_

"Okay!" he announced as he drew his first card. "I'll also set a monster in Defense Mode – and also, I'll place one card facedown, and then end my turn!"

Flora raised an eyebrow. "Playing cautiously, are we?" she remarked. "I admire that, but…he who hesitates is lost! Let me show you why!"

She drew her next card. "Now, I'll set another monster in Defense Mode, set one card facedown – and flip over my first facedown monster, Parasite Paracide (ATK 500, DEF 300)!"

She revealed a bug with red tentacles protruding from its back – then suddenly it jumped forward and latched itself onto Yugo's Duel-Disk. Horrified, Yugo could only stare in disgust as the thing burrowed into his deck.

"That's the effect of Parasite Paracide," explained Flora. "It hides itself in your deck when flipped face-up; then, when you draw the card, it'll be Special Summoned to your side of the field in Defense Mode."

"Hmmm…that doesn't sound too bad," Yugo mused.

"But that's not all," Flora continued. "When that happens, your life points will be drained by 1000, and as long as that card remains on the field, every monster on your side will be treated as an Insect-type!"

Yugo flinched when he heard this. "Okay, now it sounds bad," he nodded.

"And it's about to get worse! For now I activate the power of this magic card – Jade Insect Whistle! This card forces you to select one Insect-type monster from your deck; then, you shuffle the deck, and afterwards, place the card on top of the deck."

"Crud!" Yugo growled.

The Jade Insect Whistle made a shrill sound; Yugo reluctantly searched his deck, found the offending Parasite Paracide, and then shuffled his deck. Then he put the card on top of the deck, knowing full well what would happen on his turn.

"And now, I think I'll end my turn," Flora added, smiling sweetly. "Your turn, Yugo."

Sighing, Yugo disdainfully drew his next card – and immediately the Parasite Paracide appeared onto the field in Defense Mode. Yugo watched as his life points decreased to 7000 points, but he wasn't about to let that faze him.

"All right!" he exploded. "I'll flip over my facedown monster to reveal the Old Vindictive Magician (ATK 450, DEF 600)!" But when the mage was flipped face-up, much to Yugo's revulsion he appeared to resemble a cockroach in magician's clothes!

"Ugh! Disgusting!" Yugo nearly puked. "Still…his effect to destroy one monster on the field still stands! And so, I'll destroy your facedown monster!"

The Vindictive Magician then raised his staff – or antenna, or whatever it was supposed to be – and fired a blast at the facedown monster, utterly destroying it. Then Yugo held up another card.

"Next, I'll summon Magician's Valkyria (ATK 1600, DEF 1800) in Attack Mode!" But as he summoned that monster, he was horrified to see that it, too, had the appearance of an insect. The Valkyria, apparently, was repulsed by her new appearance, too. Nevertheless, Yugo swallowed his disgust and decided on what he had to do.

"Okay! Magician's Valkyria, attack directly!"

Eager for revenge for distorting her appearance, Magician's Valkyrie fired a bright green blast of energy from her staff at Flora, who took it in the stomach, reducing her life points to 6400.

"Now, Old Vindictive Magician, it's your turn!" Yugo yelled. And that old mage fired another blast, reducing Flora further to 5950. With that, Yugo decided to end his turn.

"Hmm? You could've used your Old Vindictive Magician's effect to get rid of the Parasite Paracide, you know," Flora pointed out. "Why didn't you?"

Yugo hesitated. "I…I don't know."

"Holding back on your opponent in any way is a sign of weakness, Yugo." Flora shook her head disapprovingly. "And now, it's about to cost you dearly."

She held up a card in her hand. "I activate the power of my Monster Reborn card, to revive the monster your Old Vindictive Magician's effect destroyed – my Prickle Fairy (ATK 300, DEF 2000), in Defense Mode!"

In a moment a pink-robed plant with thorny vines protruding from its arms appeared on the field. "Prickle Fairy's effect declares that unless you destroy her first, you cannot attack any Insect-type monsters on my side of the field," Flora informed him. And, as if to prove this point, Prickle Fairy's thorns suddenly spread out in the form of a shield around the rest of the field.

"Uh…okay…" Yugo sighed. This was going to be more annoying than he thought.

"Now, I summon Neo Bug (ATK 1800, DEF 1700) in Attack Mode!" And Flora summoned a bug that, in some weird way, looked like a cross between a mosquito and a scorpion. "Attack the Magician's Valkyria!"

Neo Bug lunged toward Magician's Valkyria, biting off her head and reducing Yugo's life points to 6800. Yugo winced as he watched this rather gruesome display. "Uh, all right…" he said to Flora. "That. Is. Simply. Sick."

"Well, you haven't seen anything yet, believe me," Flora smiled sweetly now.

----------

OUTSIDE KAIBACORP

"Hurry up, Mother, will you?" Mr. Muto asked with exasperation. "Yugo's match has started already!"

"I'm hurrying, I'm hurrying!" Grandma protested.

The two of them presently sat down on a bench where they could see the big-screen just above the entrance to Kaibacorp. "Well, looks like we just barely made it," Mr. Muto remarked. "The duel has just started, it looks like."

Grandma looked up at the screen, where Yugo was now portrayed in his duel against Flora. "That young girl…she looks familiar…"

Mr. Muto looked up. "Ah, that's Flora Green, internationally-acclaimed 'Nature Duelist,'" he told his mother. "Fiercely protective of the environment, I hear."

"Well, that's good for her," Grandma sniffed. "We need more environmentally-conscious people in this world today. But, hey…she looks as if she's giving Yugo a hard fight, don't you think?"

"No need to worry about him," Mr. Muto nodded with assurance. "He had a good teacher…" His eyes flashed. "He'll win for sure."

----------

KAIBACORP DUELING ROOM

Yugo now had 6800 life points, and Flora was at 5950. He had three cards in his hand; she had two. On Yugo's side of the field were Old Vindictive Magician in Attack Mode and Flora's Parasite Paracide in Defense Mode, and one other card facedown; on Flora's side were her Defense Mode Prickle Fairy and her Neo Bug in Attack Mode, and she still had one card facedown.

"Flora…you said that you think my goal is a selfish one," Yugo said. He lowered his hands a moment. "But…your grandmother was a famous botanist, and you're now famous for your love of plants and plant life. Tell me…did you, at any time, ever feel like you were in your grandmother's shadow?"

Flora looked up, surprised. "Uh – no. Not really."

Yugo's eyes narrowed. "Then you can't possibly understand why I feel the way I do, can you? To always feel inferior to someone who everyone compares you to…to always be expected to live up to that person's reputation…can you possibly understand that? No, you can't. So…" He ran a hand through his hair, from his forehead to the nape of his neck. "Before you go judging people's values, why don't you try putting yourself in their shoes first?"

Flora just stood there, unable to reply.

Yugo then took his turn, drawing his card. "I summon Gemini Elf (ATK 1900, DEF 900) in Attack Mode!" Immediately twin elves appeared on the field, ready to attack. But then Yugo remembered that he couldn't attack Neo Bug without destroying Prickle Fairy first, and he cursed under his breath. "Fine…I'll just put Old Vindictive Magician in Defense Mode and end my turn." And he shivered at the mantis appearance of his elves.

Flora drew another card, and smiled when she saw what it was. "How nice! Now I'll summon Vampire Orchis (ATK 1700, DEF 1000) in Attack Mode!" And then she summoned a gigantic tree with eyes and a mouth filled with sharp fangs. On its limbs were small flowers that sprouted fangs, as well.

"But that's not all," Flora continued. "When Vampire Orchis is Normal summoned successfully, I can Special Summon one Des Dendle (ATK 300, DEF 2000) to the field from my hand – which I now do, in Defense Mode!" And so saying, she summoned a large flowery mould to stand beside the Vampire Orchis.

Flora then held up the last card in her hand. "Now, observe well, Yugo," she admonished him. "Whenever I use this strategy against my opponent's, this card works well for me…I activate Eradicating Aerosol, to destroy every Insect-type monster on the field!"

"Say what?!" Yugo gaped in surprise.

As Flora played the magic card, a large can of insect spray appeared on the field and started spraying everywhere. Since the Parasite Paracide on Yugo's side of the field turned every monster on his field into Insect-types, all of his monsters were destroyed, along with Flora's Neo Bug. "Dammit! Not my monsters!" Yugo cried out.

"And, as if that weren't bad enough, I now activate my facedown trap card, DNA Surgery!" Flora exclaimed. "When I activate this card, I declare one monster type, and as long as this card stays on the field, all face-up monsters will be treated as that type. And the type I choose is – Insect-type!"

"What the hell did you say?" Yugo snapped. "Oh, man – how much longer am I gonna have to put up with all these damn bugs?"

"Deal with it," Flora advised him, even as her formerly Plant-type monsters now began to take on various characteristics of various insects. "In case you don't know, let me give you a little lesson. There are many, many bugs in this world that are actually quite necessary for humankind's very survival. The silkworm, for example, is the very creature that manufactures the silk we wear as clothing nowadays."

"How…creepy and…simply unnerving…" Yugo shivered at the thought.

"But enough about that," said Flora. "Your life points are now wide open for a direct attack from my Vampire Orchis! Now, my pet, use your Tree Bark Bite and attack him directly!"

One of the Vampire Orchis's fanged limbs lunged forward and bit Yugo on the neck, causing him to shriek in pain as his life points went way down to 5100. He dropped to his knees, holding his neck as his face contorted in agony.

"Perhaps now you'll have the proper respect for insects…and plants, too, for that matter," Flora remarked smugly.

"Geez, for someone who can be so polite, you are a real bitch," Yugo muttered, hoping she hadn't heard him.

Getting up with a little difficulty, cringing at the pain in his neck, Yugo gingerly drew a card from his deck. "All right…since I haven't got much other choice right now, I'll summon Neo the Magic Swordsman (ATK 1700, DEF 1000) to the field!" And he played the card, revealing a swordsman with mystical energy swirling around his hand – and with antennae sticking out of his head, and bug's eyes, and wings protruding from his back…

"Shit," Yugo mumbled.

"Well, don't forget, you still can't attack due to my Prickle Fairy's effect," Flora reminded him. "And, since my DNA Surgery card has turned every monster on the field into an Insect-type, including Prickle Fairy, that means that you can't attack _at all!_ I'm the ruler of this game now!"

Yugo looked away, hoping she wouldn't see the major grimace coming over his face. "Well, all right, then. Fine. I'll end my turn."

Then Flora drew her next card – and smiled with extreme pleasure. "Now, Yugo," she said to him, her face brightened by a massive smile. "I activate Pot of Greed, to draw two more cards!" And this she did. Then, when she saw the two cards she now held, she chuckled. "Oh, sweetie-pie…I'm about to introduce you to a very fearsome creature in my deck. Prepare to bow before the might of my Insect Queen (ATK 2200, DEF 2400)!"

As Flora tributed both Vampire Orchis and Des Dendle, a frightful shriek could be heard as a massive spider appeared on the field. Six legs…a large body…and one very ravenous mouth…Yugo could only stare in shock at this creature before him.

"See her? She's a beauty, isn't she?" Flora cried, obviously happy with her triumph.

"If THAT'S what you consider beauty, I'd hate to see what you think ugliness is," Yugo countered.

"Oh, you've hurt my feelings!" Flora put a hand to her heart and pretended to be stricken. "But no matter – I'll soon show you a thing or two!"

Suddenly, as Yugo stared in astonishment, the Insect Queen's ATK shot up to 2800! "What gives with that?" he demanded.

"It's Insect Queen's effect," Flora explained. "For every Insect-type monster on the field – which all the monsters are, anyway, thanks to DNA Surgery – Insect Queen gets a power boost of 200 points! That's 200 from Prickle Fairy, 200 from your Magic Swordsman – and 200 from herself! But consider yourself lucky," she went on, "because in order to attack, a tribute of one monster on my side of the field is required…but I'm not in a mood to tribute my Prickle Fairy just now. So, I'll set a card facedown, and end my turn. You're safe…this turn."

Yugo gulped as he prepared to draw his next card. _This…is gonna be one hell of a duel, that's for sure. But…I have to get rid of that Insect Queen before she sinks those fangs into me! I've had enough of these goddamn insects, that much I'm certain of!_

----------

_**neomage:**_ I really want to know…is there a limit to the number of chapters allowed in a fanfic at this site? The reason I ask, as I'm sure I pointed out a few chapters back, is that I'm thinking of making a few sagas out of this story, but I don't want to push forward with it unless I know one of two things: whether I can just pour chapter after chapter into this one story, or whether I should make a separate story that continues this storyline. Please let me know when next you review, everyone! Much thanx!

UPDATED 04/10/2005: Re-read some info on the Japanese Magician's Valkyria, since it hasn't been released in English…and its effect has to be taken into consideration. From this chapter on, Magician's Valkyria's effect will always be remembered and taken into consideration. Sorry about that!

UPDATED 13/01/2006: Had to do a little re-editing. You'll see the explanation in the next chapter.

UPDATED 22/06/2007: Been over a year, and now I have to edit this chapter again thanks to a small error on my part. The effect of Magician's Valkyria only works if Spellcasters are on the player's side of the field…but the Parasite Paracide turned all of Yugo's monsters into Insect-types, so Valkyria's effect would no longer apply.


	17. Chapter 17

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: I am so not singing that song again…just know that the show isn't mine, all right?)

**CHAPTER 17**

OUTSIDE KAIBACORP

"Oh, poor Yugo!" Grandma shivered. "Being tormented by those horrible bugs!"

She was watching the duel on the big-screen and had just seen Flora summoning the Insect Queen. "Oh, whatever will Yugo do? That girl has the upper hand against him!" she wailed.

Mr. Muto seemed especially calm, however. "Please, Mother, calm down," he reassured her. "Yugo hasn't lost this one yet…he still has some moves left…"

----------

KAIBACORP DUELING ROOM

The score was now thus: Yugo had 5100 life points; on his side of the field were Neo the Magic Swordsman in Attack Mode and one facedown card in his magic/trap slot which he hadn't activated up to this time, and in his hand were three cards. Flora still had 5950 life points; on her side of the field were the DNA Surgery trap card, one other card facedown, Prickle Fairy in Defense Mode and her newly-summoned Insect Queen, and no cards in hand at all. And now, it was Yugo's turn.

"This is bad," Yugo was muttering to himself. "Very, very bad, indeed." He realized that if he didn't get himself protected, and soon, he would end up quite badly – as spider-food. And frankly, he wasn't in the mood.

"Um, all right…I'll shift Neo into Defense Mode, and end my turn," he sighed.

But when Flora drew her next card, she laughed out loud. "You're going to regret that move! For now I summon the Giant Flea (ATK 1500, DEF 1200) to the field! Giant Flea, suck the Magic Swordsman dry!"

The Flea crawled forward so fast Yugo barely even saw it move. Then, right before his disgusted eyes, it bit into Neo the Magic Swordsman and sucked his blood, leaving only an empty shell. Meanwhile, Insect Queen's ATK, increased to 3000 because of the Flea's presence, went back down to 2800 after the Magical Swordsman was destroyed.

"And now, say goodbye to a huge chunk of your life points!" Flora declared. "I'll offer the Giant Flea as a tribute for Insect Queen to attack you directly!"

As Yugo looked on, getting sicker with each passing second, the Insect Queen turned and chomped into the body of the Giant Flea. Then, turning, it prepared to bite Yugo!

"I've had enough of this shit!" Yugo snapped suddenly. "I activate Blast Held by a Tribute! Since your Insect Queen was Tribute Summoned, it and every face-up monster on your side will be destroyed and 1000 points of damage will be done to your life points!"

The facedown card he'd been holding onto for so long finally flipped face-up. Insect Queen halted in its tracks, letting out a pained howl as its heart suddenly exploded. Then its whole body blew up, taking Prickle Fairy with it and splattering disgusting goo everywhere – and lowering Flora's life points to 4950 in the process. Flora herself was shocked at this sudden turn of events. "My…my Insect Queen…destroyed!" she cried in disbelief.

"That's right, sister," Yugo snickered.

"Well, beat this, then – for my absolute defense still stands!" snapped Flora. "I activate my trap card, Call of the Haunted, to revive my Prickle Fairy in Attack Mode!"

As her trap card flipped face-up, Prickle Fairy reappeared on the field, once again protected by DNA Surgery and transformed into an Insect-type in the process. But Yugo simply smiled. "I destroyed your Insect Queen…and that's not all that's going to be destroyed in a moment."

Taking his turn, he drew a new card, and smiled when he saw what it was. "Now, then Flora, I'm going to activate a card that I just know you're going to hate," he nodded. "I activate the magic of Double Spell! By discarding one Magic card from my hand…" and here he discarded a card, the Pot of Greed. "…I can select one magic card in your Graveyard and use it as my own. And I choose…Eradicating Aerosol!"

"Ack! No!" Flora's eyes widened in realization and horror.

The same can of insect spray she'd used earlier now appeared on Yugo's side of the field. Yugo himself was wearing a devilish grin on his face. "The pest exterminator is in the house!" he bellowed as he activated the card.

Since the DNA Surgery card's effect still treated Prickle Fairy as an Insect-type, Eradicating Aerosol's spray blasts worked effectively. Prickle Fairy sniffed, then suddenly started choking…and withered into nothingness, as the Call of the Haunted card powering it disappeared as well.

Coming into the area at that moment, Marcus Ironside stopped short and stared in astonishment. _Are my eyes deceiving me, or is Flora really getting outplayed by a rookie?_

"Now, your absolute defense has been shattered," said Yugo confidently. "And now, where was I…? Oh, yes, I believe I was about to summon another monster!"

And he did. "Now, I summon Breaker the Magical Warrior (ATK 1600, DEF 1000) to the field!" A moment later a warrior with a sword and shield, clad in red armor and emitting magical energy, appeared on the field, with attributes of a cockroach. But then, as Flora took this new arrival in, suddenly Breaker's ATK increased to 1900.

"What gives with that?" she wondered aloud.

"When Breaker is Normal Summoned successfully," explained Yugo, "I place one Magic counter on him, increasing his ATK by 300 points. And now, let me show you a lesson of my own creation! Breaker, attack her life points directly!"

Whereupon Breaker rushed forward and slashed Flora in the gut with his sword, crippling her and bringing her life points down to 3050. But then, once Breaker was back on Yugo's side of the field, suddenly his ATK shot down to 1600.

"By removing that counter from Breaker," Yugo told Flora, "I can use his effect to destroy one Magic or Trap card on the field – and I'll have him destroy that annoying-as-hell DNA Surgery!" Whereupon Breaker ran forward and sliced the card in two with one mighty swing of his sword.

"Now, that makes me feel better," Yugo sighed.

Shaking her head, Flora drew her next card. _Oh, now THIS could help me greatly! This should at least buy me some time until I can find a way to get back into the game!_

"I'll set one monster in Defense Mode, and end my turn!"

Yugo staredat the facedown monster with suspicion as he drew his next card. "Okaaaaay…now I think I'll summon my Chaos Command Magician (ATK 2400, DEF 1900) in Attack Mode, offering Breaker the Magical Warrior as a tribute!"

Breaker disappeared from the field, and in his place was a mage wearing dark green robes and holding a cane in one hand. "Now, attack!"

This magician drew back his staff and fired a blast at the facedown monster. But Flora smiled. "Big mistake, Yugo! You revealed my Man-Eater Bug (ATK 450, DEF 600), whose effect is not unlike your Old Vindictive Magician – it'll now destroy your magician and leave you defenseless!"

The revealed bug crawled forward and jumped at the mage. But then, to Flora's shock, the Chaos Command Magician raised his staff and blasted the other monster to oblivion!

"Sorry, Flora," said Yugo, "but my mage's effect negates the effect of any Effect monster that specifically designates him as a target – anything like your Man-Eater Bug." He smiled smugly. "Your fate has been decided. Next turn, I will eliminate you."

"Not yet!" Flora drew her next card. "I'll activate the Swords of Revealing Light! This will stop your monster from attacking for the next 3 turns!"

But when Yugo drew his next card, he shook his head. "Even that won't save you now. For now I'll activate the magic of the Dark Magic Curtain, to Special Summon my famous Dark Magician (ATK 2500, DEF 2100) from my Deck in Attack Mode!"

The next thing Flora knew, the purple-clad magician appeared from behind a huge curtain that had somehow appeared onto the field; and he came to stand beside the Chaos Command Magician. "It's well worth half my life points to have him on the field," Yugo remarked, as Dark Magic Curtain's effect sapped him down to 2550 life points. "But not to worry – once those Swords of Revealing Light disappear completely, your life points will be wide open."

Now, the score stood at Yugo with 2550 life points and Flora with 3050. Yugo had two cards in hand while Flora had none. On his side of the field were the Dark Magician and the Chaos Command Magician, and on her side was the Swords of Revealing Light magic card, shielding her from his impending attack.

Flora drew her next card, and one of the three swords disappeared. Frowning greatly, she looked carefully at her card and decided to hold onto it. "You take your turn," she told Yugo.

Shrugging, Yugo drew another card and smiled when he saw what it was. "Well, then, I'll end my turn."

The second sword disappeared. _Is he deliberately ending his turns quickly to reduce the amount of energy left in the Swords of Revealing Light?_ Flora wondered. _I have to find some way to finish him, and quickly, too!_

She drew another card – and her eyes widened in astonishment. Then she chuckled. "Again, I'll end my turn."

Now it was Yugo's turn to frown. "What are you up to?" he asked as he drew his card.

"Oh, nothing, nothing at all," Flora answered innocently.

Yugo narrowed his eyes. "Well, if that's how it's going to be, then – I summon D.D. Warrior Lady (ATK 1500, DEF 1600) in Attack Mode!"

A portal opened on Yugo's side of the field; a moment later a beautiful woman wearing black leather, with a cybernetic arm, wielding a sort of short-bladed light-saber, emerged from that portal onto the field. "Now, I've got more than enough firepower on my side," he remarked, "to finish you off once that last sword disappears. But..." He picked one more card out of his hand and showed it to Flora.

"I'll now equip this card, the Ring of Magnetism, to my Warrior Lady! Her ATK and DEF will decrease by 500, and every monster that you put on your side of the field that's going to attack must attack her." He then paused and looked at the cyber-warrior. "Sorry, Warrior Lady," he whispered…and she looked at him and nodded, accepting her fate.

The last sword did disappear at that point, and Flora drew her next card. "YES! Just what I needed!" she cried. "All right! Now I'll summon the Insect Knight (ATK 1900, DEF 1500) in Attack Mode!" And she summoned a bug that was armed to the teeth.

"And next," and here Flora held up another card, "I'll activate the magic of Premature Burial, paying 800 of my life points to revive my Insect Queen!" And as her life points went down to 2250, the Insect Queen returned to the field, powered up to 2600 due to itself and Insect Knight being obvious Insect-types. Then Flora held up the last card in her hand, the card she'd just drawn.

"Now, I activate the magic card, Multiplication of Ants! By tributing one Insect-type monster on my side of the field…" And as Flora spoke, Insect Knight suddenly disappeared. "…I can Special Summon two Army Ant Tokens to my side of the field." And as she spoke two metallized ants appeared in Defense Mode, with an ATK of 500 and a DEF of 1200. Since there were now three Insect-type monsters on the field, Insect Queen's ATK went up to 2800!

"And now, I'll tribute one of my tokens to allow Insect Queen to attack!" Flora exclaimed, filled with glee. "And of course, my first target…is your D.D. Warrior Lady! Not that I have any other choice with that Ring of Magnetism equipped to her, anyway. Insect Queen, devour her!"

D.D. Warrior Lady braced herself even as Insect Queen, with an ATK of 2600 after swallowing the token, attacked. There was a sickening CRUNCH as the Queen's fangs chomped into the cyber-warrior's body, chewing with great relish, and then swallowed. Yugo watched all this with remorseful eyes, as his life points went down to 950.

And then he suddenly grinned. "Boom."

KA-BLAM! Insect Queen barely had any time to screech as suddenly its belly bulged outward – then its whole body exploded once again, splattering goo every which where!

"What!" Flora screamed. "But – what happened!"

"It was the effect of my D.D. Warrior Lady, that's what," explained Yugo. "When she does battle with a monster, after the damage calculation is done I can choose to remove both her and the monster she battled from play…and this time, I chose to do so. So, no more returning for your Insect Queen…"

"No…that means…" Flora was at a loss for words now.

For formality's sake, Yugo drew another card. "Now, I'll use Chaos Command Magician to attack and destroy your remaining Army Ant Token!" And that mage charged up a blast of energy that completely decimated the ant.

"Now, Dark Magician, attack directly and finish it! Dark Magic Attack!"

The Dark Magician waved his staff around a few times, then blasted Flora with his power. She took it in the chest and landed on her butt a few yards back, as her life points dropped to 0.

"That's it!" Roland called out. "Winner of the third duel: Yugo Muto!"

Kaiba smiled as he observed this. _Interesting…that kid knows how to think fast, and think well. I see now…if he makes it to the finals, he just might be a real challenge for Seta…_

Marcus had his own thoughts too. _Hmmm…I guess I may have underestimated this guy's ability…but still, nobody can ever beat me! He'd better pray he doesn't meet me in the next round!_

Yugo walked over to where Flora was still sitting, stunned, and he held out a hand. "Hey…no hard feelings, eh?" he grinned.

She looked up at him for a long moment. Then she smiled and accepted his hand. "Yeah. No hard feelings."

"Hey, Flora?"

"Hmmm?"

Yugo nodded. "Good luck with your own mission."

Her eyes widened in surprise. Then she smiled a little more. "And good luck accomplishing your dream, too."

----------

FIVE MINUTES LATER

Yugo was lounging around the arena. Approaching the entrance, he caught sight of Blaze leaning up against the wall. "Blaze?"

She looked up. "I saw your match with Flora. Good job…especially considering that she got the highest on the test."

"Yeah, well…not to be nosy, but I've been wanting to ask you," Yugo commented. He groped for the right words. "Back in your duel against Wade…what did you mean when you said you understood what he'd gone through?"

Blaze didn't answer for a moment. Then, when she finally turned around, she spoke. "I was just being sentimental, that's all. Hearing somebody's sob stories makes me like that sometimes."

Yugo shook his head. "I think it's more than that." He closed his eyes, then reopened them after a moment. "I won't ask for details, but…you did have someone close to you once, didn't you…? A sister, or a brother, maybe?"

Blaze shrugged. "Maybe."

Yugo could see it in Blaze's face that she didn't want to talk about it. And, personally, he had no wish to press the topic further. So he was glad when suddenly Jenna came up behind him. "Hey, Jenna, took you long enough to get here," he remarked.

"Yeah, well…it's almost time for my duel," Jenna replied.

Yugo's face became grave. "And your opponent is…Kyo."

"Hey, I don't mind a bit," Jenna answered. "I'm just seeing it as this: whichever one of us wins this duel will eventually get to face that Marcus, and make him pay for what he did to Miki."

Yugo narrowed his eyes. "Yeah…one of us just might."

"Hey, now," Blaze interrupted them, "don't get your spirits too high. Remember, somebody else might be Marcus's opponent in the next round."

"Like you?" Jenna quipped.

"Yeah, like me. But…if I do get to face him, I'll personally kick his ass for you guys. I kinda liked your friend Miki's enthusiasm and courage…and I've been waiting a long time to put that bastard in his place anyway."

Yugo and Jenna looked at each other, then at Blaze. "Well…thanks, in advance," Yugo nodded.

----------

TEN MINUTES LATER

In a few minutes the duelists were back in the dueling room, along with Roland and Kaiba. "Let's get the fourth match underway!" Kaiba ordered.

"Yes, sir," said Roland. "Jenna Wheeler and Kyo Bakura, please make your way to the platform!"

Jenna and Kyo walked up to the arena and faced each other, their Duel-Disks at the ready. "Let's do our best here, Kyo," said Jenna.

"Right!" Kyo adjusted his glasses.

"The fourth duel of the tournament, Jenna Wheeler vs. Kyo Bakura, will now commence," announced Roland. "Now, begin!"

----------

OUTSIDE KAIBACORP

A man calmly approached the front steps to Kaibacorp and halted. He looked up and beheld the big-screen, showing that the duel between Kyo and Jenna was just beginning.

"Looks like I'm on time," he remarked with a small smile. "Kyo…"

----------

**_neomage:_** As some might've expected, Yugo has advanced in the tournament! Now, only one duel in the first set of matches remains – and this fight is between friends! Which deck did Jenna choose to use – her father's or her mother's? And what kind of strategy will Kyo use? And who is the mystery man that has shown up at Kaibacorp? Pleasant reading and reviewing! (BTW, just for fun, one of my most favorite monsters in real life, a card I really do possess, has made an appearance in this chapter. Can anybody out there hazard a guess as to which one it is?)

UPDATED 04/10/2005: Updated for the reason stated in the last chapter. If I've made any mistakes here, please inform me. Thanks!

UPDATED 13/01/2006: Updated for a mistake I made in card effects – turns out Blast Held by a Tribute destroys all face-up monsters on the field, not just those in Attack Mode as I'd first thought. Sorry about that!


	18. Chapter 18

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: …zzZZzz…not my property…zzZZz…new characters…mine…zzz…)

**CHAPTER 18**

KAIBACORP DUELING ROOM

Kyo and Jenna's life points were ready at 8000, and the familiar coin appeared on the field. "Jenna Wheeler, heads or tails?" Roland asked.

"Heads!" Jenna answered.

The coin was flipped – and it showed heads. "Yay! I'll go first!" Jenna said eagerly.

"Duel!" Roland commanded.

Jenna drew her first card, and seemed excited at the hand she'd gotten. "All right! Now, I'll summon Warrior Dai Grepher (ATK 1700, DEF 1600) in Attack Mode!" And she summoned a muscular fighter wielding a giant broadsword. "Then I'll place another two cards facedown," she added, putting two cards facedown in the magic/trap slot, "and then I'll end my turn!"

Kyo chuckled and touched his glasses with his fingertips. "Not a bad start, Jenna…but how about this?" He drew his card and studied his hand intensely.

"Now, then! I summon Dunames Dark Witch (ATK 1800, DEF 1050) to the field!" And as Kyo played his card, a female warrior with angelic wings appeared.

"Huh?" Yugo, watching the duel, was astounded. "Kyo, what is THAT?"

"It's a Fairy-type monster – what does it look like?" asked Kyo, as though he couldn't see what the fuss was about. "Now, my Dark Witch, destroy Warrior Dai Grepher!"

Dunames Dark Witch promptly fired a bolt of lightning from one palm and destroyed the warrior, dropping Jenna's life points to 7900.

"Not bad," Jenna congratulated him, "but you're not getting rid of him just like that! Activate the trap card, Call of the Haunted, to bring back my monster from the dead!"

A gravestone rose out of the ground, and with it came Warrior Dai Grepher, as though he hadn't just been killed. Kyo was a bit disappointed. "Oh, well, things can't always go our way," he surmised. "I'll end my turn, then."

Jenna drew her next card and was pleased at what it was. "All right! Now I'll activate the magic of Polymerization, to fuse two monsters together – the Warrior Dai Grepher on the field and the Spirit Ryu (ATK 1000, DEF 1000) in my hand to form - Ryu Senshi (ATK 2000, DEF 1200)!"

An image of Spirit Ryu appeared on the field and merged with Warrior Dai Grepher, to form a new creature – a dragon warrior holding a massive double-blade. "This used to be Warrior Dai Grepher's true form before he got split in two, according to legend," Jenna said with the tone of a sage. "And now, I'll make him even stronger! Activate my other trap card, Blast with Chain!"

Several sticks of dynamite, held together by a long chain, appeared on the field. "I can equip Ryu Senshi with this card to increase his ATK by 500, putting him at 2500," Jenna explained; and sure enough, a moment later Ryu Senshi was holding the chain as his ATK increased. Then Jenna held up the last two cards in her hand and picked one to play.

"And now – I'll summon Blackland Fire Dragon (ATK 1500, DEF 800)!" And then she summoned a green dragon that, from all perspectives, had poor eyesight.

"Nice lineup you got here," Kyo remarked.

"Thanks, but flattery will get you nowhere! Okay, Ryu Senshi, destroy the Dunames Dark Witch with Twin Dragon Blade!" Jenna commanded. Ryu Senshi did just that – slicing through Dunames Dark Witch with his double-blade, he reduced Kyo's life points to 7300.

"Now, Blackland Fire Dragon, use your Blackland Flame Burst!" Jenna commanded her dragon. And the Blackland Fire Dragon let loose with a fiery blast that engulfed Kyo's entire side of the field, reducing him further to 5800.

"Ouchie…" Kyo smarted from the burns he'd gotten from the attack. "Well, then! Are you done?"

"Pretty much," Jenna nodded. "From the looks of things, though, it doesn't look like your deck is saying much, Kyo. Frankly, I'm disappointed."

"I just might surprise you!" Kyo drew his next card. "Now, I'll set one monster in Defense Mode, plus I'll also put one card facedown, and then I'll end my turn!"

Jenna drew another card. _Now, this is a good card…but I don't need it right now. I think I'll hold onto it for later._ Aloud she announced, "I'll attack your facedown monster with my Blackland Fire Dragon!"

Again Blackland Fire Dragon attacked – but when the monster was flipped face-up, to Jenna's surprise it was Kelbek (ATK 1500, DEF 1800), a strange-looking fairy resembling a robot. Since its DEF was higher than the dragon's ATK by 300 points, Jenna felt a backlash and winced as her life points went down to 7600.

"Disappointed? Well, here's even more bad news," Kyo informed her. "Any monster that attacks Kelbek is immediately returned to its owner's hand."

"Huh?" Jenna stared in alarm.

Kelbek began emitting a mysterious aura, pushing the Blackland Fire Dragon back, back, back…until it disappeared from the field. Disgruntled, Jenna retrieved the card and added it to her hand.

"Well? You could always destroy my monster with your Ryu Senshi," Kyo taunted.

But Jenna shook her head. "I know what you're trying to do, Kyo. You're trying to rattle me, force me to play foolish moves. Well, guess what? It won't work! I won't fall for your tricks!"

On the sidelines, Yugo looked from one to the other, uncertain who he should cheer for. _Jenna…Kyo…I really want both of you to do your best, but…this is an elimination tournament. It's every man and woman for him- or herself. Still…no matter who wins, you're both still my friends. I just hope you can say the same for each other…_

----------

OUTSIDE KAIBACORP

The mystery man sat down quietly on one of the nearby benches, watching the duel on the big-screen. From what he could see, Kyo's life points now stood at 5800, while he had four cards in hand, and on the field he had one facedown card and Kelbek in Defense Mode. Meanwhile, Jenna had 7600 life points and three cards in her hand, and on the field she had Ryu Senshi equipped with Blast with Chain. "Interesting," he murmured to himself.

A young woman carrying an umbrella approached and asked, "May I sit beside you, sir?"

"Why, certainly," the man replied politely. "Tell me, miss, have you been watching the tournament so far? I only just got into Domino City this morning, so I'd like an update, if you don't mind."

"Oh, certainly," the lady answered. "This, I think, is the fourth match in the first round. The first match was between Blaze Redman, the legendary Fire duelist, and Wade Ocean, the ever-so-famous 'Ocean Master;' and Blaze won that duel, but just barely. The second match was between the famous Marcus Ironside and a newcomer by the name of Miki Taylor; but the poor girl lost that one terribly. Then there was the third match, Yugo Muto against the 'Nature Duelist,' Flora Green – and Yugo won that one. And now…this duel that's going on is between two newcomers, Kyo Bakura and Jenna Wheeler."

"So, we really have new blood in Duel Monsters," the man remarked.

"That we do," the woman agreed. "And I'll tell you something else, sir – from what I've heard, Yugo Muto defeated Seto Kaiba's son Seta in a duel sometime last month."

"Is that right?" The man seemed very interested. "Well, like father, like son, I suppose?"

"You could say that." The woman laughed. "You know, this tournament may be a small one, but already it's creating waves throughout Domino City. Why, just a while ago I was at the bank, and would you believe that several of the off-duty tellers were holding bets as to which of these two kids would win this match?"

"Well, I can't say I'm surprised," the man acknowledged. "Duel Monsters has become frightfully popular among the young ones these days. It's hard to believe now that the game was created just over ten years ago. With the hype it's been getting, you'd think it was a new phenomenon."

"I suppose you're right," said the woman. Presently she arose. "Well, I must be off now; but it was a pleasure to chat with you. You have a good day now."

"Oh, the pleasure was mine, believe me. And you have a good day yourself," the man answered.

As the lady went on her way, the man returned his attention to the big-screen. "So…everyone's children are in this, eh?" he remarked with a chuckle. "This should be good…"

----------

KAIBACORP DUELING ROOM

With grace, Kyo drew his next card. "I'll set another monster in Defense Mode!" And then the holographic image of the card appeared right next to Kelbek. "And then I'll put one card facedown," he added, placing the card onto the field. "So, now what will you do, Jenna?"

Jenna frowned as she considered the situation before her. Obviously, she couldn't risk attacking Kelbek, or else her monster would be returned to her hand – and in the case of Ryu Senshi, it would be returned to the Fusion deck. And if she attacked his facedown monster and it turned out to be another Kelbek, that would be asking for more trouble. And then, too, she had no idea what his other facedown card could be.

But as she drew her card, her mood lightened a little. "You're in big trouble now, Kyo!" she cried. "For now…I activate the magic card, Back to Square One! By discarding one card from my hand, I can return one monster on the field to the top of its owner's deck – and I choose your Kelbek!"

"Okaaaaay…" Kyo took up the Kelbek card and placed it back on top of his deck. "Now what?"

Jenna examined the two cards left in her hand. "Now…you're about to meet another little friend of mine! Say hello to Luster Dragon (ATK 1900, DEF 1600)!" And then she summoned a beautiful dragon whose scales were made entirely out of sapphire.

"Wow…that's a magnificent creature," Yugo whispered.

Wade and Flora, standing next to Yugo, nodded in agreement. "That's a very beautiful dragon, if ever there was one," Wade commented.

_Now, time to reveal that facedown monster!_ Jenna thought to herself. "Now, Luster Dragon, attack Kyo's facedown monster! Sapphire Wing!"

The Luster Dragon rose up, lifted itself into the air on its wings, then flew forward at great speed toward the facedown monster. But when it rammed into the opposition, to Jenna's astonishment it got thrown back, as the other monster was revealed to be the Spirit of the Harp (ATK 800, DEF 2000), a beautiful fairy with a magnificent harp. Jenna felt another backlash as her life points dropped by 100 to leave her with 7500.

"That's all right – at least now I know what your monster is, and that it's safe to attack it!" Jenna asserted. "Ryu Senshi, attack!" And Ryu Senshi sliced the Spirit of the Harp in two.

"All right, so you have some really strong monsters there," Kyo admitted, "but I am far from beaten!" He drew his next card, the very same Kelbek that Jenna had earlier forced him to return to the top of his deck, and looked at his hand. Then he smirked.

"I'll re-set a monster in Defense Mode," he announced, playing his card. "You can probably guess which monster it is, but that shouldn't be your primary concern now, for now I'll activate my own Polymerization card to fuse together two monsters in my hand – Marie the Fallen One (ATK 1700, DEF 1200) and The Forgiving Maiden (ATK 850, DEF 2000) – to bring forth a new monster from my Fusion deck – St. Joan (ATK 2800, DEF 2000)!"

The images of Marie the Fallen One – a steel-skinned angel – and the Forgiving Maiden – a woman resembling a nun – appeared momentarily on the field; then they fused together to form the appearance of a short-haired young woman clad in knight's armor and wielding a sword. "This monster is said to be _the_ legendary Joan of Arc," Kyo remarked. "Her battle prowess was so great, and her supposed power of visions so wondrous, she became leader of the French armies in rebellion against the British."

"Uh, yeah…thanks for the history lesson," said Jenna. She was quite worried about the fact that now there was a stronger monster than Ryu Senshi on the field.

"Okay, St. Joan, time to show Jenna what you're made of! Use your Sword of Saints and destroy Luster Dragon!" Kyo cried.

St. Joan's sword began to glow with pure light as she stabbed the dragon through the heart, destroying it and reducing Jenna's life points down to 6700. "That's just the beginning, believe me," Kyo assured Jenna. "There's a lot more where that came from."

Drawing her next card, Jenna realized that she was in some very serious problems. "Uh, all right…I'll place one card facedown, and end my turn."

"That won't help you," said Kyo, drawing another card – and suddenly, to everyone's surprise, his life points increased by 200, putting his life points at 6000. "Oh, I forgot – that's the effect of Marie the Fallen One, one of the monsters I fused to form St. Joan," he explained. "As long as it stays in my Graveyard, I get 200 life points during each of my Standby Phases."

Then he looked at the card he'd just drawn. "Oh, how nice! I play the magic card Mystical Space Typhoon, to destroy your monster's Blast with Chain! This'll make him even weaker for St. Joan to destroy!"

But as the typhoon destroyed part of the chain that Ryu Senshi was holding, the bundle of dynamite suddenly landed at St. Joan's feet. "Ha! You've activated Blast with Chain's second effect!" Jenna gloated. "When it's destroyed as a result of a card effect, I can select one card on the field and destroy it with Blast of Chain's effect. And I choose – your St. Joan!"

At that moment the dynamite went off, blowing St. Joan to pieces. "Your trump card is now gone!" Jenna yelled, ecstatic.

But Kyo just smiled. "And in the process, YOU have fallen into my real trap!" he announced. "You were so preoccupied with St. Joan's strength that I managed to divert your attention away from the facedown card I placed earlier! Activate the Tower of Babel!"

Immediately, right where St. Joan had been standing, a huge tower erupted from the ground and rose to the sky – rose so high, in fact, that Jenna couldn't even see the top. "But – what is this?" she asked in bewilderment.

"This is the legendary Tower of Babel, where the world's languages were mixed up by God," Kyo replied calmly. "Now, allow me to tell you what this tower's power allows me to do. Whenever one of us activates a Magic card, this tower creates one magic counter. It can take a total of four counters; when the fourth counter is put on it, the tower will self-destruct, and the person who activated the Magic card at that time will lose 3000 life points!"

"That's crazy!" Jenna exclaimed.

"Well, I think it's a brilliant strategy playing itself out to the fullest!" Kyo could barely suppress his grin.

Jenna realized at once the predicament she was in. She knew that Kyo's facedown monster was his Kelbek, and if she tried to attack it, its effect would just return her monster to her hand – in the case of Ryu Senshi, to the Fusion deck. In addition, if four Magic cards were played while the Tower of Babel was on the field, regardless of who played them, the tower's effect would inflict 3000 additional points of damage to that player's life points…and knowing Kyo, he wouldn't be stupid enough to fall prey to his own trap card.

What was she to do…?

----------

OUTSIDE KAIBACORP

The stranger chuckled as he watched the scenario unfold itself. "Yes," he sighed. "That's just like Kyo, all right…"

"Kyo's a master strategist," a familiar voice reached him from behind. "He doesn't duel very often, but when he does, he bombards his opponents with such strategic play that, more often than not, he forces them to make a mistake that'll cost them everything." The voice paused. "But then again, you should know that, since you were the one who taught him."

The stranger turned to face the speaker. "Hello, Yugi Muto," he greeted him. "It's been a while."

Mr. Muto smiled. "And it's good to see you again, too…Ryou Bakura."

----------

**_neomage:_** So, Jenna and Kyo are locked in a battle to determine which of them will advance in the tournament…and Ryou Bakura makes his debut appearance in this fic! How will things transpire? And, a note for those of you who happen to play the real game…Luster Dragon, mentioned in this chapter, is completely different from Luster Dragon #2, which is the green dragon, and with completely different stats, okay? For further info, go to Upper Deck Entertainment's site and search for info on Yu-Gi-Oh cards and card text changes. And so…happy reading!


	19. Chapter 19

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Only Takahashi-sama is entitled to ownership of Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**CHAPTER 19**

KAIBACORP DUELING ROOM

The stats of the duel were shown: Jenna had 6700 life points; on the field she had Ryu Senshi and one facedown card, and she had one card in hand. Kyo, on the other hand, still had 6000 life points; on the field he had his facedown Kelbek and his face-up Tower of Babel trap card, and no other cards in his hand. Yet, it seemed to Jenna that Kyo was the one who had the advantage.

Taking her turn, Jenna drew another card. When she saw what it was, she smiled. "Oh, how nice," she purred. "I'll set one monster in Defense Mode, and that'll end it for me!"

"Hmph." Kyo drew another card – and his life points increased by 200 due to the effect of Marie the Fallen One in his Graveyard, putting his life points at 6200. Then he looked at the card he'd just drawn, and his eyes lit up brightly when he saw what it was. _Better hold on to this, though. I just might need it in a little while._ "I end my turn!"

On the sidelines, Kaiba watched with great interest. _This guy's strategy is well-planned. Reminds me of his father's style…_

Jenna drew yet another card. "All right! Now, here's what I'm going to do. First, I'll flip over my facedown monster and reveal her – the Magician of Faith (ATK 300, DEF 400)!" And she flipped the card, exposing a young maiden with a staff bearing a crescent moon on its tip. "You do know what it does, right?"

"Yeah, I know – when flipped face-up, Magician of Faith's effect allows you to pick a Magic card from your Graveyard and return it to your hand," said Kyo. "Only question is, which magic card are you thinking of returning to your hand?"

"Polymerization!" And then Jenna searched her Graveyard, found the card, and added it to her hand. Then she held up another card.

"Now, I'll offer Magician of Faith as a tribute to call forth Summoned Skull (ATK 2500, DEF 1200)!" And as Magician of Faith disappeared, a gigantic skeletal fiend with horns on its head appeared. "Then I'll end my turn."

Kyo drew another card, and again Marie the Fallen One's Graveyard effect increased his life points to 6400. "Hmmm…another good card, but still not the one I want," he muttered. "I'd better hold onto this, too. I'll end my turn!"

_What is Kyo doing?_ wondered Yugo. _Yeah, Jenna can't risk attacking, but…it's as if Kyo's waiting for a specific card. But what card could be so important?_

Once more Jenna drew a card. Now her eyes lit up with happiness when she saw what it was. "All right! Now I can really put this card to use!"

"You sound quite jovial," Kyo observed. "May I ask why?"

"You'll see!" Jenna grinned. "Okay – first I'll summon Red-Eyes Black Chick (ATK 800, DEF 500) to the field!" And she summoned a small red egg, dumbfounding everyone else. Out of that egg popped a tiny baby dragon. "Isn't he cute?" Jenna gushed. "Oh, yes you are, aren't you, my little baby?"

Both Yugo and Kyo face-faulted. "You have got to be kidding me," Yugo groaned.

But Kaiba, looking at the new creature, widened his eyes. _Can it be…?_

"And now…" Jenna held up one more card. "I'll offer Red-Eyes Black Chick as a tribute to Special Summon his adult form from my hand – come forth, pride and joy of my deck! Red-Eyes Black Dragon (ATK 2400, DEF 2000)!"

Suddenly, as Kyo watched in astonishment, the Red-Eyes Black Chick began to glow bright white. As it glowed, it slowly came out of the egg and grew bigger…and bigger…and even bigger…until its wings spread out over the length of the field and it howled in a wrathful voice. It was now a full-grown adult!

"This monster," Jenna explained, "was my dad's favorite monster, and the creature that got him famous as a duelist. Now I, the daughter of Joey Wheeler, have earned the right to use the Red-Eyes Black Dragon in my deck! And it will be the instrument of your defeat, Kyo! Just watch and see!"

But Kyo merely chuckled. "If that is true," he remarked, "why won't you attack my monster?"

Jenna froze. She looked at him angrily. "Are you trying to goad me?" she demanded.

"Nope," Kyo answered calmly. "I'm just pointing out facts as I see them."

Jenna was fuming, but somehow managed to regain her senses. Kaiba noted this. _Hmph…same deck just like her father, but at least she has better control of her temper than he did of his…now we'll really begin to see the outcome of the battle._

----------

OUTSIDE KAIBACORP

Grandma came along behind Yugo. "Well, well…if it isn't sweet little Ryou! It's been so long since we last saw you!"

Mr. Bakura smiled. "Hello, Mrs. Muto," he greeted her. "It's very good to see you, too."

"So, when did you get back to Domino City?" asked Mr. Muto.

"Just this morning, actually," Mr. Bakura admitted. "My archaeological dig in Egypt was going along well, and we got a lot of interesting artifacts to bring back here to put in the city museum!"

"And you figured you should also come and see Kyo's duel, right?" Mr. Muto prompted.

"Of course! I wouldn't miss it for anything!" Mr. Bakura agreed.

"Well, Ryou, we've been watching his duel so far, and he seems to be playing really…complicated-like," Grandma admitted.

"That's because he's a master strategist…good at making his opponent fret and sweat." Mr. Bakura grinned. "I should know. I was the one who taught him how to play Duel Monsters in the first place."

"Well, let's see your son in action, eh?" Mr. Muto nodded knowingly.

----------

KAIBACORP DUELING ROOM

Kyo drew his next card, giving him a total of three in hand – and again Marie the Fallen One's effect increased his life points to 6600. "YES! Just the card I was hoping for. Now things are about to get interesting!"

Jenna looked at Kyo worriedly. "What're you gonna do?"

"Let me show you! First, I'll summon the Spirit of the Pot of Greed (ATK 100, DEF 100) to the field in Attack Mode!" As Kyo played the card, he summoned a huge Pot of Greed, out of which poked a little spirit with a grinning face.

"Uh, yeah…and that's supposed to scare me?" Jenna asked.

"No, but **_this_** will!" Kyo held up another card. "For I now activate the magic of Pot of Greed!"

Playing the card, Kyo drew two cards from his deck – and the Tower of Babel responded, creating its first magic counter. Then, to Jenna's astonishment, Kyo was in the act of drawing one more card.

"Wait a second – you can't do that! Pot of Greed allows you to draw only two cards!" Jenna pointed out.

"True," answered Kyo, "but when the Spirit of the Pot of Greed is on the field in Attack Mode, if a player activates Pot of Greed, then he – or she, because both players are affected – can draw one more card."

"Oh, crud," Jenna muttered.

Kyo then looked at his new cards – he had four in his hand now. "Oh, how nice! Just the card I was waiting to draw!" he crowed. "Now, I'll activate another magic card – The Sanctuary in the Sky!"

Suddenly a stone castle, embedded in a huge hunk of rock, materialized on the field, hovering over everything else. At the same time, the second counter appeared on the Tower of Babel. Witnessing all of this, Kyo smirked. "Now things are going to get very interesting," he announced. "I'll end my turn."

Jenna drew another card – and by now she was getting very impatient. Then a thought struck her. _The Spirit of the Pot of Greed…it's the weakest monster on Kyo's side of the field right now – and it's in Attack Mode! If I attack that monster, I can take a bite out of his life points!_

With this in mind, she gave the command. "Summoned Skull, destroy that monster!"

Summoned Skull rushed forward, and with one swipe of its claws the Pot of Greed's Spirit was vanquished. But to Jenna's amazement, Kyo's life points didn't decrease! "Hey! What gives here?" she demanded.

"That's the effect of the Sanctuary in the Sky at work," said Kyo, pointing upward. "As long as it's on the field, all battle damage done to a Fairy-type monster's controller from a fight involving that Fairy-type monster becomes zero."

Jenna paled. "Dammit – you've got this all planned out, haven't you?"

"Nicely!" Kyo grinned. He then took his turn, and Marie the Fallen One again increased his life points to 6800. "Now, time for me to summon the Agent of Creation – Venus (ATK 1600, DEF 0)!"

A yellow-robed spirit appeared on Kyo's side of the field. "Meet the first of the four guardian spirits of my deck," Kyo introduced it to Jenna. "And she's got quite a useful effect, too. By paying 500 of my life points, I can Special Summon one Mystical Shine Ball (ATK 500, DEF 500) from my deck to the field! And so…I think I'll pay 1500 and summon the three that I currently possess – all in Defense Mode!"

As Jenna looked on in astonishment, suddenly three balls of light appeared on Kyo's side of the field. "How do you like that?" he remarked, now smiling widely, even as his life points went down to 5300. "Now, I'll just end my turn!"

Now Jenna had had enough. She drew her next card. "You're going down, Kyo!" she cried. "I activate the power of Inferno Fire Blast!" She slapped a card down on the magic/trap slot. "This'll inflict damage to your life points equal to the ATK of the Red-Eyes on my side of the field! Red-Eyes Black Dragon, use your power!"

The Red-Eyes's mouth began to fill with dark flame; then suddenly it was all released in one giant blast – straight at Kyo's life points. Kyo smarted as he felt the heat burn into him, and his life points swiftly went down to 2900.

"Unfortunately, once I use that card, the Red-Eyes can't engage in battle in the same turn," Jenna lamented. "But I still have my other two monsters to attack with! Summoned Skull, destroy Kyo's facedown monster – I don't care what it is!"

Summoned Skull immediately destroyed the monster with one swift WHOOSH from its claws. True to everyone's suspicions, the monster was Kelbek, and its effect forced Summoned Skull to be returned to Jenna's hand. Then, at Jenna's command, Ryu Senshi destroyed one of the Mystical Shine Balls.

But Kyo laughed. "Have you forgotten something, Jenna?" And he pointed to the Tower of Babel. To Jenna's horror, it now sported three counters!

"Oh, for the love of – how could I forget about that?" Jenna wailed.

Kaiba smiled and shook his head. _Looks like I was wrong. Jenna HAS inherited her dad's bad temper, after all._

Again Kyo took his turn, and once more the effect of Marie the Fallen One increased his life points to 3100. "Well, well, well…seems I have a little something that I can use, after all," he remarked. "Oh, Jenna…I do hope you don't hate me for this, but – I summon the Warrior of Zera (ATK 1600, DEF 1600)!"

A warrior wearing green armor plates and sporting a huge sword appeared on the field. "See this guy? It is his lifelong mission to find the sacred sanctuary where he can achieve the power of the Archlords," said Kyo, his eyes flashing. "Well, my warrior, your days of sojourn are about to end!" He held up a card in his hand. "See the Sanctuary above you! Go to it, now!" He played the card.

Looking up, the Warrior of Zera started to float toward the sanctuary. As he entered its holy ground, he was consumed by a bright flash of light. Jenna stared in shock as this happened. "What's going on?" she wondered.

After a moment, the Warrior of Zera returned…only now, instead of his previous form, he had white armor and wings on his back. "Jenna…meet my Warrior of Zera's true form…Archlord Zerato (ATK 2800, DEF 2300)!" Kyo declared. "And now, my Archlord, get rid of that Ryu Senshi! Celestial Sword!"

Archlord Zerato pulled out a massive sword and swung it once. The result was the creation of some lethal light blades that ripped Ryu Senshi to pieces, reducing Jenna's life points to 5900. "I'll end my turn for now," Kyo declared afterward, "but make no mistake, Jenna: on my next turn, your Red-Eyes Black Dragon is finished!"

Jenna looked frantic as she surveyed the stats of the duel. Kyo only had 3100 life points, but those life points kept getting increased by 200 during his Standby Phases, due to the Marie the Fallen One card in his Graveyard. He had two cards in his hand, and on the field he had his Archlord Zerato and the Agent of Creation – Venus in Attack Mode, one remaining Mystical Shine Ball in Defense Mode, and the Tower of Babel trap card with three counters. Jenna, on the other hand, was still in the lead with 5900 life points, and now she had three cards in her hand, including her Polymerization card and Summoned Skull – but all she had on the field was her Red-Eyes Black Dragon and one facedown card…

_My facedown card!_ Realization struck her harder than a bullet train. _I completely forgot about it! I can still keep myself in the game! I may not be able to use my Polymerization card because of what that damn Tower of Babel will do to my life points, but I have one other thing I can try!_

She drew another card, giving her four in all. "Nice try, Kyo, but now I'm going to make your life hectic!" she declared crisply. "For now I activate the trap card, Metalmorph! This card will cover my dragon in a protective suit of metal all over his body!"

True to her decree, as Metalmorph was activated, Red-Eyes was covered in a metal-based skin. However, the metal looked uneven and artificial, and Jenna saw that. But she was about to remedy that.

"Okay…I'll offer this Red-Eyes, equipped with Metalmorph, as a tribute to Special Summon a new monster from my deck – the Red-Eyes Black Metal Dragon (ATK 2800, DEF 2400)!" Jenna declared. In turn, the Red-Eyes on the field disappeared…and then, in its place stood a black dragon that truly looked like a machine.

"All right! Now my Black Metal Dragon can compete with your Archlord Zerato!" Jenna informed Kyo, now smiling sweetly. "Now, my dragon, destroy the last Mystical Shine Ball!"

The Black Metal Dragon charged up its attack, then releasing it in a ball of flame, utterly destroying the pure ball of light. "I may not be able to damage your life points," Jenna remarked, "but at least I can destroy your monsters, one by one!"

"Well done, Jenna," said Kyo. "You've played well…but I will win this duel, nonetheless! Allow me to show you how!"

He drew his next card, giving him three in total, and yet again Marie of the Fallen One in his Graveyard gave him 200 more life points to put him at 3300. "Now, then…I'll remove two Light monsters in my Graveyard from play to Special Summon another Fairy – the Soul of Purity and Light (ATK 2000, DEF 1800), in Attack Mode!" And then a transparent angel appeared on the field.

Kyo then, quite ominously, held up one of the two remaining cards in his hand. "Now, allow me to show you the real power of the Sanctuary in the Sky! Archlord Zerato, activate your special effect!"

The Sanctuary began to shine, its light glowing on Archlord Zerato. "If the Sanctuary in the Sky is on the field," said Kyo, holding up the card in his hand for Jenna to see, "by discarding one Light monster from my hand, I can have Archlord Zerato destroy every monster on your side of the field!"

Jenna stared in horror. "Oh, hell, no!"

"Archlord Zerato, use your power and destroy the Red-Eyes Black Metal Dragon!" Kyo ordered. Again, Archlord Zerato pulled out his sword and created light-blades, cutting the Black Metal Dragon into ribbons.

"And now, it ends." Kyo touched his glasses with feeling. "Don't worry, Jenna. At least you played it smart, up to the very end. And…I know you wanted to be the one to face Marcus, but I'll take him out for both of us…and for Miki."

Jenna smiled, and lowering her head, she closed her eyes. "It's all right, Kyo. You proved to be the better duelist today. Do what you have to do."

Kyo nodded. "Archlord Zerato, Venus, and Soul of Purity – attack her directly!"

All three monsters pulled out their weapons and rushed at Jenna. She flinched, knowing what was coming…

…and she felt nothing. "Huh?" Opening her eyes slightly, she saw something astonishing. All three monsters' weapons were only inches away from her, even as her life points dropped to 0…

…but none of them had touched her. "Why…?"

Kyo smiled knowingly. "Because you're my friend."

On the sidelines, Yugo couldn't help but smile. _These two…_

Kaiba smirked. _Even in victory, he still has a merciful heart…definitely like his father…_

The other duelists, who had been watching the match, all had their own reactions to the win. Wade was smiling brightly; Flora was nodding with approval; Blaze, arms folded, smirked a little; and Marcus just looked to one side like he didn't care – and in fact, he didn't.

"Winner of the fourth duel: Kyo Bakura!" Roland announced.

----------

OUTSIDE KAIBACORP

"Congratulations, Bakura," said Mr. Muto warmly. "Your son has advanced."

"Yes…both our sons have," said Mr. Bakura.

"Things should get very interesting from here on out," Grandma nodded.

----------

**_neomage:_** All right! The preliminary duels are finally finished, and soon the finals of the Kaibacorp Challenge Cup will begin! And, personally, I can't wait to finish this first saga, because I've got ideas swelling in my poor brain, and it's gonna explode! O.O But in the meantime, just keep reviewing, everyone!


	20. Chapter 20

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Recapping the disclaimer in today's chapter, ahem… "Yu-Gi-Oh is the property of Kazuki Takahashi. This fanfic, the new characters in it, and several of the real-life cards portrayed are the property of neomage.")

**CHAPTER 20**

KAIBACORP DUELING ROOM

In a few minutes Kyo and Jenna were off the platform, and Kaiba was up there, looking quite pleased. "Duelists who have won the first four matches, congratulations on making it this far into the Kaibacorp Challenge Cup," he spoke up. "The next round of the tournament will not be held in this room, however – rather, they will be held at another location."

"Another location?" Blaze asked. "Where?"

Kaiba smirked. "On the very top of Kaibacorp's building."

"Really, are you serious?" Kyo asked, showing the surprise he rarely did.

"I say it provides a more…exciting feel to it, instead of being cooped up in this room, don't you think?" Kaiba remarked, grinning slyly.

"Doesn't matter to me," Marcus grumbled.

"Well, anyway, you all have the next hour to restructure your decks as you find necessary," Kaiba informed them. "At the appointed time, those who are to duel will follow Roland to the roof, where further instructions will be given. Until then…" And he turned and walked away.

"So, guys, now what?" asked Yugo.

Jenna looked toward the exit. "If it's okay with you guys, I'd like to go to the medical ward. I want to check up on Miki."

Yugo and Kyo sobered at this. "Yeah," said Kyo quietly.

----------

KAIBACORP MEDICAL WARD, FIFTEEN MINUTES LATER

Some moments later, the trio was in Miki's room, where the medic was hovering over the young girl's bed. "Doc, how is she?" Jenna asked.

"Well, she's improved a little, but up to now she still hasn't regained consciousness," the medic confessed.

"May we be alone with her?" Kyo asked.

The medic could see the concern etched into their faces. "Well, fine. Just don't stay too long, understand?" And with that, she left the room.

Jenna sat on the only chair in the room, beside Miki's bed. "Miki…" she whispered, taking her cousin's hand in between her own. "I'm sorry…I lost in this tournament, too…but…at least Yugo and Kyo have advanced."

"Yeah, girl," said Yugo gently, patting Miki's forehead lightly. "And as for that Marcus guy…I'm not sure which of us will get to face him, or even if we'll get to duel him at all, but…if we do get him as our next opponent, we'll make him pay for what he's done to you. I swear it."

Kyo sighed. "Guys…um…could you excuse me? What I have to say to Miki is for her alone."

"Huh? What're you talking about?" Jenna asked, surprised. "Whatever you have to say to Miki, you can say in front of us! Right, Yugo?"

But Yugo shook his head gravely. "Jenna…he needs to do this. Let's give him space." And taking her by the arm, he gently ushered her out of the room, leaving Kyo alone with Miki.

Kyo sighed. Removing his glasses, he sat down in the seat where Jenna had previously been sitting and took Miki's hand in his own.

"Miki," he spoke up. "I don't even know where to start with this, so, please bear with me, okay?" He paused. "I have a bit of a confession to make. Uh…well…I…I just want you to know…that I really, really think you're a special person…" He lowered his eyes. "…and…I really, really like you."

He looked down at her face. _So angelic…so peaceful…_ "I know that…it's only been a month or so since we first met, but…I just want you to know that, as far as I'm concerned, you're the sweetest, most beautiful girl I've ever met." He squeezed his eyes shut to fight against the tears. "And…to see you in your duel…I was so proud of you, of the way you played…and you just didn't deserve to be beaten like that!" He reopened his eyes. "I wish you could be awake, Miki…to see me duel in the next round…I wish you could see me…" He closed his eyes again and lowered his head on the bed, beginning to sob.

A gentle hand on the top of his head caught his attention. Looking up, he at once saw who the hand belonged to. "Miki…?"

Her eyes were half-open, but on her lips was a gentle smile. "Just as I thought," she whispered. "You…you're a whole lot cuter without the glasses."

Kyo blushed madly. "Miki…you…heard everything I was saying…?"

"I heard enough." Her hand gently caressed his locks. "Kyo…you're a really great guy, and…I like you, too." Her fingers went to his cheek; Kyo blushed even more and swore that he was going burn to ashes right there. "I always did think you were something special, but…I was a little afraid to say anything." Then her smile slowly turned upside down and she looked away. "And the duel…I'm sorry…"

"No, don't be sorry," Kyo urged her. He held her chin in between thumb and forefinger and gently turned her face to his. "You did good, Miki…I think you would've won. We all think you would have."

Miki smiled again. "That means a lot to me, Kyo. Thank you."

Then she became serious again. "Could I…see the cards in your deck…?"

That caught Kyo by surprise. "Ah…yeah." He took his deck out of his pocket and handed it to Miki.

She thumbed through carefully, looking at each card in turn. "I see…so your deck is filled with Fairy-type monsters."

"Yeah, well…it's actually kinda embarrassing…must be a girly deck, huh?" Kyo chuckled.

"No…actually, I think it's a good deck you have here." Miki smiled at him. "I may not be as much of an expert on the subject as you guys are, but…this deck…these cards…they're strong…but at the same time, they're pure…just like you…"

Kyo was now red as an overripe tomato.

Miki looked at the cards again. Then she paused and looked at one in particular. "Mudora (ATK 1500, DEF 1800)…?" she asked.

"Uh…yeah…what about it?" Kyo asked, curious.

As Kyo watched, Miki slowly pulled the card out of the deck and looked at it for the longest time. Then, she brought it to her lips and gave it a kiss. This gesture astonished Kyo considerably. _WHOA!_

Then she handed it back to him. "When you play that card, you can always think of me," she whispered. Then she did something else – leaning forward, she planted a gentle kiss on Kyo's flaming hot cheek. "And that's a little extra something for good luck."

Kyo touched his cheek in wonder. "Thanks, Miki. THAT means a lot to me."

"Okay, you two, enough with the mushy stuff!" said a harsh voice. Turning, both looked up to see Yugo and Jenna in the doorway, arms folded with authority.

"Ack! How long have you been there?" Kyo asked in bewilderment, sweating bullets.

"Long enough!" Yugo walked over and caught Kyo around the neck in a tight arm-lock, mercilessly rubbing his knuckles into his friend's scalp. "Kyo's got a girlfriend! Kyo's got a girlfriend!" Yugo teased in singsong.

Jenna, meanwhile was hugging her cousin tightly around the neck. "Glad to have you back with us, you scamp!" she exclaimed. Then her voice became more sentimental. "You…really had me worried there, cousin…"

"I'm sorry," Miki apologized.

"Well, never mind! You're out of harm's way, and that's what counts!" Jenna gave Miki another squeeze.

Miki's eyes widened and she turned blue as she gasped for air. "Jenna…can't breathe…need…oxygen…" she managed to choke out.

"Oh! Sorry!" Jenna apologized quickly, finally releasing Miki.

Yugo, on the other hand, was still torturing Kyo. "So, did widdle Kyo bwush wike a big baby?" he teased in baby-talk.

"C'mon, dude, you're embarrassing me!" Kyo gasped out. Jenna and Miki just looked on, amused.

"HEY! What's going on in here?" another voice demanded. Looking up, all four turned red and sweated upon seeing the medic at the door, an authoritative scowl on her face.

----------

THE WHEELERS' HOUSE, FIFTEEN MINUTES LATER

The telephone rang, and Mrs. Wheeler, looking out the window at the sky, hurried inside to answer it. "Wheeler residence," she spoke.

"Mom, it's Jenna!" the voice on the other end sounded extremely excited. "Miki's fine now! She just woke up from unconsciousness, and the medic's given her a clean bill of health!"

"Oh, that's so wonderful!" Mrs. Wheeler cried excitedly. "I have to tell your father and uncle! This is just so great!"

She set the phone down and called out, "Joey! Tristan! Jenna's on the phone!"

The two men came in from the living room, where they'd been watching the rest of the duels. "We know, we know," said Mr. Taylor half-heartedly. "Yugo won his match, and so did Kyo. We saw it on TV."

"Not that, idiot!" Mrs. Wheeler scolded him. "Miki's recovered from the aftereffects of her duel!"

Mr. Taylor instantly zipped to the phone and grabbed the receiver. "Jenna, are you still there?" he gasped. "Is Miki really going to be okay?"

"She's gonna be just fine, Uncle Tristan. No need to worry – the medic's giving her a checkup right now to make sure of things."

Mr. Wheeler put his face close to the phone. "Hey, honey, Daddy here," he spoke. "Tell Yugo and Kyo congrats for winning the first round. And…you did a good job, too. I'm proud of you."

"I'm sorry I didn't win, Dad," Jenna sighed.

"Nonsense! We can't win everything all the time, can we? Anyway, we're gonna be watching the rest of the matches here at home, and we'll be rootin' for you guys for sure!"

"Thanks, Dad. Bye, you guys!" And with that Jenna hung up.

"My baby girl's going to be okay…" Mr. Taylor was crying waterfalls.

"Man, Tristan, get a grip!" Mr. Wheeler grabbed his brother-in-law and shook him.

Mrs. Wheeler shook her head and was just hanging up the phone when it suddenly started ringing again. "Huh? That was weird," she muttered as she answered it. "Wheeler residence."

"Mai, it's Yugi," Mr. Muto's voice came on the line. "I'm in front of Kaibacorp's building right now, and you'll never guess who's here with me!"

"Huh? Who?"

"Bakura! He's back in town!"

Mrs. Wheeler nearly dropped the phone. "Bakura's back? That's really good news!"

"What's that? Bakura's returned?" Mr. Wheeler and Mr. Taylor asked simultaneously, their faces lighting up.

"If you guys wanna see him, come to the entrance of Kaibacorp," Mr. Muto informed them. "We'll still be here, watching the rest of the duels on the big-screen!"

"Okay! We'll head over soon! See you then, dear!" And Mrs. Wheeler hung up. "What're you two idiots waiting for? Grab your coats and let's hurry and go!"

"YEAH!" Mr. Taylor and Mr. Wheeler rushed to find their coats.

----------

KAIBACORP DUELING ROOM, HALF AN HOUR LATER

"So…things are turning out for the best, after all," Kyo remarked, a smile on his face.

"Quite so!" Yugo agreed.

The two were waiting in the dueling room for the instructions that they would receive from Roland. "Man, I can't wait for the duels to start again," Yugo remarked. "Soon, very soon…"

"Very soon, what?" asked Kyo. "You'll spend all that prize money on banana splits, hamburgers and malt shakes? Is that it?"

"No, not that!" Yugo snapped. "It's just…" He became reflective. "This opportunity…a chance to duel Seta again…I wonder how strong he's gotten since the last time?"

Kyo chuckled. "You're really happy about this, aren't you? Getting the chance to face off against your rival again…but don't forget, you've got a few other competitors who'd rather burn their hair than let you take that chance away from them."

"Like you, right?" Yugo asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah. I may as well say it. Yeah, like me." Kyo sighed. "But listen, Yugo…if you and I do meet up in the tournament, let's do our best, no matter who ends up winning, okay? I want to know that I'm facing off against a guy who can put his cards to good use."

Yugo grinned and nodded. "Yeah, Kyo. And…I'd like to duel you, too, if it comes to that. But first there are those other two…Blaze…"

"…and Marcus." Kyo's tone turned venomous at the mention of that man's name. "Somebody needs to bitch-slap that punk into next year for what he did to Miki."

Yugo looked long and hard at Kyo. "You want to know what I think? I think that, of all of us here, you're probably the best person for the job."

Kyo almost burst out laughing. "You think so?"

"Yes. I mean, I hope I get to him and clean his clock, but…I would much rather that you be the one to fight him. You've got more personal issues with him than I do." Yugo's face was grave. "And besides, too…there's something I need to know about Blaze. What it is that motivates her…Miki was right about her, you know. Something is definitely bothering Blaze. I've been seeing it ever since her duel against Wade Ocean."

Just at that moment Blaze walked in from one direction, and Marcus from another. "Well, I take it you guys are ready for the next part of the tournament?" Blaze asked.

"You bet!" Yugo replied.

Marcus snorted with contempt. "Beginner's luck…that's the only thing that's been working for you guys. But, the buck stops here."

"Wanna say that again?" Yugo asked threateningly.

"Duelists!" All four turned to see Roland, looking very official. "If you'll come with me, please…?" He turned and left the room, and the four followed after him.

----------

Not far away, in another room, Wade, Flora, Jenna and Miki were seated together. "Man, it's not fair that we can't go up there to watch," Wade complained.

"Oh, well, not everything in life goes exactly as you hope," Flora reasoned. "At least there's a TV in here so we can watch the duels."

"Wow," Jenna murmured.

"Yugo…Kyo…" Miki whispered, silently praying for their safety.

----------

KAIBACORP ROOFTOP, MOMENTS LATER

The group at length arrived on the rooftop, where Kaiba was waiting. Behind him was a platform where the duels would play themselves out, and above that were several large cameras, carefully positioned. "Welcome, duelists, to the second part of the Kaibacorp Challenge Cup," he greeted them. "This is where you will continue the dueling to determine which two of you will face off for the right to face the champion in the final match. Roland…?"

"Yes, sir." Roland looked at the four duelists. "Now, the duelists who will face off against each other at this time are…"

He paused. All four waited.

"Kyo Bakura and Marcus Ironside!"

Kyo's eyes widened. Then, slowly, he turned to look at his opponent. Marcus was just standing there, arms folded, returning the glare.

_You silver-haired piece of shit…I'll make you pay for what you did to Miki!_

"Duelists! To the platform, at once!"

Without a word, Marcus and Kyo turned and headed toward the dueling platform. Yugo watched as Kyo walked off, his fists tightly clenched. "This is going to be trouble…"

Kaiba chuckled to himself. He knew that this was going to be more than just a duel to advance somebody in the tournament…this was going to be a duel of revenge. _Only question is now, even with his skill, how will Kyo fare against a seasoned player like Marcus…?_

The answer to that question would soon be revealed.

----------

**_neomage:_** Yay! Miki's back! You didn't really think I was just going to LET her stay in limbo, did you? Shame on you! She's Serenity's daughter, and I just LOVE Serenity! And now…it's a grudge match! Kyo vs. Marcus! The Fairy deck vs. the Machine Deck! Which will triumph!


	21. Chapter 21

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: NO MORE BUTCHERING OF GOOD SHOWS! NO MORE BUTCHERING OF GOOD SHOWS! NO MORE – huh? We're on live? Oh, uh…ahem. Yu-Gi-Oh does not belong to neomage. .;;;)

**CHAPTER 21**

OUTSIDE KAIBACORP

"Well, it seems all of your friends will be together again in one place, eh, Yugi?" Grandma remarked.

"It's been a good long while," Mr. Muto agreed.

Presently Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler and Mr. Taylor walked up. "Hey, Yug, been a while, eh?" Mr. Wheeler greeted his old friend. "And Bakura! Good to see ya, buddy!"

"Hello, everyone," said Mr. Bakura politely.

Mrs. Wheeler looked around. "Hey, Ryou honey, where's the missus? Shouldn't she be here?"

"Don't worry – we already phoned her," Mr. Muto assured her. "She should be here shortly, too…"

A car horn behind the group caused them all to turn in surprise. "Hi, everyone!" Mrs. Bakura called in a chirpy voice. "Great to see everybody again!"

"Hey there!" Mr. Wheeler and Mr. Taylor called out.

Mrs. Bakura parked the car properly, then got out and hugged everyone, giving an extra-special one to her husband. "It's so good to see you after so long, dear," she whispered.

"You, too, honey," he replied.

"Hey, you two, save the mushy stuff for later! Your son's about to duel!" Mr. Taylor announced.

The Bakuras broke their embrace for a moment and looked up at the big-screen, where Kyo was shown about to duel Marcus Ironside. "So it is!" exclaimed Mr. Bakura.

"You go get him, son!" Mrs. Bakura called out. The others sweated when they heard this – she truly hadn't lost her hyperactivity, even into her middle life.

----------

KAIBACORP ROOFTOP

"So…I get to duel you, girly-boy?" Marcus jeered him. "I was watching your duel earlier. You use angel monsters…angel monsters – hmph! Only one of three types of men would use such sissy stuff – a wimp, a loser, or a fag. Hey – maybe you're all three!"

Kyo said nothing. Marcus decided to take the insults to another level.

"Oh, I get it – you're thinking of how I smashed the little amateur slut in my last duel, aren't you? And you've been scared shitless, and now you're wishing you didn't have to duel against me? Well, I can't say I blame you – sissy-fag-boy!"

Blaze stared in disbelief. "Jeez…when Marcus decides to insult somebody, he sure likes to go all-out…"

Then Kyo slowly raised his hand to his face and took off his glasses. "Watch the glasses," he said in a dead voice as he dropped them to the ground.

Yugo saw this – and immediately his eyes widened in horror. _Oh, SHIT, no…!_

The glasses seemed to fall in slow motion, right up to the moment when they almost hit the ground – and just at that moment Kyo raised his foot and stamped down hard, crushing them and sending glass fragments flying everywhere. He ground his heel into the spot where he'd stomped on the glasses; when he lifted his foot again, all that remained was a very crushed frame.

Even Kaiba was astonished. "Destroying his own glasses like that…in such a violent way…is he trying to send a message across…?"

Kyo's brow was knitted severely, his eyes narrowed into vicious-looking slits. Then he spoke, and his tone was like sub-zero frost. "When I'm done with you," he vowed, pointing to his broken glasses, "you're gonna be looking like _**that**."_

----------

"Oh, damn, oh, damn, oh, damn, oh, damn…" Jenna whispered over and over.

"Huh? Sweetie, what's wrong?" Flora asked, concerned.

"Oh, for the love of God…Marcus made Kyo crush his own glasses…you should NEVER make Kyo even take off his glasses, let alone crush them like that…" Jenna's face was a picture of real fright.

"You're scaring me, Jenna," Miki said in a tiny voice.

"What's the big deal?" Wade asked.

Jenna looked directly at him. "Just this: if Kyo takes off his glasses and destroys them, right before any confrontation, it means one thing and one thing only – if you don't end up in a body bag, you'll wish you had."

"…what…?" Flora asked, wide-eyed.

"Kyo…violent…? That can't be right!" Miki protested.

"Under normal circumstances, he's so peaceful he wouldn't even swat a mosquito," Jenna explained. "And even when he plays Duel Monsters, he knows how to play with sportsmanship conduct. But…"

----------

"…there's one thing Kyo will never tolerate, EVER: anybody who takes their insults one step too far, especially when the insult is about someone he cares about," Yugo recalled. "Usually he knows how to take insults and be a man, but…when you go the extra mile, he'll really go postal on your ass."

"And you've seen evidence of this?" Blaze asked, disbelieving.

"Yeah." Yugo shuddered at the memory in his mind. "Last year, our class had this guy who was a pain and got on everybody's nerves every hour of the day. This guy – he made fun of Kyo lots of times, teasing him about everything…his clothes, his glasses, his habits – everything, and I mean everything. Kyo just took it all with a straight face, never fought back, not even when the guy left a whole lot of scandalous notes about Kyo everywhere on the campus…"

"And?" Blaze prompted.

"Well…things came to a head one afternoon," Yugo told her. "It was Kyo's mother's birthday, and he'd just finished making a watercolor painting in the art room to take home to her. Next thing you know, just as we were all there complimenting and commenting on the painting, the guy walked in, grabbed the canvas and ripped the whole thing apart, saying only a sissy or a mama's boy makes girly presents for his mom."

"I see," said Blaze. "What did Kyo do?"

Yugo flinched. "He…he took off his glasses, said, 'I've had it with your shit,' then picked up a crowbar that had been laying near the teacher's desk, and…well…he let the guy have it all. And all the time, he was crying…crying because his mother's present had been so recklessly destroyed…and that he had to resort to this…"

----------

"…" Flora, Wade and Miki stared at Jenna in shock as she related the tale.

"By the time Kyo finally stopped hitting him," Jenna revealed, "the guy had a broken jaw, a fractured arm, six split ribs and a splintered kneecap. And lots of bruises everywhere." She winced at the recollection.

"…my God…" Miki's hand went to her mouth in horror.

"Kyo got suspended for two weeks after that…they would've expelled him, if not for the fact that that particular guy was a known troublemaker and lots of complaints had previously been lodged against him by both students and teachers. But Kyo's folks had to pay for the guy's medical costs, and they settled out of court with his folks…" Jenna sighed sadly. "It was heartache for everyone."

"Have there been any other incidents since that one?" Wade asked worriedly.

"Thankfully, no," Jena answered. "All the bullies at school steered clear of Kyo after he came back to school, and it's been that way ever since. Nobody messes with Kyo, his family or his friends, or else they know they're going to get it. Still…Kyo's been filled with guilt ever since the incident. He used to keep on talking about how he almost killed the guy over a simple painting…he doesn't talk about it very much anymore these days, because it's too painful a recollection for him…"

Jenna paused. "I think the thing that hurt him the most about what happened was the anguish he ended up putting his mom and dad through. So, to prevent anything of the sort from ever happening again, he developed that little warning signal: he takes off his glasses and crushes it under his foot. So far, anybody who's seen him do that has gotten the message in a hurry, but…" She flashed a sickly worried glance at the screen. "Something tells me that, since he's doing that now after so long, he might not show any mercy at all to Marcus…"

Miki hung her head. "And he's doing that because of me…" she whispered.

----------

Marcus merely grinned. "Is that supposed to frighten me?"

Kyo spat to the side. "Talk all you want, but know this: You have been warned."

The coin appeared on the field at that moment. "I choose tails!" Marcus called. The coin was flipped…and it came down as heads.

"Oh, well," Marcus shrugged it off. "You can go first, pal."

Kyo drew six cards, then looked at his hand. "I'll set two cards facedown, and then I'll summon Zolga (ATK 1700, DEF 1200) in Attack Mode!" A moment later a mage wearing a purple robe and floating above the ground appeared on the field.

"Fine, then! My turn!" Marcus drew his card. "I'll set one monster in Defense Mode, and end my turn!"

Kyo drew another card, and his tone became even more poisonous. "Now I activate my first trap card, The Eye of Truth!" A moment later an elaborately designed eye appeared on his side of the field.

"What's THAT?" asked Marcus.

"As long as this trap remains face-up," said Kyo, "you have to reveal your hand; and if you have any Magic cards in your hand during your Standby Phase, you get 1000 points added to your life points."

"Hmmm…sounds bittersweet, but increasing my life points – I guess I can live with that," Marcus shrugged.

"Bittersweet? It's about to become simply bitter!" Kyo snapped. "Now I activate my other trap card, Bad Reaction to Simochi!"

Suddenly brown fog began to creep all over the field. "As long as _this_ card remains active," said Kyo, "the act of increasing your life points is reversed and, instead, you get damage done to your life points. So, instead of increasing your life points with the Eye of Truth's effect, Bad Reaction to Simochi decreases your life points by 1000 during your Standby Phases if you have Magic cards in your hand!"

Marcus's eyes widened in alarm. "Holy SHIT!"

"Now, then…let's see the cards you're holding," Kyo instructed him.

Scowling fiercely, Marcus held up his hand for Kyo to see. He was holding two 7 Completed magic cards, the Pot of Greed magic card, the Time Machine trap card, and Spikebot (ATK 1800, DEF 1700). "I'm gonna pay you back for this, punk!" Marcus threatened.

"Well, just hold on now – I'm not done yet," countered Kyo. "Now, I'll offer Zolga as a tribute to summon a different monster: The Agent of Judgment – Saturn (ATK 2400, DEF 0)!"

A winged angel immediately appeared on the field, with pure light in his palms – and just then, Kyo's life points shot up to 10,000! "Zolga's effect," he explained. "Whosoever controls Zolga and offers him as a tribute for a successful Tribute Summon or Set can increase their life points by 2000. And now – Saturn, destroy his facedown monster!"

With that command given, Saturn fired his pure light energy, destroying the monster and revealing it to be the Battle Footballer (ATK 1000, DEF 2100), a gridiron cyborg. "All right, now I'll end my turn," Kyo announced. "Give me your best shot…asshole."

Marcus muttered curses under his breath as he drew his next card, which proved to be the Acrobat Monkey (ATK 1000, DEF 1800) – and he grimaced as the Eye of Truth and Bad Reaction trap cards together sapped his life points, putting him at 7000 life points. _Shit…if this guy can see my cards with that trap card, that means he can predict my strategies! And that Bad Reaction to Simochi trap isn't making this any better, either…I have to do something, but – what?_

He sighed. He may as well try something. He didn't know what cards Kyo might be holding, but at the same time he wasn't about to abandon every strategy he knew just because this kid had pulled a lucky move on him. "All right! I'll set this monster in Defense Mode, set this card facedown, and end my turn!"

But Kyo just chuckled. "Your Acrobat Monkey in Defense Mode and the Time Machine trap card facedown," he spoke up. "I know what you're trying to pull. You expect me to attack your monster and destroy it, then you'll use your Time Machine to bring it back to the field, and then tribute it for your Spikebot, which you'll then equip with your 7 Completed cards. That's just too simple a strategy, Marcus…and I've broken it."

Marcus's eyes widened in outrage. **_DAMN YOU!_**

Kaiba smiled, seeing the panic on Marcus's face. "The cool, reserved Marcus Ironside has been unnerved by two simple cards owned by a newcomer," he shook his head. "Now, if anything is more embarrassing than this, then please show it to me."

Kyo drew his next card. "All right then…I'll set another card facedown, and end my turn. I'm not going to play your little game."

Marcus drew his card – and winced as the two trap cards again sapped his life points, putting him at 6000. Reluctantly he showed the card he'd just drawn – Cyber Falcon (ATK 1400, DEF 1200). "Now, you're gonna pay for your little stunt, you bastard!" he said wrathfully. "For now, I'm going to summon Cyber Falcon to the field!"

Moments later a jet-powered hawk appeared on the field. "Then, I'll equip him with both of my 7 Completed cards – to increase his ATK to a full 2800!"

"Not quite right, Mac," Kyo snorted scornfully. "For I activate the magic of the card I set facedown just now, Mystical Space Typhoon, to destroy one of your 7 Completed cards!" And as he played the card from his hand, a huge typhoon appeared on the field and destroyed one of the 7 Completed cards, reducing Cyber Falcon's ATK to 2100.

"Oh, for Christ's sake!" Marcus cursed.

"No, no, no…don't be carrying on like that, you naughty little shit-face," Kyo reproved him, wagging a disapproving finger.

"Man…Kyo surely isn't giving Marcus any chances, is he?" Blaze asked, wonder in her voice.

"I'll say," Yugo agreed. "Kyo really means business."

"Well, you can't really _do_ anything else, so…do you end your turn?" Kyo goaded Marcus.

"Yes! Yes, I do, you little windbag!" Marcus rasped.

Kyo now grinned and drew another card – and then the smile disappeared. "So, Marcus," he informed his opponent, "it would seem that the judgment of the heavens is really coming for you, eh? For I have something in my hand that'll spell the end for you!"

Marcus looked up in utter astonishment. _As if he hasn't done enough already…_

Kyo was now holding four cards in his hand. He held up one of them and said, "You know this card, Marcus – I used it in my last duel against Jenna! Now, say hello to the judgment of heaven, coming from the Sanctuary in the Sky!"

He played the card; moments later the familiar castle appeared, hovering overhead, as a somewhat holy light shone down on both of them. "And next," Kyo went on, "I'm going to summon another monster! You've seen my first heavenly agent, the Agent of Creation – Venus; and you just got acquainted with my second heavenly agent, the Agent of Judgment – Saturn…now, prepare to meet the third of my four agents, the Agent of Force – Mars (ATK 0, DEF 0)!"

In a moment an angel clad in red robes and carrying a war hammer appeared beside Saturn. But Marcus took one look at his stats and laughed out loud. "That guy is supposed to frighten me, because…why?"

"Because, when the Sanctuary in the Sky is on the field, and my life points are higher than yours, the Agent of Force's ATK and DEF are increased by the difference between our life points…and if I remember correctly, you have 6000 life points, and I have 10,000…and 10,000 minus 6000 equals…"

Marcus's jaw dropped as the realization sank in. "He…he gets 4000 ATK and 4000 DEF!"

"Exactly right! And now…" Kyo held up another card and played it. "I activate the power of the magic card, Fairy Meteor Crush! When a monster equipped with this card attacks a Defense Mode monster whose DEF is lower than the attacking monster's ATK, the difference is inflicted as Battle Damage to the defending player's life points! And I'm going to equip the Agent of Judgment – Saturn with this card!"

Instantly a red glow began to surround Saturn's body. "Now, Saturn! Attack and destroy the facedown card, Acrobat Monkey!"

Saturn flew forward, and with one swing of his shining weapon the facedown Acrobat Monkey was crushed to tiny metal pieces. Since Saturn's ATK was 2400 and the Monkey's DEF was 1800, Marcus suffered 600 points of damage, reducing him to 5400 life points. Then, as Mars attacked and slammed his hammer into the Cyber Falcon, Marcus suffered another 1900 points of damage, leaving him with 3500 life points.

But just as Cyber Falcon was destroyed, Marcus decided that enough was enough. "Fine! I activate my trap card, Time Machine, to return Cyber Falcon right back to the field in the same Battle Position he was in!" And one moment later the metallic bird appeared, screeching in fury.

"It'll soon be over, anyway," Kyo shook his head. "You may as well call it quits."

"Marcus Ironside NEVER QUITS!" Marcus exploded as he drew his card, grimacing in pain as Bad Reaction to Simochi robbed him of yet another 1000 life points, leaving him with just 2500. But when he looked at the card he'd just drawn…he chuckled…then snickered…then laughed uproariously.

"Hey, angel-boy, look at this! This card will signal your doom!" And he held it up for Kyo to see. Kyo's eyes widened in surprise when he saw what it was – Jinzo (ATK 2400, DEF 1500)!

"Oh, hell, no! Not Jinzo!" he cried.

"Oh, yes! Now your traps will become useless!" Marcus roared triumphantly as he sacrificed the Cyber Falcon to summon the monster. In a moment Jinzo appeared on the field, its ugly mask glaring at Kyo. At the same time, much to Kyo's chagrin, the effects of the Eye of Truth and Bad Reaction to Simochi were negated!

Hiding his hand once more, Marcus pulled out one card. "Now, I'll activate the Pot of Greed card, to draw two more cards from my deck!" And he played the card, drawing two cards as he'd said.

Then, taking a good look at his new cards, Marcus chuckled. "All right, then, girly-boy, prepare yourself! First, I'll set one card facedown…" Which he did. "…and then, I'll equip Jinzo with the magic card, Amplifier!"

Kyo started. _Amplifier?_

A giant dome-shaped machine appeared on Jinzo's head. "Just what is that supposed to be?" asked Kyo suspiciously.

"You'll soon find out," said Marcus. And he sniggered evilly…

----------

**_neomage:_** Y'all thought Kyo was a saint, right? WRONG! Of course, I was debating with myself whether to give him such a violent past, but then I realized that if I edited it more than I did, I'd become like Kids WB (in yer faces, butchers of good work! ;D). Anyway, like it, hate it, just review and let me know! Uh…please…? -


	22. Chapter 22

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Kazuki Takahashi is the proud owner of Yu-Gi-Oh and all the rights to said show.)

**CHAPTER 22**

KAIBACORP ROOFTOP

On the rooftop of Kaibacorp's building, the duel between Kyo and Marcus continued to play itself out. Kyo was well in the lead with 10,000 life points, plus he had on his side of the field The Agent of Force – Mars and The Agent of Judgment – Saturn, equipped with Fairy Meteor Crush, along with the field magic of The Sanctuary in the Sky and the trap cards The Eye of Truth and Bad Reaction to Simochi, and in his hand he had one card. Marcus had 2500 life points, but on his side of the field he had Jinzo, whose effect was negating all the traps on the field, and who was also equipped with the magic card Amplifier; plus, he had one other card facedown on the field, and in his hand he had one card, which everyone else already knew was the monster card Spikebot (ATK 1800, DEF 1700).

"Excuse me, but…any idea what that Amplifier card is, Blaze?" asked Yugo.

Blaze shook her head. "I've never seen it before either, kid."

Kyo warily drew his next card. "Hmmm…well, I don't know what you think you're planning, but if that facedown card of yours is a trap, then you just set yourself up for defeat! Jinzo's effect destroys the effects of all traps on the field! Now, Mars, finish him off!"

Mars flew forward, hammer ready to deliver the finishing blow. But then Marcus suddenly laughed. "You fell for it! Activate the trap card, Mirror Force!"

"WHAT?" shouted everyone else present.

_Interesting,_ Kaiba mused.

Suddenly, as Mars's hammer came down, a gigantic mirror appeared to block the attack. The shockwave of the blow was so forceful, it not only blew Mars back – it also destroyed both him and Saturn!

----------

"That's not fair – that's cheating!" Jenna screamed out. "How could he activate a trap card? He had JINZO on the field, for God's sake! He shouldn't be able to use traps, either!"

"Hey – hold on a second," Wade said slowly. "Normally that is true, unless…that magic card he played…"

Miki looked intensely at the screen. "Hey, yeah, Wade, you're right – I can see that thing on Jinzo's head emitting some sort of force field around Marcus's magic/trap slot!"

"This is very bad," Flora muttered.

----------

"Do you care to explain yourself?" Kyo demanded angrily.

"Why, certainly, amateur." Marcus was obviously very pleased with himself. "You see, as long as Jinzo is equipped with Amplifier, my trap cards are kept safe from his effect of destroying trap effects. So, now I can set and activate as many traps as I like, but you – you may as well not place any traps at all, because Jinzo's effect will still eliminate them!"

Kyo gritted his teeth. "Why, you…"

Marcus then drew his next card. "Cool! All right – I play the magic card, Graceful Charity! This will allow me to draw three cards, and then discard two from my hand!" And this he did, drawing his three cards and sending two to the Graveyard, so now he had two cards in his hand.

"And now, I'll activate the magic of Premature Burial, giving up 800 life points to return Spikebot from my Graveyard to my side of the field!" Marcus added, smirking.

He played the card from his hand, and as his life points went down to 1700 he brought forth a massive machine with spiked balls suspended by chains for arms. "You want damage? I'll give you damage, you jerk-off!" Marcus exploded. "Jinzo, give him a taste of your strength! Use your Psycho Shock!"

Jinzo charged up its attack and sent it directly at Kyo, who screamed in pain as it electrocuted him, dropping his life points to 7600.

"Okay, Spikebot, it's your turn! Windmill Flail!" Marcus ordered.

Rushing forward, Spikebot spun its two chains, making the spiked balls spin and hitting Kyo all over his body, reducing his life points further to 5800. "Had enough yet, rookie?" taunted Marcus. "Don't worry – I'll soon send you straight back to the amateur league where you really belong!"

----------

OUTSIDE KAIBACORP

"Ouchie…that had to hurt!" Mr. Wheeler flinched as Spikebot's ball-and-chain attack hit Kyo directly.

"And to think…he was just one turn away from winning this duel," Mrs. Bakura lamented. "Oh, poor Kyo…"

Mr. Bakura's face was very grave. "I'm just worried about what he did earlier – breaking his own glasses, I mean," he told the others. "That means he won't give an inch to anybody right now. Frankly, I fear what he could do, win or lose."

"You…you mean like what he did last year…?" Mr. Muto shuddered. He, and the other parents too, knew the story as well as their children did.

"I wouldn't be too worried," said Mrs. Wheeler quietly. "If I remember correctly, he's had to put himself through forced self-control ever since…that incident."

"Uh…I'm kinda lost here…what incident?" asked Mr. Taylor blankly.

"Oh, yeah…you weren't here when all that stuff went down," Mr. Wheeler recalled. "Well, I'll tell you about it…"

----------

KAIBACORP ROOFTOP

"I'm sorry, but losing here isn't part of my plans," Kyo said darkly. "I made a promise…and I don't intend to back out of it now!"

"A promise, huh?" remarked Marcus, amused. "Saying what? That you'd kick my ass as revenge for when I beat that little girl? Hmm, hmm, hmm…revenge is so sweet, isn't it? I guess I was wrong about you, after all, boy…you and I are a hell of a lot more alike than I first thought."

Kyo glared at him. "I am nothing like you!" he shouted.

"Oh, no?" Marcus countered. "Just looking at you, I know you're not a saint. I can see it in your eyes…you've got a dark, dirty past, and you've hurt people…just like I did…"

Kyo looked at Marcus, his eyes slowly widening.

"Let me tell you my story, kid," said Marcus. "When I was five years old, my dad was an Army man…and let me tell you, the horrors of what he saw on the battlefield day after day eventually drove him nuts. He got discharged, and from there he became a terror to my mom and me. Then, one day, he was drunk…and he killed her…"

Kyo gasped in horror. "My God…"

"…and then, he came after me, intent on doing me in, too," Marcus continued, in a monotone, his eyes slowly glazed over. "But I found his Beretta pistol on the kitchen counter…and I shot him…"

Yugo involuntarily took a step back. Blaze gulped. Roland, standing nearby, looked extremely uncomfortable. Even Kaiba blinked upon hearing this news.

"After that, I got bounced around from foster home to foster home…and every family I got into, was abusive…every day they told me that I was worthless, good-for-nothing, a loser…" Marcus chuckled. "After a while, I lost faith in everything and everyone. I no longer believe there is a God…I no longer believe in heaven or hell…when death comes for us, afterwards, there is only nothingness. You simply cease existing. That's my belief."

Kyo was sweating and shuddering in horror. _Such darkness in his heart…this guy's insane…!_

"I never forgot the abuse…I never forgot the pain," Marcus went on, now grinning in such an insane manner that Kyo grimaced just looking at him. "And I never forgot the promise I made, either…that one day, I'd get even with my dad for ruining my life. So, one day when I was 15, I escaped from the latest foster home I'd been put in, went back to my old house…and I found my dad, relaxing at home…and then I took a ratchet knife I had on me, and…" He made a throat-slitting motion with his finger, running it across his own neck ominously.

Kyo thought he was going to faint.

"So, I ended up in trouble again," Marcus added. "And then, the judge gave me a choice: I could spend the rest of my life in prison, or…I could join the army. Of course, I'm no fan of jail, so I picked the second option…I went all over the world. I've been places, I've seen things. Things that would make a man go crazy before his own time…just like my dad went crazy."

He looked directly at Kyo. "You've got some sort of guilt in your heart, too, don't you…? I can tell, just by looking at you. You did something some time ago, and now you walk around with the weight of that sin on your conscience, just as I have had to do…" Marcus closed his eyes. "Take it from me, kid. There is nobody you can put your trust in except yourself. Everything you do in life, is a war…a fight just to survive, to prove yourself worthy to live…even in a simple game like this, for me it isn't a game at all…it's a literal battle for _everything."_

Kyo didn't say anything for a long moment. He had his head held down, so that his eyes were overshadowed by his hair. "It's true," he said quietly. "I…I did something terrible, quite recently…and ever since that day, I've been living with a load of shame and guilt, never thinking I was worthy of being trusted or forgiven by anybody. I thought that there was nothing worth living for…"

Yugo looked at him with melancholy eyes. "Kyo…"

Kyo then straightened up. "Even so, my friends never gave up on me," he added. "Yugo and Jenna…they helped me get through my difficult times…helped me to heal…are still helping me heal…helping me realize that life IS worth something…that's it's not just a game of chance." He narrowed his eyes. "And Miki…if I understand her as well as I think I do, then I know that she'll accept me for who I am, mistakes and all…"

He reached into his pocket and, to Marcus's surprise, pulled out a pair of glasses and put them on. "As much as I'd hate to admit it, Marcus, I have to thank you. You just helped me understand the darkness I almost fell into…the same darkness you succumbed to so long ago. And now – I'll free you from that darkness in your heart and mind!"

Marcus stared at him. Then he laughed. "Kid…I'm not worth saving."

"Leave it to God to decide if you're worth saving or not. For now, I'll do what I can to ensure that you are." And he drew his card.

----------

"…Kyo…" Miki's eyes were filling with tears. "Your heart is a kind one, after all…"

"Of course," said Jenna warmly. "He always was a good guy…he just wouldn't let himself believe it for the longest time."

"So touching," whispered Flora, close to crying herself.

"That he'd go out of his way to say something like that to a creep like Marcus…it makes one think, you know?" remarked Wade, rubbing the back of his head.

Miki wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, and then made her decision. She stood up. "I'm going up there. I want to see him dueling up close."

"Yeah. I'll go with you." Jenna nodded. Then she turned to Wade and Flora. "Hey, you two coming?"

"Might as well," Wade shrugged. "There's no point in us staying here by ourselves."

"Shall we go then?" And Flora stood up and walked toward the door.

----------

Kyo now had 5800 life points; he now had three cards in hand since he'd just drawn; and on the field he had the Sanctuary in the Sky and, though face-up, his Eye of Truth and Bad Reaction to Simochi were still negated due to the presence of Marcus's Jinzo. Marcus himself still had 1700 life points, his Jinzo was equipped with the Amplifier card, and plus he had Spikebot on the field also, powered by the Premature Burial card, not to mention having one card in hand.

Watching the duel, Kaiba's mood was a reflective one. _That Kyo…seems he's a walking conscience…just like my brother was to me…_

Kyo studied the cards in his hand. "All right…now I play the magic card, Graceful Charity, to draw three cards, but then I must discard two." He played the card, drew three cards, and then discarded two from his hand to the Graveyard.

"Now, then! Since I used a card effect to draw this monster from my deck, I can Special Summon it to the field! Come out, Watapon (ATK 300, DEF 200), in Defense Mode!" A moment later a ball of cute fluff appeared on the field. Kyo then held up another card in his hand.

"And next, I'll summon the Mystical Shine Ball (ATK 500, DEF 500) to the field in Attack Mode!" And then he summoned one of the pure souls of light to float right next to Watapon.

"So…let me see if I have this correct," said Marcus. "You're playing a ball of light and a ball of fur to defend against my monsters' attacks? Well, then, you've already lost!"

Marcus drew his next card. As he looked at it, his eyes lit up, but he decided to bide his time. "Okay! Jinzo, destroy Watapon!"

Again Jinzo used its Psycho Shock, turning Watapon into a ball of frazzle before it disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"And now, Spikebot, crush the Mystical Shine Ball!" And this monster swung one of its heavy weapons at the Ball, smashing it into pieces. But Kyo suffered no damage, because the Sanctuary in the Sky was still on the field.

"I forgot about that card," Marcus grumbled. "But oh well. I'll just end my turn, then."

Kyo drew his next card and seemed to consider his options. "Well, well, well…I believe I'll use the Monster Reborn card to revive a monster I discarded when I played Graceful Charity earlier…the fourth of my agents: The Agent of Wisdom – Mercury (ATK 0, DEF 1700) in Defense Mode!"

A blue-clad angel appeared on the field, his wings around him in a shielding manner. But even then Kyo wasn't finished. "Next, I'll activate the Swords of Revealing Light, to paralyze your monsters for your next three turns!"

The three swords of light shot down from the sky and landed heavily onto the field, but Marcus wasn't perturbed. "Are you done?" he asked.

"Pretty much, yeah," Kyo admitted.

"Then, I shall take my turn!" Marcus drew another card, and now he smiled. "Well, well, well…now things are going to get very, very interesting! I'll set this card facedown, and then I'll end my turn!"

As the first of the three swords of light disappeared, Kyo drew another card – and then, to Marcus's astonishment, Kyo drew a second card. "Um…" Marcus raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, my second card draw?" said Kyo. "It's the effect of the Agent of Wisdom – Mercury. If I have no cards in my hand during your End Phase, I can draw a second card during my Standby Phase, after my Draw Phase is over."

He examined the two cards now in his hand. "Okay…I summon the Agent of Creation, Venus (ATK 1600, DEF 0) to the field!" And as the yellow-robed angel appeared: "And now, I'll use her effect! By paying 500 of my life points, I can Special Summon a Mystical Shine Ball from my deck to the field!" And just then a second ball of light appeared, in Defense Mode, as Kyo's life points went down to 5300.

But Marcus snorted. "Look, all you're doing is delaying your defeat! I'll just smash your monsters, take out your life points, and destroy you altogether…" He glared up at the Sanctuary in the Sky. "Sanctuary or no Sanctuary, your life points won't stay protected from me forever!"

Kyo would not budge, however. "I said I was going to save you from your own dark heart, Marcus," he said softly, "and that's just what I intend to do. Just as I have been spared the agony of enduring my guilt any longer, so will I help you."

"Whatever." Marcus drew another card. Then he paused.

Kyo looked at him expectantly. "Well?"

Slowly a grin came over Marcus's face. "Hey, four-eyes," he addressed Kyo, "it's time…for you…to die!"

He held up a card in his hand. "Now, I activate the magic of Monster Reborn, to revive _your _Zolga to my side of the field!" And as he played the card, a moment later Zolga reappeared on his side.

"I saw how you used this monster earlier – well, I think it's time for me to use him for my own purposes!" Marcus declared, laughing. "Now, I'm going to tribute both Zolga and Spikebot to summon a new monster – Zoa (ATK 2600, DEF 1900)!"

Zolga and Spikebot immediately disintegrated into thin air, as did the Premature Burial card powering Spikebot; as Zolga was returned to Kyo's Graveyard and its effect gave Marcus an additional 2000 life points to put him at 3700, a massive blue-furred monster emerged on his side of the field, right next to Jinzo. Kyo stared at it with surprise. "Huh? Zoa's a Fiend-type monster…what's a machine user doing with something like THAT?"

"You're about to find out!" said Marcus. "For now I activate my facedown trap card, Metalmorph, and equip it to Zoa!"

As Zoa became covered with sheets of uneven metal, Kyo's eyes widened in sudden realization. _Is he planning to…!_

"Now, then!" Marcus continued. "Now I offer my Zoa, equipped with Metalmorph, to Special Summon a new monster from my deck – say hello to Metalzoa (ATK 3000, DEF 2300)!"

The metal on Zoa's body turned dark blue and started to shift until it fit the monster better. Now…the transformation was perfectly complete. Kyo stared at it in astonishment. "Wow…" he muttered.

----------

**_neomage:_** No, I do not support Marcus's way of thinking, but I did it this way to strengthen the type of character I wanted to portray him as. Lovely people, I do believe there is indeed a God, whether you call him Jehovah, Allah, or Yahweh. In addition, I want to take this time to thank everyone who has reviewed the story up to this point.

So that's it, everybody! Keep reading and reviewing!

UPDATED 09/08/2005: Had to go back and rework this chapter slightly after reading up on some card effects. Sorry for my mistake, and please continue reading.


	23. Chapter 23

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Uh…um…let's just say…the franchise isn't mine!)

**CHAPTER 23**

KAIBACORP ROOFTOP

Kyo's life points were still at 5800; he was holding one card in hand; and on the field, defending his life points, he had the Agent of Wisdom – Mercury and a Mystical Shine Ball in Defense Mode, and the Agent of Creation – Venus in Attack Mode. Also, he had two magic cards, the Sanctuary in the Sky and his Swords of Revealing Light, and two negated trap cards, the Eye of Truth and Bad Reaction to Simochi, still on the field.

Marcus now had 3700 life points; in his hand he still had one card; and on the field he had Jinzo equipped with the Amplifier magic card, and Metalzoa, both looking dangerous and ready to do battle.

Since Marcus couldn't attack, Kyo took his turn – and the second of the Swords of Revealing Light vanished. Drawing his card, Kyo examined the situation before him and knew that, if he wasn't careful, Marcus would make a serious comeback. _I have to do what I have to do,_ he promised himself.

"Hey, kid!" Marcus snapped at him. "Are you gonna make a move sometime TODAY?"

"Just biding my time, that's all," Kyo replied. He switched Venus into Defense Mode. "I'll end my turn now."

Marcus shrugged and drew his next card. "Oh ho! Now, this is what I call interesting! I activate the power of the magic card, Heavy Storm, to destroy all magic and trap cards on the field!"

A huge wind began to blow – with intense hurricane force. Kyo did his best to stand his ground, but nearly got blown away anyway. "Dammit!" he yelled out as all of his magic and trap cards were wiped out and their fragments blown away. To everyone's amazement, too, Jinzo got destroyed along with its Amplifier card!

"Now, I summon Reflect Bounder (ATK 1700, DEF 1000)!" He summoned a reddish robot floating above the ground. "And now, my monsters are free to attack! Metalzoa, destroy that Agent of Wisdom!"

Metalzoa swiftly raised its fists, smashing Mercury into pieces. Then: "Reflect Bounder, it's time to fight! Crush the Agent of Creation!" And Reflect Bounder floated forward, firing a blast from a cannon in its chest and destroying the poor angel.

"Shit…now all I've got is the Mystical Shine Ball to defend me!" Kyo cursed.

"Where's your faith now? Huh? Where's your hope?" Marcus taunted him. "The Sanctuary in the Sky is gone, your traps are _finally_ destroyed, you've got only one monster to protect you, and as far as I can see you only have two cards in your hand…who or what is going to save you?"

Kyo gritted his teeth in annoyance – and then a shout came from one side.

"KYO!"

Yugo and Blaze turned in surprise. "Miki! Jenna!" Yugo exclaimed.

Indeed, Miki and Jenna were there, with Wade and Flora behind them.

Kyo stared in surprise. "Miki…? What are you doing up here?"

"Kyo…" Miki took a step forward. "I…I know everything. Jenna told me all about it."

Kyo looked quizzical…and then his eyes widened in realization. "You know…?"

"Yeah." Miki nodded. "But…everybody makes mistakes, Kyo…nobody's perfect! Still…you've admitted your faults, and you've been trying to atone for what you did…" Tears came to her eyes. "Kyo, we…I…still trust you, Kyo…still believe in you…"

Miki let out a quiet sob, making no effort to stop the tears from falling. Kyo saw this and hung his head. "Miki…thank you."

Then, adjusting his glasses as always, he looked back at Marcus, the fire revived in his eyes. "Marcus…I said I was going to save you from yourself…and I'm going to do it now!"

He drew his next card and stared at it for the longest moment. "This is just the card I was hoping I'd get…" He smiled and flashed a wink at his friends. "Miki, the card you kissed…watch as your faith in me is rewarded!"

Miki looked up in surprise. Jenna's eyes widened, and then she smiled a little. Yugo was already grinning from ear to ear, knowingly.

"All right! It's time for me to summon the truly most powerful monster in my deck!" Kyo played the card with a flourish. "I summon Mudora (ATK 1500, DEF 1800) in Attack Mode!"

Immediately, there appeared on the field a man in a yellow headdress and gold mask, wielding a curved knife. "Is that supposed to frighten me in some way?" asked Marcus, disbelieving. "Its ATK is low enough for any of my monsters to wipe out!"

"Really?" Kyo couldn't help smiling. "Look again."

Rolling his eyes in annoyance, Marcus looked – and his eyes widened in shock. Mudora's ATK was now 2900! "WHAT THE HELL?" he shrieked.

"Mudora's effect increases his ATK by 200 points for every Fairy-type monster in my Graveyard," explained Kyo. "So, let's take a count: that's seven Fairy-type monsters that have either been tributed or slaughtered in battle…" He counted off on his fingers. "Zolga…Watapon…one Mystical Shine Ball…the Agents of Force, Creation, Wisdom and Judgment – Yep, that's seven."

Marcus paled. "That makes him stronger than my Reflect Bounder!"

"Uh-huh!" Kyo smiled and placed one card from his hand facedown in the magic/trap slot. "Mudora, carve that bot to pieces!"

Mudora rushed forward and, with one swift motion, sliced Reflect Bounder's head clean off its shoulders. But then there was a sudden backlash, even as Reflect Bounder was destroyed – and Kyo's life points went down to 2900!

"Wondering what just happened?" asked Marcus, as his life points dropped to 2500. "It was Reflect Bounder's effect. When it's attacked while in Attack Mode, before damage calculation, it inflicts damage to my opponent equal to the attacking monster's ATK."

Kyo then touched his glasses and said, "Oh, well. Now, I end my turn."

Marcus drew his next card and looked long and hard at the card he'd drawn. Then he began to laugh. "This is certainly something!" he exclaimed. "I summon a second Reflect Bounder in Attack Mode! You may have caused me to destroy my Jinzo, but your Mudora is still weaker than Metalzoa – and this other monster that I have here will help me to bury you!"

Kyo chuckled. "Bring it."

Yugo looked at his friend and smiled. _Just a while ago, he was hell-bent on destroying Marcus…now, he's laughing and smiling even in the face of cynicism…_ He looked over at Miki. _Miki…you've certainly had a positive influence on his heart, indeed…you've filled that hole in his heart that neither Jenna nor I could fill, even with all the support we gave him in his time of guilt and grief…I almost envy you._

Marcus stood up straight and tall. "Metalzoa, wipe out Mudora!"

Miki's eyes widened in horror. "Kyo, look out!"

The smile disappeared from Kyo's face instantly. "Not a chance! Activate the trap card, Fairy Box!"

Suddenly, as the facedown card was flipped, a massive box appeared on the field, concealing both Mudora and the Mystical Shine Ball. Metalzoa stopped, uncertain.

"What're you waiting for? Attack!" Marcus shouted.

Then a coin appeared on the field. "When Fairy Box is activated and one of your monsters is going to attack," he explained, "I get to flip a coin and call it. If I get it wrong, your monster attacks as normal, but…if I get it right, your monster's ATK is decreased to zero. So, here I go! Coin toss, activate!"

As Metalzoa raised its arms and Mudora popped out of one of the holes in the top of the box, the coin was flipped. "I call tails!" Kyo shouted.

The coin then landed on the ground – and it was tails! As Marcus stared in speechless horror, Metalzoa's ATK went all the way from 3000 to 0 in a second!

"Mudora, counterattack!" Kyo ordered. And Mudora raised his knife and slashed downward, carving the giant machine monster in two – and reducing Marcus's life points all the way to 0.

"I only hope you know that you're the one who sealed your own death," Kyo pointed out. "You recklessly charged in…and that was your undoing."

Marcus sighed. "Well…you sure showed some spirit there, kid, I'll admit that much." He looked at Mudora. "And…you said the girl kissed that card for you…? Sounds cute. But I can sense that there was something else behind that…when you activated that trap card to protect it…is that what they call real love for someone?"

Kyo looked into his opponent's eyes. "Yes. That's exactly what real love is all about. You care so much about the person, you'll do anything to protect that person. And Mudora…the card, I mean…for me, it's a symbol of the bond between Miki and me."

Miki blushed upon hearing this. "Oh, Kyo…"

Marcus was silent for a long moment. Then he looked at the second Reflect Bounder, still on the field. "You know…when I was young, I got this deck as a present from my mother. She used to work in a steel factory, but she saved up money and bought the deck for me, even though I never asked her to do so…just so I could be happy. Because seeing me happy made her happy," he said softly. "This deck, and my memories of her, are all I have left of her. I can't continue dishonoring her memory by treating them like this." He looked up. "You've won, kid…this time."

Kyo smiled. "Long ago…you had a choice, and you chose. Now, you were faced with another choice, and you chose." He nodded. "Even if you don't believe in a higher power…freedom of choice is the one real freedom that everyone has a right to, and that everyone should cherish. You, Marcus, are no exception."

Roland cleared his throat. "Uh, ahem…winner of this duel: Kyo Bakura!"

Both duelists turned and stepped off the platform. Marcus turned and looked at Kyo. "You make sure you keep getting stronger, Kyo Bakura…one day, you and I will duel again. And by then, I'll have even stronger cards, and my deck will be the toughest ever."

Kyo grinned. "I look forward to it."

Marcus then started to walk toward the door that would take him back downstairs. He paused as he came close to Miki. "For everything I said…I apologize," he said. "Maybe you'll get another chance to duel me…by then, I hope you're stronger."

Miki didn't know what to say.

"And you, man," said Marcus, looking directly at Yugo, "I want to fight you also, one day. Make sure you don't lose until then." And with that, he walked away.

"Marcus…" Flora started to follow him, but then she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked into Yugo's eyes.

"Let him be, Flora," said Yugo quietly. "He probably needs some time alone, to think things through."

"Yeah…I guess you're right…" said Flora.

Not far away, Kaiba decided that he'd had enough of the chitchat. "All right! Duelists, you have a break of ten minutes before the next match!"

"Ah – yes!" Yugo replied, somewhat startled.

Blaze shrugged. "Okay, then."

----------

"Uh, sir…? Why'd you give them a break of ten minutes?"

Kaiba was standing near the edge of the roof, looking down at the crowds. "It just seemed appropriate enough, Roland," he replied. "Some of these kids need to have a few words with each other…let them have their words."

"If you say so, sir," said Roland.

"I say so."

----------

OUTSIDE KAIBACORP

"Did…did you guys see that? Kyo actually won!" Mrs. Bakura exclaimed in glee.

Mrs. Wheeler looked up. "Hey, isn't this Marcus Ironside coming out now?"

Everyone turned their attention to the doors. A second later they were pushed outward, and who should emerge but Marcus Ironside himself.

Mr. Taylor walked up to him. "Marcus Ironside, eh?" he remarked. "So, you're the fellow who defeated my Miki."

Marcus looked up. "Oh, you're her father, huh? Well, this much I can say about her…she had determination, even when she lost. She'll make a fine duelist someday."

As Mr. Taylor stood there, unable to reply, Marcus turned and walked in another direction. _And I need to be ready for the next time Kyo and I have our own confrontation…_

He then cast his eyes heavenward and let out a sigh. _Mother…if you can see me from up there in heaven…_

----------

KAIBACORP ROOFTOP

"Um, Kyo…"

Kyo looked up. "Yes, what is it, Miki?"

"Well…I just want you to know that I…"

He held up a hand. "It's okay, Miki. You said everything you had to say when you came up here." He looked searchingly at her. "Believe me…ever since you kissed that card, it's become my favorite. I would never let anything happen to it…and I never will. And I'll always look out for you in the same way, too."

She knelt down beside where he was sitting. "No matter what Kyo did in the past, Kyo is Kyo," she said gently. "That's all I need to know."

He looked at her. "You're too kind."

Slowly, carefully, she reached out and touched his glasses. "Just do me a favor: Take better care of your glasses."

He smiled. "I'm sorry. I promise I will…although, truth to tell, I don't know how easy that promise will be to keep."

Miki then grasped Kyo's glasses and pulled them off. "It's just as I said before…you're a lot cuter without them." And she leaned forward and – much to Kyo's surprise – kissed him gently on the lips, causing him to blush slightly.

Not very far away, Yugo was going through his deck with grave intensity. Jenna looked at him with concern. "Are you all right?"

"I'll be fine," he assured her. "It's just…Blaze is such a powerful opponent. You saw that for yourself during her match. Plus, I wonder what it is that's bugging her so much…"

Jenna gave him a searching glance. "You're still hooked on that, aren't you?"

"Believe me…I have an eye for these sort of things." Yugo sighed and looked across at Blaze, a few feet away, who was reassembling her deck on her own.

Presently Roland's voice announced, "The next duel will now get underway! Yugo Muto and Blaze Redman, kindly make your way to the dueling platform!"

Yugo smiled. "Time for me to do this," he remarked.

"Hey, Yugo?" Jenna's voice halted him momentarily. "Uh…good luck, okay?"

He turned and grinned at her. "Thanks, Jenna."

"Don't you dare lose now, man!" another voice warned. Yugo looked sheepishly at Kyo, who had walked up just at that moment.

"Never give up, Yugo!" Miki echoed, standing beside Kyo.

Yugo nodded. "You guys are the best, believe me," he said with feeling. Then he turned to look up at the platform. "Okay…here I come!"

As his group of friends watched with admiration, Yugo climbed up to the platform to face off against Blaze. _This is going to be a difficult duel, but…I believe I can make it…I have to!_

----------

**_neomage:_** I expect that some people might not expect Marcus to surrender the way he did in this duel. I wanted to drag it out a little longer, but then I said, what the hell, and went along with this. Please let me know what you think, and in the meantime, keep reading, everybody! Sooner or later, those next couple of sagas I spoke about will definitely be here!

UPDATED 09/08/2005: Slightly edited this chapter to fit with changes from last chapter. Keep reading!

UPDATED 21/09/2005: After being informed of some errors by FFFX, I've gone ahead and made some changes to the duels. Sorry to disrupt your reading of this, everyone, but it's necessary because I want to keep as much in line with the real rules as possible! So, continue reading, please!

UPDATED 06/10/2005: Looked this chapter over and made another correction to it. Corrections are the spice of a fanfiction author's life…


	24. Chapter 24

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: I own the original characters in the story and some of the real-life cards. I also own a very big rocket launcher for anybody who dares to accuse me of copyright infringement without cause, and for any anime character that decides to lead an uprising against me :).)

**CHAPTER 24**

KAIBACORP ROOFTOP

"Well, well, well…looks like I get to duel against you, huh?" Blaze remarked. "This should be interesting, wouldn't you say?"

"I suppose so," answered Yugo. He looked at her gravely. "But don't expect that I'll be an easy victory. I'll fight to the bitter end!"

"I'd expect something like that from someone like you," Blaze answered.

The coin appeared once again on the field. "Heads!" said Blaze.

Then the coin was flipped – and it showed heads. "Well, I guess I get to go first," said Blaze.

"Duel!" Roland ordered.

Blaze drew her first card, then considered her hand and her strategy. _Yugo and I have basically the same advantage – we've seen each other's strategies in action. That only means, then, that I'll have to come up with something that I know he hasn't seen before…and I think I may have a card in my hand that'll help me accomplish that! So, here I go!_

"I summon Fireyarou (ATK 1300, DEF 1000) in Attack Mode!" Blaze declared, playing one card from her hand. A flaming spirit with a mischievous grin emerged in front of her, emitting huge bursts of hot flame.

"Then I'll activate the field magic card, Molten Destruction!" And Blaze played another card.

Suddenly, the very ground underneath them began to rumble. As Yugo looked around, confused, all of a sudden a massive volcano emerged from the ground, spewing huge boulders and magma everywhere – but none of it hit the two competitors. "What is this?" Yugo asked.

"This is the field magic of Molten Destruction," explained Blaze. "It decreases the DEF of all Fire monsters on the field by 400 points – but in exchange, their ATK is increased by 500! Watch!"

Indeed, Fireyarou's DEF went down to 600 points – but then its ATK shot up to 1800! "Now, every last one of my Fire monsters will get a significant boost in strength," said Blaze, "and they'll crush anything and everything you bring against me! So watch out, Yugo!"

Yugo gritted his teeth against the increased heat. "Don't be so sure of yourself yet, Blaze," he counseled her. "I have something that can match up to your monster!"

He drew his card, then selected another and played it on the field. "I summon Dark Blade (ATK 1800, DEF 1500)!" In another moment he'd summoned a warrior clad in black armor with a helmet and spikes, wearing a maroon cape and wielding two deadly broadswords.

"Hey, that's a really cool monster!" Miki exclaimed from the sidelines.

"Yeah, it sure is," said Jenna with admiration. "Yugo's used him in battle before. He's a really handy guy to have in a deck."

But only Blaze didn't seem very impressed. "So you summoned a knight in black armor – so what? I can still top that!"

"Well, just you wait a moment," said Yugo. "For next I'll set one card facedown, and then I'll end my turn."

Blaze drew another card and prepared to play again. "Now I'll offer my Fireyarou as a tribute to summon another monster – Garoozis (ATK 1800, DEF 1500)!" And as the fire spirit disappeared from the field, in its place stood a beast-warrior with a dragon's head, wielding a solid and vicious-looking axe. But Yugo's greater concern was that, even as the new monster's DEF went down to 1100 via Molten Destruction's effect, its ATK shot up to 2300!

"Okay, Garoozis! Attack with Dragonslayer Axe!" Blaze ordered. And Garoozis rushed forward, and with one swipe of its axe it cleaved Dark Blade's head from his shoulders.

Yugo winced as his life points went down to 7500. "Okay, not bad at all," he remarked, "but all the same, the duel's not done! Let's do this!"

He drew another card, then chuckled. "All right, then! Now I'll set a monster in Defense Mode, and end my turn!"

Blaze shook her head. "That tactic gets a bit old, don't you think?" she asked. "I know fully well what that facedown monster is, pal…and believe me, you won't have me attacking it anytime soon!" She drew a card as she spoke. "I'll summon Darkfire Soldier #2 (ATK 1700, DEF 1100) to the field, and then I'll just end my turn!"

Darkfire Soldier #2's ATK shot to 2200 as Molten Destruction's lava coursed around him, but his DEF went all the way down to 700. Yugo said nothing, but just drew his next card. On the sidelines Miki asked worriedly, "Could Blaze be right? Is Yugo really so predictable?"

Kyo smiled and adjusted his glasses – again. "Maybe, maybe not," he said in a mysterious tone. "If I know Yugo, he'll pull a trick out of his hat any moment now…"

Yugo examined his hand and smiled. "Oh, Blaze, do you really think you know my strategy? Well, I'm about to reveal something to you right now – you should have attacked my monster _when you had the chance!"_

Blaze stared at him in disbelief. "What're you talking about? Isn't your facedown monster that Old Vindictive Magician (ATK 450, DEF 600)?"

Yugo burst out laughing. "Nope!" he replied. "I'm going to show you what it actually is!"

Whereupon he flipped the monster face-up. Instantly, much to Blaze's utter astonishment, a figure dressed in gentlemanly attire, with one eye in the middle of his forehead and carrying a cane in one hand, appeared on the field. "Say hello to The Illusory Gentleman (ATK 1500, DEF 1600)," said Yugo, now grinning. "And now, I'm going to offer him as a tribute to summon another monster – Kiryu (ATK 2000, DEF 1500)!"

The Illusory Gentleman disappeared instantaneously…and in its place was a giant red dragon, hissing in anger. "See? That stings, doesn't it?" asked Yugo. "Don't you wish now that you'd attacked me?"

"Well, aren't you the confident one," said Blaze snidely. "But your dragon's ATK is lower than either of my monsters!"

"Not for long!" Yugo looked at the image of the facedown card on his side of the field. "I activate the trap card, Call of the Haunted, to revive my Dark Blade to the field!"

Dark Blade was then brought up from the ground along with several gravestones. "And now…" Yugo smiled. "I activate Kiryu's Union ability to equip it to Dark Blade!"

Blaze started. "What?" she exclaimed in disbelief.

"Incredible," said Jenna. "Kiryu's a Union monster? That's just incredible!"

"Yugo's surely a good strategist, isn't he?" said Miki.

"Because placing the Old Vindictive Magician facedown is usually his signature move, and since Blaze has seen it played in the last match," said Kyo, "she was quite prepared to not fall into that trap and risk losing her monsters – when, in fact, she ended up falling into another trap: allowing Yugo to summon an even stronger monster. And it'll cost Blaze dearly now."

Dark Blade squatted very low, then made one giant leap and landed perfectly, sitting on Kiryu's back. His ATK and DEF then went from 1800 and 1500 respectively, to 2700 and 2400, making Dark Blade stronger than any other monster on the field!

"Go, Dark Blade and Kiryu! Attack Garoozis with Dragon Warrior's Sword Wing!" Yugo yelled.

Kiryu, with Dark Blade riding on its back, flew up high into the sky, then suddenly came down on Garoozis with the speed of a gale. The red dragon sliced through the beast-warrior with one wing; Blaze grimaced as her life points went down to 7600.

"All right, so you made a lucky move there," she acknowledged. "But I still have something for you!"

She drew her next card and then smiled. "Now things are gonna heat up!" she declared. "For now I'll put two cards facedown, and then I'll summon the Ultimate Baseball Kid (ATK 500, DEF 1000) to the field!"

As the two holographic images of the facedown cards appeared, the familiar baseball player emerged in front of Blaze. His DEF went down to 600 because of Molten Destruction, but his ATK shot up to 1000. But then, to Yugo's horror, because Darkfire Soldier #2 was a Fire monster, the Baseball Kid's ATK went up by another 1000 points to put him at 2000!

"But that's not all! Next I'll remove Fireyarou in my Graveyard from play to Special Summon another monster – Inferno (ATK 1100, DEF 1900) in Attack Mode!" And then the birdlike flame appeared and its ATK went up to 1600 and its DEF down to 1500, even as the Baseball Kid's ATK shot to 3000.

"Oh, no!" Yugo cried out.

"Oh, yes!" Blaze replied. "Now, Ultimate Baseball Kid, fry the Dark Blade and his dragon! Use your Fireball Home Run!"

The Baseball Kid reached into his pocket and pulled out a baseball, tossed it into the air, then took one mighty swing at it with his bat. The swing connected, and the ball went flying upward – and then turned into a massive fireball that consumed both the Dark Blade and Kiryu, destroying them both. Because Dark Blade had been the equipped monster, Yugo's life points went down to 7200 – and then, to everybody's amazement, Dark Blade reappeared on the field!

"Shouldn't Dark Blade be destroyed, too?" wondered Miki.

"No," said Wade. "That's the beauty of Union monsters. If the monster that a Union monster is equipped to is destroyed in battle, then that Union monster is destroyed in its place."

Blaze held up one hand and clenched it into a fist. "Darkfire Soldier #2, it's your turn! Attack and destroy that Dark Blade!" And the fiery ninja did just that – rushing forward, he slashed the Dark Blade with a burning sword. Yugo cried out in agony as he felt the heat cook his monster and render his life points to 6800.

"Inferno, use your Hellskull Blast!" Blaze ordered her last monster. And Inferno did just that, spitting out one of the skulls in its mouth and knocking Yugo in the chest with it. Yugo stumbled and fell backward as his life points went further down to 5200.

Kaiba, watching the match with great interest, smiled. _Blaze certainly isn't backing down – she knows that her opponent is a powerful one, so she's putting everything into her attacks. Plus, as anyone who knows her can testify, she's extremely ruthless when it comes to dueling – in duels, as in life, she never gives even half an inch of mercy._

"Dammit – that Blaze is being really rough!" Jenna exclaimed.

Blaze heard the comment. "That's how it goes in life," she answered. "No matter who you are, or what your financial or social status is, or even what kind of fame you have, every day is a fight for survival. If you're not tough enough, people will trample you. The same thing applies to Duel Monsters…to be the best, you have to have a combination of skill, smarts and powerful cards, plus a solid strategy to back it all up. You have people out there who will do anything to destroy you…and I, for one, will not let that happen to me! All my opponents will fall!"

Yugo slowly got up, gingerly feeling the burn marks on his body where he'd been attacked. "So…you really believe in that 'survival of the fittest' thing, huh?" he asked.

"Well, just look at this tournament as an example," Blaze answered. "The preliminary exam had about 120 duelists; by the time it was finished, there were only eight left, you and I included. Then, when the battles actually began, you, I, Kyo and Marcus made it to here. And now, Kyo has gone ahead, and now you and I are dueling to advance. The weaker duelists have fallen, and the stronger duelists are going ahead."

"And you don't want to be seen as weak? Is that why you're acting like this?" asked Yugo, raising an eyebrow.

"I am not weak!" Blaze exploded. "Just for that statement, I'll use Ultimate Baseball Kid's other effect! By sacrificing one Fire monster on my side of the field, his effect will do damage to your life points by 500!"

Immediately Darkfire Soldier #2 turned into a ball of intense flame, hovering in front of the Baseball Kid. He took one swing at it with his bat; it flew out and hit Yugo solidly in the face, knocking him back down and reducing his life points further to 4700.

"Hey! That wasn't called for!" Miki cried.

"Is anything ever called for?" Blaze quipped.

Yugo shook his head to clear it, then stood back up. "That…confirms something for me," he spoke up. "But so much for talking to you, I guess." He drew another card. "Let's do this!"

Yugo's life points were now at 4700, and Blaze's were at 7600. Blaze had Inferno, the Ultimate Baseball Kid, the Molten Destruction field magic card, and two facedown cards on the field, and in her hand was only one card. Yugo had nothing whatsoever on the field, but he had five cards in hand now.

_I am in serious trouble right about now,_ Yugo realized. _Another onslaught like that, and I'll really get burned! Blaze has no intention of backing down for anything! Except…_

He looked at her, a frown covering his face completely. _Something about her personality…I just know it…it's been manifesting itself in my mind for a good while now, but…I have to find out what's going on…Why is she so defensive about herself? Why does she show concern for someone one minute, and then act so aloof the next?_

He selected two cards from his hand. "Okay! I'll set one monster facedown, one other card facedown, and then I'll end my turn!" To himself he added, _I hope this works – at least I'll be able to buy myself some time!_

Blaze drew another card and smirked. "Well, Yugo, time to say goodbye! You were lucky so far, but luck can only carry you so far! Inferno, blast that facedown monster!"

Inferno spat another flaming skull from its mouth, hitting the facedown monster – and revealing the Old Vindictive Magician!

"WHAT!" Blaze screamed, her eyes widening in horror as she realized what she'd done.

"That was quite clever," Flora couldn't help chuckling. "Blaze was expecting that monster, but then she got so caught up with incoming victory that she threw all caution to the wind…and Yugo used that to his advantage. If my guess is correct, he had that card in his hand all along, but was just holding on to it until the right time…"

The Vindictive Magician raised his staff and took aim. "Use your effect and blast the Ultimate Baseball Kid – out of the park!" Yugo couldn't help adding this last bit to sting Blaze.

And evidently Blaze didn't take the insult well. "Oh, yeah? Well, take this! I activate my facedown trap card, Backfire!"

As one of Blaze's facedown cards flipped face-up, the mage's blast hit the Baseball Kid in the face, blasting it off. But then, as that monster was destroyed, suddenly Yugo cried out as the space where he stood was engulfed in an explosion that reduced his life points to 4200!

"As long as my Backfire trap card remains on the field," Blaze said sneeringly, "whenever you destroy a Fire monster on my side of the field, you'll get 500 points of damage to your life points! And plus, there's one more effect to be resolved…when Inferno destroys a monster as a result of battle, 1500 additional points of damage will be done to your life points!"

As she finished speaking, suddenly Inferno let loose with a burst of flame that engulfed Yugo and caused him to scream out in pain as his life points were reduced further to 2700!

"Yugo! Hang in there!" Miki cried.

"It looks as if at this point, only a miracle can save your pal," Wade said quietly.

And evidently Yugo had that miracle ready. "Argh…I activate my trap card, Frozen Soul! Since my life points are more than 2000 points lower than yours, you won't be able to attack me next turn!"

He activated his trap card, and a cold blue skull flew out and surrounded Blaze. "Well, it's not like I need to attack to finish you off," she shrugged it off. "I've got plenty of life points left, anyway, and what have you got?"

Yugo was now burnt in several areas, and they stung him badly. Holding his injuries gingerly, he looked at Blaze. "Hey…I was right before…wasn't I…?" he asked.

"What the hell are you on about now?" demanded Blaze.

Yugo smirked. "Back when I asked you…if you'd lost anyone important to you…I touched a sensitive nerve there, didn't I?"

Blaze looked at him in surprise. "Um…last time I checked, it was none of your business," she said coldly.

But Yugo shook his head. "Well, you want to know what I think? You paint a pretty sour picture of yourself one minute, and then you try to be everybody's friend the next. Offering advice to Miki…showing compassion for Wade…offering to take revenge for Miki's loss to Marcus…what's really going on, Blaze? Why would you go out of your way to do these things for others, and then behave like a bitch the next minute? Frankly, it baffles me."

The others looked from Yugo to Blaze and back again. "I have been wondering about that myself," Kyo confessed. "Haven't you?"

"Yeah," said Wade. "I mean, just what exactly did she mean by what she said to me in our duel?"

Blaze looked with defiance at all of them, one by one. Then she looked back at Yugo, and she could see it in his eyes…concern, curiosity, suspicion.

Then she gave in.

"You really want to know?"

Yugo flinched – Blaze's voice sounded strangled.

"If you really want to know…" Blaze lowered her gaze. "…and if you're going to be so persistent about it…then I'll tell you…everything…"

----------

**_neomage:_** I'm sorry if this chapter looks lame, because that's how it looks to me…but at last, Blaze's secret is about to be revealed! And soon, very soon, this match and the tournament will end! Keep reading!


	25. Chapter 25

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Takahashi-san owns Yu-Gi-Oh, not me.)

**CHAPTER 25**

OUTSIDE KAIBACORP

As the duel between Blaze and Yugo was paused, the stats were clearly shown on the big-screen: Blaze was in the lead with 7600 life points, while Yugo was struggling along with only 2700. He had no cards on the field and three cards in his hand; she had the Backfire trap card, the Molten Destruction magic card, one other facedown card, and the Inferno monster on her side of the field and two cards in her hand.

"That girl…" Mrs. Wheeler lowered her gaze.

"Huh? Honey, are you okay?" Mr. Wheeler asked, concerned.

"I'm wondering about Blaze Redman…somehow, she reminds me of me when I was younger," Mrs. Wheeler answered. "I can see it in her eyes right now…she's suffered and endured much, all on her own…"

Mr. Muto looked across at her. "Perhaps…"

----------

KAIBACORP ROOFTOP

"Blaze…?" Yugo prompted.

She sighed. "Years ago…I was an orphan, bounced around from foster home to foster home. I never had anybody who wanted or loved me…I never knew my own parents, because I'd lost them both to a car accident at the tender age of three…"

The others stared at her in surprise. "Wade…Flora…did you guys know about this?" Kyo whispered.

The two shook their heads. "Blaze has never spoken about herself before," Wade answered. "This is news to me."

"…then…after what seemed like forever, I found someone…or rather, she found me…" Blaze smiled a little. "She was in her early twenties, unmarried, no kids…and, like me, she had been an orphan. She was everything to me…a mother, a big sister…and my best friend." As she spoke, hot tears began to form in her eyes.

Yugo relaxed his stance. "What…happened?"

Blaze cleared her throat. "She…she was a firefighter. Every day she'd go to work, and sometimes she'd take me along to see how things worked around the fire department. Lots of times, I got to wear one of their helmets, ride on their trucks, and I'd watch my foster mom in action and think, 'Hey, now there's a hero!'

"And then…one day…we went out together, as usual. There was a blaze at an apartment complex, so I had to stay by the truck while she went inside to rescue the people trapped inside…"

The tears were now flowing freely down her cheeks. "All of a sudden, just as they were getting the people out, the roof caved in…and SHE was trapped inside!" Blaze almost screamed this, and in her eyes was unhidden rage. "I wanted to run in there and save her, the same way she'd run in there to save those people…but by then, nobody could do anything…and she…" She couldn't say anything more, the sobs choked her voice.

"So…that's why you use Fire monsters, isn't it? To honor the memory of your foster mom?" Yugo said quietly. He hung his head. "I see…I think I understand better now. And…I think I sympathize."

Kaiba stood nearby, arms folded. As he listened to Blaze's story, he unconsciously reached for a locket around his neck and stroked it, a hint of sadness on his face. Roland noticed his master's action, but said nothing.

But Blaze appeared indignant by Yugo's declaration. "How can you say that? After she died and was buried, people just didn't care about me anymore! I got lost in the system for ten years! _Ten goddamn years!_ I was on the streets for most of my damn life, always feeling sorry for myself, having to fight for myself! Nobody gave a shit about some little nine-year-old kid! I had to fend for myself, take care of ME! Not once did anybody offer their assistance, not once did anybody offer sympathy! I lost the only person who ever cared about me, the only person I could ever call my friend! You've got friends, you've never known loneliness! So how the hell can you possibly understand what I've been through!"

**_"BECAUSE I DO!"_**

Everyone looked up at Yugo, stunned. Blaze had a look of utter shock on her face. Even Kaiba looked up in astonishment. That outburst had not been expected by anybody.

Yugo was standing there, his body trembling. His bangs were overshadowing his eyes; but the manner in which he was gritting his teeth showed plainly the anger that the rest of his face didn't reveal. His fists were clenched at his sides, and clenched so tightly his nails were digging into his palms.

"Yes…Blaze…I do understand, whether you believe it or not," he whispered through his teeth. "For I, too, once had a mother…and then I lost her forever…"

Blaze's shocked look softened as she heard the anguish in his tone.

"She died…only two years after I was born," Yugo continued. "Even now, I barely know what she looked like, except for what I've seen of her picture." He raised his head; his eyes were filled with tears that slowly trickled down his face. "For years, I felt like I'd lost a part of myself after I lost her…like I'd lost a huge portion of my childhood, a portion I never had time to know or understand…"

At this point Yugo crumpled to his knees. Blaze looked at him, and her heart ached even more to see such agony – agony that could easily be compared to her own. It was just at that point, then, that Kaiba came back to himself and stepped forward. "Many people suffer loss in one way or another," he said sagely. "But there is also a time for everything, including grief. You've both lost someone important to you…but as much as I can understand your anguish, there are people out there who'll nevertheless be waiting for you to finish what you've started here. So, please pull yourselves together and save your grief for afterwards."

Kyo nodded. "Mr. Kaiba's right, Yugo, Blaze," he said to them. "At the very least…honor their memory by completing the duel. Who knows – they could be looking down on both of you right now, waiting to see what the outcome will be."

Yugo nodded slowly. Wiping his eyes with the back of his sleeve, he stood up…and when he spoke again, some of the confidence had returned to his voice. "Blaze…show your mother how much her little girl has grown!"

Blaze jumped a little in surprise at that. "Y-yes!" she answered.

----------

OUTSIDE KAIBACORP

"…Yugo…" Mr. Muto slowly sank down on the nearby bench.

"Hey, chin up, Yugi," Mr. Bakura said gently, putting a hand on his friend's shoulder. "We all know about what happened…and how much you must've suffered…"

"That's true," Mrs. Bakura agreed. "Yugo must have buried his own grief because he knew how much you were hurting…he didn't want you to see him suffering, too. It was probably only a matter of time before he released his sorrow."

"Yeah…" Mr. Muto sighed. "My son…all this time I thought you wouldn't have been so badly affected, since you were so young when she died…I owe you an apology, Yugo…"

He buried his face in his hands and sank his head in between his knees. His mother and friends stood around him silently, not saying anything more, all of them understanding that right now, just being there was the best thing they could do for him.

----------

KAIBACORP ROOFTOP

"Now, then, let's do this!" Yugo resumed his confident attitude as he drew his next card, giving him four in all. "Now, I summon Breaker the Magical Warrior (ATK 1600, DEF 1000)!"

The armor-clad mage-warrior appeared, bearing sword and shield. "He's all ready to do battle," Yugo declared, smirking, even as Breaker's effect gave him a Magic counter and put his ATK at 1900.

Blaze said nothing to that. But in her mind, she reasoned, _He must've lost it! If he attacks my monster and destroys it, my Backfire trap card will take down his life points further! Well…I guess I won't have to DO anything here…_

Then Yugo smirked again. "Now, I'll activate Breaker's effect! By removing his Magic counter from him, I can destroy any of your Magic or Trap cards – and the card I choose is your Backfire trap card!"

But as Breaker's ATK went back down to 1600 and he prepared to release his energy to destroy the trap card, Blaze suddenly laughed. "Exactly what I hoped you'd do! Now I can activate my other trap card, the Fake Trap!"

The facedown card she had been holding onto flipped face-up, revealing a purple goblin holding a card with the word "Fake" on it. "When you use a card effect that'll destroy any of my traps," Blaze explained, "Fake Trap acts as a substitute for those Trap cards, and it gets destroyed instead. So, your monster's effect will not destroy my Backfire trap card, after all!"

"Geez," Miki moaned. "And I thought Yugo had her with Breaker's effect! But she's one step ahead of him!"

"True," said Kyo. "And if Yugo doesn't play his cards right, then Blaze will be one step further to winning this tournament."

Breaker thrust his sword forward, releasing a blue blade of energy that destroyed the Fake Trap. Yugo sighed. "Bad luck," he muttered. "But at least I have something else I can use!"

"Huh?" Blaze was dumbstruck.

Then Yugo held up another card, the one he'd just drawn. "And now, I activate the magic of Heavy Storm to destroy every magic and trap card on the field!"

Blaze reared up on hearing that. "Say what?" she cried out. "But that means – "

"That's right," Yugo smiled at her. "Your monster will lose its field power bonus, plus your Backfire trap card will be destroyed! Now – I activate Heavy Storm's power!"

As he played the card, a mighty blast of wind suddenly erupted on the field, forcing everyone to try to stand their ground with as much strength as they could manage. "Holy cow! That's one serious storm!" Jenna cried out.

"Tell me about it!" Wade agreed, almost being blown away.

The force of the storm utterly destroyed the Molten Destruction volcano and the Backfire trap. Blaze herself watched with horror as her cards were utterly destroyed, leaving her Inferno alone on the field with its stats returned to normal.

"Shit!" Blaze cursed. "Inferno's vulnerable to attack now!"

"Damn right!" Yugo answered. "Now, Breaker the Magical Warrior, destroy Inferno!"

Breaker ran forward and sliced through the fiery entity; and Blaze's life points dropped to 7100. "Had enough yet?" Yugo taunted her.

"You're in no position to be taunting me, Yugo – my life points are still higher than yours by plenty!" Blaze retorted as she drew another card. "All right! Now I summon the Command Knight (ATK 1200, DEF 1900) in Attack Mode!"

A warrior clad in Scottish-type armor appeared on the field, a large broadsword hanging by her side. "Uh…is that supposed to be a boy or girl?" Yugo asked, puzzled as he looked at the monster – for, indeed, it was difficult to tell the knight's gender.

"That, Yugo, should be the least of your concerns," Blaze informed him. "Just look and you'll see what I mean."

Yugo looked – and almost shouted. The Command Knight's ATK suddenly shot to 1600! "Hey! What's up with that?" Jenna asked.

"That's the Command Knight's effect," Flora informed the group. "As long as she's on the field, her effect increases the ATK of all Warrior-type monsters on Blaze's field by 400 points – and that includes the Command Knight herself."

"And that, my friends, is just for starters," Blaze added. "For next, I'll equip the Command Knight with the Magic card, Salamandra! This'll increase her ATK by 700 points!"

Suddenly, the Command Knight was holding a sword with a blade that burned with red-hot flame along its edge. At the same time, her ATK increased to 2300!

Then Blaze held up the very last card in her hand. "And now, I'll remove one Fire monster in my Graveyard from play to Special Summon this cute little monster. You remember him, right? It's the Spirit of Flames (ATK 1700, DEF 1000), right here! Come to the field, my little pet!" And Blaze removed one monster from her Graveyard, afterward playing the Spirit of Flames to the field.

"Shit…" Jenna swore to herself. "Spirit of Flames…its effect increases its ATK by 300 during Blaze's Battle Phase! And…if she attacks now, Yugo's a goner!"

"But Blaze CAN'T attack, remember?" Kyo reminded her. "Last turn, Yugo activated his Frozen Soul trap card – that stops Blaze from attacking this turn. So therefore, Yugo has just one turn to turn things around in his favor."

Grumbling, Blaze ended her turn. "Luck doesn't save lives – never has, never will!" she pouted.

Yugo shook his head. "We'll soon see how much luck will come out of this next draw." He then placed his hand on his deck…and drew his card slowly…

…and when he looked at it, his face lit up. "All right!" he exclaimed. "Okay, Blaze! Prepare yourself right now!"

"For what?" asked Blaze scornfully.

"For the appearance of the true power behind my deck!" Yugo held up the three cards in his hand. "First, I'll activate the power of the Magic card, Dark Magic Curtain! This'll allow me to Special Summon one Dark Magician (ATK 2500, DEF 2100) from my deck at a cost of half my life points!"

A giant curtain appeared on the field – and who should step out from behind it but the Dark Magician himself, smirking confidently. "This is the monster whose immense power will be your downfall," said Yugo, smiling, even as his life points were cut in half, leaving him with 1350.

"Yeah, right!" Blaze snapped. "Even if he does destroy my monsters, my life points will still be up there in the high places!"

"Really?" Yugo then picked the second card in his hand and played it. "I now activate the field effect of Yami! This'll increase my Spellcaster monsters' ATK and DEF by 200 points!"

Suddenly eerie shadows began to creep across the playing field. Miki was understandably unnerved. "W-w-what is this?" she quavered.

"This is the same card he played during his duel with Seta," said Jenna. "It looks like Yugo's really going to be playing seriously now!"

It certainly seemed that way, as Breaker's ATK and DEF went up to 1800 and 1200 and Dark Magician's stats went to 2700 ATK and 2300 DEF. "All right…this darkness is creeping me out," said Blaze, looking around.

Then Yugo held up the last card in his hand. "This card…I had this card in my hand for a good long while now, but I couldn't activate it unless I had my Dark Magician on the field. Well…say hello to the magic power of – the Thousand Knives!"

From behind the Dark Magician, a hail of knives suddenly materialized from the shadows. "At a command from the Dark Magician, the Thousand Knives will skewer any monster on your side of the field that I choose," said Yugo. "And, personally, your Command Knight is a little too strong for my taste, so…"

Blaze reared up in shock. "NO!"

The Dark Magician raised two fingers slightly…then let them drop. Instantly, the numerous knives flew forward, slicing and stabbing into the Command Knight and destroying her. This left only the Spirit of Flames on the field.

"Okay! Breaker the Magical Warrior, attack!" Yugo called out.

Breaker charged up energy in his blade, and with one swipe the Spirit of Flames was cleaved in two, reducing Blaze's life points to 7000…and then…

"Dark Magician! Dark Magic Attack!"

This time around, the Dark Magician just raised his palm toward Blaze. Instantly she felt an invisible force hit her powerfully in the gut. The attack sent her flying, reducing her life points further to 4300.

"Way to go, Yugo! You have her right where you want her now!" Jenna cheered.

But Kyo wasn't so sure. "Are you forgetting, Jenna, that even now Blaze is still in the lead where life points are concerned?" he asked. "Sure, Blaze has 4300 life points now, but Yugo's got 1350. There's an obvious difference there."

"Then…Yugo could lose…?" Miki asked worriedly.

"I'm sorry to say this, but yes. That is exactly what I'm saying right now." Kyo sighed and adjusted his glasses.

Blaze slowly got back up and drew her card. She chuckled. "Oh, Yugo," she said sweetly, "now you've gone and done it…the game is really about to begin…"

Yugo raised an eyebrow. "Okaaaaay…now this looks like trouble…"

----------

**_neomage:_** Posted at 13/06/2005 – Today, at approximately 4:20 p.m., the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, was acquitted of all charges. Today was a day of great celebration, so I decided to write some more since I was in an especially good mood. Call me a fanatic, but hey – I just love the guy and his music! Well, anyway, the real question concerning this fic is: What has Blaze drawn? And will it be the end for Yugo? Stay tuned, everyone!

Updated and posted at 27/06/2005 – I went back and re-read some info on Union monsters, and it appears that I needed to do some correcting and updating in Chapter 2 and this chapter, so the necessary corrections have been made. And now, keep reading, everyone!


	26. Chapter 26

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Once again, I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh. I only own this fanfic and the original characters.)

**CHAPTER 26**

KAIBACORP ROOFTOP

Yugo's life points now stood at 1350. On his side of the field were the Dark Magician and Breaker the Magical Warrior, powered by the Yami field card; and now, Yugo had no cards in his hand. By contrast, Blaze had 4300 life points, and though she no longer had anything on the field, she had one card in her hand, having just drawn from her deck.

"Now, Yugo, it's been fun and all, but every good thing must come to an end sometime," Blaze chuckled. "Now, then…I'll set this monster card facedown in Defense Mode, and end my turn." She chuckled again as she looked up. "Well? What will you do now?"

Kyo scrutinized the field. "Hmmm…is Blaze trying to bait Yugo?"

"C'mon, Yugo! You've got her at a disadvantage now! Go get her!" Jenna cried out, jumping up and down in glee.

"Such a noisy girl," Flora complained.

A moment later Flora was nursing a nasty bump on her head, delivered by a very pissed-off Jenna. "I'm cheering for my best friend, and you have the nerve to call me noisy!" Jenna raged, flames spouting around her body.

"Christ…she's scary…" Kyo gulped hard.

"Tell me about it," Miki whispered back. "You must be glad you're not related to her, aren't you?"

Yugo drew a new card. "Well, it's about time I smashed your only line of defense and finished you off!" he declared. "Breaker the Magical Warrior, destroy her facedown monster!"

Breaker rushed forward and slashed the card – and it turned out to be a mechanized turtle. But as it disappeared, another emerged in its place! "What the…?" Yugo asked, dumbfounded.

"That's the effect of my UFO Turtle (ATK 1400, DEF 1200)," explained Blaze. "When it's sent to the Graveyard through battle, I can Special Summon any Fire monster with an ATK of 1500 or less from my deck in Attack Mode to the field…and then shuffle my deck." And she took her deck and shuffled it, then replaced it in its slot.

"Hmph…so I can't attack you directly now, but – at least I can still take down your life points! Dark Magician, destroy that turtle with Dark Magic Attack!"

Dark Magician raised his hand, further powered by the Yami card, and blasted invisible energy at the new UFO Turtle, obliterating it and reducing Blaze's life points to 3000 – and activating the monster's effect again. This time, though, the monster Blaze summoned was a massive rock giant that oozed large streams of lava.

"Damn…that's hot," Yugo murmured. "As if the Molten Destruction card wasn't enough."

"This is called the Molten Behemoth (ATK 1000, DEF 2200)," Blaze informed him. "And, right about now, you can't attack anymore, right? So…I believe you should end your turn."

"I'll decide when I'll end my turn, thank you," Yugo replied. He examined the card in his hand. "Okaaaay…I'll end my turn!" he announced, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.

His friends fell over in astonishment. "That…was weird," Kyo grunted, getting back up.

Blaze drew her next card. "How wonderful! This is just the card I needed!" she exclaimed. "Now, I activate Pot of Greed, to draw two cards!"

She drew two more cards and scrutinized them carefully. Then she started to laugh. "Now things are gonna get even more interesting!" she declared. "Because, first I'll activate this magic card, Mask of the Accursed, and equip it to your Dark Magician so he won't be able to attack!"

Suddenly the Dark Magician found himself wearing an odd mask, and no matter how he pulled it wouldn't come off. Yugo gaped in shock. "This isn't possible!" he exclaimed.

"Ah, I see you remember what it does," Blaze remarked. "Well, allow me to remind you, anyway. In addition to your monster not being able to attack, during each of my Standby Phases you'll lose 500 life points as long as he's equipped with that mask. And now…" Blaze held up the other card in her hand. "I'll summon another monster, offering Molten Behemoth as a tribute – Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch (ATK 2400, DEF 1000)!"

The Molten Behemoth disappeared instantaneously; in its place stood the familiar armor-clad fighter with flames shooting from his cape. He quickly formed a ball of fire in his hand and shot it at the card in Yugo's hand. It was the magic card, Monster Reborn, and it was immediately sent to the Graveyard.

"Well, since you Tribute Summoned that monster without hindrance, his effect forced me to discard this card from my hand," Yugo sighed. "A damn good shame, too…I had plans for that card, but oh well…"

"You should be more concerned about other things right now," Blaze retorted. "Like, the fact that Breaker the Magical Warrior is about to be toasted by Thestalos! Now, my Firestorm Monarch, attack with Flamethrower Cape!"

Thestalos spun, his cape burning with crimson flame, and completely burned Breaker to ashes. Yugo flinched as his life points shot down to 750. "Feelin' the heat yet?" Blaze taunted. "Now, the only thing you have is your Dark Magician, but he can't attack anymore, now…and with that Mask of the Accursed, you'll lose even more life points!" She smiled even more. "Looks like I win."

"Not yet!" Yugo returned, drawing his next card. "I don't believe in surrendering before the time has come! As they say, it's not over till it's over!"

He studied the card in his hand for a long moment. Then he looked at the field, and back at the card again. Then he burst out laughing. "Now, _this_ is what I call a miracle!" he cried. "I have something that'll turn this match around for sure!"

"Oh, really? And what might that be, pray tell?" asked Blaze, raising an eyebrow.

"Just this: I offer my Dark Magician as a tribute to summon another monster with great potential – come forth, Dark Magician Girl (ATK 2000, DEF 1700)!"

Blaze stared in shock. "No! That's crazy!" she cried.

The Dark Magician disappeared from the field – as did the Mask of the Accursed, much to Blaze's chagrin – and in his place stood a blond-haired girl with light-blue robes and a mischievous grin. Since the Yami field card was still in effect, her ATK and DEF rose to 2200 and 1900 respectively.

Blaze examined the new monster – and burst out laughing. "Nice try, Yugo," she congratulated him. "You've stopped my plan to drain your life points with the Mask of the Accursed – but your new monster is too weak to fight my Thestalos!"

"Really?" Now Yugo smirked. "Look again."

Shaking her head, Blaze looked – and her eyes widened in astonishment. The Dark Magician Girl's ATK was now at 2500…100 points higher than Thestalos's ATK! "NO FRIGGIN' WAY!" she exploded.

"Whoa…how come the Dark Magician Girl's ATK went up like that?" wondered Miki.

"Yeah, I've never seen anything like that," agreed Jenna.

"Dark Magician Girl's ATK increases by 300 points for every Dark Magician in the Graveyard," explained Yugo. "And, since she IS the Dark Magician's apprentice – Dark Magician Girl, attack with Dark Magic Spell!"

The female mage charged up mystic energy in her staff and blasted Thestalos with it. Blaze watched in disbelief as her monster was destroyed and her life points went down to 2900. "Hmph…so much for that," she sighed wearily.

"This is really intense, I gotta say!" Flora remarked.

"That's true," agreed Wade. "Blaze's side of the field has absolutely no monsters, so…unless she does something this turn, if Yugo can summon another monster or power up that Dark Magician Girl some more, Blaze will lose this duel."

"Yes, but…it would seem that Blaze isn't ready to call it quits," Kyo said thoughtfully. "If Fate is kind to her, she'll probably draw a card that'll help her pull the duel into her favor…"

The next thing Kyo knew, he found himself being strangled by Jenna. "Show a little more support, for heaven's sake!" Jenna exploded.

"Jenna…please…have mercy…" Kyo gasped, his face turning blue.

Slowly, Blaze drew her next card. "Okay! Just what I need! Now, then – I'll summon Fox Fire (ATK 300, DEF 200) in Attack Mode!" And she summoned a cute-looking fox with a flame burning at the tip of its tail.

"Awww…he's so CUUUUUTE!" Flora, Jenna and Miki squealed in girlish delight.

"Well, sorry, ladies, but Mr. Cutie has to go!" Yugo declared.

"You're a meanie!" Miki pouted. Jenna and Flora gave Yugo threatening looks.

Yugo drew another card. "Now, I'll set this monster in Defense Mode…" And he did so. "And now, Dark Magician Girl, attack and destroy that fox!"

"YUGO!" Jenna snapped, scaring the daylights out of poor Yugo. "If you kill that cute fox, so help me God I will rip your throat out!"

"I'll break every bone in your body!" Miki shrieked.

"And I'll cut your nuts off!" Flora raged. Kyo and Wade winced upon hearing that.

A giant sweat-drop found its way down Yugo's face. "Girls, don't be like that!" he blubbered. The Dark Magician Girl just looked at him with a sheepish expression on her face.

Then Yugo got serious again. "Dark Magician Girl, do it now!"

The Dark Magician Girl charged up energy and blasted the fox, despite the girls' protests, and Blaze's life points shot down to 700. "That's it!" Yugo exclaimed. "One more attack after this, and I win!"

But to his amazement, Blaze smirked. "Don't be so sure. Well, is that all?"

"Yeah, sure. I end my turn…" Yugo stopped and gawked. "What the hell!"

Suddenly, to everyone's amazement, Fox Fire reappeared on the field in a dazzling burst of flame! "Look! That cutie is back! How sweet!" Miki's eyes turned into hearts, and Jenna and Flora followed suit.

"That's Fox Fire's effect," Blaze told Yugo. "When it's destroyed as a result of battle, during the end of the turn it was destroyed it returns to my side of the field in face-up Attack or Defense Position...as long as it was face-up when it was destroyed the first time. And right now, he's in Defense Position, so…if you attack him again, he'll just return to the field at the end of the turn."

"Well, now things are getting interesting," said Roland, on the sidelines.

"Indeed," agreed Kaiba. "Yugo's ahead of Blaze by only 50 points – it's anybody's game now."

Blaze drew another card. "All right! Now, I'll set one card facedown…and that'll end my turn for now." Her eyes blazed with a dangerous light. "Attack me now, if you dare."

Yugo drew another card. _She's a little too eager for me to attack her…that facedown card must be a trap card. Most likely something like her Widespread Ruin card. And right now, Dark Magician Girl is the only available monster on my side of the field. _He shot an apprehensive glance at his facedown monster. _I don't want to attack with THAT if I can avoid it…I need to analyze the situation carefully, or else she'll catch me in her clutches. And if she gets me, that's it!_

So he assessed the situation before him. He had 750 life points, and Blaze had 700 – only 50 points' difference. Yugo now held one card in his hand, but Blaze had none. He had Dark Magician Girl, the facedown monster, and the Yami field magic card on his side – she had Fox Fire in Defense Mode and one card facedown.

_Okay! This is going to be rough – on her, that is!_

"I flip over my Magician of Faith (ATK 300, DEF 400)!" Yugo declared, turning his facedown monster over to reveal his female mage, whose ATK and DEF increased to 500 and 600 respectively thanks to Yami's field magic. "When she's flipped face-up, I can retrieve one Magic card from my Graveyard and add it to my hand. And the card I choose is – Monster Reborn!"

As Blaze looked on in astonishment, Yugo took the Magic card into his hand. "And now, I'll use its magic to revive my slain Dark Magician!" he announced boldly. Seconds later, Dark Magician reappeared, wielding his staff proudly.

Then Yugo held up the last card in his hand. "Now, I'm going to show you something truly awesome, Blaze," he told her. "For now I sacrifice both Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl to Special Summon a new monster to my side of the field! Behold!"

Suddenly lightning flashed all across the field; as everyone looked on in awe, Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl turned into balls of swirling dark energy and then merged as one. The energy then flashed down to the ground; gradually it took on shape, until its shape resembled the Dark Magician's. But when the energy finally cleared, this new monster was notably different: He wore black robes, carried a massive staff with a blue orb at the tip, and wore a cape that covered nearly the entire length of Yugo's side of the field. "Say hello," said Yugo, his face bearing a massive smirk, "to my Sorcerer of Dark Magic (ATK 3200, DEF 2800)!"

"Oh…my…God…" Blaze looked on in astonished fascination.

"This new monster of mine could only be Special Summoned if I had two Level 6 or higher Spellcasters on my side of the field to offer as tributes," said Yugo. "And this is the guy that'll ensure the end of this duel! Just look!" And as he pointed to the sorcerer, Blaze, looking on, was horrified to see Yami's effect increasing the monster's ATK to 3400 and its DEF to 3000.

"Now, first I'll get your Fox out of the way! Magician of Faith, use your Crescent Moon Spell!" Yugo ordered.

But as the Magician of Faith charged up energy in her staff and prepared to fire it at Fox Fire, Blaze laughed. "You forgot about my facedown trap card, Yugo!" she exclaimed. "I activate the power of Widespread Ruin! This'll destroy the monster with the highest ATK on your side of the field – which so happens to be that damn Sorcerer of Dark Magic you just – "

A sudden blast of energy cut her off, obliterating the Widespread Ruin. "God, you talk a lot," Yugo groaned, even as the Dark Magic Sorcerer's staff flashed with energy.

"No way! What the hell just happened?" demanded Blaze.

"Well, you see, my Sorcerer of Dark Magic is so powerful, he can stop the activation of traps of my choosing," explained Yugo. "Nice plan, but…you failed. Magician of Faith, do it now!"

The Magician of Faith released her stored energy, destroying Fox Fire. "Now, you're wide open for a direct attack," said Yugo. "Let's see how well YOU can take the heat now! Sorcerer, finish it with Celestial Blast Attack!"

The Dark Magic Sorcerer collected energy in his staff again, this time forming it into a powerful flame that he blasted straight at Blaze. Unable to do anything now, Blaze took it in the chest and fell, hard, even as her life points dropped to 0.

"That's it! That's the end of the duel!" Roland announced. "Winner: Yugo Muto!"

Blaze was now on her knees, looking on as the holograms slowly disappeared. "Whew…looks like I lose," she said quietly.

"Hey…you gonna be okay?" asked Yugo, a little concerned.

She looked up, startled. Then slowly a smile crept across her face. "Yeah," she answered. "I'll live, at least. At the very least, I know _she's_ smiling down on me." She hung her head. "And…thanks."

"Don't mention it," he answered, grinning.

"Well…congratulations, Yugo," said Kyo, touching his glasses respectfully. "You did it."

"But why'd you have to destroy that cute little fox? You're so wicked and cruel!" Miki screamed wrathfully.

"Eeeep! Kyo, Jenna, somebody save me!" Yugo freaked out.

"I should let her tear your limbs off…" muttered Jenna.

"I hate to interrupt your post-victory celebrations, if they can be called that," interrupted Kaiba, "but don't forget that there's still one duel left."

Yugo frowned. "Yeah…" He turned and looked long and hard at Kyo.

"Well, I'm ready to go right now, if you are," said Kyo. He patted his Duel-Disk and walked up to the platform.

Blaze sighed. "Well, guess this means it's time for me to leave." She stepped off the platform and started to walk away.

"Hey, wait!" Miki's voice stopped her. "Aren't you going to stay and watch?"

"Why should I? Since I've been defeated, there's no more reason for me to stay here," Blaze countered.

"Yeah, but…" Miki paused. "Blaze, I can tell a lot about people. And I can guess that you don't want to be alone anymore, but you just don't know how to say it."

Blaze didn't say anything for a moment. She slowly turned around. "So…you think you've got it figured, huh, kid?"

"Maybe I do. Then again, maybe I don't." Miki was serious. "Listen. I was inspired by you throughout this whole competition…how you were so strong, so skilled…and I've decided that I'm going to work really hard so that I can one day be a good duelist, like you."

Blaze's eyes widened. Then she smiled. "All right, you win. I could stick around a while longer, I guess." And she turned and walked back toward the others.

"So, you decided to stay," Wade observed.

"Yeah." Blaze flicked the stray hair out of her eyes. "I'd like to see what the outcome of this match is gonna be, anyway. The best way to do that is to watch firsthand."

"Yeah…" Jenna said quietly, her eyes fixed on the platform.

Yugo reshuffled his deck as Kyo waited. "I've been figuring that I might get to duel you sometime," Kyo remarked. "But I find it fair to warn you – I won't be holding anything back now."

Yugo smirked. "Nor will I." He slotted his deck into his Duel-Disk. "You ready?"

"I know I am, but what about you?" Kyo taunted.

Yugo grinned widely. "We'll soon see who's the better duelist of the two of us, that's for sure."

"Yep. And one of us will go on to fight Seta," Kyo reminded him. "Now, the time for talk is over. Prepare yourself."

Roland now spoke up. "Congratulations to both of you for coming this far in the Kaibacorp Challenge Cup. Now, the winner of this duel will be the one who goes on to face the champion, Seta Kaiba. Are you ready?"

"Yes!" both boys replied immediately.

"Good!" Roland nodded approval. At that moment the coin appeared on the field. "Call it, Yugo Muto!"

"Tails!" Yugo answered.

The coin was flipped, and it showed tails. "Good! I'll go first, then!" he declared.

Roland spoke again. "The duel between Yugo Muto and Kyo Bakura is about to get underway!" He paused for a few seconds. "Now, begin!"

Yugo and Kyo spoke at the same time. "Time to duel!"

----------

**_neomage:_** Finally, the second-to-last match in the Kaibacorp Challenge Cup is about to begin! Who will win in this battle of friendship and rivalry – Yugo or Kyo? Please keep reading, loyal fans!


	27. Chapter 27

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: This is truly getting tiring… "Yu-Gi-Oh is the sole property of Kazuki Takahashi, Shonen Jump Comics, Kids WB and Cartoon Network.")

**CHAPTER 27**

OUTSIDE KAIBACORP

"Uh…who do we cheer for?" asked Grandma.

"I honestly don't know," Mr. Wheeler admitted. "They're both good duelists, good enough to have made it this far."

"Well, I know who I'm cheering for," said Mrs. Wheeler. "Do your best, Yugo! And you too, Kyo!"

"That's putting it simply…" said Mr. Taylor.

"C'mon, everyone, start cheering!" urged Mr. Muto.

"You go, guys! You can do it!" Mr. Bakura yelled.

----------

KAIBACORP ROOFTOP

"Now, let's do this!" Yugo drew his first card. "First, I summon Magician's Valkyrie (ATK 1600, DEF 1800) in Attack Mode!" A moment later the mage was on the field, ready to do battle. "Try getting past her, why don't you?"

"All right, then – I think I will!" Kyo drew his first card and then studied his hand. "Very nice! Okay – I summon Agido (ATK 1500, DEF 1300) in Attack Mode!"

A moment later he summoned a large robotic-looking red sphere with claws and a giant eye on its front. "What is it with you and your weird monsters?" Yugo demanded.

"Don't let his appearance fool you – he's yet another Fairy," said Kyo coolly. "And now, I'll equip him with the Cestus of Dagla!"

Suddenly Agido was equipped with a pair of crescent-shaped blades, one on each hand, and his ATK increased to 2000. "Attack and destroy Magician's Valkyrie!" Kyo ordered.

A few seconds later Magician's Valkyrie was sliced cleanly in two, and Yugo's life points went down to 7600. But at the same time Kyo's life points shot up to 8400! "Uh…I don't understand," said Yugo, completely clueless.

"It's simple," said Kyo. "When one of my Fairy-type monsters equipped with the Cestus of Dagla does battle damage to my opponent's life points, I increase my life points by an amount equal to the amount of damage that was done. So, you lost 400 life points when my Agido, equipped with Cestus of Dagla, attacked your Magician's Valkyrie; and in turn, I increased my life points by 400."

"So, in other words, each time I lose life points from that sort of thing, you gain life points equal to the amount I lost?" asked Yugo.

"Bingo."

Kyo then set another card facedown. "Now, it's your turn," he told Yugo. "What will you do, Yugo?"

Yugo drew another card and frowned. "Okay, if that's the way you wish to play it," he answered, "then I'll summon Gemini Elf (ATK 1900, DEF 900) to the field!" And a moment later the twin elves were in front of him.

"Not strong enough, Yugo," Kyo reprimanded him, waving a disapproving finger.

"Well, I'm not finished yet! Now I'll equip my elves with the Book of Secret Arts to increase their ATK and DEF by 300 points!" As Yugo played the card, suddenly the Gemini Elf wielded a spell book, and the ATK and DEF rose to 2200 and 1200. "Now, use Twin Magic!" Yugo ordered.

But then Kyo laughed. "Not so fast! Now I activate my trap card, Fairy Box!"

To Yugo's amazement, the same box Kyo had used in his duel against Marcus emerged on the field, obscuring Agido. "You remember the Fairy Box trap card, don't you?" said Kyo, smirking. "I'll flip a coin, and if I call it right, your monster's ATK will go down to zero. So, you'd better hope that Providence is on your side! Go, coin toss – I call heads!"

A coin appeared and was flipped. It landed quickly – and showed heads! As Yugo watched in horror, suddenly Gemini Elf's ATK shot all the way down to zero! "Oh, shit!" he cried.

"Agido, counterattack!" Kyo commanded. And Agido did just that – with one swipe of the Cestus of Dagla, the Gemini Elf twins were destroyed. Yugo's life points went down to 5600, but Kyo's shot up to 10,400.

"Gosh…Kyo sure is playing strategically," Miki said in awe. "And he isn't giving Yugo any leeway at all…"

Blaze shrugged. "Kyo's pushing Yugo…trying to see how far his opponent's skills will go…the only question is, how will Yugo respond?" she remarked.

"Now I'm really confused…I don't know who to cheer for," said Jenna.

"That's understandable – they're both your friends," said Flora kindly. "But that won't change the fact that eventually, one of them will win and the other will lose."

Kyo now drew another card, giving him four in all. As he did so, however, suddenly his life points dropped to 9900. "The Fairy Box needs something of a transfusion of life points to keep it on the field," he remarked. "It requires 500 life points during each of my Standby Phases in order to maintain it. So, if I don't give those 500 points, it'll be destroyed." He smirked again. "But that's all right – I'll be able to maintain it for as long as I need to!"

He looked at his hand and smiled widely. "Okay! Now I summon Shining Abyss (ATK 1600, DEF 1800)!" And then another machine-looking fairy, with a round base and wings on its back, appeared on the field.

"Let me guess – another fairy that looks like a robot?" Yugo asked quizzically.

"You could say that." Kyo grinned. "Okay, now it's time for me to attack you directly! Shining Abyss, do it now!"

Shining Abyss responded with a blast of light from its hands that knocked Yugo back, reducing his life points to 4000. Then – "Now, Agido, attack!" And Agido did just that, reducing Yugo further to 2000 life points and at the same time increasing Kyo's to 11,900 through the Cestus of Dagla's magic.

"No matter what you try, it's hopeless," said Kyo mockingly. "I've seen every card you've played up until now, every strategy you've pulled. You could almost say that I know what's in your deck…or even in your hand."

Yugo growled in utter frustration as he drew his next card. "Well, don't think you've got me figured out yet, Kyo," he reprimanded his friend. "I'll certainly do what I have to in order to win!"

He examined his hand and smiled a little. "I'll set one monster in Defense Mode, set another card facedown, and that's it for now." He looked back at Kyo. "Your move, _buddy."_

Now it was Kyo's turn to frown as he drew another card – and Fairy Box took another 500 life points from him to put him at 11,400. "Interesting – well, I'm going to push you, and push you, and push you some more until you break! Only if you push back will I know whether you're worthy of going on to duel against Seta!"

He focused his attention back to the field. "Well, now I'll summon Airknight Parshath (ATK 1900, DEF 1500), offering Shining Abyss as a tribute!" And as Shining Abyss disappeared, a green and white angel emerged in its place. "Okay! Agido, destroy his facedown monster now!"

But Yugo shook his head defiantly, even as Agido flew forward to strike. "Oh, no, you don't! I activate my trap card, Magic Cylinder, to reverse the attack right back at you!"

Suddenly the familiar cylinder appeared and Agido disappeared right inside it. As Kyo stared in horror, suddenly it re-emerged from the second cylinder that popped up out of nowhere, and sliced his chest!

Jenna and Miki cringed. "That must hurt!" Miki whispered.

Kyo winced as his life points went down to 9400. "Nice," he commented, "but I'm not through yet! Airknight Parshath, do it now!"

Airknight Parshath flew forward, and with one mighty wing it upended the facedown monster – and it turned out to be the Old Vindictive Magician (ATK 450, DEF 600)! "No way!" he cried out.

"Yes, way!" Yugo replied, smirking – and then suddenly cried out in pain as his life points shot down further to 700 and his magician fell. "Hey – what gives!"

"When Airknight Parshath attacks a Defense Mode monster and his ATK is higher than that monster's DEF, the difference is calculated as Battle Damage to your life points," said Kyo. "Plus, when Battle Damage is done to your life points, I can draw one card from my deck." And this he did with a smile.

"Yeah, well, Old Vindictive Magician's effect still holds!" Yugo shot back. "Since he was flipped face-up, now his power can destroy any monster on the field – and I choose your Agido!"

The Vindictive Magician feebly raised his staff and blasted Agido, destroying both it and the Cestus of Dagla even as Kyo looked on, seething. "Well, no more increasing of life points for you!" Yugo couldn't help but smile at the thought, even as the old mage then disappeared in sparks.

"Hmph. Lucky you." Kyo chuckled. "Your move."

Yugo drew his next card and thought about his situation. He now had 700 life points, while Kyo was still going strong with 9400. Yugo had no cards on the field now, though he had four cards in hand; on the other hand, Kyo had his Airknight Parshath and the Fairy Box trap card to protect him, and he also had four cards in his hand.

_This is going to be all or nothing now…_ "Kyo! I remember what we promised each other – that we'd push each other to our very limits!" Yugo smiled as he said this. "Well, you've got me on the ropes, it seems – but that's when I play at my absolute best!"

Kyo adjusted his glasses. "I'm glad to hear that," he acknowledged, "but this duel is far from over until I beat you! I say that because, from where I stand, your chances of winning now are very, very slim! So, unless you've got a miracle up your sleeve, you've lost, Yugo!"

"Maybe I DO have a miracle up my sleeve!" Yugo countered. "And now I'll show it to you! I summon Breaker the Magical Warrior (ATK 1600, DEF 1000) to the field!"

Immediately the red-clad mage-warrior emerged, and its ATK quickly shot to 1900. "You do remember about that, don't you?" Yugo quizzed.

"Yes…" The smile slowly faded from Kyo's face. "That magic counter he gets, to increase his ATK by 300 points…the same counter you can remove to destroy any Magic or Trap card on the field…dammit!"

"I see you've figured it out," said Yugo. "Now, Breaker, use your magic counter and destroy the Fairy Box!"

Breaker's sword began to glow as he pointed it at the Fairy Box. A second later he released the pent-up energy into a blast of light that completely decimated it – and his ATK went back to 1600.

"So you destroyed my Fairy Box. So what? Your monster's still too weak to challenge the Airknight Parshath!" Kyo said scornfully.

"Well, we'll soon see!" said Yugo. "I still have a couple other cards to play! Now, I'll activate the field magic of Yami!"

As soon as he finished speaking and played the card, eerie shadows crept across the field again. Kaiba noted it with a smirk on his lips. "Interesting," he mused.

"Do you remember what I said about Yami before?" said Yugo. "It increases the ATK and DEF of all Fiend and Spellcaster-type monsters by 200 points…" and as he spoke, Breaker's ATK and DEF went to 1800 and 1200. "…but all Fairy-types **_decrease_** their ATK and DEF by 200 points!"

Kyo's eyes widened in alarm as he heard this. "Crap – I totally forgot about that!" He looked on in panic as Airknight Parshath's ATK and DEF shot down to 1700 and 1300!

"The darkness is not a nice place for angels to be," Yugo remarked. Then he held up the other two cards in his hand. "Now, I'll set another card facedown, and activate Monster Reborn to revive Gemini Elf to the field!" And a moment later the twins were back, their ATK increased by Yami to 2100 and their DEF to 1100.

_Shit!_ That was all that ran across Kyo's mind.

"Now, Gemini Elf, destroy Airknight Parshath with Twin Magic!" Yugo ordered. The twins put their hands together and chanted; a moment later a huge ball of energy flew from their palms and smacked Airknight Parshath right in the chest, destroying him and reducing Kyo's life points to 9000.

"Okay, Breaker the Magical Warrior, it's your turn!" And Breaker rushed forward, slashing Kyo in the stomach with his sword and reducing him further to 7200.

Yugo looked at Kyo and chuckled. "Had enough yet, Kyo?"

Kyo smiled wryly. "Sorry, Yugo, but you've got a LOOOONG way to go! I am far from finished!"

He drew his next card. "Yes! Just what I needed!" Then he looked up and his smile grew even wider. "I hope you've said your prayers, Yugo!"

Yugo looked puzzled – and then it hit him. "Oh, hell…"

"Nope! There will be no use of the word 'hell' in this holy place!" Kyo slapped a card onto his Duel-Disk. "Reveal yourself in this place of darkness and let your light illuminate us all – Sanctuary in the Sky!"

Suddenly a gigantic blast of light illuminated the entire field, wiping out Yami's darkness as the Sanctuary was revealed. "Damn – my monsters will lose their field power bonus!" Yugo cried out as Gemini Elf's stats went back down to 1900 ATK and 900 DEF and Breaker's stats went back to 1600 ATK and 1000 DEF.

"And it's about to get even worse," Kyo needled him. "For now I summon the Agent of Force – Mars (ATK 0, DEF 0) to the field!" And a moment later the red angel was standing before his master.

"Take a good look at him, Yugo," Kyo smirked again. "Since my life points are higher than yours, and since the Sanctuary in the Sky is on the field, his ATK and DEF will be increased by, my 7200 life points minus your 700 equals…6500! That's quite a lot of power, wouldn't you say?"

"Hmph." Yugo smiled back. "And that's what you're going to use to defeat me?"

"That's exactly right!" Kyo answered. "Neither of your monsters has the strength to stand up to Mars, and your life points will be completely wiped out! Now, Mars, use Judgment Hammer!"

But as Mars raised his hammer and prepared to charge forward, Yugo suddenly laughed out loud. "I don't think so! I activate my trap card, Spellbinding Circle!"

Suddenly a magical circle of energy appeared underneath Mars's feet, and the angel could not move again. "What is the meaning of this?" Kyo demanded.

"This is my Spellbinding Circle trap, and it's got your Agent of Force completely stuck in its power," explained Yugo. "As long as this card stays on the field, your monster won't be able to attack or change its battle position. So, your attacking plan will have to wait a little while longer, I'm afraid."

Kyo groaned. "All right, fine. I end my turn, then," he scowled.

"I must say – Yugo certainly knows how to utilize his strategy well," said Flora.

"That's Yugo for you," Jenna admitted.

Yugo now drew another card. "How interesting…I believe I can do a thing or two with this card…all right! I activate Pot of Greed to draw two cards!" And he drew two more cards from his deck. Then he held up one of them in his hand. "And now I summon my Chaos Command Magician (ATK 2400, DEF 1900) to the field, offering Breaker the Magical Warrior as a tribute!"

Breaker disappeared from the field; in a moment, the Chaos Command Magician appeared in his green robes. "It pays to have a powerful monster on the field, wouldn't you say?" Yugo snickered.

Kyo looked up at that. His expression became completely grave. "Power isn't everything, Yugo," he said softly. "If you don't manage your cards properly, it won't matter if you have the strongest monsters in Duel Monsters – you'll still get your ass kicked."

Yugo looked completely surprised at that. "Well…that's actually something I know already, you know," he remarked. "You don't need to tell me something like that twice."

"Well, I'm glad you know that," said Kyo. "Hmmm…you end your turn now, right? Since you can't do much else, anyway."

"Yeah, yeah." Yugo shrugged. "I end my turn now. Do your thing."

Kyo drew another card – this game him a total of four in hand once again. "I'll activate Graceful Charity to draw three cards, and then I must discard two." He got his three cards, examined his hand, and sent two of his cards to the Graveyard, leaving him with four in hand once again. Then he examined the cards in his hand, and laughed.

"Yugo!" he exclaimed. "Have I got something that'll make you piss your pants!"

Yugo frowned – what was Kyo up to?

"I'll set one card facedown," said Kyo. "Then I'll summon Marie the Fallen One (ATK 1700, DEF 1200), offering the Agent of Force as a tribute!"

To Yugo's surprise, suddenly the red angel disappeared – and was replaced by a steel-skinned angel. But even then Kyo wasn't done. "Now I'll activate the magic of Polymerization, to fuse together this monster and the Forgiving Maiden (ATK 850, DEF 2000) in my hand to form St. Joan (ATK 2800, DEF 2000)!"

An image of the Forgiving Maiden briefly appeared on the field, and then it and Marie the Fallen One were drawn together in a whirlpool vortex. When it settled, in their place stood the short-haired young beauty, wielding her sword and ready to fight.

"St. Joan will lead me to victory – and you to judgment!" Kyo laughed out loud.

----------

**_neomage:_** The full force of the Angel deck is being demonstrated in this duel, as Kyo and Yugo fight each other for a chance to be in the championship duel! Which of them will prevail – the son of Yugi Muto, or the son of Ryou Bakura? Continue reading!


	28. Chapter 28

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: I'm running out of original ways to bring the point across…but know that I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh. Peace.)

**CHAPTER 28**

KAIBACORP ROOFTOP

"Shit," muttered Yugo as he stared at St. Joan. "With such a powerful monster on the field, the only way I can win this duel now is if I draw the right card…"

And indeed, the stats of the duel were very much against him – he had only 700 life points, while Kyo was still way ahead with 7200. Yugo had one card in his hand and Kyo had none; on the field Yugo had Gemini Elf and Chaos Command Magician, both in Attack Mode, and his still-face-up Spellbinding Circle, now on the field meaninglessly since Kyo tributed the monster that had been trapped in its power. Kyo, on the other hand, had St. Joan ready to fight, and one other card facedown on his side of the field, plus he still had the Sanctuary in the Sky hovering overhead.

"Well, I have to say, it's been a real pleasure dueling against you, Yugo," Kyo said warmly. "Still, all good things must come to an end sometime – like right now! St. Joan, destroy Gemini Elf and eliminate the rest of Yugo's life points! Use your Holy Saint Sword!"

St. Joan's sword became charged with light energy as she ran forward and delivered a downward stroke. Everyone flinched, expecting to hear the blow fall.

"I can't look!" Miki turned away.

Kaiba chuckled. "Looks like Kyo wins this one, after all," he murmured.

"Hmph." Blaze sighed and closed her eyes.

As the saint's sword sliced through the twins, they disintegrated into thin air –

– and then everyone heard Kyo exclaim, "It's not possible!"

"Huh?" Miki looked up – and was amazed. "Wow…that's incredible…"

Jenna, Flora and Wade stared in open-mouthed amazement.

Blaze blinked.

Roland's jaw dropped. Kaiba's eyebrows twitched.

And on the dueling platform, Kyo simply couldn't believe it.

Surrounding Yugo was a large cloud of furry little animals. "The effect of Kuriboh (ATK 300, DEF 200)," he revealed, and here he discarded his last card in his hand to the Graveyard. "By discarding it from my hand during the damage calculation after battle, I can reduce the battle damage I get from this one fight to zero. My Kuriboh basically absorbed the damage of that attack…an attack meant to defeat me."

Kyo applauded. "Nice play, Yugo," he congratulated him. "Still, all you've really done is to delay the inevitable. My Fairy monsters will bring you down and advance me to the final battle of this tournament. Just you wait and see."

"It isn't over…until the fat lady sings," said Yugo smartly. "And I don't hear anybody singing, do you? So the duel will continue!"

But now he looked worriedly at his deck. _I hate to admit it, but Kyo's right…all I've done is to delay the inevitable…if I don't play my cards right, and if I don't get something good on this next draw, then Kyo will bury me. I've got to think of some way to get back into the game…but how?_

Yugo closed his eyes a moment and tried to think. Everything depended on this next draw, he realized all too well. He had to get a good card, or else Kyo would win this duel. Yugo didn't want to be selfish, but he knew that only one of them could win this and go on to face Seta. And he wanted that person to be himself.

_Damn…I'm really feeling the heat now…Kyo's been showing no mercy since the duel began. He'll really cream me, unless…_

"Trust in the cards, Yugo."

"What?" Yugo's eyes snapped open – but to his astonishment, he wasn't seeing the rooftop of Kaibacorp. He was seeing something else…somewhere else…sometime else.

Six years ago…

Six years ago, at home, with his father.

_Am I…remembering something from my past?_

He could see it now: This, before his eyes, was a recollection of the first time he learned how to play Duel Monsters. His father had taught him everything he knew about the game, and…yes…he had taught him something else, too.

"Remember, Yugo," Mr. Muto had always said, "every card has its own individual strength and weakness. There are times when, at the very moment you need it most, a card you never gave much thought to may help save your life. Yugo…every duelist puts his soul into the creation of his deck, into every card used in that deck. Trust in your deck, my son…trust in the heart of the cards!"

_I never used to pay much attention to that, _Yugo mused as he closed his eyes again. _After all, they're just cards. What's to trust?_

He then opened his eyes, and he was on the dueling platform once again, about to draw. _Still…maybe there IS something to what Dad said…maybe…_ He closed his eyes once more as he prepared to draw. _Heart of the cards…if there really is such a thing…please guide me!_

Slowly he drew his card, then opened his eyes and looked at it. _Wha…what is this…? This…is this really possible…?_

On the other side of the field, Kyo could see the surprise in Yugo's face. "Hmmm? What's wrong, Yugo – did you draw a card that would prove to be of no help to you after all?"

"Uh…no…" Slowly Yugo's astonishment faded. "In fact, I drew just the card I needed!" And he showed the card to Kyo – Swords of Revealing Light!

Now it was Kyo's turn to be astonished. "WHAT!"

Yugo swiftly played the card onto his Duel-Disk, and immediately three shining swords of light shot down from the sky and landed point-down into the ground. "This should buy me some more time to work out a strategy," he mused. "Okay, now I'll switch Chaos Command Magician into Defense Mode, and end my turn."

Kyo drew his next card – and then, quite suddenly, his life points increased by 200 to put him at 7400! "Hmph…that is the effect of my Marie the Fallen One – as long as she stays in my Graveyard, during each of my Standby Phases my life points increase by 200." He frowned. "You know…I'm not sure what just happened with your card draw, Yugo, but…it doesn't matter. I will win, one way or another!" His eyes narrowed. "Even so, now I really know that I can't afford to take you lightly…especially with whatever just happened…so…"

Then he did a startling thing: very carefully, he removed his glasses and pocketed them. "It's time for me to get truly serious!"

"Huh?" Now Jenna was dumbfounded. "You mean – Kyo, please tell me you're joking! You weren't playing at your absolute best up until now?"

Kyo chuckled. "Sorry, but I was taking it easy…just being lazy," he confessed. "But right about now, now that I know that Yugo has a chance to get back into the game – I won't allow him the opportunity to catch back to me! And this will be the proof of that!"

He pointed to the facedown card on his side of the field. "Now I activate my trap card, Wall of Revealing Light!"

Suddenly a gigantic wall of light appeared in front of Kyo's side of the field. At the same time, much to everyone's amazement, Kyo's life points drastically dropped to 4400. "When I activate this card," he explained, "I must pay any multiple of 1000 life points, and any monster on your side of the field whose ATK is equal to or less than the life points paid cannot attack." He grinned. "And I've paid 3000 life points for this card. Now, Yugo, you can only attack me with monsters whose ATK are higher than 3000 – but I don't think that's going to happen anytime soon, do you?" And he laughed.

"Damn it…" Yugo muttered.

----------

OUTSIDE KAIBACORP

Mr. Wheeler looked up at the big screen in surprise. "Wow…Kyo surely isn't taking any chances, is he?" he remarked.

"He rarely ever does," said Mr. Bakura.

They looked at the current duel stats: Yugo's life points were still 700, but Kyo's were now down to 4400. Yugo had the Swords of Revealing Light in play and the Chaos Command Magician in Defense Mode, as well as Spellbinding Circle still on the field meaninglessly; Kyo had St. Joan in Attack Mode, and his Wall of Revealing Light trap card, just activated; and, of course, the Sanctuary in the Sky was still on the field. Yugo had no cards in hand, and Kyo had one.

"Kyo just took off his glasses…now he's really playing seriously," said Mrs. Bakura quietly. "He won't hold anything back now."

"It's because he knows that Yugo is a tough opponent," said Mr. Muto.

"Well, Yugo was certainly lucky to draw that card when he did," said Grandma, and she sighed in relief.

Mr. Taylor looked up at the screen. "Somehow, I don't think it was just luck," he commented. "I think it was something else…"

Mrs. Wheeler looked at him. "The heart of the cards?"

"Well…yeah."

Grandma shook her head. "I can't believe you guys are still talking about that 'heart of the cards' even though you're all grown," she scolded. "Honestly, I can never understand what you're talking about!"

The others looked at each other knowingly and smiled.

----------

KAIBACORP ROOFTOP

"Now, then, let's continue!" Kyo examined the card in his hand. "Hmmm…this IS a good card…but I don't need this right now. So, I'll end my turn."

The first of the three Swords of Revealing Light disappeared as Yugo quickly drew his next card. "This card is just what the doctor ordered," he muttered. "But I can't use it right now. I'll end my turn."

"What's Yugo doing?" complained Jenna. "He's got a good opportunity to plan a comeback, and he's wasting the time he's got left!"

"Well, evidently, neither he nor Kyo can use the cards they've got," Flora said gently. "And obviously neither of them can attack right now. It's all about patience and good card play at this point."

Kyo drew another card, and Marie the Fallen One's effect increased his life points to 4600. Then he examined the two cards in his hand. _Hmmm…I can use these in a combination, like so…_

"Okay, Yugo! I summon the Agent of Creation – Venus (ATK 1600, DEF 0) to the field!" And in a moment Kyo summoned the yellow-robed angel.

"Huh?" Yugo's eyes widened.

"Now, as you know, by paying 500 life points, I can use Venus's effect to Special Summon one Mystical Shine Ball (ATK 500, DEF 500) from my hand or deck to the field," Kyo reminded his opponent. "And now I'll pay a full 1500 to Special Summon all three from my deck!"

In a moment the three Mystical Shine Balls were on the field in Defense Mode, and Kyo's life points dropped to 3100. "I like to keep all my bases covered, you see," said Kyo. "So, just in case you find some way to get past my Wall of Revealing Light, I can have a solid defense ready to back me up." He chuckled. "It seems you're doing battle with an angelic legion, Yugo."

Now the second of the three swords disappeared, leaving only one. Yugo noted this and frowned. _I need to finish this, and soon!_

Aloud he said, "All right! Now I'll take my turn!" And he drew his next card, giving him two in hand. Then he looked at his hand and frowned some more.

"All right! Now I'll summon Copycat (ATK 0, DEF 0) to the field!"

Copycat soon appeared, wielding its mirror in front of its face. Kyo saw this and was shocked. "Oh, dammit!" he exclaimed. "That monster can take on the original ATK and DEF of any monster on my side of the field…!"

"I'm glad you know that," said Yugo, "because I'm going to have Copycat – well – COPY the attributes of St. Joan!"

Copycat's body began to morph, right before their eyes; pretty soon it was the splitting image of the original St. Joan, with ATK of 2800 and DEF of 2000. But Yugo wasn't done.

"Next, I'll equip Copycat with a magic card that'll definitely increase his powers!" Now Yugo was smiling once again. "And the card I choose is – the Black Pendant!" He held up the last remaining card in his hand. "This will increase my monster's ATK by 500 points, putting him at 3300 – enough to bypass your Wall of Revealing Light!"

Kyo's eyes widened in utter alarm. _Holy shit!_

"Now, Copycat! Attack and destroy St. Joan!" ordered Yugo. And Copycat Joan rushed forward with sword drawn, impaling St. Joan through the heart and killing her.

"Damn…" Kyo growled. Though he hadn't lost any life points thanks to the effect of the Sanctuary in the Sky, nevertheless he'd still lost a powerful monster. "You'll pay for that, Yugo!" he spat.

"Sure." Yugo shrugged. "Make your move, Kyo."

Kyo drew another card, and once again Marie the Fallen One increased his life points to 3300. "Now, you'll really pay for that little stunt you just pulled!" he declared, as he held up the two cards in his hand. "Now, I'll offer all three of my Mystical Shine Balls as tributes to summon another monster to the field – my Moisture Creature (ATK 2800, DEF 2900)!"

"What the hell!" exclaimed Yugo.

The Mystical Shine Balls gathered together into one giant ball of light, then shot up into the sky. A moment later the ball of light returned slowly to earth, but slightly changed in color – from white to purple – and now it sported eyes and two arms. Then suddenly it began to glow, very brightly, so brightly that everyone had to cover their eyes.

"Damn! That's too bright!" Wade exclaimed.

But after a moment, the light subsided, and all could see again. But when Yugo looked around, he stared in amazement…his Swords of Revealing Light, the Black Pendant, the now-useless Spellbinding Circle – all had vanished!

"All right – I'm officially confused!" he exploded. "What the hell just happened here?"

"I'll run it through with you, step by step, so you can understand," said Kyo softly. "As you know, all Level 8 or higher monsters are normally summoned by offering two monsters as tributes. Now, my Moisture Creature is a Level 9 monster, which means that I can summon him by offering two tributes, as well. However, if I summon him by offering three tributes instead of just two, this activates his effect – to destroy all Magic and Trap cards on my opponent's side of the field."

"Damn…" Yugo sighed in a woebegone manner. "So now you can attack, and my Copycat's lost his equipped item…"

"Exactly!" Kyo answered, very pleased with himself – and then suddenly he winced, as his life points went down to 2800! "What's going on here? Why'd I lose life points?" he demanded.

"It was the effect of the Black Pendant," Yugo recalled. "When it's sent to the Graveyard, its power does 500 points of damage to your life points."

"Well, it won't matter – you'll still lose!" Kyo declared. "Now, my Moisture Creature, destroy the Chaos Command Magician!"

The Moisture Creature moved forward in a water-like motion, and covered the mage. A moment later Yugo's monster was drowned, sucked into Moisture Creature, even as it slipped back over to Kyo's side of the field. "Ready to give up now, Yugo?" Kyo taunted him.

Yugo defiantly shook his head. "Where there's a will to win, there's a way to win," he answered. "And I will win!"

"You don't seem to get it yet, do you?" Kyo remarked. "The odds are telling heavily against you, you know. On my next turn, I can easily have my Moisture Creature destroy your Copycat, and even though they'd both be destroyed because they have the same ATK, nevertheless my Agent of Creation – Venus would be able to finish off your life points. So, unless you have another miracle up your sleeve…I would highly advise you to call it quits."

"Kyo…after all this time, this is how you see me?" Yugo scowled. "I'm disappointed in you. You should know, better than anybody else, that I would rather go down fighting than to give up if I can help it!"

"Then that will be your downfall." Kyo's tone was final.

Yugo said no more, but drew his next card. He looked at it for the longest moment…and then smiled. "Okay! Now I'm going to bet everything on this card! I'll set it facedown, and that'll end my turn!"

Kyo chuckled. "So, you decided not to call it quits, after all," he noted. "Truly, you're a real duelist, Yugo. I'll be sure to let Seta know that, when I see him."

But Yugo only smiled. "I'll tell him myself, Kyo. I intend to be the one who duels against him, after all. Just watch!"

As the two friends stared each other down, the score was shown. Yugo was still fighting with 700 life points, while Kyo had 2800. Kyo had on his side of the field the Agent of Creation – Venus, the Moisture Creature, the Sanctuary in the Sky field magic card and the Wall of Revealing Light trap card; by contrast, Yugo now had only one facedown card on his side of the field, along with Copycat Joan in Attack Mode. Yugo had no more cards in his hand; Kyo had one.

Now Kyo prepared to draw another card. "Yugo," he said quietly. "This is the end for you now. I'm going to defeat you – and force you to face and acknowledge your defeat!"

----------

**_neomage:_** It's all come down to this, ladies and gents! Will Kyo's armada utterly slaughter Yugo – or is there still hope for Yugo yet? Which of these two friends will go on to face the Kaibacorp Challenge Cup champion, Seta? And whoever wins, how will it affect their friendship?


	29. Chapter 29

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: By the power invested in me as a fanfic author, I hereby declare that I am in no way affiliated with Kazuki Takahashi, the true creator of Yu-Gi-Oh!)

**CHAPTER 29**

KAIBACORP ROOFTOP

Kyo drew another card. Once more, the Marie the Fallen One in his Graveyard increased his life points to 3000. "Now, say goodbye to this tournament, Yugo!" he cried. "Moisture Creature, prepare to sacrifice yourself in battle! Attack Copycat!"

But as Moisture Creature slid forward with watery movements to do the deed, Yugo's eyes flashed. "You fell for it, Kyo! I activate my trap card, Blast Held by a Tribute!"

Suddenly, a giant, cancerous bomb appeared right in the middle of Moisture Creature's brain. It paused, puzzled, then suddenly exploded, sending water everywhere! The shockwave of the blast knocked over the Agent of Creation – Venus, as well, and she got blasted into nothingness – and Kyo, shielding himself from the shockwave with upraised arms, winced as his life points shot down to 2000!

"I could only activate that card when you attacked with a monster that you Tribute summoned, as I knew you'd do," said Yugo calmly. "And so, because all the monsters on your side of the field were in Attack Mode, they got destroyed and you got 1000 points of damage to your life points."

Kyo smirked a little. "Very clever, Yugo," he praised his friend. "I'm glad to see you've still got some fight left in you. But I am far from done with you!"

He held up the two cards in his hand. "Now, I'm going to show you something – something that'll make you tremble in your shoes! I activate the magic of my Monster Reborn card, to revive my Warrior of Zera (ATK 1600, DEF 1600) from the Graveyard!"

In a moment the warrior emerged on the field, sword drawn. Yugo was shocked. _Wait a minute – when did that go to the Graveyard?_ Then, just as suddenly as that thought crossed his mind, another revelation hit him: _He must've discarded it when he played his Graceful Charity earlier!_

"And now…" Kyo waved the last card in his hand ominously. "I'll end my turn for now, but know this – you can neither attack nor defend against me!"

_I've got a bad feeling about that card in his hand,_ Yugo mused. _I'm going to have to play it really carefully from here on in._

Aloud he spoke up as he drew his next card. "I'll set one monster in Defense Mode, and end my turn!"

Kyo drew another card and snickered, even as Marie the Fallen One increased his life points further to 2200. "Hmmm…only a copycat version of my St. Joan and a facedown monster for protection? Poor, poor Yugo…you must be running out of options or something."

"If you really think so, then why don't you attack me next chance you get?" needled Yugo.

But Kyo merely smiled. "Do you take me for a fool? I'm not that gullible or careless." He examined the cards in his hand. "Cool! Now I summon Spirit of the Pot of Greed (ATK 100, DEF 100) in Attack Mode!" And a moment later the giant green pot appeared with the grinning spirit peeking out of it.

Yugo scowled. "If you're playing that, then that only means…"

"Smart boy!" Kyo congratulated him. "Of course, I do have it in my hand, and now I'll activate it – Pot of Greed! And since the Spirit of the Pot of Greed is in Attack Mode on the field, I'll be able to draw one more card in addition to the usual two!"

As Kyo played the card, two cards appeared available to refresh his empty hand – and then, as if for afterthought, a third popped out. Taking the three cards into his hand, Kyo's eye caught a particular one, and he stared long and hard at it. _Incredible…how incredible that I'm actually going to summon HER to battle!_

"Now…" Kyo spoke slowly, carefully. "First, I'll Special Summon my fluffy little friend, Watapon (ATK 300, DEF 200) in Defense Mode, since he was drawn from my deck by a card effect." Then the pink ball of fluff appeared on the field. But Kyo wasn't finished. "Then I offer my Warrior of Zera as a tribute to Special Summon my great and powerful Archlord Zerato (ATK 2800, DEF 2300)! Go, my warrior, to the Sanctuary in the Sky!"

As he had done in Kyo's duel against Jenna, the Warrior of Zera flew up toward the Sanctuary; momentarily, he returned in angel form, wielding his giant shining sword. "Take a good look at him, Yugo," said Kyo. "This guy will be the guy who buries you!"

"Hmmm…so, I get to fight the Archlord, at long last." Yugo smiled. "Well…this is certainly an honor."

"Well, savor it, because the next thing you'll see is his sword of light buried in your chest!" Kyo chuckled. "Do I sound cruel? I'm only being practical. You should've gone down several turns back – now I'll finish what I started before! Now, Archlord Zerato, destroy Yugo's facedown monster!"

Raising his shining sword, Archlord Zerato sent forth a blade of light that cut the card in two – but Yugo only grinned. "You just destroyed my Magician of Faith (ATK 300, DEF 400)," and here he revealed the young mage grimacing in pain before she disappeared. "Her flip effect will allow me to take one Magic card from my Graveyard and add it to my hand. And the card I'm going for is – Pot of Greed!" He grinned some more at Kyo.

The realization of the situation suddenly dawned on Kyo. _Oh, SHIT – Spirit of the Pot of Greed's effect works for both players! Yugo's gonna get to use this to his advantage! Man, how could I be so short-sighted!_

"If you're done moping, I'll take my turn now," said Yugo, drawing another card – this gave him two in all. "All right," he said after a moment. "Now I'm taking back this duel! I'll summon Skilled Dark Magician (ATK 1900, DEF 1700) to the field!"

A mage wearing Black monk-like robes and carrying a staff appeared on the field. "Next," continued Yugo, holding up the last card in his hand, "I activate Pot of Greed! And, if my guess is correct, I'll be able to draw an extra card thanks to YOUR monster – right?"

Kyo growled, but said nothing else. Smiling, Yugo activated the Pot of Greed; drawing two cards and then pausing before he drew the third one. Then he examined his hand and smiled even more. "This just keeps getting better and better," he remarked.

Then, just as Yugo finished speaking, suddenly a ball of magic energy appeared beside the Skilled Dark Magician. "Keep an eye on that orb – it's a magic counter," Yugo told Kyo. "Each time you or I activate a Magic card, Skilled Dark Magician gets one magic counter."

On the sidelines, Kaiba chuckled to himself a little. _This boy…he certainly has the unusual ability to bounce right back when you least expect him to…truly he is the son of Yugi Muto!_

Then Yugo held up two of his three new cards. "Now, I'll set one card facedown," he announced, "and then I'll activate Double Spell! By discarding one Magic card from my hand…" and here he discarded the third card he'd drawn, the Premature Burial card. "…I can select one Magic card from _your_ Graveyard and use its effect as my own. And I choose – your Pot of Greed!"

As Yugo drew two cards from his deck, then drew a third due to the effect of the Spirit of the Pot of Greed, Skilled Dark Magician got a second magic counter. Kyo merely shook his head…then smirked. _Definitely the Yugo I know, for sure._

Yugo now examined the three new cards in his hand and smiled. "Good! Now, I'll set another card facedown, and then I'll end my turn." He looked slyly at Kyo. "Make your move, widdle Kyo!" he teased in baby talk.

"Hmph. Funny." Kyo drew his next card, so now he had two in his hand. As Marie the Fallen One increased his life points to 2400, he then examined his hand and smiled slyly. "Yugo! It's time for me to summon a new monster – I like to call her the spirit of a certain saint!"

"A certain saint…" Yugo frowned. "St. Joan?"

"Well, this is a new version of her! I sacrifice Watapon and the Spirit of the Pot of Greed to summon Guardian Angel Joan (ATK 2800, DEF 2000)!" And as the two monsters disappeared from the field, slowly rising from the ground was Joan, dressed in a robe of pure white with angelic wings, with glorious light shining from her body.

"She's one of my most favorite monsters, you see," explained Kyo, "and she's got great power, now that she's an angel. When she destroys a monster in battle, I increase my life points by an amount equal to the destroyed monster's original ATK!" He cast an eye on the Skilled Dark Magician. "And right now, I feel in the mood to increase my life points a little…"

"Crap!" Yugo cried.

"It sucks, doesn't it, Yugo? The fact that I can attack you at any time, but you can't because of my Wall of Revealing Light, restricting you from doing so…" and Kyo stuck a thumb at the Wall of Revealing Light, still in effect on the field. "Now, Guardian Angel Joan, attack the Skilled Dark Magician with your Heavenly Cherub Blade!"

Guardian Angel Joan formed a transparent blade of light in one hand, then flew forward to attack. But suddenly Yugo shouted, "No way! I activate my trap card, Negate Attack, to stop your attack altogether and end your Battle Phase!"

A vortex opened up and absorbed the blade of light just as Guardian Angel Joan stabbed at the Skilled Dark Magician. As suddenly as she'd rushed forward, the angel stopped and reluctantly moved back to Kyo's side of the field. Kyo himself was feeling pretty upset, but he let it go. "Nice counter, Yugo," he admitted. "All right, then I will place one card facedown and end my turn." And he set the last card in his hand facedown.

Now the score stood: Yugo still had 700 life points, while Kyo had 2400. Yugo had two cards in his hand, and Kyo had none. On Yugo's side of the field, he had Copycat Joan, Skilled Dark Magician with two magic counters, and one facedown card in the magic/trap slot; on Kyo's side, he had his Wall of Revealing Light, the Sanctuary in the Sky, Archlord Zerato and Guardian Angel Joan, and one facedown card.

"Hmph…neither one is budging an inch." Blaze chuckled. "Now, those two are really good duelists, if ever there were any."

"That's true," agreed Wade. "And right now…I'm just about glad I didn't get to duel against either of them."

Miki held her head down. Jenna noticed. "Something up?"

"Well…I just really don't know which of them I want to win." Miki sighed. "I want Kyo to do his best, but then again I know Yugo's good, too…"

"Hey, whatever happens, happens," Blaze said firmly. "Friends who duel may have to fight each other sometime. The main thing is that they maintain respect for each other, regardless of who wins or loses."

"That's definitely right," Flora nodded.

Now Yugo drew another card. As he did, he cast a glance at Kyo's side of the field. "Hey, Kyo," he chuckled. "I'm sorry, but it's time I brought the fun and games to an end! Now I'll activate my trap card, Call of the Haunted, to bring back my Chaos Command Magician from the Graveyard!"

The green-robed spellcaster momentarily came back to life amidst a row of tombstones – but Yugo didn't stop there. "Next," he held up one of his three cards, "I activate the magic of Mage Power! For every Magic and Trap card on my side of the field, this card increases the ATK and DEF of the monster it's equipped to by 500 points. And I'm equipping it to my Chaos Command Magician!"

Kyo stared in astonishment. "No!"

As the card was equipped to the magician, his ATK and DEF both shot up by 1000 – Mage Power counted itself in its effect, and Call of the Haunted was already active on the field; thus, as Kyo watched in dismay, Chaos Command Magician's ATK and DEF were eventually set at 3400 and 2900! "But – now he's strong enough to overcome my Wall of Revealing Light…!" Kyo said weakly.

"Damn right, he can!" Yugo chuckled. "Oh, and did I forget to mention that Skilled Dark Magician now has three counters?" He pointed to the other mage, who now had three glowing orbs around him. "When he has three of those magic counters, I can offer him and those three counters as tributes to Special Summon my Dark Magician (ATK 2500, DEF 2100) from my hand, deck or Graveyard – and this time he's coming from my deck!"

Kyo was dumbfounded. "How many ways are there to summon that guy?" he demanded.

"Plenty!" Yugo grinned as the Skilled Dark Magician and his three counters disappeared. A moment later the familiar Dark Magician appeared in his purple robes and carrying his green staff.

"Well, okay, so congratulations," said Kyo. "But still, you've only gotten ONE monster on the field with an ATK higher than 3000. Even if you destroy one of my monsters now, that still won't be enough to stop me."

"Hmmm…that IS true…" Yugo frowned as he examined the field again. Then he smiled. "But what if…I did this?" He held up a card from his hand. "Suppose I was to activate this magic card – a card called Knight's Title?"

Kyo stared at the card suspiciously. "And what exactly does that do?"

"It allows me to transform my Dark Magician into a knight – the Dark Magician Knight (ATK 2500, DEF 2100), to be exact!" Yugo smiled again. "Now, I activate the magic of Knight's Title!"

The Dark Magician was suddenly engulfed in a blinding flash of light; when that light subsided a few minutes later, in place of his magician's robes he was now wearing a purple suit of armor and wielding a sword. "Furthermore," added Yugo, "when Dark Magician Knight is Special Summoned successfully, I can use his power to choose and destroy one card on the field. And the card I choose is – your Wall of Revealing Light!"

"NO!" Kyo cried out.

Dark Magician Knight raised his sword, charged with mystic energy, and rushed at the Wall of Revealing Light. Jumping into the air, he let loose with one massive downward stroke – and seconds later, the wall tore in two and came crumbling to the ground in pieces.

"Now that your Wall of Revealing Light is destroyed," said Yugo, "any of my monsters can attack! And the first thing I'm going to do is to have my Copycat sacrifice himself in battle! Copycat, attack and destroy Archlord Zerato!"

Copycat Joan rushed forward with sword drawn, point directed at the Archlord Zerato's chest. But the other monster had his sword drawn, too – so that both monsters impaled each other. Then they disintegrated into nothing.

"One down, one to go!" Yugo grinned. "Chaos Command Magician, destroy Guardian Angel Joan!"

The Chaos Command Magician raised his staff and blasted Guardian Angel Joan to pieces. However, because the Sanctuary in the Sky was still on the field, Kyo suffered no battle damage; but this did not concern Yugo any longer. He looked at his friend. "Even if that Sanctuary protects you from battle damage done to one of your Fairy-type monsters, you still won't be protected from direct damage! Dark Magician Knight, finish it now! Attack directly!"

The Dark Magician Knight raised his sword and rushed at Kyo – who started laughing. "I'm not so weak as to be taken down just like that, Yugo!" Kyo cried out. "I activate my trap card, Enchanted Javelin!"

A giant spear with beautiful decorations appeared in front of Kyo, even as the Dark Magician Knight slashed downward; to Yugo's amazement, the trap card suddenly increased Kyo's life points to 4900! But then, as the knight's sword actually connected, Kyo's life points shot back down to 2400!

"Whoa…what just happened?" wondered Miki. Jenna, too, was staring wide-eyed at the field.

"I activated the effect of my trap card, Enchanted Javelin," said Kyo. "When an enemy monster attacks, this trap increases my life points by the attacking monster's ATK. Since Dark Magician Knight's ATK is 2500, I was able to increase my life points by 2500. Of course, since the hit connected, I'm back to 2400, but even so it's given me enough time to come back with a counter-strike."

"Aw, man!" Yugo's disappointment was heavy. "Well, all right, I guess. I'll set this last card facedown, and then end my turn." And he placed the last card in his hand facedown on the field. As he did this, Mage Power increased Chaos Command Magician's ATK and DEF further to 3900 and 3400; then he ended his turn.

Suddenly, much to everyone's amazement, a small tear opened in Kyo's shirt. Kyo noted this with surprise. _Hmmm…looks like I cut it a bit too close…I need to finish it now, or else…_

So Kyo drew his next card, and yet again Marie the Fallen One in his Graveyard increased his life points, putting him at 2600. As he looked at the new card, though, his eyes widened in amazement. _No way – I can actually use this! This very card can help me out greatly!_

"Oh, Yugo," he chuckled. "It seems I still have something that can help me immensely! Now, I summon my best monster of all to the field – Mudora (ATK 1500, DEF 1800)!"

Yugo's eyes widened when he heard this. "You're kidding! Not that guy!"

"Oh, yes, THAT guy!" Kyo laughed out loud, even as Mudora appeared in his yellow mask and wielding his knife. "As most of you may recall, Mudora increases his ATK by 200 for every Fairy-type monster in my Graveyard. So, let's look at my Graveyard a moment, eh?"

He touched a button on his Duel-Disk, and a second later the Graveyard information appeared in holographic form. "Now, from the start of this duel," said Kyo, "these are the Fairy-type monsters that have ended up in my Graveyard: Agido, Shining Abyss, Airknight Parshath, the Agent of Force – Mars, the Forgiving Maiden, St. Joan, the Agent of Creation – Venus, three Mystical Shine Balls, Moisture Creature, Spirit of the Pot of Greed, Watapon, Archlord Zerato, and Guardian Angel Joan – that's a grand total of 15 Fairy-types in my Graveyard! And, 200 times 15 equals 3000 – that gives Mudora a punishing grand total of 4500 ATK points!"

"Goddamn!" Yugo yelled.

"It's embarrassing, isn't it, Yugo, to know that you came _this _close to beating me?" Kyo snickered. "Well, I won't draw out this duel any longer, thank you very much! Now, Mudora, attack and destroy the Dark Magician Knight and put an end to it!"

With that said, Mudora's knife shone with a great white light as it suddenly transformed into a massive curved sword. The monster then turned and charged at Yugo, with every intent of stabbing him. But then Yugo shook his head. "You're right, Kyo – it IS time to put an end to this! I activate my trap card, Mirror Force!"

Suddenly a massive force field appeared in between Yugo and Mudora. The monster slashed forward, but then got thrown back by the backlash – and got destroyed! Kyo stared in dismay. "No! Not my monster!" he wailed.

"Sorry, Kyo," Yugo said quietly, "but only one of us can win this duel now. And believe me, it won't be you!" He drew another card. "Now, it's time to put an end to this!"

Then, unexpectedly, he held his head down. "At least, it should be time to put an end to this…but…" He sniffed. "Damn me, why am I sniffling like this?"

Kyo looked long and hard at Yugo. Then he smiled a quiet little smile. "Yugo…don't fret about it," he said. "You and I fought a great duel here…I just happened to be the loser today, that's all. I'm just glad that if I had to lose to somebody, then that somebody could be one of my best friends. And…it's true that Mudora is the card that I treasure the most of all those I have…" He flashed a glance at Miki. "…But all said and done, it's just a card. What's really important is what that special person and I have for each other, and no card can ever really symbolize that. So don't feel guilty because you destroyed Mudora now…I'll be able to use it again in a future duel."

Then his face became stern. "So…attack me now, Yugo!"

Yugo kept his head down; but a smile now played on his mouth. "I had a good time, Kyo. I hope to duel you again sometime."

Kyo chuckled now. "Yeah…me, too."

And then Yugo looked up, assurance restored to his face. Chaos Command Magician's ATK and DEF had been lowered to 3400 and 2900 since he no longer had his Mirror Force trap on the field, but it would be enough. "Chaos Command Magician, attack directly!"

With that, Chaos Command Magician raised his staff and fired a blast of energy at Kyo. As the energy rocketed toward him, Kyo took out his glasses and put them back on…and got hit in the chest, flooring him and reducing his life points to 0.

Nobody said anything for a long moment. Then Roland made the announcement, "Winner: Yugo Muto!"

"All right! Way to go, you guys!" Jenna exclaimed, rushing up to the platform. Then she paused. "Uh…you guys all right?"

Yugo nodded. "Yeah…yeah."

Kyo picked himself up and dusted himself off. "THAT – was probably the best duel I've ever had in a long time!" He burst out laughing.

Miki walked up. "Kyo…to see you taking this so well…I'm so proud of you…"

"Yeah." He smiled. "Now, all that's left is the championship duel…"

"Quite so!" agreed Yugo. He then looked aside, but in his mind he was thinking, _Wait for me, Seta…very soon, you and I will duel again! Count on it!_

----------

**_neomage:_** So that does it, ladies and gents! The second-to-last battle has drawn to a close! Now, the long-awaited rematch will soon begin! Keep reading!


	30. Chapter 30

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: This story is rated as belonging to neomage. The original concept is rated as belonging to Kazuki Takahashi, Shonen Jump, Kids WB and Cartoon Network.)

**CHAPTER 30**

KAIBACORP ROOFTOP

Watching the kids' jubilation, Kaiba folded his arms and smirked. "Well…that Yugo Muto is certainly something else…to get a victory after being so close to defeat…"

"He is an extraordinary duelist, indeed – to be able to hold out for so long in that duel with only 700 life points!" Roland remarked. Then he added quickly, "Of course, there's nobody around who can truly best Master Seta!"

"Roland…_he_ did," Kaiba reminded the retainer, nodding his head at Yugo.

"Well…Master Kaiba, take into consideration that now that Master Seta has THAT card, he is virtually unstoppable," Roland reminded his employer.

"Well, we'll see, won't we?" said Kaiba, and he chuckled.

Then he walked over to where Yugo and his friends were. "Yugo," he addressed the young boy, "congratulations on making it this far in the Kaibacorp Challenge Cup. However, as you already know, there is one more duel left…against Seta, my son."

Yugo nodded respectfully. "Yes, sir, I know," he answered. "Uh…do I get to duel him today?"

"No, you don't." Kaiba shook his head. "You've been through quite a lot for one day. Why don't you go home and rest? Tomorrow I'll send a limo over to take you to the site of the final duel."

"What? You mean it won't be here?" Yugo asked in surprise.

"No, it won't," answered Kaiba. "It will be held at Kaibacorp's biggest dueling dome at the heart of the city's shopping center. Naturally, many people will be there to view the duel; and I've arranged for media coverage of the battle. Face it, kid – this duel will probably make you famous."

"Did you hear that, Yugo? You'll be really famous!" Jenna squealed in glee.

"Who would imagine that? Our very own Yugo Muto, a big-shot celebrity!" Kyo teased, pulling Yugo's cheeks between his fingers.

"Well..." Yugo managed to get Kyo's hands off his face after a moment. "I don't really care about the celebrity status. All that matters is that I get to duel Seta again…the two of us, dueling against each other in style." He smiled a little. "I've been hoping to see just how much stronger he's gotten since last time. That's all that matters to me."

"Spoken like a real duelist," said Kaiba. "All right. Get some rest tonight, and tomorrow my limo will pick you up and take you to the dueling dome. Now…Roland will show you the way to the entrance." And so saying, he walked past the group and went on his way.

"Well…good luck, then, kid. I'll definitely come and see you at the dueling dome tomorrow." Blaze turned and walked off.

"Same here," said Wade. "Well, catch you later!" He turned and walked away, too.

Flora sighed. "I'll need to work some more on my strategy before I can duel again. But it was fun, everyone, believe me. Well, then, I'll be seeing you soon." She left, following after Wade and Blaze.

"So, we're the only ones left," said Miki thoughtfully.

Roland stepped up. "Please, follow me." He walked toward the doors to go back downstairs, and the group followed him.

----------

OUTSIDE KAIBACORP

"Hmmm…well, Yugi, your son's done very well, I dare say," remarked Mr. Bakura.

"Kyo did well, too, Bakura," returned Mr. Muto. "His dueling prowess should be highly noted and respected, even by someone like Yugo."

"True, but Yugo did get training from the best," added Mr. Bakura. "It's only natural that his skill should be so top-notch."

By and by Mr. Wheeler exclaimed, "Hey, here they come now!"

Emerging from the building entrance were Yugo and his friends. "Well done, everybody!" Mrs. Bakura exclaimed. "You've all done very well!"

"Mom? Dad? You guys are here?" Kyo asked, surprised. "Then you saw…"

"We certainly did – and your dueling was quite magnificent!" said Mrs. Wheeler.

Mr. Taylor looked down at Miki. "Honey…I'm proud of you," he said quietly. "That you were able to make it in the tournament shows me that you did your best…and that's all I ask of you."

Miki blushed. "Thanks, Dad."

"You did it, Yugo," said Mr. Bakura. "Now, what's next?"

"Well…tomorrow I'm to go to the dueling dome at the shopping center downtown," explained Yugo. "I'll duel Seta Kaiba there for the right to first place in the Kaibacorp Challenge Cup."

"In that case, you know what that means," said Mr. Muto. "You need to go over your deck, and then get a good night's rest."

"Yeah…I know." Yugo nodded with understanding.

----------

KAIBACORP, LATER THAT NIGHT

"I see…so Yugo won the whole thing, then."

"That's right. And first thing tomorrow, you and he will duel."

Seta and his father were seated together at the dining table, opposite each other, having supper. Seta poked idly at the mashed potatoes in his plate. "It's so incredible…" he mused. "I knew all along that Yugo would be the one to win this. Now, I can get to duel him once again…"

Kaiba eyed him. "Don't get too overconfident," he cautioned. "He has gotten much better since the last time you faced him. The only trump card you'll really have is the card I gave you – up to now he doesn't know you have it."

"I know. And I intend to keep it that way until the time is right." Seta chuckled decisively. "I won't lose a second time, that's for sure."

"I hope not." Kaiba then stuck his fork into the food and took a bite. "Hmmm…this stewed beef is certainly something," he commented. "I'm glad I hired new staff for the kitchen – variety is the spice of life."

Seta chuckled again. "Indeed it is."

----------

YUGO'S HOUSE

Yugo sighed as he went over his deck again. "Whew…keeping my deck well prepared sure is a tough job," he sighed.

As he continued to work, a tap at his window startled him. "Huh?"

He went over to the window and looked out. Standing out at the front was Jenna. "Hey, Yugo, you have a minute to spare?" she asked.

"Yeah, sure. I'll be down in a few."

Moments later Yugo was outside, facing Jenna. "What's up? What're you doing here so late at night?"

Jenna sighed. "I just feel a little…uneasy…about tomorrow. Don't you, Yugo?"

"Uh…I'm not following."

"Well, what I mean is, what if you lose tomorrow? What'll happen then?"

Yugo smiled. "Don't worry about it, Jenna. Whether I win or lose isn't the important thing, as far as I'm concerned. Seta's strong, that much I know already…if he wins, then no big deal. I'll just have to readjust my deck again, that's all."

Jenna nodded. "I understand. I just…"

He looked at her inquiringly. "What?"

She held her head down a little. "I…I don't want you to lose, Yugo. If you do…you'll never be able to reach your goal…your dream of surpassing your father…"

Yugo's eyes widened. Then he chuckled. "I see…you haven't forgotten about that."

"Yeah." Jenna looked at him again. "Yugo…promise me you'll win. Kyo, Miki and I will be rooting for you for sure tomorrow, so do your best, okay?"

He nodded and smiled reassuringly. "I promise."

Jenna nodded, then stood up. "Well, that's all I wanted to say. So…good night now." And with that, she walked off for home, leaving Yugo standing alone in front of his house.

Yugo smirked. "Yeah…I'll do my best, all right," he whispered. He turned and walked back into his house, a new confidence burning inside of him.

----------

THE NEXT MORNING

Yugo was still in bed, sleeping; and he was having a wonderful dream. "Mmmmm…gimme that roast beef sandwich…" he muttered.

In his mind, a massive sandwich was inches away from his nose, and the smell was so powerful Yugo had a hard time containing his drool. "Must…eat…sandwich…" he gasped as he lunged forward for it – but suddenly it went out of his reach. Then, he heard scornful laughter.

"Mwa-ha-ha! This soft, tender, juicy, luscious, succulent, DELICIOUS roast beef sandwich is – MINE! ALL MINE!" And to Yugo's horror, a huge ogre snatched the sandwich and began to devour it in massive bites!

"Noooooo!" Yugo sprang forward in bed, completely awake – and found Kyo sitting at the foot of his bed, a huge sandwich in hand and a grin on his face. "Man, you should've heard yourself!" Kyo laughed, taking a bite from the sandwich.

The next thing Kyo knew, he was facedown on the floor, his face in the middle of a crater, as five massive lumps appeared on his head and swirls developed in his eyes. Yugo was sitting on his back, triumphantly wielding the sandwich in one hand. "Victory!" Yugo cheered.

"…ouchie…" Kyo groaned.

"Yugo!" Grandma's voice could be heard from the other side of the door. "Stop clowning around in there and get ready! Kaiba's limo will be here any minute to pick you up!"

"Kaiba's limo?" Yugo asked, puzzled. Then it dawned on him. "Oh, shit – how could I forget about that?" he exclaimed as he dashed to the bathroom.

With dignity, Kyo picked himself up off the floor and slicked his hair back with one hand. "That's why I'm here, Yugo – I came to remind you that the last duel for the Kaibacorp Challenge Cup is today."

"Well, couldn't you have found a better way to wake me up, you asshole?" Yugo asked peevishly.

"Nope!" Kyo grinned.

"Geez…sometimes I wonder if you're even human…" Yugo grunted as he slammed the bathroom door.

A few minutes later Yugo emerged downstairs, holding his Duel-Disk in one hand and putting his cards into a back pocket. "Well, here I am!" he declared.

Grandma and Mr. Muto were seated at the table. Mr. Muto was reading the morning paper, and Grandma was dishing out baked beans and sausage. "Well, are you ready to face today, son?" Mr. Muto asked.

"Oh, definitely!" Yugo took his place at the table.

"Kyo, dear, have breakfast with us," Grandma offered.

"Thank you – don't mind if I do!" And Kyo took a chair and sat down with importance, much to Yugo's utter annoyance.

"Well, dear, do a good job today, you hear?" said Grandma. "We'll all be there, rooting for you!"

Yugo smiled now. "Thanks a bunch, Grandma. I can really use the support."

A few minutes later, just as Yugo was finishing up breakfast, the sound of a car pulling up outside reached their ears. "That must be them!" Kyo said, grinning.

In an instant Yugo was at the door. "Well, I'll see you guys there, then!" And with that he was out the door.

Mr. Muto laughed. "Guess we'd better hurry and be on our way, too," he remarked.

"No worries there, Mr. Muto – my mother's bringing our car around, so we can all get a ride to the shopping center." Kyo adjusted his glasses.

"Remind me to thank your mother for her kindness," said Mr. Muto, and he rolled up the paper.

----------

THE WHEELERS' HOUSE, AT THE SAME TIME

"Hurry up, Mom, or we'll be late!" Jenna yelled in exasperation.

"I'm hurrying, I'm hurrying!" Mrs. Wheeler insisted.

Miki was just heading for the front door. "You mean Aunt Mai's not ready yet?"

"That's your aunt for you," Mr. Wheeler sighed. "She can take up to fifteen minutes just to decide what kind of perfume to put on or what pair of shoes to wear."

"I heard that, Joseph Wheeler!" Mrs. Wheeler yelled down the staircase.

Mr. Wheeler chuckled and scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "Busted…"

In a moment Mrs. Wheeler emerged, dressed in a green jacket and tight aqua shorts to match, and white sneakers. "So, are we all ready or what?" she asked.

"Yep!" Mr. Taylor emerged at the front door. "We've been ready since this morning! C'mon, let's all get into the car and go watch that duel!"

"I agree!" said Jenna. And with that she went out the door and headed for the car.

----------

DOMINO CITY SHOPPING CENTER'S DUELING DOME, TEN MINUTES LATER

Ten minutes later found the families gathered together outside the entrance to the dueling dome. "Well, guess we park and walk it in from here," said Mr. Taylor.

Looking around, Miki caught sight of various camera crews heading into the dome. "Looks like Mr. Kaiba wasn't kidding – they're really going to have media coverage of this duel," she observed.

"Well, let's head inside and get ourselves some seats, eh?" said Kyo.

"Yes, let's do that indeed!" agreed Grandma.

The group walked into the dome together, and after a while they managed to find a few vacant seats that were close together, right near the top of the dome. As they sat down, Mr. Muto remarked, "This is simply fantastic! From up here, we've got a great view of the entire dueling arena!"

"Speaking of which, where are Yugo and Seta? I don't see any sign of them down there," said Jenna, frowning as she looked in vain for the two boys.

"Be patient, dear," Mrs. Wheeler counseled. "They'll probably show up any minute now."

Just as she said that, who should step into the dueling arena but Roland himself, wielding a microphone. When he spoke, everyone in the arena could hear him since there were many speakers placed throughout the dome. "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls!" he cried. "Welcome to the site for the championship duel in the Kaibacorp Challenge Cup! Are you all ready for some action!"

The entire dome burst into one giant cheer.

"All day yesterday, you have been watching the duels on your TV sets throughout the city," Roland continued, warming to his task. "You have seen duelists battling against each other for the right to participate in this, the final, glorious match. Well, one duelist has finally made it, and today he and our champion will clash for the title of 'Number One Duelist' in the Kaibacorp Challenge Cup!"

"This is it…they're gonna bring them out now…" Mr. Wheeler breathed.

On the other side of the dome were four familiar figures – Wade Ocean, Blaze Redman, Flora Green, and Marcus Ironside. "Now, this should be a duel to remember," said Blaze.

"I'll say," said Wade. "Hey, Marcus, I'm surprised you didn't leave the city right after your match."

"And miss this? Not a chance." Marcus had his arms folded and his eyes closed, smirking.

"Well, let's see how well this one will go," said Flora.

"Now," continued Roland, "it is my pleasure to introduce the contestants to you! First…" He gestured to a walkway on his left, at one end of the dome. "…we have our champion, Seta Kaiba! He is the son of the president of Kaiba Corporation, Seto Kaiba, and for the last few years has won numerous tournaments in the United States of America. In fact…" Roland paused for emphasis. "Seta is the current World Champion, having won the title in America four years ago and successfully defending it every year ever since!"

"WHAT?" Jenna gaped. "Seta…is…_the World Champion!"_

"And at such a young age," Mr. Bakura murmured.

Kyo smiled. "Now, this is very interesting…"

"But, of course, that World Championship title is not what's for grabs here," said Roland. "Whether playing locally or internationally, nevertheless, Seta is a ruthless duelist who will crush any foe who stands before him. Now, everyone, please help me to welcome – Seta Kaiba!"

The door at that walkway opened, and in walked Seta, his Duel-Disk on one arm. Immediately a large percentage of the viewers there started screaming his name, and cameras flashed as pictures of him were taken.

"And next," Roland continued, pointing to the extreme opposite side of the dome, where there was another walkway, "we have a newcomer duelist named Yugo Muto! This young man is actually the son of the former champion, Yugi Muto, and although he started dueling only recently, nevertheless he's been making a name for himself so far in this tournament! Only question is, how well will he do here? Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome – Yugo Muto!"

The other door opened, and in walked Yugo. Immediately Jenna and Miki jumped and cried out, "Yugo! You can do it, Yugo!" Their parents jumped up and cheered, too.

The two duelists finally reached the dueling platform and stood twenty feet away from each other. "Welcome, Yugo," said Seta, chuckling. "I knew you'd make it here."

"It's good to see you again, too." Yugo smiled.

----------

**_neomage:_** Now, then, the final duel of the Kaibacorp Challenge Cup is about to begin! And you wanna know something? It's real tedious having to go back over chapters and re-edit and do corrections…but in the end, it should all be worth it! So, let's enjoy the rest of this story, everyone!


	31. Chapter 31

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Do not attempt to steal any part of the original work which was done by Takahashi-sama. Because I'll set my rabid cats on you. -)

**CHAPTER 31**

DOMINO CITY SHOPPING CENTER'S DUELING DOME

"I must say, I'm happy that you're my opponent here, Yugo," said Seta. "Now, let's really duel, eh?"

"True," agreed Yugo. "Although I must admit, I'm surprised you didn't mention that you're the Duel Monsters World Champion…"

"I'm not a vain or proud guy who'll declare his status every hour of the day," said Seta. "And, anyway, this is only a small company tournament. The World Championships are much, much bigger."

"Ahem, gentlemen," Roland interrupted them, "may we begin?"

"Ah – of course. Sorry." Seta smirked. "May the best duelist win, Yugo."

"Sure." Yugo nodded.

The two took their respective places on the platform. Roland then spoke up again. "Now, Yugo, call it! Heads or tails?"

"Heads!" Yugo said quickly.

The holographic coin appeared on the field and was flipped – and when it landed, it showed heads. "Sweet! I get to go first!" Yugo exclaimed with delight.

Seta chuckled as he activated his Duel-Disk. "Well, let's get busy."

Roland spoke into his microphone again. "Ladies and gentlemen, the final duel of the Kaibacorp Challenge Cup will now begin! Yugo Muto vs. Seta Kaiba – let the match begin!"

There was another loud burst of cheering, even as Yugo and Seta exclaimed together, "It's time to duel!"

"All right, Yugo! You can do it!" Jenna called.

"What do you think, Dad?" Kyo asked his father. "Yugo won last time, but does he have a chance of winning again?"

Mr. Bakura smirked. "I remember what you told me about their last match," he remarked. "But if Seta is the kind of guy I think he is, he'd have gotten much more prepared and will probably have better cards than he did then. So right now, it's hard to say."

"Well, Yugo still gets my vote," Mr. Wheeler, right behind Mr. Bakura, spoke up. "Go get him, Yugo!"

Yugo drew his first card. "Hmmm…decent hand I've got here," he mused. "All right! To start things off I'll set three cards facedown, and then I'll summon Double Coston (ATK 1700, DEF 1650)!" And as he played his cards, he summoned the twin ghosts to the field. "Make your move."

"Don't mind if I do!" Seta drew his card. Then he smiled. "Now I'll set two cards facedown, one monster facedown, and I'll end my turn with that…for the time being."

Mr. Muto looked at the two plays with interest. "They both have more than one card in their magic/trap slots," he commented. "This is going to require much strategic thinking on both their parts now."

"That's true," agreed Mrs. Wheeler. "And, since Yugo's monster has such a high ATK, Seta's monster must either have high DEF or a special ability. It'll be hard to tell until Yugo attacks or Seta reveals that monster."

Now Yugo drew another card, and examined the field with a critical eye. _Let's see…based on our last encounter, Seta's got stuff that'll counter what I have, plus he's got traps that'll do me some serious damage. And there's no telling what kind of new cards he may have gotten, too. So I have to play it especially safe and reduce any losses I might sustain._

Aloud he announced, "Now, then! Now I'll set another monster facedown in Defense Mode!" He set the monster card on the field. "But I won't attack just now. I'll end my turn."

"You seem to be playing cautiously, Yugo," Seta observed.

"As are you," Yugo returned.

"But my playing will at least produce results!" Seta drew another card. "Now, first things first! I'll activate my first facedown trap, Jar of Greed, which will let me draw another card!" And he drew a new card from his deck.

"Then…I will summon my Lord of Dragons (ATK 1200, DEF 1100) to the field!" And in a moment Seta summoned his spellcaster, ready to do battle.

"Hmmm…I have a hunch as to what you'll do next," Yugo said thoughtfully, gazing at the Lord of Dragons.

Seta glanced at the four cards in his hand. "Oh, do you, now?" he questioned. "Well, let me know if this is what you were thinking of! Now I activate the magic of the Flute of Summoning Dragon! As you may recall, when this card is used while my Lord of Dragons is on the field, I can Special Summon up to two Dragons from my hand!"

The Lord of Dragons held onto the flute and blew two notes. In a moment two dragons appeared from Seta's hand, the Cave Dragon (ATK 2000, DEF 100) and Lizard Soldier (ATK 1100, DEF 800)! "Now, here's what I call a mighty army!" Seta laughed. "Okay, Cave Dragon, attack and destroy Double Coston!"

The Cave Dragon inhaled deeply, intending to blow Double Coston away with its Molten Cave Breath attack. But Yugo would not have any of it. "Not so fast! I activate my trap card, Mirror Force, to destroy all of your monsters in Attack Mode!"

As he spoke, the trap card flipped face-up, and the force field appeared. But Seta just laughed. "No good, Yugo! I still have a certain trap card from last time that I can use! Activate my Trap Jammer!"

The bear trap appeared underneath the force field. "Since this is the Battle Phase, my Trap Jammer will stop your trap's activation and destroy it!" Seta laughed.

But then Yugo shot back, "I have something to remedy that! I activate my own trap card, Seven Tools of the Bandit!" And then a massive jackknife with seven tools exposed appeared right next to the Trap Jammer!

"What the…!" Seta exclaimed.

"By paying 1000 of my life points, I can stop the activation of your trap card and destroy it!" said Yugo. Immediately, as Yugo's life points went down to 7000, a knife from the Seven Tools of the Bandit cleanly sliced the Trap Jammer in two, rendering it useless. Thus saved from harm, the Mirror Force trap was able to repel and reverse Cave Dragon's attack, blasting the Attack Mode monsters on Seta's side of the field into oblivion.

"Whoa…that's some fancy move Yugo pulled there," Wade whistled.

"But if you look closely, Yugo lost 1000 life points when he activated that trap card, when if he'd allowed the Cave Dragon to destroy Double Coston he would've lost only 300," said Flora. "Then he'd still have another monster to defend his life points."

"Flora, I'm surprised you didn't see it," Marcus reproved her. "Even if that were the case, if Yugo had allowed his monsters to be destroyed his life points would've been wide open for a direct attack. Then, when the activation of all those traps took place, the damage he would've suffered at the end would be more than what he lost by doing what he just did when he did. Besides, too…he's probably got plans for his monsters, so he wants to avoid getting them destroyed by all means."

"Oh…" Flora hung her head, embarrassed.

"Don't feel too badly about it," said Blaze. "Not many people would have seen it, and even a seasoned duelist can get it wrong."

Back in the arena, Seta applauded. "Nice, very nice," he remarked. "But I'm not quite over with yet! I'll set one more card facedown, and then I'll end my turn!"

The score now stood thus: Yugo had 7000 life points, while Seta still had a full 8000. Yugo had two cards in hand, and Seta had none. On the field, Yugo still had his Double Coston, one facedown monster and one facedown magic/trap card; Seta had one facedown monster and one facedown magic/trap card.

_He's just as good as before,_ Yugo mused. _His control of his trap cards is very nice, plus he's still making use of the element of surprise. Well, I've got the element of surprise, too, Seta, so here I come!_

"Now then," said Yugo as he drew his next card to give him three in his hand. "I summon Penumbral Soldier Lady (ATK 2100, DEF 1400), offering Double Coston as a tribute!" And in a moment Double Coston disappeared, replaced by a young knight with crescent moon designs on her breastplate, her shield, and even on her sword hilt. "She's cute, isn't she? Well, wait till she carves you to pieces!"

"Mocking me won't get you anywhere, Yugo," said Seta, smiling smugly. "What will you do now?"

Yugo paused, uncertain, looking at Seta's facedown card with great unease. But then he dismissed the thoughts of doubt from his mind. "Just this: I'll attack your facedown monster with my Soldier Lady! Go ahead, my warrior – use your Moon Sword!"

But as the Penumbral Soldier Lady slashed downward, her attack revealed a sorceress with a green third eye in the middle of her forehead, sliced in two before disintegrating. Seta chuckled. "That was my Witch of the Black Forest (ATK 1100, DEF 1200)," he explained, "and when she goes to the Graveyard, her effect allows me to take one monster with a DEF of 1500 or less from my deck, show it to you, add the monster to my hand, and then shuffle my deck. And I know just the monster I want, too…"

Yugo grimaced at this news, but said nothing as Seta shuffled through his deck. But to his amazement, his opponent revealed a new monster: Paladin of White Dragon (ATK 1900, DEF 1200), which appeared to be a Ritual monster since the card had the blue border of those kinds of monsters.

"What in the world…?" Yugo wondered aloud.

"Not to worry, Yugo – you'll soon see how useful he can be to me!" Seta declared. To himself he added, _This is just one half of what I need…_

Yugo groaned. "All right, fine…I end my turn."

Now Seta drew his next card. "Hey – if this isn't a sweet deal, I just don't know what is!" he remarked. "Now, first I'll activate Pot of Greed to draw two new cards!" And he did so.

"Then…" he held up one of his new cards. "I'll activate the magic of a card from my hand – White Dragon Ritual!"

Yugo stared in surprise. "What in the hell is that?"

"This is the Ritual magic card that'll allow me to Special Summon the Paladin of White Dragon!" answered Seta proudly. "By offering a monster whose Level stars are Level 4 or higher, either from the field or my hand, I can initiate the ritual. And I'll use the Rare Metal Dragon (ATK 2400, DEF 1200) in my hand to initiate the ritual now! All right – now come to the field, my Paladin of White Dragon!"

Lightning crackled in the sky above them, astonishing the spectators; then, a knight emerged riding on the back of a small white dragon. "Paladin of White Dragon…he's really a good monster to have around," commented Seta. "Allow me to show you why! Now, Paladin, attack Yugo's facedown monster with Ionic Spear Burst!"

The dragon rose up on its wings, flying into the sky – then the warrior on its back pulled out his spear and pointed it forward. Suddenly both dragon and knight flew forward at blinding speed and pierced the facedown monster – and to Yugo's amazement, that facedown monster was destroyed without being flipped!

"How is that possible?" he wanted to know.

"It's the effect of my Paladin of White Dragon," explained Seta, smiling brightly. "When it attacks a facedown monster, that monster is automatically destroyed without being flipped face-up or counting damage calculation. And, it's got another effect, too…which I'll show you right now!"

Suddenly smoke began to rise around the Paladin of White Dragon. "As you know, there are two Main Phases in a turn – the mandatory Main Phase 1, and the optional Main Phase 2 that comes after the Battle Phase," said Seta calmly. "During either of those two Main Phases, I can offer Paladin of White Dragon as a tribute to Special Summon an even stronger monster from my hand or deck to the field. And that monster is…my Blue-Eyes White Dragon (ATK 3000, DEF 2500)!"

Yugo started in alarm. "No way!"

Suddenly there was a bright flash of light and the Paladin of White Dragon disappeared. In its place stood the familiar Blue-Eyes White Dragon, giving a massive howl as its greeting. Seta smirked. "The only downside to this is, even if I used Paladin of White Dragon's effect to Special Summon my Blue-Eyes White Dragon during Main Phase 1, then the Blue-Eyes wouldn't be able to attack during the same turn," he admitted. "But that'll be all right, particularly since I have a decided advantage against you now! So I'll end my turn!"

Yugo gritted his teeth. "Great…already he's managed to bring out his trademark dragon," he scowled. "How wonderful."

"Go ahead – take your turn, Yugo," Seta sneered at him. "I'd advise you to strengthen that Penumbral Soldier Lady in some way before my next turn."

Up in the stands, Miki said worriedly, "And I thought the Dark Magician was the only monster with multiple methods of being summoned – but now Seta's summoned that Blue-Eyes White Dragon in a completely new way! Oh, what'll Yugo do now?"

"Have faith, dear," Mr. Taylor told his daughter. "The best duelists always have a plan up their sleeves…as I'm sure Yugo does."

On the scoreboard, Yugo was shown as having two cards in his hand while Seta had none. On the field, Yugo had Penumbral Soldier Lady and one facedown magic/trap card; Seta had his Blue-Eyes White Dragon and he also had one facedown card. As for life points, Yugo still had 7000; Seta's were still at 8000, untouched.

Yugo drew another card. "Hmph…very nice, I'll admit, Seta," he acknowledged, "but even so I can't allow you to beat me! Now, Penumbral Soldier Lady…attack the Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

There was a collective gasp in the dome as everyone heard this order. "Is Yugo crazy?" Wade exclaimed. "That Soldier Lady's ATK is far lower than that of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

"Unless…" Marcus smirked.

Yugo was smirking, too. "Here's a bit of news, Seta," he informed his rival. "When Penumbral Soldier Lady does battle with a Light monster, such as your Blue-Eyes, her ATK is temporarily increased by 1000 – putting her at 3100!"

Seta stared in surprise as the Soldier Lady's ATK shot up to 3100, just as Yugo said. "Impossible!"

"Nope! Now my Soldier Lady is strong enough to wipe out your dragon!" Yugo nodded. "Go ahead, my monster – use your Moon Sword again!"

But Seta shook his head with defiance. "I activate my trap card, Energy Drain! This allows me to increase my monster's ATK and DEF by 200 times the number of cards in your hand – and you're holding three cards, so the Blue-Eyes White Dragon's ATK and DEF will increase by 600!"

To Yugo's horror, as Seta's trap card flipped face-up, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon's ATK and DEF went up to 3600 and 3100 respectively. The dragon then counterattacked, using its White Lightning to blast Penumbral Soldier Lady into nothingness and reducing Yugo's life points to 6500!

"Aw, damn!" Yugo snapped in frustration.

"Too bad, Yugo…you almost had me – emphasis on _almost."_ Seta chuckled with great amusement.

Yugo sighed. "Well, fine then. I'll set one monster facedown in Defense Mode, and end my turn. Make your move."

Seta nodded and drew his next card. "Heh, heh, heh…now then, Yugo, things will soon get even more interesting around here – count on that!" he assured Yugo. "I'll end my turn, but know one thing – you'll soon be finished!"

Yugo narrowed his eyes as he drew another card. _What's Seta playing at? Hmmm…maybe he's afraid of my facedown card…well, I have to find some other way to beat his Blue-Eyes White Dragon, or else…_

Aloud he declared, "I don't plan on letting you finish me, Seta – just know that!" He then looked at the three cards he held in his hand. "Well now, first I'll use Monster Reborn, to revive my slain Penumbral Soldier Lady!" And as he played the card, the warrior girl returned to the field, weapons at the ready.

Then Yugo flipped over his facedown monster. "Now I reveal my Magician of Faith (ATK 300, DEF 400)! When she's flipped face-up, I can take back one Magic card from my Graveyard and add it to my hand – and the card I choose is Monster Reborn!" He fished through his Graveyard, found the card and put it back in his hand.

"Then, I'll set one more card facedown," added Yugo, placing one card facedown on the field. "Now, Soldier Lady, attack and destroy that Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

Penumbral Soldier Lady's ATK shot to 3100 by her effect, and as she slashed the Blue-Eyes in half Seta's life points dipped to 7900. "Well, looks like I've managed to touch your life points," Yugo remarked with a small smirk. "All right, Magician of Faith, do it!" And the Magician of Faith attacked too, with her own magic spell – reducing Seta's life points further to 7600.

"Hmph." Seta drew his next card. "Good! Now I'll set one monster facedown, and end my turn."

Yugo took his turn, drawing another card. "Now, Penumbral Soldier Lady, attack and destroy that facedown monster!" he commanded.

Up in the stands, Mr. Muto frowned. "No…Yugo should've waited…"

As Penumbral Soldier Lady's sword struck the monster and flipped it face-up, it turned out to be – the Cyber Jar (ATK 900, DEF 900)! "Ack!" Yugo exclaimed, cursing his own impulsiveness.

Suddenly the Cyber Jar exploded, taking the Penumbral Soldier Lady and the Magician of Faith with it! "Now," said Seta calmly, "we'll each take up five cards from our respective decks, Special Summon all Level 4 or lower monsters that we pick up in face-up Attack Mode or facedown Defense Mode, and add the other cards to our hands."

Grumbling loudly, Yugo picked up cards, and Seta did likewise. The cards Yugo picked up were Buster Blader (ATK 2600, DEF 2300), Magic Cylinder, The Illusory Gentleman (ATK 1500, DEF 1600), Waboku, and Thousand Knives; Seta picked up Blindly Loyal Goblin (ATK 1800, DEF 1500), Blue-Eyes White Dragon (ATK 3000, DEF 2500), Premature Burial, Polymerization, and Interdimensional Matter Transporter. Immediately, the Illusory Gentleman was placed facedown in Defense Mode, and the Blindly Loyal Goblin in Attack Mode. Yugo took the remaining four cards he'd drawn and added them to his hand, so now he had seven cards in hand – Seta's remaining four cards were added to the one he was still holding, so now he had five.

"This sucks ass, man," Yugo groaned. "Well, all right. Now I'll set two cards facedown, and end my turn."

Seta chuckled. "I told you before, Yugo: very soon, you'll be finished!" he reminded his opponent. "As soon as I get a certain card in my hand, you'll see what I mean!"

He eyed his deck and reached to draw his next card. His movement seemed slow, awkward, uncertain…and as he drew the card, he did so with great hesitancy. Yugo saw all this and frowned. _What's wrong with Seta all of a sudden?_

Then Seta looked at the card in his hand – and started laughing. "Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!" he erupted. "Now, Yugo – you're about to meet the most indestructible monster ever to be created! Allow me to pave the way!"

Mr. Muto looked on in surprise – and his eyes widened. _Could it be…?_

"Now then!" said Seta. "First, I'll use Premature Burial to revive the Blue-Eyes White Dragon in my Graveyard, paying 800 life points to do so!" And as his life points went down to 6800, the Blue-Eyes returned, roaring in fury.

"Then…" Seta picked out three cards from his hand and grinned widely. "I'm gonna tell you something interesting. I am holding in my hand my other two Blue-Eyes cards and Polymerization…because I'm gonna fuse all three together to form something that'll give you the mother of all nightmares!" He now held up one of the three cards. "I activate Polymerization to fuse all three of my dragons together to form the strongest dragon ever! Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon (ATK 4500, DEF 3800)!"

Suddenly a bright light shone from Seta's side of the field as a massive form emerged, standing beside the Blindly Loyal Goblin. Three heads…a giant body…a howl that spoke of eternal wrath…the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!

----------

**_neomage:_** So that's it! The Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon is unleashed – but the story is a long way from being finished, so never fear! Keep reading!


	32. Chapter 32

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: **(heroic theme plays) **neomage is author of this fanfic. Kazuki-sama is creator of the cards. And Yugi is King of Games! **(heroic theme ends)** Now let Chapter 32 commence!)

**CHAPTER 32**

DOMINO CITY SHOPPING CENTER'S DUELING DOME

Everyone gasped in astonishment as the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon roared in rage. Marcus, Wade, Blaze and Flora stared at it in collective shock. "Would you look at that…" Wade breathed.

"That…is one powerful beast…" Marcus shivered.

Blaze frowned. "Hmmm…honestly speaking, I'm not sure if even I would be able to stand up against something that monstrous," she admitted.

"Me neither," said Flora. "Now I'm almost glad I didn't get this far."

On the other end of the stadium, Kyo stared in openmouthed shock. "But – what the hell is _that?"_ he demanded.

"That, my son, is one dangerous creature," replied Mr. Bakura. "A perfect fusion of three of the most powerful beasts in Duel Monsters."

Jenna was trembling in her seat – in fear. "Such an awful-looking monster," she whispered.

"Dear, you haven't seen half of its might yet, believe me," said Mrs. Wheeler in a hushed voice.

Meanwhile, down inside the arena, Seto Kaiba came in through a side door and stopped short. "Has Seta…actually…managed to summon this beast so soon?" he asked in amazement.

The stats were shown: Yugo had 6500 life points, and Seta had 6800. Yugo had five cards in hand; Seta had two. On the field Yugo had only his facedown monster, which everyone knew was the Illusory Gentleman (ATK 1500, DEF 1600), and four facedown cards; Seta had his Blindly Loyal Goblin and his newly-summoned Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, both in Attack Mode.

"Take a good look at my dragon, Yugo," laughed Seta. "My Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon is my own personal secret weapon – a gift from my dad. Of course, I never figured I'd get to use it so soon, but never mind. The fact of the matter is, there's absolutely nothing you've got that'll be able to stand against his might!"

Yugo blinked as he looked at the dragon. "Awesome…such a mighty force…"

"But I won't attack with him just yet!" Seta announced. "First, I'll wipe out your facedown monster with my Blindly Loyal Goblin!"

The Goblin unsheathed his sword and charged – but Yugo wasn't about to let that happen. "No!" he shouted. "I'll activate my trap card, Magic Cylinder, to reverse this attack right onto your own life points!"

The two cylinders appeared in front of Yugo's facedown monster; the Goblin disappeared into one and then re-emerged from the other – and stabbed Seta through the stomach. Seta gagged and spewed blood from his mouth as his life points shot down to 5000.

"Ugh…" Seta grunted, wiping the blood from his mouth. "Nice one, Yugo, but I already knew that you might have that card facedown. You could've used it on my Ultimate Dragon to do even greater damage to me – but you screwed up big-time! Now, allow me to do what I need to do now! Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, attack with your Neutron Blast!"

The dragon charged up energy in all three of its mouths, preparing to strike. But Yugo quickly shot back, "Maybe you didn't think I had a plan under my sleeve, did you? Now I activate my second trap, Spellbinding Circle, to trap your dragon!"

Suddenly a gigantic magic seal emerged underneath the Ultimate Dragon, paralyzing it in its tracks. "Shit!" Seta cursed.

"As long as Spellbinding Circle is on the field, your dragon won't be able to attack or change its battle position," said Yugo, now smiling. "And that's how it's gonna stay, until I find a way to defeat it."

"Like that's gonna happen anytime soon," Seta scoffed. "Well, I'll just put one card facedown, and then I'll end my turn."

Yugo drew another card. He studied it and frowned a little. "Hmmm…okay. This is going to be a little lengthy, but what the hell. Now I summon Skilled White Magician (ATK 1700, DEF 1900) to the field in Attack Mode!"

Moments later a white-robed monk with a staff appeared on the field. "Next," continued Yugo, "I'll equip him with the Book of Secret Arts to increase his ATK and DEF by 300 points!"

A spell-book materialized in the Skilled White Magician's hand – and a burning orb appeared beside him, even as his ATK and DEF rose to 2000 and 2200 respectively. "What's that supposed to be?" asked Seta, pointing at the orb.

"Oh, this?" said Yugo. "It's what we call a Magic counter. Every time one of us activates a Magic card, he gets a Magic counter."

Kyo smirked when he saw this. "Just like the Skilled Dark Magician," he mused. "But…Skilled Dark Magician's effect allowed Yugo to Special Summon the Dark Magician…which monster will Skilled White Magician summon?"

Then Yugo held up another card and played it on the field. "Now, I activate the magic of Mage Power! For every Magic or Trap card on my side of the field, whether face-up or facedown, any monster on my side of the field equipped with this increases its ATK and DEF by 500 points – and of course, I'm equipping Skilled White Magician with this card!"

As Yugo played the card, suddenly there was a large force of energy surrounding the Skilled White Magician, even as his second Magic counter appeared. Since there were five cards in Yugo's magic/trap slot, and since Mage Power counted itself in its effect, 2500 points were added to the Magician's stats, putting him at 4500 ATK and 4700 DEF!

"Dammit!" Seta exclaimed.

"This makes the Skilled White Magician strong enough to stand up to your Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon," remarked Yugo. "But…" He cast a glance at Seta's facedown card. "I won't attack for now. I'll just end my turn."

Seta smiled a little. _He's afraid of my trap card…he probably thinks it's the Interdimensional Matter Transporter I drew earlier, but he can't be too sure. Well, I guess I'd do well to play cautiously, too. No telling what those facedown cards of his could be._

He drew another card. "I don't want you getting any ideas, Yugo, so…I'll do what I must to prevent you from attacking my monsters! Now, I activate the magic card Swords of Revealing Light to paralyze your monsters for three turns!"

The three swords came down from the sky and landed with a THUD into the ground. "Then I'll shift my Blindly Loyal Goblin into Defense Mode," and with a grand flourish Seta shifted the card, and the Goblin bent down on one knee with his sword out in front of him. "And now I'll end my turn."

But Yugo chuckled as he drew his next card. "Seta…? Have you forgotten something? Now, thanks to your activating that Swords of Revealing Light, my Skilled White Magician has three counters!" And he pointed to the Magician, who now had three balls of light swirling around him.

"And that's supposed to frighten me, because…?" Seta arched an eyebrow.

"Because, when Skilled White Magician has three Magic counters, I can tribute him and them to Special Summon my Buster Blader (ATK 2600, DEF 2300) from my hand or deck – and he's coming from my hand!"

Suddenly there was a flash of light as the Skilled White Magician disappeared from the field, together with the three counters, the Book of Secret Arts and the Mage Power magic card. In their place now stood a bold knight in armor, wielding a massive sword!

Seta's eyes widened in realization. "And that means – "

"That's right, Seta," said Yugo. "Buster Blader gets 500 extra ATK points for every Dragon monster on your side of the field and in your Graveyard. So, let's do a count – there's the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon on the field, of course, but there's also the three Blue-Eyes White Dragons in the Graveyard, not to mention the others…let's see them…"

Seta pushed a button on his Duel-Disk, revealing the cards in his Graveyard. Yugo looked and smiled. "Cave Dragon, Lizard Soldier, Paladin of White Dragon, Rare Metal Dragon – that's four dragons, coupled with the three Blue-Eyes White Dragons and one Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon…that's eight multiplied by 500 equals – 4000! And 4000 plus 2600 equals 6600 – more than enough to slay the mighty dragon!"

Seta paled when he heard this. "No way!"

"Buster Blader is a nice little card to use against a dragon user like yourself," said Yugo, obviously pleased with himself. "But the sad thing is, your Swords of Revealing Light won't allow me to attack. So, I'll just have to end my turn for the time being."

Yugo's life points stood at 6500, while Seta's were at 5000. Yugo had three cards in his hand, and Seta had one. On the field Yugo had his facedown Illusory Gentleman and face-up Buster Blader, plus the Spellbinding Circle trapping Seta's Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, and two facedown cards besides. Seta had his active Swords of Revealing Light, one facedown card, and beside his Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon was the Blindly Loyal Goblin in Defense Mode.

The first of the three swords of light disappeared as Seta took his turn. Drawing his card, he cast a worried glance at the Buster Blader. _Goddammit…that monster's going to be a real pain in the ass unless I do something about it, fast. And…_ Then he looked at the card he'd just drawn. _Wait a minute…maybe I CAN do something with this…let's experiment…_

"All right! Now I activate my facedown trap card, Interdimensional Matter Transporter, to remove my Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon from the game until the end of this turn!" Seta announced, flipping his trap card over. The mechanical device appeared, emitting a humming sound, and the Ultimate Dragon disappeared.

Yugo stared in shock. "No! But that means – Spellbinding Circle's gonna be on the field meaninglessly when that dragon comes back!"

Seta smiled now. "All right, then! Now, I'll activate the power of a magic card from my hand – Raigeki, to destroy every monster on your side of the field!" And a moment later the shower of lightning bolts came down and fried both of Yugo's monsters.

"Oh, no – Yugo's gonna get creamed!" Jenna cried out.

Kyo growled in annoyance. "This sucks…and just when Yugo had him right where he wanted him…"

But Seta wasn't done yet. "Now, I'll activate the magic of another card, Soul Release!" he declared, playing the last card in his hand. "This card allows me to remove up to five cards in my Graveyard – or YOURS – from play! And right about now, I see the need to remove only one card from your Graveyard – your Buster Blader!"

"No!" screamed Yugo.

But it was too late. A gentle-looking spirit emerged from the card and flew toward Yugo's Duel-Disk, ferreting through his Graveyard – then it grabbed the Buster Blader card and removed it from the game altogether!

"Which means that your only real defense against my dragon is now gone – and one half of your Dark Paladin (ATK 2900, DEF 2400) has been totally annihilated!" Seta was laughing now. "And now, my Blindly Loyal Goblin will cut you down to size!"

The Goblin raised his sword and charged forward, slashing Yugo in the chest with one strike. Yugo flinched as his life points went down to 4700; Seta merely chuckled. "How'd you like that, Yugo?" he asked. "Just wait'll my Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon returns to the field, and then you'll really feel pain!"

"…shit…" Yugo swore.

"Now…I think I will end my turn!" Seta said happily. And just as he declared that, the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon reemerged, letting out a massive roar.

Clutching his chest where he'd been sliced, Yugo then drew another card, giving him four in hand. _Just one attack from that dragon will cripple me! I've got to do something about it, but – what can I do? My two facedown traps are meant only for specific situations, and this doesn't fit either of them! Unless…_ He looked at the four cards now in his hand. _Monster Reborn, Waboku, Thousand Knives, Dark Magic Curtain – HEY! I can actually use these in a nice little combo!_

"All right, Seta," Yugo said, now smiling. "I activate the power of my Dark Magic Curtain to summon my Dark Magician (ATK 2500, DEF 2100) to the field from my deck at a cost of half my life points!" And as Yugo's life points went down to 2350, the Dark Magician emerged on the field in all his proud glory.

"What the – Yugo just halved his own life points on purpose!" Miki exclaimed. "Even if it was to summon the Dark Magician, there's no way it'll be enough to beat Seta's dragon!"

Mr. Muto chuckled. "Unless he has a plan…"

Seta scoffed. "Yeah, right! And what can your Dark Magician possibly do against my Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, pray tell?"

"I'll show you!" Yugo then picked another card. "Now, I activate the magic of Thousand Knives! This will cause my Dark Magician to bring forth a hail of knives that'll skewer one monster on your side of the field – and the monster I have in mind is…"

Seta's face turned white. "NO!"

Suddenly, from behind the Dark Magician, a large hail of knives appeared, flying toward the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon and piercing it in several places. "No! Not my dragon!" Seta screamed.

"Sorry, Seta, but all good things must come to an end sometime," said Yugo philosophically, even as the dragon's holographic image disappeared into fragments. "But since I can't summon another monster due to Dark Magic Curtain's effect, I'll end my turn…and I'd highly advise you to find a way to bounce back in time."

On the sidelines, Kaiba crossed his arms. "Seta…show me that you're truly a skilled duelist," he muttered.

The second of the Swords of Revealing Light vanished as Seta drew his card. He stared at it for the longest time, then chuckled. "Well…I'll just set this facedown, and then I will end my turn." His tone then became venomous. "But believe me, Yugo – I'll pay you back for that little trick you pulled just now!"

Now the score was drastically different. Yugo had 2350 life points, while Seta still had 5000. Yugo had two cards in hand, and Seta once again had none. On the field Yugo had his Dark Magician in Attack Mode, plus he still had his two facedown cards and his Spellbinding Circle meaninglessly face-up in the magic/trap slot. Seta had his Blindly Loyal Goblin, the last of the Swords of Revealing Light and the facedown card he'd just set.

Yugo drew his next card. "Oh, Seta…" he chuckled softly. "I think you're about to be in for a major shock. For, as you already know, I have the Monster Reborn magic card in my hand…and I plan to use it to revive a certain monster which I'm sure you already know…"

Seta raised an eyebrow. "You wouldn't dare…"

"Oh, but I think I would!" Yugo grinned. "Now, I'll activate my Monster Reborn card to revive the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon to my side of the field!"

With that Yugo played the card, and a large swirl of energy formed in the middle of the field as the massive dragon began to reappear. In the stands, Marcus looked on wide-eyed. "I don't believe it – he's actually going to use Seta's own monster against him!" he exclaimed.

"Now that's strategic playing," said Flora.

But Seta, evidently, would have none of it. "I activate my trap card, Horn of Heaven! By offering one monster on my side of the field as a tribute, I can stop the summoning of one monster!"

As his facedown card flipped face-up, a huge horn appeared over their heads and a sharp note blasted at the spot where the dragon stood. Next thing Yugo knew, the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon disappeared again in a shower of sparks, as did the Blindly Loyal Goblin on Seta's side of the field!

"Wha…incredible…" Roland breathed.

Kaiba chuckled. "Seta would rather sacrifice his monster than allow his enemy to take control of it," he noted. "That's the son I know."

"Damn…" Yugo grunted. "Ah well. At least I still have my Dark Magician, and you haven't got any monsters left on the field now. So, once your Swords of Revealing Light card is used up, I can attack you on my next turn. As for now…I'll end my turn."

"Did you actually think I would just LET you take command of my ultimate monster, Yugo?" Seta demanded incredulously as he drew his next card – and as the Swords of Revealing Light finally disappeared. "Well, have I got some bad news for you! It—ain't—gonna—happen!"

He held up the card he'd just drawn. "Now, I activate the magic of my own Monster Reborn card, to revive the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon back to my side of the field!" And as he played the card, once again that dragon reemerged, letting out a terrifying roar filled with rage.

"Oh, no! Yugo!" Jenna cried out.

"Watch out, Yugo!" Mr. Taylor and Mr. Wheeler shouted at the same time.

In the arena, Seta smirked. "Well, looks like this is the beginning of the end for you, Yugo!" he declared laughingly. "Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, destroy the Dark Magician with your Neutron Blast Attack!"

The dragon growled as all three of its mouths began to charge with colored energy. Three…two…one…then it shot it all out in one massive blast, headed straight for the Dark Magician…

----------

**_neomage:_** Yes, I'm a bad guy, I know, but I like suspense, and I know you do, too! This duel will soon draw to its close, and much more action and adventure is waiting in the wings! So, keep reading, everyone, and thanks for your patience!


	33. Chapter 33

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: neomage is the proud owner of many cards and a few fanfics. Kazuki Takahashi is the proud owner of the rights to the Yu-Gi-Oh franchise.)

**CHAPTER 33**

DOMINO CITY SHOPPING CENTER'S DUELING DOME

The massive blast rocketed toward the Dark Magician – and as the blast connected, there was such a powerful shockwave that everyone in the stands had to literally hold onto the edge of their seats. Kyo, Jenna and Miki had to cover their faces to protect themselves. "This is nuts!" Kyo exclaimed.

In the arena, Yugo was standing in a defensive position, watching helplessly as the blast reduced his Dark Magician to nothingness and his life points to a mere 350. "Oh, holy shit," he whispered. "One more like that, and I'll…"

On the other side Seta was laughing triumphantly. "See, Yugo? This kind of power wouldn't be so effective in anyone's hands but mine!" he crowed. "On my next turn, I'll wipe out what's left of your life points!"

Yugo grinned. "Yeah, right – you're not getting rid of me just like that. As long as I still have life points left, I will continue to fight."

Seta grinned back. "Persistent…well, let's see how well you'll do against the power of my Ultimate Dragon when it attacks you again."

On the sidelines, Kaiba smiled as he watched the duel unfold. _How very amusing this battle is…reminds me of the days when Yugi and I would clash again and again, each one trying to best the other…and now, our sons are here doing the exact same thing…_

The score now stood at Yugo with 350 life points, Seta with 5000. On the field, Yugo had his Spellbinding Circle trap card still on the field without a purpose, plus he still had two other facedown magic/trap cards, and in his hand he held two cards, one of which everyone already knew was the Waboku trap card. On Seta's side of the field was the mighty Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, and he had no cards in his hand once again.

"Man, Yugo's way behind now," lamented Mr. Wheeler.

"Oh, yes," agreed Grandma. "My poor, poor grandchild is down there, taking the beating of his life…is there no hope at all…?"

But Mr. Muto seemed unusually calm. "Oh, I think there **is** hope," he remarked softly. "If Yugo remembers what I taught him…about the heart of the cards…"

"Yugi, have you come back with that 'heart of the cards' stuff again?" asked Grandma, a very mystified look on her face.

Kyo, Jenna and Miki turned to look at Mr. Muto. "Heart of the cards? What is that?" asked Jenna.

"I'm glad you asked," replied Mr. Muto, now smiling. "Basically speaking, the heart of the cards philosophy is based on the trust that a duelist has in his deck. You see, kids, it's said that each card in the Duel Monsters game has its own individual strength, and if a duelist can use that strength to his fullest potential, maintaining respect for every card he uses, then the cards in his deck will…come through for him when he is in a tight spot."

"You're pulling our legs, aren't you?" Miki asked skeptically.

"No, honey, he isn't." Mr. Taylor's voice was grave. "That same philosophy helped Mr. Muto many a time back when he was still dueling. It was passed on to him from his grandfather, and now he's passed it on to Yugo."

Kyo turned to look at the arena, wonder in his eyes. He was remembering his own duel with Yugo, when Yugo had seemingly miraculously drawn the Swords of Revealing Light card just when things seemed hopeless. _Drawing the right card is a one-shot chance in a hundred…could this "heart of the cards" thing have been what happened up there on the Kaibacorp rooftop?_

Down in the arena, Yugo was drawing his next card. "Well, while I'm at it, now's as good a time as any to activate one of my facedown cards," he announced. "I activate the power of the trap card, Frozen Soul!"

As one of his two facedown cards flipped face-up, a frozen skull emerged and flew around him. "As I'm sure you recall, Seta," said Yugo, "when my life points are at least 2000 points lower than yours, this card forces you to skip the Battle Phase of your next turn. Which'll give me enough time to bounce back, I hope."

Seta frowned. "Okay, so you've made use of one of your facedown cards from before," he noted, "but that still leaves you with one card that, apparently, doesn't fit the situation very well! Never mind that I won't be able to attack you next turn – my Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon will still blast you out of this dome!"

"We'll see."

Yugo then looked at the cards in his hand. _Damn…these cards can't help me now. I have to draw something good in the next turn, or else… _"All right, Seta. I'll end my turn for now."

Seta laughed loudly. "Oh, have you run out of decent cards already?" he mocked Yugo. "Then this'll be even easier than I hoped!"

He drew his next card – and a huge grin lit up his face. "Now, I activate the field magic of Luminous Spark, to decrease the DEF of all Light monsters by 400 and increase their ATK by 500!"

The field was suddenly covered in light as, to Yugo's immense horror, the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon's DEF went down to 3400 – but its ATK rose to 5000 in exchange! Seta laughed out loud again. "Victory is just one turn away now!" he cried. "Since my dragon can't attack, I'll end my turn, but know this: you're only prolonging the inevitable, Yugo!"

Yugo sighed. The only other way out would be to place his Waboku card on the field, but – suppose Seta got a card on his next turn that could destroy it? Then Yugo's ass would be grass. _What am I gonna do…?_

He closed his eyes momentarily. _Hmmm…everything rests on this next card draw. If I don't get something good now, I'll definitely lose._ His brow furrowed. _The heart of the cards…can that possibly help me here? It worked in my duel against Kyo, but…_

"Trust in the heart of the cards, Yugo."

Yugo could hear his father's voice from all those years ago, admonishing him never to give up, never to lose faith or hope. _Dad…I honestly hope you were right…_

Slowly, he reached to draw another card. And as his fingers touched his deck and he slowly drew a card, the same thought manifested itself in his mind. _Heart of the cards…please help me…!_

Then, slowly, he opened his eyes to look at the card he'd drawn—and the expression on his face was one of surprised elation. "All right!" he cried out. "Now, this is a miracle!"

Seta looked at him in surprise. "What're you talking about?"

Yugo then held up the card he'd drawn – Double Spell. "I activate the magic of Double Spell, Seta! By discarding one Magic card from my hand…" and here he discarded one of his other cards, Diffusion Wave-Motion, now leaving him with two in his hand. "…I'll be able to select a Magic card from your Graveyard and use it for myself. And I have a pretty good idea of the card I want, too…"

Seta frowned. "And that is…?"

"Your Pot of Greed!"

The card flew out of Seta's Graveyard and into Yugo's hand. He activated it and quickly drew two more cards. Then he looked at the cards he'd drawn and smiled even more. "Okay! Now things are starting to look up!" he remarked.

Seta swallowed. _I have a bad feeling about this…_

"Now, Seta," said Yugo, selecting three cards from his hand. "I'll set three cards facedown, and then I'll end my turn. But know that very soon, the end will be here!"

Now Seta gritted his teeth. He knew that one of those three new facedown cards had to be Waboku, but which one was it? But then in the next breath he dismissed his thoughts. _It won't matter soon, anyway. I'll definitely win!_

He drew another card and chuckled when he saw what it was. "Okay, Yugo, it's time for me to put an end to this duel!" he announced. "For now I will activate the power of Mystical Space Typhoon, to destroy one of your facedown cards…and I choose…the card on my far right!"

A massive tornado began to blow, and it headed right for the designated facedown card, destroying it. But then in the next breath Yugo snapped, "Now I activate my facedown trap card – Waboku!"

**_"HUH?"_** Seta was dumbfounded. "Wait a minute – what card did I just destroy?"

Yugo grinned. "Well, actually, the card you destroyed was my Ring of Magnetism magic card. Nice try, but then again you had no way of knowing which facedown card was which, did you?"

On the sidelines, Kaiba scowled. _Damn it…Seta…_

"And since Waboku reduces all Battle Damage I get during this turn to zero," continued Yugo, "it doesn't make any sense for you to attack me with your Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon. So you may as well end your turn right now."

Seta cursed mentally – he knew Yugo was right. "Well, fine then; I'll end my turn," he grumbled. "But never mind – I'll get you back yet!"

Yugo then drew another card and chuckled. "Well, I'd say things are about to get VERY interesting around here," he commented. "Seta, prepare to lose!"

Up in the stands, Wade spoke up. "Big words Yugo's talking."

"But can he back them up?" Marcus wondered aloud.

"If he can't, then God help him," said Flora.

Blaze looked on intently. "Yugo Muto…"

As the crowds continued to cheer, the life point score was still the same as before – Yugo with 350, Seta with 5000. Yugo held two cards in his hand; on the field he still had the now-useless Spellbinding Circle and two facedown cards. Seta, again, had no cards in his hand, and the only things on his side of the field were his Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon and his Luminous Spark field magic card.

"Now, observe, Seta!" said Yugo. "First, I'll reveal one of my facedown trap cards, Pitch-Black Power Stone!"

A large stone with an odd triangular design appeared on Yugo's side of the field. The stone was black and perfectly round. The triangle, in the center of the stone, was upside down, yellow, and had three curved lines designating the angles, with a single black dot in the very middle. "What does that do?" asked Seta.

"When this card is activated," explained Yugo, "it gets three Magic counters. If I want, once during each turn I can put one of those counters on any card on my side of the field that can get a Magic counter; and, when there are no counters left on this card, then the Pitch-Black Power Stone is destroyed. But that's not the card you should be concerned about right now, because I activate my other facedown card – Miracle Restoring!"

Then the other facedown card, the only other card Yugo couldn't activate before, flipped face-up to reveal a kind of crystal ball stand. On that stand glowed a blue orb with the same queer triangle design on the Pitch-Black Power Stone. "When this card is activated," said Yugo. "I must remove two Magic counters from my side of the field to Special Summon one of two monsters from my Graveyard – either my Buster Blader or my Dark Magician. And, since you removed my Buster Blader from play already, that only means that the Dark Magician gets to come onto the field!"

Seta frowned with distaste. "So, your trademark monster gets to come back," he said. "Big deal."

"Oh, it's a big deal, all right," said Yugo, as the Pitch-Black Power Stone lost two of its three counters and the Dark Magician reappeared on the field. "For now I can activate the power of a Magic card from my hand – Dedication through Light and Darkness! This will allow me to tribute my Dark Magician in order to Special Summon an even stronger magician from my deck…come to the field, Dark Magician of Chaos (ATK 2800, DEF 2600)!"

Suddenly a large vortex opened in the ground in front of Yugo, and a moment later a magician wearing blue and red spandex, wearing a rather odd headpiece with much hair at the back and wielding a blue and red cane, emerged from that vortex. "Say hello to one of the strongest monsters in my deck, Seta," Yugo remarked with a small smile.

Kaiba looked on in amazement at this new monster. _I remember this guy…Yugi used him in our last duel, twelve years ago…_

Mr. Muto remembered the Dark Magician of Chaos, too. _One of my most powerful monsters…from that time… _Then he smiled. _I'm glad I put that monster in the deck I sent Yugo, after all._

"Now, behold my new monster's power!" said Yugo. "His effect allows me, when I summon him successfully, to take one Magic card from my Graveyard and return it to my hand. And the card I have in mind is my Monster Reborn!"

Swiftly he retrieved the card and added it to his hand. "Now, I'll activate Monster Reborn's power, to revive my Dark Magician to the field once again!" And a moment later the Dark Magician returned, standing beside his more powerful counterpart.

"Hmph. You must really love that Dark Magician to use it so much," said Seta.

Yugo then held up the last card in his hand. "And now, I'm going to use this to summon a creature I used earlier in the tournament," he announced. "I will now activate the power of Knight's Title, to transform my Dark Magician into the Dark Magician Knight (ATK 2500, DEF 2100)!"

Kyo started. "That's the same monster he used to defeat me!" he exclaimed.

"I can't believe it! Yugo's actually gonna win this!" Jenna squealed.

The Dark Magician's robes transformed into armor, and his staff into a sword. "When the Dark Magician Knight is summoned successfully," said Yugo, "I can select one card on the field and destroy it. And I know just the card that needs to be destroyed, too…"

Seta's eyes widened in realization and horror. "Oh, hell, no, not that!" he cried.

"Oh, hell, yes, THAT!" Yugo returned. "Now, Dark Magician Knight, use your effect and destroy the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!"

The knight raised his shining sword and rushed forward, then jumped high into the air and slashed downward. Five seconds later the Ultimate Dragon got split down the middle, howling in pain as it disintegrated into nothingness.

"No…not my dragon…" Seta whispered.

"Now, your life points are wide open for a direct assault!" Yugo nodded. "I'll say this much, though: you played a good game, and you've proven yourself worthy of being called a true duelist. But there can only be one winner of this tournament…and it's going to be me!" He then held out a hand to his monsters. "Now, my monsters, attack directly and finish it!"

Again the Dark Magician Knight readied his sword, then rushed forward and slashed Seta in the chest, reducing his life points to 2500. Then the Dark Magician of Chaos charged up energy at the tip of his staff and blasted a ball of magic at Seta, hitting him in the chest and flooring him…and reducing his life points all the way to 0.

Roland paled. "Oh, no…Master Seta…"

Kaiba narrowed his eyes, his arms still crossed…but his mouth was displaying a smile. "Impressive…now _that_ is the strength of the Muto family," he commented. "Roland…call the winner."

"Y-yes, sir." Roland rushed up to the platform. "Ladies and gentlemen, we have our victor! The winner of the Kaibacorp Challenge Cup: Yugo Muto!"

A loud, deafening cheer rocked the stadium as everyone cried out and chanted Yugo's name. "Yay! Yugo did it!" Miki and Jenna yelled together, jumping up and down in each other's arms in celebration.

Kyo, more reserved, nevertheless smiled. "Now, that is one powerful duelist down there…"

And on the other side of the dome, Blaze seemed to think so too. "Guys…you're looking at a champ down there," she said quietly.

"Indeed." Marcus nodded.

In the arena, Seta was slowly getting back up. His hair was overshadowing his eyes; but it was easy to see the smirk on his lips. "Nice, Yugo…very nice," he remarked. "Just what I would expect from my rival."

"Hey…you did real good too…you very nearly beat me, in fact," said Yugo.

"Yeah, but 'very nearly' never won a duel," answered Seta. He was smiling widely now. "Just do me one favor. Don't ever get weaker than this, you hear? I'll continue to train hard, and one day I will definitely defeat you!"

"I look forward to the day when we can duel in a competition like this again, for sure," said Yugo.

And with that, the two boys shook hands. Just then Kaiba walked up.

"Yugo Muto," he spoke, "congratulations on winning the Kaibacorp Challenge Cup. As promised, you will get the grand prize of $700,000 and some rare cards. And I have them here for you right now." He reached into his jacket and pulled out a check and a box.

Yugo reached out and accepted both, with a nod of gratitude. "Many thanks, Mr. Kaiba," he answered.

Now camera shutters all over the dome were clicking as the reporters snapped pictures. Several of them stepped forward, microphones and tape recorders in hand, eager to get an interview with the new champion. "This is gonna make a great story for the front page and evening news!" many of them remarked to one another.

----------

Up in the stands, as the crowd jostled each other to leave the dome, two men seated in the very thick of the multitude chuckled. Both were wearing dark brown robes with hoods that concealed their faces. "So, that's the Muto boy's power," said one.

"But the Kaiba boy is no slouch, either," the other remarked. "They are both very strong. This duel is the proof of that."

The first man glanced over at his companion. "Do you believe the time is at hand?"

"Eventually, it will be. For now, we will continue to follow the master's orders and keep an eye on their progress. In time, the truth will be revealed and the master's plans will come to fruition."

"Aye; so it will."

Then both men got up and joined the crowd leaving the dome, chuckling evilly as they left. And as they walked along with the rest of the crowd, a glowing yellow eye appeared in each man's forehead…

----------

**_neomage:_** Okay! The Kaibacorp Challenge Cup saga is now at an end! But what's with these two mystery men who've shown up here? And what is their plan? All that and more will be revealed soon and very soon, so keep reading, dear faithful readers!


	34. Chapter 34

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: For the thirty-fourth time, I have nothing to do with ownership rights to Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**CHAPTER 34**

_Characters' First Appearance in Story_

_HONEY_

_NAME: Honey Pegasus_

_AGE: 15_

_HAIR: Brown_

_EYES: Hazel_

_CLOTHES: Purple pin-up blouse, gold knee-length skirt, blue shoes_

_RAVEN_

_NAME: Raven Pegasus_

_AGE: 17_

_HAIR: Dark (think of **Trigun**'s Knives with black hair)_

_EYES: Brown_

_CLOTHES: Orange blazer, blue undershirt, dark blue jeans, white and red sneakers_

YUGO'S HOUSE, LATER THAT EVENING

"For he's a jolly good fellow, for he's a jolly good fellow, for he's a jolly good felloooooow…which nobody can denyyyyy!" Kyo sang off-key.

"Be quiet, Kyo; you can't sing to save your neck from the gallows," said Yugo, grinning broadly.

"Hell-O! I was singing about YOU just now, in case you didn't notice!" Kyo retorted.

They were all back at Yugo's house, sharing sodas and sandwiches in celebration of Yugo's victory. "Never mind Yugo, dear; you sing quite well," Mrs. Bakura consoled her indignant son.

"All said and done, though, this was a great tournament. You guys all played a wonderful game there," added Mrs. Wheeler, holding up her soda can in congratulation to the kids.

"Yeah…well, let's just hope that next time, some of us will definitely do better," Miki said softly.

"Oh, come on, honey; are you still beating yourself up over that?" said Mr. Taylor. "Never mind. Next time, you'll win for sure! I know it!"

"Well, you gotta be practical about it," admonished Mr. Wheeler. "If you want to do better, you have to get better cards and do more work on your strategies."

Just then Mr. Bakura beckoned to them. "Hey, everyone, come here! Yugo's on TV!"

In a moment all of them were near the living room, where on the TV a reporter was speaking. "This was the scene today at Domino City's Shopping Center, at the Duel Monster Duel Dome," she was saying. "Local champion of the Kaibacorp Challenge Cup, Seta Kaiba, was defeated by newcomer Yugo Muto in a close match. We have footage of that duel here for you to see." What followed next were several shots of the duel between Yugo and Seta.

"That WAS pretty cool," said Jenna.

"Yes, it certainly was great entertainment," agreed Grandma. "Yugo, dear, we're all proud of you. You did very well."

"Aw, shucks," said Yugo, grinning in mild embarrassment.

"Well, enough about that! Who wants more sandwiches?" Mr. Muto called out. Everyone in the room responded favorably.

----------

KAIBACORP, AT THE SAME TIME

Seta stood at the window of his room, looking out at the city. "Heh," he chuckled. "How amusing…"

There was a knock at his door. "Come in."

A moment later his father was standing there. "Moping?" asked Kaiba.

"No…not really." Seta chuckled again. "In all honesty, I'm not really upset that I lost…in fact, I'm happy. Happy that, for the first time, there is someone who's capable of defeating me. Someone who will motivate me to train harder, get better cards…this is so—exhilarating!"

Kaiba nodded. "I see. Well, I just came up because I wanted to show you something."

Seta looked at his father, puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"Walk with me." Kaiba turned and left the room.

Very perplexed, Seta followed his father as they headed for the elevator outside his room. Entering, Kaiba pushed the button for the first floor basement.

"Where are we going, and why?" asked Seta.

"You'll see," said Kaiba, very mysteriously.

By and by the elevator landed at the designated floor, and father and son got out. "Seta…there's a little something I have here that I was saving for when you won the tournament. But…I see no reason to withhold it from you any longer," said Kaiba.

At length they approached a wide room with various mechanical parts laying here and there. Walking along, Kaiba paused before something covered with a giant blue tarpaulin. "Seta…say hello to your present." And with one movement he reached out and pulled the canvas off.

Seta stared openmouthed. "Dad…it's…it's _beautiful!"_

The item in question was a motorcycle with a very unique design. The front of it was shaped to look like a Blue-Eyes White Dragon's face, with the eyes serving as the headlights; and on the sides, right where the footrests were, were sheets of metal shaped to resemble the dragon's wings. At the back, where the exhaust pipe was, the pipe itself was designed to resemble the dragon's tail. The handlebars were shaped like the monster's claws. The motorcycle frame was made out of an interesting bluish-white metal, and the wheels looked brand new. On one handlebar was a helmet, also designed to look like the aforementioned dragon's head. "I present to you…the Blue-Eyes White Motorbike." Kaiba smirked as he said this.

Seta walked around the vehicle, running his hand across its metal frame. "Awesome!"

"Its top speed is 350 miles per hour," Kaiba added proudly. "It can go from 0 to 100 in just sixty seconds, and its engine is extremely lightweight, but at the same time extremely powerful." He chuckled. "I had my techs working on this for several weeks, and they made sure that it was of top-notch quality by the time they were done. Oh, something else: this bike can do one thing that an ordinary motorbike can never do."

As Seta watched in wonder, Kaiba pulled the key for the bike out of his pocket and inserted it into the ignition. When he turned the key, the engine made a noise similar to a Blue-Eyes White Dragon's howl!

"Now that's something incredible!" Seta declared.

Kaiba grinned. "And…it's all yours." He pulled out the key and tossed it to Seta. "Wanna take it for a spin?"

"You mean it, Dad? Really?" Seta could hardly believe his ears.

"Well, sure. Why not? The roads are practically clear this time of night, so you have all the time and opportunity." Kaiba nodded. "You deserve it, son…just for doing your best."

Seta nodded with understanding. "All right. Thank you."

----------

THE STREETS OF DOMINO CITY, AN HOUR LATER

The night was cool and clear. There was barely any traffic on the roads, even though it was early in the evening. There were still a few pedestrians walking along the sidewalk, chatting about this and that.

Suddenly a distant howl could be heard. One man, walking with his friend, paused and listened. "Did you hear something, like a howl?" he asked.

"You must be getting senile before your time," his friend scoffed.

But presently that howl got louder and louder and LOUDER. "Who's senile?" the man demanded.

Suddenly there was a flash of white as something zoomed past the two men. "Whoa! What the hell was that?" the friend asked in astonishment.

"I don't know – I only saw a blur!" the man answered.

A second later a massive wind blew past the two men, almost knocking them down. "Geez! That's one fast road hog!" the friend commented.

Meanwhile, on the Blue-Eyes White Motorbike, Seta was having the time of his life as he sped through the city streets. "Waaaaah-hoooooo!" he exulted. "Man, I LOVE this ride!"

Presently he saw a speed limit sign up ahead: _80 mph._ Checking his speedometer, he saw that he was going at 120 mph and immediately brought it down to the required speed. _But hot damn, this thing's FAST!_

A naughty grin came over Seta's face. He was going to enjoy this bike for as long as possible, guaranteed!

----------

KAIBACORP, THE NEXT MORNING

The senior Kaiba was at the computer in his office, analyzing some data before him. "Hmmm…so Kaibacorp's stocks are like that…and investment bonds are like this…okay…" He reached for the mouse and moved it around a little, clicking now and again.

Just then his phone rang. Sighing, he picked up the receiver. "Yes?"

It was his secretary. "Mr. Kaiba, you have an overseas call from Maximillion Pegasus."

Kaiba stiffened, and his jaw was set. "Maximillion Pegasus, huh…? Well, all right. Put him through on the video-phone."

"Yes, sir."

Kaiba hung up the phone and waited, his eyes narrowing. By and by the video phone near the computer rang, and he picked up the receiver, touching a red button on the phone's monitor so he could see his caller's face. "Hello?" he said gruffly.

The face that appeared was that of Kaiba's eternal business rival, Maximillion Pegasus. A somewhat older man than Kaiba, Pegasus had long silver hair that reached somewhat past his shoulders, and over his left eye he sported a yellow eye patch. On his face was a big smile. "Oh, my dear friend Kaiba-boy! It's been such a long time since we last communicated! You never call, you never write, you never even send me a greeting card!" he said in a voice full of mock hurt.

"Spare me the theatrics, Pegasus." Kaiba's voice was full of ominous doom. "For one thing, you and I have never been friends, and even less so after _that_ incident."

"Now, now, Kaiba-boy; I remember we agreed never to speak openly about that," said Pegasus, still smiling, but with some of the playfulness instantly gone from his tone.

"Well, I'm glad you remember, because frankly I fail to see WHY you even bothered to pick up the phone to call me," Kaiba said stonily. "Haven't you tortured me enough?"

"Me? Torture you? Oh, Kaiba-boy, now you've really hurt my feelings!" Pegasus put a hand over his heart and pretended to be stricken. "I wouldn't even dream about doing such a dastardly thing! After all…" He chuckled. "I've got better things to do with my time. My company, Industrial Illusions, has been on a roll over the last ten years, and naturally as CEO I'm kept constantly busy."

"Then answer me this. If you're such a busy man, Pegasus, why did you waste your time and mine calling me?" Kaiba asked.

"Because I thought I should inform you of something, that's all." Pegasus's smile disappeared. "You remember my two kids, right? Well, they're on their way to Domino City even as I speak—in fact, they could be there right now."

"And why should you care? After all, it's not as if they're your flesh and blood," Kaiba remarked coldly.

Now Pegasus really frowned. "I'll just say, I don't like your implication just now," he said softly, but with a razor-sharp edge in his voice. "They may both be adopted, but at least I love them as though they were my own." He smirked. "Unlike _your_ adopted father back in the day, if memory serves me correctly…"

Now Kaiba was really irked. "Pegasus…get off this phone NOW, while I'm still in a civil mood."

"Hmph." Pegasus smirked. "The truth hurts, doesn't it, Kaiba-boy? Just like your refusal to see the truth has hurt me for the last decade and more…" And with that, the line went dead and Pegasus' face disappeared from the screen.

Kaiba growled as he replaced the receiver. "Such a bothersome bastard…"

----------

ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF DOMINO CITY

The limousine entered the city at a rather slow pace. The driver skillfully maneuvered the car through the busy streets, keeping a sharp watch for pedestrians and other drivers.

In the backseat, two teenagers were seated. One was a young man with black hair, an orange blazer and a wicked scowl on his face. The other was a young girl with short brown hair. "Looks like we're here, Raven," she remarked, gazing out the window.

Raven had his arms crossed and his eyes closed. He snorted. "Good. Just a little while longer…and then, Seta Kaiba will feel my wrath."

The girl looked at him with annoyance. "You say that every time, brother, but every time he ends up handing your ass back to you…192 times by now, to be exact."

Raven opened his eyes and glared at her. "Honey, do you have to keep records of the win-loss ratio of my duels with Seta?"

Honey's eyes narrowed. "Want me to capitalize on that? It's actually 192-1 – that one victory of yours being that time two summers ago when you flew all the way here to Japan, AGAINST Father's orders—and ever since then, you've never gotten another win in your favor." She sighed. "Raven, when will you learn that he's just that much of a better duelist than you are? Of all the opponents you've had over the years, he's the only one you'll never beat."

"Do you mean to tell me," said Raven, his eyes flashing dangerously, "that you have absolutely no faith in your own brother, Honey? I have been training diligently every day for the last ten years! I make sure to get cards that work with my strategy! I have become stronger for sure – just you watch and see!"

"If you really want to prove that you're strong," demanded Honey, "then why don't you try a different approach?"

Raven raised a questioning eyebrow. "Whatever do you mean by that?"

"Don't you remember? In Kaibacorp's recent Duel Monsters tournament, Seta was defeated by a newcomer – someone named Yugo Muto." Honey gave Raven a lingering look. "Defeat the guy who defeated your rival, and you're in essence stronger than your rival. That makes far more sense to me."

But Raven scoffed. "I don't care about this Yugo Muto character," he said flatly. "If he wants to steal a tournament championship title from Seta, then let him. My rivalry with Seta transcends mere titles, Honey—it's all about honor. When will you learn that? And, besides, even if that kid did beat Seta, if I defeat him, it'll only mean that I'm better than him – it won't mean I'm better than Seta. Not by a long shot."

Honey sighed in exasperation and looked out the window again. "You're hopeless…"

A tap on the partition glass interrupted them. "Mr. Raven, Miss Honey, we're here," the driver informed them.

Raven looked out the window and saw that they were parked outside Kaibacorp's building. "Good…very good." He opened the door and got out. Then he paused. "Well, aren't you coming?" he asked.

Honey sat staunchly in her seat. "I have something I need to do. I'll see you here later," she replied, not looking at him.

Raven sighed. "Whatever," and he locked the door.

Honey turned to the driver. "Driver, I have a request."

"Yes, Miss Honey?"

"Please locate the address of Yugo Muto, and then take me there."

----------

Seta yawned as he came into the dining room. "Good morning, Roland," he greeted the faithful retainer. "What's for breakfast?"

"The chefs have looked about your favorite, sir," Roland informed him. "A combination of scrambled eggs, baked beans, sausage, toasted rolls, potato squares, a bowl of Trix, two slices of melon and pineapple, a cup of cinnamon tea and a glass of skim milk over ice."

Seta licked his lips. "Sounds good."

Just then Kaiba came into the room, his face darkened by a massive scowl. "Seta, your breakfast will have to wait," said he. "Pegasus' boy is downstairs demanding that you come out and duel him right now, and quite frankly he's making a real utter nuisance of himself. And now, because of him, I need an aspirin." He rubbed his temples in utter annoyance.

Seta chuckled. "So, Raven's here again, is he? Well, all right. My breakfast can become a victory feast after I scrub the floor with his face. Roland, tell the chefs to keep the food hot; this shouldn't take too long." With that he waltzed out of the room.

----------

**_neomage:_** Okay! So, ladies and gents, this is Pegasus' official debut in this fanfic, and his two adopted kids are introduced for the first time! What kind of deck will Raven use? What does Honey want with Yugo? And will Seta EVER get to eat his breakfast? Stay tuned!


	35. Chapter 35

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Kazuki Takahashi is the main man behind the Yu-Gi-Oh franchise.)

**CHAPTER 35**

OUTSIDE KAIBACORP

A few minutes later Seta was outside the entrance to Kaibacorp, his Duel-Disk on his arm. "Hey, Raven, been a while," he greeted the other boy.

His arms folded, also sporting a Duel-Disk, Raven spat to the side. "Save your false pleasantries, Seta Kaiba," he said darkly. "Today is the day that I'll put you in your place for the misery you've caused me!"

"Uh…how many times have you said that by now? Hmmm…I think I've lost count," Seta mused.

"Don't mock me! This time things are gonna be different, that's for certain!" Raven exploded. "And when I'm done, Seta, I'll expose you _and_ your father as the bastards you both really are!"

"Oh, come on – this isn't about the feud between our dads again, is it?" Seta shook his head, obviously annoyed. "Those two have been going at it ever since before you and I were born. I keep telling you, I don't give diddly-squat about their quarreling—it's got absolutely nothing to do with me."

"Well, whether you like it or not, you ARE in it!" said Raven. "Just the fact that you're Seto Kaiba's son is enough reason for me to hate your guts!"

"Well, here's what I do know for a fact," said Seta. "The chefs inside have made my most favorite breakfast, and the longer I have to postpone eating it because of you, the more pissed off I'll get. So…" He activated his Duel-Disk. "Let's just get this over with, eh?"

"Now you're talking sense!" Raven activated his Duel-Disk, too. "Let's do this!"

----------

YUGO'S HOUSE, AT THAT MOMENT

"Hey, Yugo, wake up already!" Kyo urged, trying to drag Yugo out of bed.

"Aw, leave me alone, you piece of shit," Yugo grunted, half-awake.

Kyo decided to try another tactic. "Well, then, I guess you'll just have to miss out on the all-you-can-eat buffet they're holding downtown…"

That woke up Yugo. "What? NO FRIGGIN' WAY!" he exploded.

Kyo grabbed Yugo before the blond-haired boy could bolt out the door. "Easy, easy, take it easy!" he urged.

"Damn you, Kyo," Yugo grumbled, "why'd you have to use THAT tactic?"

"It worked, didn't it?" Kyo grinned. "Seriously, though, you have got to start going to bed earlier. You have a serious problem with waking up in the mornings, I can tell you that."

"Leave me alone," Yugo growled.

Then he sniffed. "Hey…what _is_ that smell?"

"Oh, that…" Kyo chuckled. "Miki's here. She said she wanted to try her hand at a Caribbean breakfast dish, and she needs an expert taster to judge her cooking."

"I didn't know Miki could cook," Yugo remarked as he reached for his jacket.

"Come and get it, guys!" Miki's cheery voice called from downstairs.

In a moment both boys were in the kitchen, where Miki and Jenna were busy at the stove, while Grandma watched from the table. "These two darlings have just saved me some energy looking about breakfast," Grandma commented. "And they're doing quite well, too, actually."

"So…what's for chow, girls?" asked Yugo, sitting down.

"Well, I'm trying a Caribbean style of cooking that I saw on TV," explained Miki. "I'm looking about mackerel, boiled bananas, plantain, and Jenna's mixing up some guava juice!"

"Mom likes to go shopping for tropical stuff," added Jenna. She had some fruit on the counter, slicing into pieces and putting into a blender. "She picked up these guavas in the market yesterday evening."

"Sounds promising," Yugo nodded his head.

Just then there was a knock at the door. "I'll get it," said Kyo, and he hurried to answer it.

As he opened the door, he looked out and then stared in surprise. A girl was standing on the doorstep, a Duel-Disk on her arm and a frown on her face. "Yugo Muto?" she asked.

"Uh, just a sec…Yugo! Someone here to see you!" Kyo called. "And she's wearing a Duel-Disk!"

----------

OUTSIDE KAIBACORP

The coin appeared on the field. "I call tails!" Raven announced.

The coin fell to the ground – and it was heads. "You're such a loser…even at a simple coin toss," Seta jabbed at his opponent.

"You're just a son-of-a-bitch," Raven muttered darkly.

By this time a crowd of curious and excited onlookers had gathered. Seta noted this and seemed pleased. "Oh, how nice…a crowd is here to watch me kick your ass into next November," he remarked.

"Just shut up and make your move!" Raven snapped, and they both drew their opening hand.

Seta then drew his first card. "To start things off, I'll summon the Masked Dragon (ATK 1400, DEF 1100) in Attack Mode!" In a moment a large red and white dragon with something of a plastic mask over its face appeared, growling menacingly. "Try slaying him, if you can."

"Definitely!" Raven drew his card, then studied his hand. "All right! First things first…I'll set one card facedown, and then I'll activate the magic card, D.D. Designator!"

Seta frowned.

"I see you remember what it does," said Raven. "When I activate this card, I get to call the name of one card. Then, I look at your hand, and if you have the card in your hand, it'll be removed from play. Otherwise, I must remove one random card in my hand from play." He chuckled evilly. "And the card name I call is…Blue-Eyes White Dragon (ATK 3000, DEF 2500)!"

Sighing, Seta held up his cards for Raven to see. He was holding Divine Dragon Ragnarok (ATK 1500, DEF 1000), Trap Hole, Kaiser Seahorse (ATK 1700, DEF 1650), Graceful Charity, and The Flute of Summoning Dragon. "Take a good look, shit-face…I haven't got any Blue-Eyes cards in my hand!" he said. "Now, you must remove one card in your hand from play!"

"Well, all right." Raven then picked one card in his hand and removed it from the game. But then he grinned. "Now I summon D.D. Survivor (ATK 1800, DEF 200) to the field in Attack Mode!" He then summoned a man covered in numerous rags from head to toe. "Attack with Different Dimension Rage!"

The D.D. Survivor rushed up to the Masked Dragon and began to kick and punch with fury, hitting the dragon so many times it was finally destroyed. But even as his life points went down to 7600 as a result of this, still Seta looked extremely bored. "Yeah, yeah, great job," he said wearily. "But now you've activated Masked Dragon's effect. When it's destroyed and sent to the Graveyard as a result of battle I must Special Summon one Dragon-type monster with an ATK of 1500 or less from my Deck to the field in Attack Mode. And I choose Koumori Dragon (ATK 1500, DEF 1200)."

The familiar purple dragon appeared on the field a moment later, screeching in rage. As part of the Masked Dragon's effect, Seta then shuffled his deck. "Are you done now?" he asked.

"Yeah, sure." Raven shrugged.

Suddenly, much to the amazement of the spectators, a spaceship orb emerged on Raven's side of the field. Raven seemed very pleased. "That's the effect of my monster, D.D. Scout Plane (ATK 800, DEF 1200)! When it's removed from play, during the End Phase of the turn it was removed from play I get to Special Summon it in Attack Mode on my side of the field! And since it was removed from my hand and out of the game by D.D. Designator's effect…"

In a moment a spaceship orb appeared on Raven's side of the field. Seta, of course, didn't seem very surprised. "I have seen this happen so many times before," he muttered. "Can't you come up with anything more original, Raven?"

"You haven't even seen me start to play yet, trust me…" And Raven smirked at Seta maliciously.

----------

YUGO'S HOUSE

"Yes? Can I help you?" asked Yugo, looking out the door at the stranger.

The girl looked levelly at him. "My name is Honey Pegasus," she said softly. "I've come here to challenge you to a duel."

"Challenge me? Why?" asked Yugo, quite perplexed.

"Because you defeated Seta Kaiba, quite possibly the strongest duelist in the world," said Honey. "At least, so they say you did. I want to test your strength…to see if your victory over him was real, or just a fluke."

Yugo raised an eyebrow. "Hmph…well, all right. Just let me get my Duel-Disk, and I'll be right with you."

But as he turned his back on her, he was confronted by Kyo, who was holding Yugo's Duel-Disk and cards. "Were you going to fetch these?" he asked. "Well, I did it for you."

"I don't get it…what is that girl's deal?" asked Jenna.

"Beats me," said Miki.

Grandma frowned. "Hmmm…Pegasus…Pegasus…I know I've heard that name somewhere before…"

Yugo put on his Duel-Disk and placed his deck into the slot. "All right – let's step outside, missy!" he declared.

Honey smiled. "Gladly."

In a moment the two were on the sidewalk. As they activated their Duel-Disks, the familiar coin appeared. "Heads or tails?" asked Yugo.

"Heads."

The coin was flipped – and it showed tails. "Hmph, too bad," said Yugo. "I'll go first."

As the two players drew their first five cards, Kyo, Jenna, Miki and Grandma stood on the porch to watch. "This is interesting," said Kyo, adjusting his glasses.

"Now then! First I'll set one monster facedown in Defense Mode!" Yugo placed the card facedown. "And I'll end my turn with that for now."

Honey chuckled. "Is that all? Then I'm afraid you've already lost."

"What was that?" Yugo asked threateningly.

Honey drew her card. "Poor, poor Yugo Muto," she said sweetly. "I'm afraid it's time for you to enter a world of utter pain…a world of utter chaos and mayhem…a world of utter insanity!"

Then she swiftly played her card. "Time to use the magic of Toon World!"

Suddenly, there was a large explosion of pink smoke as a cartoon book opened up, revealing a huge castle inside its pages. Honey's life points then dropped to 7000. "This card costs me 1000 life points to activate," she explained, "but that'll be minor compared to what I'm planning to do to you!"

As Grandma looked at the Toon World magic card, it suddenly hit her. "Of course! How couldn't I have seen this before!" she exulted. "This girl is the daughter of Maximillion Pegasus – the creator of Duel Monsters!"

All the kids turned to stare at her. "You have got to be kidding!" Miki exclaimed.

Yugo was astonished, too. "Is that true? Are you really THAT Pegasus' daughter?"

"I am." Honey nodded acknowledgment. "Well, actually, I'm his _adopted_ daughter."

"Adopted? I see," mused Yugo. "Well, even if you are adopted, nevertheless Pegasus would've given you access to lots of cards – after all, he IS the one who created the game."

"Hmph. If that's flattery, then it won't get you anywhere." Honey then examined her hand. "Now, I'll summon Toon Mermaid (ATK 1400, DEF 1500) to the field in Attack Mode!"

A moment later a cartoon girl inside a funny-looking clam appeared, wielding a bow and arrow. Honey smiled. "I love cartoon characters, you see," she explained, "just like Father does. I got this deck from him, and I'm making extremely good use of it, too. But I'm not quite done just yet!"

"Huh?" Yugo looked perplexed.

Honey held up another card in her hand. "Now, I'll summon another monster – the Toon Gemini Elf (ATK 1900, DEF 900)!" And then she summoned two comical-looking versions of Yugo's Gemini Elf!

"Hey—hold on! She summoned two monsters in the same turn! That's illegal unless it's a Special Summon!" Miki yelled.

"Oh, it's perfectly legal," Honey addressed her. "You see, Toon monsters can only be Special Summoned when Toon World is on the field—it's the source of their strength, after all. And," here she turned her attention back to Yugo. "…you're lucky. Toon monsters can't attack in the same turn that they're Special Summoned by Toon World's power. So, I'll set another card facedown and end my turn for now, but next turn…" and her eyes flashed menacingly.

Yugo now drew another card, his face wearing a worried frown. "I summon Skilled Dark Magician (ATK 1900, DEF 1700) to the field!" And a moment later the black-robed monk mage appeared, wielding his staff. To himself Yugo mused, _All right…if I have a monster that's at least strong enough to fend off that Toon Gemini Elf, I'll be all right._

Next he placed a card facedown in the magic/trap slot. "I place one card facedown," he announced as he did this. "Now, Skilled Dark Magician, attack and destroy Toon Mermaid!"

But as the mage powered up energy in his staff and prepared to fire, Honey hollered, "No, you don't! I activate my trap card, Toon Defense!"

Just as her trap card flipped face-up, Skilled Dark Magician fired a massive blast. But then a cartoon book suspended by a chain flew out of nowhere and caught the blast, redirecting it at Honey herself! She flinched as the blast hit her, reducing her life points to 5100!

Yugo stared, perfectly aghast. "What the hell was that?"

Honey managed a smile. "It's the effect of my Toon Defense trap card…as long as it stays on the field, if you attack a Toon monster on my side of the field that is Level 4 or lower, I can make that attack a direct attack on my life points instead."

"That's…a pretty big sacrifice to make," remarked Yugo.

"Well, it'll be worth it when you see what I've got planned for you!" Honey drew another card. "Now, something else…some Toon monsters require a sacrifice of 500 life points if you're going to attack with them – like my Toon Mermaid! Do it, Toon Mermaid!" And then Honey's life points dropped further to 4600.

Kyo raised an eyebrow. _Is she nuts? She'll destroy her monster like that! Skilled Dark Magician's much stronger…unless…_

The Toon Mermaid put an arrow to her bow, and a moment later a ridiculously big arrow flew out – only, instead of hitting the Skilled Dark Magician, it flew all the way into Yugo's chest!

"Arrrgh!" Yugo grunted as his life points went down to 6600. "Hey, what gives?"

"All Toon monsters can attack directly, unless my opponent also controls Toon monsters," Honey said, beaming brightly. "Now, it's time for my Toon Gemini Elf to attack – and, this is one of those Toon monsters for whom I _don't_ need to pay life points to have them attack!"

The twin cartoon elves clasped hands together, then suddenly stretched the entire length of the field until they were right in front of a startled Yugo. Then, both elves pulled back their feet and booted him square in the chest, knocking him back and reducing his life points to 4700!

"Oh, let me not forget to mention," added Honey, "that Toon Gemini Elf possesses another effect: when this monster does damage to your life points, you're forced to discard one random card from your hand."

Scowling, Yugo picked a card from his hand and sent it to the Graveyard. "You've certainly gotten this planned out, haven't you?" he demanded.

"Not to toot my own horn, but I've been to quite a few prestigious tournaments in years past," said Honey. "Anybody who's come across my Toon strategy has mocked it and called it stupid…and then, after experiencing its power, those same persons have fallen at my feet begging for mercy." Her eyes narrowed. "Very soon, you will fall, too…and then you'll be exposed as the fake you really are. Your victory against Seta Kaiba couldn't have been anything more than sheer luck, and I'm here to prove it!"

----------

**_neomage:_** Two duels at once! Yugo vs. Honey and Seta vs. Raven! And…I didn't mention this last chapter, but I'll say it now. From here on out, quite a few of the characters I'm going to introduce are based on design concepts that I came up with by imagining different anime characters with altered physical features, e.g. Raven looking like Knives from **_Trigun_** with black hair, as I said last chap. Just know that whoever I draw on for comparison, those original characters and the anime they're from belong to their respective creators, okay? Just saying this to avoid trouble with some people later. Well, now that that's said, let's get on with the story!


	36. Chapter 36

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Salutations to Takahashi-san for creating such a cool manga like Yu-Gi-Oh, which now has its own anime series, movies, and trading card game!)

**CHAPTER 36**

OUTSIDE KAIBACORP

As the duel between Seta and Raven continued outside the entrance to Kaibacorp's building, the stats stood like this: Raven was currently in the lead with an untouched 8000 life points, he had two cards in his hand, and on the field he had D.D. Scout Plane and D.D. Survivor in Attack Mode, plus one other card facedown. Seta had 7600 life points, five cards in his hand, and on the field he had one very cross Koumori Dragon in Attack Mode, also. And now, it was Seta's turn.

Seta drew his next card and considered what he should do. Since Raven had seen his hand due to his D.D. Designator magic card, he had to come up with a strategy that included a card Raven definitely hadn't seen – such as the one he'd just drawn. "Very well…now I offer my Koumori Dragon as a tribute to summon a new monster – Luminous Soldier (ATK 2100, DEF 1400)!"

In a moment a warrior appeared on the field, carrying a massive broadsword and wearing red, yellow and white armor that all shone like gold. But then Raven laughed. "Fool! I activate my trap card, Bottomless Trap Hole! When you summon a monster to the field, this card destroys it and removes it from play!"

A massive hole opened up underneath Luminous Soldier's feet, and it disappeared from sight. Seta sighed with ever-growing impatience. "This bites," he muttered. "Fine, I end my turn."

Raven now drew another card. "Oh, how very nice! Well, now I'll set another card facedown, and then I'll set a monster facedown too! And now, D.D. Scout Plane, attack directly!"

D.D. Scout Plane flew forward, ramming Seta and reducing his life points to 6800. "Now, D.D. Survivor, it's your turn!" Raven commanded. And this monster rushed forward and hit Seta in his solar plexus, reducing his life points further to 5000.

"There, see?" Raven said boastfully. "You haven't even touched my life points yet, and I've brought you down far lower than me! A few more attacks like this, and I'll win!"

Seta ran a hand through his hair. "Sheesh…even now you still don't get it, do you?" he questioned. "You may be in the lead where life points are concerned right now, but there is only so much time that I can tolerate your naivety for. And…I'm getting more and more hungry, and my breakfast is getting colder and colder, and because of that I'm getting more and more pissed off!"

With that he drew again. "Now, I activate my magic card, Graceful Charity! I will now draw three cards, and then discard two from my hand." And he did so, having six cards in his hand after he was done discarding. Then he held up a card in his hand.

"Now, I summon my Lord of Dragons (ATK 1200, DEF 1100) to the field!" And then a moment later the dragon master appeared. "This is the moment when I start getting you back for your impudence!" Seta vowed.

"Oh, I'm scared," Raven replied sarcastically.

Then Seta held up another card. "I activate the magic of the Flute of Summoning Dragon, and with this my Lord of Dragons will now help me Special Summon two dragons from my hand: Divine Dragon Ragnarok (ATK 1500, DEF 1000) and Blue-Eyes White Dragon (ATK 3000, DEF 2500)!"

Suddenly the famous white dragon emerged beside the Lord of Dragons, howling in its wrath. On the other side of the spellcaster, a magnificent pink dragon with a sagely face emerged. "Then next, I'll put one card facedown," continued Seta, placing the card in the magic/trap slot. "And now, time for me to come back with full force! Blue-Eyes White Dragon, use your White Lightning Attack and destroy D.D. Survivor!"

The Blue-Eyes charged up its attack, and a moment later blasted D.D. Survivor into the Graveyard, reducing Raven's life points to 6800. "Now, Divine Dragon Ragnarok, it's your turn! Destroy D.D. Scout Plane!" ordered Seta. And the Ragnarok dragon charged up electricity in its mouth, blasting it at the Scout Plane, disintegrating it and lowering Raven further to 6100 life points.

"And now…Lord of Dragons, attack and destroy that facedown monster now!" Seta ordered. But as the Lord of Dragons formed energy claws on one of his gauntlets and rushed forward, slicing the facedown monster—to Seta's astonishment his life points dropped to 4200 as a massive backlash threw his monster back!

"The monster you just attempted to destroy was my Banisher of the Light (ATK 100, DEF 2000)," said Raven, a pleased grin on his face. "In addition to its DEF being stronger than your Lord of Dragon's ATK, you've just helped me by flipping him face-up! Now, as long as he remains face-up, all cards sent to the Graveyard are removed from play instead!"

Seta flinched, mentally cursing himself. _I should have remembered about that card…_

"So, do you end your turn now?" asked Raven, still smiling.

"Yes, I do." Seta shook his head disdainfully. "But really, Raven, I'm completely lost…how many times do I need to say it before it'll come home to you? The quarrel between the Kaiba and Pegasus families is between our fathers, not us! Dueling me over and over again isn't going to do you one whit of good now or ever!"

Raven now had a very miffed expression on his face. "Then tell me why, Seta—why does your father continue to blame Dad for something he didn't even do, something he wasn't responsible for? It's not fair, and we both know it!"

"And taking your frustrations out on me is going to solve the problem?" Seta grunted. "Anyway, it's not as if Pegasus is your real father…"

"That doesn't matter! After our parents died, Pegasus took me and my sister in! He's become a second father to us! And I won't ever allow anybody to call him things that he isn't!" Raven exploded, losing his temper. "Kaiba retired from dueling years ago…and I'm not competent enough in business management yet to be a rival to him like Dad is—so I'll continue to do the next best thing: to come after _you_ again and again until you guys admit that you're the ones in the wrong!"

Seta sighed in resignation. "Looks to me as if talking isn't going to get me anywhere with you. So just make your move."

"Fine!" Raven drew his next card. Then suddenly the angry look disappeared from his face, and he was smiling again. "Oh, Seta…it's time for you to feel my full power now! For I activate the magic of Soul Release, which allows me to remove up to five cards from either of our Graveyards out of play—and since I have four cards in my Graveyard right now, I can activate its effect on myself!"

Suddenly the four cards in Raven's Graveyard—D.D. Designator, Bottomless Trap Hole, D.D. Scout Plane and D.D. Survivor—were thrust out of the game. Because of the Banisher of the Light's effect, the Soul Release card itself got removed from play instead of going to the Graveyard, as well. Then Raven held up the one card left in his hand.

"And now," he announced, "I'll activate the magic of another card, Chaos Greed! Since I have more than four cards out of play, and since there are no cards in my Graveyard, I can draw two cards from my deck!"

Raven drew another two cards, even as the Chaos Greed card got removed from play because of the Banisher of the Light. "Six cards out of play now," Raven mused. Then an idea struck him.

Seta noted the look on Raven face. _What's he up to?_

Suddenly Raven pointed to his facedown card. "I activate my magic card, Dark Core! This allows me to discard one card from my hand in order to remove one face-up monster on the field from play! And I choose your Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

Seta reared up in astonishment. "You wouldn't dare!" he shouted.

"Sorry, but I think I will!" Raven then discarded one of his two cards in his hand for Dark Core's effect. As Seta watched with a grim look on his face, a large black ball of energy poured out of the card and struck the Blue-Eyes White Dragon in the heart, disintegrating it even as it howled its agony.

"…you'll pay for that…" Seta vowed, seething.

Then, once again because of the Banisher of the Light, Dark Core and the card Raven discarded were removed from play, making the number of cards he had out of the game eight—and with its destruction, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon was removed from play, too. Then Raven held up the very last card left in his hand. "Now…I summon the great and terrible Gren Maju Da Eiza (ATK , DEF ?)!"

Moments later a large red fiend with a pointed snout, long claws and a heavy tail appeared on Raven's side of the field. "I'm sure you remember this guy," said Raven proudly. "As you are well aware, his ATK and DEF become the number of my cards removed from play times 400 points. And, I have eight cards out of play right now, so—his ATK and DEF each become 3200!"

True to Raven's description, the monster's ATK and DEF swiftly shot to 3200 each! "And now, prepare to meet your maker!" Raven bellowed.

----------

YUGO'S HOUSE, AT THAT MOMENT

Meanwhile, back at Yugo's house, the duel between him and Honey raged on, with the stats as follows: Honey had 4600 life points, while Yugo was struggling with 4700. On the field Honey had her Toon World magic card and the Toon Defense trap card, plus the Toon Gemini Elf and the Toon Mermaid; Yugo had one facedown monster and the Skilled Dark Magician, and one other card facedown in the magic/trap slot. Both of them had three cards in hand.

Yugo took his turn and drew another card, giving him four in all. "It seems that you idolize Seta considerably highly," he remarked. "But everybody knows that Mr. Kaiba and Mr. Pegasus are the biggest business rivals in the Duel Monster business. What would people possibly think if they knew that the daughter of Maximillion Pegasus takes his rival's son as her role model?"

"And who the hell made you my judge?" Honey demanded incredulously. "You've got no right to talk, you big fat fake, you!"

"HEY!" Jenna snapped from the sidelines. "Would you stop calling Yugo that, already? He certainly didn't beat Seta because of luck, I'll have you know! We all saw Seta's skill, but even he isn't invincible!"

"No…I won't accept it…ever!" Honey shouted. "And right now, I'm about to show you just how much of a loser you really are, Yugo! Now play the game!"

Yugo nodded. "As you wish."

He flipped his facedown monster face-up in Attack Mode, revealing the Royal Magical Library (ATK 0, DEF 2000). As the rows of books surrounded him, he then flipped over his other facedown card. "I activate the trap card, Pitch-Black Power Stone! This card gets three Magic counters on activation; and once during each of my turns, I can move one of its Magic counters to any other card on my side of the field that can get a Magic counter. And I'm giving one to the Royal Magical Library!"

Immediately a ball of mystic flame emerged among the rows of books. Yugo then took out one of his cards from his hand and played it. "Next, I activate the magic of Monster Reborn, to revive the monster you forced me to discard with your Toon Gemini Elf's effect – Buster Blader (ATK 2600, DEF 2300)!" And as he played the card, the dragon-hunting knight emerged from the Graveyard – and both Skilled Dark Magician and the Royal Magical Library each got a Magic counter.

Honey's eyes widened in alarm. "Oh, no!"

"Oh, yes! And there's more where that came from, too!" Yugo selected another card from his hand and played it. "Next, I'll activate the magic card, Brain Control! At a cost of 800 life points, this card allows me to take control of one face-up monster on your side of the field until the end of this turn – and I choose your Toon Gemini Elf!"

As Honey looked on in mute horror, an image of a massive red brain momentarily flashed over the Toon Gemini Elf. The twin elves faltered, then slowly walked over to Yugo's side of the field as though entranced. "No! Not my elves!" Honey screamed.

Yugo smirked, even as his life points were drained to 3900. "Believe me, it's about to get much, much worse! For now I'm going to tribute the Toon Gemini Elf to summon a monster of my own – the Magical Marionette (ATK 2000, DEF 1000)!"

As the screaming Toon Gemini Elf twins disappeared in a shower of sparks, in their place hovered the red-robed puppeteer, with his knife-wielding doll ready to attack. Yugo only had one card left in his hand – but evidently he wasn't going to play it just yet. "Now, take a good look at my monsters," he instructed her. "What do you see?"

Honey looked – and turned pale. The Skilled Dark Magician was now sporting two Magic counters thanks to Yugo's activation of Brain Control – and the Royal Magical Library was sporting three! "This is crazy!" she cried.

"My Royal Magical Library's effect, though sometimes overlooked, is nevertheless very effective when needed," explained Yugo. "Each time one of us activates a Magic card, one Magic counter is put on the Library. It can hold a maximum of three counters; and in exchange for me sacrificing those three counters, I can draw one card from my deck—which I will do now! Royal Magical Library, grant me wisdom!"

The Library's three counters swirled around the field, then came to land on Yugo's deck—and a card popped out from the top of the deck. Grinning, Yugo took this card into his hand so he now had two. "Oh, this is incredible!" he remarked. "Now I'm going to activate the magic card, Heavy Storm! This will destroy all Magic and Trap cards on the field—including your Toon World and Toon Defense! And if what you said before is true, then I doubt your Toon Mermaid will survive long without Toon World in play!"

Suddenly, as Yugo activated the card, a massive wind blew with hurricane force. Honey instinctively put her arms up to shield herself as the wind blew…and then after a moment it subsided. She got enough courage to look—and stared in dismay. Her Toon World and Toon Defense, along with Yugo's Pitch-Black Power Stone, were completely gone; plus, the Royal Magical Library, Skilled Dark Magician and Magical Marionette had each gotten a Magic counter, with the Marionette's counter increasing its ATK to 2200! Then, as she looked on in shock, her Toon Mermaid, without the power of Toon World to maintain her, exploded into a shower of light and was destroyed!

"Well, here we are, Honey," said Yugo. "You almost had me for a while, but…now do you still think I'm a fake?"

Honey just stood there, unable to reply.

"All right! Skilled Dark Magician, Buster Blader and Magical Marionette, finish it now!" Yugo ordered. And then, one by one, the three monsters rushed forward and hit Honey with their strongest attacks, until at last her life points were all the way down to 0.

Slowly Honey sank to her knees as the monsters disappeared. "No…I can't believe it…" she whispered. "What…what will I tell Raven…?"

Yugo looked at her, puzzled. "Raven?"

Honey's upper body sank forward; she caught herself by pushing her hands to the sidewalk. "My…my brother…" she whispered weakly, as the tears began to flow. "I can't…I just can't tell him about this…it would kill him…"

"Hey, hey, calm down…it's only a game, after all," Yugo said gently, walking up to her. "No need to make a fuss about it."

"You don't understand," Honey spat out. "This isn't about me…it's about him—him and his pride. If he knows that there's no hope for him to ever defeat Seta, it'll crush him altogether…he'd lose all hope."

Yugo, now very confused, looked to the others for help. Kyo stepped forward. "Uh…maybe you'd better explain just what you mean, Honey," he suggested.

She nodded, somewhat reluctantly. "But not here," she said. "We have to go to Kaibacorp right away – Raven and Seta are probably dueling right now."

"All right," Kyo nodded. "Let's go, then."

"Sorry, but we can't go," Jenna interrupted. "Miki and I still have to look about breakfast. But you guys can come back and tell us everything. How's that?"

"Well, all right," Yugo agreed. "Let's go, then, Honey."

Whereupon Honey pulled out a cell-phone and speed-dialed a number. After a moment she said, "Driver? Come round to Yugo's house – we're going to Kaibacorp."

"You have your own driver?" Kyo asked, very interested.

"Yes." Honey nodded – and just at that moment the sleek black limousine came around the corner, slowing to a stop right at their feet. Yugo's eyes widened in amazement. "Wow! This is so cool!"

"Well, get in," said Honey, as the driver stepped out and opened the door for them. "I will explain everything on the way. Right now, time is of the essence."

----------

OUTSIDE KAIBACORP, IN THE MEANTIME

Raven's life points now stood at 6100; in his hand he held no cards; on the field he had his face-up Banisher of the Light in Defense Mode and Gren Maju Da Eiza in Attack Mode. Seta had 4200 life points; his hand had one card; on his side of the field he had his Lord of Dragons, Divine Dragon Ragnarok and one other facedown card. And it was still Raven's turn.

"Take a good look at my great Gren Maju Da Eiza, Seta," sneered Raven. "Its power is enough for me to wipe out one of your monsters entirely – and very soon, both of them will be gone for good! And then what will you do? You won't be able to do squat!"

"Hmph." Seta crossed his arms and sighed. "I still have lots of cards in my deck to play with, Raven…I won't run out of cards like I did the first and only time you ever beat me, got it?"

"Well, we'll soon see, won't we?" said Raven. "Now, my fiend, attack and destroy Divine Dragon Ragnarok!"

Gren Maju Da Eiza charged up a massive fiery energy in its snout and prepared to fire it off. But just as it did, Seta suddenly shouted, "Not today, you won't! I activate my trap card, Sakuretsu Armor, to destroy your attacking monster!"

In a moment Ragnarok was covered in a massive coat of armor, armor so powerful that it deflected the attack and reversed it onto Gren Maju Da Eiza, destroying it altogether. Because Banisher of the Light was still face-up, the Sakuretsu Armor trap card was removed from play – and so was Raven's fiend! "No!" Raven cried out.

"Too eager to win, Raven—too eager to win," said Seta. His eyes were no longer showing annoyance—just pure disgust. "Just hold on a moment longer, Raven. I'll soon kick your ass all the way back to where it came from, and then I can go and eat breakfast in peace without you giving me a migraine to start off my day."

"Grr…well, go ahead and do your worst, you bastard! I'm ready for you! I end my turn!" Raven exploded – and then D.D. Scout Plane's effect activated, bringing it back into play and onto Raven's side of the field in Attack Mode.

Nodding, Seta drew his next card. "All right, here's what I'm going to do now!" he declared. "First, I'll activate my Polymerization card, to fuse together my Lord of Dragons and Divine Dragon Ragnarok so that they can become – King Dragun (ATK 2400, DEF 1200)!"

As Polymerization was removed from play due to Banisher of the Light's effect, Ragnarok and the Lord of Dragons got sucked into a swirling mass of light behind them; in their place emerged the powerful half-man, half-dragon beast. Again, because of the Banisher of the Light, the two monsters were removed from play instead of going to the Graveyard – but now Seta didn't seem too much concerned with that. "Once per turn," said he, "I can use King Dragun's effect to Special Summon one Dragon-type monster from my hand to the field…and the monster I choose is my Rare Metal Dragon (ATK 2400, DEF 1200)!"

King Dragun put both hands together and began to chant; then suddenly the metal-covered dragon appeared on the field, growling with menace. "Now, Rare Metal Dragon, attack and destroy that annoying-as-hell Banisher of the Light! Use Spinning Metal Wheel!" Seta commanded.

The Rare Metal Dragon wrapped itself into a ball, its metal spike plainly in view as it rolled over to where Banisher of the Light sat in Defense Mode. One solid WHACK from the spikes and the Banisher was gone – to the Graveyard, since his effect only lasted while he was on the field. "So much for him," said Seta. "Now, King Dragun, it's your turn to act! Divine Dragon Firestorm!"

King Dragun took a deep breath, then exhaled powerfully. At once a rush of fire consumed the D.D. Scout Plane, destroying it and reducing Raven's life points to 4500. "And this time, there's no returning for your Scout Plane, no, none at all," Seta said mockingly.

"Nice…very nice," said Raven, applauding. "Even so, it still won't be enough to stop me – I'm still ahead of you by 300 points!"

"So what? That still doesn't say anything. I'm still better than you—just look at what I have on the field, compared to what you have," said Seta. "It'll have to take a miracle for you to beat me—if you can, that is."

Raven's eyes flashed threateningly. "Believe me, Seta Kaiba, this duel isn't done yet. It won't be over until one of us is down in crushing defeat!"

----------

**_neomage:_** Sorry I had to bring the Yugo vs. Honey duel to such an abrupt end, but that's how the story goes sometimes – you don't always get what you want. For my part, I really wanted to drag it out a little longer, but then the story wouldn't have flowed as smoothly as I wanted it to, so, this is how it is. And by the way, I'll bet some people were surprised that it was Honey that got to use the Toon deck, and Raven used something else entirely. But just love surprises, don't you? Anyway, keep reading and thanks for your continued support!


	37. Chapter 37

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Yawn…the only thing I own is this fanfic, not the original Yu-Gi-Oh story or characters. I also own some of the cards inspired by Kazuki Takahashi's great work.)

**CHAPTER 37**

ON THE WAY TO KAIBACORP

While the duel between Seta and Raven continued, on the other side of town Honey's limousine was racing toward the Kaibacorp building. Inside that limousine, in the back seat Yugo and Kyo were sitting on one side, and Honey was sitting opposite them.

"You said you would explain this whole thing to us," said Kyo. "So, please tell us what's going on."

Honey nodded and wiped her eyes. "I assume you know about the details of the Kaiba-Pegasus feud?" she inquired.

Yugo and Kyo nodded. "Everybody knows that Kaiba Corporation and Industrial Illusions have been corporate rivals since well over fifteen or so years ago," remarked Yugo.

"Yes," said Honey, nodding again. "Well…that was about all the feud entailed, until twelve years ago."

"Why? What happened?" asked Kyo.

"I was still very young when it happened, so I don't remember all of the details, but I will tell you what I know." Honey cleared her throat. "You remember I told you that Pegasus adopted me?"

"Yeah," said Kyo. "So, what about that?"

"Well, both my brother and I were adopted by Pegasus after our parents died." Honey sighed sadly. "He was a good father to us…raised us willingly, as though we were his own flesh and blood, and because of that Raven and I are entirely indebted to him."

Yugo looked searchingly at her. "What…happened…?"

Honey swallowed hard. "Well…my mother and father were on board a private jet from Cairo, Egypt, returning to the States. There were about fifty other people on board…all invited to view an archaeological find that had been recently uncovered by the famous researcher, Rebecca Hawkins. The exhibition and transportation for these people…were both funded by Pegasus. Mom and Dad were longtime acquaintances of Pegasus, so they had VIP passes to be there with all those important people.

"Well…what happened was…the plane crashed. Everybody on board was killed."

Kyo stared in astonishment. "Killed…? Gee…I'm sorry."

"That's not the end of the story," Honey continued. "Soon after that, the relatives of the dead passengers filed a lawsuit against Pegasus for negligent homicide. They were accusing Pegasus of hiring drunk pilots to fly that plane. Pegasus denied the charges, and the case went on for several long months, and Pegasus was in danger of losing millions in compensation to the families of the victims. But in the end, the US Supreme Court cleared Pegasus of all blame, and it was declared that he and his employees were in no way responsible for the tragedy."

"So why is the feud still going on, then?" Kyo wanted to know.

"That, I found out some weeks ago," said Honey. "I found out the reason when I accidentally stumbled upon a journal of his. Evidently, Seto Kaiba was the main person responsible for that lawsuit. His wife and brother were among the passengers on board that plane."

"So…Seta's mother and uncle were…my God…" Kyo slowly ran a hand through his hair.

"You got it." Honey smiled an unhappy smile. "To this day, Kaiba and Pegasus have been even more bitter enemies because of that. But the worst part of it is…Raven's taken the whole dispute to heart, and has taken an intense dislike to everything the Kaiba family stands for. Because he can't directly confront the senior Kaiba, my brother has taken Seta as his rival, determined to defeat him in Duel Monsters to make a statement to the world – that the Pegasus family is better than the Kaiba family."

"So that's why you wanted to defeat Yugo so badly…you wanted to prove that Raven could still be the number one candidate to defeat Seta," Kyo said thoughtfully.

"Yes. If I could prove that Seta's only real rival is Raven, then my brother could keep the hope alive that one day, he'd be able to defeat Seta." Honey sighed.

Kyo adjusted his glasses and fixed a hard stare on Honey. "So, if that's the case, why do you idolize Seta like you do?"

Honey's cheeks became flushed. "Well…that's because…"

"It's because she likes Seta."

Kyo started at Yugo's brusque manner, and Honey blushed in embarrassment. But when they both looked at him, they sensed that something was very, very wrong. "Yugo…?" Kyo questioned.

Yugo's eyes were overshadowed by his bangs, but his mouth was set in a grim line. "Isn't it obvious, Kyo? Evidently this girl holds some admiration, and even affection, for Seta. She doesn't care about the family feud, even if her brother does. But she probably can't say anything about it because she's afraid of what everyone else who's involved in this quarrel will think." He then looked up and fixed her a burning stare. "Am I right?"

Honey hung her head. "Y-yes."

Kyo's brow furrowed. "Yugo…what's come over you all of a sudden…?"

Yugo did not answer that. He reached over and tapped the partition glass. "Driver, how much further to Kaibacorp?"

"Another ten minutes, sir."

"Good." Yugo settled back in his seat, crossing his arms, a vicious scowl on his face. Seeing the look on his face, Kyo and Honey decided that right now, silence was more than golden.

----------

OUTSIDE KAIBACORP, AT THE SAME TIME

While Honey's limo sped toward Kaibacorp, the crowd was still cheering on Seta and Raven's duel. Raven currently had 4500 life points; Seta had 4200. Raven had nothing whatsoever on the field, and he had no cards in his hand. Seta, on the other hand, had King Dragun and Rare Metal Dragon together on the field, though he also had no cards in hand. And it was now Raven's turn.

Slowly, carefully, Raven drew his card. "YES! Now here's something I could definitely use!" he exclaimed. "I activate Pot of Greed to give me two more cards!" And he drew another two cards.

"Now, this is what I'll do," he continued. "I'll set one monster facedown, and also I'll set one card facedown. Then I'll end my turn."

Seta drew his next card. "I activate Monster Reborn to summon one of the monsters I discarded with my Graceful Charity's effect earlier – the Cave Dragon (ATK 2000, DEF 100) in Attack Mode!" He then brought forth the dragon, blowing smoke as it readied for battle. "Now, my Cave Dragon, attack and destroy his facedown monster!"

The Cave Dragon took a deep breath, then blew a huge blast of smoke at the facedown monster. But when that monster was flipped face-up, to Seta's surprise it turned out to be another Banisher of the Light (ATK 100, DEF 2000)! The fairy deflected the attack, pushing the dragon back in the process!

"Dammit!" Seta snapped. "Well, I'm not gonna stand for this! Rare Metal Dragon, destroy that monster right now!"

Again the Rare Metal Dragon rolled into a ball, running over the Banisher and destroying him completely. But Seta didn't intend on stopping there. "And now, King Dragun, attack directly!"

King Dragun attacked, hitting Raven hard and severely reducing his life points to 2100. "There!" said Seta, totally exasperated. "Are you done now, punk?"

"Not by a long shot!" said Raven, drawing his next card. Then he stared long and hard at it, and chuckled. "Well, well, well…"

Seta glared at him. "So?"

"Well, it's time for me to finish this." Raven's voice was filled with utmost certainty. "First of all, I'll activate my facedown trap card, D.D. Dynamite! This will inflict 300 points of damage to you for every card of yours that has been removed from play!"

A huge bundle of dynamite suddenly emerged on Seta's side of the field—and exploded! Since, up until now, Seta had six cards removed from play, the damage was tallied and he lost a total of 1800 life points, putting him at 2400! "GODAMMIT!" Seta exploded, now completely furious.

"How does it feel, Seta, to know that you're so close to defeat?" Raven jeered him. "Does it hurt? Does it feel humiliating? Well, this is exactly how I've felt all those years, you bastard! And now, it's time for you to feel the humiliation of defeat that I've had to feel all this time because of you!"

Then Raven held up the card in his hand. "Now, I will remove one Light monster and one Dark monster in my Graveyard from play to Special Summon my ultimate monster…come forth, Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning (ATK 3000, DEF 2500)!"

Banisher of the Light was a Light monster, and the D.D. Scout Plane was a Dark monster, so those two were swiftly removed from play. As Raven performed this action, suddenly a giant knight wielding a huge sword and shield, with black armor glistening with other colors here and there, appeared on the field. "This is the monster that'll end this duel!" Raven said boastfully. "Now, my Envoy of the Beginning, attack and destroy the Cave Dragon! Black Luster Sword!"

The Envoy of the Beginning readied his sword and rushed forward, slicing the Cave Dragon in two and reducing Seta's life points to 1400. Then Raven chuckled. "My Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning has two effects," he told Seta. "And I'm going to use one of them right now! If he destroys a monster in battle, then he can attack once more in a row! Now, my soldier, destroy King Dragun!"

Again the Envoy of the Beginning rushed forward, slicing downward with his sword and killing King Dragun, further reducing Seta to a mere 800 life points. "Next turn, it ends!" Raven declared gleefully. "Now I end my turn!" And as he said that, D.D. Scout Plane's effect brought it out of play again and back on the field in Attack Mode.

Just at that moment the limousine finally arrived. Not waiting for the driver to come and open the door, Honey opened it herself and, stepping out, was astonished. "It's…almost over…" she whispered. "And…Raven summoned THAT monster…"

"Hmmm…" Kyo came out beside Honey. "It looks like your brother may actually have a chance of winning this…"

Coming out after them, Yugo said nothing. The grim look was still on his face.

"I have some bad news for you, you little puke. There isn't going to be a next turn for you – count on that!" Seta spat venomously as he drew his next card.

"And what're YOU going to do about it? Even if your Rare Metal Dragon destroys my D.D. Scout Plane now, it still won't be enough to wipe out my life points completely!" Raven scoffed.

"Just watch and see." Seta's lip curled in a nasty smile. "For now I activate the magic card, Raigeki—to destroy every single monster on your side of the field!"

Raven's eyes widened in realization and horror as the message sank in. "Oh shit!" he shrieked.

"Now, there's nothing to stop me from finishing you off completely!" Seta laughed victoriously. "Rare Metal Dragon, finish it now!"

Rare Metal Dragon once more rolled into a ball, rushing toward a terrified Raven and striking him, knocking him down. His life points went down to 0 with this action. "NOOOO!" he screamed.

"Pft." Seta shook his head as the Rare Metal Dragon's holographic image disappeared. "I keep telling you, Raven: you can never beat me."

Hearing the crowd cheering for Seta, Raven punched the ground in aggravation. "This isn't possible! I was so close! So close to redeeming Father's good name!" he wailed. "So close to defeating you!"

"And again I say it: I don't give a shit about your father's quarrel with my dad." Seta's tone was firm. "You got a problem with what my father did, take it up with him—don't try picking on me, or else you'll get hurt."

"Don't you dare tell me what to do!" Raven shot at him. "How can you possibly understand how I feel, you son-of-a-bitch? You don't know what it's like to be a loser – to lose something precious to you!"

Seta's jaw tensed—but before he could say anything in retaliation, suddenly a hand shot out from the crowd and roughly grabbed Raven by the shoulder, pulling him around. Astonished, Raven saw only a blur as a solid fist connected with his face and sent him sprawling. "What the…!" he howled in pain as he held his broken nose.

Equally shocked, those in that part of the gathering turned to see who was responsible – and then just as quickly stepped back. Seta, too, couldn't believe his eyes. "Yugo…?"

Breathing heavily, Yugo slowly stepped forward, the blood from Raven's nose dripping from his knuckles. He reached down and grabbed Raven by the front of his blazer, slamming him into a nearby lamppost and pinning him there. Still holding his nose, Raven bellowed, "What the hell's your problem, kid!"

"Shut up and listen, shit-face." Yugo's voice dripped poison and his eyes glared daggers at Raven. "Do you have any idea how many people have been hurt because of this whole goddamn feud? You're not the only one who's suffering, you dumbass—think of your father, think of your sister—and yes, think about the Kaiba family, too!"

His voice dropped to a bitter whisper. "Maybe you don't realize it, but you're not the only person who lost someone important that day…and all you're doing is aggravating the wounds of everyone who was involved in that tragedy, everyone who lost a brother, a sister, a mother, a father, a best friend, a lover on that plane. Yeah, that's right—your sister told me everything. And I'll bet she's tried to tell you over and over that what you're doing is stupid and immature…and all you're doing by keeping up this quarrel into the next generation is hurting her more and more!"

Raven's eyes widened upon hearing this. "…what…?"

"What, it hasn't sunken in yet?" Yugo went on, still in that bitter whisper. "Honey has suffered greatly…she's even gone so far as to sacrifice a lot for you, you ungrateful jerk-wad. Even to sacrifice the affection she feels for another, because she loves you and wants to support you…but you're not making it easy for her, are you?"

Raven's eyes were still wide open…then they sunk downward in shame. It was at that point that Kyo stepped forward and laid a gentle hand on Yugo's shoulder. "Yugo…you've made your point," he said softly. "Let him go, please."

Trembling slightly, Yugo slowly relaxed his grip on Raven's blazer. Raven himself slowly sank down, still leaning on the lamppost, until he was sitting on the sidewalk. Now tears were in his eyes. "I'm such a fool…" he whispered.

Honey walked over to her brother and knelt down beside him. She cradled his head into her arms. "Shhh, shhh, shhh," she consoled him. "You're not a fool, Raven. You're one of the strongest people I know. Who was it that stood by my side after Mom and Dad died? Who was it that promised to always protect me? Who is it that continues to look out for me even now?" Gently she stroked his hair. "Raven…you're quite possibly the best big brother anybody could ever ask for. That's all I ask of you…nothing more."

Seta stood nearby, looking down at the siblings. Slowly a melancholy look came over his face. "Yugo…" he said quietly.

Yugo turned his head slightly to look at him.

"Um…this person you speak of that Honey…you know…" Seta was struggling for the right words, and Yugo could see that.

"Yeah, Seta. You should know the answer to that." The blond boy nodded. Seta looked at him, then lowered his eyes and chuckled.

"Yeah…I guess you're right, then…a lot of anguish has been caused by this." Seta sighed and covered his face with one hand.

Kyo looked down at Raven. "Raven…nobody's asking you to be friends with Seta, but please, for Honey's sake…put a stop to this."

Raven just sat there and sighed heavily. Then he glanced up. "You…so you're Yugo Muto, huh? The guy who defeated Seta?" he asked Yugo.

Yugo nodded.

Raven chuckled. "I don't know why you decided to turn preacher and judge on me, but…I guess it's what I needed." He winced and held his broken nose. "I just…I need some time to think about all of this."

Yugo nodded again. Now Raven stood up with some difficulty and began to head for the limousine. Then he paused and looked back. "Honey…?"

Honey nodded. "Yeah…I'm coming, bro." Then she turned to Seta, who looked back at her. "Seta…"

"Yeah?"

Now she walked up to him and looked him dead in the eye. "Of one thing I'm confident—that one day, my brother will definitely beat you. I only pray that it's for the right reason." She then pulled out a small piece of paper and handed it to him. "I've wanted to do this for so long…you'll know what to do with it." And with that, she turned and headed back to her brother, taking him by the arm and leading him back to the limousine.

With the duel over, the crowd was now dispersing. Seta looked down at the paper Honey had given him, and then blushed. On the paper was a phone number.

"What're you gonna do with that?" asked Kyo, adjusting his glasses.

Seta chuckled and pushed it in his pocket. "That's for me to know." He then turned and walked back into the Kaibacorp building. "Right now, I have GOT to get inside and finally have breakfast. I've been denied it for a little too long by now."

"Of course." Kyo grinned, then turned to Yugo. "Okay, Yugo, let's go. Jenna and Miki will have our hides if we get back to the house and their food's cold."

Yugo nodded slightly. "Yeah."

Kyo looked searching at him. "Hey…you OK?"

Now Yugo's hair overshadowed his eyes again. Then he looked up and smiled a little. "I'll live."

Kyo patted his friend on the back. Together they began to walk the distance back to Yugo's house.

----------

**_neomage:_** Sigh…I really wanted this to be a sentimental chapter, and it looks like I was successful, too. And yes, I nearly forgot—the Toon Defense trap card that Honey played last chapter is actually from the Japanese Pegasus Structure Deck—it's not an English card. You'll very likely see more of those cards come into play as the story progresses. And now…next chapter, a brand-new adventure begins! Keep reading!

UPDATED 30/08/2005: Thanks to _cantdueldontaskme_ for pointing out the tiny error in this chapter. I have revised it and corrected it, so…thanks again!


	38. Chapter 38

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Yee-haw! I finally made it this far! Uh, ahem. I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh. **WARNING! Spoilers may abound in this chapter!**)

**CHAPTER 38**

KAIBACORP, TWO DAYS LATER

Kaiba was in his office, examining data on his computer. "Hmmm…so that's it…I just need to invest more in stock coming from this part of the country…how interesting…"

Just then the phone rang. Sighing, he picked it up. "Yes?"

His secretary replied, "Mr. Kaiba, Maximillion Pegasus wishes to speak with you."

"Pegasus?" Kaiba groaned. "All right, put him through on the video-phone."

Then he hung up that phone and waited. A moment later the video-phone rang, and he picked up the receiver, at the same time switching the phone's monitor. "Hello?"

Pegasus came on the line, bright and cheerful as always. "Oh, my dear old friend, Kaiba-boy! How have you been?" he greeted Kaiba.

Kaiba scowled. "What do you want, Pegasus?"

"Oh, dear—I thought you would've mellowed a little, especially after Honey-girl's, er, declaration of affection toward your son a few days ago. But I guess some things really never change."

"If your daughter wants to date my son, that's her business," said Kaiba flatly. "I have no quarrel with your children. But that still doesn't mean I like you."

"That's exactly what I told her you'd say, Kaiba," said Pegasus warmly. "But you know how the young people are these days – you can rarely ever get them to change their minds once they've got their minds set on something, ha, ha."

"Pegasus, I really hope you called me for something important," growled Kaiba. "I'm a busy man, and I don't like taking social calls during my office hours."

"As a matter of fact, Kaiba-boy, this is something that just might get your attention," said Pegasus, speaking more seriously now. "In just one day from today, Industrial Illusions will be partnering with Devlin & Taylor to host the Duel Monsters Intercontinental Championships in England. I am currently in the process of sending out invitations to duelists over on your end, but I thought I'd call and personally extend an invitation to Seta-boy to compete in this."

"Well, that's not for me to decide," Kaiba declared. "You want to ask him to take part in this tournament, then ask him directly."

"Actually, Honey-girl has already called and spoken to him personally," Pegasus revealed. "I just thought it would be a courtesy if I called and asked your permission as his father to let him attend."

"Well, whatever. He wants to go, he can go." Kaiba shrugged.

"Brilliant!" Pegasus was very pleased. "That'll make his fans in England very happy, I can promise you that. Well, be seeing you then, Kaiba-boy! And by the way, try getting the stick out of your ass while you're at it." Pegasus grinned and hung up before Kaiba could retort.

"Geez…why I put up with that moron is beyond me…" Kaiba muttered.

----------

YUGO'S HOUSE, AN HOUR LATER

Mr. Muto went out to the mailbox to check on the mail. "Let's see what the mailman decided to leave behind today," he said to himself as he checked the box.

The only thing inside was a single brown box. "What have we here?" Mr. Muto wondered as he looked at it. The address on the package was from Industrial Illusions, and on the front was a picture of a big cartoon rabbit. It was addressed to Yugo Muto.

"Hmph…Pegasus, you haven't changed at all," Mr. Muto chuckled as he took the package inside. "Yugo! Mail here for you!" he shouted.

A moment later Yugo emerged from his room, fully dressed. "Mail for me? Well, I hope it doesn't take too long to read – I promised the gang that we'd meet up at Burger World this morning."

He came down the stairs and took the package from his father. "Wonder what's in here?" he mused as he opened it.

To his surprise, inside was a video cassette, along with a plane ticket and what appeared to be a Duel Monster card. "Whatever is all this?" he asked, very astonished.

"Pop in the cassette; there's bound to be an explanation there," suggested Mr. Muto.

Nodding, Yugo went into the living room and popped the cassette into the VCR. He then turned on the TV and sat down. "Wonder what's here?" he remarked.

In a moment the face of Maximillion Pegasus appeared on the screen. "Hello there, Yugo-boy," he spoke. "In case you don't know me, my name is Maximillion Pegasus, the creator of the Duel Monsters game. I have a very special and important message for you."

Yugo frowned.

"In just one day from now, the Duel Monsters Intercontinental Championships will be held in London, England, jointly hosted by Devlin & Taylor and my own company, Industrial Illusions," Pegasus went on. "I have sent invitations like this one to your friends, and also to Seta Kaiba. There will be quite a few tough duelists where you will be going, so I'm sure you'll be eager to participate and find out for yourself just how strong they are. Now, enclosed with this tape you will find a plane ticket to London, and a card – this card is your passport to compete in the tournament. Do not lose it until you have arrived and are signed in."

Then Pegasus nodded slightly. "And, by the way, on a separate note, Yugo-boy…I wish to thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping to straighten out the mess between my family and the Kaiba family. I truly do appreciate it, and I hope to see you at the tournament. Until then, take care."

Then the tape shut off. Mr. Muto went up and took it out of the VCR. "Interesting…"

"So, what do you think, Dad?" Yugo asked.

"Well…that's your decision to make, son. Would you like to go?" Mr. Muto asked with a grin.

Yugo smiled. "If the others are going, then of course I'll go, too!"

"All right. Then you just need to go and get a few things packed." Mr. Muto nodded at his son. "Yugo…I know you'll do well at this tournament."

"You know it, Dad!" Yugo grinned and gave the thumbs-up.

----------

KAIBACORP, ONE HOUR LATER

Kaiba walked into the room, where Seta was busily packing his bags. "Seta, are you fully prepared?"

"For sure," Seta answered.

"From what I understand, Yugo and the others will be competing in this tournament, too, so you won't be too much alone over there," remarked Kaiba. "Just go and win that tournament, that's all."

"Yeah." Seta nodded.

Then he frowned. "Um, Dad…there's something I want to ask…"

"What?" Kaiba raised an eyebrow.

Now Seta looked up. "It's been worrying me for a while now…why exactly do the holograms, all of a sudden, start drawing blood from the players?"

It was Kaiba's turn to frown. "Hmmm…well, I don't know for sure. The holograms aren't programmed to do that. I've been having the technicians look into that for some time now, but so far we still don't know what is going on."

"I see." Seta shrugged. "Well, I guess it does add a little more spice to the duels."

"But what if, one day, those holograms kill someone?" Kaiba demanded. "I saw it during the Kaibacorp Challenge Cup—the duel between Marcus Ironside and the Taylor girl. She had to be rushed to the infirmary right afterward. I don't want a repeat of that—it would be bad business for Kaibacorp."

Seta nodded his understanding. "Yeah…it would."

"Look, don't worry yourself about that," Kaiba told his son. "Let me do the worrying. For now, just go to London and win that tournament. And don't let anyone—even Yugo Muto—stop you from accomplishing that."

Seta nodded again. "Gotcha."

Kaiba turned and walked off, leaving Seta to finish his packing. As he walked down the corridor, some troubling thoughts came into his mind. _All those years ago, when those Millennium Items were still around, the Shadow Games abounded, just like in Egypt 3000 years ago. I used to believe it was all nothing but fairy tales, but then I saw it for myself…that it was all real…_

Kaiba sighed. _It's almost ridiculous to think this, but…could something similar to the power of the Millennium Items be influencing the sudden violence in the holographic programming?_

Then just as quickly he dismissed the idea. _How foolish. Of course there has to be a logical explanation for this. After all, the Millennium Items were buried in that cavern after Yugi defeated the Pharaoh in that ceremonial duel and sent his soul back to the afterlife. I'll just continue to investigate this problem…but if it turns out to have an explanation higher than science can explain, then I fear we'll all be in serious problems…_

----------

DOMINO CITY AIRPORT, LATER THAT AFTERNOON

Mr. Muto parked the car at the parking lot right in front of the airport entrance, then turned to Yugo. "Listen, son, I want you to go and do your best, you hear?" he said warmly. "Even if you don't win…just that you do the best you can do is enough for me."

"Thanks, Dad. But I'll win for sure." Yugo chuckled.

"That's my grandson for you!" Grandma, in the backseat, chuckled.

A few minutes later, the three were walking into the terminal, Yugo carrying a rather big duffel bag over one shoulder. "Hey, look, your friends are over there!" Grandma indicated Kyo, Jenna and their parents near the airport's baggage collection area.

"It is! Hey, guys!" Yugo called and waved to them.

Kyo had one carry-on bag in hand. He smirked when he saw Yugo. "So, the late-bug decides to show up at last," he needled.

"Oh, come on, he's not that late," Jenna scolded. "The plane doesn't leave for another twenty minutes, roughly. We're all good to go, as far as I'm concerned."

"Hi, guys," Yugo greeted them once he was close enough. "I take it you guys got invitations from Pegasus, too?"

"We sure did," Jenna answered. "Me, Kyo, and Miki—say, where is _she?"_

Mr. Wheeler chuckled. "She went to make a collect call to her mother. Serenity's in England, you remember."

Not very far away, Miki and Mr. Taylor were at a video-phone hanging on the wall. "Hi, Mom, it's me," said Miki, smiling happily. "How are you?"

On the monitor was Miki's mother, a sweet-looking woman. "I'm just fine, sweetheart. How are things in Domino City? Were you able to settle in comfortably?"

"Yep! And I made some friends, too—including two guys who are friends with Cousin Jenna!" Miki answered. "Their names are Yugo Muto and Kyo Bakura."

"Muto and Bakura…how interesting! I know their parents well, you know," said Mrs. Taylor.

Mr. Taylor now took over the phone. "Hi honey!" he cried. "Listen, Miki and her friends will be coming to London today. They all got invitations to compete in the Intercontinental Championships!"

"Now that IS exciting!" remarked Mrs. Taylor. "I'll see if I can get Duke to meet you guys at the airport, then. We'd be glad to have you here, that's for sure!"

"Thanks, Mom. I really appreciate it." Miki's smile was full of gratitude.

"Well, I'll see you soon, then! And when all of this is over, I'll definitely come over to Domino City—it's been so long since I've seen all of you," said Mrs. Taylor. "Give all my love to the rest of them for me, will you?"

"Will do," said Mr. Taylor.

Mrs. Taylor nodded. "Well, see you later, Miki. And Tristan, behave yourself!"

"Yes, ma'am!" father and daughter answered, grinning.

Miki hung up the phone and went back to join the others. "Well, I just got off the phone with Mom. We'll be meeting up with Dad's business partner, Duke Devlin, at the airport once we land."

"Swell!" Jenna exclaimed.

"Well, in that case, let's go and get our stuff checked in, eh?" Kyo nodded.

----------

Moments later, all of them were in the departure lounge. "Now, kids, go and do your best!" said Mrs. Bakura.

"We will, Mrs. Bakura. And we'll definitely keep Kyo out of trouble!" Yugo grinned and rubbed his knuckles into Kyo's hapless scalp.

"Cut it out!" Kyo snapped good-naturedly. "Don't worry, everyone. We'll do our best, that's for sure."

"Miki, go get 'em, you hear?" Mr. Taylor rubbed his daughter's head fondly.

"Sure, Dad." Miki reached up and kissed him on the cheek.

Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler caught Jenna in a tight bear-hug. "We're rooting for you all the way, Jenna," said Mrs. Wheeler.

"That's right," said Mr. Wheeler. "I know you'll stomp the competition over there!"

"Sure thing, guys," Jenna smiled at them.

Grandma walked up and caught Yugo in a tight hug. "Do us all proud," she admonished him.

"Definitely!" Yugo agreed.

Mr. Muto and Mr. Bakura were the only ones left to say goodbye. "Yugo," said Mr. Muto. "Remember the heart of the cards."

Yugo nodded with understanding. "Will do."

"Then go ahead and take London by storm—all of you!" Mr. Bakura nodded.

"Take care, everyone!" Yugo called.

"We'll come back winners for sure!" Miki added.

"Right on!" Jenna agreed.

"See you all later," said Kyo, adjusting his glasses.

And with that, the four took up their bags and headed down the walkway toward the loading area. Mr. Muto smiled as he watched them go. "They'll definitely do their finest over there, of that I am confident," he remarked, and the other adults agreed.

----------

KAIBACORP, AT THE SAME TIME

"Seta Kaiba here. Gas gauge operational, main thrusters perfect, command system fully functioning, controls responding well. All systems green. Do you copy, control tower?"

"Roger that, Master Seta."

Seta smiled. He was at the controls of a jet plane—only it was no normal jet. It was the Blue-Eyes White Jet II, created after the original that had been manned by his father so many years ago.

"Landing deck, status."

"Landing deck clear for immediate takeoff, Master Seta."

The ramp on which the jet sat now rose up to the landing deck. Seta radioed the control tower again. "Blue-Eyes White Jet II now on landing deck."

"Roger that. You are clear for takeoff."

Seta smiled. Just then his father's voice came over the radio. "Seta…good luck."

"Thanks."

Then Seta pushed the lever for the main thrusters forward. "All right here we GOOOOO!"

The thrusters flared as the jet moved forward. Then seconds later it was rocketing off toward the skies above.

Watching from the control tower, Kaiba smiled. _You'll win…I know you will!_

----------

**_neomage:_** Now the new adventure has begun! Yugo and his friends have embarked on their journey to England! I apologize if this chapter seems a little off, but I only hope it was worth it in the end. Well, anyway, continue reading, for new challengers are on the way!


	39. Chapter 39

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: **(insert British accent)** Yu-Gi-Oh is the esteemed property of famous manga writer Kazuki Takahashi of Japan.)

**CHAPTER 39**

_Characters' First Appearance in Story_

_MALACHI_

_NAME: Malachi Jordan_

_AGE: 18_

_HAIR: Blond (think of Yami Marik with shorter blond hair and NO glowing third eye)_

_EYES: Green_

_CLOTHES: Navy blue net T-shirt, white jeans, black socks, black shoes_

_MIRIAM_

_NAME: Miriam Jordan_

_AGE: 16_

_HAIR: Black, with a black hairpiece_

_EYES: Green (wears black eye-shadow like a Goth girl)_

_CLOTHES: Tight black blouse, black jeans shorts, black ankle boots_

_LUKE_

_NAME: Luke Jericho_

_AGE: 17_

_HAIR: Curly brown hair_

_EYES: Black_

_CLOTHES: Blue T-shirt, green camouflage pants, blue sandals_

_DAVID_

_NAME: David Jericho_

_AGE: 15_

_HAIR: Curly blond hair_

_EYES: Black_

_CLOTHES: Purple jacket with rolled-up sleeves; indigo jeans; white sneakers_

LONDON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, SEVERAL HOURS LATER

It was nighttime when the plane finally landed at the airport and the passengers were able to disembark. "Whew! Who knew that the flight would be so tiring!" Miki sighed as they trudged along with their luggage.

"Any sign of whoever's supposed to meet us, Miki?" Jenna inquired.

Miki looked toward the waving gallery, then the terminal entrance. "Hey—wait! I think I see somebody." She looked again. "It IS him!"

"Who?" Yugo and Kyo looked at each other, eyebrows raised.

"Hey there, kids!" a man's voice greeted them. "Miki, how wonderful to see you again! Your mother's going to be so glad to see you and your friends!"

Miki had stars in her eyes. "Mr. Duke!" she squealed, dropping her bag and running toward the terminal entrance to hug a man waiting there. "Come on, you guys!"

"Sheesh…thanks for giving us extra work, Miki," Yugo grumbled sarcastically as he reached down to pick up Miki's dropped bag.

By and by the other three caught up to Miki, who was chattering excitedly to the man. "Guys, I'd like you to meet Duke Devlin, my dad's business partner," she introduced him. "Mr. Duke, these are my friends, Yugo, Kyo, and my cousin Jenna."

"Pleased to meet you guys," Mr. Devlin said smilingly. Though he was several years older than they, nevertheless he was as handsome as he had been in his youth. He flashed Jenna a dashing smile and wink. "It's my pleasure, that's for sure."

"Ah…yeah…" Jenna blushed a little.

"Oh, brother," Yugo and Kyo groaned simultaneously, rolling their eyes.

"Well, my car's waiting out front. Shall we go?" Mr. Devlin invited.

Before the kids could answer, suddenly a loud roar was heard in the sky, behind them. "What in the hell is THAT?" Yugo demanded, turning around.

What he saw next startled him: something resembling a Blue-Eyes White Dragon was landing on the airstrip!

"AAAAAAHHHH! IT'S A REAL BLUE-EYES WHITE DRAGON! SOMEBODY HELP ME!" Yugo screamed, rushing behind Kyo. "KYO, MY BESTEST BEST FRIEND IN THE WHOLE FREAKIN' WORLD, PLEASE SAVE ME!"

What Kyo did was to give him a solid punch to his head, grounding him. "Cut it out, moron…haven't you heard of the Kaiba family's Blue-Eyes White Jet?" he grunted.

Yugo was facedown on the ground, swirls in his eyes. "Ow…"

Indeed, it was the Blue-Eyes White Jet…and the cockpit opened up, revealing Seta Kaiba in all his dashing glory. "Hey, you guys, how do you like my Blue-Eyes White Jet, Mark II?" he called to them, jumping out as technicians rushed over to see to the jet.

"Seta? You came along after us, huh?" Miki asked.

"Well, I didn't expect I'd see you guys again so soon, but yeah, here I am." He then beheld Mr. Devlin. "Hmmm, I've heard of you…Duke Devlin, right? One half of Devlin & Taylor?"

"Guilty as charged." Mr. Devlin laughed. "And from the looks of things, you must be Seto Kaiba's heir. You're quite a famous character worldwide, I hear."

"Perhaps." Seta shrugged. "So, I understand that there's supposed to be transportation for the competitors for the Intercontinental tournament from Japan, waiting here to take us to our hotel, right?"

"Well, it's funny you should mention that," remarked Mr. Devlin, a twinkle in his eye, "because that limo happens to be mine, and it happens to be parked out the front. So, if you're all ready, let's get crackin'!"

"…um…a little help…please…?" Yugo implored from the ground, and they all laughed at his expense.

----------

INTERCONTINENTAL DUEL DOME, LONDON, ONE HOUR LATER

In one hour the limo slowed down outside a massive dome just on the outskirts of East London. Then it went in through the front gate, and what the group saw astounded them—it was one massive open space, with buildings here and there, almost like a little town. "Wow…what is this place?" Jenna asked, completely in awe.

"This is the Intercontinental Duel Dome, where the tournament will be held," Mr. Devlin explained. "It was built using the combined finances of Industrial Illusions and Devlin & Taylor. It also has its very own hotel right inside, with lots of rooms to accommodate both spectators and competitors. There are also shops for those who wish to buy food, souvenirs, or whatever else suits your fancy."

"Now that's really neat, Mr. Devlin," Kyo nodded respectfully, adjusting his glasses as he surveyed the scene.

Seta crossed his arms and smirked. "Well, all that matters to me is when we can actually get to compete in this thing."

"Oh, wired for action, are we?" Mr. Devlin smiled. "Well, it all begins tomorrow, so you can rest assured on that point. For this evening, though, I'm going to ensure that you all get enough rest so you will be fresh for the competition you'll be facing in due time."

The limo eventually pulled up outside the entrance to the hotel, and the driver hurried to open the door for the guests. As they got out, a woman's voice greeted them with, "Is that my little Miki? Oh, Miki, how wonderful to see you!"

Miki stopped short. "Mom? Hi, Mom!" Again she dropped her bag and ran into her mother's arms.

Mr. Devlin picked up Miki's bag and smiled. "Like mother, like daughter, Tristan always says," he said.

Beside Mrs. Taylor was Pegasus. "Welcome, one and all, to England," he greeted them, chuckling. "I am glad to see you have decided to accept our gracious invitations to compete in the Intercontinental tournament. Now, do you all have the cards that came in your packages?"

Swiftly the duelists pulled out their cards. Pegasus inspected them one by one. "Very well; these have ensured that you will participate," he told them. "Now, if you'll kindly follow us…"

The kids picked up their bags, and they all walked into the front hall, walking up to the receptionist's desk. "I have a feeling this is going to be something of a four-star accommodation, if not five-star," Kyo remarked for the sake of conversation.

"Oh, believe me, my dear boy, everything that is here, is here for your convenience," Pegasus replied, chuckling.

Mrs. Taylor was in earnest conversation with her daughter. "So, Miki, how're your aunt and uncle doing?"

"Pretty good, Mom," answered Miki. "Of course, Dad and Uncle Joey still act childish around each other."

Mrs. Taylor laughed. "Just like them, eh?"

Miki then held her head down. "You…you heard about the Kaibacorp Challenge Cup, didn't you, Mom? I got eliminated in the very first round…"

Mrs. Taylor soothingly put an arm around Miki. "Don't take it so hard, dear," she consoled her. "Just learn from your loss and take it as experience, that's all. Next time, I'm sure you'll definitely do better."

Pretty soon they were at the front desk, and the duelists handed in their cards. The receptionist looked them over, then smiled. "All right, everyone; you are qualified to compete in the tournament and also to stay in our hotel."

"Okay," said Jenna. "So, what kind of rooms will we get?"

"For convenience's sake, why don't you girls take one double-room, and us guys will take a triple-room?" suggested Yugo.

But Seta, standing behind them, shook his head. "Actually, make it two double-rooms and a single room. I'm used to sleeping alone."

"As you like," acknowledged Pegasus.

The receptionist soon handed over three sets of keys. "Enjoy your stay with us," she said, and beamed at the lot of them.

"Well, we have to turn in right about now, ourselves," said Mr. Devlin, stifling a yawn. "Everybody's got to be in tip-top shape for tomorrow, right?"

"So true!" agreed Mrs. Taylor. "Well, kids, have a good night now."

"We sure will, Aunt Serenity. Thanks!" said Jenna. And with that, they went their separate ways, the kids going one way and the adults another.

----------

"So, how far up IS our room, anyway?" panted Kyo, grunting with exertion as he dragged his bag along up the stairs.

"Well, the number on our keys all say 500-something, so I guess we've got a little further to go," Jenna noted. "We're already on the fourth floor."

"Think of it as exercise, you guys," Miki added cheerfully.

"Hmph," was Seta's only reply.

By and by the group approached the fifth floor. As they approached the landing, they noticed four people hanging around in the hall. "Hey, looks like more guests," Yugo observed. "Maybe they're spectators staying here?"

"Or they could be competitors," added Kyo.

The group consisted of three guys and a girl. The girl looked like a Goth, dressed completely in black from head to toe. Two of the guys had curly hair and could pass for twins, except that one had brown hair and looked older, and the other had blond hair and seemed more immature. The third guy, looking extremely bored, was leaning on the wall with arms crossed and eyes closed. He had spiky blond hair, just like Yugo, but with a few more spikes here and there.

"Oy, mates," the curly blond spoke up in a thick British accent, "looks like we got ourselves more lambs to the slaughter."

"Don't be such a prick, David," the girl grunted. "They're foreigners, by the looks of things, and they just arrived. You could at least show them some English hospitality." She then appealed to the guy with curly brown hair. "Luke, sweetie-pie, you could do a little better in controlling your brother."

"Well…as much as I don't agree with his choice of words, Miriam," the one named Luke replied, "the sentiment I feel is the same."

"Hmph. You guys sure sound confident," Seta commented wryly.

"Oh, and we shouldn't?" David asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Nobody's saying no, but…just don't count your chickens before they're PROPERLY hatched, 'mate.'" Seta chuckled.

"You're a real smart aleck, aren't ya?" David flared.

"Cool it, David. Now."

The man with spiky blond hair spoke. His tone was stern and displayed great intolerance for foolishness, though he hadn't even moved from his position once.

As suddenly as David's belligerence had risen, it disappeared. "Y-yeah, boss. I hear ya." He nodded vigorously, suddenly sweating.

The boss then directed his tone at Luke. "Luke…for both your sakes, I'd advise you to keep your loudmouthed piss-head of a brother on a much shorter leash."

Luke gulped, visibly. "Sorry about that, boss."

"That guy with your hairstyle, Yugo…he seems to be the leader of the pack," Kyo whispered.

"What do you _mean,_ my hairstyle? His hair's a hell of a lot messier than mine! Mine is just so neat!" Yugo whispered back, indignant.

"Sorry about that, duckies," Miriam now addressed the party. "And I apologize much for our rudeness. These two blockheads here are brothers, David and Luke Jericho. My name's Miriam Jordan, and he…" pointing to the as-yet unnamed man. "…is my brother, Malachi. You _are_ taking part in the Intercontinental, right?"

"Yeah, that's right," Jenna answered. "And we intend to do very well, too."

"I'm sure." Miriam chuckled.

Malachi, listening to the talk, now opened his eyes and scrutinized Seta. "You there…with the white jacket and blue hair. You look like you could duel a pretty mean game."

Seta smirked. "So do you."

Malachi hadn't smiled once; he made no attempt to do so now. "They say that if you want to know someone's name, you give yours first. Sis has already told you my name, Malachi Jordan. And yours is?"

"It's Seta Kaiba."

"Seta Kaiba…hmmm. I'll remember it." Malachi nodded, then turned to walk off. "Come on, you blokes, let's get going."

"Y-yeah, sure thing, boss." David and Luke were quick to follow after Malachi. Miriam did not go at once; she gave the group a lingering look before she turned away and followed after her brother.

"Hey, what about us? He didn't ask our names!" Yugo complained.

"Let it go, Yugo; some people are like that sometimes," Kyo shrugged it off. "He looks to be the anti-social type to me. That's why he barely did anything the whole time the dialogue was going on."

"Well, he sure seemed to command a great deal of respect from those two idiots back there," Seta chuckled. "He seems to be quite an interesting character."

----------

In a matter of minutes the group was on the sixth floor. "Well, here we are," said Miki, stopping outside a door. "Our room is right here. From the looks of things, Kyo, Yugo, your room is right next door, and Seta's is down the hall. Easy access to each other."

Yugo and Kyo stared at each other in dismay. "I gotta share a room with **_HIM!"_** they exclaimed at the same time, pointing at each other.

"Get used to it," Jenna said flatly, and Miki nodded.

"Well, well, well…so you guys decided to show up, after all," a familiar voice from behind caused them all to turn. "Seta, make no mistake. If you and I meet up in this tournament, I'll give you the beat-down of your life!"

Yugo groaned. "Not you again, Raven…"

Standing there were Raven Pegasus and his sister Honey. Raven was wearing a bandage on his nose where Yugo had hit him last time, but he was grinning good-naturedly. "Well, let's all get some sleep, huh? Tomorrow the tournament officially begins!" he declared.

Honey winked at Seta. "Pleasant dreams, Seta…"

A surprised Seta blushed a little. "Uh, yeah…"

"SETA! Keep your eyes off my sister!" Raven exploded as he and Honey left for their own rooms.

"What an idiot," Jenna grumbled.

Kyo chuckled. "So, what say we go to bed now, everybody? We've got a big day ahead of us tomorrow!"

There was no objection to this plan. Soon all five were in their respective rooms, and in a little while all of them were fast asleep. Tomorrow, the duels would begin!

----------

**_neomage:_** The scene where the gang meets Malachi for the first time…I drew inspiration for that from that episode of **Naruto** when Team 7 met Gaara for the first time. Yes, and **Naruto** and all of its characters, and its story plot, belong to Masashi Kishimoto, another famous and successful manga author. BTW, I'm still looking into plotlines for my up-and-coming Naruto fic, so if anybody wants to tell me what happens in the manga after the Naruto vs. Sasuke battle at the waterfall, please feel free to share that info. Thank you very much! -

P.S. I'd greatly appreciate it if all you readers out there could point out any and all errors in the duels. I'll do my best to correct them thoroughly. Thanks!


	40. Chapter 40

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: 40th anniversary, people! o neomage only owns this fanfic and some of the cards, not the original characters or story!) No connection to Kazuki Takahashi or his work…)

**CHAPTER 40**

_Characters' First Appearance in Story_

_SHIGEO_

_NAME: Shigeo Tatsunoko_

_AGE: 17_

_HAIR: White (dyed)_

_EYES: Blue_

_CLOTHES: Navy blue ninja outfit, white socks, black sandals_

INTERCONTINENTAL DUEL DOME, THE NEXT MORNING

"Rise and shine, everybody! Time to get up, get up, get up!"

Kyo groaned and covered his head with his pillow. "Aw, c'mon, have a heart for the tired," he grumbled.

Yugo burrowed deeper under his sheets. "Since when was it a crime to sleep in late?" he muttered savagely.

Standing in the middle of the room, Miki put her hands on her hips and pouted. "Okay, fine, be that way. Just don't blame me when the dining lounge runs out of food."

Instantaneously Yugo and Kyo dived out of bed, made a mad scramble for the bathroom, fought over which of them should get there first, and then Kyo succeeded by kicking Yugo over to the other side of the room, locking the bathroom door securely behind him with a triumphant, taunting snicker—all in the space of three seconds. "First come, first served!" Kyo laughed.

Black smoke poured out of Yugo's ears. "Son-of-a-bitch!"

"Uh, Yugo, calm down before your brain overheats," Miki said worriedly, a large sweat-drop on her forehead.

Three minutes later Kyo emerged from the bathroom, his bathrobe tied securely around him. "Bathroom's free, Yugo," he grinned. "By the time you're finished, I should be piling my plate high with food from the dining area."

Yugo raked Kyo a vengeful scowl. "You're gonna get yours for this, four-eyes," he mumbled as he stalked into the bathroom and slammed the door shut.

Miki giggled. "Well…I'll give you some privacy…" And with that she backed out of the room, leaving Kyo alone to change.

----------

Ten minutes later, the group was seated together at a table in the lounge. Kyo was calmly sipping on tea, while Yugo was gobbling down fish sticks. Jenna and Miki watched Yugo with amusement. ""Hey, Yugo, take care you don't choke," Jenna giggled.

"Yeah, whatever," Yugo grunted, still feeding his face.

By and by Seta came by with a fruit plate. "Nice to see you guys so perky in the morning," he commented. "I only hope you're all ready for the duels today."

"Are you?" asked Kyo, still sipping his tea.

"To be sure," Seta nodded.

A loud shout from the other side of the lounge caused them all to turn around. "Seta! So you decided to come out and face your inevitable defeat like a man, eh? How bold of you!"

The group looked at each other and shook their heads. "Raven."

Indeed, Raven Pegasus walked over to them, a broad smirk on his face. "So, how's everything, losers?" he taunted. "I aim to win me a duel today, count on that!"

"That coming from a loser is the eighth wonder of the world," Seta chuckled.

"Say that again if you think you're bad, Seta Kaiba!" Raven snapped.

Suddenly a massive fist clouted Raven in the back of his head. "Ow! Sis, what'd you DO that for?" he yelled, indignant.

"Raven, shut up and stop making so much noise, or else I'll give you another one where Yugo broke your nose," Honey said threateningly, fangs in her mouth and a major fire in her eyes. Seeing this ugly side of his sister, Raven immediately thought it wise to be quiet.

Honey then returned to being her sweet self and addressed the party. "Sorry about that, everyone," she smiled innocently. They all sweat-dropped and nodded.

"So, feeling confident about the tournament today?" Miki asked.

"Oh, definitely! Father, Mrs. Taylor and Mr. Devlin will begin the official dueling today at 11:00 – Father told us that last night," Honey revealed. "I know I'm ready to battle…but what about you guys? Will you do your best?"

"We'll try, at least," answered Kyo.

"Then I wish you good luck…and so does Raven. Isn't that right, Raven?" asked Honey, gloweringly prompting Raven to answer.

"Yeah, yeah, sure." He sighed. "Well, later, dudes." And with that, he and Honey walked away.

"What did Honey do in her past life to end up with a brother like _that?"_ Jenna wondered aloud, and they all laughed.

Suddenly an announcement came over the P.A. system. "Good morning, everyone," said Mr. Devlin. "This is a shout-out to all duelists participating in the Intercontinental Championship tournament, here at the Intercontinental Duel Dome. Be at the dueling arena by 11:00 today, for by then the tournament will officially begin!"

Upon hearing this, Yugo exclaimed, "Did you guys hear that? It's just as Honey said!"

Seta checked his watch. "Well, according to the time I have, it's 9:45 now. Gives us enough time to synchronize our decks—then we'll be ready to take this tournament by storm." He smirked. "But, of course, only one of us will get to win this whole thing…and that person's gonna be me."

"We'll see." Yugo chuckled. "Well, see you in the tournament."

"Yeah." And with that, Seta walked off, leaving Yugo and his friends to dine on their own again.

----------

Miriam Jordan walked along the corridor, looking at her cards carefully. Then she paused. Luke Jericho was standing near the stairs, looking at her. "What is it, Luke?" she inquired.

Luke sighed. "Miriam…it'll soon be time. You know that, right?"

"I do." Miriam lowered her eyes. "And that's what gets me so worried."

Luke nodded. "We have to do whatever we can to ensure that _he_ doesn't lose it during the tournament. If that happens, people are bound to get hurt, rules or no rules."

"I understand," Miriam sighed. "Just…promise me, Luke. No matter what happens, if the worst comes to the worst, don't leave me alone." Her eyes looked up at him imploringly.

"Of course not. I would never do that. You know that." He gently stroked her cheek.

"Well, let's go, everyone! Let's go kick some ass!" David's loud voice could be heard as he came around the corner. He then beheld Miriam and his brother. "Uh…am I interruptin' somethin'?"

"Yes." Luke's voice was sharp.

"All right, all right, don't blow a fuse. I'm going." David shrugged and walked off.

----------

A few hours later, Yugo and his friends were standing outside the arena, beholding its likeness to a coliseum. "Pretty cool, I guess," Yugo remarked.

"Just like Roman gladiators, we'll all be," said Kyo.

Then Yugo turned to the others. "Hey, guys…I know this might come as a surprise to you, but I've got something to give to you."

"Huh?" all three asked.

Yugo reached into his jacket and pulled out three cards. "These cards…these are the rare cards I won in the Kaibacorp Challenge Cup," he revealed. "But I never entered the tournament for the cards or the prize money. So…I want you guys to have them."

"Yugo, are you sure? You won those cards—they're yours by right!" Miki exclaimed in astonishment.

"Yeah, I know. That's why I'm giving them to you guys now. Here." And Yugo gave them up to the others.

"Yugo…that's so thoughtful of you…" Jenna whispered.

Kyo looked at the three cards: two monster cards and a trap card. The monsters were Blade Knight (ATK 1600, DEF 1000) and Time Wizard (ATK 500, DEF 400), and the trap card was Solar Ray. "Well, how about we divide them up right now?" he suggested. "I know who'll get what. Miki, you can have the Blade Knight; Jenna, you can have the Time Wizard; and I'll take Solar Ray."

"Well, okay," said Jenna. "It actually makes sense—Miki likes Knights, and that Solar Ray card works well with your deck, Kyo. And Time Wizard…this is a card my father used to have. So…"

Yugo smiled. "You guys are the best set of friends anybody could ever ask for," he said quietly. "It's only fair that I do this for you."

Miki blushed and gave Yugo her sweetest smile. "You…you're so sweet…"

Kyo merely adjusted his glasses and smirked. "Man, Yugo…you're so sentimental sometimes."

"Excuse me…are you also taking part in this tournament?" a voice behind them asked. Turning, they came face-to-face with a young man dressed like a ninja, but without a mask.

"Uh, yes, we are," Yugo replied. "And you are…?"

"I am Shigeo Tatsunoko," the ninja boy introduced himself. "I have participated in numerous tournaments worldwide, and am known everywhere as the famous Ninja Duelist. I came here to England because I heard a rumor that the young man who defeated the famous Seta Kaiba would be participating as well…Yugo Muto, I believe his name was."

"Well, that would be me," Yugo said smilingly.

"Oh, you're him?" asked Shigeo, obviously impressed. "Although I was expecting someone older than you look; but no matter. I look forward to meeting you in this tournament, Yugo Muto. I will not forget your face until then." And with that, he turned and walked away.

"Another interesting character," mused Kyo.

Then the announcement came over the P.A. system: "All duelists, please report to the dueling arena! The tournament will commence in five minutes!"

The gang looked at each other. "Well, shall we go?" Jenna asked.

"Let's!" Miki agreed, and all of them headed into the arena.

----------

Malachi Jordan was still in his room when the announcement was made over the P.A. system. He cocked one eye upward as though the speakers were directly over his head as he listened; then he looked back down at the cards before him.

"Soon…very, very soon…" he whispered as he gathered his things together and prepared to head out.

----------

As Yugo and his friends entered the arena, they took a look around. Indeed, the structure of the spectator stands made the place look like a coliseum, with a great view of the clear blue sky above. At one extreme end was a platform, built almost in identical fashion to the seat of the ancient Caesars of long ago, except this spot was built using metal instead of stone. "Pretty impressive," Miki marveled, as she surveyed the large dueling platform at the very center.

"Hey! Who'd have thought we'd see you here again, so soon!" a voice behind them called.

Kyo turned around. "Guys, you'll never believe who it is this time!" he exclaimed, his eyes widening in amazement.

Standing there were four familiar faces: Wade Ocean, Blaze Redman, Flora Green and Marcus Ironside. "What a surprise to see you kids here," Marcus remarked, his usual arrogant smirk on his face. "Well, this time things will definitely be different."

"Have you gotten any stronger, darlings? Because all of us here certainly have," Flora giggled. "Let's just hope you'll give us a good show, huh?"

Wade was grinning from ear to ear, as usual. "You guys, I can't wait to show you the cool new cards I've gotten!" he commented. "Just you wait! I'll duel rings around all of you!"

"Well, we've gotten better cards, too," Kyo announced. "But you'll have to wait until the duels actually begin before you can see them for yourselves."

"Spoken like a real duelist, Kyo," answered Blaze, brushing the hair out of her eyes. "Yes, keep the surprises until the time to duel comes."

While the duelists were talking, a stream of spectators had been coming in, filling the seats in the arena. While more spectators were arriving, Raven and Honey showed up, too. "Hmph…famous duelists all around us," Raven chuckled. "I'll beat every last one of them!"

Honey smiled. "Don't overdo it, bro; that's all I'll say to you," she whispered to him.

Just then Seta appeared, his Duel-Disk on his arm. "All right, here I am," he announced. "Oh, Raven, try not to trip over your own shoelaces while you're dueling."

Raven growled at the insult, but managed to keep himself in check. Just then the ninja, Shigeo, happened by. "Here I am once again," he addressed Yugo and company. "Just had to fetch my deck and Duel-Disk, is all; my deck doesn't really need any major fine-tuning."

"Better to be safe than sorry," Kyo warned, smirking.

Then four more figures appeared: Malachi, Miriam, Luke and David. "So, more chumps have arrived. Well, no worries; we'll squash 'em all," David said boastfully.

Luke shook his head reproachfully. "Curb your tongue, little brother; it doesn't do one well to boast before the time," he warned. "Besides, remember what the boss said."

David was immediately subdued. "Uh…yeah…I hadn't forgotten."

Miriam didn't say anything; she just sighed. Malachi gave both the other competitors and the still-gathering spectators a piercing stare.

Miki happened to glance upward. All at once she cried, "Hey, guys! Look up there!"

All the duelists automatically looked up. Right there, coming toward the Caesar's throne, was Maximillion Pegasus himself; on either side of him were Mrs. Taylor and Mr. Devlin. Pegasus walked in front of the giant chair, and paused. Upon seeing his arrival, the fans—who by now had filled the stadium seats—started cheering loudly.

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls," said Pegasus, holding up a hand to calm the noise, "and duelists, welcome! Today marks the beginning of the annual Duel Monsters Intercontinental Championship tournament, which is this year sponsored by my company, Industrial Illusions, and also by Devlin & Taylor!"

There was more cheering at this. Raven and Honey beamed up at their adopted father; Miki smiled up at her mother, who noticed and smiled back. Mr. Devlin watched the proceedings with a satisfied air.

"Now," Pegasus continued, "I will explain the rules for the tournament. The dueling system will be the conventional system officially recognized by the Duel Monsters World Tournament Committee, and the objective is simple: defeat your opponent and move on to the next round. This will continue until, in the end, one duelist is left standing, and that duelist will be crowned the Intercontinental champion!" At the end of his speech, there was another burst of cheering from the crowd.

Mr. Devlin then stepped forward. "If you will now direct your attention to the giant-screen TV above this platform…"

Suddenly, out of the face of rock and metal above Pegasus's platform, a massive TV screen emerged, to the wonder of the crowd. "This year, we have sixteen duelists competing for the championship," said Mr. Devlin. "Therefore, there will be eight matches in the first round. Now, let us see how the duels will commence…"

On the screen, sixteen boxes with the duelists' names appeared in vertical fashion, numbered 1 to 16. "These are the order in which the duels will begin: Duelist 1 will battle Duelist 2, then Duelist 3 will battle Duelist 4, and so on. Then, in the next round, whoever won the first match will duel the winner of the next match, and so on," said Mr. Devlin. "Now, time to see which duelists will get to face each other in this, the first round!"

Everyone looked expectantly at the name list. It was set out in this order:

_Miriam Jordan_

_Marcus Ironside_

_Yugo Muto_

_Luke Jericho_

_Shigeo Tatsunoko_

_Miki Taylor_

_Jenna Wheeler_

_Blaze Redman_

_Flora Green_

_Wade Ocean_

_Seta Kaiba_

_Honey Pegasus_

_Raven Pegasus_

_Malachi Jordan_

_Kyo Bakura_

_David Jericho_

Beside each name was an arrow pointing to the right. "When a duelist wins his or her match, the arrow beside that duelist's name will automatically move to the column for those who will take part in Round 2," added Mr. Devlin, and here he pointed out a separate column beside the column of names.

Pegasus looked up at the list of names. "Well, it seems that the first duel will be between Miriam Jordan and Marcus Ironside," said Pegasus. "Will these two duelists kindly step up to the platform, please?"

Without a word, the two named duelists stepped up and turned to face each other. Pegasus then continued, "Now, everybody, it gives me great pleasure to say this, after much waiting for this day on all our parts…let the tournament begin!"

Suddenly, above their heads fireworks exploded, and the stadium burst into one giant cheer. "All right! Time for the fun to begin!" several of the fans screamed.

Only Malachi didn't seem much moved by what was happening. He closed his eyes and scoffed. "Pft…there's no way that that moron will win against Miriam…"

----------

**_neomage:_** Whew! Another chapter down! And no preliminary test like in the Kaibacorp Challenge Cup—because only duelists who got invitations get to compete this time! Now, everybody, thank you so much for your reviews up until now, and please keep reading!


	41. Chapter 41

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: No connection to Kazuki Takahashi or his work…)

**CHAPTER 41**

INTERCONTINENTAL DUEL DOME

As both duelists' life points went to 8000, Marcus smirked. "Heh…this should be easy as pie."

Miriam's emotionless expression didn't change. "You assume too much. That will be your downfall."

"Hmph. Well, we'll see," said Marcus.

The holographic coin appeared on the field. "I call heads!" Marcus shouted.

The coin was flipped…and it came down as tails. "Shoot, I lost!" Marcus grunted.

But then Miriam did a surprising thing. "I will let you go first. Don't mind me."

_Huh? What is she doing?_ Marcus's eyes narrowed. _Wait…she must want to see my strategy before she does anything…well, she's gonna be in for a rude awakening!_

He drew his first card. "All right! To start, I'll place one card facedown, one monster facedown in Defense Mode, and then I'll end my turn!"

Miriam drew her next card, and her eyes narrowed when she saw what it was. "First, I will set one card facedown," she announced, "and then I will set one monster facedown. And with that, I will end my turn."

Raising a questioning eyebrow, Marcus drew his next card. "Oh, very nice! Now I'll summon Timeater (ATK 1900, DEF 1700), offering my facedown monster as a tribute!" And then he summoned what appeared to be a giant clock. "Destroy her facedown monster with Time Destruction!"

On the sidelines, Malachi scoffed. "He will regret that, immensely…"

As Timeater's minute and hour hands stretched out and sliced the facedown monster into ribbons, Miriam closed her eyes. "The monster you destroyed was my Dice Jar (ATK 200, DEF 300). When flipped face-up, we both get to roll a die once, and the one with the lower result gets damage equal to 500 times the opponent's results. If the results are the same, both players roll again."

Marcus smirked. "Then I guess I'd better hope you don't get a 6 as your result, eh?"

"But that isn't all," Miriam continued, startling Marcus. "If one of us does get a 6 as the die result, then the losing player gets _6000_ points of damage to their life points!"

On the sidelines, Yugo gaped when he heard this. "6000 points of damage? Is she nuts?"

Nearby, David snickered. "Oh, you might think so, mate, but that card's effect is perfectly legal. Ask the man who created the cards—Maximillion Pegasus."

A holographic die appeared in front of Miriam. "I will roll first," she said, as the die began to roll by itself. Then, after a few agonizing moments, her result was shown: 4.

"My turn to roll the die!" Marcus declared, as his own die roll began. The die bounced for a moment…then finally came to a stop…and to the amazement of all—the result was 4!

"Okay…so that simply means we have to roll again," Marcus remarked, giving a small sigh of relief.

But Miriam just gave him an empty stare. Again she rolled her die…and this time, her result was 5. "Can you possibly defeat that?" she asked him.

Now Marcus swallowed. This was going to be difficult, for certain. Again his die was thrown…but this time, when it landed – the result was 3! "Shit!" he cursed.

"Now, 500 times 5…that is equal to 2500," said Miriam. "So, you lose 2500 life points!"

Marcus grunted as his life points went down to 5500. "One lucky play you made, that's all," he answered roughly. "But now you have to abide by MY monster's effect: When Timeater destroys a monster in battle, you have to skip your next Main Phase 1!"

"Not a problem." Miriam drew her next card. "I don't need to engage in physical combat, anyway."

"Not engage in physical combat? What does that mean?" questioned Miki.

Kyo's eyes narrowed. "I see…so that's her strategy…she uses mainly card effects that inflict damage to life points."

"But – isn't that dangerous? I mean, if what you say is true, she might have some cards that could hurt her, as well—like that Dice Jar just now!" Yugo exclaimed.

"True." Kyo nodded. "But something tells me she already knows how to work her strategy to her advantage."

Miriam then examined her hand. "All right…I am now in my Main Phase 2," she announced. "And this is what I shall do. I will activate the magic of Dark Snake Syndrome!"

She played her card, and suddenly the spirit of a ghostly serpent crossed the field. "From now on, during each of my Standby Phases," Miriam explained to Marcus, "this card's power will inflict damage to both our life points. The first damage will begin at 200 points, and will then double during each Standby Phase that follows."

Marcus stared at her in disbelief. "You're crazy!" he bellowed.

"Crazy? I prefer to think of myself as a proper strategist," said Miriam. "Allow me to show you what I mean. Next, I will activate the magic card, Dark Room of Nightmare!"

Just then, a very creepy air began to settle in the place: large holographic columns emerged on either side of the players, and shadows flitted here and there. "Whenever I inflict damage to your life points other than Battle Damage," said Miriam, "the power of the Dark Room of Nightmare will inflict 300 additional points of damage to your life points. However, for your convenience, the only card effect that it won't activate in response to—is itself."

Marcus gritted his teeth in major annoyance. "This really bites!"

"And now," continued Miriam, ignoring Marcus's indignation, "I will set another monster facedown in Defense Mode. Now I end my turn."

Miriam's life points were currently at an untouched 8000 life points, while Marcus's were at 5500. Miriam had one card facedown, plus she had one monster facedown, and active on her side of the field were the Dark Snake Syndrome and Dark Room of Nightmare magic cards; and she had two cards left in her hand. Marcus had Timeater on his side of the field, plus he had one other card facedown; and in his hand he held four cards.

Drawing his next card so that he now held five, Marcus glared at Miriam's side of the field. _Can't let her rattle me like this…from the way she's playing, I can tell she's good – but there's no way I'm losing in the very first leg of the tournament!_

"Now, then! I summon Overdrive (ATK 1600, DEF 1500)!" Marcus then brought forth a massive jeep armed with an on-top gatling gun. "Go, Overdrive! Destroy her facedown monster!"

Overdrive's gatling gun fired, blasting the facedown monster into pieces…but Miriam only shrugged it off. "That monster this time was my Giant Germ (ATK 1000, DEF 100)," she revealed. "When it's destroyed and sent to the Graveyard as a result of battle, 500 points of damage is immediately inflicted to your life points – and add that to Dark Room of Nightmare's effect of adding an additional 300 for every bit of non-Battle Damage that you get – and that's 800 points deducted from your life points!"

"AAARGH!" Marcus groaned as Giant Germ's effect sapped his life points to put him at 5000. Then, quickly following on Giant Germ's heels, the Dark Room of Nightmare's shadows sapped Marcus's strength further, reducing his life points to 4700.

"And that's not all," Miriam went on. "Giant Germ's effect also states that I can take other Giant Germ cards from my deck and Special Summon them in face-up Attack Mode." And she took two cards from her deck, summoning the two monsters to the field. "Now…are you going to attack again?"

Marcus bit his lip. Even if he did attack one of her two new Giant Germ cards with his Timeater and inflicted damage to her life points, either of them would only inflict 500 more points of damage to him…and then Dark Room of Nightmare would add an additional 300 to that total. He couldn't take the risk – he needed to keep a hold on his life points. "I'll…I'll end my turn."

"Poor Marcus," Flora whispered. "She's stringing him along, and there isn't much he can do about it!"

Not far away, Luke chuckled. "That's exactly how Miriam has always played…never needing to attack…just allowing her cards to do the work for her…"

Malachi said nothing, but watched the field with a critical eye.

Now Miriam took her turn again. As she drew her card, suddenly Dark Snake Syndrome's serpent spirit circled the field – and then suddenly split in two, biting both players on the neck. Miriam winced as her life points went down to 7800; Marcus's life points went down to 4500 – and then Dark Room of Nightmare sapped his strength once more, putting him at 4200. "Bitch," Marcus growled darkly.

Miriam examined the three cards in her hand, then raised an eyebrow. "Hmmm…very well, then. Now, I will play the magic card, Messenger of Peace, which prevents all monsters with an ATK of 1500 or higher from attacking!"

Marcus gawked. "Tell me she did not just say that!" he cried, appealing to the other duelists standing on the sidelines.

"However…this card comes with a very small price," added Miriam. "In order to maintain this card, during each of my Standby Phases I must tribute 100 life points. But, at least I will have enough life points to cover that. You, on the other hand…" She shook her head. "I see no hope for you – none at all."

Then she reached for the facedown card that was still on her side of the field. "And now…I will activate my facedown magic card, Thunder Crash!"

Suddenly bolts of lightning shot down from the skies – and obliterated every monster on _Miriam's_ side of the field. Marcus was dumbstruck. "Huh?"

Malachi closed his eyes when he saw this. "Poor guy…"

"Allow me to explain," said Miriam. "When I activated Thunder Crash, I destroyed all the monsters on my side of the field. This will inflict damage to your life points equal to 300 times the number of monsters destroyed. So, you'll lose 600 life points…"

"Holy shit!" Marcus yelled.

But there was little he could do as his life points went down to 3600 – and again, Dark Room of Nightmare reduced him further to 3300. "Man, this is just utter bullshit!" he raged.

Pegasus watched the duel with a critical eye. "Such an interesting mode of play that girl uses," he mused. "Limited use of monsters, capitalizing on the use of magic cards…boy, she certainly can play well, considering how she uses her cards so skillfully."

"Yeah, she IS good, indeed," agreed Mr. Devlin.

Mrs. Taylor looked on, frowning. _But…What is this chill I feel, all of a sudden…?_

In a rage, Marcus drew his next card. "You are gonna pay for that little mistake of yours, you Goth bitch, you!" he stormed. "Now, I summon Gradius (ATK 1200, DEF 800) to the field!"

Marcus's fighter jet emerged a moment later, but he wasn't done. "Next, I'll equip Gradius with this magic card, Cyclon Laser, to increase its ATK by 300 points!" And he played the card, creating a massive duel laser that formed on the back of the jet, increasing its ATK to 1500.

"And next…" Marcus held up another card. "I summon Gradius' Option (ATK , DEF ?)!" He then brought forth a queer diamond-shaped object, floating in the air beside Gradius…and sporting an ATK of 1500 and a DEF of 600!

"What is the meaning of this?" Miriam demanded.

"Heh, heh, heh…" Marcus had a twinkle in his eye. "I could only Special Summon Gradius' Option by selecting the Gradius on my side of the field. Gradius' Option, when summoned, acquires the current ATK and DEF of the selected Gradius. So, right now you could say they're the same monster, but I can use them separately. But since I can't attack, I'll end my turn. But mark my words…once I get rid of those cards of yours, you'll be sorry!"

The score now stood at Marcus with 3300 life points and Miriam with 7800. Marcus had quite an armada on his side of the field: Overdrive, Timeater, Gradius equipped with Cyclon Laser, Gradius' Option, and one facedown card, not to mention still having two cards in his hand. On the other hand, Miriam had no monsters on her side of the field, but she did still have her Dark Snake Syndrome, Dark Room of Nightmare and Messenger of Peace magic cards, and she had two cards in hand.

Miriam drew another card – and again the shadows of the Dark Snake Syndrome surrounded her and Marcus, this time taking 400 of their respective life points, leaving him with 2900 and her with 7400. Then, the Dark Room of Nightmare sapped Marcus's strength yet again, reducing him to 2600; and finally Messenger of Peace drained Miriam, bringing her down to 7300. Marcus scowled when he observed this. _Damn you, you little…!_

Miriam now selected yet another card from her hand. "I'll set another monster facedown, and end my turn."

Marcus blinked. _She's got to be joking…right?_

He drew another card – and his eyes lit up. Then he grinned. "All right, you little devil! Time for me to show you a world of pain!"

Malachi cocked an eyebrow.

Whereupon Marcus shouted, "Now, I offer Gradius' Option as a tribute to summon Machine King (ATK 2200, DEF 2000)!" And as the diamond blimp disappeared, in its place appeared a blue and red machine monster, with what looked like a clock in its chest and a bit of a crown on its head.

"Meet the king of all machine monsters, girly," Marcus told Miriam with a sneer. "He gets 100 extra ATK points for every Machine-type monster on the field, including himself! That's 400 extra ATK points right off the bat, giving him a total of 2600! But that's not all I'm planning on doing…"

As Machine King's ATK increased to 2600 by his effect, Marcus picked one of the two remaining cards in his hand. "And now…say goodbye to your magic defense! For now I play the magic card, Heavy Storm, to blow away all the magic and trap cards on the field!"

To Marcus's surprise, Miriam wasn't fazed by this. "I know what you intend to do – and you won't get rid of me just like that!" she declared acidly. "I activate the magic of a quick-play Magic card from my hand, Emergency Provisions! This allows me to send as many cards as I want from my magic/trap slot to the Graveyard to increase my life points by 1000 per card – except for this very card itself!"

Marcus was horrified. "No! But that means you'll have even higher life points than me!"

"Smart boy!" Miriam congratulated him. "And now I'm going to send my Dark Snake Syndrome, Messenger of Peace and Dark Room of Nightmare magic cards to the Graveyard – and increase my life points by 3000!"

Instantly the three cards were sent to the Graveyard—and as Marcus watched in consternation, Miriam's life points shot up to 10,300! To make it worse for him, only his facedown card was left to take the full force of the Heavy Storm! "Dammit to hell!" he cried.

In the next second, a massive blast of hurricane-force wind destroyed Marcus's facedown card. Both Marcus and Miriam shielded themselves with their arms, as did everyone else in the stadium. But after a while the wind died down.

"Well, at least you're still vulnerable to my monsters' attacks!" Marcus raged. "Go, Overdrive! Blast that facedown monster into next weekend!"

Overdrive's gatling gun shot the facedown monster to pieces – but Miriam just scoffed. "Don't you ever learn from your mistakes?" she reprimanded Marcus. "That facedown monster was another Dice Jar!"

"Oh, shit!" Marcus cursed his own haste.

"Great…now they have to roll dice again," sighed Jenna.

Malachi's eye twitched as he observed this.

Miriam rolled her die first. The result she got was 3. Then Marcus rolled. He got 5! "In your face, bee-atch!" he gloated as Miriam's life points went down to 7800. "Now, I'm gonna pay you back for the hell you just put me through! Timeater, Gradius and Machine King – all of you, attack directly!"

One by one, the machines obeyed their master. Timeater's clock hands stabbed Miriam in the shoulder, bringing her down to 5900. Then Gradius' Cyclon Laser fired, hitting her in the chest and reducing her to 4400. Finally, Machine King rushed up and rammed her, swiftly bringing her life points to 1800.

"Oh, no! He's gonna beat Miriam!" David squealed.

Even Luke was concerned. "If she loses…"

Only Malachi seemed calm. "She won't."

On the platform, Marcus was still gloating. "Not so tough without your magic cards, are you, huh?" he jeered Miriam. "So, what else are you gonna try to do?"

Miriam held onto her injured spots, and looked at the last card in her hand. _Shit…I've got to come back into the game, or else…_

Carefully she drew her next card. "I activate Pot of Greed to draw two cards!" And she did so, and now she had three cards in her hand. Then she looked at what she was holding and smiled a wide smile.

"All right—you're about to find out just how tough I really am!" she exclaimed. "Now, I activate Raigeki, to destroy every monster on your side of the field!"

"What!" Marcus yelled.

But there was no time to wonder, as suddenly a massive shower of lightning bolts shot down and fried all of Marcus's monsters into short-circuiting scrap. Then Miriam played another card. "Next, I activate Monster Reborn, to revive your precious Machine King to the field!"

In a moment Machine King was back, good as new, his effect increasing his ATK points to 2300—on Miriam's side of the field. "Now, attack directly!" Miriam exclaimed. And, much to Marcus's horror, the machine did just that—ramming him with such force he flew backwards as his life points went down to 300.

"Ugh…nice try…but you'll have to do better than that to beat me!" Marcus sneered.

Whereupon Miriam showed him the last card in her hand—the magic card Mass Driver. Playing it, she brought forth a massive laser cannon, and then explained, "As long as this card, Mass Driver, stays on the field, I can offer one monster on my side of the field as a tribute to inflict 400 points of damage to my opponent's life points."

Marcus's eyes widened in alarm. "No! Wait!" he yelled.

But it was now too late. As Machine King disappeared from the field, the huge Mass Driver cannon charged up particle energy and fired it off in one big blast toward Marcus's side of the field. He screamed as a deafening explosion consumed his side of the arena – and as his life points went down to 0.

"That decides it! Winner of the first duel: Miriam Jordan!" Mr. Devlin announced, and the fans cheered.

The arrow beside Miriam's name shot to the right-hand column. Miriam herself, not really caring, made her way off the platform. As Mrs. Taylor watched her, she couldn't help shuddering as that chilling feeling passed over her again. _Something's seriously wrong…but what?_ Mrs. Taylor kept asking herself as she watched the girl.

----------

**_neomage:_** This is the first time that I've been able to condense a whole duel into one chapter. Sorry if it was too short for your liking, but I hope it was just as entertaining! But what is this feeling that Mrs. Taylor is feeling—and why? Stay tuned!

UPDATED 10/10/2005: Made a little error with the life points near the end of the chapter, so I had to rewrite that section over again. It's always the little things that count, y'know…


	42. Chapter 42

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: This fanfic is the property of neomage. The original story is the property of Takahashi-sama.)

**CHAPTER 42**

INTERCONTINENTAL DUEL DOME

Miriam rejoined her comrades on the sidelines. "Way to go, Miriam! You really kicked that bloke's ass!" David cheered.

"Congratulations, Miriam," Luke replied, more subdued than his brother but still smiling.

Miriam nodded. "I just did what I had to do," she answered. "No big deal."

Malachi's arms were crossed, and his eyes closed. "Luke…get up there. Now."

Luke knew what his boss meant—he was next to duel. "Yes, boss." He took a few steps toward the platform.

Up in Pegasus's space, Mrs. Taylor still had a worried look on her face, and both Pegasus and Mr. Devlin noticed. "Hey, Serenity, you all right?" asked Mr. Devlin, concerned.

"Don't you guys sense it? I'm feeling a chilling presence in this place…like something evil was here just now," said Mrs. Taylor.

"Hmmm…I HAVE been getting a bad vibe from somewhere around here myself," Pegasus admitted. "The only question is, from where? It's so strong I can't pinpoint exactly where it's coming from…"

"Well…I guess I should just announce the next match," said Mr. Devlin.

Then he spoke to the crowd at large. "The next duel is Yugo Muto vs. Luke Jericho! Duelists, take your places on the platform!"

"There's your cue, Yugo. You lucky nut, you, getting to duel so early in the tournament," Kyo needled his friend.

"Good things come to those who wait," Yugo chuckled, and walked up to the platform.

In a moment both Yugo and Luke were together on the platform, looking each other over. Mr. Devlin then declared, "Let the second duel begin!"

Luke smirked. "You…are you strong? That is all I care about."

Yugo was somewhat taken aback at this. "Uh, yeah, I guess…why do you ask?"

"Because it always gives me great pleasure to face off against a powerful opponent. It gives me an opportunity to test my skills." Luke chuckled and then activated his Duel-Disk. "Now, shall we begin?"

"Let's!" Yugo agreed.

On the sidelines Miriam watched with great admiration. "Luke will definitely beat this kid. I know it!"

"Got that right, love," David agreed. "There isn't a soul on this planet who can beat my brother's strategy…well, except…you know."

Malachi snorted, but otherwise didn't move from his original position.

The holographic coin appeared on the field and was flipped. "I call heads!" Yugo cried as the coin came back down…and it showed heads.

"Wahoo! I get to go first!" Yugo cheered. "Well, may the best duelist win, man."

"Good luck to you, too…you'll need it," Luke smiled.

Yugo then drew his first card and examined his hand. "To begin, I'll summon the Illusory Gentleman (ATK 1500, DEF 1600) in Attack Mode!" And then he called forth the fickle gentleman thief. "I end my turn with that."

Luke drew his card. "An interesting way to begin," he commented on Yugo's play. "But see if you can top this! I summon Monk Fighter (ATK 1300, DEF 1000) to the field!" And then he brought forth a yellow-robed warrior monk. Then he held up two more cards in his hand.

"Now, I'll offer Monk Fighter as a tribute to Special Summon another warrior monk to the field – Master Monk (ATK 1900, DEF 1000)!" And as Monk Fighter disappeared, Luke summoned a muscle-bound man with long white hair and a beard, sporting only a pair of brown pants.

"Whoa! Check him out!" Yugo exclaimed, staring at Master Monk in awe.

"Then I'll set one card facedown," said Luke, putting down a magic/trap card. "Now, Master Monk, attack and destroy the Illusory Gentleman with Rock-Smashing Kick!"

Master Monk jumped high into the air, then flipped once and came down with a hell-kick right into the top of Illusory Gentleman's head. The Gentleman was floored, and Yugo's life points went down to 7600. "Geez…he's a hard-hitter, that's for certain," Yugo decided.

"But he's not done yet," Luke informed him, "for Master Monk can attack twice during the same turn! Now, Master Monk—hit him again!"

Master Monk whereupon rushed forward and sent a massive fist to Yugo's abdomen. Crying out in pain, Yugo crumpled to the ground, holding his middle and coughing blood even as his life points went down to 5700.

Wade, watching the duel, shook his head. "Man, that guy's brutal—he's giving Yugo a real beat-down out there!"

Marcus was sitting nearby, sulking after his loss to Miriam only moments ago. Flora was trying to cheer him up. "Oh, come on, Marcus, it's not so bad," she said. "She just got lucky at the end, that's all."

But Marcus would not be appeased. "She hit me fast and hard the whole way through," he grumbled. "Just like that guy's doing to Yugo right now…"

"Yugo, don't let him get to you! Keep fighting!" Jenna cried.

"Yeah, Yugo! We're right behind you!" Miki added.

Struggling with major difficulty, Yugo got to his feet. "Damn…that's tough…"

"In this hard, cruel world, you have to be tough," Luke responded. "Now, make your move and quit complaining—unless this is really all you've got in you, mate."

"I'm not out of the game yet!" Yugo answered, wiping the blood off his mouth with his sleeve. He then drew his next card. "Now I summon Dark Blade (ATK 1800, DEF 1500) to the field!"

The black-armored swordsman appeared, wielding his twin blades. "Next," continued Yugo, "I'll equip him with the Black Pendant, to increase his ATK by 500!"

The Black Pendant appeared around Dark Blade's neck, and his ATK went up to 2300. "Then, I'll set one card facedown for later," went on Yugo, setting a card facedown. "All right, Dark Blade! Destroy Master Monk!"

But just then Luke shouted, "No! I activate my trap card, Lone Wolf!" And his facedown card was flipped face-up.

Dark Blade rushed forward and slashed at Master Monk with first one sword, then the other. But even as Master Monk took the attacks in the chest and Luke's life points went down to 7600, to everyone's astonishment Master Monk himself was not destroyed! "What gives?" Yugo demanded.

"It's the effect of my Lone Wolf trap card," explained Luke. "I could only activate it if I had only one monster on my side of the field, and that monster was one of three special monsters—Master Monk, Monk Fighter, or Chu-Ske the Mouse Fighter (ATK 1200, DEF 0). When those conditions are met, Lone Wolf's power prevents my monster from being destroyed in battle or being affected by any of your monster effects."

"Crap," Yugo grunted. "This is going to be even more difficult than I'd hoped. Well, all right…I end my turn."

Yugo had 5700 life points, and Luke had 7600. On the field Yugo had his Dark Blade equipped with the Black Pendant magic card, plus one other card facedown, and he had three cards in hand. Luke had Master Monk on the field, plus his Lone Wolf trap card was still face-up and in effect, and he too had three cards in hand. Pegasus observed this and smiled. "Already the duels are getting interesting," he mused.

Now Luke drew his next card. "I activate the magic card Premature Burial, giving 800 life points to revive my Monk Fighter to the field!" And as his life points went down to 6800, Monk Fighter reappeared on the field.

Then Luke held up yet another card. "Now, I offer Monk Fighter as a tribute to summon Granmarg the Rock Monarch (ATK 2400, DEF 1000)!"

David smirked. "Now the fun really begins."

As Monk Fighter left the field once again, a towering golem with boulders for arms appeared on the field. "When Granmarg is Tribute Summoned successfully," said Luke, "its effect destroys one facedown card on the field. And, there's only one facedown card on the field as far as I see…"

"Oh, no!" Yugo cried out. "Not that!"

Granmarg raised its massive arms and then brought them down. As its fists hit the ground, a gigantic sonic wave was created, one so powerful that it destroyed Yugo's facedown card completely! "Shit!" Yugo exploded.

"Now, whatever trap you were waiting to spring on me has been destroyed," said Luke. "Granmarg, crush the Dark Blade!"

Again Granmarg raised its arms, and this time it flattened the knight and reduced Yugo's life points to 5600. But as the Black Pendant went into the Graveyard after Dark Blade's destruction, its power hit Luke and reduced his life points by 500, to 6300. Nevertheless, Luke wasn't fazed. "Master Monk, attack directly!" And Master Monk did just that – flying forward with a kick that knocked Yugo for a loop and brought his life points down to 3700; then, the monk attacked again, reducing Yugo even further to 1800.

Yugo gagged and held his middle with one hand, covering his mouth with the other. "Are you now feeling sorry that you got me as your opponent?" Luke asked. "Frankly, you're not strong at all. In fact…you're pitiful."

_I couldn't have said it better myself,_ Malachi thought to himself.

On the sidelines, however, Seta smirked. _That guy…he has no idea that it's situations like this that make Yugo play at his absolute best. Now, show everyone what you're made of, Yugo!_

"Pitiful…? Is that what you called me?" Yugo questioned. "Well, don't count me out just yet, buddy…I still have quite a few tricks up my sleeve!"

He drew his next card. "Now, I summon Breaker the Magical Warrior (ATK 1600, DEF 1000) in Attack Mode!" And a moment later the crimson-armored mage-warrior was on the field. His effect promptly gave him a Magic counter, increasing his ATK to 1900.

"And how exactly is that going to assist you?" Luke wanted to know.

"I'll soon show you!" Yugo looked at the three cards in his hand and now smiled. "Now, I'll activate Breaker's ability! By removing his Magic counter, I can destroy one Magic or Trap card on the field – and I choose to destroy your Lone Wolf card!"

Breaker charged up energy in his sword and fired it at the Lone Wolf trap card, destroying it completely. "And with that, your Master Monk's protection is gone," remarked Yugo.

"Bah! That proves nothing," Luke scoffed.

"But it will in a moment!" Yugo told him. "For now I activate Brain Control! By paying 800 life points, I can take control of one monster on your side of the field until the end of this turn. And the monster I want is Granmarg the Rock Monarch!"

As Yugo activated the card and his life points went to 1000, to Luke's utter surprise his Rock Monarch went over to the other side of the field. Then Yugo held up the last two cards in his hand.

"Next, I activate the field magic of Yami! This will increase the ATK and DEF of all Fiends and Spellcasters by 200 and also decrease the ATK and DEF of all Fairy-types by 200!" Yugo announced. And as he played the card, suddenly eerie shadows began to cover the field, even as Breaker's ATK and DEF went up to 1800 and 1200 respectively.

"Finally, I'll set one card facedown," he finished, placing the last card in the magic/trap slot. "Now, Granmarg, destroy Master Monk!"

Granmarg raised its arms once again, this time crushing the hapless Master Monk and reducing Luke's life points to 5800. Then, Breaker was able to attack directly, slashing Luke in the chest and reducing him even further to 4000.

"And with that, I'll end my turn," Yugo chuckled. As he said that, Granmarg went back to its rightful owner and just stood there.

Luke smirked, even as he held one hand to the place where Breaker had slashed him. "All right…so it seems I may have underestimated your pluck…but you still won't be able to defeat me! Just one more assault on your life points, and then I win!"

David seemed to agree. "Knock that bugger out of this tournament, bro!" he yelled.

Luke swiftly drew his next card. "Now, I call forth the power of Chu-Ske the Mouse Fighter (ATK 1200, DEF 0)!" he announced, summoning a mouse wearing boxing gloves. "Just this turn will be enough to destroy you! Granmarg the Rock Monarch, annihilate Breaker the Magical Warrior!"

Yet again Granmarg raised its arms to do the deed. But suddenly Yugo shouted, "I don't think so! I activate my trap card, Blast Held by a Tribute!"

Just as it was about to let its arms fall, suddenly Granmarg paused. "Oy! What're you waiting for, Granmarg? Finish him off, now!" Luke demanded, flustered.

Suddenly—BOOM! There was a loud explosion as Granmarg burst into a million rock fragments, scattering everywhere. Several of the larger pieces hit Chu-Ske and destroyed it, too; and Luke cried out as his life points shot down to 3000! "What in the hell was that?" he cried, very bewildered.

"That was my Blast Held by a Tribute trap card," said Yugo. "I could only activate it when you attacked me with a monster that you had Tribute summoned or set—namely, your Rock Monarch. Then, when I activated this card, it created a cancerous bomb inside your Rock Monarch that destroyed every face-up monster on your side of the field…and it also inflicted 1000 points of damage to your life points, too."

Mrs. Taylor seemed genuinely impressed. "So, what Miki told me about that boy was true, after all," she remarked. "He really is the son of Yugi Muto, playing like that."

"Indeed, he is," agreed Pegasus.

Now Yugo took his turn once again. "Now, it's time to end this!" he announced. "I summon Gemini Elf (ATK 1900, DEF 900)!" He then brought forth the twin elves, whose ATK and DEF shot to 2100 and 1100 because of Yami's effect. "Attack directly!"

The elves cupped their hands together, casting a spell. Then suddenly they released the magic into a deadly attack, right into Luke's chest. He winced as his life points went down to 1100—he knew this was the end.

"Breaker the Magical Warrior, finish him now!" Yugo commanded. And Breaker again rushed forward, slashing Luke in the chest and bringing his life points down to 0.

"All right!" Mr. Devlin jumped up. "That's the end of that duel! Winner: Yugo Muto!"

"Woo-hoo! Way to go, Yugo—you won!" Miki and Kyo cheered at the same time, even as the rest of the crowd started their cheers and applause.

"Good for him…he did pretty well," Blaze murmured, and smiled a little.

Shigeo, seated beside her, nodded in agreement. "Something tells me he hasn't shown all of his real power," he commented. "I can't wait until I get to face him!"

While Yugo was grinning and accepting accolades from the crowd, and as the arrow beside his name moved to the right-hand column on the big-screen, Luke quietly chuckled. "Hey, Yugo…"

Yugo paused and looked at Luke. "Yeah?"

"I was wrong about you, mate. I misjudged you…and for that, I apologize." Luke nodded. "You certainly did good in this duel, friend. But…" He looked up at the big-screen – in the right-hand column, Miriam and Yugo's names were in close proximity with each other. "My guess is, even if you did beat me, you'll never be able to conquer Miriam. She's got a lot of guts and spirit, she does. Then again…so do you. Who knows?"

"Guess we'll have to wait and see," Yugo nodded wisely.

Luke then turned and headed off the platform, back toward his friends. As he approached them, David cried out, "Lord, Luke, I can't believe it! That little bugger actually beat YOU?"

"Yeah…sorry about that, guys. But it was fun while it lasted." Luke then looked at Miriam. "Hey, love…you'll get to fight him in the next round. Then you'll see for yourself just how skilled he really is."

Miriam shrugged. "All I know is, I'll crush him like a cockroach."

Malachi scowled. "Luke…you really, really disappoint me. How could you let a shrimp like that guy defeat you so easily?" He turned his head away. "Well, never mind, then. At least there's still three of us left to nab that trophy."

Luke held down his head. "Sorry, boss."

Malachi then directed a sharp glare at David. "Hey…make sure you don't lose your match when it comes, David. You hear me?"

David gulped. "Y-y-yeah, boss. I hear ya."

Mr. Devlin now announced, "Now, the next duel is Shigeo Tatsunoko vs. Miki Taylor! Will the duelists please get to the platform, quickly…"

Mrs. Taylor looked down at the platform and sighed. _Miki…please do well…I know you can do it!_

At the same moment Miki looked up to where her mother was. _I'll win for sure, Mom…and make you proud!_ Then she looked over at Kyo. _Kyo…please watch me…I'll win this for you, too._

Determined, Miki got up and walked up to the platform even as Yugo was passing by her to get back to his seat. He gave her an encouraging smile, and she nodded in acknowledgment. "I'll win this one," she told him.

A moment later she was standing on the platform, ready to face off against her ninja opponent, standing only meters away from her…

----------

**_neomage:_** Another quick duel condensed into one chapter! I was certain that this would spill over into the next chap, but as it turns out, it didn't! And now, the duel I've been personally waiting for is here at last: Miki vs. Shigeo! Who will prevail? Keep reading, everybody!

UPDATED 13/01/2006: Blast Held by a Tribute destroys every face-up monster on the opponent's side, not just those in Attack Mode.

UPDATED 05/02/2006: Slight error regarding Luke's life points in this chapter. Many thanks to G Tyler for pointing it out.


	43. Chapter 43

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: **(wielding a chainsaw)** Anybody who says that Takahashi-sama is not the owner of Yu-Gi-Oh will be shredded to pieces! -)

**CHAPTER 43**

INTERCONTINENTAL DUEL DOME

"How interesting…a young girl like you gets to be my opponent," Shigeo remarked. "This should be somewhat easy."

"Oh, you really think so?" asked Miki. "I might just surprise you."

"We'll soon see." Shigeo readied his Duel-Disk, and Miki did likewise.

The coin emerged on the field. "I'll call it! Heads!" Miki exclaimed.

The coin was flipped…and came back down and hit the ground…and it was heads when it stopped spinning. "Goody! I won that coin toss!" Miki said happily.

Shigeo smiled. _So full of energy, she is. This should be quite interesting._

Miki and Shigeo drew their first five cards; then Miki drew a sixth card. "To start things off, I'll set one monster facedown, and also I'll set another card facedown. And I end my turn."

Shigeo then drew his card. "I summon Nin-Ken Dog (ATK 1800, DEF 1000) in Attack Mode!" He then summoned a dog standing on its hind legs, wearing a ninja outfit and carrying a sword. "Attack and destroy that facedown monster!"

The Nin-Ken Dog suddenly disappeared, and then just as quickly reappeared behind the facedown monster—it had teleported. With one swift stroke, the facedown monster was sliced in two and revealed to be an armed knight wearing a helmet that concealed all but his eyes, which glowed red.

But as the monster disappeared from the field, Miki only smiled. "That was my Familiar Knight (ATK 1200, DEF 1400)," she revealed. "When he's destroyed and sent to the Graveyard as a result of battle, both of us can Special Summon one Level 4 monster from our hands. And I choose to summon Queen's Knight (ATK 1500, DEF 1600) in Defense Mode!" Here she brought out a lady knight with an armor design that, strangely enough, reminded one of the Queen of Hearts playing card.

"If that's the case," said Shigeo, "then I will take advantage of your Familiar Knight's effect and Special Summon my White Ninja (ATK 1500, DEF 800) in Attack Mode!" And then he summoned a ninja covered in white from head to foot, mask and all. "And then I will end my turn."

Yugo smiled when he saw Queen's Knight. "How wonderful."

Miki drew another card. "Now…I'll summon my King's Knight (ATK 1600, DEF 1400) to the field!" Then she summoned a knight with a thick blond beard, dressed to resemble the King of Spades.

"Now, King's Knight's effect is activated!" Miki cried. "When I Normal Summon him while Queen's Knight is on my side of the field, I can automatically Special Summon my Jack's Knight (ATK 1900, DEF 1400) from my deck!" She quickly thumbed through her deck and then summoned a young knight, resembling the Jack of Clubs.

Shigeo chuckled. "I see…so you use Knights…and I use Ninjas…warriors of differing cultures and eras, facing off against each other. Now, this promises to be entertaining."

As for Yugo, he simply grinned. Queen's Knight, King's Knight and Jack's Knight – he had given all three of those cards to her when she had just started off as a duelist. _Show us how much you've improved, Miki._

Miki then looked at the cards in her hand. _Three good cards…but I'd better hold onto them for the time being._ Aloud she continued, "Now I'll shift Queen's Knight to Attack Mode!" And as she shifted the card on her Duel-Disk, Queen's Knight rose from her kneeling position where she'd been, and stood up with shield and sword ready to do battle.

"Go, Jack's Knight! Carve up the Nin-Ken Dog!" Miki ordered. Jack's Knight promptly ran forward and sliced the Nin-Ken Dog into pieces, reducing Shigeo's life points to 7900. Then: "King's Knight, it's your turn! Destroy the White Ninja!" King's Knight, in response, cut off the White Ninja's head, and Shigeo's life points came down to 7800. Finally: "Now, Queen's Knight! Attack directly!" And then Queen's Knight dashed forward and buried her sword into Shigeo, right up to the hilt, reducing his life points even further to 6300.

"Way to go, Miki!" Kyo yelled from the sidelines. Miki blushed and smiled.

Shigeo held onto the place where Queen's Knight had stabbed him. "Pretty good," he said approvingly. "I like your style, girl. It's really very good."

"I've had my learning experiences," said Miki. "Now, then. I'll end my turn."

Now the score was shown: Miki had an intact 8000 life points, and Shigeo had 6300. Miki had on her side of the field one facedown card, plus King's Knight, Queen's Knight and Jack's Knight, and she had three cards in hand; Shigeo had nothing whatsoever on the field, but in his hand he had four cards.

Shigeo took his turn and drew another card. But then Miki called out, "Hold it—I'm activating my trap card, Drop Off! This forces you to discard the very card you just drew to the Graveyard!" And she flipped her facedown card face-up.

Wincing, Shigeo sent the card he'd drawn to the Graveyard. "Good tactic," he commended her, "but still not enough to stop me. Now…it's time for me to start playing this game a little more seriously."

"Huh? What do you mean?" asked Miki, dumbfounded.

"I mean, it's time for me to stop playing and duel at my fullest strength!" Shigeo laughed loudly. "That's how I always duel: I test my opponents, see how much they're capable of handling…and right about now, you've proven yourself worthy of all my skillful dueling techniques! Now, allow me to show you just what I mean!"

He looked at the four cards in his hand and selected two of them. "Now, I'll set one card facedown, and then I'll summon Moon Envoy (ATK 1100, DEF 1000)!" And he summoned a blue-armored Samurai, wielding a crescent pike.

"Then," continued Shigeo, holding up one of his two remaining cards, "I'll equip him with this card, Fusion Sword Murasame Blade, to increase his ATK by 800 points!" And then the next thing Miki knew, the Moon Envoy was holding a katana in one hand as his ATK shot up to 1900! "Moon Envoy, attack and destroy King's Knight!"

Swiftly fitting the hilt of the Murasame Blade to the bottom of his pike staff to make one long weapon, Moon Envoy spun the staff around over his head until the almost resembled a helicopter rotor blade. Then he jumped forward, and with one deft motion carved King's Knight in two. Miki flinched as her life points went down to 7700.

"Trust me, kid, you've seen nothing yet…it's going to get a whole lot worse," Shigeo warned. "For now, though, I'll end my turn."

A now worried Miki drew her next card. "Hmmm…well, now or never! I'll set one card facedown, and shift my Queen's Knight into Defense Mode. And then I'll end my turn."

On the sidelines Kyo was watching the duel with some anxiety. _I hope for Miki's sake that she'll pull through this…if she loses now, like she lost against Marcus in the Kaibacorp Challenge Cup, she'll never live it down…_

Mrs. Taylor, too, was worried. "Mr. Pegasus, what do you know about that Shigeo fellow?" she inquired.

"Only that he's a very skilled duelist who likes to take advantage of his opponents," replied Pegasus. "He'll usually let them go first, so they can show him just what kind of strategy they use; then he'll let them take down his life points a bit; then he'll go in for the kill. He looks for openings in his opponent's defense, and if there isn't one, then he makes one."

Meanwhile, Jenna was biting her nails in frustration. "Miki…please, please don't let us down," she whispered.

Yugo, sitting next to her, looked at her with disapproval. "She won't, Jenna…she's come too far to just fail in her first duel in the tournament. And…could you please stop biting your nails?"

"Oh…sorry."

In the meantime, Shigeo drew another card. "How very interesting," he chuckled. "All right. I will set one monster facedown in Defense Mode, another card facedown, and end my turn."

Miki was starting to sweat bullets. She drew her next card and eyed it carefully. "I'll set another card facedown, and then I'll offer Queen's Knight as a tribute to summon the Judge Man (ATK 2200, DEF 1500)!" And then a huge warrior wielding a pair of iron clubs appeared beside Jack's Knight.

"Then…" Miki looked at the facedown card she'd set before. "I activate my trap card, Kunai with Chain! This card will shift one Attack Mode monster on your side of the field into Defense Mode, and also this card will be equipped to one of my monsters and increase that monster's ATK by 500 points! And I'll equip it to Jack's Knight!"

Jack's Knight quickly pushed his shield further up onto his arm so his hand could be free to grab the chain of the weapon. His ATK immediately went up to 2400 – and at the same time, he flung the chain at Moon Envoy's legs, forcing the other warrior to his knees!

Shigeo stared in perfect amazement. "You have one of those? Very impressive!"

"Yeah, thanks…I got this card from my father. This is one of the three most precious cards to me…" Miki said softly.

Hearing this, Mrs. Taylor blushed. "Oh, Miki…"

"Now, let's get down to brass tacks! Jack's Knight, attack and destroy Moon Envoy!" Miki ordered. "Deck of Swords!"

A multitude of swords suddenly appeared around Jack's Knight and spun around him—then all of them pointed in the direction of the Moon Envoy and rocketed toward him! But Shigeo just laughed. "I activate my trap card, Negate Attack, to stop your monster's attack and end your Battle Phase!"

A massive vortex appeared on the field and absorbed all the swords just before they could skewer Moon Envoy. Miki, of course, was much disappointed. "All right…I'll end my turn, then."

Now Miki had 7700 life points, and Shigeo still had 6300. Miki had Judge Man on the field, along with Jack's Knight equipped with the Kunai with Chain trap card, and one other card facedown, and she had two cards in her hand. Shigeo had one facedown monster and another facedown card in the magic/trap slot, plus his Moon Envoy in Defense Mode and equipped with the Fusion Sword Murasame Blade, and he had no cards left in his hand.

Shigeo drew another card, and began to chuckle. "Now, it's time for the fun to really start!" he exclaimed. "First, I'll reveal my facedown monster: the Crimson Ninja (ATK 300, DEF 300)!" He flipped the card face-up, revealing a ninja clad in red and wielding two short swords. "His effect when flipped face-up destroys one trap card on the field!"

Miki reared up in shock. "Oh, no! Not my Kunai with Chain!"

"Actually, I wasn't thinking about THAT card," Shigeo corrected her. "I was thinking about the other one…your card that you have facedown. Now, let's see what it is!"

Crimson Ninja ran over to where the facedown card was. Placing the tip of his swords down to the ground, he quickly used them to flip the card face-up, revealing that it was the trap card Sakuretsu Armor. Then, when it was standing on its edge, the ninja jumped, spun once, and sliced the card in two with such a swift movement that the pieces didn't even separate until the moment he went back to Shigeo's side of the field.

"And next," Shigeo continued, playing the card he'd just drawn. "I offer my Crimson Ninja as a tribute to summon Zaborg the Thunder Monarch (ATK 2400, DEF 1000)!"

Crimson Ninja bowed to Miki before a massive blast of lightning from the sky took him out. Then, standing in his place was a being that had electricity coursing all around him. "When Zaborg the Thunder Monarch is Tribute summoned successfully," said Shigeo, smirking, "his power destroys one monster on the field. And now, he's going to destroy your Jack's Knight!"

As Miki watched in horror, Zaborg charged up lightning in his palms, then let it all go in one massive blast at Jack's Knight. The knight put up his shield to protect himself, but it was useless—the lightning still fried him, and the Kunai with Chain along with him.

"Now, I'll shift my Moon Envoy back into Attack Mode," said Shigeo, and the Moon Envoy stood up once again, weapons at the ready. "Now, Zaborg, destroy the Judge Man! Lightning Ball!"

Again Zaborg charged lightning in his palms and fired it at the Judge Man, utterly destroying that monster and reducing Miki's life points to 7500. Then, with the last piece of resistance out of the way, Moon Envoy could attack directly, bringing Miki's life points down further to 5600.

"I must admit, though…you've been entertaining me very much since the duel began," said Shigeo warmly. "Entertain me some more!"

So Miki drew her next card, and now she had three in her hand. Then she considered her options. _I've got absolutely no monsters on the field…I need to have something to at least defend my life points while I think of a strategy…_

Then she took a good look at the cards she held in her hand. "Hmmm…maybe I COULD do that…all right! Now I summon Celtic Guardian (ATK 1400, DEF 1200) in Attack Mode!"

A moment later an elf swordsman appeared on the field, sword drawn and ready to fight. Then Miki picked another card from her hand. "Then I'll set one card facedown, and end my turn."

_Hmmm…is that a trap card she just played?_ Kyo mused. _I hope it is._

"Hmph. It's really no use, kid; you're just about finished!" Shigeo drew another card. "Oh, how wonderful this is for me! Now I summon Lady Ninja Yae (ATK 1100, DEF 200)!" And then he brought forth a green-haired ninja girl wielding a knife.

Miki waited. _Come on, make him attack…_

"And now," continued Shigeo, "I can activate my facedown trap card—Ninjitsu Art of Transformation!"

Miki started. "Hey, hold on – what is that supposed to do?"

"I'll explain," Shigeo assured her. "When I activate my Ninjitsu Art of Transformation trap card, I must offer one monster on my side of the field that includes the word 'Ninja' in its name as a tribute. Then, I can Special Summon from my hand or deck one Beast-type, Winged Beast-type or Insect-type monster whose level is equal to or less than the level of the tributed monster plus three. Then, when this card is removed from the field, that monster will be destroyed." His eye twinkled. "But frankly, that's not going to happen anytime soon! Now, my Lady Ninja Yae, I offer you as a tribute to Special Summon a Winged Beast from my deck – Roc from the Valley of Haze (ATK 2400, DEF 1400)!"

Lady Ninja Yae spread her arms out to the sides and—to Miki's utter astonishment—began to sprout wings. Then little by little, her features changed more and more until she transformed into a mighty bird of prey!

"Do you understand what I just did?" Shigeo asked. "If not, then I'll run through it again. Lady Ninja Yae was a Level 3 monster. Ninjitsu Art of Transformation allows me to Special Summon a specified monster type whose level is equal to, or less than, the tributed monster's level, plus three. So, add three to Lady Ninja Yae's Level 3, and you have 6 – and Roc from the Valley of Haze is a Level 6 monster. Understand?"

"Yeah…I think so," said Miki.

"Now, with the explanations over with, it's time for me to end this duel! Roc from the Valley of Haze, attack and destroy her Celtic Guardian!"

But just then Miki shouted, "You fell for it! I activate my trap card, Zero Gravity, which will forcibly change the battle positions of all monsters on the field!"

To Shigeo's amazement, as Miki's trap card flipped face-up, suddenly all the monsters on the field lost their sense of balance. Zaborg the Thunder Monarch and the Moon Envoy ended up on their knees, and the Valley Haze Roc was on the ground, its wings wrapped around its body for protection. Celtic Guardian was on his knees, too.

"Nice," Shigeo admitted. "That was very clever, little girl. All right…I end my turn now."

Kyo sighed in relief. _Way to go, Miki!_

Sighing in great relief herself, Miki drew another card. "Now, here is what I'm going to do," she announced. "I'm going to offer my Celtic Guardian as a tribute to summon the Total Defense Shogun (ATK 1550, DEF 2500)!" And as her elf disappeared, she summoned a massive knight with a cape, several swords strapped to his back, another one in his right hand, and a very massive shield in his left.

"You'll have to do far better than that," Shigeo scoffed.

But then, to his surprise, Total Defense Shogun automatically shifted from Attack Mode to Defense Mode! "What is this?" he demanded.

"It's his effect," Miki explained, smiling. "When he's summoned in Attack Mode, he is automatically shifted to Defense Mode. Of course, I can always shift him back on my next turn, but why would I want to do that…especially since he can attack even when he is in Defense Mode?"

Shigeo stared. "No way!" he croaked.

"Of course," said Miki. "And all of your monsters' DEF are low enough for him to destroy with ease! Now, Total Defense Shogun, attack and destroy Zaborg the Thunder Monarch!"

Total Defense Shogun momentarily stood up and waved his sword around, then charged forward and sliced off Zaborg's head. Then he went back to Miki's side of the field and kneeled in Defense Mode again.

"Your daughter is really proving herself well," Pegasus remarked kindly.

"Yeah," agreed Mrs. Taylor. "I always did believe in her potential."

But just then, as Shigeo drew his next card, he smirked. "Good, but not good enough," he told Miki. "For now I'll activate Pot of Greed to draw two cards!"

He drew his two cards—and looked at them in astonishment. Then he began to laugh. "Oh, my," he cried. "My dear, I am holding something in my hand that will spell the end for you and your Total Defense Shogun!"

"You're only bluffing," Miki retorted.

"A ninja doesn't need to bluff! And I'll prove it!" Shigeo then held up one of his cards. "First, I'll use Monster Reborn to revive Zaborg the Thunder Monarch in Attack Mode!" And then Zaborg reappeared in a flash of light.

Then Shigeo held up the last card left in his hand. "And now…I sacrifice Zaborg the Thunder Monarch, the Moon Envoy _and_ the Roc from the Valley of Haze to summon a monster unlike any you've ever seen or will ever see again – come down from the heavens, my mighty warrior…Gilford the Lightning (ATK 2800, DEF 1400)!"

"Huh?" Miki gaped in shock.

Jenna, on the sidelines, gasped in terror. "OH, NO!" she shrieked.

----------

**_neomage:_** Mwa ha ha ha! I like cliffhangers! And I'll bet lots of you reading this are shocked to see Shigeo with one of Joey Wheeler's toughest monsters, aren't you? Well, sit back and relax, because the action's about to get even more intense! Keep reading!


	44. Chapter 44

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Is it just me, or does this story seem to get longer and longer…? Eh, must be me. Anyway, I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**CHAPTER 44**

INTERCONTINENTAL DUEL DOME

"Come down from the heavens, my mighty warrior – Gilford the Lightning (ATK 2800, DEF 1400)!" Shigeo called out, as Zaborg the Thunder Monarch (ATK 2400, DEF 1000), Roc from the Valley of Haze (ATK 2400, DEF 1400), and Moon Envoy (ATK 1100, DEF 1000) disappeared from the field, together with the Fusion Sword Murasame Blade magic card that the Moon Envoy had been equipped with, and the Ninjitsu Art of Transformation trap card that had powered the Valley Haze Roc.

Suddenly, the sky above the dome darkened and lightning flashed. "Huh?" Miki wondered, looking at it all in astonishment.

"OH, NO!" Jenna shrieked in horror, startling Yugo.

"Hey, Jenna, what's the matter?" Yugo demanded. Then he saw the fear on her face. "Do you…know that card?"

"Gilford the Lightning…it was always one of my father's best monsters back in the day," Jenna whispered, trembling with fright. "Who would've thought that this guy would have a copy of that card, too…?"

"Well, what does it do?" Yugo prompted.

"Since Jenna's too scared to say it, I will," said Kyo, and Yugo looked across toward him.

Kyo adjusted his glasses in a significant movement. "You remember my Moisture Creature (ATK 2800, DEF 2900), Yugo? When I summon it by offering three monsters as tributes, its effect destroys all Magic and Trap cards on the opponent's side of the field. With Gilford the Lightning, it's a little different…as with Moisture Creature, Gilford can be summoned with two tributes like any regular Level 8 or higher monster, BUT – if you sacrifice three monsters to summon it…" and here he looked across at Yugo out of the corner of his eye. "…its effect destroys all _monsters_ on the opponent's side of the field!"

"But that means—" Yugo shot a panicked look at the platform. "Miki!"

Suddenly a blast of lightning came down from the sky right in front of Shigeo, and the impact was so massive Miki had to turn away to avoid being blinded. When she finally did look around again, what she saw astounded her…it was a mystic-looking warrior wearing heavy gauntlets and a sword on his back, and lightning flashed around him.

"Isn't he a powerful one?" Shigeo boasted. "And his effect, when I tribute three monsters to summon him, causes every monster on your side of the field to be annihilated. So, Gilford, show her why they call you GILFORD THE LIGHTNING!"

Gilford unsheathed his massive sword, which was crackling with electric energy, and slashed in Miki's direction. Before Miki could react, her Defense Mode Total Defense Shogun (ATK 1550, DEF 2500) was completely and utterly obliterated!

"AAAGH!" Miki screamed.

"Heh, heh, heh…" Shigeo chuckled.

The score stood as follows: Miki had 5600 life points, while Shigeo had 6300. Miki held one card in her hand, but on the field she now had nothing at all. On the other hand, though he now had no cards in his hand, Shigeo had his newly-summoned Gilford the Lightning in Attack Mode on the field.

"You thought the destruction of your monster was bad enough?" Shigeo laughed. "Well, just check this out and judge for yourself if it's worse or not! Gilford, time to do battle! Attack with your Lightning Strike!"

Gilford hadn't yet sheathed his sword; now, he held it behind him with both hand so that the blunt side of the blade was parallel with his back. Then, all at once, he brought the sword over him in a giant arc, striking the ground with the blade's sharp side. This action created a massive blade of lightning that rushed along the ground and hit Miki with full force. She screamed as she was thrown back and her life points dropped sharply to 2800.

"Miki, no!" Mrs. Taylor jumped up—and felt a hand restrain her. "Duke…!"

Mr. Devlin looked grave. "Let her be, Serenity," he counseled. "She has to learn to be strong on her own, or she'll never become a real duelist. It's tribulations like this that really give us the strength we need to do what needs to be done. Besides…she's not out of the game yet—she still has life points left. Let's see what she's gonna do now."

Reluctantly, Mrs. Taylor sat back down. "Miki…"

Painfully, Miki got back to her feet. _Oh my freakin' God…that was much too much! Another attack like that, and I'm done!_

She drew her next card, wincing as the numbness in her body from the attack gradually left her with a painful tingling sensation. _Can't think about the pain now…must keep dueling!_

Aloud, with as much strength as she could manage, she announced, "I activate the magic card, Reinforcement of the Army! This allows me to select one Level 4 or lower Warrior-type monster from my deck and add it to my hand; then I should shuffle my deck."

She then thumbed through her deck, looking for the card she wanted. "And the monster I select is a Level 3 monster: Marauding Captain (ATK 1200, DEF 400)!" She then added the card to her hand, and then shuffled her deck. "Then," she continued, "I'll summon Marauding Captain to the field, and then I'll activate a Magic card – Nightmare's Steelcage!"

Suddenly, a massive cage with spikes emerged around the platform. "For your next two turns," Miki explained, "no monsters on the field can attack. At the end of your second turn, this cage will then be destroyed."

"Buying yourself some time, I see," observed Shigeo. "But alas, I'm afraid it'll do you little good."

"We'll soon see," said Miki. "For the time being, I end my turn."

Chuckling, Shigeo drew another card. "How very sweet things seem to be going for me!" he exclaimed. "Now, I summon the enigmatic Strike Ninja (ATK 1700, DEF 1200)!" And then, in a cloud of black smoke, a ninja dressed in black and red clothes appeared, wielding two kunai in hand. "And then, since I can do little else, I end my turn!"

_That's the first turn for the Nightmare's Steelcage…gotta do something, quick!_ Miki thought frantically as she drew another card. But when she saw what it was—her heart skipped a beat.

"Yes!" she cried. "Now, I summon…a second Marauding Captain to the field!"

In a moment she had two Marauding Captain twins together on the field. "Marauding Captain's effect says that as long as he's on the field, you cannot select another Warrior-type monster of mine as an attack target," Miki explained, smiling sweetly. "And since I have two of these guys on the field, that means you can't attack me at all! And now…I end my turn."

Shigeo frowned a bit, but nodded. "Very, very good," he congratulated her. "So, even after your Nightmare's Steelcage vanishes, I still won't be able to attack you. But…I'll break through your defense if it's the last thing I do!"

"I'd like to see you try," Miki mocked him.

Calmly, Shigeo drew another card. "How interesting, indeed…yes, how interesting." He looked up. "I'll set one card facedown, and that'll end my turn for the time being."

At last the Nightmare's Steelcage vanished from the field, and Miki drew another card. The card she held was, to her surprise, Blade Knight (ATK 1600, DEF 1000)! _This is the very card I got from Yugo!_ she thought happily. _Time to see what it can do!_

"Now, I summon Blade Knight to the field!" Then she brought forth a white-armored warrior with a diamond shield on one arm and a one-edged sword in one hand. Yugo saw this and grinned. _Way to go, Miki!_

Suddenly, as Shigeo watched, Blade Knight's ATK shot up by 400 points to put him at 2000! "If I have one card or less in my hand—and in this case, I don't have any—Blade Knight's effect increases his ATK by 400 points," said Miki. "Now, Blade Knight, attack and destroy the Strike Ninja!"

Blade Knight dashed forward and lunged at Strike Ninja with his sword. But suddenly Shigeo called out, "I activate my trap card, Draining Shield, to stop your monster's attack and increase my life points by an amount equal to his ATK points!"

Suddenly, before Blade Knight's sword could connect with Strike Ninja's head, a large, transparent shield appeared, protecting the ninja and at the same time halting the sword's deadly path. To Miki's consternation, too, Shigeo's life points shot up by 2000 points, putting him at 8300!

"Looks like this duel's at something of a standstill, dear girl," Shigeo commented. "Your monsters' combined effects prevent me from attacking you and finishing this now, and my life points and monsters' ATK are too high for you to wipe me out completely. Guess you'll have to think of something better than just attacking me blindly, don't you think so?"

"Yeah…I guess you've got a point there." Miki sighed. "All right. I end my turn."

Miki's life points were still at a somewhat low 2800, but Shigeo's were now up to 8300. She had her two Marauding Captains and her Blade Knight together on the field; he had Gilford the Lightning and Strike Ninja. She no longer had any cards left in her hand, and neither did he.

Jenna was becoming increasingly worried now. "Well, at least Miki's two Marauding Captains are keeping her safe," she remarked, "but what's going to happen if Shigeo somehow finds a way to break through that line of defense? What then?"

Yugo chuckled and shook his head. "Have a little faith, Jenna," he counseled. "Miki's learned a lot from the duels she's witnessed and her own first duel with Marcus. I believe she'll find a way to pull through."

But now Shigeo drew his next card. He then grinned. "Ah – now things are getting sweeter and sweeter by the second!" he exclaimed with a smirk. "Now I equip Strike Ninja with the Magic card, Fuhma Shuriken, to increase his ATK by 700 points!"

Immediately on Strike Ninja's belt appeared seven throwing stars, even as his ATK shot up to 2400. "And I'll end my turn…for the present." Shigeo chuckled with feeling.

On the sidelines, Wade was getting impatient. "While Miki stalls, ninja-boy makes his monsters more powerful," he complained. "Isn't there something she can do?"

Blaze, sitting back in her chair with arms folded, just smiled. "Good things come to those who wait."

Miki drew another card—and looking at this one, she was fairly surprised. _I didn't expect I'd get this card…now all I need is to get the other card that goes with this, and I'm all set!_ "I'll shift all my monsters into Defense Mode, just to be safe, and then I'll end my turn."

"Smart move," Luke remarked to Miriam. "You never can tell what'll happen – maybe one of her Marauding Captains will be destroyed by a card effect, in which case she'll be open to attack. At least, with this she'll be able to protect her life points, even for a time."

"Yeah, I guess," agreed Miriam. "But as far as I can see, it'll take a massive miracle for her to win at this point."

Malachi glanced sideways at that, but said nothing.

Now Shigeo drew his next card. "Hmmm…I guess I should put this card facedown. Sure, I'll do that." And he did, setting it in the magic/trap slot. "Now I end my turn. Your move."

_That card he just set…could it be a trap?_ Miki thought worriedly. _Well…I suppose I'll have to take that chance._

Then she drew another card, and since she had two cards in her hand, Blade Knight's ATK went back down to 1600. Then she examined the card she'd just drawn. _A good card…but something tells me maybe I should hold onto it until I get that particular card I'm looking for. _"I'll end my turn now!" she announced.

Shigeo drew again. "All right! I summon Hayabusa Knight (ATK 1000, DEF 700) in Attack Mode!" He then summoned a bird-faced warrior wielding a sharp-looking katana blade. "And then I'll end my turn for the present."

Miki was starting to get suspicious. _What on earth is he really up to? Could it be that he's baiting me to attack him? Well, sorry, Shigeo, but I'm not biting!_

Then she drew her next card and examined it closely. "I'll activate another Magic card – a second Reinforcement of the Army! You don't need me to remind you of what it does, do you?" she asked as she played the card.

"No, I remember what it does," acknowledged Shigeo. "You move one Level 4 or lower Warrior-type monster from your deck to your hand, then shuffle your deck."

"Good! Then you know that I'm going to go for a really good monster this time around!" Miki searched her deck…and then found what she was looking for. "Now, the monster I choose is Gearfried the Iron Knight (ATK 1800, DEF 1600)!" Then she added the card to her hand and shuffled her deck.

Shigeo chuckled as he watched her. _I have a feeling she's going to try and summon that monster…_

Then Miki held up the card. "I summon Gearfried to the field, in Attack Mode!" And she summoned a massive warrior made entirely out of metal, with a shield on either arm.

Then Miki looked at the two remaining cards in her hand and picked one of them. "And now," she said, very softly, "I'm going to do something that I'd probably only do as a last resort. I'll activate the magic of Release Restraint!"

"Release Restraint?" Yugo asked, puzzled.

Jenna's face was grave. "Gearfried the Iron Knight was one of my dad's favorite monsters," she revealed. "His effect says that you can't equip any Equip card on him – it'll be automatically destroyed. However, if you play Release Restraint while he's on the field, something happens…"

Suddenly, to Shigeo's surprise, Gearfried's metal armor began to crack. Then…it splintered in several places. Gearfried grunted, bracing himself – then suddenly let out a yell and thrust his arms to the side. To everyone's shock, the whole of his armor broke off into small, splintered pieces!

"WHOA!" Kyo exclaimed.

Now, standing in Gearfried's place was a tall, muscle-bound man with long green hair, wielding a massive sword of light in both hands. "Say hello to Gearfried the Iron Knight's true form, Shigeo…this is Gearfried the Swordmaster (ATK 2600, DEF 2200)!" announced Miki. "All that armor he was wearing a while ago was just to tone down on his full power. Legend has it that long ago, he was such a mighty warrior even mountains fell when he swung his sword even once. So, he crafted that armor to give all his opponents a more fair fight. But when that armor is gone…"

"That's all well and good," Shigeo interrupted her, "but I'm seeing immediately that that guy could be a rival for my Gilford the Lightning. So, now's as good a time as any to activate my trap card – Ninjitsu Art of Decoy!"

Shigeo's trap was finally flipped face-up. "I could only activate this card by selecting one monster on my side of the field – and especially one that happens to be a ninja," he explained. "So, I chose my Strike Ninja. Now, as long as this card stays on the field, my Strike Ninja will not be destroyed as a result of battle."

Miki smiled, very faintly. "Then if that's the case," she said quietly, "I guess I'll put all my monsters on the field in Attack Mode!" And she did just that – both of her Marauding Captains and her Blade Knight, whose ATK shot back to 2000 because she had one card left in her hand.

Then the girl held up the last card in her hand for Shigeo to see. "Now, I'm going to equip Gearfried the Swordmaster with something that'll make him even more powerful than ever before," she announced. "I activate the magic of United We Stand!"

"Huh?" Yugo was goggle-eyed when he heard this.

"I've heard of that card," said Kyo. "Jenna, did you…?"

Jenna shook her head. "I never gave her that card – I was thinking one of you did," she admitted.

"Wow…who would've thought Miki had such a powerful card in her deck," said Yugo, his voice filled with wonder.

Miki then equipped the United We Stand magic card to Gearfried. "When a monster is equipped with this card, his ATK and DEF are both increased by 800 times the number of monsters that I control on the field. So, I currently have four monsters on the field, and that means Gearfried's ATK will increase to 5800, and his DEF will go to 5400. And plus…whenever Gearfried the Swordmaster gets equipped with an Equip card, his power destroys one monster on my opponent's side of the field!"

Shigeo's face turned white when he heard this. "Oh, holy mother of…!"

Gearfried promptly raised his shining sword, and with one swift stroke he'd removed Strike Ninja's head from his shoulders. "Not even your Ninjitsu Art of Decoy could deflect that, because it was a card effect and not an attack," explained Miki.

Suddenly, to her surprise, the Fuhma Shuriken that the Strike Ninja had been wielding flew out toward Miki, piercing her skin and causing her life points to drop down to 2100. "Heh-heh-heh…when Fuhma Shuriken is sent from the field to the Graveyard, it inflicts 700 points of damage to my opponent," said Shigeo.

"But now Gearfried's ready to attack!" countered Miki. "Go, Gearfried the Swordmaster—destroy Gilford the Lightning!"

Again Gearfried raised his sword, this time slicing Gilford cleanly in two. Shigeo's life points went down to 5300.

"I can still attack you! Go now, my first Marauding Captain – attack and destroy the Hayabusa Knight!" Miki commanded. And the Maurauding Captain did just that – carving up the Hayabusa Knight and reducing Shigeo's life points to 5100. Then, Blade Knight and the second Marauding Captain could dash forward and attack directly, bringing Shigeo all the way to 1900.

"You see?" Mr. Devlin said cheerfully. "Miki will definitely get through this – you just have to put a little faith in her ability."

Mrs. Taylor nodded. "Yeah."

"Still, she's got a ways to go," Pegasus reminded them. "This duel is still on."

Now Miki had 2100 life points and Shigeo had 1900. Again, neither had any cards in hand. On the field Miki had her two Marauding Captains, her Blade Knight, and her Gearfried the Swordmaster equipped with the United We Stand magic card; Shigeo only had his Ninjitsu Art of Decoy trap card, now on the field meaninglessly after Strike Ninja's destruction.

"Hah, hah…truly, your skill is commendable," Shigeo remarked. "You truly have some powerful creatures at your disposal."

"Yeah…so do you," Miki nodded.

Shigeo then drew his card and looked at it carefully. Then he sighed. "It would do me no good at this point to play this card – you'd still beat me, anyway. And besides, a real warrior knows when to admit defeat, whether he is a knight or a ninja. So…I surrender this match. You win." And with that said, he placed his hand over his deck and gave up.

"But, wait! Why would I have won? Wouldn't that card you just drew have helped you?" asked Miki, somewhat bewildered.

"At this point? No." And Shigeo held up the card for her to see – it was a second Ninjitsu Art of Transformation trap card. "But you…you have a well-balanced deck. I believe it'll take you all the way to the top. Maybe not to the top of this tournament, but…you'll make it big someday. I can see it."

Miki blushed and smiled. "Yeah…you, too. Say…let's have a duel again sometime, you and I."

"I look forward to it." Shigeo nodded, then turned and walked off.

"All right!" Mr. Devlin announced to the spectators. "This duel is over! Winner by submission: Miki Taylor!"

The crowds began cheering again; Miki blushed some more as she headed back to her seat. Mrs. Taylor looked down at her and smiled. "My baby girl's come a long way, indeed," she sighed.

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**_neomage:_** It was rather lengthy for me to find suitable cards to make into a deck for Shigeo, but I think it turned out pretty well! Okay, the next duel's coming up immediately, so keep reading and reviewing, everyone! Many thanks!

UPDATED 08/08/2005: Had to go back and adjust this chapter after getting some correct information on Ninjitsu Art of Decoy's effect. I think you won't mind the small change so much. Happy reading!

UPDATED 09/08/2005: I made a very serious mistake in uploading my chapters yesterday. In attempting to replace info in Chapter 44, I accidentally erased everything in Chapter 47. Well, you'll see me ranting and raving in that chapter, and the chapter itself will be rewritten and reworked promptly. I'm so sorry for the mix-up and I only hope that I can get it corrected before anybody can see the error. Sorry once again!


	45. Chapter 45

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: neomage owns nothing but this story.)

**CHAPTER 45**

INTERCONTINENTAL DUEL DOME

Miki walked back to her seat, only to be met upon by her friends. "Nice going, Miki! You won that duel!" Jenna exclaimed, hugging her cousin tightly around the neck.

"I never doubted you for a minute," Yugo remarked.

Kyo adjusted his glasses and smiled. "You did real good, Miki. We're all proud of you."

"Yeah…thanks, you guys," said Miki quietly.

"All right, everyone!" Mr. Devlin announced. "The next match is Jenna Wheeler vs. Blaze Redman!"

Jenna jerked upon hearing that. "Sounds as if it's my turn to duel now," she commented.

"You can do it, Jenna. Just do your best, that's all." Yugo gave her a warm smile.

Nodding, Jenna readied her Duel-Disk and walked toward the platform. Watching this, Pegasus smiled. "Your daughter's gotten through, Taylor-girl…let's see how your niece does."

"Yeah, let's." Mrs. Taylor nodded in agreement.

Blaze sighed and got up from her seat. "Hey, do your best, all right?" Wade spoke to her.

"I always do." She shrugged as she walked toward the platform, readying her cards.

By and by both girls were facing each other. "Well, Jenna, it's a fight to go to the next round now," remarked Blaze. "But I find it fair to warn you, I don't intend to pull any punches."

"Neither will I." Jenna smirked.

Then the coin was tossed, and Blaze called it. "I call tails!" she exclaimed.

The coin landed – and it was heads. "Oh, well, can't always have what you want." Blaze shrugged it off. "Go ahead, Jenna, you get first turn."

"Right!"

Both girls drew their cards, then as their life points were each set to 8000, they announced: _"Let's duel!"_

"This should be good," Flora remarked.

"Yeah. Whatever." Marcus still hadn't gotten over his loss.

Jenna went first, as agreed. "I summon Luster Dragon (ATK 1900, DEF 1600) in Attack Mode!" And a moment later her sapphire dragon appeared, growling. "Then I'll set a card facedown, and end my turn."

Blaze drew her card. "I'll set one card facedown, and then I'll summon Fox Fire (ATK 300, DEF 200) in Attack Mode!" Then the cute fox with the flame burning on the tip of its tail appeared.

"AWWW MAAAAAN! Why'd you have to make me fight such a cute little thing like him!" Jenna pouted.

"Tough," said Blaze. "If you can't get rid of that affection for just this battle, then I'm afraid you'll lose."

Jenna steeled herself and drew another card. "Well, fine, then! I summon Spirit Ryu (ATK 1000, DEF 1000) in Attack Mode!" Then her spirit dragon appeared. "Attack Fox Fire!"

Spirit Ryu flew forward – and then Jenna quickly discarded a card from her hand. "By discarding one Dragon-type monster from my hand during the Battle Step, I can increase Spirit Ryu's ATK and DEF by 1000 points until the end of this turn!"

But then Blaze cackled. "Wrong move, Jenna! I activate my trap card, Backfire!"

Suddenly, as Spirit Ryu struck Fox Fire and sent it to the Graveyard, and as Blaze lost 1700 life points to leave her with 6300, Jenna was shocked to see a blast of fire coming from her opponent's trap card! It struck her in the chest, and she grimaced as the burning counterattack brought her down to 7500!

"I hope you remember what Backfire does," said Blaze, now smiling. "As long as this card stays on the field, when a Fire monster on my side of the field is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, 500 points of damage are inflicted to my opponent's life points."

"Yeah, I haven't forgotten," said Jenna. "But even so, your life points are, like, wide open for a direct attack! Luster Dragon, attack directly!" And Luster Dragon did just that – flying forward and striking Blaze with its hard wing, bringing her down even further to 4400.

"And with that, I'll end my turn." Jenna sounded smug.

Just then, Fox Fire returned from the Graveyard to Blaze's side of the field in Defense Mode. "Oh, yeah, I'd almost forgotten about that, too," said Jenna, hearts in her eyes. "When Fox Fire is destroyed in battle while face-up, then it'll be Special Summoned to the field at the end of that turn! Oh, such a cuite!"

Yugo and Kyo put a hand over their faces. "Oh, brother."

Suddenly a massive fist left them both nursing swollen lumps. "Never say anything bad about girls' taste for cute animals again. You hear me?" Miki said threateningly, storm clouds over her head.

The boys nodded quickly. To do anything else would be suicide.

"You're confident, aren't you?" remarked Blaze as she drew her next card. "Well, let's see how well you can take the heat when I tribute both of your monsters to Special Summon my powerful Lava Golem (ATK 3000, DEF 2500) to the field!"

Just then, to Jenna's shock, suddenly both her Spirit Ryu and her Luster Dragon disappeared, and in their place was the gigantic being of pure lava – with her locked in the cage suspended from its neck! "Oh, damn it all!" Jenna cursed.

"Well, at least you have a powerful monster now," said Blaze calmly. "Too bad it'll drain your life points by 1000 every Standby Phase you control it. Well, I'll just set two more cards facedown, and end my turn."

Jenna drew her next card – and winced in pain as Lava Golem's heat sucked away at her life points, leaving her with 6500. "Grrr…well, then, I guess I'll just have to grin and bear it! I now summon Red-Eyes Black Chick (ATK 800, DEF 500) to the field!" And then she summoned the baby Red-Eyes, still inside of its egg.

"Oh-ho-ho…I see what you think you're going to do," said Blaze. "You think you're going to attack and destroy Fox Fire using that Red-Eyes Black Chick, then attack my life points directly using my own Lava Golem…right?"

Jenna paused, suddenly uncertain.

"Or…maybe you're contemplating if you should, because of my facedown cards," continued Blaze. "If that's the case, let me put your mind at ease – somewhat! For now I activate my trap card, Ring of Destruction!"

The first of her two facedown cards flipped face-up, and an iron collar with flames blowing out of it suddenly locked itself around Lava Golem's neck. "When that Ring of Destruction explodes," said Blaze, chuckling, "it'll inflict damage to both of us equal to the monster's ATK. But unfortunately for you, for this duel you'll be the only one who gets any damage done!"

"What're you talking about?" a stunned Jenna asked.

"I'm going to activate my other trap card, Barrel Behind the Door! This inflicts any effect damage that I would normally get to your life points instead!" explained Blaze. "So, in this case, if normally Ring of Destruction would give both of us equal damage, then Barrel Behind the Door makes it so that YOU get all the damage that I would get, plus what you'll be getting already!"

"No!" Jenna screamed, realizing the circumstances.

"No way! That's too much!" Yugo yelled out.

"That's barbaric!" Kyo agreed.

"I told you I wasn't going to pull any punches," Blaze said with a smirk. "I intend to win, and that's what I came here to do! And nobody's going to tell me otherwise! Now, Barrel Behind the Door – activate!"

All at once the Ring of Destruction exploded, destroying Lava Golem. Jenna grunted in agony as 3000 points of damage were done to her, leaving her with 3500. Then, the Barrel Behind the Door – which was revealed to be a gun barrel – blasted a massive ball of fire at her as Lava Golem's cage broke and released her; and she took the hit straight in the stomach, losing another 3000 life points to leave her with a measly 500. The last hit sent her sailing somewhat, and she landed hard on the ground.

"Jenna, no!" Miki wailed.

Painfully, Jenna got back up, very slowly. Blaze was looking at her nails in a bored manner. "It _is_ still your turn, honeybunch," she said. "Of course, I would be careful about attacking my Fox Fire if I were you – my Backfire trap card is still in effect, and if you attack and destroy the fox now, you'll lose what's left of your life points. And you really don't want that, now do you?"

Jenna winced as that bit of detail sunk in. "Damn…"

On the sidelines, Miriam was watching the duel with great interest. "Gee…that Blaze Redman character sure is brutal, isn't she? I mean, in just the first few turns she's already gotten ahead in terms of life points. She could be a worthy opponent, if I happen to face her later on…"

Malachi still stood with his arms folded. "Hmph. 'Haste makes waste.'"

David cringed. "God, I hate when he speaks proverbs," he whispered.

"Don't let him hear you say that – ever," Luke hissed. "Besides, he's very likely saying something of utter importance. Pay attention and imbibe it in your mind."

Back on the platform Jenna shook her head. "I…I can't take that chance. I'll just end my turn, then."

On the scoreboard, Blaze had 4400 life points, while Jenna was struggling along with a mere 500. Blaze had two cards left in her hand, while Jenna had four. On the field Blaze had her Fox Fire in Defense Mode and her Backfire trap card very active; Jenna had her Red-Eyes Black Chick in Attack Mode and one card facedown.

"This must be the battle of the babies," Shigeo chuckled. He was already back at his seat and watching the duel with great interest.

Behind him, Seta also smirked. "How will Jenna work her way out of this mess?"

Blaze took her turn, drawing a card. "Hmmm…now I'll just set a card facedown and then end my turn. So, tell me, Jenna, have you thought about how you're going to get out of this situation yet?"

"Well…there's only one way that I can see!" Jenna smirked again as she drew her card. "First things first! I'll offer my Red-Eyes Black Chick as a tribute to summon my Luster Dragon #2 (ATK 2400, DEF 1400)!" And then she summoned a massive dragon made entirely of emerald, a beautiful sight to see.

"Oh…" Mrs. Taylor couldn't help but gaze at it in wonder. "It's so beautiful!"

"Yeah, but how is she going to get out of this?" Mr. Devlin wondered. "I mean, one attack to that Fox Fire could wipe out Jenna's life points completely because of that Backfire trap card. What then?"

"Never underestimate the ability to improvise and think on one's feet, Devlin-boy," said Pegasus, and he chuckled.

Jenna seemed to think so, too. "Blaze…you really have a knack for underestimating people, you know that?" she said softly. "You knocked down my life points in one giant go, but guess what – I can do the exact same thing!"

"And how do you plan to do that?" scoffed Blaze.

Whereupon Jenna held up the remaining four cards in her hand. "Allow me to show you! First, I'll activate my trap card, Call of the Haunted, to revive my original Luster Dragon to the field!"

In a moment, the sapphire dragon arose from the tombstones that seemed to appear out of nowhere. Then Jenna selected one card from her four and activated it. "And now I activate the power of a very special magic card, a card I got courtesy of my mother's original deck stash…say hello to the power of my Harpie's Feather Duster!"

Blaze stared in astonishment. "But – that'll destroy all the cards in my magic/trap slot!"

"Perfectly right! Because Harpie's Feather Duster destroys every Magic and Trap card on my opponent's side of the field!" Jenna replied, grinning.

A massive feather duster resembling a bird's wing appeared and, to Blaze's chagrin, brushed the Backfire trap card and Blaze's facedown card off the field. Then Jenna held up the last three cards in her hand.

"Now…I activate the magic of Polymerization! I'll use this to fuse together two monsters in my hand – my Red-Eyes Black Dragon (ATK 2400, DEF 2000) and my Summoned Skull (ATK 2500, DEF 1200) to form a completely new creature: my Black Skull Dragon (ATK 3200, DEF 2500)!"

Images of the Red-Eyes Black Dragon and the Summoned Skull appeared on the field for a moment, then were merged together into one creature. The metamorphosis was slow, deliberate…and when it ended, the new creature looked like a Summoned Skull with the Red-Eyes Black Dragon's wings and a beak just like said dragon's. "Quite a strong force I've got here, wouldn't you say?" Jenna asked, grinning.

Blaze took a step back, her eyes widening in shock. "Um, Jenna…let's talk about this…what I did with the Lava Golem, and the Ring of Destruction, and the Barrel Behind the Door – that wasn't personal, none of it was!"

"Well, neither is this!" said Jenna, her grin getting even bigger. "Okay, Luster Dragon, destroy Fox Fire! Sapphire Wing!"

Luster Dragon flew toward Fox Fire and slashed into it with one of its wings, and the little fox was killed – again. "Sorry about that," said Jenna, "but there can only be one winner of this duel! Luster Dragon #2, it's your turn! Emerald Headbutt!"

Much bigger than the Luster Dragon, Luster Dragon #2 flew forward with its head down, hitting Blaze straight in the chest and knocking her life points to 2000. "And now, Black Skull Dragon, finish it with Inferno Skull Fire!" Jenna ordered. And the monster did just that: charging up a ball of intense flame in its mouth, it then fired it at Blaze, engulfing her side of the field and reducing her life points completely to 0.

"We have a winner!" Mr. Devlin called out. "And the winner is – Jenna Wheeler!"

Pegasus chuckled. "Like father, like daughter, indeed," he commented. "Jenna sure can use that Red-Eyes Black Dragon in many ways, just like her father used to do."

Blaze slowly got up and shook her head. "Incredible…such a spectacular finish," she breathed. "Yugo's the only other person to give such a grand performance…well, you win this one, Jenna. I admit my loss…this time. But the next time we duel, things are gonna be different!"

Jenna rubbed her upper lip with one finger and laughed. "We'll just have to see, won't we?"

On the sidelines, Miriam smirked. "Looks like I was wrong," she said quietly. "That Jenna girl…she gives a stellar performance."

"Yeah, she's okay, I guess," David said grudgingly.

"Better than okay. Did you see how she brought out that massive creature to the field?" asked Luke, speaking in reference to the Black Skull Dragon.

Malachi, still with arms folded, made a rude noise with his teeth. "I don't give a shit about her, or about any of the other competitors," he stated flatly. "All I want to see…is how that Seta Kaiba person duels…"

"Next duel is Flora Green vs. Wade Ocean! Duelists, please step up to the platform!" Mr. Devlin bellowed.

Wade stretched and yawned. "About time."

Flora patted Marcus's shoulder. "Well, looks like it's time for my duel," she remarked. "I'm definitely gonna do my best."

"Yeah." Marcus nodded slightly.

With their resolutions made, Wade and Flora made their way to the platform even as Jenna and Blaze were leaving. "Hey, Blaze," Wade accosted the redhead, "don't feel too badly. You played a really fine game there."

"Yeah, thanks…I suppose." Blaze smiled a little.

And Flora spoke to Jenna. "Job well done. Keep it up in the next round, all right?"

Jenna smiled broadly. "Thanks a lot. I'll definitely do that."

Then Wade and Flora turned to face each other. At once the spectators, familiar with these two famous duelists, started cheering like crazy.

"Hear those fans, Flora? Let's give them a good show, what do you say?" said Wade.

"My sentiments exactly," said Flora. "That is, if you don't mind getting your butt handed to you."

Wade grinned and readied his Duel-Disk. "Show me what you've got!"

----------

**_neomage:_** This is as much a reassurance not to myself as it is to those of you who MIGHT – emphasis on MIGHT – be disappointed with the shortness of these duels of late. A lot of the duels I've played on the GBA and in real life have been as short, but have also been suspense-filled and just as exciting as the longer duels for certain. A few of the upcoming duels will be as drawn-out as before, some will be as short as one chapter as you've seen, and all will be filled with surprises and excitement! So, thank you for your patience so far and please continue to support this story!


	46. Chapter 46

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: I've said I don't own the original story 45 times so far, and this makes the 46th time. Figure it out.)

**CHAPTER 46**

INTERCONTINENTAL DUEL DOME

The coin was flipped. "Heads!" Wade exclaimed. Then the coin landed…and it was heads.

"All right…good luck, Wade," Flora smiled brightly at him.

"And back at you, Flora!" Wade then drew his first five cards, drawing the sixth after a moment. "Cool! Well, to start things off, I'll kindly set one monster facedown, and end my turn."

Flora drew her card. "I summon Neo Bug (ATK 1800, DEF 1700) to the field!" She then summoned her bug creature, ready to do battle. "Attack and destroy that facedown monster!"

But when the Neo Bug's stinger flipped the monster face-up, it turned out to be the Nightmare Penguin (ATK 900, DEF 1800). "Sorry, but when Nightmare Penguin's flipped face-up, I can return one card on the field to the owner's hand," said Wade warmly. "And that card will be your Neo Bug."

Somewhat disappointed, Flora took back Neo Bug into her hand. "Okay, fine then," she grumbled. "Then I'll set one card facedown, and end my turn."

Wade drew his next card, and seemed especially pleased at what it was. "Now, this is a fine day to get a card like this!" he remarked. "Now, I'll activate the field magic of Umi!"

Suddenly, a flood of water covered the area; and even though it was holographic, it still felt quite wet to both players. "You're still using that card, Wade?" Flora asked in utter bewilderment.

"Of course – or else I wouldn't be a Water duelist, would I?" Wade asked, grinning. "Now, allow me to tell you something about my Nightmare Penguin. As long as it stays face-up on the field, the ATK of all Water monsters on my side of the field is increased by 200 points. Add that to Umi's effect of increasing the ATK and DEF of all Fish, Sea Serpent, Thunder and Aqua-type monsters by 200 points, and, well, just look at his stats…"

Flora looked, and her jaw dropped. Nightmare Penguin's ATK and DEF were increased to 1100 and 2000 by Umi's effect; plus, its own effect increased its ATK further to 1300! "This is very, very bad," she muttered to herself.

"And that's just for starters!" Wade added. "For I'm going to summon my Enchanting Mermaid (ATK 1200, DEF 900) in Attack Mode!" And he summoned his mermaid, her ATK and DEF increasing to 1400 and 1100 by Umi, and her ATK then going further to 1600 by Nightmare Penguin's effect. "Attack Flora's life points directly!"

But as the Enchanting Mermaid prepared to sing her song, Flora shook her head. "I'm afraid not! I activate my trap card, Mirror Force, to destroy your monster!"

A massive force field appeared in front of Flora, reflecting the Enchanting Mermaid's own song back at her. The sonic waves ripped through the mermaid, utterly destroying her; fortunately for Wade, however, because Nightmare Penguin was still in Defense Mode, it was unaffected.

"Damn – and I was so close, too," Wade pouted. "Oh, never mind, then. I'll just end my turn."

Flora smirked as she drew her next card. Then she looked up at Wade, looking him square in the eye. "Oh, Wade, darling," she said, ever so sweetly. "I'm afraid it's time for you to get the boot out of this tournament! To begin that process, I'll activate the magic of the Javelin Beetle Pact! This will summon a Ritual monster to the field that will utterly crush your Penguin!"

Wade stared at her in amazement. "Okaaaay…"

"To summon this creature, I need to offer monsters whose total level stars equal 8 or more, either from my hand or my side of the field," said Flora. "And I'll offer two Level 4 monsters from my hand to Special Summon the powerful Javelin Beetle (ATK 2450, DEF 2550)!" And then she summoned a massive blue beetle that stood on its hind legs, wielding a large golden javelin in both hands.

"Then," Flora added, "I'll set one card facedown, and then summon my Insect Knight (ATK 1900, DEF 1500) to the field!" She played the last two cards in her hand, setting one facedown and summoning a beetle in shining armor. "Now, Javelin Beetle, attack and destroy the Nightmare Penguin!"

Javelin Beetle raised its weapon, then brought it crashing down on Nightmare Penguin's head, smashing the bird to pieces. Then, at Flora's command, Insect Knight dashed forward and sank its stinger into Wade's shoulder, reducing his life points to 6100.

"That has GOT to hurt!" Kyo cringed.

But Shigeo seemed to be impressed. "Wow…two duelists, in tune with nature…one who communes well with water, the other who communes well with forest life…do wonders never cease?"

Seta sighed. "You, friend, are thinking too much like a ninja now."

The score was Wade with 6100 life points, and Flora with an untouched 8000. She had no more cards in her hand, while he had four. Flora had her Javelin Beetle and Insect Knight in Attack Mode on the field, along with one facedown card; Wade had his Umi card active on the field, but nothing else.

Now Wade drew another card. "Now, then! I summon Gora Turtle (ATK 1100, DEF 1100)!" And then the little brown turtle appeared on the field. "As long as he's face-up on the field," Wade continued, "monsters with ATK equal to 1900 or more cannot attack! So, for the time being, I am safe."

"But you won't be able to attack me either," Flora pointed out.

"Not with monsters with ATK of 1900 or higher, I won't," Wade agreed. "But I've got other monsters at my disposal…"

"Well, in that case, now's as good a time as any to activate my trap card, DNA Surgery!" Flora announced, flipping her facedown card up. "And now, all monsters on the field will become Insect-types!"

Suddenly, to Wade's horror and disgust, his Gora Turtle transformed into a strange cross between a turtle and a cockroach! "Oh, Jesus!" he spat.

"Too bad, Wade," said Flora. "But if you've got a way to get rid of my trap card's effect, you're more than welcome to try it."

Wade shuddered in disgust. "Ugh…not right now, I don't. I end my turn."

Smiling now, Flora drew another card. "Ah – just the card I needed! All right…I'll now activate the magic card, Insect Barrier! This will prevent you from declaring an attack with any Insect-type monsters on your side of the field." She smiled even more at this. "Cruel, aren't I?"

"Can I just say this? You're really sweet and loveable when you're not dueling – and **_ONLY_** when you're not dueling!" Wade raged, losing his cool.

"Yeah, I've heard it before," said Flora. "So, do what you need to do."

Forcing himself to be calm again, Wade drew his next card. His eyes widened in amazement…then slowly his lips curved into a pleased grin. "Okay, now this is something wonderful!" he said happily. "Flora, your attempted defense was all well and good, but I'm afraid it won't be enough to stop me now!"

Flora looked at him, puzzled. "Whatever are you talking about?"

"Well, just watch!" Wade picked out one card and activated it. "I activate the field magic of a new card – A Legendary Ocean!"

All at once, large towers emerged from the waters and surrounded the players, and the water itself became even deeper. "This is the ocean of the famous lost city of Atlantis," Wade remarked, smiling broadly. "It downgrades the levels of all Water monsters in both our hands and on the field by one; and it also increases the ATK and DEF of all Water monsters by 200 points. And, other than that, its card name is treated as 'Umi.'"

"Um…okay…" Flora raised an eyebrow. "So?"

"So…watch this! I'll offer my Gora Turtle as a tribute to summon Levia-Dragon – Daedalus (ATK 2600, DEF 1500)!"

Gora Turtle disappeared, and in its place was Daedalus – although, because of DNA Surgery, it looked more like a caterpillar than a sea snake…but its ATK and DEF were still increased to 2800 and 1500 through the Legendary Ocean's power. "Normally, Daedalus is a Level 7 monster, thus needing two tributes," said Wade. "However, because of the power of the Legendary Ocean, its level is cut down by one, so it's essentially a Level 6 monster and needs only one tribute. And, since the Legendary Ocean is treated as Umi…"

Flora blinked…then remembered. "Uh-oh…!"

"Now, Levia-Dragon – Daedalus, activate your ability!" Wade ordered. "Suck up all the water and destroy everything on the field!"

Bending its head down, Daedalus began to suck up all the surrounding ocean into its mouth, until the area was completely dried up. Then, much to Flora's horror, the sea snake spewed out all of the water, washing away the DNA Surgery trap card, the Insect Barrier magic card, and both the Javelin Beetle and the Insect Knight!

"Ack! Not my beautiful bugs!" Flora cried.

"Sorry to say, but not everyone is a bug enthusiast like you," Wade told her. "Now, where was I? Oh, yes – I'll use the magic of Monster Reborn to bring back my Nightmare Penguin from his watery grave!"

In a moment the Nightmare Penguin was back in Attack Mode, and Wade had two cards left in his hand. Nightmare Penguin's own effect increased its ATK and that of Daedalus by 200, putting Daedalus back at 2800 and the Penguin itself to 1100.

"And then, I'll set one card facedown," added Wade, putting one more card facedown in the magic/trap slot. "And now, Nightmare Penguin, attack directly!"

Nighmare Penguin took off its top hat, holding the open end in Flora's direction. Suddenly, a blast of hailstones shot out and hit her all over, causing her to scream in pain and reducing her life points to 6900.

"All right, Levia-Dragon – Daedalus! Your turn!" Wade exclaimed.

Daedalus roared violently, then whisked its tail at Flora, roughly knocking her back and reducing her life points further to 4100. Flora stepped several steps backward, reeling from the blow.

"And now…I'll end my turn. Make your move," Wade smiled at her.

Now, Wade had 6100 life points; in his hand he had one card; and on the field he had Levia-Dragon – Daedalus, Nightmare Penguin, and one other card facedown. Flora had 4100 life points, absolutely nothing in her hand and nothing on the field, either.

"You're a hard hitter, Wade," Flora commented as she drew her card. "But let's see how well you like this! I now activate the power of Swords of Revealing Light, to paralyze your monsters for your next three turns!"

Three swords of light shot down from the sky and stood in front of Wade's monsters. He only chuckled. "I can wait, I guess," he remarked.

"Well, go ahead and wait," said Flora. "In three turns, I'll come back with a nice little counter-strategy against you. Just wait."

Wade drew another card. Again, his eyes widened when he saw what it was. "Nice try, but I'm afraid it won't be nearly good enough – again!" he announced. "First things first, I'll activate my second Umi card!"

Much to Flora's utter amazement, water once again covered the field. Then it hit her. "You wouldn't…!"

"If I intended to defeat you, then yes, I would!" Wade said meaningfully.

On the sidelines, Miki's eyes widened. "Is Wade actually going to use Daedalus's effect again?"

"Oh, so you saw it, too?" said Kyo, adjusting his glasses. "Boy, I gotta tell you, these duels are going by real hard and fast. Duelists are falling by the wayside like dominoes. Everybody's real eager to get the championship title for this tournament, and they don't care who gets in their way."

Elsewhere, Malachi was still standing with his arms folded, his eye twitching. Luke noticed this and beckoned to Miriam. "Oy, love, I think we might have a problem."

Miriam groaned when she looked at her brother. "Is it really getting so bad, Luke?"

"I'm afraid so," Luke nodded. His was an ominous expression that he now wore. "He's getting more and more impatient by the minute. And, at the same time, seeing all these spectacular performances by these other duelists, it's getting him real excited-like. And…you know better than anyone the kind of person he gets to be when he gets excited by anything."

Unconsciously, Miriam reached back and fingered the back of her neck. Luke flinched when she did this; she saw this and quickly pulled her hand away. "I was doing it again, wasn't I?" she asked guiltily.

"Ah…don't worry about it," Luke hastened to reassure her. "Right now, my major concern is Malachi…and the guy he's to duel soon."

Miriam sighed resignedly. "Well…you saw how interested he seemed in the skill of that boy, Seta Kaiba," she reminded Luke. "Seta's match is right after this one. If he loses, then maybe Malachi's excitement will cool a little…"

"But if it doesn't?" Luke prompted.

Miriam sighed again. "Then only God can save Malachi's opponent – and whoever he faces in the next round."

Oblivious to the conversation taking place right near him, Malachi had his eye on the dueling field. _Strong duelists…strong duelists all…_

Back on the field, Wade was snickering like crazy. "Well, time to go bye-bye!" he declared. "Daedalus, activate your effect again! Tribute Umi and wash away everything else on the field!"

Again Daedalus sucked up all the surrounding water, then blasted it out with the force of twenty fire hoses. Everything on the field got washed away by the raging water – even the Swords of Revealing Light – and again Flora was wide open for an attack.

"Now, then," said Wade, holding up the last card in his hand. "I'm going to Special Summon a monster from my hand by removing one Water monster in my Graveyard from play – come to the field, my Aqua Spirit (ATK 1600, DEF 1200)!"

From what was left of the water, the water spirit arose, ready to do battle. "Aqua Spirit, attack directly with Water Spell!" Wade commanded. And the Aqua Spirit raised her hand, a moment later summoning a stream of water from underground to lash Flora and reduce her life points to 2500.

"Now, finish it, Daedalus!" Wade ordered. And again Daedalus whisked its tail at Flora, knocking her down and reducing her life points to 0.

"That's the end of that duel!" Mr. Devlin called out. "Winner: Wade Ocean!"

The fans cheered for Wade; he waved to them as the holograms disappeared. Then he crossed the field to Flora, who was just picking herself up. "Not sore about losing, are you?" he asked, holding out his hand to her.

She looked up at him for a long moment – then she accepted his hand. "Even in such easy victory, you're still sportsmanlike," she remarked. "I like that."

The two of them walked off the platform together. "You guys did really great!" Miki exclaimed. "You played such a good game!"

"Even though I lost?" asked Flora.

"Never mind about that – the main point is that you have fun when you duel, right?" Miki pressed.

"Definitely!" Wade laughed and patted her on the head.

"All right…the next duel will be between Seta Kaiba and Honey Pegasus!" Mr. Devlin announced. "Will the duelists please go to the platform right away…?"

"Hmmm. This presents a bit of a problem," said Pegasus.

"What do you mean?" Mrs. Taylor asked, surprised.

"Well…it seems my daughter has a bit of a crush on Seta-boy," explained Pegasus. "So, will this hinder her ability to duel? Or will she even duel at all – will she quickly forfeit to avoid having to face him in a match?"

"Do you really think she'll do something like that – forfeit, I mean?" asked Mr. Devlin, in surprise.

"We'll just have to wait and see, won't we?" Pegasus chuckled.

Honey, meanwhile, appeared to be struggling with this same dilemma. "Oh, dear…" she whispered.

Raven noticed her predicament. "Bothered by the fact that you're his opponent, are you?" he questioned.

Honey blushed and looked away, unable to answer.

"Listen, sis," Raven said firmly. "That guy respects duelists who can hold their own in a good fight. Show him that you're a girl that doesn't need anybody to look out for her all the time, that you're a girl who can stand on her own two feet…and who's to tell? He just might give you the respect you're due. On the other hand, if you wimp out now, what'll he think of you?"

Honey slowly looked up. "Big brother…thanks."

As Raven looked on with approving eyes, Honey then got up and activated her Duel-Disk. _Seta, sweetheart…here I come!_

----------

**_neomage:_** Just three more duels left in the first round – and this upcoming duel between Honey and Seta is the first of the three! Lots more excitement to come, I promise!

UPDATED 15/11/2005: Made a slight adjustment to life point settings after re-reading this chapter again. Please, fans, continue to let me know where corrections need to be made! Thanks in advance!

UPDATED 29/11/2005: Changed Flora's Neo Bug to the Insect Knight partway in the story, just because it seemed more logical to me in order to match it up with Gora Turtle's effect – because Neo Bug could've attacked and destroyed Gora Turtle, and looking at the chapter, I thought to myself, why didn't it? Just a minor change, but it may answer some questions that some of you may have had! Enjoy


	47. Chapter 47

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: neomage doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**CHAPTER 47**

INTERCONTINENTAL DUEL DOME

Seta was waiting for Honey as she made her way to the platform. "So, ready to duel?" he questioned.

"Well…I'll do my best," she answered. "But honestly, I really wish I didn't have to duel you, Seta…"

"We'll just have to make the most of it, I suppose," replied Seta. He readied his Duel-Disk. "Are you ready now?"

Honey nodded as she activated her Duel-Disk. "Let's duel!"

The coin was flipped, and Honey called it. "I call heads!" she announced.

Then the coin landed – and indeed it was heads. "Okay! I'll go first, then!" Honey declared, a bright smile on her face.

On the sidelines, Malachi had his arms folded as usual – but he also had an eye on the duel. "Seta Kaiba…how well will you do…?" he wondered.

Yugo was thinking something else. "Shouldn't we have told Seta about Honey's deck strategy?" he asked.

"No." Kyo's voice was firm when he said this. "It's unethical to spoil someone's strategy to his or her opponent at any time before the match begins – it kills the suspense. Let Seta figure it out for himself – he's smart."

Honey drew her first card. "I'll set one monster in Defense Mode, and then I'll set one card facedown. Then I'll end my turn."

"Okay…" Seta drew his card. "I summon Divine Dragon Ragnarok (ATK 1500, DEF 1000) in Attack Mode!" And then a moment later the great dragon appeared on the field. "Attack her facedown monster!"

But when Ragnarok blasted a ball of lightning at the monster – a massive hand suddenly shot up and caught the attack, crushing it between its fingers! Naturally, Seta was dumbstruck. "HUH?"

"The monster you just attacked was my Dark Rabbit (ATK 1100, DEF 1500)," explained Honey, and just at that moment she revealed a deranged cartoon rabbit, grinning insanely. "His DEF was the same as your Ragnarok's ATK, so the attack was guarded against safely."

Seta shivered at the sight of the Dark Rabbit. "Creepy," he mused.

Honey drew her next card. "Now I activate my trap card, Non Aggression Area!" she said. "By discarding one card from my hand, I can prevent you from summoning any monsters next turn."

"Sheesh…that's harsh," said Miki, watching from the sidelines.

Raven, watching the duel with arms folded, chuckled. "Honey's not such a simple opponent, Seta," he remarked. "She's a lot more difficult than even I could ever admit."

Honey then looked at the four cards left in her hand. "It's time to introduce you to my special deck, Seta!" she announced. "And…I'll do that by paying 1000 life points to activate the magic of Toon World!"

As her life points went down to 7000, a large book with a cartoon castle popped up on the field. Honey then selected two more cards from her hand. "Next, I'll set one card facedown, and then I'll offer Dark Rabbit as a tribute to summon my Toon Summoned Skull (ATK 2500, DEF 1200)!"

Dark Rabbit disappeared from the field – and then in its place stood a comical version of the Summoned Skull, ready to fight. Seta chuckled when he saw this. "I see," he said. "So, you exclusively use Toon monsters, just like your father used to do…like father, like daughter."

"Maybe." Honey smiled. "Consider yourself lucky, Seta. My Toon monsters can't attack during the same turn that they're summoned, so…I'll end my turn for now."

Seta promptly drew another card. _Shit…I can't summon any monsters this turn, thanks to her Non Aggression Area trap card…_ Then he smirked. _But I can still play other cards onto the field!_

Aloud he announced, "All right, Honey! I'll set two cards facedown, and then I'll end my turn. Let's see what you'll do next, eh?"

Seta's life points were untouched at 8000, while Honey's were down to 7000. On her side of the field were the Toon World magic card, plus one facedown card and the Toon Summoned Skull in Attack Mode; on his side were Divine Dragon Ragnarok and two facedown cards. She had one card left in her hand; he had four.

"Mr. Pegasus, what do you think?" asked Mrs. Taylor. "Who's got a better chance of winning?"

"Hmmm…it's hard to say," admitted Pegasus. "Honey's Toon deck is certainly strong, but Seta is no pushover. Everyone knows he's got the Blue-Eyes White Dragon in his deck…it's just a matter of seeing how well they'll use their respective strategies now."

Honey drew another card. "Oh, how wonderful!" she cried. "All right, Seta – time to feel a little pain! I'll activate my facedown trap card, Call of the Haunted, to revive my Dark Rabbit to the field!"

A second later Dark Rabbit popped his head out of the ground, grinning idiotically. "And then," said Honey, "I'll summon Toon Mermaid (ATK 1400, DEF 1500)!" And she brought forth the mermaid with her bow and arrow, hiding inside the giant clam.

"And what's that supposed to do – frighten me?" asked Seta, humored. "I don't quite think so."

"Maybe not…but this will! I'll offer 500 life points for my Toon Summoned Skull to attack – directly!" said Honey.

The smile on Seta's face quickly disappeared. "What'd you say!"

As Honey's life points dropped further to 6500, Toon Summoned Skull slithered forward like a snake, right past the Divine Dragon Ragnarok and heading straight for Seta. Hitting him head-on, it knocked him back and carried his life points right down to 5500. "Oof!" Seta grunted as he landed on his back.

But, watching from the sidelines, Yugo noticed Honey visibly flinch when the hit connected. _She's really regretting that she has to duel against him, but she's got no choice in the matter…_ His focus then shifted to a fallen Seta. _Does he notice it, too…?_

Seta got back up after a moment. "Ouchie…that really smarted." Then he regarded Honey. "Hey, what's the matter?"

Honey had her head held down. "Forgive me…"

Seta stared in some surprise – then he understood. "Don't fret," he said. "This is a duel – things like this are bound to happen. Sometimes we do hurt the ones we love…but everything bounces back, in the end. Like me!"

To prove his point, he drew a card. "Now, I'll activate my facedown trap card, Jar of Greed, to draw another card!" And he drew a second card, so now he had six in his hand.

Then he examined the cards he was holding. "Okay! I'll now use the magic card Polymerization, to fuse together my Divine Dragon Ragnarok on the field and the Lord of Dragons (ATK 1200, DEF 1100) in my hand to form King Dragun (ATK 2400, DEF 1200)!"

Ragnarok and the Lord of Dragons were fused together, forming the massive half-man, half-dragon. "Now, King Dragun, attack and destroy Dark Rabbit!" commanded Seta.

But just then Honey shook her head, even as King Dragun prepared to strike. "Not a chance! I activate my trap card, Mirror Force, to reflect the attack!"

King Dragun fired a ball of flame from his palms at the Dark Rabbit – and suddenly a massive shield popped up and blocked the attack, sending it flying back at Seta's monster! To Seta's utter astonishment, King Dragun got hit and exploded!

"Damn!" Seta exclaimed.

"Sorry, but even a girl has to protect her monsters somehow," said Honey quietly.

Raven smirked. "Just like Honey…loves those toons a bit too much…"

"Wow…she certainly knows how to handle herself well," remarked Jenna.

"Sure, she does," agreed Yugo. "I should know – I found out firsthand how powerful her Toon monsters are. But still, Seta's not one to just give up. Let's find out how he plans to deal with this."

But it was now Honey's turn, and she drew a card to give her two in hand. "Okay! Now, Dark Rabbit, attack directly!"

But Seta had something else in mind. As he watched the Dark Rabbit bounding toward him, he announced, "Sorry, Honey, but I have other plans for my life points! I activate my own Mirror Force to destroy all of your monsters!" And he flipped over his remaining facedown card, creating a shield of his own!

"AAAGH! No!" Honey shrieked.

But it was too late now. Dark Rabbit ran _smack_ into the barrier and got thrown back violently by the shockwave. As it flew back, it hit Toon Mermaid and Toon Summoned Skull, destroying them in one go. "So much for your toons," said Seta.

But Honey would not be outdone. "Oh, really? Well, I activate my magic card, Premature Burial, to bring back my Toon Summoned Skull at a cost of 800 life points!" And as her life points went down to 5700, Toon Summoned Skull reappeared on the field, baring its fangs angrily. "Now…I'll end my turn."

"Protecting yourself…how smart." Seta chuckled.

Now Seta had 5500 life points, and Honey had 5700 – 200 points' difference. Seta had nothing on the field; Honey had Toon World, plus Toon Summoned Skull powered by Premature Burial. Again, Honey had one card in hand; Seta had four cards once more.

Seta drew his card, and then considered his hand. He smiled a big smile. "Now, then…I'll activate the magic of White Dragon Ritual, which requires a tribute of a Level 4 or higher monster on the field or in my hand to activate…and I'm offering my Rare Metal Dragon (ATK 2400, DEF 1200) from my hand to summon Paladin of White Dragon (ATK 1900, DEF 1200)!"

And as he activated the magic card and sent the Rare Metal Dragon card from his hand to the Graveyard, in the next movement he pulled the Ritual monster from his hand and placed it on the field. The holographic image showed the soldier riding on the white dragon's back.

"Paladin of White Dragon has a very powerful ability, you see," Seta said with a smirk. "I can offer him as a tribute to Special Summon my toughest monster from my deck – Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

Suddenly Paladin of White Dragon disappeared in a burst of sparks. The next thing Honey knew, the famous dragon was standing several feet in front of her, growling menacingly.

Raven's eyes widened when he saw this. _He wasn't planning on holding back to begin with! Honey…!_

Suddenly, the Blue-Eyes raised itself up and flew forward. Toon Summoned Skull moved to defend, and Honey cringed, instinctively closing her eyes and crossing her arms in front of her face as she waited for the blow to land. Then there was a loud THUMP as the Blue-Eyes landed, knocking the Toon Summoned Skull back a bit. Honey cringed even more as she felt the heat of its breath getting closer to her…

…and then the dragon growled softly. More correctly, it _purred._

Honey's eyes snapped open at that. "Huh?"

Looking up, she saw the Blue-Eyes White Dragon's head on the same level as her body. Its eyes seemed to be staring into her own…and she thought she could see a quiet gentleness in them. Then, slowly, the dragon reached forward and lightly rubbed its head against her side.

"What in the…" Yugo, Kyo, Jenna and Miki stared goggle-eyed at this bizarre scene. Raven, too, couldn't believe his eyes. He blinked.

"Okay, I must've had way too much sugar for breakfast this morning. I'm seeing things!" Raven rubbed his eyes hard and looked again.

"Relax," said Seta, smiling mischievously. "My Blue-Eyes has a nose for human emotions…and it senses what you've been feeling since the start of this duel. It won't hurt you just like that." He smirked. "And besides…when I use Paladin of White Dragon's effect to summon my Blue-Eyes, the Blue-Eyes can't attack in the same turn."

Initially surprised by the astonishing scene, Pegasus relaxed and grinned. _That boy's got a real sense of humor…almost like me._

Then Seta's smirk disappeared. "Okay, Blue-Eyes, that's enough of that! Come back here, now!"

Somewhat reluctantly, the Blue-Eyes flew back to Seta's side of the field, even as a bewildered Toon Summoned Skull looked on. Honey blushed. "Now, that wasn't so bad, was it?" Seta asked her, throwing her a wink.

Honey blushed some more. "Oh, Seta…you're such a FLIRT!"

Now Raven had steam hissing out of his ears. "Why, that no-good little son-of-a…how dare he hit on my sister without shame like that!"

Then Honey got serious again and drew another card. When she saw what it was, she smiled. "All right, Seta! Now I'm going to summon a monster that'll definitely tip the scales of this duel in my favor!"

"How do you mean?" asked Seta.

"First…I'll activate the magic card, Pot of Greed, and use its power to draw two cards!" And she drew her cards, giving her three in all. Then she looked at them and smiled some more.

"Next, I'll activate the magic card, Cost Down! By discarding one card from my hand, I can downgrade the levels of all monsters in my hand by two until the end of this turn. This, in effect, makes it easier for me to summon my higher-level monsters…and right now I'll offer my Toon Summoned Skull as a tribute to summon my best monster to the field – Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon (ATK 3000, DEF 2500)!"

Seta made a face. "What…?"

Toon Summoned Skull disappeared – and then, emerging in its place was a cute and cuddly version of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, showing off muscles as it attempted to look tough. "Did you think YOU were the only one with something related to the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Seta?" Honey giggled. "Nope!"

"Awww…he's so CUUUUTE!" Miki and Jenna squealed, hearts in their eyes.

"You're kidding, right?" Yugo asked.

Instantly they turned on him, the hearts in their eyes replaced by flames. "Did you say something?" they asked menacingly.

"Uh…no, no…nothing important…" Yugo gulped, sweat-dropping.

Kyo adjusted his glasses and sighed. "Poor guy…"

"Again, though, my Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon can't attack during the same turn it's summoned," said Honey. "So I end my turn now."

Seta drew his card, so he had three cards in his hand now. "Now, here's what I'm going to do! First, I'll activate my own Pot of Greed, to draw two more cards!" And he played the card, drawing two more so he had a total of four in his hand. Then he examined his hand and grinned. "Now…I'll activate the magic of Monster Reborn, to revive Paladin of White Dragon!"

Honey balked. "You're gonna use his effect again!"

"Right!" Seta smiled as Paladin of White Dragon returned to the field. "Now, I offer Paladin of White Dragon as a tribute to Special Summon another Blue-Eyes from my deck!"

A moment later another Blue-Eyes White Dragon was on his side of the field, roaring in rage. Then Seta held up one of the cards left in his hand. "Now…I'll use the magic card, Burst Stream of Destruction! As long as there is at least one Blue-Eyes face-up on my side of the field, this card destroys every monster on your side! The only downside is, I can't use any Blue-Eyes to attack in the same turn – but that won't matter soon!"

Suddenly, the two Blue-Eyes charged up energy in their mouths and blasted toward Honey's side of the field. She cringed as her Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon was obliterated, screaming in agony as it disappeared.

"And now…I'll play yet another magic card, Fusion Recovery!" continued Seta. "This card allows me to take back from my Graveyard to my hand one Polymerization card and one monster that was used in a Fusion Summon! And I choose…Divine Dragon Ragnarok!"

In a moment Seta had both cards in his hand again. "Now, I'll summon Divine Dragon Ragnarok!" And this he did. Then, ominously, he held up the Polymerization card. "And now…I'll fuse together the two Blue-Eyes on the field and the one in my hand to form Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon (ATK 4500, DEF 3800)!"

Yugo and the others stared in horror. "Is he nuts?" Yugo exclaimed.

Suddenly, the three Blue-Eyes were fused together, and a horrible howl could be heard as the Ultimate Dragon appeared in all its power. Seeing this, Malachi's eyes widened in amazement. _Whoa…such strength…!_

"Divine Dragon Ragnarok, attack directly!" Seta ordered. And the dragon did just that, lashing out at Honey and reducing her life points to 4200. Then – "Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, finish it now! Neutron Blast!"

Massive energy began to surge in the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon's three mouths. Then suddenly all three fired, releasing the energy into one gigantic blast. Honey winced and blocked, fully expecting to be knocked off the platform with the force of the attack.

She heard the blast as it careened toward her. She heard a loud explosion…but oddly enough, she didn't feel anything. "Wha…?"

Then she got the courage to look up…and what she saw astounded her.

Only several feet from where she stood, there was a massive ball of smoke rising from the ground. Then, in the smoke she saw three looming heads. One of them came forward slowly and nudged her side. Another gently rested itself on her shoulder. The third just hovered there, in front of her; timidly, she reached out and caressed the smooth flesh, and the dragon head growled softly.

Yugo and the others stared in disbelief. "Well, I'll be…" Kyo muttered.

Raven was so astonished, he fell out of his chair. "OK – I've definitely been taking too much sugar!" he grumbled.

"It's all right, Honey," Seta's voice reached Honey. "As powerful as my dragon is, it won't harm you. It never would."

Honey looked on in wonder, not even noticing that her life points were dropping to 0. "Seta…"

"Awww…isn't that cute?" Pegasus asked, smiling broadly.

"Uh…yeah…ahem. Winner: Seta Kaiba!" Mr. Devlin announced, and the crowds cheered.

As the holograms disappeared, Seta walked over to Honey. "You did pretty well," he remarked. "You'll make a great duelist one day."

Honey smiled a little. "That means so much…coming from you…"

"All right, that's enough of that!" Raven raced from where he'd been sitting and wedged himself in between Seta and Honey. "In case you haven't noticed, it's my turn to duel now!"

"Ah – right." Honey laughed sheepishly. Seta just rolled his eyes.

Not very far away, Malachi's eyes were wide, and his hands were trembling. _What…awesome…power…Seta…Kaiba…_

Miriam, David and Luke noticed his trembling. The same thought crossed their minds: _He's gotten excited, watching that duel…this isn't good!_

----------

**_neomage:_** Okay, here's what happened. In uploading a modified Chapter 44, I accidentally replaced Chapter 47, and ended up having to write it all over. Those of you who read the original version may read this again and note the changes, but at least the integral points of the chapter remain basically unchanged. So, once again, sorry for the mix-up, and please continue reading and enjoying this story!


	48. Chapter 48

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. Although it'd be nice if I did…mwa-ha-ha.)

**CHAPTER 48**

INTERCONTINENTAL DUEL DOME

"The next match will be between Raven Pegasus and Malachi Jordan! Duelists, please go to the platform at once!" Mr. Devlin announced.

Raven was already there, grinning his teeth off. "Watch me well, sis! I'll kick ass and head right into the next round for sure!" he called to Honey, who was just walking off the platform.

"Do your thing, bro!" she smiled at him.

Seta was long since back in his seat. "This should be fun to watch."

Malachi sighed. Still with his arms crossed, he walked up to the platform, and Raven smirked arrogantly at him. "Hey, buddy-boy," said Raven, "I hope you said your prayers, because I'm gonna stomp you into the ground twenty times over with my awesome deck! You'll just be a walk in the park!"

Malachi said nothing, but just stood there. Undaunted by his opponent's silence, Raven continued, "Nothing to say? I expect you must've gotten so scared, you forgot how to speak!" And he laughed out loud.

Then Malachi did speak. "There is a saying," he said quietly. "It goes like this: 'Empty vessels make the most noise.'"

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Raven asked, instantly cross.

"It means, you're a loudmouthed idiot who should know his place." Malachi didn't even bat an eyelash.

"That's it—you're goin' down, fool!" Raven snapped. "Nobody calls me an idiot and gets away with it!"

Mrs. Taylor looked very worried. "Pegasus, I'm concerned for your son," she confessed. "I'm getting a really bad feeling about this…"

"Don't be so concerned, Taylor-girl – the duel hasn't even begun yet," said Pegasus, smiling. "Raven may be arrogant, but he's got every right to be – he's got skills, after all."

The coin was flipped. "Heads!" Raven shouted.

The coin landed – it was heads. Malachi gave a sigh of resignation. "Whatever."

Raven drew his first card. "To begin, I'll summon D.D. Assailant (ATK 1700, DEF 1600) in Attack Mode!" And he summoned a warrior that was completely bandaged up and carrying a massive sword with a gigantic blade. "Then I'll end my turn."

Malachi drew one card. "Pft…I'll set one monster card facedown, and one other card facedown. Then I'll end my turn."

"Running away already, are we?" said Raven. "Then I'll take the initiative!"

He drew another card. "Now I'll summon D.D. Crazy Beast (ATK 1400, DEF 1400)!" A portal opened, and out stepped a massive red beast with wild-looking eyes. "Attack that facedown monster now!"

D.D. Crazy Beast rushed forward and slammed into the facedown monster. It was flipped face-up and revealed to be an owl creature. Instead of going to the Graveyard, however, it was removed from play!

"That is D.D. Crazy Beast's effect," said Raven, proud of himself. "Any monster it destroys in battle is removed from play."

"Hmph." Malachi shrugged. "Well, the monster you destroyed was An Owl of Luck (ATK 300, DEF 500). Its flip effect allows me to select one Field Magic card from my deck and place it on top of the deck. And the card I'm going for is…Necrovalley."

"Necrovalley?" Miki asked, puzzled. "Any ideas, guys?"

"I've never heard of it before," said Jenna.

"Nor have I," said Kyo.

Malachi searched through his deck, then found the card he was looking for. Holding it up so Raven could see what it was, he placed the card on top of his deck. "And so that's it."

"Uh-huh. And my D.D. Assailant is able to attack your life points directly!" Raven sneered. "Do it, D.D. Assailant!"

But just as D.D. Assailant was raising his massive sword, Malachi scoffed. "I activate the trap card, Nightmare Wheel."

Suddenly, out of nowhere, D.D. Assailant found himself trapped on a very massive wheel that happened to have fangs and red eyes on one side. "What is this?" Raven demanded.

"When I activate Nightmare Wheel, I select one monster on the field; and as long as the selected monster stays on the field, it cannot attack or change its battle position except by the effect of another card." Malachi's expression didn't change. "In addition, during each of your Standby Phases, Nightmare Wheel will inflict 500 points of damage to your life points."

"Damn!" Raven snapped.

"Boy, I almost feel sorry for that guy." David smirked. "But he should've known from the start, nobody – and I mean nobody – can touch the boss's life points."

Yugo overheard that. "Excuse me? What did you just say?"

"I said, nobody can touch the boss's life points," David repeated. "In all the years he's been dueling, absolutely nobody has ever been able to even scratch the boss's life points – not even by 50 points. So, to that guy, I say good luck trying."

Malachi drew his next card, which everyone already knew was Necrovalley. "And now…time to activate the power of Necrovalley." He played the card.

Suddenly, an eerie-looking valley appeared, engulfing the entire field. On the rock surfaces on either side, Raven shivered when he saw a great multitude of bones! "What in the hell is this place?" he quavered.

"This is Necrovalley, a sacred valley where many dead souls rest peacefully," explained Malachi patiently. "As long as it is on the field, the effects of Monster, Magic and Trap cards that target cards in the Graveyard are negated, and neither player can remove any cards in the Graveyard from play for any reason. In addition…Necrovalley also gives power to a certain breed of monsters…increasing their ATK and DEF by 500 points."

"What breed of monsters would that be?" wondered Raven.

Malachi's eyes flashed. "All monsters that have the word 'Gravekeeper's' in their card name."

"Gravekeeper's…? Is there such a thing?" wondered Blaze.

"Actually, I've heard of it before," said Shigeo thoughtfully. "There are several monsters that fall into that category, and all of them do have that word in their names. To think that this guy uses a deck strategy that revolves around that…"

Malachi then looked at his hand. "Now…I'll set another monster facedown, another card facedown, and end my turn."

Both Raven and Malachi were still intact with 8000 life points. Raven, however, had D.D. Assailant and D.D. Crazy Beast together on the field, and he had five cards in his hand. On the other hand, Malachi had one facedown monster, plus an active Necrovalley on the field, the Nightmare Wheel trap card stopping D.D. Assailant from doing anything, and one more card facedown; and he had two cards in his hand.

As Raven drew his card, suddenly Nightmare Wheel began to spin, running over the trapped D.D. Assailant. Raven grimaced as his life points went down to 7500 as a result of this. _No time to think about that…better examine my hand…_

He studied the cards in his hand and frowned greatly. _Shit…if what this guy said is true, then a lot of the cards in my hand won't be able to help me. Still, I've got to make the best of a bad situation…_

Aloud he declared, "All right! I summon Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer (ATK 1800, DEF 700) to the field!" And then a monk with prayer beads and spirits hovering about him appeared. "Attack that facedown monster!"

Kycoo chanted, then released energy from his palm toward the facedown monster. But when the monster was flipped face-up, it turned out to be a young man with a massive spiritual aura, one so strong it repelled the attack and knocked Kycoo back for a loop. Raven flinched as he felt the backlash, and his life points – to his astonishment – dropped to 6800.

"This monster is the first Gravekeeper you're meeting," said Malachi. "He is the Gravekeeper's Spy (ATK 1200, DEF 2000)."

"Shit!" Raven cursed when he saw the monster's stats. Originally 1200 ATK and 2000 DEF, both had been increased by Necrovalley to 1700 ATK and 2500 DEF! _No wonder I felt such a strong backlash!_

"Gravekeeper's Spy has an effect," Malachi went on. "When flipped face-up, his power allows me to Special Summon one Gravekeeper monster with an ATK of 1500 or less from my deck to my side of the field. And…" He then shuffled through his deck and found the one he was looking for. "I summon Gravekeeper's Assailant (ATK 1500, DEF 1500)!"

A moment later he had on the field a man dressed in black like a ninja, wielding a sword with a crooked blade. Necrovalley increased both of this monster's stats to 2000!

"Oh, hell…" Raven muttered. "Well, fine. I'll set one card facedown, and end my turn."

Malachi shook his head. "All that big talk from before, and yet you haven't even come close to scratching my life points," he sighed. "Well, you must not be very strong, then."

"You're a dick!" Raven shot back. "I'll show you!"

Unfazed by this threat, Malachi drew yet another card. "Now, I activate the magic of Gravekeeper's Servant," and he played the card, revealing a glowing goblin with a scythe. "Each time you're going to attack with a monster, you must first discard one card from the top of your deck to the Graveyard."

Then he picked one of the two cards left in his hand. "Now, I summon Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier (ATK 1500, DEF 1000)." He brought forth a man wielding a massive spear, and Necrovalley increased this new monster's stats to 2000 ATK and 1500 DEF.

"This is insanity!" said Wade. "That guy's got strong monsters on the field, and he doesn't even have to tribute for them! How is that fair?"

"Unfortunately for Raven, it is," said Seta.

"Now, Gravekeeper's Assailant, attack and destroy his D.D. Crazy Beast!" Malachi ordered. And Gravekeeper's Assailant rushed forward, slicing D.D. Crazy Beast's head off with one stroke and bringing Raven's life points down further to 6200.

"Damn it all," Raven grumbled – and only then did he notice that Kyocoo the Ghost Destroyer was in Defense Mode! "HEY! How'd he get into Defense Mode? I didn't shift him!" he protested.

"It's the effect of Gravekeeper's Assailant," explained Malachi. "His effect can only be activated when Necrovalley is on the field. When he attacks, I can change the battle position of one monster on your side of the field. And that baits you in for my Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier and his effect. Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier, destroy Kyocoo the Ghost Destroyer!"

Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier thrust his spear into Kyocoo's side, killing him instantly – and suddenly Raven grimaced as his life points shot down further to 4900! "Whoa, Nellie!" he yelled, frantic and flustered.

"Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier's effect," said Malachi. "When he attacks a Defense Mode monster with an ATK higher than that monster's DEF, the difference is calculated as battle damage to my opponent's life points."

"That guy is good, that I'm sure of," noted Marcus. "He's been able to bring his opponent's life points down almost to half, and yet his own life points are still intact. What a player…"

Flora nodded. "Still," she admitted, "I feel a little unnerved about that Malachi character. He seems so…cold…"

Now the score stood at Raven with 4900 life points, and Malachi with a still-untouched 8000 life points. Raven had four cards in his hand, while Malachi had one. On the field Raven still had his D.D. Assailant and one card facedown; Malachi had his Gravekeeper's Assailant and Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier in Attack Mode, Gravekeeper's Spy in Defense Mode, Necrovalley and Gravekeeper's Servant active on the field, Nightmare Wheel trapping D.D. Assailant, and one other card facedown.

Raven gingerly drew his next card – and again Nightmare Wheel sapped him of 500 more life points, leaving him with only 4400. "All right…this has just about gone far enough," he growled. "First, I'll activate the magic of Dimensionhole, to remove my D.D. Assailant from play until my next Standby Phase!"

To Malachi's surprise, D.D. Assailant disappeared into a portal, and then the Nightmare Wheel was destroyed, since without something to bind it to the field it couldn't last. Then Raven announced, "Next, I'll activate my facedown magic card, Mystical Space Typhoon! With this, I can destroy one Magic or Trap card on the field – and I choose your Necrovalley!"

Suddenly bolts of lightning shot down and hit the valley all over – and then Necrovalley vanished, and all the Gravekeepers lost their field power bonus. Then Raven held up the four cards left in his hand. "Now, I'll play Pot of Greed to draw two more cards from my deck!" And very soon he held five cards in his hand.

"Next, I'll activate Cost Down! By discarding another card from my hand, I can downgrade the levels of all monsters in my hand by two levels until the end of this turn. So…" He looked at the three cards remaining in his hand. "I'll set one monster in Defense Mode, set two more cards facedown, and then end my turn."

"All right…it seems you are actually smart," Malachi nodded. But still his expression didn't change. "But it won't change the fact that you can't scratch my life points, no matter how you try."

Malachi then drew his next card. "I summon Gravekeeper's Chief (ATK 1900, DEF 1200), offering my Gravekeeper's Spy as a tribute." Then the Gravekeeper's Spy disappeared from the field, and in his place stood a man wielding a staff and a very stern look on his face.

"When Gravekeeper's Chief is Tribute summoned successfully," said Malachi, "I can Special Summon one monster from my Graveyard that has 'Gravekeeper's' in its card name. And I select my Gravekeeper's Spy, in Defense Mode." And then Gravekeeper's Spy returned to the field, defending.

"Now, Gravekeeper's Chief! Attack that facedown monster!" Malachi ordered.

Gravekeeper's Chief lunged at the facedown monster with his staff – but when it was flipped face-up, it wasn't destroyed at all! "Huh? Does that monster have equal DEF?" Malachi wondered, raising an eyebrow.

"No – that's the effect of my Different Dimension Dragon (ATK 1200, DEF 1500)," said Raven, as the monster was revealed to be a green dragon. "When this card battles with a monster that has an ATK of 1900 or less, it can't be destroyed. That means that it'll be folly to attack me with your other monsters, too."

Malachi snorted. "Hmph. Well, it matters not. I will merely turn my other monsters into Defense Mode, and end my turn." And he turned Gravekeeper's Assailant and Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier into Defense Mode, since they hadn't attacked.

"Malachi still has his head," David nodded. "He remembers that the D.D. Assailant will return to the field on that guy's next turn, so he's protecting his life points as well as possible."

"Indeed." Luke nodded, too.

Raven drew his card – and then D.D. Assailant returned to the field, sword at the ready. "Well, I switch Different Dimension Dragon into Attack Mode, and now I'm gonna wipe out your monsters! D.D. Assailant, destroy that Gravekeeper's Assailant!"

As Raven took one card from the top of his deck and sent it to the Graveyard due to Gravekeeper's Servant's effect, D.D. Assailant raised his massive sword and swung down, chopping the Gravekeeper's Assailant in two. Then— "Different Dimension Dragon, destroy Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier!"

Again Raven sent a card from the top of his deck to the Graveyard for the effect of Gravekeeper's Servant. This time, Different Dimension Dragon blasted a beam of light at Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier, ripping a hole through him. Malachi, of course, wasn't impressed. "Too bad, moron," he spat. "At this rate, you'll NEVER get to me."

Raven smirked, a twinkle in his eye. "Says who?"

He suddenly held up the card in his hand. "I activate the magic card, Soul Release! This allows me to remove up to five cards from one of our Graveyards – and let's see, you have four cards in your Graveyard now, by my count: Nightmare Wheel, Necrovalley, and just now your Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier and Gravekeeper's Assailant. So, I'll remove all four of those cards from play!"

As the four cards were removed from Malachi's Graveyard, he sniffed disdainfully. "So, that fulfilled…what purpose?"

Seta seemed to think the same thing, too. _Yeah, Raven, just what purpose are you trying to fulfill here…?_ His eyes widened. _Unless…!_

"Take note of this – you have five cards removed from play now, if you recall; because I removed your Owl of Luck from play with my D.D. Crazy Beast a few turns back, so he makes five," said Raven. "This gives me enough of a right to activate this trap card – D.D. Dynamite! This will inflict 300 points of damage to your life points for every single card of yours that has been removed from play!"

Malachi's eyes widened in shock. "WHAT!"

All at once, a massive bundle of dynamite appeared in front of Malachi and exploded! Caught totally off guard, Malachi got 1500 points of damage, putting his life points at 6500! "AARGH!" he cried out.

Miriam stared at the field in astonishment. "What the hell just happened?"

Luke blinked. "Did Malachi just get damage to his life points?"

"That's friggin' impossible! There's no way!" David cried in dismay.

Hearing their shouts, Yugo shook his head. He got up and walked over to them. "Hello, what's all your commotion about?"

"Didn't you see it just now, bloke? Malachi got damage to his life points!" David yelled.

"Uh…so?" Yugo asked blankly. "It's bound to happen sometimes in a duel."

"You don't understand," said Luke. "If Malachi gets **_any_** damage to his life points in a duel, he'll…he'll go crazy!"

"Crazy?" Yugo raised an eyebrow, then turned to look at the platform.

Malachi stood in the smoke of D.D. Dynamite's blast, unable to comprehend what had just happened. "Wha…?"

"Oh, you liked that?" Raven jeered him. "Well, have another! I activate my second trap, another D.D. Dynamite!"

Again a bundle of dynamite popped up out of nowhere and exploded; this one threw Malachi back several feet to land hard on his behind. "Malachi!" Miriam cried out.

Malachi's life points dropped further to 5000 as a result of this. "Moral of story: never mess with a guy who happens to be a master strategist!"

Pegasus couldn't help but smile. "That Raven…always pulling something out of his sleeve at the last minute…that's just how he duels."

"He's impressive, for sure," Mr. Devlin nodded.

Then he noticed Mrs. Taylor looked pale. "Serenity…you OK?"

"…no…" Her voice was very small, but the fear on her face was there for all to see. "Something's wrong…something…evil…is here…"

On the dueling platform, Malachi stood up, slowly brushing the dust off his pants. But as the smoke cleared, Raven saw something on his opponent's face that took away the confident smirk on his own lips…and replaced it with a frown.

On Malachi's face was a grin…a crazed grin…and an insane light in his eyes.

"It's been…so long…since someone hurt me…" Malachi spoke very slowly, but in his voice was a chilling tone that suddenly sent shivers down Raven's spine. "You…you will pay for hurting me…"

_I am SO not liking this!_ Raven thought to himself.

Slowly, ominously, Malachi drew his next card, so he had two in hand. "It's been so long since I've had a reason to use this card," and he gestured toward the facedown card he still had on the field. "Now, thanks to your actions, I can activate it! Activate my trap card – the Pyramid of Light!"

Pegasus's eye widened in horror when he heard that. _The…the Pyramid of Light? No! This is impossible! It can't be!_

Luke, David and Miriam all had looks of horror on their faces, too. "It's begun…" whispered Miriam.

----------

**_neomage:_** Mwa-ha-ha! Another cliffhanger! What is this sudden change that has come over Malachi all of a sudden? Why are his sister and friends so frightened? And, for that matter, why is Pegasus so frightened? More to come in the next chapter, so stay tuned!

UPDATED 21/09/2005: Changes have been duly made!


	49. Chapter 49

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: This writer doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh in any way except through this fanfic and ownership of some cards. **(WARNING! Some spoilers might be in this for those who haven't watched the Yu-Gi-Oh movie yet!)**)

**CHAPTER 49**

INTERCONTINENTAL DUEL DOME

Raven now had 4400 life points, but Malachi was ahead with 5000. Raven held no cards in his hand, but Malachi now had two. On the field Raven had only his Different Dimension Dragon and his D.D. Assailant; Malachi had his Gravekeeper's Chief in Attack Mode and Gravekeeper's Spy in Defense Mode, plus his Gravekeeper's Servant magic card, and his Pyramid of Light trap card that he'd just activated.

"All right, you two, you're officially creeping me out," said Mr. Devlin. "What the hell is going on?"

"I'll tell you what's going on, Devlin," said Pegasus, speaking very seriously. The fear that had come over Mrs. Taylor's face first now found its way over his countenance. "That Pyramid of Light trap card…many years ago, there was a card just like it that was used in a Shadow Game, using Yugi and Kaiba as the pawns."

Mr. Devlin frowned when he heard that. Being well acquainted with Yugi Muto had exposed him to a lot of things that he would never have believed had he not seen them with his own eyes. "Yeah, I heard about that from Tristan and Joey," he said. "Some Egyptian lord of the dead named Anubis used the Pyramid of Light to try to take over the world…so, is this the same one?"

"No," said Pegasus, "thank God it isn't. I created a card like it sometime after that incident, and modified it for the game as we know it now. But even though it's not strictly used for a Shadow Game, nevertheless this card is still very dangerous, which is why I only made limited copies of it."

"It's not the card I'm concerned about, you guys," insisted Mrs. Taylor. "It's the person using the card that scares me right now."

From the flipped Pyramid of Light card, a blue light emanated. Then the light shot up into the sky before splitting into four and coming back toward the ground, near the outer edges of the platform. As Raven watched in amazement, the four lights formed the shape of a pyramid, and then transparent light filled the spaces in between so they were sealed in.

"Okay, man, you are seriously freaking me out here," said Raven nervously.

Malachi laughed – a crazed laugh, it was. "Are you afraid of me, shit-for-brains?" he demanded. "Good! Fear me! Fear me and die!" And he laughed again.

Outside the Pyramid of Light, Malachi's insane sounds could be heard clearly enough. Yugo, of course, was very much concerned. "You guys know him well," he spoke to Miriam. "Why is he acting up like this?"

Miriam lowered her eyes. "Because of…something…that happened to him years ago," she whispered.

"Never mind that now – that guy in there's gonna be in some really deep shit the longer he's trapped in there with Malachi!" David exclaimed, frantic. "We gotta stop this duel NOW!"

"But even if we did, then they'd both be disqualified…and who knows what Malachi would do to us if that happened…" Luke gulped.

Yugo saw the anxiety and fear on their faces. He knew Luke was right – they couldn't just step in and stop the duel. Worriedly, he turned his face back toward the pyramid. "Raven! Stay strong!" he called.

Inside, Raven heard Yugo and braced himself. _Easier said than done, Yugo…_

Malachi prepared to make his move. "Now…" he rasped. "Using the power of the Pyramid of Light, I offer 500 of my life points to Special Summon a powerful monster from my hand…come to the field, my terrible Sphinx Teleia (ATK 2500, DEF 3000) in Attack Mode!"

As Malachi's life points dropped to 4500, there was a loud and horrible shriek as a massive beast emerged on the field. This beast had the head of a woman, with a beautiful face and blood-red hair; but it had the body of a lion, with massive claws, and the wings of an eagle on its back. "Stare into the face of your death, boy," said Malachi. "And now, I will summon another monster – my Gravekeeper's Cannonholder (ATK 1400, DEF 1200)!"

Then, right next to the Sphinx Teleia, another Gravekeeper appeared, wielding a massive bazooka on his shoulder. "It's useless to resist now, fool," Malachi sneered evilly. "You and your pathetic monsters are hopelessly outnumbered! I will be the victor of this fight, and there's nothing you or anybody else can do about it!"

Taking one look at the field, Seta was alarmed. "This is crazy – at this rate, Raven'll be totally wiped out! What kind of power is this?" he asked in utter disbelief.

Honey jumped up out of her seat. "Somebody stop this duel!" she shrieked.

"Honey!" Seta called to her. "There's no way this duel can be stopped now."

"But…!"

Seta shook his head. "You have to trust Raven," he told her. "He said it himself, remember? Have a little faith in him."

On the platform, Raven snarled and gritted his teeth. "You bastard…"

"Fortunately for you, Sphinx Teleia cannot attack in the same turn that it is summoned," Malachi told his opponent. "But of course, that doesn't mean my Gravekeepers can't destroy you! Gravekeeper's Chief, destroy his D.D. Assailant!"

Gravekeeper's Chief held up his staff, which began to glow with a bright blue energy. That energy formed into a massive ball, which was then fired at D.D. Assailant. Raven winced as his monster was destroyed, lowering his life points to 4200.

"Well, you've activated D.D. Assailant's effect!" Raven shot out. "When he's destroyed in battle, both he and the monster that destroyed him are removed from the game!"

To Malachi's amazement, Gravekeeper's Chief began to disintegrate into nothingness, until all that remained was the empty spot where he'd stood. But then Malachi grinned. "You think I give a damn about that?" he asked. "I'll still destroy you! Gravekeeper's Cannonholder, attack the Different Dimension Dragon with Cannon Blast!"

Gravekeeper's Cannonholder fired a massive blast at the dragon, and Raven's life points went down to 4000…but the dragon itself was still there! "You forget – Different Dimension Dragon can't be destroyed in battle by monsters with an ATK of 1900 or less," Raven reminded his opponent.

"Heh…you're an amusing little man," said Malachi. "Gravekeeper's Cannonholder, activate your effect! I offer Gravekeeper's Spy as a tribute!"

To Raven's disbelief, Gravekeeper's Spy slowly evaporated into a ball of mist. That mist then collected into the large cannon that the Cannonholder held. Then suddenly he fired it at Raven – and it hit him hard in the chest, flooring him and bringing his life points down to 3300!

"That's the effect of my Gravekeeper's Cannonholder," said Malachi. "By offering another Gravekeeper on my side of the field as a tribute, Gravekeeper's Cannonholder can do 700 points of damage to my opponent's life points. Now, nothing you can do will matter…you're already dead."

"Not yet!" Raven drew his card. "Not as long as I can still move…!"

But then he looked at the card he'd drawn. "Oh, SHIT…"

"Whatever's the matter? Is that card no good to you?" Malachi mocked him. "Well, then, what will you do?"

Raven swallowed with difficulty. "I'll…I'll shift Different Dimension Dragon into Defense Mode, and end my turn."

"Ha! Just what I said before – you're all show and no go!" Malachi roared as he drew his next card. "Well, Sphinx Teleia, it's time to feast! Eat his Different Dimension Dragon!"

Sphinx Teleia opened its mouth wide, exposing some massive canines. To Raven's horror, it launched forward and grabbed Different Dimension Dragon with one paw, mauling it badly into pieces. But then, to Raven's utter shock, he felt his life points drop to 2550!

"Each time Sphinx Teleia destroys a Defense Mode monster, half of that monster's DEF is deducted from my opponent's life points," said Malachi. "And half of your dragon's DEF was 750. Now, your life points are wide open for a direct assault! Gravekeeper's Cannonholder, attack directly!"

The Cannonholder fired a massive shot into Raven's gut, lowering him to 1150. Gagging from the attack, Raven crumpled to his knees and spat up blood. Seeing this, Honey was horrified. "This…this can't go on!" she cried. "Raven, please! Just surrender already! You could die!"

At this Raven shot a defiant glare at his sister. "He…he hasn't gotten me completely out of the game yet, Honey," he growled. "I've still got a few tricks left up my sleeve!"

But with the stats as they were, it seemed completely hopeless. Malachi was still in the lead with 4500 life points; Raven, by stark contrast, now had 1150. On the field Malachi had Sphinx Teleia and Gravekeeper's Cannonholder, plus he still had the Gravekeeper's Servant magic card and the Pyramid of Light trap card on the field; meanwhile, Raven had absolutely nothing left. Malachi had one card in his hand; Raven also had one.

Grunting with effort, Raven drew another card to give him two in his hand. He looked at the cards now in his hand…and chuckled softly. "All right…I'll summon a monster to the field now! I will remove one Light monster and one Dark monster from my Graveyard to Special Summon my most powerful beast yet…Chaos Sorcerer (ATK 2300, DEF 2000), in Defense Mode!"

So saying, Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer and the Different Dimension Dragon were swiftly removed from Raven's Graveyard. All of a sudden a mage wearing black leather and sporting a hood on his jacket appeared on the field.

Malachi stared at the new monster, unimpressed. "And this will do, what exactly?"

"This will set the stage for me finishing your sorry ass!" declared Raven. "I'm going to get rid of your Sphinx Teleia! Chaos Sorcerer, use your effect!"

Chaos Sorcerer raised his palms, glowing with orange and purple colors. Then, those colors formed a massive ball of energy that was released at the sphinx, blasting her into pieces! "Chaos Sorcerer can remove one face-up monster on the field from play each turn," explained Raven, "but in exchange, he can't attack during the same turn."

Malachi grinned again. "Then that simply means that you're already a dead man!" he exclaimed. He drew his card. "Now…I shall use the magic of Monster Reborn to bring back my Gravekeeper's Spy!"

A moment later Gravekeeper's Spy was back on the field beside Gravekeeper's Cannonholder. Then Malachi held up the very last card left in his hand. "And now…I'll tribute both of them to Set a monster in Defense Mode!" And as the two monsters disappeared, a card took their place and was positioned facedown. "That is all for now. But mark my words…on the next turn…" And he symbolically ran a finger across his own throat.

Raven gritted his teeth hard as he drew another card. "Damn…I can't use either of these cards…and I can't use Chaos Sorcerer's effect if that monster's facedown…what can I do?"

"The only thing you CAN do is admit defeat!" Malachi gloated as he took his turn and drew a card again. "And now…I'll Flip Summon my terrible Andro Sphinx (ATK 3000, DEF 2500)!"

As his card was flipped face-up, to the surprise of all the spectators a massive lion beast in blue armor and with a big shaggy mane appeared, roaring loudly! "Here's my second little pet," said Malachi evilly. "If I had Normal Summoned or Special Summoned him, you would have been lucky as he would not have been able to attack during that turn. However, since he has been Flip Summoned …Crush his Chaos Sorcerer, my sphinx!" Malachi ordered.

Andro Sphinx pounced forward, slamming into the Chaos Sorcerer. But to Raven's utter shock, one of the monster's paws was pushing the sorcerer right at him – and then pinned him to the wall! "UNGH! LET GO!" Raven choked out.

"When Andro Sphinx destroys a Defense Mode monster in battle half of that monster's ATK is deducted from my opponent's life points!" said Malachi, laughing cruelly. "Now…time to die!"

Then Andro Sphinx's mighty paw closed in a vice-like grip, crushing Chaos Sorcerer and by its effect bringing Raven's life points to 0. But Raven was caught in the grip, too, and screamed in intense agony as the monster's hand squeezed him.

But even then Malachi didn't look as though he was finished. "Now, Andro Sphinx – finish him off!"

"WHAT?" Honey screamed out. "Hey, stop it! You won the duel! Let him go now!"

But Malachi would not budge an inch. "This duel isn't over…until he's dead," he said coldly. "He scratched my life points…and with that signed his own death sentence." And as he spoke Andro Sphinx's paw retreated a little…and then the claws thrusted forward.

"YAAAAAARRRRGHHHH!" Raven screamed out as the claws stabbed him through his shoulder, chest and stomach.

"No! Let him go, you bastard!" Yugo yelled.

The Sphinx's claws pressed deeper…

…and suddenly a blast of light shot down from where Pegasus stood, landing only inches away from Malachi. "What the…!" He looked up, startled.

Pegasus himself was wearing a Duel-Disk, and by his side stood a Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon (ATK 3000, DEG 2500). "Young man…" he spoke in a slow, terrible voice. "If you value your life…then I strongly recommend that you put him down. NOW."

Malachi glared up at Pegasus, who glared back. Then the younger man gave in. "Whatever. He lost, anyway." And he deactivated his Duel-Disk.

The holograms disappeared in an instant, and Raven slumped to the ground, bleeding. Honey at once rushed up to the platform and knelt by his side, gently cradling his head in her arms. "Raven…oh, my poor brother…" she wept.

Malachi turned his back and began to walk off. But as he reached the end of the platform, he became aware of Yugo standing there, glaring at him. "What're _you _looking at, shrimp?" he growled.

Yugo's voice was just as curt when he answered. "You…prick."

Just then Jenna rushed up and grabbed Yugo's arm. "Yugo, no," she whispered. "He isn't worth it…he's not worth it, Yugo!"

Malachi snorted. "Hmph. I don't have time to waste on the likes of you." He walked off and headed to where Miriam and the others were standing.

"Uh…g-great job, boss. You won your match…" David said timidly.

Malachi just looked at him, but didn't reply.

"Well, uh…" Mr. Devlin didn't quite know what to say. "Winner…Malachi Jordan."

There was no cheering or even any applause from the spectators this time, though – a great many of them were still trying to take in what had just happened.

By this time a medical team was on the scene, led by Mrs. Taylor. "Mom! Is he gonna be okay?" Miki asked worriedly.

One of the medics bent down and gingerly felt Raven's joints. "I'm afraid it's bad," he said. "He's lost a lot of blood, and he's unconscious. We have to get him to the emergency room right now."

"Well, let's go, then!" Mrs. Taylor ordered.

Gently the medics lifted Raven onto a stretcher and took him off. Mrs. Taylor turned to the duelists. "Kids…I'm so sorry about this," she whispered sadly.

Honey lowered her eyes. "Big brother…"

Pegasus, too, was feeling very, very bad. "My son…how much torture you went through…" he groaned.

Mr. Devlin shook his head. "I'm sorry, Pegasus, but there's not a thing we can do right now," he said quietly. "Let the medics do their job. We have to keep the tournament running, regardless."

Reluctantly Pegasus nodded. "Devlin-boy…announce the next duel," he instructed. "I'm going to the hospital to see Raven."

"Yes, I understand." Mr. Devlin nodded assent.

Then he shouted in a clear voice, "The final duel in the first round will now begin! Kyo Bakura vs. David Jericho – duelists, please go to the platform!"

Kyo was looking at the field grimly. At the mention of his name he stood up, and without a word picked up his Duel-Disk. He walked over to the platform and waited.

Heading off the platform, Miki paused. She glanced upward at Kyo. Noticing her presence, he spoke without turning to look at her. "Miki…step away from the platform. Believe me, this is going to get **_VERY _**ugly."

And as if to emphasize his point, he took off his glasses and slipped them into a pocket. Shivering, Miki hurried away. _Kyo…_

"Wahoo! Finally, it's my turn to duel!" David yelled, pleased as anything. "All right – time for that guy to feel my power!"

"Don't overdo it, brother," cautioned Luke. "I can see his eyes right now…and he looks determined."

"Don't worry, Luke…I'll finish him off real quick!" And, whistling, David strolled onto the platform and stood ready to face Kyo.

----------

**_neomage:_** That's it! Now you've all seen what kind of guy Malachi is! And only one more duel is left in this, the first round! (On a side note, I based this fight on the Lee vs. Gaara fight from the **Naruto **series. Sorry if it looks like I copied too much from that, but I wanted to make it as spicy as possible, and you just don't see a lot of violence in the dubbed Yu-Gi-Oh episodes, do you? And, again, **Naruto** is the property of Masashi Kishimoto.) Keep reading!

UPDATED 14/08/2005: Had to update slightly after reading a bit on the Sphinxes' effect more thoroughly. Keep reading, everybody!

UPDATED 24/02/2006: Had to take out the whole Andro Sphinx sequence after noticing an error that couldn't be corrected otherwise. Sorry about that, folks…

UPDATED 08/04/2006: Re-read the whole thing again…changed it accordingly. Andro Sphinx is back once again, everyone.


	50. Chapter 50

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Fifty times the charm…neomage doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**CHAPTER 50**

INTERCONTINENTAL DUEL DOME

"So, I get to fight you, eh?" David snickered at Kyo. "Lord knows, this is gonna be a blast! I'll finish you off before you even have time to call for your mother!"

Kyo answered – and his voice was like acid. "Shut up and duel, you piece of garbage."

"What did you say?" David grated. "Oh, now you've gotten me ticked, friend! I'll show you manners!"

The coin appeared and was flipped. "Tails!" David cried.

But when it landed, the coin showed heads. "Ach…oh, well, I guess it couldn't be helped," David shrugged. "Okay, mate, you go ahead, then."

Kyo slowly drew his card. "After what just happened," he said coldly, "you think you can just get away from THIS? Well, I have some bad news for you, 'mate' – I'm going to dish out judgment to every last one of you in your group!"

"You mean about what happened just now in Malachi's duel? Oh, come on, man, don't blame me for his actions!" David protested.

"Save it." Kyo's tone was like a whiplash.

Then he looked at the card in his hand. "Now, here's my judgment: In the next seven turns, I'm going to wipe out every life point you have."

David gave him a look and burst out laughing. "Har, har, har! Didja hear that, you guys?" he called to his friends. "This wiseass says he'll beat me in seven turns! How rich is that?"

"Just watch," said Kyo. "Turn One!"

He looked at his cards again. "Now…I'll set three cards facedown, and then I'll set one monster facedown in Defense Mode. That will end my turn for now."

"Heh…think you can trap me, huh?" scoffed David. "Well, you're gonna have to do better than that, believe me!"

He drew his first card. "I summon Pitch-Black Warwolf (ATK 1600, DEF 600) in Attack Mode!" He then summoned a wolf warrior wielding a black blade.

"Hmmm…interesting…" said Kyo.

"As long as the Pitch-Black Warwolf stays on the field, you cannot activate any Trap Cards during the Battle Phase," said David. "Now, Warwolf, attack!"

Pitch-Black Warwolf raised his sword and slashed downward – and received a massive backlash that brought David's life points to 7800! "Huh?" David exclaimed.

"The monster is my Kelbek (ATK 1500, DEF 1800)," said Kyo. "Any monster that attacks Kelbek is returned to its owner's hand."

"Damn!" sulked David, but he took back Pitch-Black Warwolf into his hand anyway. "All right…I'll set two cards facedown, then, and end my turn."

Kyo drew his next card. "That turn you ended just now was Turn Two…this is Turn Three!" he announced. "I'll now flip over two traps – The Eye of Truth and Bad Reaction to Simochi!"

Instantly two of his three cards were flipped. "The Eye of Truth allows me to see your hand as long as it's face-up; and if you have any Magic cards in your hand during your Standby Phases, you get 1000 life points," he told David.

"Cool…and what does the other card do?"

"It reverses any increase to your life points and, instead, deals damage equal to the same amount."

David went pale. "Oh, holy crap!"

"No," Kyo said sourly. "Crap isn't holy. God is holy. And you are crap. Now show me your hand."

David's eye twitched as he held up his cards. He had four in hand: Chiron the Mage (ATK 1800, DEF 1000), Battle Ox (ATK 1700, DEF 1100), the field magic card Sogen, and Pitch-Black Warwolf. "I swear, bloke…you are gonna regret this!"

"Now, moving on," said Kyo, unmindful of David's anger. "I'll now summon The Agent of Creation – Venus (ATK 1600, DEF 0), in Attack Mode!"

But as the yellow-robed angel appeared, David demanded indignantly, "What do you take me for – a novice? I activate my trap card, Trap Hole, to destroy that monster!"

A hole opened up underneath Venus, and she disappeared from view. Kyo regarded it with some distaste. "You really should show more respect," he said darkly.

"How's this for showing respect?" said David. "Now I activate my other trap card, Time Seal! This will prevent you from drawing a card during your next turn!"

Kyo's eyes narrowed. "Then I'll just have to put Kelbek into Attack Mode and attack you directly. Do it, Kelbek!"

Kelbek flew forward and slashed at David with one of its claws; David winced as his life points went down to 6300. "Well, all right," he sighed. "But you're really pushing your luck a lot, wouldn't you say?"

"Actually, you're the one who's very, very unlucky…unlucky to have caught me in a bad mood," said Kyo. "Now I end my turn."

David drew his card – and winced as the Eye of Truth and Bad Reaction to Simochi cards sapped his life points to put him at 5300. Then he looked at the card he'd just drawn, the magic card Mystical Moon, and got an idea. "I summon Chiron the Mage in Attack Mode!"

He then summoned a centaur-type creature with a staff in one hand. "This is Chiron the Mage's effect! By discarding one Magic card from my hand, I can have him destroy one Magic or Trap card on your side of the field! And I'll discard this Mystical Moon from my hand and have him destroy – your Eye of Truth!"

The end of Chiron's staff glowed with mystic energy. It formed into a ball that was then blasted at the Eye of Truth card, destroying it completely. "Now you won't be able to decrease my life points in any way, mate!" he scoffed. "How about that?"

Kyo raised an eyebrow at him. "Are you done?"

"Nope! Now I'll play my field magic card, Sogen! It increases the ATK and DEF of all Warriors and Beast-Warriors by 200 points!"

As David played the card, the field turned into a lush, green meadow. Chiron's ATK and DEF rose respectively to 2000 and 1200. "Now go, Chiron! Attack and destroy that Kelbek!" David commanded.

But just at that moment Kyo snapped, "Hold it! I activate my trap card, Fairy Box!"

All at once a large box appeared and covered the entire length of Kyo's monster zone, obscuring Kelbek in the process. Chiron halted, uncertain, upon seeing this. "What're you waiting for, Chiron? Do it now!" David cried, utterly confused now.

"Just a second," Kyo's voice came through, calmly. "Now, each time one of your monsters attacks, I get to flip a coin and call it. If I call it right, your monster's ATK becomes zero. So, I'll flip a coin now – and I call heads!"

A coin appeared and was flipped. David watched with anxiety as it landed…and much to his horror, the result was heads! He watched helplessly as Chiron's ATK shot down all the way to zero!

"Kelbek, counterattack now!" Kyo shouted. And Kelbek did just that, stabbing Chiron through the heart with its claws and reducing David's life points further to 3800.

"Christ…" David muttered under his breath. "This guy's a lot tougher than I gave him credit for…all right! I end my turn!"

On the sidelines, Yugo had a wary eye on Kyo. "Okay…does Kyo really think he can end this duel in only seven turns?"

"Maybe he was just trying to scare that guy," Jenna suggested.

But Miki didn't think so. "He took off his glasses, guys…that says something."

While David's life points were at 3800, Kyo's were still at an untouched 8000. Both had two cards in hand. On the field David had only the Sogen field magic card; Kyo had his Kelbek in Attack Mode, and his Fairy Box and Bad Reaction to Simochi trap cards still active.

Since David's Time Seal trap prevented Kyo from drawing a card this turn, he went straight into the Standby Phase – and paid 500 life points to maintain Fairy Box, leaving him with 7500. "Let me remind you, your turn that ended just now was Turn Four. Now, this will be Turn Five."

He eyed his Kelbek on the field. "I'll offer Kelbek as a tribute to summon the Agent of Judgment – Saturn (ATK 2400, DEF 0)!" And then Kelbek disappeared, and in its place stood the mighty angel of judgment. "Attack him directly!"

Saturn fired a ball of light at David, hitting him square in the chest and bringing his life points down to 1400 life points. "Only two more turns before I bring down judgment upon your sorry ass. Now, I will end my turn."

David was starting to feel unnerved. _Dammit…I haven't even been able to land a hit on him yet, and already he's brought me down by THIS much? This is just utter insanity!_

On the sidelines, Malachi saw David's discomfort, and shook his head. "That idiot…he'll definitely lose this for sure."

Miriam eyed him warily. "Not to be disrespectful, but…how do you know that? I mean, wasn't that guy just trying to scare him?"

Malachi turned his gaze on her. "Believe me, Miriam…I know."

David drew a card – and his countenance lit up when he saw what it was: the Mirror Force trap card. _All right! I can use this in a nice little combo!_

"Now, I'll re-summon Pitch-Black Warwolf to the field!" David announced, and once again the beast-warrior was back, baring its teeth at Kyo in a snarl as Sogen raised its stats to 1800 ATK and 800 DEF. "Then I'll set one other card facedown, and end my turn."

To himself David was gloating, _Now, when that ass attacks with his monster, I'll activate my Mirror Force trap card and destroy it! Then his life points will be wide open for a direct assault! And then we'll see what'll become of his prophecy!_

But Kyo didn't seem much disturbed as he took his turn, drawing a card and giving up 500 more life points for Fairy Box, to put him at 7000. "Your turn that ended was Turn Six. Now, this is the last turn, Turn Seven…the turn when judgment will be brought down on you."

"And just what are you gonna do – throw popcorn at me?" David said mockingly.

"I'll do much worse. I'll activate the field magic of the Sanctuary in the Sky!"

All of a sudden the meadow that Sogen had generated disappeared in a flash of light…and looming above them was the gigantic sanctuary. David stared up at it in shock. "What the bloody hell is this!" he screamed.

"Now, Saturn! Activate your effect!" Kyo cried. "When the Sanctuary in the Sky is on the field, and my life points are higher than yours, I can offer this monster as a tribute to inflict damage equal to the difference between our life points. And there's a hefty difference between our life points at present!"

"Oh, shit!" David screamed out, realizing what the outcome would be.

The Agent of Judgment – Saturn disappeared in a flash of light – and then a blast of intense light shot out from the Sanctuary in the Sky, hitting David and knocking him down – and reducing his life points to 0 in the process.

Malachi closed his eyes. "Told you."

Kyo glared at David. "I told you you'd lose in seven turns, didn't I?" he quipped as he pulled out his glasses and put them on again.

"Well, we have a victor for this duel! Winner: Kyo Bakura!" Mr. Devlin called out.

Kyo walked off the platform without a word, but he shot a look at Malachi as if to say, "Next round…you're mine!"

Malachi saw the look and simply scoffed.

"Well done, Kyo! You made it into the next round, too – and with so little effort!" Yugo congratulated him.

"Yeah." Kyo's mood was still dark. "And then my next opponent will be _him."_

Yugo sobered on hearing that. "Yeah…"

"All right, everyone! The first round of the Intercontinental tournament is now over!" announced Mr. Devlin. "Will all the duelists who have won their matches please congregate on the platform…?"

"He's calling us," said Miki eagerly. "So, let's go already!"

With that she, Yugo, Kyo and Jenna walked toward the platform. Seta was right behind them, followed a moment later by Wade Ocean, and at the very back were Miriam and Malachi. Very soon all eight were together, looking up at Mr. Devlin as he resumed his speech.

"Well…congratulations to the eight of you for making it into the next round," said Mr. Devlin. "You all know who your next opponent will be, so prepare yourselves accordingly. The second round will commence tomorrow morning; you all have the rest of the day off to rest and prepare yourselves. Dismissed!"

"…" Malachi's eyes narrowed. He could feel Mr. Devlin's gaze resting coldly on him, but he didn't give a damn about him, or about any of the other duelists. They could all rot as far as he was concerned – he was in this just for himself.

Yugo looked across at Miriam as she was leaving. She would be his opponent in the next round, that he knew. _After what I've seen Malachi do…I don't really know…_

"Yugo?" Jenna's voice interrupted his thoughts. "What are you going to do now?"

"Huh? Oh…I don't know, really. Why, do you guys have something planned?"

Miki nodded gravely. "I wanted to go to the hospital and see Raven…see how he's doing."

"All right," said Yugo. "Where's Honey?"

"She left during Kyo's match, I think," said Jenna. "Probably went over to the hospital already."

"Then I say, let's go over there now," said Kyo. "She's upset…she'll need someone nearby to comfort her."

"Hey…" They looked up at the sound of the voice. Seta was looking over at them, a frown on his face. "May I go with you guys?"

"Ah – sure, sure. Let's go, then," said Jenna.

And with that, the five went off together, each with thoughts of his/her own.

----------

The facility had its own hospital, only a few minutes' walk from the arena. In no time the group was in the waiting room. "So, where to go?" asked Kyo, adjusting his glasses.

"How about over to where Honey is?" Seta pointed her out, leaning against the wall some distance away.

She looked up when she heard their footsteps approaching. "Oh, howdy," she said dully.

"Hey, Honey…how's Raven? Do you know?" asked Seta.

Honey held her head down again. "Dad's talking to the doctor right now. They should be along any minute…"

As she said that, along came Pegasus and the doctor. "Oh, you kids are here?" said Pegasus, raising an eyebrow. "Well, all right."

"Doctor, how is my brother?" Honey wanted to know.

The doctor nodded gravely. "He sustained some serious stab wounds through his shoulder joint, through one of his lungs and just near the stomach region, and lost a lot of blood on top of it. The wounds to his lung and stomach were especially severe; however, we were able to sew them back together and stop the bleeding."

"So…then the lung and stomach were punctured, then," said Honey quietly.

"Actually, he was very lucky as far as the stomach wound was concerned," said the doctor. "Another two inches to the left, and it would have been speared through completely. That organ itself is pretty much intact…but right now, he needs to stay here in the hospital."

"So he'll be okay, then, doctor?" said Honey, wanting to be reassured.

"Well, right now he's unconscious," the doctor admitted. "We've got a machine here that'll be breathing for him until his lung is healed, and his other injuries will get better over time…and hopefully he'll regain consciousness by then."

The doctor's face then got a puzzled expression. "But whatever could have happened to him that he'd get such injuries in the first place, I wonder?"

"Let's not discuss that right now," said Pegasus firmly. "We've…been through enough as it is right now. Everything in its own good time, doctor."

"Yes, I understand." The doctor nodded. He knew Pegasus well, and knew better than to say anything that might trigger a painful recollection right now.

"Can we see him?" asked Honey.

"I'm afraid not," said Pegasus. "They're still working on him, and he'll need his rest. We should just let him be for the time being." He looked at his daughter. "Don't worry, dear. He'll come around. He is Raven, after all."

Kyo nudged Yugo. "Now would be a good time to leave them alone."

Yugo nodded. They turned to leave – but Pegasus's voice stopped them. "Kids…I'd really appreciate it if you kids could stay with Honey for a while. I still have a few things to finish, but I'll return shortly."

"Yeah." Jenna nodded quietly.

"Thank you." Pegasus's eye shone with gratitude. He slowly walked away, leaving Honey with the gang…not wanting them to see the tear that slowly rolled down his face.

----------

**_neomage:_** Hmmm…an angst chapter, I guess…well, the next round will soon begin. There's a brief intermission first, though, so keep reading! Thanx again!

UPDATED 17/02/2006: Made a slight error regarding Sogen's effect, so I had to rework it.


	51. Chapter 51

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: YAWWWN...I don't own the original stuff.)

**CHAPTER 51**

AN HOUR LATER

Seta stood at the vending machine, barely noticing his actions as he plunked a coin in and pressed a button. All that was on his mind was the discussion he'd had with his father before he left Japan.

"Why exactly do the holograms, all of a sudden, start drawing blood from the players?"

The question haunted him. As far as he knew, it was impossible for holograms to actually cause harm to humans. So why was Raven so seriously injured in his duel? As a matter of fact, why did some monsters' weapons tear clothes, cause injuries and send people to the infirmary in extreme cases if all they were, were holograms? It made no sense.

"Penny for your thoughts."

Startled, Seta turned to face Miki. "Oh, it's you," he said. "Uh…well…I was just thinking about something I talked to my dad about before I came over here to England."

"Want to share?"

"Yeah, why not?" Seta turned his attention to the vending machine and only then noticed that the snack he'd wanted was already dropped and waiting for him. Sheepishly he picked it up. "Sorry. I was getting this for Honey."

"Oh…how is she, by the way?" asked Miki.

"Taking Raven's defeat real bad," Seta sighed.

The two walked along the corridor. "So, what did you and your dad talk about?" Miki asked again.

"Well…it's about the holograms in Duel Monsters," Seta said, looking almost distant. "In recent years they've begun to hurt players…just like with Raven. I mean, if those monsters are just holograms, how can they possibly cause injury or…" He stopped. He didn't want to go down that road.

Miki sensed his discomfort. "I don't understand it myself," she admitted. "Kaibacorp developed this gaming system, right? Well, maybe the answer lies there – with whoever built the thing."

"No. My father built this technology himself. He would never make a product that would hurt people." Seta said this sternly. "Anyway…this is as much of a real mystery to him as it is to anybody."

Miki nodded respectfully. "I see."

By and by they came back to where the others were. "Here you go, Honey," said Seta, handing the snack to her.

She accepted it somewhat absently. "Thanks."

Kyo was polishing his glasses. "Guys…I have a recommendation for all of us," he said darkly. "That Malachi guy…I want all of us to stay away from him and his group. They're bad news, the whole lot of them."

"Hey, hold on now." Jenna had a frown on her face. "Just because one of them has done something terrible, don't go blaming all of them."

"And why not?" Kyo demanded.

"I saw the look on that girl Miriam's face when Malachi was dueling," said Jenna, reminiscing. "She seemed…anxious…and upset…"

"Yeah. Anxious and upset that her damn brother might have lost his duel." Kyo said this with wrath in his tone. "Well, next round I'll give her plenty more to be concerned about. I'll crush that bastard into powder."

"Kyo, what in the hell is wrong with you?" Jenna snapped. "All of a sudden, determined to give an entire group a bad label because of the actions of one of them…this isn't like you!"

"Are YOU the one in that hospital bed, Jenna?" Kyo shot back. "Were you the one who had to face Malachi and get stabbed through like that?"

"STOP IT, BOTH OF YOU!"

Kyo and Jenna abruptly halted their argument and stared at Honey in amazement. Their angry faces softened when they saw the rage in her own. "Please…just stop," she whispered, looking almost ready to cry.

"She's right, guys. Fighting amongst ourselves isn't going to get us anywhere with this." Seta sighed. "But what _can_ we do?"

"Maybe we could ask Pegasus and Mr. Devlin if it's possible to have Malachi disqualified from the tournament," Yugo suggested.

"I'm afraid that's not possible, Yugo," a familiar voice from behind caused them all to turn. Mr. Devlin himself was leaning against the wall, arms folded, an upset look on his face. "Oh, if not for circumstances, we could do it. But I'm afraid that in this case, we can't."

"And why not?" Kyo's voice sounded dangerous. "What's so special about Malachi that you can't disqualify him for almost killing somebody?"

Mr. Devlin closed his eyes and sighed deeply. "It's because…he is the Intercontinental champion. So whether we like it or not, he has to stay."

It took a moment for the news to sink in. "THAT guy…is the Intercontinental champ?" Miki asked in disbelief.

"Oh, five years running now," said Mr. Devlin. "He first won the title when he was 12, and since then nobody's been able to defeat him. And…" His voice went lower. "Until today, there hasn't been a recorded incident of anybody ever touching Malachi's life points in a duel. That is what made him famous…no matter how people tried, they never could get to him. Not by attacking, not by card effects – there simply was no way. Raven, I believe, is the first person to have actually done it."

"But has there ever been a case where Malachi has hurt someone?" Jenna pressed.

"Until now, no." Mr. Devlin said this plainly.

"So, what do we do then, Mr. Devlin?" asked Honey.

"Hmmm…well, Honey, you've already been eliminated from the tournament, so there's not much you can do. As for the rest of you – Kyo, you're the one who faces Malachi next, right? Well, all I can advise you to do is to try and defeat him. I saw how you handled yourself in your duel earlier – I believe you can do it. The rest of you, keep out of Malachi's way…and that's about all I can say to you."

"We understand. We'll be careful," said Yugo. "Come on, everyone, let's go."

"Hold on – Seta, I need to speak to you a moment," said Mr. Devlin. "The rest of you, you're free to go."

The others looked at each other, shrugged, and went off. Seta looked at Mr. Devlin with a puzzled expression. "What is it?"

Mr. Devlin's tone was even graver. "Seta…I saw how Malachi was looking at you during your duel. So far, you're the one who's shown the most power in this tournament. I think, because of that, he might try to target you. So be on your guard."

Seta narrowed his eyes. "Yeah."

----------

"Jenna…"

"Yes?"

They were standing outside the entrance to the hospital. Kyo had his eyes on the ground. "Well, uh…sorry I blew up back there. I'm just…upset that Raven's in the condition he's in now."

"Yeah, I understand." Jenna nodded.

"Well, what do we do now?" Miki asked.

"I know one thing we won't do – we are not going to worry ourselves about Raven. The docs can take care of him," Yugo declared. "We should just concentrate on getting ready for the next round of the tournament."

"Uh-huh…" Miki looked uneasy. "And my next opponent…is my cousin…"

"Oh, yeah." Jenna sighed. "Well, never mind, then, Miki. No matter which of us wins…we'll still be cool. All right?" She flashed an encouraging smile.

"Yeah, I hope so." Miki smiled back.

Standing nearby, Honey nodded. "I wish all of you the best of luck. As for me…I have to get back to my room now. Later." She turned and walked away.

"Will she be okay…?" asked Miki, concerned.

"I hope so." Yugo stretched. "Well, who wants to go to the buffet room? It's almost dinnertime, and I'm starving!"

There were no objections, and so the group headed back to the hotel's dining lounge. But as they went, none of them noticed a pair of eyes watching them from the side of the hospital building…

----------

LATER THAT NIGHT

There was a knock on Kyo and Yugo's room door. Kyo went to answer it, and there stood Jenna. "Is Yugo here?" she asked.

"Nope," said Kyo. "He went down to the buffet room."

"Again?" Jenna face-faulted. "Geez, why doesn't someone tell him that overeating might make him burst?"

"Not my department." Kyo grinned.

Just then Yugo himself appeared, balancing several paper plates on his arms. On each plate was a small mountain of food. "Time to dig in like the royalty we're being treated as!" he declared with a massive grin. "Oh, hey, Jenna! Didja come to pig out, too?"

"A lady doesn't pig out, you idiot!" Jenna snapped.

Carefully Yugo went over to his bed and gently set the plates in his hands down. "Kyo, gimme a hand, would you?" he complained.

"Not a problem!" Kyo grabbed one of the plates on Yugo's right arm – and to Yugo's shock, began to eat from it almost instantly.

"HEY! You treacherous bastard! I said help me, not eat!" Yugo yelled.

"All you said was to give you a hand – you didn't specify." And a grinning Kyo left the room before Yugo could say anything.

"Ass-wipe…" Yugo growled, gingerly setting the plates down.

"You're actually going to eat all of that by yourself?" Jenna asked, humored by the sight.

"Sure, why not?" Yugo promptly began to dig in with gusto. "And if you leave and happen to see Kyo, tell him he's not getting any of this!"

"Hmph. Well, whatever. Later." Jenna then left the room, and Yugo began to gorge himself upon the plates of food he'd brought up.

----------

Elsewhere, Wade was going through his deck. Nearby, Marcus was sitting on a chair, watching. "Tell me, Wade: do you honestly believe you have any chance of defeating Seta Kaiba in a duel?" he asked.

"Honestly? Well…I don't really know." Wade looked thoughtful. "I mean, I could try, but after seeing that Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon in action today…"

At that moment Flora and Blaze walked in. "You'll do well, Wade," said Flora sweetly. "You're the legendary Ocean Master, after all. There's no reason you shouldn't have a chance to defeat Seta Kaiba, after all."

"Well…right now, Seta's not the one I'm concerned about," said Blaze thoughtfully. "It's that Malachi guy that's got me unnerved. Did you see what he did to that Raven Pegasus?"

"Yeah," Marcus sighed. "He's dangerous."

----------

Malachi twitched in his bed. His monsters had tasted blood…for the first time in years…and they thirsted for more. And…the thoughts that ran through his head…the memories that ravaged his brain cells…all screamed for release. And all of them fused together into one singular thought.

_I want…I want to see…death!_

Outside the hotel room, David was leaning against the wall, hands in his pockets. Luke approached him. "Why don't you go inside and go to bed?" he asked.

David made a go-ahead motion with his eyes. "You first. I'm not comfortable going to sleep with _him_ still awake."

A distance away, Miriam looked toward the door with sad eyes. "Brother…"

----------

Pegasus sat at the small table by his room window. A plate of cheesecake, a glass of red wine, and a copy of the Funny Bunny comic book sat before him. Normally these would bring a childish smile to his face, and he would savor the moment and treasure the food, drink and comic for as long as he could.

This time, though, none of it appealed to him. The cheesecake was barely touched, the wine glass was still full, and the comic – brand new, it was – hadn't been taken out of its protective plastic covering. Indeed, Pegasus himself was unconscious of everything else except the memories in his head…

----------

TWELVE YEARS EARLIER, IN PEGASUS'S MEMORY

_"So, those are the children?" Pegasus asked the adoption official, pointing through the one-way mirror at the two children in the waiting room._

_The official nodded. "Yes, Mr. Pegasus," he replied. "Their names are Honey and Raven DaCosta. Their parents died in a plane crash two days ago. They've been staying here at the center, waiting for someone to take them in."_

_"I knew their parents," said Pegasus. "Colin and Yvette DaCosta, famous partners of the archaeologists Rebecca Hawkins-Muto and Ishizu Ishtar."_

_The official looked at him. "Mr. Pegasus…are you thinking of adopting these children? Quite a few families have tried, but they all wanted only one child, and as far as I understand Raven refuses to be separated from his little sister. So, if you think you can handle both of them…"_

_"I don't see why not." Pegasus nodded. "I owe it to these children and their parents, after all."_

_Nodding assent, the official opened the door, and Pegasus stepped in. What he saw made his heart melt: the little boy had his arm around his sister, whispering in her ear, telling her it would be all right, that nobody would ever keep them apart, that he would always protect her. The little girl smiled and clutched her stuffed dog tighter._

_Then the boy looked up on hearing Pegasus's approaching footsteps. "Who're you?"_

_Pegasus squatted so he could be eye-to-eye with the children. "My name's Max Pegasus," he said gently. "And you are Raven and Honey, right?"_

_"Mmm-hmm," the girl answered._

_Raven looked him square in the eye. "You want to take one of us? Well, listen – nobody's separating us! Got it, mister?"_

_Pegasus chuckled. "Oh, I have no intention of separating you," he replied. "In fact, if you really want, I'm quite prepared to adopt both of you at once." His face bore a small, sad smile. "I knew your mommy and daddy very well…and I promised them that if…anything should happen to them, that I'd take care of both of you until you grew up. So, what d'you say?"_

_Honey looked at him timidly. "Are you…are you a nice man, Mr. Pegasus?" she asked innocently._

_"Oh, I think so." Pegasus nodded._

_"What's the catch? What do we have to do to deserve a home with you?" Raven asked. His voice sounded tough, but Pegasus could see it in his face – the apprehension, the fear being felt by a five-year-old._

_"Nothing, my dear boy. Nothing at all." Pegasus then swept the children into his arms. "Just be yourselves, and be happy."_

_"Be happy…" Honey whispered._

_Raven said nothing. Pegasus could feel the children's tears soaking into his expensive 4000-dollar suit…but he knew that the love they would share as a family was far more than all the suits in the world._

----------

THE PRESENT

Pegasus held his face in both hands and let out a sob. "Colin…Yvette…forgive me…I've failed my promise…" he whispered.

----------

**_neomage:_** More angst…a little delving into the torment that Pegasus must be feeling after Raven being so badly beaten up…Raven's undying loyalty to his sister, and vice versa…and the dark mood of Malachi Jordan! And more action too, in the next chapter – so keep reading!!!


	52. Chapter 52

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Do not own, do not own, do not own, do not own…)

**CHAPTER 52**

THE NEXT MORNING

"Uhhh…"

Yugo woke up, groaning and rubbing his belly. "Note to self: never pig out again," he moaned.

"Having stomach trouble, Yugo?" Kyo needled him from the other side of the room. "I knew eating too much would land you into trouble."

Yugo gave him the finger. "At least I have an iron stomach," he growled. "I just still feel full after last night, that's all."

A knock at the door interrupted their conversation. Yugo went to answer it, and found Miki standing there, all smiles. "Hey, guys!" she greeted them. "You ready for another day of dueling?"

Yugo quickly snapped to attention. "Yeah," he said, gravely. "I need to hurry and get ready." And with that he dashed to the bathroom.

"Whoa…I've never seen him so serious upon waking up," Kyo remarked.

"Well, that's because…his opponent is Malachi's sister," Miki reminded him.

"Oh, yeah. THAT'S why." Kyo scowled immediately. "Well, my duel's against him today, too. I'll beat the crap out of him and make him pay for what he did to Raven."

Miki looked worriedly at him. "Kyo…please, don't let your emotions carry you away. I don't want to see anything happen to you."

"Nothing will happen to me, Miki – don't fret." Kyo chuckled. "All that'll happen is, I'll make it to the next round. But what about you – you're supposed to duel Jenna, aren't you?"

"Yeah." Miki nodded. "And frankly, I don't really know for sure if I can beat her. But at least, I'll do my best."

"That's the spirit!" Kyo agreed. "Now, let's go win us some duels, what d'you say?"

"Yeah!" Miki smiled now.

----------

Honey walked past Raven's room, looking in as she did. He was lying in his bed, tubes inserted into his chest, motionless as if dead. "Raven…" she sighed.

"Excuse me…"

"Huh?" Honey looked up and saw the hospital matron. "Oh, sorry. I just came here to check on my brother."

"I'm sorry, dear, but there's been no change," the matron apologized. "You shouldn't worry yourself, though – we're doing everything we can for him."

Honey smiled. "I know. Thank you."

----------

In the lobby of the dining area, Jenna was trying to make a long-distance call to home. "Come on, somebody pick up," she muttered furiously.

After a few rings, she heard her mother's voice on the line. "Wheeler residence."

"Mom, it's Jenna! I'm calling from London!" Jenna exclaimed.

"Jenna? Oh, how wonderful to hear from you!" Mrs. Wheeler's voice brightened. "How are you kids?"

"Just wonderful, thanks. Listen, Mom – all of us won our first duels in the first round! The second round begins in another hour or so," Jenna reported.

"We know about that – we've been keeping up-to-date on TV," said Mrs. Wheeler. "Congratulations to all of you. But, Jenna…"

"Yeah, Mom?" said Jenna, sensing the troubled note in her mother's voice.

It took a moment before Mrs. Wheeler spoke again. "Sweetheart…be careful, okay? I saw what that Malachi Jordan boy did to his opponent…I don't want the same thing to happen to you. So please, please be careful."

"I know, Mom. And I will be all right," said Jenna gently.

"Okay." Mrs. Wheeler's tone was filled with approval. "Now, go ahead and win, dear!"

"Yeah, Mom. And give my love to everybody back home." Jenna smiled. "Bye!"

She hung up the phone and sighed in satisfaction. "Well, so much for that," she said, almost to herself.

"Hey, Jenna, you ready to go? We're going to the dome right now," Yugo's voice came behind her. Turning, she saw him, Kyo and Miki standing there, prepared to tackle the tournament again.

Jenna chuckled and patted her own Duel-Disk. "I'm ready and rearing to go, all right! Let's head out!"

----------

AN HOUR LATER

One hour later found them all in the dueling arena. Jenna looked around as the spectators came in and filled the seats. "Hope the other duelists get here soon," she whispered.

"Are you scared?" Miki grinned and gave Jenna a knowing look.

"Of you? I don't think so!" Jenna retorted with a grin of her own.

"Howdy, everyone! I'm gonna wash away the entire competition now!" Wade's cheerful voice sounded behind them.

"Boy, you sure sound confident, don't you?" said Jenna. "Especially considering you're going up against Seta."

"Yeah, so? I'm not gonna let something like that cramp my style!" Wade replied.

Alongside him were Flora, Marcus and Blaze. "We'll be watching all the matches from the stands," announced Flora. "Make a good impression now, Wade."

"Of course I will!" declared Wade.

Then Yugo looked to one side – and his attention was suddenly arrested. "Guys…"

Turning to look in the direction where he was gazing, the gang saw Malachi, Miriam, David and Luke heading their way. Malachi, as before, had his arms folded and a frown on his face.

There was a deathly silence as the group walked past them. But then Malachi paused and looked sideways at Kyo. "You, angel user…you will be my next prey."

Kyo stiffened and glared at him. Malachi merely returned the glare and then walked on. Miriam, right behind him, sighed and shook her head as she walked past; Luke and David kept looking straight ahead.

"Hmph. The bloodthirsty punk and his entourage have walked right past," said Marcus with distaste.

"Marcus, ssshhh – he might hear you!" Flora scolded.

Another voice grabbed their attention. "So, I take it you are all ready to be stomped today?"

Turning, they saw Seta Kaiba coming forward with his Duel-Disk on his arm and a massive smirk on his face. "After witnessing my Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon in action yesterday, I'm surprised you guys haven't immediately quit."

"We have our reasons for staying in the tournament," said Kyo flatly.

"Yeah, and besides – don't forget, even your dragon isn't invulnerable!" Yugo then jumped on a surprised Seta's shoulders. "Nya-nya-nya! Your dragon can be beaten easily, and I'm proof of that!"

"Would you shut it? And get off me already!" Seta yelled, flustered.

"Awww…they make such a cute couple, don't they?" Miki asked sweetly, even as Seta tried to wrestle Yugo off his back and Yugo stubbornly held onto the other boy's neck.

"That's not funny, kid!" Seta shouted.

"Well, at least we have the luxury of a few minutes' wait until they're ready to start the duels," remarked Wade.

"We'll take our place with the spectators now. Do your best, Wade!" said Blaze, as she, Flora and Marcus took their leave.

"Just you watch! I'll definitely win!" Wade called after her, grinning.

Some considerable distance away, Malachi regarded the group with a scornful eye. "Overconfident fools," he grumbled.

"Well, uh…let's just do our best, eh?" Miriam suggested.

He shot a look at her. "YOU can do your best – I'm here to crush all opposition."

Miriam flinched at this, but Malachi didn't seem to care. Sensing the tension, Luke decided to take the conversation into another direction. "So, Miriam, you'll be dueling first, I take it…whatcha think your chances are?"

"Well, considering that my opponent is going to be the guy who beat _you,"_ said Miriam, "I think it'll be interesting."

Luke laughed and scratched the back of his head. "I sure botched that one, didn't I?"

"I don't think it was you, Luke," said Miriam. "I saw how he handled his cards…he certainly seemed to know what he was doing when he made that comeback against you at the last minute. But the only way I can know for myself how good he is, is if I face him personally."

"You'll beat him down for sure, Miriam – I know it!" David said eagerly.

Malachi turned his head to one side. "Pft."

----------

"Where ARE they?" Mr. Devlin fussed. "This is so bad that they're late!"

Presently Mrs. Taylor came along. "Sorry I'm late; I overslept," she apologized.

"Well, as long as you're here, at least we can start soon," said Mr. Devlin. "Where's Pegasus, anyway?"

"Still in his room, I take it," suggested Mrs. Taylor. "He was quite torn up about what happened to Raven, anyway."

"Yeah…I guess that's right," said Mr. Devlin thoughtfully.

Just then Pegasus appeared. "Well, here I am," he said cheerfully. "So, let's get this show on the road, eh?"

"Yes." Mrs. Taylor nodded and gave Pegasus her best smile.

Mr. Devlin then addressed the crowds in the stands. "Good morning, everyone, and welcome back for another day of the Intercontinental Championship tournament!"

The crowds cheered in response.

"Now, today we're gonna go into the second round of the tournament," went on Mr. Devlin. "And now, if you'll direct your attention to our monitor, this is the order in which the duels will go…"

All eyes turned to the monitor as it revealed itself above the announcer's podium. It displayed the names of the duelists left to participate, and the order was like this:

_Miriam Jordan_

_Yugo Muto_

_Miki Taylor_

_Jenna Wheeler_

_Wade Ocean_

_Seta Kaiba_

_Malachi Jordan_

_Kyo Bakura_

There was a general hiss of contempt from the crowd as Malachi's name came up. Blaze shook her head. "Okay, it looks like that Malachi guy's lost a few fans after what happened yesterday."

"Only a few?" Marcus asked skeptically.

Behind them, the ninja Shigeo sat down, perfectly calm. "Excuse me, but have you any favorites among those duelists down there?"

"Favorites?" Flora thought hard. "Well, I'd bet my money on Jenna. I think she's got a good chance with her Red-Eyes Black Dragon."

"You're only saying that because she beat me," Blaze said sourly. "Personally, I think either Miki or Wade has a chance of winning a duel in this round."

"Not against Seta Kaiba, Wade won't win," objected Marcus. "Hey, buddy, who's your duelist of choice?"

"I'd like to think that Miki will do well, to be honest," admitted Shigeo. "After all, she does have great potential. But on the other hand, Yugo Muto is no pushover, either."

"Well, all we can do is to wait and see," said Blaze, crossing her arms.

"Now, the first duel will be between Miriam Jordan and Yugo Muto!" Mr. Devlin announced. "Will the duelists please go to the platform…?"

Yugo's eyes narrowed. "That girl's good with her cards," he noted. "Wish me luck, you guys."

"Not really luck, Yugo," said Miki. "Just…trust in the heart of the cards."

"HUH?" Yugo turned and stared.

"Your dad told us about it," Jenna giggled. "Don't worry, we don't think you're weird – you're just a really, really good card-drawer, that's all. So…go ahead and win!"

"Yeah, man," said Kyo, adjusting his glasses once again. "Just go and win."

Yugo nodded. "I'll do that. Thanks."

Then he walked up to the platform and looked to where Miriam stood, and waited. "Come on up here, girl," he whispered. "Let's get this over with."

Over there, Luke noticed Yugo's glance. "He's waiting for you, love," he told Miriam. "Don't disappoint us, now."

"Don't worry – I won't." Miriam nodded.

Malachi kept his eyes closed and his arms crossed. He said nary a word.

Miriam left the group and walked toward the platform. As she did, she could hear several spectators hissing and booing. She knew who those insulting sounds were directed at, and why – it was because everyone knew she was Malachi's sister. But now, none of it mattered. All that mattered to her was this duel, and this was what she intended to win.

At length she stepped onto the platform and turned to face Yugo. "You…you're the one who defeated Luke," she said softly. "Well, here I am. And I promise you, I won't be as easy to defeat."

"I figured. I was watching your match against Marcus," replied Yugo. "I know your strategy. But you don't know mine all that well, do you?"

Miriam's eyes narrowed at this.

"Well, I don't intend to hold back," continued Yugo. "I'm not going to hide any of my power now."

Malachi opened his eyes upon hearing this. _Hmmm? He's got something else…something other than what I saw in his duel against Luke?_

"Pffffft…you're only bluffing," Miriam scoffed. "I, on the other hand, know for a fact that my cards will drive you into submission without me having to do anything whatsoever! So, I hope you'd packed your bags this morning, because you're going to be on the next flight home."

"In your dreams." Yugo's voice was full of determination.

The coin appeared on the field. "Heads or tails?" asked Yugo.

"Heads!" said Miriam.

The coin was flipped…and it turned out to be heads. "Nice!" said Miriam. "Now, let's do this!"

"Time to duel!" Yugo answered.

----------

**_neomage:_** I don't know…am I losing my touch? I don't really know how to class this chapter…oh well. At least it pushes the story forward a bit. Now, next chapter, the duel between Yugo and Miriam will get really hot! Keep reading and thanks for your patience!


	53. Chapter 53

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Do not own, do not own, do not own, do not own…I'm doing it again, aren't I? Sigh…)

**CHAPTER 53**

INTERCONTINENTAL DUEL DOME

Miriam drew her first card. "First, I'll play the Dark Snake Syndrome magic card!" As she played the card, the familiar brown snake spirit darted around the field. "As you should remember, the damage this card inflicts to both of us during my Standby Phases will start at 200 and then double each turn!"

"Is that the best you can do?" Yugo demanded.

"Hardly! Now I'll set one monster facedown, and end my turn."

_She's trying to trap me…trying to get me to attack her facedown monster…well, I'm not buying it!_ Yugo thought to himself.

He drew his card. "I'll set one monster in Defense Mode. Then I'll set one card facedown, and that'll do for now."

"Hmmm…playing cautiously, I see," Miriam observed. "But how long do you really think that will help you? Now I'm going to do something I'm sure you will despise me for, but hey – that's how it goes in a duel!"

She drew another card, and then Dark Snake Syndrome took 200 life points from both of them, leaving them with 7800 life points apiece. Then she checked her hand. "Now, I activate the magic card, Dark Room of Nightmare!"

Suddenly, the sinister columns appeared on the field, surrounding both of them. "You remember this? Every time you get damage to your life points as a result of a card effect, 300 extra points of damage will be dealt to your life points!" Miriam reminded Yugo. "And now, I'll set one card facedown, like so…" She placed a card in her magic/trap slot.

Yugo watched her warily.

"Then I'll activate the magic card, Meteor of Destruction! This will inflict 1000 points of damage to your life points!" Miriam swiftly played the card – and the next thing Yugo knew, a hot ball of fire shot down from the sky and hit him so hard he was knocked to the ground. As his life points dropped to 6800, the Dark Room of Nightmare inflicted an additional 300, putting him at 6500!

"Yugo! Don't let her beat you up like this!" Jenna cried from the sidelines.

"You can win, Yugo! Just remember what we told you before!" Miki added.

Miriam examined the two cards left in her hand. "All right…next I'll Flip Summon my facedown monster, and reveal Stealth Bird (ATK 700, DEF 1700)!" And then she revealed a creature that looked more like a bat with feathers than an actual bird. "When he's Flip Summoned successfully, I can inflict 1000 points of damage to my opponent's life points!"

"What?" Yugo exclaimed in alarm.

The Stealth bird flew over to Yugo and began to peck him without mercy. As he did his best to shield himself from the attack, his life points dropped to 5500 – and then Dark Room of Nightmare kicked in once again, bringing him even further to 5200.

"And," said Miriam, obviously pleased with herself, "I can also flip Stealth Bird into facedown Defense Mode once per turn during my Main Phase. So, go back facedown, my pet!" And then, much to Yugo's astonishment, the monster returned facedown.

"I'm gonna kill that bird…" Yugo said menacingly.

"Oh, I'm sooooo scared!" Miriam mocked him. "And now, one more card…I'll activate the magic card, Messenger of Peace! This stops all monsters with an ATK of 1500 or higher from attacking, at a cost of 100 of my life points during each of my Standby Phases. And now, I will end my turn."

"Grrr…you're really not making it easy for me, are you?" demanded Yugo as he drew his next card. "Well, I'll deal with you properly, right now!"

"And how do you plan on doing that, pray tell, when I'm the one who clearly has the advantage?" asked Miriam, very amused.

"Well…" Yugo grinned. "I did say I was going to kill your stupid facedown monster. So, that's what I'll do first! And I'll do it by Flip Summoning my facedown monster – Old Vindictive Magician (ATK 450, DEF 600)!"

As the elderly mage was revealed, Yugo smirked. "Whether Flip Summoned or otherwise flipped face-up, his effect is the same – he destroys one monster on the field!"

Miriam's amused smile vanished. "Uh-oh…"

The Vindictive Magician raised his staff and fired a blast of energy at the facedown Stealth Bird, utterly obliterating it. Then Yugo held up another card. "Now, I summon Skilled Dark Magician (ATK 1900, DEF 1700) in Attack Mode!"

He then summoned the black-clad monk to the field. "Take a good look at this guy…because he's going to be the instrument by which I defeat you," he told Miriam. "Now, Old Vindictive Magician, attack!"

The elderly mage fired a blast of energy from his staff again, hitting Miriam directly and reducing her life points to 7350. "Even if I have to whittle your life points down little by little, I'll defeat you!" Yugo vowed.

Yugo had 5200 life points, while Miriam now had 7350. He had four cards in his hand; she had one. On the field Yugo had his Skilled Dark Magician and Old Vindictive Magician in Attack Mode, plus one card facedown. Miriam had three magic cards on the field – Dark Snake Syndrome, Dark Room of Nightmare, and Messenger of Peace – and she had one other card facedown.

"Hey…that Skilled Dark Magician…d'you think Yugo will try to use _that_ tactic?" Jenna asked.

"Very likely…" Kyo murmured.

Miriam drew her next card – and Dark Snake Syndrome kicked in, the shadowy snake biting both of them and this time reducing their life points by 400, putting Yugo at 4800 and herself at 6950. Then Dark Room of Nightmare sapped Yugo's life points by another 300, leaving him with 4500. Finally, Messenger of Peace drew 100 more life points from Miriam, so she was left with 6850.

"Well, now that that's all over with," she sighed, "I can activate my facedown trap card, Type Zero Magic Crusher!" And as she made this announcement, a weird contraption appeared on the field. "As long as this card stays on the field, I can send one Magic card from my hand to the Graveyard at will at any time – to inflict 500 points of damage to your life points!"

"No…way…" Yugo groaned.

"And now, I'll activate the magic card, Card Destruction! This will force both of us to discard our entire hands and draw the same number of cards we discarded!" Miriam laughed wickedly as she discarded the one card left in her hand, Mass Driver, to the Graveyard.

"Shit…" Yugo groaned as he watched Miriam draw one card according to Card Destruction's effect. Gritting his teeth, he himself discarded the four cards he had in his hand and drew four more.

"And now, I'll activate Pot of Greed!" Miriam announced, playing the last card in her hand and drawing two more cards in the process. When she saw the cards she'd gotten, she laughed out loud.

"How wonderful! All right – now I'll activate Monster Reborn, to revive my Stealth Bird in Defense Mode!" Miriam played her card, and in a moment the bat-bird creature was back on the field, baring its fangs at Yugo in a mocking manner. Then, at Miriam's command, it activated its effect and flipped back facedown.

"And finally…" Miriam held up the last card in her hand. "I'll activate one more Magic card, Wave-Motion Cannon!" And as she played the card, a massive cannon appeared on the field, its barrel almost overshadowing everything else on her side of the field!

"Whoa! Miriam's actually going to use THAT?" David gawked.

"She's really serious!" Luke exclaimed.

"Would you look at the size of that thing…" Wade said, his breath taken away by the might of such a huge weapon.

Miriam had a superior smirk on her face. "As long as this card remains on the field, it'll gain 1000 points worth of power during each of my Standby Phases. Then, at any time during one of my Main Phases, I will be able to discard the card to the Graveyard, and it'll basically blast you into pieces – delivering damage equal to 1000 times the number of my Standby Phases it was on the field for!"

"Damn!" Jenna cried. "If Yugo doesn't do something soon, that thing will—!"

Malachi had an eye on Yugo. _What will you do, kid?_

"Oh, man!" Mr. Devlin exclaimed. "Yugo must surely be a goner now, with such a powerful thing on the field ready to blast his life points away!"

"What can he possibly do?" worried Mrs. Taylor.

But to their surprise, Pegasus was laughing. "Oh, ye of little faith," he rebuked them with a smile, "just look at Yugo's side of the field…"

And Yugo was smiling, even as he took his turn and drew another card. "Are you done now?"

Miriam raised an eyebrow. "Yeah…why?"

"Well, just look at my Skilled Dark Magician," said Yugo.

Miriam looked – and her eyes in surprise. Floating around the monster in question were three flaming orbs! "But – what are those things? They weren't there before!" she exclaimed.

"Well, if you had been paying attention earlier, you would have noticed something special about my Skilled Dark Magician," replied Yugo. "You see, he gets a Magic counter for every Magic card that you or I play on the field. And, since you played three a while ago, he's got three counters!"

"So, that's what they are," mused Miriam. "So? What's that got to do with me?"

"Plenty! For when Skilled Dark Magician has three counters, I can offer him as a tribute to Special Summon a stronger monster from my hand, deck or Graveyard…and here he is, coming exclusively to you from my deck – my Dark Magician (ATK 2500, DEF 2100)!"

Suddenly Skilled Dark Magician vanished from the field, together with his three Magic counters; in his place, emerging from a dark portal, was the mighty spellcaster in his purple robes and wielding his green staff. Miriam took this in with shock. "No…way…!"

Malachi raised an eyebrow. "Hmmm…"

"You see, you just made it so simple, so easy, because you were playing all those magic cards from the get-go," revealed Yugo.

"Well, congratulations for getting a powerful monster on the field, but so what? My Messenger of Peace magic card will still prevent him from attacking!" Miriam snapped.

"Not for long, it won't…because I've got a magic card in my hand that will change all of that!" Here Yugo held up the five cards in his hand and selected one. "It's a card that can only work with the Dark Magician on the field, but it'll blast every card in your magic/trap slot to eternity and beyond! And I use it now…the power of the _Dark Magic Attack _magic card!"

On the sidelines, Seta stared, dumbfounded. "Dark Magic Attack…? There's a magic card named after the magician's signature attack…?"

Dark Magician raised his staff, as a ball of energy swirled at the tip. Miriam was still shocked at the sudden turn of events. _No way…how could this kid break through my fool-proof strategy? It's unheard of!_

Suddenly the mage released his energy ball, and it flew to Miriam's magic/trap zone, utterly obliterating every card there. There was a loud BANG, and a gigantic shockwave that threatened to blow Miriam off the platform! "Oh, Godammit to hell!" she yelled.

Pegasus chuckled, even as Mr. Devlin and Mrs. Taylor looked on wide-eyed. "Told you so," he smiled.

Now Yugo looked at the four remaining cards in his hand. "Okay – time to show you how **_I_** use magic cards! First, I'll activate a magic card from my hand, Double Spell!"

He played one of the cards from his hand. "By discarding one Magic card from my hand…" and he discarded the Mage Power magic card. "I can select a new one from YOUR Graveyard and use it as my own. And I choose…Pot of Greed!"

As Miriam watched in astonishment, the card flew out of her Graveyard and went straight into Yugo's hand. "Now, I activate it to draw two more cards!" And he did so, giving him a total of four cards in hand once again.

Malachi was now very interested. _What's he gonna do?_

"Next, I'll activate the magic of another card! Again, this one can only be used if Dark Magician is on the field…but it will destroy one monster on your side of the field! And the card is Thousand Knives!" Yugo played the card.

Immediately a rain of knives shot out from somewhere behind the Dark Magician, skewering Miriam's facedown Stealth Bird. Miriam was shaking her head in dismay. "This can't possibly be happening!" she wailed.

"Oh, you'd better believe it," said Yugo. "And now, it's time for me to introduce you to a little friend of mine…the Dark Magician Girl (ATK 2000, DEF 1700), who I'll summon by offering my Old Vindictive Magician as a tribute!"

The elderly mage disappeared, replaced in a moment by the cute female magician. But evidently Yugo still wasn't done. "Now, it's time to activate my facedown magic card, Dedication through Light and Darkness, and offer my Dark Magician as a tribute to Special Summon another mage from my hand…Dark Magician of Chaos (ATK 2800, DEF 2600)!"

A dark portal opened behind the Dark Magician, and he stepped backwards into it…and a moment later the more powerful magician emerged to take his place. "When Dark Magician of Chaos is summoned successfully, I can return one Magic card from my Graveyard to my hand – and the card I choose is Double Spell!"

The card emerged from the Graveyard slot and Yugo took it back into his hand. "And again, I'll activate Double Spell, this time targeting your Monster Reborn magic card!" And he discarded the Knight's Title magic card from his hand.

Much to Miriam's chagrin, her Monster Reborn card went into Yugo's hand by this action. "And now," said Yugo, activating the card's power, "come forth from the Graveyard, my Dark Magician!"

Dark Magician was then back on the field in all his glory, sandwiched between the Dark Magician Girl and the Dark Magician of Chaos. "So now, I've gotten three of my strongest monsters on the field in just one go," Yugo said with a smirk, "with enough power among them to wipe out every life point you have!"

Miriam screeched. "EEEEK!"

"Go, my magicians! Tri-Powered Dark Magic Attack!" Yugo commanded.

The three magicians crossed their staves together so that the tips were touching. Then, a massive orange glow began to burn, getting bigger and bigger – and then was released directly at Miriam. The force of it was so great, it launched her off her feet and sent her sailing off the platform, even as her life points shot down to 0.

"MIRIAM!" David and Luke yelled simultaneously, rushing to where she'd fallen.

"I'm…I'm okay…" Miriam gingerly rose up, wincing as a sharp pain hit her in her stomach, where she'd been hit. "Damn…who would've thought he had so much power at his disposal…"

"Shit…he really was holding back on you in your match, bro," David whispered.

"Yeah…" A cold sweat covered Luke's face as he glanced at Yugo, still standing on the platform.

"Duel over! Winner: Yugo Muto!" Mr. Devlin shouted, even as the crowds burst into one giant cheering.

"Yay! Yugo won!" Jenna cried out.

"Wow…such a massive power display…" Shigeo gulped. "I wonder if I could survive that, if I were the one to face him…"

Hardly anyone seemed to pay attention to Malachi now. But if they had, they would have noticed that his hands were shaking, and on his face was a look of pure wonder. _So…this is his power…he's not as much of a shrimp as I first thought!_

"Okay! Time for the next duel to begin…" Mr. Devlin paused. "Serenity…this one's between your daughter and your niece…what do you think is going to happen?"

Mrs. Taylor sighed. "I…I don't know, Duke. Just announce it and then we'll see."

Mr. Devlin nodded. "Next match, Miki Taylor vs. Jenna Wheeler! Please go to the platform!"

"Well…looks like this is it," Jenna said quietly.

"Yeah." Miki then walked toward the platform without another word.

Kyo sighed. "She's a bit reluctant about this duel…but make sure that you two go at it to the fullest, Jenna. Make it a duel she won't regret, win or lose."

Jenna nodded. "I understand." Then she turned and headed for the platform, as well…

----------

**_neomage:_** Yay! Another chapter finished! Well, the clash of cousins is about to begin, and it starts in the next chapter! Keep reading, everyone!

UPDATED 01/12/2005: Ahem…after doing much back-reading and research on the Internet, I'm finally assured of how Type Zero Magic Crusher actually works, so…I had to re-edit this chapter for corrections' sake. Not too much editing to be done, actually…


	54. Chapter 54

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Do not own, do not own, do not own, do not own…I'm doing it again, aren't I? Sigh…)

**CHAPTER 54**

INTERCONTINENTAL DUEL DOME

Jenna slowly ascended the steps leading to the level base of the platform. "Miki…are you sure you want to go through with this?" she asked.

Miki smiled a small smile. "It's for the best, Jenna. It's all about fun as far as I'm concerned. Win or lose, things between us won't change. I'll still be your cousin…and we'll still love each other."

"Oh, Miki…" Jenna was almost on the verge of tears.

Then the coin appeared on the field, and Miki got to call it. "I'll call tails."

The coin was flipped – and it turned out as tails. "All right, then I'll go first." Miki nodded her head in resolution.

"This should be a good match," Blaze observed.

"Yeah," Marcus nodded. "Miki's certainly gotten stronger since that time when she and I dueled. Only thing is now, how will she fare, especially since this is more than a physical duel…it's also an emotional one. They're family, after all."

Miki's voice became stronger as she drew her card. "I summon Silent Swordsman Lv. 3 (ATK 1000, DEF 1000) in Attack Mode!" She then summoned a child warrior that wore a hat similar to a sea captain's hat, and wielded a massive sword shaped somewhat like an anchor. "Then I'll set two cards facedown, and end my turn."

"Silent Swordsman…my father used to have a monster like that," Yugo mused. "It's got great power, if I'm not mistaken…"

"Really?" asked Kyo. "Like what?"

"Watch and see," said Yugo, mysteriously.

Jenna drew her card. "So that's your opening move? Well, how about this one for size? I'll play the magic card Fissure, to destroy your Silent Swordsman!"

As Jenna played her card, a huge rift opened in the ground below Silent Swordsman's feet – but the little warrior nimbly jumped elsewhere, out of harm's way. "What!" Jenna shot out.

"Silent Swordsman Lv. 3 is immune to any of your Magic cards that designate him as a target," said Miki calmly. "You'll have to do better than that."

"Well, then I will! I summon Rocket Warrior (ATK 1500, DEF 1300) in Attack Mode!" Jenna then summoned a figure with a sword and a shield, colored with yellow and green checkered squares.

"I think not! I activate my trap card, Trap Hole, to destroy your monster!" Miki countered, flipping one of her facedown cards. And as Jenna looked on in astonishment, her Rocket Warrior vanished into a hole right before her eyes!

"Argh…fine! I'll set a card facedown, then, and end my turn!" Jenna then set a card.

Miki drew her next card and chuckled. "You know, there's a reason why he's called Silent Swordsman Lv. 3," she pointed out. "During my Standby Phase, I can offer him as a tribute to Special Summon his stronger form from my deck – come forth, my Silent Swordsman Lv. 5 (ATK 2300, DEF 1000)!"

Silent Swordsman suddenly grew taller, his face more mature and handsome, until he had the look of a teenager and his clothes fit him better – and his sword became bigger and longer, too. "I personally like him when he's older, don't you?" Miki asked, giggling.

"Oh, dear…" Jenna's eyes widened as she realized what would happen next.

"Since summoning this form of Silent Swordsman in this way is a Special Summon, I can summon another monster: Giant Soldier of Stone (ATK 1300, DEF 2000) in Attack Mode! Come forth, my mighty stone soldier!"

A moment later the Giant Soldier of Stone appeared on the field. "Now, my monsters, attack directly!" Miki commanded.

Giant Soldier of Stone slowly unsheathed his sword, and then with one swing the stone blade came crashing down, right next to where Jenna stood. She managed to jump out of the way in time, but her life points went straight down to 6700. Then Silent Swordsman Lv. 5 took a swipe at Jenna, reducing her further to 4400.

"Come on, Jenna! Don't disappoint me now!" Miki cried.

"Damn…" Jenna grunted.

"Well, if you're not going to play at your best, then fine. I'll end my turn for now." Miki sounded disappointed.

Narrowing her eyes, Jenna drew another card. _What is WRONG with me? I'm really not playing at my best right now…why? What is it I'm doing…or not doing…?_

"What's with Jenna? It's as if she's deliberately holding back on more than half of her skill," Yugo said, frowning.

"It's simple, really," replied Kyo. "She's dueling against her flesh and blood at this moment. She wants to win, but at the same time she wants Miki to do well, too." He sighed. "She still very likely remembers that Miki's first duel ended in a bad loss…she doesn't want to have to let her go through that again. She's willing to take all the weight so that Miki can shine in the spotlight…"

Yugo gritted his teeth in annoyance at this. "Well, I won't stand for it!"

Before Kyo could stop him, Yugo took two steps forward. "JENNA!"

Startled, Jenna turned around. "Huh?"

"Don't be afraid to go all out!" Yugo called to her. "If you do a sloppy job simply because you want to please somebody, you'll only end up despising yourself somewhere in the future! Holding back just because your opponent happens to be somebody you love is not how a real duelist does things! You have to show that you can handle yourself well, and right now you need to get more into the game! Don't be scared, Jenna – show everyone how far your talent goes!"

Jenna looked at him for the longest moment. Then a quiet smile came across her lips and she turned back to face Miki. _Yugo…I owe you…_

Miki's life points were untouched at 8000, whereas Jenna had 4400. Miki had three cards in her hand, and on the field she had Silent Swordsman Lv. 5 and Giant Soldier of Stone in Attack Mode, plus one facedown card. Jenna, on the other hand, had one facedown card on the field, but she also had three cards in hand.

Swiftly Jenna drew another card. "All right – now I'll get serious! I summon Armed Dragon Lv. 3 (ATK 1200, DEF 900)!" Then she summoned a small red dragon with silver armor plating.

Then she held up another card. "And next, I'll activate Swords of Revealing Light, to stop your monsters from moving for the next three turns!" And as she played her next card, the three swords of light came down and went into the ground, in front of Miki's monsters.

"Finally, I'll set one card facedown, and end my turn." And Jenna did this with a small smirk on her face. "Your turn, cousin."

"I see…now you're finally getting serious. Good!" Miki had a happy smile on her face. "Now, I can feel as though this duel will be worthwhile!"

Then Miki drew her next card – and immediately, Silent Swordsman began to transform again. "What's going on?" Jenna queried suspiciously.

"It's the effect of Silent Swordsman Lv. 5," said Miki. "When he attacks my opponent's life points directly, during my Standby Phase I can send him to the Graveyard to Special Summon his truest form to the field from my deck – Silent Swordsman Lv. 7 (ATK 2800, DEF 1000)."

In a moment Silent Swordsman looked older, more handsome that before, a lot more experienced – and his sword seemed to have grown twice its previous size. "And…as long as this form of Silent Swordsman exists on my side of the field, all Magic cards' effects are negated." Miki chuckled. "Which means that your Swords of Revealing Light is of no consequence to me!"

"Crap!" Jenna groaned.

"And now, I'll offer Giant Soldier of Stone as a tribute to summon Jack's Knight (ATK 1900, DEF 1400)!" Miki's stone soldier then disappeared as she summoned her knight, wielding his sword in one hand and a frown on his youthful face. "Silent Swordsman, attack and destroy that Armed Dragon!"

"I think not! I activate my trap card, Draining Shield, to stop your Silent Swordsman's attack and increase my life points by an amount equal to his ATK points!" Jenna shouted, flipping one of her cards face-up. As Miki watched in stunned surprise, Silent Swordsman Lv. 7 stopped his attack and Jenna's life points shot up to 7200!

"Hmmm…very nice," Miki admitted. "But my Jack's Knight can still attack! Do it now, Jack's Knight!"

"No, Jack's Knight, don't!" Jenna rebutted. "I activate my other card, Shadow Spell! This will wrap your Jack's Knight in chains so tight that they'll reduce his ATK by 700 and keep him stuck in his current battle position!"

A wave of chains shot out of her upraised card and wrapped around the surprised Jack's Knight, reducing his ATK to 1200. "Whoa! Now I really know you're playing seriously!" Miki exulted. "You had that card there from before, and now you use it…I simply don't know what to say to you, except…brilliant timing!"

"Well, do you have anything else to try?" asked Jenna.

"Nope! I'll end my turn!" Miki grinned. "Come on, Jenna – show me what you're made of! Show me what else you can do!"

"As you wish." Jenna drew another card. "During my Standby Phase, I can offer Armed Dragon Lv. 3 as a tribute to Special Summon his stronger form from my deck – and here he is now, the powerful Armed Dragon Lv. 5 (ATK 2400, DEF 1700)!"

The Armed Dragon got bigger…and bigger…and its armor plates grew harder and more sturdy. "Now, that is what I call a rugged monster!" remarked Jenna. "Now, Armed Dragon, destroy Jack's Knight!"

"Uh-uh! Activate the trap card, Kunai with Chain!" said Miki. "This will shift your Armed Dragon into Defense Mode and at the same time increase the ATK of my Jack's Knight by 500 points!"

Jack's Knight was soon holding a massive chain, wrapped around a helpless Armed Dragon. At the same time, Jack's Knight's ATK went to1700. "Oh, man!" Jenna sulked.

"It's all a part of life, dear cousin," said Miki. "Live with it."

"But at least I still have something I CAN do!" Jenna recalled. "Since I Special Summoned my Armed Dragon Lv. 5, I can offer him as a tribute to summon something else – my Summoned Skull (ATK 2500, DEF 1200)!"

The Armed Dragon vanished – and in its place stood a hulking behemoth of a monster, something that looked like a skeleton with horns and partial flesh over its body. "Then I'll set one last card facedown, and end my turn." Jenna played the last card in her hand with a smile on her face.

Now the stats of the duel had changed somewhat. While Miki's life points were still at 8000, Jenna's were now at 7200. Miki now had Silent Swordsman Lv. 7 in Attack Mode, along with Jack's Knight who was equipped with the Kunai with Chain trap card. Jenna had her Summoned Skull on the field, plus her Shadow Spell trap card that was trapping Jack's Knight, her Swords of Revealing Light whose effect was negated by Silent Swordsman, and one other card facedown. Jenna had no cards left in her hand; Miki had three.

"All right – now they're starting to really go at it," Yugo observed.

"Yes," agreed Kyo. "Jenna's taking Miki more seriously now, and that's a good thing – she's acknowledging that Miki is a true duelist, like us."

Miki drew her next card – and to her surprise, the card Jenna had set last turn flipped face-up. "I activate my trap card, Thunder of Ruler!" said Jenna. "Since I've activated this card during your Standby Phase, you cannot attack me this turn with any monster."

Then Jenna smirked. "I've figured out the weakness of your Silent Swordsman, Miki. No matter what level he's at, he's still vulnerable to trap effects – and I'm going to keep manipulating that weakness until I win."

"Very clever," said Miki, clapping. "But that's not to say that I don't have any other strategies to fall back on! And, in case you haven't noticed, my life points are still untouched, anyway. So you'll have to come up with something really good to do me in."

Miki then turned her attention to the cards in her hand. "Hmmm…okay…I'll summon Armaill (ATK 700, DEF 1300)…" And here she summoned the strange warrior with two swords and a bladed tail. "…then I'll set another card facedown…and that's it! I'll end my turn with that!"

Jenna frowned a bit. "So that's it, then?"

"Yep!" Miki nodded.

"Well, all right, if you say so."

Jenna was troubled. She surveyed the card she'd just drawn. _What am I gonna do? That Silent Swordsman Lv. 7 negates the effects of all magic cards…and that means my deck's practically been cut down to two-thirds of its power! Damn it all…_

She closed her eyes and tried to think. _Come on…I took cards from Dad's deck to formulate my own…what would he do?_

After a moment of deliberation, she made up her mind. "I'll set this card facedown, shift Summoned Skull into Defense Mode, and end my turn."

"Oh, what's the matter? Can't get to play any good cards – or maybe your good cards are being negated by my Silent Swordsman Lv. 7, huh?" Miki challenged. "Well, we'll soon find out, won't we?"

She drew her next card. "I summon Orgoth the Relentless (ATK 2500, DEF 2450), offering my incapacitated Jack's Knight and my Armaill as tributes!" And then she took Jack's Knight and Armaill away from the field and replaced them with the heavily-armored Orgoth, whose sword was ready to slice opposition apart. As Jack's Knight disappeared from the field, so did her Kunai with Chain and Jenna's Shadow Spell.

"I think I know why you didn't attack me with your Summoned Skull when you had the chance, even though both Jack's Knight and Armaill were far weaker," remarked Miki. "You thought my facedown card was a trap card, didn't you? Well, it is – but of a different sort! Activate the trap card, Conscription!"

"HUH?" Jenna stared in perfect amazement. "I've never heard of that card!"

"Then you won't mind if I explain what it does," said Miki, smiling. "This card allows me to pick up the card that's on top of your deck—and if that card is a monster that can be Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon it to my side of the field. If it's not a monster card, or if it is but it can't be Normal Summoned, then it gets added to your hand. So…hand over the card on top of your deck, dear cousin!"

Yugo had his eyebrows raised in astonishment. "Where is Miki getting cards from? I never gave her a card like that!" he remarked.

"Maybe she's been doing what we stopped doing long ago – buying booster packs to add good cards to our decks," said Kyo quietly. "Miki knew she didn't have good enough cards after her defeat to Marcus in the Kaibacorp Challenge Cup, and she wanted to be able to keep up to us…so she very likely went to one of the stores back home and bought cards out of her pocket money. Maybe we should start doing that again, don't you think?"

"Maybe…"

Jenna picked the top card off of her deck and looked at it…and much to her horror, that card turned out to be the Red-Eyes Black Dragon (ATK 2400, DEF 2000)! "Aw, hell, no!" she wailed – but obediently she walked over to Miki and handed the card to her.

"Sweet!" Miki exclaimed when she saw what it was. "All right – now be Special Summoned to my side of the field, Red-Eyes Black Dragon!"

A moment later the Red-Eyes was on the field next to Orgoth the Relentless, growling in anger. "Well, now I've got three strong monsters on the field," boasted Miki. "And what do you have, dear Jenna? Only one monster that's helplessly sitting in Defense Mode as I speak! But that's about to change right now…Red-Eyes Black Dragon, destroy Summoned Skull! Inferno Fire Blast!"

The Red-Eyes blasted a ball of fire from its mouth, consuming Summoned Skull. Then— "Orgoth the Relentless, it's your turn now! Attack directly!"

Orgoth raised his sword and charged, slashing Jenna on the arm and reducing her life points to 4700. And then – "Silent Swordsman, do it now! Ultimate Blade!" And Silent Swordsman Lv. 7 let loose with his humongous sword, bringing the blade crashing to the ground and knocking Jenna down in the process – and reducing her life points further to 1900.

"Oh, dear…" Mrs. Taylor sighed. "It looks as if Jenna will really lose this duel."

"Perhaps…unless something happens…" Pegasus seemed to be talking almost to himself.

"That about does it!" Miki sighed. "One more attack on my next turn, and I'll win. Though honestly, Jenna, I'm disappointed…I would've thought you'd provide a bigger challenge than this. Maybe your win against Blaze last round was just luck, after all."

_Maybe she's right…_ Jenna sighed inwardly. _I guess I really am not making much of an impression right now. But…_

Jenna looked at her side of the field as the Swords of Revealing Light – whose three turns had already gone by – disappeared; then she looked at her deck. _Gotta do this…gotta do this…gotta do this!_ This kept screaming in her head as she reached to draw her card. Slowly she pulled it out…ever so slowly…

…and then when she looked at it, she couldn't believe her eyes. _Incredible!_

Miki looked at her, puzzled. "Something wrong?"

Jenna looked up. "I'm not sure…but everything's gonna have to rest on this next play." And she prepared to play her card…

----------

**_neomage:_** MWA! Have another dose of cliffhanging! This duel's gonna be finished next chapter, believe me, and the result is not going to be what anyone is expecting! And…on a side note, I've been getting a lot of mail from people who want to know who Seta's mother is. Well, you'll just have to wait a bit longer to find that out! All will be revealed in due time and in a way I'm sure none of you will expect! Keep reading!


	55. Chapter 55

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: I wonder how many other ways there are of saying the original concept for Yu-Gi-Oh isn't mine? Is this one of them?)

**CHAPTER 55**

INTERCONTINENTAL DUEL DOME

Miki looked at Jenna, puzzled. "Something wrong?"

Jenna looked up. "I'm not sure…but everything's gonna have to rest on this next play." And she prepared to play her card. "Now…I summon Time Wizard (ATK 500, DEF 400) to the field!"

To everyone's astonishment, suddenly a big round clock with arms, legs, a cape and a wand appeared on the field. Yugo was very amazed. "That's the card I gave Jenna…" he whispered.

"What does it do?" asked Kyo.

Yugo's surprise slowly turned into a grin. "You'll soon find out."

Jenna's life points were at a very low 1900, while Miki's still remained untouched at 8000. Still on Miki's side of the field were Silent Swordsman Lv. 7, Orgoth the Relentless, and Jenna's Red-Eyes Black Dragon. On Jenna's side were her just-summoned Time Wizard and one facedown card. Miki had two cards in her hand; once again, Jenna had none.

Jenna brushed a stray lock of hair from her forehead. "Okay, here's the deal," she told Miki. "I'm going to activate Time Wizard's effect. I'll flip a coin and call it; if I call it right, all the monsters on your side of the field will be destroyed…"

"And if you call it wrong?" Miki asked.

Jenna hesitated. "I…well…" She sighed. "Every monster on my side of the field will be destroyed instead, and I'll lose life points equal to half of the total ATK of the monsters on my side of the field."

"Well, since you only have one monster on the field, that's not saying much," said Miki thoughtfully. "But then again, once I attack you next turn, it won't matter."

"Well – here I go! Time Wizard, do the coin toss!" Jenna exclaimed. "And I call heads!"

"What do you think? Will she get it?" asked Flora.

"If she wants to win, she _has_ to get it right," remarked Marcus. "Otherwise, it's all over for her."

Further away, Luke seemed to think so too. "I wonder what her chances are," he remarked.

"Fifty-fifty, I say," said David. "Either she'll win or she'll lose."

Miriam looked intently at the platform. "Hmmm…"

The coin flipped into the air, and both Miki and Jenna watched it intently. In fact, every eye in the stadium was on the coin as it reached the peak of height and began to descend.

Flip…flip…flip…flip.

Plink.

The coin hit the ground, bounced around a little…then finally came to rest. It was showing an eye on its face – it was heads!

"WHAAAAAAAAAAT!" Miki screamed in disbelief.

"Woo-hoo! I got it!" Jenna cried in happiness. "Okay, Time Wizard – use your Time Magic!"

"Time Magic!" Time Wizard echoed as it began to glow and rose into the air, pointing its wand at Miki's monsters. The tip of the wand glowed with a bright light – and then exploded with energy.

Immediately all around both girls swirled windows in time, images of times gone past and times now present. "Whoa!" Miki yelled. "Jenna, do you realize what's happening? Centuries are passing by us in nanoseconds!"

"Exactly!" Jenna smiled. "And now, if you'll kindly take a look at your monsters…"

Miki looked and almost fainted. All that remained of her monsters were their clothes and their bones – everything else had turned to ashes and dust! "No…way…" she whispered.

"And now, time for me to make a comeback!" Jenna declared. "I activate the effect of my facedown magic card, Monster Reborn, to revive my Armed Dragon Lv. 5 to the field! Come back to me, my dragon!"

In a moment the Armed Dragon returned to the field, howling in righteous wrath. "Now, my monsters, attack directly!" Jenna commanded. "Time Wizard, use Time Magic again! Armed Dragon, use Armor Claw!"

Time Wizard pointed its wand at Miki – and she got blown back by an invisible force, her life points reduced to 7500. Then Armed Dragon Lv. 5 raised one clawed limb and slashed downward – and the shockwave knocked her down, reducing her further to 5100.

"Wow…well…done," Miki remarked, holding her side where she'd gotten hit. "All right…now things are looking up."

"Let's duel!" Jenna exclaimed.

Nodding, Miki drew her next card, giving her a total of three in hand. "I summon Little-Winguard (ATK 1400, DEF 1800) in Attack Mode!" She summoned a small blue-clad knight with a sword and shield, and wing designs here and there on his armor. "Attack and destroy Time Wizard! Wing Sword Slash!"

Little-Winguard seemed to fly as he dashed forward and cut Time Wizard in two, bringing Jenna's life points down to 1000. "Geez…!" Jenna muttered. "So much for that…"

"Okay, now I'll end my turn," said Miki, "and as I do that, I'll activate Little-Winguard's effect: during each End Phase of my turn, I can choose to change his battle position. And I'm switching him to Defense Mode." Whereupon Little-Winguard went down on his knees, his shield at the ready.

"Defense or no defense, I'll defeat you definitely!" Jenna declared as she drew another card. "And now…I'll set one card facedown. Now, Armed Dragon, destroy Little-Winguard!"

Armed Dragon raised its claws and sliced Little-Winguard to ribbons. "Too bad for your little defender," Jenna couldn't resist saying, giggling. "Now I'll end my turn…but things are about to get even worse for you, dear _cousin…"_

"Why?" asked Miki.

"Because…during the end of a turn when Armed Dragon Lv. 5 destroyed a monster in battle, I can tribute him to Special Summon his ultimate form from my hand or deck…and this one comes from my deck: Armed Dragon Lv. 7 (ATK 2800, DEF 1000)!"

Suddenly Armed Dragon bellowed as it began to grow even bigger than ever; its face became far more menacing, its claws more pronounced, and its armor even harder. "Look at him well, Miki…because now nothing's gonna stop me!"

"Oh, you think so?" Miki quipped as she drew her next card, giving her three in all. "Well, excuse me if I don't share the same view! I activate the magic card, Premature Burial, to revive my Orgoth the Relentless at a cost of 800 life points!"

As Miki's life points went down to 4300, Orgoth the Relentless reappeared on the field, growling as he readied his sword for battle once again. Then Miki held up another card.

"Next, I'll activate the magic card, Reinforcement of the Army! I can now move one Level 4 or lower Warrior-type monster from my deck to my hand, then shuffle my deck. And I choose…Marauding Captain (ATK 1200, DEF 400)!" She retrieved the card and then shuffled her deck.

"Why do I have a feeling this is not going to go well?" asked Jenna.

"Now, I'll summon my Marauding Captain!" Miki declared. And as that monster appeared, swords at the ready: "As you may remember, when Marauding Captain is Normal Summoned successfully, I can Special Summon one Level 4 or lower monster from my hand. And I choose – Gearfried the Iron Knight (ATK 1800, DEF 1600)!"

The iron knight then appeared, shields on both arms. "Finally," said Miki, "as long as Marauding Captain is on the field, you can't select another Warrior-type monster as an attack target." She sighed. "A bit of a sacrifice, I guess, but sometimes knights and soldiers do have to make sacrifices. All right – I end my turn now."

Jenna frowned again. "This is very, very creepy…"

She looked at the duel's stats. Her own life points were at 1000, while Miki's now stood at 4300. Miki had on the field Marauding Captain, Gearfried the Iron Knight, and Orgoth the Relentless powered by Premature Burial. Jenna had Armed Dragon Lv. 7 and one facedown card. Neither had any cards left in hand.

As Jenna drew her card, thoughts ran through her mind. _Not being able to attack any monster other than her Marauding Captain…is she waiting to get some special card on her next draw? She's got quite a few cards she hasn't used yet that could mean trouble for me…Oh well, I guess all I can do is to attack and at least bring her life points down a little more._

Aloud Jenna declared, "All right – time for you to lose more life points, Miki! Armed Dragon, destroy her Marauding Captain!" And Armed Dragon did just that – slicing Marauding Captain in two with one stroke of its claws and bringing Miki's life points to 2700.

"Then I'll set one more card facedown," added Jenna, placing the card in her hand onto the field. "Your turn."

"Did…did Miki just make it a little easier for Jenna?" asked Wade.

Blaze shook her head. "That isn't her style…she's merely rolling with the punches so she'll get a chance to hit Jenna where it'll do more than just sting."

And it seemed Blaze was right – for as Miki drew her next card, her eyes lit up. "NOW things will come to an end!" she declared. "Sorry, Jenna…it was fun while it lasted, but not everything in life can go just as you want."

Jenna watched her warily.

"Now, I activate the magic card, Pot of Greed, to draw two cards from my deck!" Miki then drew her two cards. When she saw what they were, she laughed.

"All right – now I activate the magic card, Release Restraint! This'll transform Gearfried the Iron Knight into Gearfried the Swordmaster (ATK 2600, DEF 2200)!" And as she played the card, Gearfried's armor blew off and revealed the muscular man underneath, wielding his sword of light.

Then Miki twiddled the last card in her hand. "Now, I activate the power of the magic card, Axe of Despair, to increase Gearfried's ATK by 1000!"

Jenna paled. "But that means he'll…"

"Exactly! Gearfried's effect will kick in – and destroy one monster on the field – namely your Armed Dragon Lv. 7!" Miki grinned. "Do it, Gearfried – use your effect!"

As the Axe of Despair increased Gearfried's ATK to 3600, he raised both the axe and his sword of light and brought them down on the Armed Dragon, cutting it into three pieces. Miki then looked at Jenna's side of the field. "Hmmm…now, which one of these should I attack you with…" she muttered. "I know! Orgoth the Relentless, finish her off now!"

Orgoth raised his sword in both hands and charged full speed at Jenna – who suddenly started to laugh. "I was actually hoping you'd do that, Miki! I activate my trap card, Mirror Force, to destroy all the monsters on your side of the field!"

A gigantic barrier appeared suddenly in front of Jenna, just as Orgoth's sword was coming down. The attack was deflected – and a massive shockwave sent Orgoth flying back, right into Gearfried, destroying both warriors at the same time!

"Ack!" Miki cried. "This is unfortunate!"

"Nice counter!" Yugo declared. "Now Jenna's got a chance to come back into the game!"

"But she has to do it with a strong enough monster, or else Miki'll get a chance to bounce back – and then it'll all be over," Kyo said softly.

Jenna swiftly drew her next card. "Well…it's time for me to summon Baby Dragon (ATK 1200, DEF 700) to the field!" And then she summoned a cute-looking orange dragon with smoke coming from its nose.

Miki was dumbfounded. "And just HOW is that going to help you? It's barely got enough ATK points to do anything much!"

"Maybe…but I still have one other card I can use! I activate the trap card, Call of the Haunted, to revive my Red-Eyes Black Dragon!" Jenna flipped her remaining facedown card, and a moment later the dark dragon reappeared.

Jenna sighed and closed her eyes; the tears that threatened to spill were forced back. "Miki…this is it…only one of us could win this duel…and it's going to be me, this time around."

Miki smiled. "Looks like you win, Jenna. Attack me and finish it."

Jenna nodded. "Red-Eyes Black Dragon, Inferno Fire Blast! Baby Dragon, Infant Flame!"

Both dragons charged up balls of fire in their mouths, then let them go in one consecutive blast at Miki. She stood there, head down, as the blasts consumed her, taking her life points to 0.

"Winner: Jenna Wheeler!" Mr. Devlin announced.

Pegasus regarded Mrs. Taylor. "You all right?"

"I…I don't know whether to be happy or disappointed," Mrs. Taylor sighed. "My daughter lost, but my niece gets to advance…"

"Things like this happen when two people who are close to each other duel in competition," said Mr. Devlin kindly. "All you can do for both of them is to give encouragement and let them know they both did good."

As the holograms cleared away from the field, Miki walked over to Jenna. The latter had her head down. "Miki…I…"

"Don't sweat it, Jenna." Miki placed a hand on her cousin's shoulder. "Remember what I said: no matter who won or lost this duel, things wouldn't change. We're still friends…right?"

Jenna looked at her cousin; a tear stole its way down her face. "Miki…"

Yugo smiled. "Miki's certainly graceful, even in defeat."

"True, true," said Kyo, adjusting his glasses. "Now, if only Jenna could work a little on her confidence level, everything would be all right."

Just then Mr. Devlin announced, "The next duel is between Wade Ocean and Seta Kaiba! Duelists, report to the platform!"

Seta stood up from where he'd been seated, stretched and yawned. "Well…time to win another duel."

Blaze, at the same time, looked intently at Wade. "Do what you can out there, okay?"

"Hey…since when were you so concerned about me?" he asked teasingly.

Blaze's eyes widened. Then she pouted and looked away. "I'm only giving you advice, numbskull!" she snapped.

"I know, I know," Wade laughed. "Don't worry. I'll do whatever it takes…just watch!"

Elsewhere on the sidelines, Malachi observed the approaching duelists with renewed interest. "Seta Kaiba…" he growled softly.

Miriam looked at Malachi and then quickly averted her eyes. _Brother…_

----------

At that moment, at the hospital, Honey was seated at Raven's bedside. "Raven…please wake up…" she whispered.

Just then, as though he'd heard her, Raven's eyes stirred. "Uhhh…where am I…?" he groaned.

"Raven?" Honey's downcast face lit up. "Oh, Raven…!"

Raven tried to move – and felt sharp stabbing pain. "SHIT…!"

"Don't try to move, bro," warned Honey. "You took quite a beating during your duel."

"Oh…" Slowly a mask of disappointment came over Raven's face. "So, I lost…and I ended up like this…"

"I'm sorry you had to lose your match," Honey said gently, passing a finger over Raven's brow. "But you did real good, I'll tell you that. You had that jerk Malachi shaking in his shoes."

"I guess." Raven sighed. "So, uh…what's the status of the tournament?"

"I haven't been back there," said Honey. "I've been here at the hospital the entire time, looking after you."

"Well, why don't we go to the arena, then? It's just a few minutes away from this place. The whole facility is on one campus, remember?" said Raven.

"But Raven, you can't move in your current condition. I tell you what – I'll go find out the statistics and come right back, okay? Don't move!" And with that, Honey jumped up and was out the door.

Raven chuckled. "Overprotective sister of mine…"

----------

**_neomage:_** Raven has finally regained consciousness! And Seta and Wade are about to duel! Keep reading, everybody!


	56. Chapter 56

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: La-la-la-la-la-la-la…uh…why am I singing to myself? --;;; Anyway, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**CHAPTER 56**

INTERCONTINENTAL DUEL DOME

"Wahoo! I get to duel against the famous Seta Kaiba!" Wade crowed as he prepared to duel Seta on the platform.

"And I hope you're prepared to lose," Seta replied, smirking.

"Not a chance!" Wade answered. "I'll definitely beat you! Count on that for sure!"

The coin was flipped. "I call tails!" Seta yelled.

The coin then landed – but it was heads. "Ach…oh, well. Go ahead," Seta sighed, shrugging.

Both boys drew five cards; then Wade drew a sixth. "Now, then! To start things off, I'll summon the Mad Lobster (ATK 1700, DEF 1000)!" Then he summoned a lobster with large claws and something of a skull-shaped face. "Then I'll put one card facedown, and end my turn."

"Hmmm…interesting choice of cards," said Seta. "But that monster won't stand up for one minute against the might of my Spear Dragon (ATK 1900, DEF 0)!" And then he summoned the dragon with the long beak.

"Hold it! I activate the trap card, Torrential Tribute!" interrupted Wade. "When a monster is summoned to the field, this card destroys all monsters on the field!"

Suddenly two massive geysers burst out from underneath both monsters, utterly destroying them. Seta watched with astonishment. "Impossible!" he cried.

"Oh, it's very much possible," said Wade. "So, what will you do?"

Seta looked at the cards in his hand. "Grrr…I'll end my turn."

So Wade drew another card. "All right…I activate Monster Reborn, to revive my Mad Lobster to the field!" And in a moment the lobster was back, ready to fight again.

"So you're gonna fight me with a crustacean? How scary," said Seta sarcastically.

"I would think you'd be just a tiny bit more concerned than you seem to be," said Wade. "Especially when I'm about to use the power of A Legendary Ocean!"

As Wade played the field magic card, the waters rose up to their knees and huge towers appeared from those waters. Seta could feel the water wetting his trousers, but shrugged it off. "Hmph. So?"

"So…I'll summon my Mermaid Knight (ATK 1500, DEF 700)!" Wade then summoned a beautiful woman with a fish-tail, wielding a rainbow sword and shield, and her stats shot to 1700 ATK and 900 DEF. "As long as Umi remains on the field, Mermaid Knight can attack twice during the same battle phase…and since the Legendary Ocean is treated as Umi…"

Seta's eyes narrowed. "I see."

"Now, Mermaid Knight, attack directly!" Wade commanded. Mermaid Knight, in response, swam forward and sliced Seta with her sword, reducing Seta to 6300; then she attacked again, reducing him further to 4600.

"Mad Lobster, your turn! Pincer Slash!" Wade commanded. In response, Mad Lobster, its stats increased to 1900 and 1200, swung one sharp pincer forward, Seta flew backward from the impact as his life points shot down to 2700.

"Come on, Seta – I know you can do far better than this!" Wade challenged. "Well, no matter. I'll put one card facedown, and end my turn. Now, do you believe you can really defeat me?"

Standing up, Seta drew another card, giving him six in all. "I think I can! I'll set two cards facedown, set one monster facedown, and end my turn."

"Hmph." Wade drew another card. "With your life points so low, you'll soon become fish food, as far as I'm concerned. Show me the dueling power that tells the world you are Seta Kaiba!"

On the sidelines, Malachi was watching with anticipation. _Seta Kaiba…show me that power again…_

Wade had 8000 life points, and Seta's were much lower at 2700. On the field Wade had A Legendary Ocean powering the field, plus he had Mad Lobster and Mermaid Knight, and one facedown card. Seta had one facedown monster and two facedown cards. Wade had three cards in hand, since he'd just drawn; Seta had three also.

Wade analyzed his hand and chuckled. "Well, now things are shaping up," he said to Seta. "I'll now summon Terrorking Salmon (ATK 2400, DEF 1000)! And since the Legendary Ocean lowers all Water monsters' levels by one, I can summon him easily without tributes!"

In a moment a large salmon jumped up out of the water, its sharp teeth bared at Seta. "Now, Mermaid Knight, attack and destroy that facedown monster!"

But Seta rebutted that. "Fat chance! I activate the trap card, Sakuretsu Armor, to destroy your Mermaid Knight!"

Suddenly Mermaid Knight found herself wearing a very TIGHT suit of armor – that constricted her until she was crushed! "Mermaid slabs, anyone?" Seta joked as the monster was destroyed.

"Real funny," said Wade, obviously not amused. "Mad Lobster, attack that monster!"

Mad Lobster swung one of its giant claws at the facedown monster – but then got a massive backlash that threw it back. "What—!" Wade croaked as his life points went down to 7900.

"This is my Dragon Dwelling in the Cave (ATK 1300, DEF 2000)," said Seta, smiling quietly. "At the least, his DEF was strong enough to repel your monster's ATK."

"But it won't be strong enough to stop this one! Terrorking Salmon, destroy that dragon!" Wade yelled. And Terrorking Salmon swam up to the Dragon Dwelling in the Cave, slapping it in the face with its tail until it disintegrated.

"Well, next turn your life points will be caught in my net!" Wade promised.

Seta just shrugged and drew a card. He smiled when he saw what it was. "Now I summon Peten the Dark Clown (ATK 500, DEF 1200)!" And then he summoned the smiling clown.

"Pfft…fish-food, that," Wade scoffed.

"Really?" Seta smirked. "I activate my trap card, Crush Card!" And his remaining card flipped face-up.

Suddenly Peten looked down on himself and saw what appeared to be purple viruses swarming around him, consuming him. "By offering one Dark monster with 1000 ATK points or less," said Seta, "I could activate this trap card. Any of my opponent's monsters that have 1500 ATK points or more, whether on the field, in my opponent's hand, or drawn in the next three turns will be infected and automatically destroyed."

"Shit!" Wade exclaimed, as the virus suddenly spread out. Swiftly becoming ill, Mad Lobster and Terrorking Salmon collapsed where they were and disappeared – and much to Wade's horror, one of the two cards left in his hand was infected, as well.

"Crush Card's effect declares that I should see the cards in your hand when its power goes to work," said Seta slyly. "So, show me."

Wincing, Wade held up his cards – they proved to be the Equip Magic card, Power of Kaishin, and the monster card Ocean Dragon Lord – Neo-Daedalus (ATK 2900, DEF 1600). Neo-Daedalus, the infected card, was swiftly sent to the Graveyard.

"And I hate to bear more bad news, Wade, but when Peten the Dark Clown is sent to the Graveyard, I can remove him from play to Special Summon another one like him from my deck," said Seta, and he promptly pulled out another Peten the Dark Clown from his deck and placed it face-up in Defense Mode. "Now…I'll end my turn for the time being. Your move."

Malachi smirked a little. _Impressive trap, Seta Kaiba…you have momentarily weakened your enemy…and that moment is all you may need…_

And indeed, the tide of the duel certainly seemed to have turned. Though Wade still had 7900 life points and Seta had 2700, it was Seta who appeared to have the advantage. He had Peten the Dark Clown in Defense Mode on his side of the field, his Crush Card trap effect was now active, and he had three cards in his hand. Wade, on the other hand, had only A Legendary Ocean active on the field, one facedown card, and one card left in his hand.

Wade drew his next card – and the Crush Card effect revealed it to be the Skull Mariner (ATK 1600, DEF 900), sending it straight to the Graveyard. "Oh, for heaven's sake! I activate my Tornado Wall trap card! This will reduce all Battle Damage that I get to zero as long as Umi is on the field – and again, the Legendary Ocean counts as Umi!"

A series of typhoons appeared from the waters, surrounding Wade like a series of shields. "There! And I'll end my turn with that!" Wade laughed. "Try something now, why don't you?"

Seta merely smirked and drew his next card. "Word of advice: Be careful what you wish for."

At that very moment Honey entered the stadium. She stopped short on seeing Seta on the platform. "His duel's begun already!" she realized.

Jenna saw her. "Hey, Honey, glad to see you made it! Come join us over here!"

Honey did as bidden, standing next to Yugo. "I have good news," she reported. "Raven's regained consciousness, and wants to know the stats of the tournament."

"He's conscious? That's great!" said Miki gleefully. "I'm sure Seta will want to hear about it!"

"Yep, except he's dueling right," Kyo pointed out. "But it looks as though he might just triumph in a moment…"

Evidently, that was indeed what was about to happen. "Wade," said Seta, twiddling the card in between his fingers, "I'm going to smash that defense of yours! I activate Mystical Space Typhoon, to destroy the Legendary Ocean!"

A gigantic tornado suddenly appeared from out of nowhere, sucking up all the water surrounding the players. Since the Tornado Wall couldn't survive without the Legendary Ocean sustaining it, the tornadoes protecting Wade disappeared. "Oh, crap!" Wade cried out, realizing what would happen next.

"And now…" Seta fiddled with the three cards left in his hand. "I summon Koumori Dragon (ATK 1500, DEF 1200) in Attack Mode!" And he summoned the purple dragon to the field.

"Then I'll shift Peten the Dark Clown into Attack Mode," and here Seta shifted Peten into the position to attack. "And then I'll set one card facedown. Now, Peten, move to attack with Illusion Knife!"

The image of the back of a Duel Monster card momentarily appeared in front of Peten – and then he was gone! Stunned, Wade didn't realize that Peten had teleported behind him, wielding a knife – until he felt something stab him right in the back. Screaming in pain, his life points dropped to 7400.

"Now, Koumori Dragon, your turn! Attack directly, too!" Seta commanded. And Koumori Dragon blasted a ball of fire at Wade, knocking him further back and reducing his life points to 5900.

"Still feeling bad, Wade?" asked Seta. "Well, it's about to get even worse."

Blaze watched the duel with a frown on her face. "Wade's only chance is for him to summon a monster now," she said thoughtfully. "But with that Crush Card trap effect doing such a big number on his deck right now, it'll prove very difficult."

"Naturally," said Flora. "Seta is the number one ranked duelist from the World Championships, anyhow. And so far, there's only one person who's been able to defeat him…" And she cast a glance at Yugo, some distance away.

Wade drew another card – and Crush Card's effect revealed it to be Fenrir (ATK 1400, DEF 1200). "All right…I'll remove two Water monsters from my Graveyard to Special Summon my Fenrir to the field!" And as he played the card, the air swirled with cold energy as the snow wolf came into being.

"Hold it!" Seta barked. "I activate my trap card, Horn of Heaven! By tributing one of my monsters on the field, I can stop the summon of a monster and destroy it! And I'll tribute Peten the Dark Clown!"

For a second time, Peten the Dark Clown disappeared from the field – and then a massive horn emerged from the skies above and blasted a very loud note, so loud that almost everyone had to cover their ears to avoid being deafened. Fenrir howled piteously and disintegrated into nothing. "Oh…man…" Wade groaned.

"It was a good plan, Wade – but unfortunately, you removed those two monsters from your Graveyard and out of play for nothing!" said Seta. "And to make it even worse, I can activate Peten the Dark Clown's effect again – removing him from the Graveyard to Special Summon a third one from my deck!" And once again, Peten emerged on the field, all smiles.

Then Seta took his turn and drew his next card. "This is the beginning of the end!" he said crisply. "I'll set one monster in Defense Mode, and end my turn!"

Wade looked nervously at his deck. This was the last turn for the effect of Seta's Crush Card. If he did not get a good card this turn, he was done for. Slowly he drew his card…and it turned out to be…7 Colored Fish (ATK 1800, DEF 800)! "NOOOO!" he exclaimed as the virus attacked his monster card and forced it to be sent to the Graveyard.

"So much for that, eh, Wade?" Seta chuckled. "Now…" He drew another card. "Time to finish this!"

He then flipped his facedown monster face-up. "I reveal the Summoner of Illusions (ATK 800, DEF 900)!" And he Flip Summoned a bald man wearing orange robes with a red cloth wrapped around his waist.

"When he's flipped face-up," said Seta smugly, "the Summoner of Illusions allows me to Special Summon one monster from my Fusion deck. All that's required for that is a sacrifice of one other monster on my side of the field – and I choose my last Peten the Dark Clown!"

The Summoner of Illusions began to glow as he chanted. Peten found himself disappearing once more; then he vanished completely into thin air – and was immediately replaced by a massive dragon body with three heads! "Say hello to my Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon (ATK 4500, DEF 3800)!" Seta declared.

"Whoa – he's finding a lot of new ways to summon his dragons!" Yugo observed in surprise. "Jeez…he's good!"

"What, you didn't know that already?" asked Kyo.

Malachi stared in wonder. _Yes…yes, this is it! Oh, I've gotten to see your power again, Seta Kaiba! Marvelous!_

"Now…Koumori Dragon, attack now!" Seta commanded. Koumori Dragon did just that, blasting Wade with another ball of fire that reduced his life points to 4400 – low enough to be wiped out by the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon.

Seta smirked. "You're a good duelist, Wade," he observed. "But not good enough to defeat the likes of me! Blue-Eyes, finish it now! Neutron Blast!" And the Ultimate Dragon charged up its particle energy, firing it in one massive blast that lifted Wade off his feet, sent him flying off the platform, and reduced his life points to 0.

"Winner: Seta Kaiba!" Mr. Devlin's voice could be clearly heard, even as the crowd cheered for Seta.

Slowly, carefully, Wade picked himself up. "Whew…now, that was a real duel!" he admitted. "Gotta hand it to you, Seta – you sure know how to do your duels!"

"You weren't half bad yourself," replied Seta. "Keep at it. You just might make it as an even more famous duelist than you are someday."

Nodding, Wade turned to go – and came face-to-face with Blaze. "You all right? That was one giant blast there," she said softly.

"I'm fine," he assured her. "Just knowing that I faced a strong opponent just now makes me feel…really tingly all over."

Meanwhile Seta ran a hand through his hair – and only then did he see Honey. "Is that you?" he exclaimed. "But if you're here, then that means…"

"Raven's all right," Honey called to him. "He woke up not too long ago."

A smile crossed Seta's face. He walked off the platform and went up to her. "Wow…that's a real relief, to know he's finally awake," he said quietly.

Honey smiled and nodded. "Yeah."

And up where Pegasus was seated, he smiled as he looked down at his daughter. "Honey…then Raven must be all right, then," he said softly.

Mrs. Taylor smiled at him. "Everything's turning out all right, after all," she answered.

"But guys, there's one more duel in this round to go," Mr. Devlin reminded them. His eyes narrowed. "And one of those guys about to duel is the guy that put Raven in the hospital in the first place."

"Yes." Pegasus nodded solemnly. "Then we can only hope that he gets eliminated from this tournament right now."

Mr. Devlin nodded. Then he turned his face to the crowd. "The final match for this round will now commence – Malachi Jordan vs. Kyo Bakura! Duelists, approach the platform at once!"

Kyo stiffened, then shot a cold glance toward Malachi, who noticed and returned the glare. Miki stepped forward. "Kyo, please, for God's sake, be careful. That guy's a menace."

"Tell me something I don't know," Kyo replied flatly. He picked up his Duel-Disk and headed for the platform.

----------

**_neomage:_** An epic battle is about to begin! Will Kyo dish out judgment to Malachi…or will Malachi send Kyo to an early grave?

Thanks for your continued support, everyone! More chapters and adventure to come!


	57. Chapter 57

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Ownership of Yu-Gi-Oh is not mine.)

**CHAPTER 57**

INTERCONTINENTAL DUEL DOME

Kyo headed for the platform, his jaw set in grim determination. Not far away, Malachi was calmly heading for the platform, giving Kyo an interested once-over. Soon both boys were facing off against each other.

"You have an interesting style – I have seen that for myself," Malachi said simply. "However, you are not the one I wish to duel. If you would live…I would recommend you forfeit now."

"Forfeit? Are you out of your goddamn mind?" Kyo asked, his voice filled with acid. "I'm not about to forfeit – not at this stage in the tournament! I'm not afraid of a coward like you!"

Malachi raised an eyebrow. "And why do you call me a coward?"

Kyo brow knitted even more. "Why not? You maliciously injure your opponents for such a simple thing as reducing your life points…when the plain and simple truth is that something like that is bound to happen when you duel someone else!"

"Hmmm…well, forgive me if I don't share your views," said Malachi. "But one thing still puzzles me. You're obviously angry because of how I defeated my last opponent. Why? You barely even know him. Why show compassion for someone who, under different circumstances, might well have fought against _you?"_

"Raven may not have been my friend," said Kyo slowly, "but at least he dueled with honor. You, on the other hand…I doubt you even know what the word means."

"Honor? Hmph." Malachi shook his head. "There is no such thing as honor, and you know it. You're just trying to deceive yourself…trying to convince yourself that something that isn't true, is true. You start believing your own lies…then you start believing the lies of others…and where does it leave you down the road? With regret."

Kyo spat to the side. "Whatever with you, man. Let's just get this done and over with." He activated his Duel-Disk.

"As you wish," answered Malachi as he activated his own Duel-Disk. "Only don't say I never gave you an opportunity to spare yourself a world of agony."

"Go get 'im, boss! Nobody can beat ya!" David yelled from the sidelines.

"You will win, boss; I have faith in your ability," said Luke.

Miriam sighed. "I'm sorry, guys, but I need to go to the bathroom. I'll be back soon." She turned and walked off in another direction.

On the platform, the coin was flipped. "Heads," Malachi decided.

Then the coin landed – it was heads. "All right. Then I will go first," Malachi nodded, drawing his first set of cards.

Kyo drew his first set, too, and growled softly. _After seeing what he did to Raven last round, I've gotta be extra careful around this dude. If not, he could seriously hurt me, or worse…!_

Malachi examined his hand. "How fortunate for me," he said. "I activate the field magic of Necrovalley!"

The field immediately turned into the same valley where Malachi had fought Raven earlier. "I'm sure you remember, but all the same I'll give you a refresher of what this card's powers are," Malachi commented. "As long as Necrovalley is on the field, the effects of all cards that target Graveyards are negated, and neither of us can remove any cards in the Graveyard from play. And, all Gravekeepers will increase their ATK and DEF by 500 points."

"No I hadn't forgotten; thank you for your BOGUS concern," Kyo spat at him.

"And now, I'll summon Gravekeeper's Curse (ATK 800, DEF 800) in Attack Mode!" And he summoned a Gravekeeper who wielded a staff that curved at the tip, and the monster's ATK and DEF both went up to 1300 via Necrovalley's effect. "When this monster is summoned, his power drains my opponent's life points by 500!"

Suddenly Kyo gasped as he felt something drawing – what seemed to be his very life-force – out of his body. Staggering, he watched as his life points dropped to 7500.

"So you see, I am capable of wounding you even in the very first turn," Malachi told him, closing his eyes for a moment. "Now then. I will set two cards facedown…for later. Your move."

Kyo drew his card, and contemplated what he would do. "I will set one card facedown…and then I'll set one monster in Defense Mode. Then I'll end my turn."

"Think you're so slick, don't you?" asked Malachi as he drew another card. "Well…I'm going to change that! I summon Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier (ATK 1500, DEF 1000) in Attack Mode!"

A moment later the spear-wielding Gravekeeper was on the field, and Necrovalley changed his ATK to 2000 and his DEF to 1500. "Now, my Gravekeeper," commanded Malachi, "attack and destroy that facedown monster!"

But just as the Spear Soldier began rushing forward to do the deed, Kyo snapped, "Not on your life! I activate the trap card, Wall of Revealing Light!"

Suddenly a giant wall of light appeared in front of Kyo, and Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier halted, uncertain. Kyo then explained, "When I activate this card, I pay any multiple of 1000 life points – and none of your monsters with ATK equal to or less than the life points I pay can attack. And I've paid 3000 life points." And he showed his life points to prove it – they were now at 4500.

"Pfft…so what? I will still find a way to destroy you!" Malachi swore.

"Right. Sure you will." Kyo wasn't convinced.

Malachi then examined his hand a bit. "Well…I will end my turn. For now."

On the sidelines, Miki looked on with a worried frown. "Guys…I'm scared," she said softly.

"Of what?" asked Jenna. "Kyo's a strong duelist, Miki. He'll beat up that creep, one, two, three!" And she dramatized with her fingers to prove her point.

"But…that Malachi is no pushover…and we all saw what he did to Raven," Miki rebutted.

Honey flinched at the mention of that. "Well, at least you haven't forgotten what a bastard that guy is," she sighed. "Question is, will Kyo even survive this duel?"

"Don't doubt that fellow for a moment, Honey," Seta said confidently. "He duels like a genuine pro!"

Yugo nudged Seta. "Hey…I don't know if you've noticed, but in every duel you've been in up to now, Malachi's been watching you really closely. And he gets extremely agitated when he sees a show of power." He frowned. "If my guess is right…he's gonna be really impatient to get to duel against you. He seems to like strong duelists – crushing them, I mean. Just like he did to Raven."

Seta nodded gravely. "Your observation has been noted," he acknowledged. "But then again, who's to say that Kyo won't stomp Malachi into the ground where he belongs?"

Kyo's life points now stood at 4500, while Malachi's remained at an untouched 8000. Malachi had two cards in his hand; Kyo had four. On the field Kyo had his Wall of Revealing Light and one facedown monster; Malachi had the Necrovalley field magic card, Gravekeeper's Curse and Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier powered by that card, and two other cards facedown.

Kyo drew another card and narrowed his eyes again. "Now, who would've guessed that I'd get a card like THIS one so soon? But first – I summon Spirit of the Pot of Greed (ATK 100, DEF 100)!"

The Pot of Greed appeared on the field, and the little creature peeked out of it. "Now, I'll activate Pot of Greed and get an additional card along with the two I'll draw, according to the effect of the monster I just summoned!" And Kyo drew three cards, so he had six cards in his hand.

Malachi just stood there and watched with arms folded, unimpressed. "Is that all? Then I'll activate a trap card – Ominous Fortunetelling!"

One of his facedown cards swiftly flipped face-up. "As long as this card remains face-up," explained Malachi, "during each of my Standby Phases, I get to pick one card at random from your hand and say whether it is a Monster, Magic, or Trap card. If my guess is correct, you will lose 700 life points." He smirked. "So, even with your pathetic Wall of Revealing Light on the field, I'll still be able to damage you!"

_Crap…the Wall of Revealing Light doesn't defend against Effect damage!_ Kyo realized. _Damn…well, I'll just have to make the best of it…_

Aloud he commented, "So that's the best you can do? I've been through worse situations before! You'll have to do far better than that!"

"Then how about this? I'll activate my other trap card, Dust Tornado!" said Malachi, and the other card flipped face-up. "This allows me to destroy one Magic or Trap card on your side of the field, and then I get to set one Magic or Trap card from my hand. And I select to be destroyed – your Wall of Revealing Light!"

To Kyo's horror, a dusty tornado began to sweep across the field, and in the process the Wall of Revealing Light was torn to pieces! "Hn…so much for your 'invincible' Wall of Revealing Light," said Malachi, as he set a card in the magic/trap slot according to Dust Tornado's effect. "Anything else?"

"Grrr…I'll set another card facedown, and then I'll end my turn," Kyo growled. "Bring it on, coward!"

"You know…I'm really starting to dislike that you're calling me that name," Malachi said dangerously as he drew his card. "And here's my little bit of revenge! Ominous Fortunetelling…!"

The Ominous Fortunetelling trap card suddenly generated a large crystal ball. Malachi stared intently into it. "Hmmm…there are five cards in your hand…and I predict that the second card from my left…is…a monster card! Hold it up and let me see!"

Kyo winced visibly, but held up the card anyway. True to Malachi's prediction, the card turned out to be Archlord Zerato (ATK 2800, DEF 2300) – and a blast of mystic force hit Kyo right in the knees, causing him to cringe in pain and fall down as his life points went to 3800.

But in the very next moment Kyo snapped, "Well, how's about this, then? I activate my trap card, Tower of Babel!"

To Malachi's astonishment, a massive tower shot out of the ground behind Kyo and reached for the sky. "Hee-hee-hee," said Kyo, obviously pleased with himself.

"What in God's name is that?" demanded Malachi.

"Well…every time one of us activates a Magic card, one Magic counter goes on this tower," said Kyo. "Once it gets four counters, the tower is destroyed and the person who activated the Magic card at that time gets 3000 points worth of damage to his life points."

Malachi frowned. "Well, it's still my turn, so let me do what I need to do." He examined the two cards in his hand. "Now…I activate the magic card, Royal Tribute! Since my Necrovalley is active, this card will force both of us to send all the monster cards in our hands to the Graveyard! And so, let's show our cards to each other…"

With a dark look on his face, Kyo held up his cards for Malachi to see. He was holding Archlord Zerato, Spirit of the Harp (ATK 800, DEF 2000), Fairy Meteor Crush, Bad Reaction to Simochi, and Airknight Parshath (ATK 1900, DEF 1500). The card Malachi was holding was An Owl of Luck (ATK 300, DEF 500). Both of them picked out the monster cards and sent them all to the Graveyard.

"And, as long as Necrovalley is on the field," and Malachi couldn't help smirking as he said this, "you can't revive any monsters in the Graveyard. Now are you starting to regret that you didn't forfeit when you had the chance?"

Kyo chuckled. "Not really. For your Royal Tribute magic card has placed the first counter on the Tower of Babel! Just three more to go!" And he indicated behind him, where a Magic counter was swirling around the width of the tower's walls.

Mentally cursing, Malachi managed outwardly to keep himself in check. "Whatever. I'll still annihilate you."

Wade was watching with great interest. "How wonderful…Malachi's life points still haven't been touched yet," he lamented.

"True, but Kyo isn't backing down or giving an inch," Flora added. "Maybe something will happen that will turn the duel in Kyo's favor."

"As long as Malachi doesn't summon those Sphinx monsters, Kyo should be fine," Marcus said ominously.

Blaze nodded in agreement. "Let's hope Kyo can win now."

Malachi's life points still stood at a so-far untouched 8000, while Kyo's now stood at 3800. Kyo had only two cards left in his hand, which Malachi knew were the Fairy Meteor Crush magic card and Bad Reaction to Simochi trap card; Malachi himself had no cards left in his hand. On the field, Malachi still had his Necrovalley field magic card, his face-up Ominous Fortunetelling trap card, one facedown card, plus he had Gravekeeper's Curse and Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier still in Attack Mode. Kyo had his Tower of Babel trap card with one magic counter on it, Spirit of the Pot of Greed in Attack Mode, and one monster facedown in Defense Mode.

"Now, Gravekeeper's Curse, attack and destroy that Spirit of the Pot of Greed!" Malachi ordered. In response, Gravekeeper's Curse pointed his rod at the Spirit and blasted it into pieces, and Kyo felt his life points sharply drop to 2600.

"Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier, it's your turn now! Crush that facedown monster!" Malachi cried. But when Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier stuck his spear into the monster and it was flipped face-up – it turned out to be Kelbek (ATK 1500, DEF 1800)!

Kyo winced as his life points went down even further to 2400 because of the Spear Soldier's effect, but this time he grinned. "When Kelbek is attacked, its effect sends the attacking monster back to its owner's hand," he revealed.

Malachi took the card back into his hand. "That makes no difference to me – I can just re-summon him right now!" And he did just that, bringing the Spear Soldier back to the field and restoring its Necrovalley-powered stats.

"So…now I end my turn." Malachi looked smug. "Your life points have almost run out, you've got no monsters on the field, and even if you do get a way to resurrect them, it won't work because Necrovalley prevents you from doing anything about it! So, what're you going to do now?"

Kyo looked on in silence. Then, quietly, he reached for his glasses and took them off. "I…am going to play more seriously now."

"Did…did Kyo just take off his glasses?" said Yugo. "Now he's not gonna hold anything back!"

"Ohhh…Malachi's gonna get it now!" Jenna squealed in delight.

Kyo looked at his deck and, for the first time, he seemed to think about what he was about to do. _Well…last time, Yugo trusted in this "heart of the cards" thing that helped him defeat me…will it work for me, too? Maybe…as they say, don't knock it till you try it!_

He placed a hand on his deck, preparing to draw. _Heart of the cards…if there is such a thing…help me! Give me a card that I can use!_

He then drew his card…and looked at it. Very slowly, a smile lit up his countenance. Then – "ALL RIGHT!"

That shout caught everyone by surprise. "What's with him all of a sudden?" wondered Mrs. Taylor.

"Maybe he's drawn a card that he needs," said Mr. Devlin.

"Perhaps…" Pegasus scrutinized the field.

Then Kyo held up the card. "I summon Mudora (ATK 1500, DEF 1800) in Attack Mode!" Then he summoned the golden-masked fairy wielding its knife.

Malachi took one and frowned even more. "Hmmm…this monster has enough ATK points to destroy my Gravekeeper's Curse…"

"It's about to have a lot more than that, trust me," said Kyo. "For Mudora's ATK is increased by 200 for every Fairy in my Graveyard – something even your Necrovalley can't negate!"

Malachi was shocked. "WHAT!"

"There are five Fairy-type monsters in my Graveyard now," said Kyo, counting off on his fingers. "Spirit of the Pot of Greed, Archlord Zerato, Spirit of the Harp, Airknight Parshath and Kelbek – that's a total of 1000 extra ATK points for Mudora, putting him at 2500! Try beating that!"

Then Kyo pointed to the Gravekeeper's Curse on Malachi's side of the field. "Go, Mudora! Slice the Gravekeeper's Curse into ribbons!"

Mudora dashed forward, and with one swift movement Gravekeeper's Curse was slashed to pieces, Malachi losing 1200 life points to put him at 6800. "Have that!" Kyo taunted triumphantly.

"No…way…he actually touched Malachi's life points!" Luke stared in astonishment.

"That's the second time somebody's done it now," David said with a shudder. "God help him…"

Luke threw his brother a glance. "No, Dave, not the second time…the third time. You've forgotten about _that time_ all those years ago."

David flinched. "Please, please, PLEASE don't remind me of that!"

"Way to go, Kyo! Bring his life points down some more!" Miki cried.

Yugo smiled. _I felt…a sudden burst of energy…the same burst I felt back Kaibacorp's rooftop…could Kyo have used the heart of the cards just now…?_

And even in his jubilance, Kyo was aware that something incredible had just happened. _The chances of drawing the one card you need are always slim…yet I drew the card I needed most…_ He smirked. _I owe you one, Yugo._

Then he noticed that Malachi was starting to breathe heavily. _Uh-oh…this is how he started acting when Raven grazed his life points during their duel – I have to be careful!_

"You…" Malachi growled. "You really believe you can defeat me, even in such a hopeless situation? I have news for you – it's not gonna happen!" His eyes shone with a maddening light when he said this.

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**_neomage:_** So Kyo's made a comeback, using the heart of the cards! But what will Malachi do in retaliation? Read on, everyone!


	58. Chapter 58

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: The only things I own are some of the cards and this fanfic.)

**CHAPTER 58**

INTERCONTINENTAL DUEL DOME

Watching the duel from where she sat, suddenly Mrs. Taylor felt a chill go through her. "Oh, no…not again…" she whispered.

"Hmm? Serenity, you okay?" Mr. Devlin asked with concern.

"This feeling…this is the same feeling I had during Raven's duel," said Mrs. Taylor. "As though…as though something terrible is going to happen…"

Pegasus frowned.

Meanwhile, Miriam finally came back. "Sorry I took so long, duckies," she addressed David and Luke. "What's the score like?"

"See for yourself," said Luke. "That bloke's brought down Malachi's life points."

Miriam went pale. "Oh, dear…"

Still on the dueling platform, Kyo had 2400 life points left, while Malachi's now stood at 6800. In his hand Kyo had two cards – the Fairy Meteor Crush magic card and the Bad Reaction to Simochi trap card – while Malachi had no cards in hand. On the field Kyo had his Tower of Babel trap card with one magic counter on it, plus his Mudora whose ATK was now 2500 through its effect; Malachi had his Necrovalley still active on the field, his Ominous Fortunetelling trap card, and one other card facedown, plus his Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier was on the field, too..

Now Malachi drew his card – and again, Ominous Fortunetelling activated and the crystal ball appeared before him. "Now, I know you've got a magic card and a trap card in your hand," said he, very slyly. "Question is, from here, which is which? Hmmm…I say that the…card on my right is the…trap card!"

Kyo revealed the card – but unfortunately for Malachi, it was the Fairy Meteor Crush magic card. "Sorry – wrong guess," he replied with a sneer.

Disappointed, Malachi then looked at his hand. "Well…I'll just place this monster in facedown Defense Mode, and shift Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier into Defense Mode. And then I will end my turn."

"Ha! Wrong decision!" Kyo snorted as he drew his next card. "For now I'll activate Fairy Meteor Crush, and equip it to my Mudora!"

Suddenly Mudora began to glow with bright green energy. "When a monster equipped with Fairy Meteor Crush attacks a Defense Mode monster, and its ATK is higher than the defending monster's DEF," explained Kyo, "the difference is calculated as Battle Damage to the defending player's life points. So, go ahead, Mudora – destroy Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier!"

Mudora rushed up to the defending Spear Soldier and sliced his head off with one swing. Since the Spear Soldier's DEF was 1500 due to Necrovalley, Malachi lost 1000 life points, leaving him with 5800.

"Then I'll set one card facedown…and end my turn with that," said Kyo. "Now are you starting to feel the burn, you bastard and coward?"

"Not quite," said Malachi. "I wonder, though, if you've forgotten about your own trap card?" He pointed at the Tower of Babel – now sporting two counters because Kyo activated the Fairy Meteor Crush card.

"No…I hadn't forgotten about that," Kyo smirked. "But not to worry – you'll feel the burn in due time."

Malachi hissed at Kyo as he drew his card. Just then Ominous Fortunetelling activated once more, and he glared at his opponent. "I just know what the card in your hand's gonna be this time," he sneered. "It has to be that trap card of yours this time!"

But when Kyo showed his hand, to Malachi's chagrin the card in question was a magic card – Shinato's Ark. "Aw, dammit," he groaned.

"Sorry to disappoint you," said Kyo.

"You are such a living prick," Malachi mumbled. "But all of that's gonna change shortly! For now I'll Flip Summon my Gravekeeper's Spy (ATK 1200, DEF 2000)!"

As the Gravekeeper's Spy was flipped into Attack mode, his ATK and DEF went up to 1700 and 2500 respectively. "I don't need to remind you of what this Gravekeeper's power is," said Malachi. "When flipped, he summons another Gravekeeper directly from my deck, as long as that other Gravekeeper has 1500 ATK points or less. And…" Carefully he thumbed through his deck. "I'll Special Summon the great Gravekeeper's Watcher (ATK 1000, DEF 1000) from my deck!"

Soon another Gravekeeper appeared on the field; this one's ATK and DEF both went to 1500 because of Necrovalley. But evidently Malachi wasn't finished yet – he fingered the card in his hand with expectation.

"And now…I'll offer both Gravekeeper's Spy and Gravekeeper's Watcher as tributes to Tribute Set this creature from my hand!" Malachi began to laugh as he tributed both of his monsters to the seemingly powerful monster. "Make sure you get something worthwhile next turn, since once this is flipped face-up your moments are numbered …"

Yugo looked a little troubled as he observed the duel, and Seta noticed this. "Something wrong?" he asked.

"That facedown card on Malachi's side of the field," said Yugo. "Why hasn't he activated it yet?"

"Hmmm…" Seta turned to look at the field. "Yeah, that is true…it's almost as if he was waiting for something…"

Kyo drew his next card. "Okay! I summon Senju of the Thousand Hands (ATK 1400, DEF 1000)!" And then he summoned a being with seemingly hundreds upon hundreds of arms. "When this monster is Normal Summoned or Flip Summoned without a hitch, I can select one Ritual monster from my deck and add it to my hand. And I choose – Shinato, King of a Higher Plane (ATK 3300, DEF 3000)!"

"Huh? Shinato…?" Jenna wondered aloud. "I've never heard of that monster!"

"Well, something tells me you'll soon be seeing it close up real soon," remarked Yugo.

Kyo located the card and added it to his hand, then shuffled his deck. "And now…I'll activate Shinato's Ark, offering my Mudora and Senju of the Thousand Hands as tributes to Ritual Summon my ultimate creature…Shinato, King of a Higher Plane!"

Suddenly, even as the Tower of Babel got its third Magic counter, a huge boat resembling the legendary ark floated down from the heavens. The bow opened up, sucking in Mudora and Senju of the Thousand Hands. Then, as everyone looked on in wonder, the top of the ark split open – and out came a massive monster.

The new creature had blue skin, wore a white robe, bore six wings and had a small halo around the top of its head. "Meet Shinato, King of a Higher Plane," said Kyo. "The king of all faeries has come to Earth to exact judgment on your pathetic ass!"

Malachi stared at Shinato with wide-eyed amazement. "Such a…powerful creature…" he managed to gasp.

"Whoa…" Mr. Devlin stared at Shinato with utter astonishment. "Such a mighty monster…look at that magnificence…"

"Yes, Devlin-boy, I totally agree," nodded Pegasus fervently. "That angel down there is truly the king of all faeries!"

"So beautiful…" Mrs. Taylor murmured.

On the sidelines, David, Luke and Miriam were huddled together in terror. "Lookit that!" whispered David. "I hate to say it, but even Malachi can't stand up to something that powerful!"

And others in the crowd thought so too. "Yikes," said Shigeo, blinking several times as he looked at Shinato. "Now I'm really glad it's not me down there."

The duel had taken a very drastic turn. Malachi had 5800 life points and Kyo still had 2400. Malachi had, on his side of the field, one monster facedown in Defense Mode, plus his Ominous Fortunetelling trap card and Necrovalley field magic card were still active, and he still had one other card facedown. Kyo, on the other hand, had Shinato on the field, plus his Tower of Babel with three Magic counters, and one facedown card which Malachi knew was the Bad Reaction to Simochi trap card. Neither of them had any cards left in hand.

"Now…prepare to feel the anger of the heavens!" Kyo stormed. "Shinato, destroy that facedown monster!"

Shinato formed a massive ball of light in one hand, then raised his arm and threw it with all his might. The ball slammed into the platform, flipping over and engulfing a screaming Sphinx Teleia (ATK 2500, DEF 3000) in light so hot Malachi swore his skin would get singed. Then suddenly, out of the corner of one eye, he saw Shinato charge up and throw another ball of light from his other hand, this time hitting him directly and bringing his life points down to 3300!

"Did I forget to mention?" Kyo smirked. "When Shinato destroys a Defense Mode monster and sends it to the Graveyard as a result of battle, he inflicts damage to my opponent's life points equal to the original ATK of the destroyed monster. So…in a little while I'll bury you."

Malachi stared in shock…then slowly a grin crept over his face and he started to chuckle. "Heh, heh, heh…"

Kyo's smirk disappeared. "Uh…hello?"

Suddenly Malachi threw his head back and started to laugh maniacally. "HA HA HA HA HAAA!" he roared.

Miki winced. "He's really scaring me now…"

"Kyo, be careful! This guy's really unstable!" Yugo yelled.

_Tell me something I haven't already realized,_ Kyo thought grimly.

"YOU…are gonna bury ME? Not while I still stand!" Malachi shouted. "No, no, no – it is I who will send you six feet under!"

He drew his next card with one wild swing of his arm – and since Kyo had no cards in his hand, Ominous Fortunetelling's effect didn't activate. "I activate my facedown trap card – a second Dust Tornado! And I'll use it to destroy the Tower of Babel!"

"WHAT!" Kyo exclaimed, remembering what Dust Tornado could do.

Then, quite suddenly, a massive tornado swept across the field and whipped the Tower of Babel mercilessly. Piece by piece the tower's stone walls were chipped off at a frightening pace, until when the tornado finally settled down there was no trace left of the tower at all.

"Then, according to Dust Tornado's effect, I can set one Magic or Trap card from my hand – and that's what I'll do!" said Malachi, grinning crazily as he set his card. But then he flipped the very same card over – it was a Magic card!

"And then – I'll swiftly activate the magic card, Smashing Ground! This will destroy one monster on your side of the field with the highest DEF – namely, your King of a Higher Plane!" Malachi laughed again.

Then suddenly, from the sky came a massive golden fist that slammed into Shinato, crushing him completely. "NO!" Kyo yelled.

"So much for your monster, fool," Malachi spat. "Now what'll you do?"

Gritting his teeth, Kyo said nastily, "Here's what I'll do – I'll take my turn!" he drew a card. "And then I'll activate my Bad Reaction to Simochi trap card! Each time you're supposed to increase your life points, this card reverses that and delivers damage equal to the amount of life points you would've increased!"

Malachi raised an eyebrow. "Oh, I see. And that'll help you, how exactly?"

"Simple! I'll show you!" Kyo then played the card he'd just drawn. "I activate my magic card, Upstart Goblin! This allows me to draw one card from my deck and increase your life points by 1000 – only, Bad Reaction to Simochi will decrease your life points by 1000 instead!"

As Kyo drew his card, Malachi flinched as Bad Reaction to Simochi cut his life points to 2300. "Little bastard," he growled.

Kyo then looked at the card he'd drawn. "Okay – I've got Watapon (ATK 300, DEF 200) in my hand…and since he was drawn from my deck by a card effect, I'll Special Summon him to the field in Defense Mode!" Then the ball of fluff was on the field, protecting him. "And I'll end my turn."

"This is crazy!" Wade remarked. "I've never seen two more stubborn guys than those two!"

"They're both on their last legs for sure," agreed Flora.

"Fighting tooth and nail…" Marcus narrowed his eyes. "But all that's left is for one of them to draw a card powerful enough to wipe out the opponent. Only question is, which one will fortune favor?"

Malachi drew his next card. Since Kyo again had no cards in hand, the Ominous Fortunetelling trap card remained dormant. Then Malachi examined the card he'd drawn; his eyes widened at the sight of it; then he began to laugh insanely. "Now, this is incredible!" he crowed. "I'll set one card facedown…and then end my turn."

Kyo hesitated. "That facedown card…what could it be? Well, I'm not going to try and find out!"

He drew a card from his deck. "Hmmm…I'll set this card facedown…and I'll end my turn, then."

"Pfft…is that the best you can do, puny fool?" demanded Malachi. "Well, if that's your best, then see how you like this!"

He drew another card – and again Ominous Fortunetelling didn't activate, since Kyo had no cards in his hand. Then Malachi announced, "I activate my magic card Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw two cards from my deck!"

Quickly he drew his two cards…then suddenly he shouted, "And now to activate my trap card, Pyramid of Light!"

"Oh, no! Kyo, look out!" Yugo yelled.

Suddenly the beam of light shot from the Pyramid of Light card, creating the massive pyramid outline around the platform. "And now," continued Malachi, "since my Pyramid of Light is now active, I'll offer 500 life points to Special Summon my terrible Andro Sphinx (ATK 3000, DEF 2500) from my hand!"

Suddenly Andro Sphinx was on the field, growling with menace in its voice. "Since he can't attack in the turn he's summoned, you should consider yourself lucky," said Malachi, as the Pyramid of Light drained him and left him with 1800 life points. "But I've got something else in my hand that can still attack! Come to the field, Pharaoh's Servant (ATK 900, DEF 0)!"

Just then a mummy soldier appeared on the field, its arms crossed over its chest. "Pharaoh's Servant, attack Watapon!" Malachi ordered, laughing.

But Kyo shouted, "Not yet! I activate my trap card, Solar Ray! This'll inflict 600 points of damage to you for each face-up Light monster on my side of the field!"

Since Watapon was a Light monster, a massive blast of light suddenly shot out at Malachi, pushing him back and reducing his life points to 1200. But this didn't stop him at all. "Pharaoh's Servant, resume the attack!"

Pharaoh's Servant suddenly teleported forward and grabbed Watapon in a stranglehold. The fluffy fairy tried to break free, but soon it was nothing more than a dead ball of fluff. "I'll end my turn with that, then," sneered Malachi. "What now, puny boy?"

Kyo defiantly drew his next card. "I'll set another monster in Defense Mode. You can't bring me down just like that!"

"No? Well, just watch and see if it isn't possible!" Malachi challenged, drawing another card. Once again Ominous Fortunetelling stayed dormant – but Malachi didn't care now. "I offer Pharaoh's Servant as a tribute to summon Gravekeeper's Chief (ATK 1900, DEF 1200) to the field!"

Then the leader of the Gravekeepers was on the field, looking stern as usual. "I've got some news for you, boy," Malachi chuckled, even as Necrovalley increased the new monster's ATK and DEF to 2400 and 1700 respectively. "As long as Gravekeeper's Chief is on my side of the field, my Graveyard isn't affected by Necrovalley's power…and, of course, he can still Special Summon another Gravekeeper from my Graveyard! And I choose to revive Gravekeeper's Curse!"

Gravekeeper's Curse was back on the field in a moment, and Necrovalley increased both his ATK and DEF to 1300. "And let's not forget – when Gravekeeper's Curse is summoned, you suffer 500 points of damage!" Malachi said gleefully.

In a moment Gravekeeper's Curse shot a ball of energy at Kyo, who got hit in the stomach and doubled over as his life points went down to 1900. Miki watched this with growing apprehension. "Kyo…" she whispered.

Kyo slowly got up. "You…you're nothing but a wretch."

"A wretch, you say? Then let's see if you'll still be able to talk after I pound you to dust!" said Malachi. "Gravekeeper's Chief, attack and destroy that facedown monster now!"

But when the monster was flipped, it proved to be a second Kelbek. "Remember Kelbek's effect – return that monster to your hand," said Kyo, breathing heavily by this time.

Malachi merely took up the monster card with a shrug. "It doesn't matter to me – you're dead anyway!" he declared.

"NO! STOP IT RIGHT NOW!"

Jenna saw Miki bolt toward the platform. "Miki, no! Don't go near there!" she called out.

But before Miki could reach the platform, Malachi had called the attack. "Andro Sphinx, attack directly!"

Andro Sphinx raised its claws and thrust its arm forward. Kyo cringed, bracing himself…

…but the hit never came. "Huh?"

Kyo opened his eyes…and what he saw stunned him. "Oh, god, no…"

Right there before him was Miki, down on one knee, the monster's claws just barely grazing her shoulder as the rest of its palm was thrust right onto her body. "Ow…it hurts…" she groaned weakly as blood trickled from her mouth.

"My word…" Pegasus was too shocked to say anything else.

Mrs. Taylor was white. "Not my baby…not my baby!" she shrieked.

Even Malachi seemed astonished. "Why…? Why would you help him?" he demanded of Miki.

She glared at him. "Because…I love him."

Then she fell backward – and Kyo caught her before she could hit the ground. "Miki…Miki stay with me," he urged her.

"It's…okay…just knowing you're all right…makes me so happy…" Miki whispered, a tear in her eye. "Kyo…I'd never let anything hurt you…" Tenderly she reached up and stroked his cheek.

Kyo's eyes watered as he heard this. "Miki…" he said softly.

Observing that, on the scoreboard, Kyo's life points were officially at 0, Mr. Devlin wanted to announce the winner, but under the circumstances was too torn up to say anything for a moment. But a minute later, turning his head away, he reluctantly said it. "Winner…Malachi Jordan."

By this time Yugo, Jenna, Seta and Honey were running to the platform. "Miki!" Jenna screamed. "Are you all right?"

Miki nodded, faintly. "Took a pretty hard hit…but I'll live," she sighed.

Seta turned to Malachi, real rage in his eyes. "You little piece of shit…how dare you!"

Malachi didn't bat an eye. "SHE'S the one who got in the way. You want someone to yell at? Yell at her." He switched off his Duel-Disk, and the holograms all disappeared. "You're a bunch of fools, the lot of you. I'm out of here." He turned and walked off.

"Don't leave yet, asshole!" Yugo snapped, ready to charge after him – but Honey's hand stopped him.

"Don't, Yugo," Honey said to him, in a pleading voice. "I don't want to see anybody else get hurt because of that guy."

Yugo softened, remembering what had almost happened to Raven. "Uh…yeah."

Kyo got up, holding Miki in his arms. "Let's get her into a hospital bed right now!" and without waiting for a response, he dashed off. The others raced off after him.

Mrs. Taylor promptly got up and ran off, too. Pegasus and Mr. Devlin watched her flight. "Well…I suppose I'd better go, too," said Pegasus, and he got up and walked off.

----------

**_neomage:_** If this were a tragic story, then what Miki did would certainly be a tragedy. But I'm not willing that anyone should die in my story – just be badly beaten, at the most. Anyway, the second round of the Intercontinental tournament is now officially over! Keep reading!

UPDATED 21/09/2005: Corrections have been made!

UPDATED 23/06/2006: I don't think Sphinx Teleia or Andro Sphinx can be Special Summoned from the _deck_ using the Pyramid of Light's effect. So, a little bit of modification has been made.


	59. Chapter 59

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Takahashi-sama is owner of this wonderful product called Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**CHAPTER 59**

SOME HOURS LATER

Miki's eyes opened slowly. "Uhhh…"

Gradually, as her vision came into focus, she realized that she was lying in a hospital bed, her friends gathered around her. "Oh, hey guys," she greeted them cheerfully.

"That's all you can say? 'Oh, hey guys'? Do you have any idea what you nearly did, Miki?" Jenna snapped. "You nearly got yourself killed!"

"Yeah…pretty stupid of me rushing up there, I guess," Miki admitted. She sighed. "But then, which one of us wouldn't have?"

"Well, you're fine, and that's all that matters," Mr. Devlin's voice came through. "Really, I don't think I'd ever be able to face your mom or dad if I let anything happen to you. It's just a good thing nothing more serious took place on the platform."

Mrs. Taylor came to the side of the bed and gently put her arms around Miki's neck. "Miki…I beg you…don't ever do anything so rash again," she whispered. "You're my everything…if I lost you, I don't know what I'd do…"

"I'm sorry, Mom…" Miki put her arms around her mother.

Kyo waited until Mrs. Taylor pulled away, and then he came closer to Miki. "I don't think anybody's ever done that kind of thing for me before," he confessed. "As much as it was both dangerous and dumb…thank you, Miki."

She held her head down in embarrassment and blushed. "Kyo…"

"So, d'you think you'll be fine here?" asked Yugo, who was standing near the door.

"Sure! I'll be okay, I believe."

"Okay, then." Mr. Devlin nodded. "Let's give her some space now, kids."

With that, they filed out of the room. Only Mrs. Taylor remained, wearing a small smile on her face. "Miki…I swear, you've really matured a lot since the last time I saw you," she said quietly. "Your dad will be so proud."

"I know you are, too, Mom," Miki answered softly.

Mrs. Taylor smiled wider and took Miki's hand in her own. "My little girl…is growing up," she sighed. "Becoming so strong and brave…it must be those guys influencing you, eh?"

"Yeah…especially Yugo and Kyo…seeing their strength has motivated me to do better for myself," Miki revealed. "One day…I hope I can be as tough as they are."

Mrs. Taylor said nothing to that; just squeezed Miki's hand in affection.

----------

"She did WHAT!" Raven shouted.

"Not so loud, please, Raven," Honey scolded. "Yes, Miki jumped in the way just as Malachi was about to finish Kyo off with a direct attack."

"That guy could've killed her!" Raven protested.

"Just like he could've killed _you,"_ Honey reminded him.

"Yeah, yeah, don't remind me," Raven sighed, surveying his injuries.

"So, did the doc tell you when you'd be released?" Honey inquired.

"Well…I should be out of bed in time to catch the last match of the tournament, hopefully," Raven told her.

"Good! Then I'll keep you up-to-date with everything that happens." Honey turned to go – but Raven caught her wrist.

"Honey, listen to me." His voice was dead serious. "Give Seta this message from me. He should be careful when his turn comes to duel…because his opponent will definitely be Malachi."

Honey nodded solemnly. "I'll tell him."

----------

Pegasus approached the door to his room, sighing heavily. "This just keeps getting worse and worse," he grumbled to himself. "Anyone who duels that boy gets hurt bad…"

In his mind he pictured Malachi, laughing crazily. He sighed again. _If only he weren't the Intercontinental champion…_

As he came up to the door, he paused. Something was sticking out underneath the doormat. "Hmmm? What could this be?" he wondered aloud as he bent down to pick it up.

It turned out to be an envelope, marked "Urgent." He carefully opened it, pulled out the small piece of paper inside, and found a note. It read:

_7:30 tonight. Dining lounge, formal section. Table 17. Come alone. Tell no-one else._

There was no signature to the note. Pegasus frowned. "I have a bad feeling…"

----------

THAT EVENING, AT 7:30 IN THE DINING LOUNGE

A few hours later, Pegasus was walking through the dining lounge, dressed in a snappy black tuxedo with a dark blue bow tie. His hair was worn so as to cover the yellow eye-patch. On his face was a worried frown.

To get to the formal dining area, Pegasus had to pass by the regular snack bar. As he did, he caught sight of Yugo, piling a plate high with every kind of food imaginable, from fish sticks to dumplings to various slices of pudding. Smiling a little as he saw this, Pegasus went on into the formal lounge and looked for Table 17. He eventually found it – one of the tables near the balcony, for the formal dining area overlooked a lake that had been built in as part of the dome's feature attractions for the spectators.

He went over and sat down, and just at that moment the waiter walked up. "Good evening, Mr. Pegasus," he greeted him.

"Good evening," Pegasus replied. "I'm expecting someone."

"Ah, yes – a young lady came by and made reservations for you and herself at this table earlier. She should be along shortly. While you wait, would you care for a menu?" asked the waiter.

"Certainly," said Pegasus. "In fact, leave an extra one, for when she does show up."

"Of course, sir." The waiter gladly put two menus down and then went about his business.

Pegasus picked up one menu and began skimming through it. "Well…this certainly does look rather interesting…"

A footfall arrested his attention, and he looked up. His face instantly hardened. "YOU."

----------

"Ahhh…what a nice place to eat dinner…"

Yugo was sitting on a small bench underneath the very balcony where Pegasus now sat at his table; the plate of food was balanced on his knees. "Now, what should I start with, the fish sticks, or the caramel, or the beef dumplings, or…"

Just then he heard Pegasus's voice turn cold, and he paused. "Okay, that doesn't sound too well…what's going on?" Carefully he placed the plate down and stood up so he could listen. But then he noticed a rock that jutted up a little but was smooth on top, and he decided he could stand on this and both listen and watch without being detected.

Cautiously he got on top of the rock and looked up. What he saw astounded him as much as it had Pegasus. "Well, I'll be…"

----------

On Pegasus's face was a look of utter suspicion. "Miriam Jordan, what are _you_ doing here?"

Indeed, the person standing before Pegasus was Miriam Jordan. Only now she wasn't sporting her Gothic look – gone were the eye-shadow, the tight leather blouse and jeans shorts, and the careless look. Now she was wearing a long dark gray dress, a small amount of peach lipstick, and her hair was flowing down, with no hairpiece to hold it back. In place of her boots, she wore a pair of black high-heeled slippers. Around her neck she wore a sapphire choker.

"Please, Mr. Pegasus," she said softly. "It's not becoming for a gentleman to address a lady in such a manner. And…the first rule of table manners is, a gentleman should pull back a chair so a lady can sit before he is seated himself."

Pegasus growled, but grudgingly got up and pulled out the other chair so Miriam could sit. Then, as soon as she was comfortable, he sat down with a major scowl. "Here's your menu."

"Thank you."

"So…I'll assume you were the one who left that note on my doorstep?" said Pegasus.

"Yes," said Miriam. "During my brother's match today, I slipped away and left the message for you to find. And now, here we are."

"Indeed," said Pegasus sourly. He took up his menu and opened it. "Well, I suppose we should order, right? Because I have a feeling that whatever the reason for me being here talking to you, it'll be a long session…and I'd rather have something in my stomach by the time we're done here."

"As would I, Mr. Pegasus," answered Miriam as she opened her own menu and scanned through it.

Just at that moment the waiter happened by. "Ah, the young lady has returned, just as I said," he commented. "Are you ready to order?"

"Yes," said Pegasus politely, doing his best to hide the sour look that marred his face. "I'll let the lady order first. It's good manners to let the lady choose first," and he gave Miriam a knowing eye.

"So, what will you have, madam?" the waiter asked, turning to her.

"Hmmm…" Again she scanned her menu. "Ah. I'll have the steak, well-done…the Greek salad…mashed potatoes…spaghetti…the blueberry pie…and a glass of red wine, the finest you have."

"Very good, m'lady." The waiter wrote it all down on his notepad. "And you, Mr. Pegasus?"

Now Pegasus chuckled wryly. "Let's see…for me, I'll take the fish filet…the macaroni-cheese and bean salad…a tossed salad…rice with red beans…and a glass of champagne."

"Very good, sir. This won't take long." And the waiter went off in a hurry.

"Well, while we wait, do you want to tell me why you called me here?" asked Pegasus. His face was no longer hostile, but his voice was still suspicious.

"I'll be brief, for I have a story to tell you…and I find that I tell stories best over a meal," said Miriam. "Suffice it to say, for the moment, that this concerns Malachi…and why he acts the way he does."

"For his sake, I hope his reason is a good one," said Pegasus coldly. "If not for the fact that he's the reigning Intercontinental champion and still has a few fans everywhere, I would have banned him from ever entering this tournament." He lowered his head and directed his voice straight at Miriam, each word meant to sting. "So far, one of his opponents – my son – has ended up in a hospital bed, and a young girl is injured because of him. So, if he does have a reason for acting the way he does, it had better be a damn good one."

Miriam closed her eyes, absorbing what Pegasus said. "Let's just wait until our dinner comes along, and then I will tell you everything."

----------

Yugo narrowed his eyes as he saw all of this. "So, that's it," he mumbled. "But why would Miriam want to talk to Pegasus about her no-good son-of-a-bitch brother?"

Then he looked down and was reminded of his own food. Climbing down momentarily, he picked up the plate, then clambered back onto the rock. Positioning in a cross-legged position to better conceal himself and at the same time balance his plate, he kept his head ducked down and began to poke around his food, popping a fish stick into his mouth as he waited to hear the rest of the tale.

----------

By and by the waiter returned, carrying a massive tray expertly on one hand. "Here we are!" he announced cheerfully, setting the plates down on the table. He then placed a champagne glass before Pegasus and a wine glass before Miriam. In the middle of the table he set a pail of ice with a bottle of champagne in the center, and a big bottle of wine. "Enjoy!" he said as he left.

Folding her napkin on her lap, Miriam picked up her fork and began to eat. Pegasus did likewise. He chewed his food slowly, tasting the flavor. "Mrs. Taylor and Mr. Devlin did a good job choosing the caterers for this event," he said for the sake of conversation.

"Seems they did," muttered Miriam between bites.

The eating continued for a while. Then Pegasus, after popping a bit of the macaroni-cheese and bean salad into his mouth, set down his fork and sipped his champagne. "So…are you ready to talk to me?"

Miriam nodded, and paused only to put a piece of steak into her mouth and chew it. Then, swallowing that morsel, she sipped at her wine glass.

"Have you ever known suffering, Mr. Pegasus?" she asked, softly.

The question caught Pegasus off-guard. "What do you mean by that?" he demanded.

"It's a simple yes or no question," returned Miriam. "So, I'll ask again. Have you ever known suffering?"

Pegasus glared hard at her. Then he looked away. "Yes."

"The loss of a loved one, perhaps?"

Pegasus shot a look at her. "Yes," he answered, guardedly.

"I see." Miriam chuckled. "In that respect, you and I are very similar, Mr. Pegasus. We've both lost someone dear to us…and, no doubt, in your case, there was a time when you even became suicidal, wanting to be in the same place as that loved one…you just wanted to die…just so the two of you could be together again."

"Look, what does this have to do with Malachi?" Pegasus asked impatiently.

"It has much to do with Malachi." Miriam's tone was even. "And for you to understand, I must warn you of two things."

"What, and what?"

"First, you will have to appreciate that I do not tell this story to just anyone, for I know that many would say I am lying or making it up. Second, I am risking a lot just being here and talking to you – if Malachi were to ever find out that I have told you what I'm about to tell you…" She trailed off, but Pegasus got the message.

He leaned forward, resting his chin on his intertwined fingers. "Say on."

----------

Elsewhere, in his room, Seta was calmly going through his deck. _If I'm going to beat that creep Malachi, I have to ensure that I've got something that'll wipe out both of his Sphinxes in one fell swoop. My deck is strong enough as it is…but I still need to be extra careful…_

A knock on his door interrupted his train of thought. "It's open," he barked.

The door opened, and there stood Honey. "Seta…"

"What is it?" he asked.

"Uh…I just wanted to deliver a message…from Raven."

Seta looked up. "And what does he say?"

"He says…you should be careful. Malachi is a dangerous person to have as an opponent." Honey lowered her eyes. "I know what Raven's thinking…he wants you to forfeit the match."

Seta got up and walked toward her. "And what do _you_ say?"

"I say I don't want to see you get hurt." Honey's eyes were shining with tears. "Raven's already gotten hurt because of Malachi…I don't want to see anything happen to you, too…"

"Honey, listen to me." Seta gently held her chin with two fingers and tilted her face to meet his. "Raven wasn't afraid to face his opponent, no matter how strong he was…and he wasn't going to give up just because the odds were against him. And I won't, either." He smiled. "Anyway…my Blue-Eyes White Dragon deck will take care of Malachi. You've seen for yourself the kind of power I possess…none of that power will go to waste. I promise."

Honey gripped his shirt with both hands. "Just don't let him win, Seta…" she whimpered.

Seta now pulled her into an embrace. "He won't."

----------

**_neomage:_** Awwww! Aren't I sweet? Well…next chapter will detail Miriam's story, and then very soon the next-to-last round of the Intercontinental tournament will commence! And on a separate note…I was once told in a review that there have been stories at this site with almost 100 chapters…but I'm not really certain. Can anyone confirm this and say which stories those are, please? Because I have a feeling that this story here might overlap 100 chapters if I'm not careful. Thanks in advance!


	60. Chapter 60

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: 60th anniversary! - Yu-Gi-Oh is not owned by me!)

**CHAPTER 60**

INTERCONTINENTAL DUEL DOME'S FORMAL DINING LOUNGE

Miriam took a sip of her wine, then gently set the glass down. "Mr. Pegasus…have you ever heard of a cult whose members call themselves the Lightbearers?"

"I'm sorry, but no, I haven't," answered Pegasus.

"Well, then, I will tell you about the Lightbearers," said Miriam. "Their tragic history spans over a decade…or, to be more precise, twelve years."

Pegasus picked up his fork and popped some of the rice and beans into his mouth. "Go on."

Miriam cleared her throat. "You see, sir, the Lightbearer cult was started twelve years ago by a certain man…a man who had an immense interest in the happenings of ancient Egypt 3000 years ago." She paused. "He was a researcher by the name of Abel Drake."

"Abel Drake? Well, him I've heard of," said Pegasus. "A famous Egyptologist who was given numerous awards in the scientific community for his discoveries, and who died suddenly approximately four years ago at sea…" His eyes narrowed. "But this allegation of him being a cult leader is a serious one, and one that could get you arrested for slander, if he were still alive."

"Please, Mr. Pegasus, let me finish," insisted Miriam. "In fact, I haven't even started yet."

"Fine."

"Yes, Drake was a great Egyptologist, but it was that very field of study that corrupted him," said Miriam. "For among his discoveries was one that eventually led to his disappearance. I say _disappearance_ instead of _death_ because, although official reports say he died, in truth the authorities never did find his body."

Pegasus nodded – that was true; Drake's body had never been found, no matter how long or how hard the Coast Guard and police had searched. "So, what did he do?" he asked.

Miriam took another bite of her steak, accompanying it with some of her Greek salad. Then she took a sip of wine, and started off again.

"For a long time, Drake was partnered with the famous researchers, Ishizu Ishtar, Rebecca Hawkins-Muto, and Colin and Yvette DaCosta…and throughout their work, he'd been interested in finding some artifacts that allegedly wielded great power. Then, approximately twelve years ago, leading an independent research team, Drake was guided to their location by manuscripts he'd translated – manuscripts that spoke of an ancient cavern called simply the 'Cavern of Kings.'

"Well, Drake placed the artifacts in the exhibit room at the British Museum of Natural History, but they'd been there only a few days before they were mysteriously stolen. The thief or thieves, officially, were never caught. That was roughly one month before the other researchers met their deaths…"

"…in a plane crash." Pegasus said this with a grim look in his eye. "I know about that. Colin and Yvette DaCosta were the biological parents of the two children I now take care of, Honey and Raven."

"Oh." Miriam looked away a moment.

"Continue the story. I want to know what happened afterward," Pegasus urged. "Was Drake the one who stole the artifacts? And what does this have to do with the cult that you say he led?"

"Yes, Drake was the thief…although I only saw him with one of the artifacts. I don't know where the others could be by now." Miriam sighed and took yet another sip of wine, emptying her glass. She paused to refill from the bottle, and then resumed the tale.

"The cult came soon afterward," she went on. "I was four years old, and Malachi was six. Our mother abandoned us when we were very young, and we'd been living on the streets for as long as we could remember. Then, one day Drake found us and took us in…" Here she lowered her eyes. "But how were we, ignorant children, to know that that moment would turn out to be the worst in our young lives?"

Pegasus read the agony in her eyes. "What did he do to you…?"

"He…he took a great interest in Malachi…made him a guinea pig…forced him to endure hours of scientific tests designed to make him into some sort of superhuman – designed to be the eventual bearer of the power Drake himself carried. He was quite able to do this – among the members of his cult were top scientists and doctors, all skilled in manipulating the mind…as was Drake…"

She presently reached for her wine glass and didn't sip this time – she guzzled it all down. _The stress must really get to her,_ Pegasus thought ruefully.

"They…managed to break Malachi's mind…convinced him that nothing else mattered except that he was their puppet…and over time, Drake made him his second-in-command, his yes-man, his lapdog." Miriam paused and refilled her glass a third time.

Pegasus watched her carefully – if she didn't mind herself, she might get drunk. "I see…so Drake manipulated Malachi…"

"Yes…he manipulated everyone…instilled fear of punishment from him into their hearts…he was truly a cruel man…he even…branded me…" She fingered the back of her neck.

"…what…?" Pegasus asked in disbelief.

"I'll show you." Here Miriam reached behind her and removed the choker, then turned in her chair a little for Pegasus to see. He flinched when he saw what it was – a nasty burn scar that ran lengthwise from the bottom of her hairline to the point on her back where the spine became visible.

"He made Malachi put that mark there," said Miriam, quickly putting her choker back on lest anyone else should see her scar. "I talked back to Drake…and then next thing I knew, Malachi appeared, grabbed me and pressed the hot brand on the back of my neck…" Miriam made no effort to stop her tears now; they flowed freely down her cheeks. "Malachi…he seemed…not in control of his own mind. And it continued for years – Drake kept Malachi under his control for years, telling everyone in the cult that Malachi was to be the instrument of light that would bring the world under their control."

Miriam sighed. "And then…one night…it all came crashing down. Malachi went berserk, went to Drake…and a fight ensued…and Malachi slew nearly all of the cult members. Only me, Luke and David were left alive…and Drake escaped, leaving everything behind. In the chaos, the lair was set ablaze, and those who weren't butchered by Malachi…died in the fire. Everything and everyone else went up in smoke…except for this…"

She reached into a side pocket and pulled out a little hardcover book. "This is a detailed account that Drake always used to keep, an account of events right before that fatal night…and even gives a few notes about his previous excavations. Read it – it'll confirm everything I've told you."

Miriam looked up to the sky and unconsciously used one hand to wipe her eyes. "Ever since that time…Malachi's been distrustful of everyone…and me, Luke and David…we've all had to keep one eye open when we sleep, for fear he could wake up in the middle of the night and kill us out of paranoia. We've been doing it for four years since Drake disappeared…and for my part, I'm sick and tired of it all. I just want it to end…to have some peace for once in this life."

Miriam presently and downed her glass yet again – and this time Pegasus reached for the wine bottle and pulled it out of her reach. "You've had enough wine now," he said firmly. "As soon as I'm back in my own room, I'll read this book. And if what I see confirms what you've said, then I'll see what I can do. I can't promise you anything yet…but if there is anything I can do, I will do it."

A small smile came over Miriam's lips. "Mr. Pegasus…thank you…for everything."

With that she got up and walked off as gracefully as she could, considering that the alcohol was affecting her. Pegasus watched as she went, then looked at the little book she'd handed him and sighed.

"Such a melancholic tale," he sighed. He looked sideways toward the balcony. "Wouldn't you agree, Yugo-boy?"

Underneath the balcony, Yugo nearly slipped off his perch on the rock where he'd been sitting cross-legged, so surprised was he that he'd been found out. "Wh-wh-wh-whaaa? How long have you known—"

"For a good while now, actually. I could sense you hiding and eavesdropping." Pegasus picked up his champagne glass and finished it all in one go. "But this story Miriam's told…sheds a whole new light of perspective on Malachi, doesn't it?"

Yugo was grave. "Do you really believe her?"

"I don't _not _believe her," replied Pegasus. "I'll just have to look through the book I have on me now…and if what she says turns out to be true, then I'll have to decide on a course of action. But, Yugo-boy – I must ask this of you – everything you've heard here, please do not repeat a word of it to anyone, for her sake."

"Yeah. I understand."

----------

ONE HOUR LATER

Miriam slipped up the stairs to her room, walking as quietly as she could. She was carrying her high-heeled slippers in hand and walking barefoot so as to minimize the sound she was likely to make. Malachi went to bed early, and Luke and David were always gallivanting, so they wouldn't be back till considerably late.

As she reached their floor, she looked up and nearly fainted. Standing at the door to her room, leaning on the wall, arms folded, was Malachi himself! "My God…" she squeaked.

He looked up at her. "How much does Pegasus know?"

She gulped. She knew better than to lie to Malachi – he'd find out the truth sooner or later in his own way, anyway. "Everything. I told him everything."

He narrowed his eyes. She cringed. "Malachi, please…don't…"

He scoffed and looked away. "Whatever. What's done is done." He jabbed his thumb at her door. "Just go to your room."

Miriam didn't need to be told twice – she bolted for the door and slammed it shut. Malachi heard the bolt click and shrugged before heading back into his own room. There'd be enough time to reprimand her about keeping her mouth shut about personal affairs later.

----------

Twenty minutes later found Yugo slowly trudging up the steps to his room. As he approached his floor, he saw Kyo and Jenna congregating in the corridor, plates of food in hand. Jenna looked up and saw him. "Oh, hey, Yugo! We've got plenty of food to split among us! Wanna share?"

But hearing the tale Miriam had told Pegasus had killed Yugo's appetite completely. "Sorry, guys, I'm not hungry," he said quietly, walking past them and heading into his room.

"Uh, okay…" Kyo blinked.

"What's wrong with Yugo? He never passes up an opportunity to eat. Is he ill or something?" Jenna wondered aloud.

"Or maybe that's not Yugo," said Kyo, peering suspiciously into the room.

Inside, Yugo paid no attention to the others, but simply lay flat on his back, hands behind his head. _Such an incredible story…and I don't know what to make of it, but – what if it IS true? What then?_

----------

An hour afterwards, Pegasus was in the safety of his own room, looking through the book Miriam had given him. The text inside was arranged as that of a diary, and Pegasus's eye widened as he read through it.

"Incredible…for such a great man like Abel Drake to have such a dark mind…seems that girl Miriam wasn't lying about that," he mused as he flipped through the pages.

Then he paused on a particular page. He peered more closely at it. Slowly the expression on his face changed from enthused interest to horrified shock. "No…_those_ were what Drake had been looking for? And **_THAT_** was the artifact he used? It can't be…!"

----------

Elsewhere, Seta went through his cards one more time. "Perfect," he said softly. "This should do quite nicely…

----------

Miki was lying on her hospital bed, relaxing. She was feeling quite all right, actually, but the doctor wanted her to stay there for at least until the next morning. She didn't really mind one bit.

As she settled more comfortably into her pillow, the door opened. It was Blaze. "Oh…sorry if I woke you, kid," she said softly.

"Nah, I wasn't sleeping," said Miki. "What's up?"

Blaze crossed the room and sat down beside Miki's bed. "I was waiting till everyone was gone before I could come and see you," she said. "Because I wanted to ask you something…"

"Let me guess – it's about my near-death attempt to save Kyo today, right?" Miki blushed and grinned. "I know, I know…it was dumb of me. Mom and everybody reminded me of that."

"Actually, I'm not here to scold," admitted Blaze. She looked around as though afraid of eavesdroppers. "Did you…mean what you said to Malachi on the platform, at that moment? What you said…about Kyo?"

Miki was surprised. "Well…yeah. I did mean it." Her face softened. "Because I really do love him."

Blaze chuckled. "Well…I guess what they say is true…love makes people do some funny things sometimes."

Miki looked searchingly at the older girl. "Blaze…have you ever been in love?"

Blaze looked startled at the question. "Huh? Why would you ask me that?"

"Well…I just have this feeling…that either you have been in love before, or…there's someone you're interested in right now." Miki giggled. "Every girl's got to fall in love sometime, or at least have someone they really, really like. Right?"

Now it was Blaze's turn to blush. "Miki…can you keep a secret…?"

"Sure."

Again Blaze looked around the room. "To be honest, there _is_ someone I've…got feelings for, but…I just don't know how to tell him. I mean, it would be so awkward."

"Well, here's what I think," said Miki kindly. "Keep a watchful eye on him, and make sure he doesn't ever stray…and then, when you're ready to tell him, just tell him. Until then, just…be his friend."

Blaze chuckled. "Be his friend…"

"At least think it over," Miki urged. "It never hurts to try."

"I guess not." Blaze nodded. "Well…I better get going. See you tomorrow. And…thanks for the chat."

"Thank you, too," replied Miki. And the two girls smiled at each other.

----------

Malachi sat in the darkness of his room, curled up in his bed. Sleep refused to come. A thought was on his brain, and the more he dwelled on it, the bigger his migraine got. He squeezed his eyes tightly shut, but the image in his head enforced itself all the more.

In his mind he kept replaying the last few moments of his duel with the fairy-user, the four-eyes duelist. Right before he could strike the finishing blow with Andro Sphinx, that girl – the knight-user who'd gotten eliminated earlier – had rushed onto the platform and jumped in the way. Malachi certainly hadn't intended to make her his victim – it was all he could do to call out to Andro Sphinx to pull back some of the force of the attack. He doubted anyone else had heard it – even he himself hadn't heard it too clearly. But he was sure he'd shouted the command – why else wouldn't the girl be any more hurt than she should have been?

But the one thing that haunted him most was what she had said to him, in response to his query. The question and its answer kept running over and over in his mind.

_"Why…? Why would you help him?"_

_"Because…I love him."_

**Love.** That word seemed to intensify his headache all the more. With a mighty effort, he yanked the pillow from underneath his head and pressed it tightly against his throbbing temple. "Goddammit all," he growled menacingly.

----------

**_neomage:_** So there you have it for the intermission! The semi-finals of the tournament begin in the next chapter – Yugo vs. Jenna and Seta vs. Malachi! Much excitement to come, so keep reading and reviewing!


	61. Chapter 61

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Mr. neomage has no connections to the owner of Yu-Gi-Oh, Takahashi-sama.)

**CHAPTER 61**

THE NEXT MORNING

Kyo stirred and yawned massively. "Well…time to get up, I guess," he sighed, reluctantly pulling himself out of bed.

When he reached for his glasses and put them on, what he saw startled him – Yugo was sitting by the window, fully dressed, a stern look on his face. "Oh, hey, Yugo," he greeted his friend. "Uh…it's unusual for you to be awake before I am."

"Yeah, well…I couldn't sleep much last night," said Yugo. "Especially considering that there are two important duels to take place today…"

Kyo sobered. "Yeah…you and Jenna…and Seta and Malachi."

Yugo turned and looked squarely at Kyo. "Kyo…I can't allow Jenna to go on to the next round, regardless of whether Seta or Malachi wins in their duel. I don't want her to get hurt, no way."

"All right, now that's just selfish," said Kyo. His eyes blazed with indignation. "Yugo, don't you have any faith in Jenna's abilities as a duelist?"

"I'm not saying that, but…" Yugo hung his head. "You saw how she was in her duel against Miki. Self-doubt…that's what'll bring her down if she isn't careful. And, against a confident duelist like Seta and a brute like Malachi…"

"Okay, that's enough." Kyo's voice was firm. "I'm surprised at you, Yugo. To say such things…you need to have a little more trust in Jenna than that. She's won her way to this point in the tournament – don't you think she'd at least be able to hold her own against Malachi or Seta, if it came to that point?"

"But, Kyo—"

"No buts." Kyo glared at Yugo. "Granted, those guys are strong, as are you…but she's gotten stronger, too. At least give her the benefit of the doubt…"

Suddenly Kyo stopped. He cocked his head toward the door. "What was that?"

Yugo swiftly jumped up and rushed to the door. Flinging it open, he looked out just in time to see Jenna running down the stairs. "Hey, Jenna!" he called after her – but she didn't stop or even look around.

Kyo came up behind Yugo and shook his head. "She must've overheard everything we said," he said, and he shook his head in disgust. "Yugo, you seriously owe her an apology. I'll see you around." And he walked off, leaving a bewildered Yugo behind.

"What'd I do?" Yugo protested.

----------

Ten minutes later Kyo was walking into the stadium. He looked around, but saw no sign of any of his friends among the growing number of spectators. Then suddenly a cheerful voice called to him from behind. "Kyo!"

Turning, he saw Miki heading his way. "Oh, hi there," he greeted her. "You're looking real fine…considering what happened yesterday."

"It wasn't as bad as you thought, Kyo," Miki giggled, playfully pulling his nose. "At least, I can come and watch the duels."

Then she noticed the dark look in his eyes. "Something wrong?"

"Yeah…well…Yugo said something rather mean this morning, Jenna overheard it, and she took it to heart." Kyo growled in disappointment. "Now, I'll wager she's gonna be real pissed at him when they get up on the platform together…"

Miki's face held a look of concern. "Oh, dear…"

"Hello, you two." The new voice turned both of them, and they came face-to-face with Seta, who was smirking with self-importance. "I'll definitely win my match today," he told them. "That Malachi Jordan won't know what hit him."

"You sure sound confident," said Miki. "Maybe you rearranged your deck?"

"A little bit," said Seta. "But it'll be more than enough to scrub the ground with his face." Then he looked around. "Say, where are Yugo and Jenna? Their match is first, isn't it?"

"Yep," said Kyo. "Let's just hope they show up on time, huh?"

Meanwhile, Mr. Devlin, Mrs. Taylor and Pegasus were taking their seats. "Psst…Duke, have you noticed that Pegasus seems a little pale this morning?" Mrs. Taylor whispered.

"I noticed it from last night," replied Mr. Devlin. "When I asked him about it this morning, he wouldn't give any specific information." His eyes narrowed. "The pressure of what's been happening must be getting to him."

"It's been getting to all of us," Mrs. Taylor acknowledged. "But thank God, it'll all be over by tonight."

"Yeah," Mr. Devlin nodded. "The two semi-final matches will be played out now, and then late in the afternoon the final duel will take place. It'll be something spectacular, I dare say."

Pegasus coughed. "Devlin-boy, perhaps you'd like to announce the resumption of the tournament?" he asked.

"Ah – of course." Mr. Devlin nodded, and then got up to address the spectators and duelists alike.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back for the semi-final round of the Intercontinental tournament!" he cried. The crowd cheered in response.

"Now, we have a special treat for you today: three duels in one day!" said Mr. Devlin. "The first two, the semi-final duels, will take place very shortly, and then the final match will commence later on this evening. So, prepare to have a day full of exciting duels!"

The crowd cheered again.

"Now, without further ado, let's get right into it!" said Mr. Devlin. "The first match will be between Yugo Muto and Jenna Wheeler! Will the duelists please go to the platform right away?"

Just at that moment Yugo appeared in the stadium. "Whew…looks like I'm in time," he panted as he ran up to Miki, Kyo and Seta.

"Where've you been?" asked Seta, curious.

"I…had to look for Jenna," said Yugo. "But I couldn't find her anyplace."

Suddenly Miki pointed. "There she is!"

Coming in from a separate direction was Jenna, her Duel-Disk on her arm. Her eyes were overshadowed by her hair, but her mouth was set in a sinister line. "Uh-oh…looks like she's mad about something," observed Seta.

"Or maybe she's mad at some_one,"_ said Kyo, shooting a look at Yugo.

Yugo sighed resignedly and headed for the platform, where Jenna was just climbing up. "Jenna…"

She didn't answer him. Yugo sighed again and climbed up.

"Did I…miss something? Something happened between those two?" asked Seta, completely dumbfounded.

"Sort of," said Kyo.

"Jenna, will you at least let me explain?" Yugo protested.

"There's nothing for you to explain to me, Yugo," said Jenna. She held up her head, and then he could see in her eyes what her mouth didn't show: rage.

The coin appeared and was flipped. "Tails!" Jenna shouted.

Then the coin landed – but it was heads. But Yugo shook his head. "Go ahead…you go first."

Narrowing her eyes, Jenna snapped, "Don't patronize me! I know exactly what you think my chances are, Yugo Muto! Well, I'll demonstrate to you just how wrong you are!"

With an angry flourish, she drew her first card. "I summon Baby Dragon (ATK 1200, DEF 700) in Attack Mode!" And then she summoned the infant dragon to the field. "Then I'll place two cards facedown, and end my turn!"

"Jenna, please! It wasn't what you thought!" Yugo pleaded.

"What wasn't what I thought?" Jenna yelled. "I know what I heard perfect well – you doubting my abilities! Well, go ahead! Make your move and I'll show you what I'm really made of!"

Groaning in frustration, Yugo drew his card. But then Jenna called out, "Now I activate my trap card, Thunder of Ruler! Since I've activated this card during your Standby Phase, you can't attack me with any monsters this turn!"

"Fine…" Yugo looked at his hand. "Now I summon D.D. Warrior Lady (ATK 1500, DEF 1600) in Attack Mode!" He summoned the cybernetic warrior to the field, her light-saber at the ready. "Then I'll set one card facedown, and end my turn."

Snarling, Jenna drew another card. "I activate my magic card, Back to Square One! By discarding a card form my hand to the Graveyard, I can return one monster on the field to the top of its owner's deck…and your D.D. Warrior Lady's gonna go straight back to the top of your deck!" And she discarded one card so she was left with two in her hand.

Cringing, Yugo took D.D. Warrior Lady off the field and placed the card back on top of his deck. Jenna then selected one of her cards and activated it. "And now, I activate my magic card, Monster Reborn, to revive the monster I discarded to the Graveyard for Back to Square One's effect – Luster Dragon #2 (ATK 2400, DEF 1400)!"

In a moment the emerald dragon was revived from the Graveyard, alongside Baby Dragon. "Baby Dragon, attack! Infant Flame!" Jenna commanded. And Baby Dragon responded with a blast of fire that hit Yugo square in the face and sent him sprawling to the ground, putting his life points at 6800.

"Jenna, stop this!" Yugo exclaimed, rubbing his eyes to clear the smoke out of them.

"Don't you DARE to tell ME what I should or shouldn't do! Luster Dragon #2, Emerald Shower!" Jenna erupted.

Luster Dragon #2 responded by puffing itself outward. This action sent a hail of emeralds at Yugo; trying to dodge them, he ended up getting cut by some of the sharper stones, and his life points dropped further to 4400.

"I'll then end my turn…for now." Jenna glared at him with contempt. "Still don't think I'm capable enough?"

"Whoa…I've never seen Jenna duel so fiercely," remarked Mr. Devlin in awe.

Mrs. Taylor frowned. "No…she seems to be upset at Yugo for some reason…that's why she's dueling so mercilessly," she noted.

Pegasus shook his head. "Even if dueling out of anger makes you stronger, that strength is only for a short time…and it definitely clouds your better judgment," he said coolly. "Angry playing will only get her so far and no further."

In the stands, Shigeo was watching the duel with arms folded. "That girl…she appears to be dueling with spite in her heart," he said. "That will be her downfall, unless she calms down and forsakes her anger."

Yugo held onto his cuts, a picture of annoyance on his face. "Jenna, will you listen to me for a minute?" he begged. "I never said that you're not a capable duelist. It's just…"

"It's just, **_WHAT?"_** Jenna asked bitterly. "You're afraid I'll get hurt? That I might end up on a stretcher, like Raven? Well, how will you know that if you don't at least let me try, Yugo!"

Yugo slowly straightened up. A sorrowful look appeared on his face. "Okay…show me, then."

Yugo's life points were at 4400, while an angry Jenna still had a full 8000. On the field Jenna had Baby Dragon and Luster Dragon #2 on the field, plus one facedown card; Yugo had only one facedown card. He had four cards in his hand; she had one.

Yugo drew his card – redrawing his D.D. Warrior Lady. "I activate my trap card, Frozen Soul! Since my life points are more than 2000 points lower than yours, you can't attack me on your next turn."

"Whatever," Jenna grumbled. "Just means more time to defeat you."

"Jenna, are you even hearing yourself?" Yugo demanded. "Look, I didn't mean to say you're not a good duelist. I was just concerned about what might happen if you beat me here and then had to face Seta, or even worse, Malachi. That's all, I swear!"

Jenna was still seething. "And who says I'll beat you? Maybe, by some stroke of luck, you'll win. And where will your concern for me be, then, huh? Gone with the wind." She spat to the side in contempt. "Using concern for me as an excuse to want to wipe me out…you're a disgrace!"

Again the sad look came over Yugo's face. "Is that what you really think of me after all this time, Jenna? Well, all right. I'll duel, then."

He looked at his hand. "Now, I'll re-summon D.D. Warrior Lady in Attack Mode!" And once again the cyber warrior appeared on the field.

"Not so fast! I'll activate my Shadow Spell trap card!" Jenna shouted. "This'll trap your D.D. Warrior Lady and decrease her ATK by 700 points!"

Suddenly a mass of chains wrapped around the Warrior Lady, holding her tightly in place, and her ATK sharply decreased to 800. "Oh, man!" Yugo groaned.

"Too bad," Jenna taunted, still in the same bitter voice. "So…?"

"There isn't anything I can do," Yugo admitted. "I'll end my turn then."

Jenna drew her next card. "So what if I can't attack this turn?" she scoffed. "At least I can still summon monsters! Like my Rocket Warrior (ATK 1500, DEF 1300)!"

A moment later the Rocket Warrior appeared on the field. "Now…I'll set one card facedown," added Jenna, placing the last card in her hand onto the field, "and then I'll end my turn."

Yugo drew his next card, knowing that further argument with her would be useless. "I summon Dark Magician Girl (ATK 2000, DEF 1700), offering D.D. Warrior Lady as a tribute!"

Moments later D.D. Warrior Lady and the Shadow Spell trap disappeared together – and in the cyber warrior's place stood the Dark Magician's apprentice. "Now, it's about time I brought this foolishness to an end!" Yugo said, his voice taking on an edge. "Attack and destroy Baby Dragon!"

But just as Dark Magician Girl was preparing to fire her version of the Dark Magic Attack, Jenna snapped, "Not just yet! I activate my trap card, Draining Shield, to negate the attack and increase my life points by an amount equal to your monster's ATK points!"

The blast was fired from the Dark Magician Girl's staff – but suddenly a bright white shield appeared, turning the blast into nothing more than a shower of sparks. Jenna's life points increased to 10,000 as a result of this. "That's just not gonna work," she sneered.

Yugo's scowl was even greater now. "Jenna, please…"

But Jenna paid him no heed – she only drew her next card. "Ah – perfect! Just what I need!" she crowed. "Now, I'll offer Baby Dragon and Rocket Warrior as tributes to summon my powerful Red-Eyes Black Dragon (ATK 2400, DEF 2000)!"

Baby Dragon and Rocket Warrior disappeared from the field, and then in their place emerged the dark dragon, smoke hissing from its mouth. "Inferno Fire Blast! Destroy Dark Magician Girl!" commanded Jenna.

The Red-Eyes blasted a massive ball of fire at Dark Magician Girl, incinerating her and bringing Yugo's life points down to 4000. Then – "Luster Dragon #2, use your Emerald Shower again!" And Luster Dragon #2 let loose with another hail of emeralds, cutting Yugo's life points even further to 1600.

Jenna's voice snapped like a whip when she spoke again. "So much for your arrogant superiority, oh proud son of the great King of Games!"

Kyo's eyes widened when he heard this. "JENNA!" he yelled at her.

Startled by Kyo's shout, Jenna only then realized what she'd just said. Slowly her hand went to her mouth as she wished a hundred times over that she could take back her words.

"Huh?" Miki looked on, confused.

"Oh…I forgot you didn't know," said Kyo. "Yugo…he's had this inferiority complex toward his dad for years. Because Mr. Muto used to be known worldwide as the Duel Monsters King of Games, everyone expected Yugo to be just as good a duelist as his old man. But…" He closed his eyes. "All Yugo's ever wanted was to be acknowledged as somebody in his own right, to not have to be in his dad's shadow all the time…Jenna and I know this, since our parents were famous duelists too. But now, with what Jenna's just done…"

"…oh, dear…" Miki looked toward the platform.

Jenna was starting to tremble, her body shaking with regret. "Yugo…I…" She couldn't say any more than that. And to look at him as he now stood hurt her deeply, too deeply. She knew she'd just wounded him where it hurt the most, and even saying she was sorry wouldn't make it better.

Mr. Devlin looked on with concern. "Why am I getting the impression that this isn't going to go down well?" he asked quietly.

"Maybe because…it won't," replied Pegasus.

Yugo just stood there, his arms hanging limp at his sides, his head down, his hair overshadowing his eyes. From where Jenna stood, she could see a tear roll down his cheek; and this pained her even more. Then he spoke.

"Jenna…" said he, in a cold voice, a voice without feeling. "Let me show you what I can really do."

----------

**_neomage:_** Oh, dear…a certain someone's just pissed off one of her closest friends…how will this affect the outcome of this duel? Stay tuned!


	62. Chapter 62

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Go back over the last 61 chapters of this story and read the disclaimer. It'll say the same thing, that I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**CHAPTER 62**

INTERCONTINENTAL DUEL DOME

While Jenna's life points remained at an untouched 10,000, Yugo's now stood at 1600. He had nothing whatsoever on the field; she had her Red-Eyes Black Dragon and Luster Dragon #2 in Attack Mode. He had four cards in hand once again; she had none.

Now Yugo, inwardly incensed by Jenna's insult and fighting hard to maintain control over his own growing rage, drew his card. "Now…I'll activate my Monster Reborn magic card, and revive my Dark Magician Girl in Attack Mode," he said stonily, activating his magic card; and a moment later she was revived on the field. But he wasn't done.

"Next…I'll activate the magic card, Brain Control, paying 800 life points to take control of your Red-Eyes Black Dragon." And then he played the next magic card from his hand, his life points dropping down to 800.

To Jenna's horror, her Red-Eyes shuddered, then flew over to Yugo's side of the field. "Yugo, wait! Don't be so hasty!" she cried.

But evidently he wasn't hearing her. "Now, I'll offer the Red-Eyes Black Dragon as a tribute to summon my Chaos Command Magician (ATK 2400, DEF 1900)." Then, before Jenna's eyes, the Red-Eyes disappeared from the field and was replaced by the green-robed mage.

Then Yugo held up one of the two cards left in his hand. "And now…I'll offer both Dark Magician Girl and Chaos Command Magician to Special Summon my ultimate spellcaster – Sorcerer of Dark Magic (ATK 3200, DEF 2800)!"

Both Dark Magician Girl and Chaos Command Magician vanished from the field – and then, to the astonishment of all, the black-robed magician emerged on the field, his staff crackling with mystic energy, his cape billowing in the wind as the sky darkened and lightning flashed overhead. "Oh, my god…" Seta whispered, looking at the amazing scene in wonder.

Just then Malachi and his posse entered the stadium, having all slept in late in their rooms. Miriam stopped short when she saw the uncanny spectacle on the platform. "Hey…are you seeing this?"

"I know I am," David croaked. "It's that Yugo person – and such a massive monster he's gotten onto the field!"

Luke swallowed. "Shit…that boy really was holding back on me, after all…"

Malachi said nothing, but looked on in amazement and – though the others didn't quite realize it – immense pleasure. _This kid…he keeps getting more and more interesting…_

"Sorcerer of Dark Magic, do it now! Celestial Scepter Blast!" Yugo yelled. And the Sorcerer did just that – powering up his attack, he fired a massive blast of energy at the Luster Dragon #2, destroying it and lowering Jenna's life points to 9200.

_Oh, damn – what have I done?_ Jenna's mind was in a whirl. She had to do something, fast, or else she was finished.

She drew another card. _I hope this works,_ she said to herself. "I'll set one card facedown…and end my turn."

"Is that all?" Yugo said coldly. "I don't think so." He drew another card. "Now I'll summon Breaker the Magical Warrior (ATK 1600, DEF 1000) in Attack Mode!"

Jenna's eyes widened in horror as she watched Breaker's effect give him a Magic counter, putting him at 1900 ATK. "Oh, please…have a little mercy…" she whimpered weakly.

"Now, I'll equip Sorcerer of Dark Magic with this card – the Book of Secret Arts – and increase his ATK and DEF by 300 points!" And as the Sorcerer grabbed the book, his ATK went to 3500 and his DEF to 3100. "Now, Breaker the Magical Warrior, attack directly!"

Breaker unsheathed his sword and dashed forward. But then Jenna, in a fit of fear, shouted, "No! I activate my Mirror Force trap card, to destroy your monsters!"

But as the card was being flipped face-up – a blast of magic decimated the card completely! "Ack!" Jenna cried.

"That's my Sorcerer of Dark Magic's power for you," said Yugo. "He can negate the activation of any Trap cards and destroy them. Now, Breaker, resume the attack!"

Whereupon Breaker dashed forward and slashed Jenna on the arm, reducing her life points to 7300. Then – "Sorcerer of Dark Magic, use Celestial Scepter Blast again!" And this time the Sorcerer blasted a wave of fire at Jenna, hitting her square in the stomach and toppling her over, bringing her life points all the way to 3800.

"My word…he's ruthless…" Seta breathed.

Jenna lay crumpled on the ground, holding her middle, her eyes squeezed tightly shut and her teeth clenched to block out the agony. Tears were forcing their way out of the corners of her eyes and dripping down her face. Seeing this, Miki decided she'd had enough. "Yugo!" she called out to him. "Stop it! Can't you see Jenna's in pain?"

He glared sideways at her. "Stay out of this, Miki," he threatened. "This is between me and her now."

"Come on, Yugo – she didn't mean to offend you!" Miki persisted. "Please! She's your friend, isn't she? Back down, for God's sake!"

"Miki's right, Yugo," said Kyo reprovingly. "Can't you see what you're doing to her – and to yourself? If you keep this up, then you'll be no better than Malachi!"

Yugo froze. _No better…than Malachi…_

In his mind, images of the events in this tournament rushed by. He saw Raven getting mauled by Malachi's Andro Sphinx…Miki jumping in the way to protect Kyo from the Sphinx's attack…Jenna fighting against her own uncertainty as she faced Miki…Miki herself assuring her cousin that no matter who won, everything would be all right…Miriam, her face as picture of agony and sorrow as she told her story…all of these images passed before his eyes for only an instant, but all of them left a lasting impression on him.

_So much of the agony that's been caused in this tournament…it's been because of Malachi…and now here I am, getting worked up over my own private issues and taking them out…on a friend…I'm such a bastard…I really am no better than Malachi!_

He dropped to his knees. He couldn't find his voice for a moment; when he did, it was choked with emotion. "Jenna…I'm so sorry…"

On the other side of the platform, Jenna slowly pulled herself into a sitting position. "Yugo…"

Now Yugo started to sob. "Here I thought I was doing you a favor…and instead, I ended up hurting you. I wanted to protect you…and now I'm the one who's slowly destroying you…I doubted you…thought little of your own talent…" He looked up, making no effort to hide the tears now freely flowing down his cheeks. "Can you ever forgive me…?"

Jenna looked on at this. She sniffled. "Yugo…I should be the one asking your forgiveness," she said quietly. "I was angry…and I hurt you in the worst possible way. If…if only I could take it all back…" She rubbed at her eyes. "I'm such a damn fool…I've destroyed my friendship with the best person I could've ever met…"

"Hey…no, you haven't."

They looked at Seta with some surprise. He went on, gravely, "Jenna…Yugo…if your friendship is real…then nothing can ever break it apart. No quarrel, no squabble, NOTHING will ever destroy it. Because that's what real friendship is – it's unbreakable."

Kyo smiled. "Now, that sounds like something my mother would say."

Yugo looked at Seta for the longest moment. Then he looked at Jenna. "Jenna…I'm sorry."

She looked back at him. Then…ever so slowly…her lips curved into a smile. "Yugo…there's only one way I'll forgive you. And that's if you accept my apology, too."

He smiled a little. "Of course."

Then Jenna stood up. "Yugo…I believe we have a duel to finish…so let's do it now!" Gone was the malice in her face – now it showed genuine excitement.

Yugo got up and readied himself. "Yeah!"

From where she sat, Mrs. Taylor's eyes brimmed with tears of happiness. "How wonderful…"

"Yes…wonderful, indeed," agreed Pegasus, and Mr. Devlin chuckled and nodded.

Now the stats of the duel were as follows: Yugo had 800 life points, and Jenna's now stood at 3800. He had Sorcerer of Dark Magic equipped with the Book of Secret Arts, and Breaker the Magical Warrior with his Magic counter increasing his ATK, both in Attack Mode on the field; Jenna had absolutely nothing at all. And now, neither of them had any cards in their hands.

It was Jenna's turn to duel, and she drew her card. When she saw what it was, her face lit up with happiness. "Okay! I summon Time Wizard (ATK 500, DEF 400) to the field!" And she called forth the little clock spellcaster.

Yugo flinched. "Uh-oh…"

"Now, I'll flip a coin…and if I call it right, your monsters will be destroyed…but if I call it wrong, my monster will be destroyed instead, and I'll lose life points equal to half his ATK."

"Go for it! I dare you!" Yugo smirked.

"Then that I'll do! Go, Time Wizard – use your effect and flip the coin!" Jenna commanded.

The holographic coin appeared in front of Time Wizard, and he prepared to flip it. "I call tails!" Jenna exclaimed.

Then the coin was flipped…and both duelists watched it with growing anxiety. Then it fell back to the ground, and landed, and spun, and then was still – and it showed tails!

"Oh, goody!" Jenna cried. "Okay, Time Wizard, do your thing!"

"TIME MAGIC!" Time Wizard called out as he started to glow, pointing his staff at Yugo's monsters. The next thing Yugo knew, suddenly a giant gust of wind blew as the centuries began to pass by in the blink of an eye.

"Oh, for the love of…!" Yugo cried out.

"Uh, Yugo…take a look at your monsters," Jenna advised him.

He did – and was shocked. Now Breaker the Magical Warrior and the Sorcerer of Dark Magic were nothing more than standing skeletons – and crumbled to dust. "Oh, no!" he wailed.

"Time Wizard, attack directly!" Jenna shouted, and Time Wizard did just that – flying forward and hitting Yugo square in the chest with his staff, reducing the other duelist to 300 life points.

"Ouchie…" Yugo rubbed the spot where he'd been hit. "All right! Now things are starting to get very exciting!"

"Do you see that?" asked Miki. "Just moments ago, they were bent on ripping each other's heads off…now, they're laughing and enjoying themselves."

"Yeah," agreed Kyo. "Seta…thanks for your help."

"Hey, it was nothing," said Seta. "I just didn't want to see the friendship between the whole lot of you just fall to pieces over some stupid squabble."

Yugo drew another card. "I'll set one card facedown. Then I'll end my turn."

"Not gonna be good enough, Yugo!" Jenna declared as she drew a card. "Time Wizard, attack directly and finish it!"

This time Time Wizard charged up energy at the tip of his staff and fired it at Yugo. But at the last moment he announced, "I activate my trap card, Waboku, to reduce the Battle Damage I get this turn to zero!"

True to his description, when the trap card was flipped face-up, the attack hit him dead-on – but he suffered no damage. "Oh, well," sighed Jenna. "I'll activate my Swords of Revealing Light, then, so you won't be able to attack me for your next three turns. And then I'll end my turn."

As Jenna did this, the three shining swords came down in a protective circle around her and her Time Wizard. Yugo chuckled when he saw this, and simply drew his next card. "How convenient," he remarked. "I'll activate my own Swords of Revealing Light, so _you_ can't attack _me_ for your next three turns, either!"

"Okay…so it's become a waiting game," observed Kyo.

The first of Jenna's swords disappeared as she drew her next card. "I'll set one card facedown, and end my turn."

Then as Yugo drew his card, the first of his swords disappeared too. "Damn…I can't use this card right now. All right – I end my turn."

Then Jenna drew her next card, and the second of her swords disappeared. "I activate my Call of the Haunted trap card, to revive Baby Dragon to the field!" And then Baby Dragon emerged from the Graveyard.

"Now what?" Yugo asked.

"Now…I'll activate the magic card, Polymerization, to fuse together Baby Dragon and Time Wizard!" Jenna played the card from her hand.

Yugo gawked. "What!"

Suddenly, the two monsters were fused together as one…and then, in place of the young Baby Dragon, there stood an elderly dragon with a rough-looking beard. "Say hello to my Thousand Dragon (ATK 2400, DEF 2000)!" Jenna announced proudly. "As soon as your Swords of Revealing Light disappear, I'll use him to wipe out what's left of your life points!"

"Hmph. So you say." Yugo drew his next card. "I summon Double Coston (ATK 1700, DEF 1650) in Attack Mode!" The twin ghosts appeared. "And then I'll end my turn."

Jenna drew her card…and the last of her Swords of Revealing Light finally disappeared. "Whatever you bring against me, it won't matter," she declared. "I'll still win."

"We'll soon see." Yugo drew his card, and the last of his Swords of Revealing Light disappeared, too. "Your Swords of Revealing Light have disappeared, so I can attack you whenever I'm ready." He looked at the cards in his hand. "And I feel I am!"

He held up one of the cards in his hand. "I activate my Pot of Greed to draw two cards!" And a moment later he drew two cards, so now he was holding three. "And now I summon Dark Magician (ATK 2500, DEF 2100), offering Double Coston as two tributes!"

Double Coston disappeared from the field; in a moment the Dark Magician emerged in all his glory. Then Yugo held up one of the two cards left in his hand. "And now…I'll activate the magic of Dedication through Light and Darkness, to transform my Dark Magician into the powerful Dark Magician of Chaos (ATK 2800, DEF 2600)!"

Dark Magician's robes transformed into black leather and his rod changed color, too – and the Dark Magician of Chaos was soon on the field. "When the Dark Magician of Chaos is summoned, I can select one Magic card from my Graveyard and add it to my hand – and I choose my Monster Reborn card!"

Immediately, before Jenna's eyes, the Monster Reborn card came out of Yugo's Graveyard and went to Yugo's hand. "And now, I'll use this card to revive Dark Magician!"

The spellcaster soon reappeared on the field. "Now…I'll activate the magic card, Knight's Title, to transform Dark Magician into the Dark Magician Knight (ATK 2500, DEF 2100)!"

Dark Magician's robes transformed into armor and his rod into a shining sword. "When the Dark Magician Knight is Special Summoned, I can select one card on the field and destroy it…and I choose your Thousand Dragon!"

Immediately, before Jenna's eyes, Dark Magician Knight jumped into the air and slashed downward, slicing the Thousand Dragon in two. Then the Knight readied himself to attack again.

Yugo rubbed his nose. "Jenna…"

"Nah, it's okay." Jenna nodded at him and gave him her best smile. "We're cool, Yugo. At least…at least I know that I was able to give you a fair duel. Go ahead and win – you deserve it."

Yugo nodded, and another tear – this time one of gratitude – fell down his cheek. "Dark Magician Knight and Dark Magician of Chaos, attack directly!"

And the two monsters ran up to Jenna – and one hit her on the shoulder with the hilt of his sword, and the other hit her with the flat of his cane. Jenna winced as she took the blow, and as her life points went down to 0.

"That's the end of that!" Mr. Devlin announced. "Winner: Yugo Muto!"

"Yugo won that one," Miki said breathlessly.

"Yep," said Kyo. "But there was another battle fought here, too, one that they both won – and it was against a threat to their friendship."

Seta chuckled. "Well, that's all well and good…but let's not forget about me. I've got a match coming up right…about…now."

Just at that moment Mr. Devlin announced, "The next match will be Seta Kaiba vs. Malachi Jordan! Please report to the platform!"

Malachi trembled with anticipation. "At long last…I get to duel Seta Kaiba…" He walked toward the platform, his entourage looking on with worried faces."

Seta cracked his knuckles. "All right…bring it on, freak-show!"

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**_neomage:_** Malachi's long-awaited desired match has finally come – him against Seta! And, Yugo and Jenna have reconciled – yay! Well, read on, because the action's gonna get extremely intense!


	63. Chapter 63

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Dun-dun-duuuuuun! neomage doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh!)

**CHAPTER 63**

INTERCONTINENTAL DUEL DOME

Moments later found Malachi and Seta facing off against each other on the dueling platform. "Seta Kaiba…you have no idea how long I've been waiting for this moment," Malachi grinned, licking his lips. "I'm gonna savor this as long as possible…"

"I'm sure you will…freak," Seta spat contemptuously.

"Freak? No, no, Seta Kaiba, you've got it wrong," said Malachi. "A better word to describe me would be…" and here his voice dropped to an ominous whisper. **_"…monster."_**

Seta raised an eyebrow. "Whatever."

Yugo, back on the sidelines, thought to give Seta some advice. "Seta, be careful! This guy really is a nutcase!" he told his rival.

"Chill out, Yugo – I've got this covered," Seta assured him.

Then the coin appeared and was flipped. "I call heads!" Seta yelled.

The toss ended up as heads. "Cool! I'll go first!" Seta said with glee.

"What d'you think Seta's chances are?" Jenna asked.

"Honestly?" said Kyo, adjusting his glasses. "I think it's fifty-fifty…"

"I think Seta has a chance, if he doesn't get overconfident," remarked Yugo.

"Well, I don't care about that! Go, Seta!" Miki cheered.

Seta drew his first six cards. "I'll set one monster facedown in Defense Mode, to start off," he started. "And then I'll set one card facedown, for later. Your move."

"Heh-heh-heh…" Malachi drew his card. "I'll also set a monster facedown, and set two cards facedown. And I'll end my turn."

Frowning, Seta drew another card. "I summon the Masked Dragon (ATK 1400, DEF 1100) in Attack Mode!" He then summoned the dragon to the field. "Attack and destroy that facedown monster!"

The Masked Dragon flew forward, claws extended, and slashed the facedown monster card – which was revealed to be the Pharaonic Protector (ATK 900, DEF 0), a mummified soldier.

_What is up with that?_ Seta wondered to himself. _Why would he deliberately place a weak monster on the field like that?_

Malachi drew another card. "Now, I think I'll set another monster facedown, and end my turn." He grinned wickedly. "Attack me if you dare, Seta Kaiba!"

"Are you mocking me?" Seta asked angrily as he drew another card. "Now I summon the Lizard Soldier (ATK 1100, DEF 800) to the field!" And a moment later he'd summoned the dragon warrior to the field. "Now, Masked Dragon, attack and destroy that facedown monster!"

But when Masked Dragon flew forward a second time and struck – suddenly a massive backlash threw it back, and Seta's life points went down to 7400! "Wha…? What the hell gives?" he demanded.

"Sorry, but the monster you attacked was my Gravekeeper's Spy (ATK 1200, DEF 2000)," said Malachi, even as that Gravekeeper was revealed in a crouching position. "As you may know, when flipped face-up, his power summons a Gravekeeper with 1500 ATK or less from my deck to the field, after which I must shuffle my deck." And then in the next moment Gravekeeper's Curse (ATK 800, DEF 800) came onto the field in Attack Mode, and because of this one's effect Seta lost an additional 500 life points, leaving him at 6900.

"Grrr…Lizard Soldier, carve that Gravekeeper's Curse to pieces!" Seta snarled.

"Sorry, but he won't be going ANYWHERE!" Malachi laughed loudly. "I activate the trap card, Nightmare Wheel, to trap your Lizard Soldier!"

As the trap card flipped face-up, the Lizard Soldier was suddenly caught on the monstrous torture wheel. Seta seethed; Malachi looked like he was enjoying himself. "Do you end your turn now, Seta Kaiba?" he asked.

"No! I activate my trap card, Interdimensional Matter Transporter, to remove my Lizard Soldier from play until the end of this turn!" Seta smirked. "Which means that your Nightmare Wheel will be destroyed, too!"

As the Interdimensional Matter Transporter activated, Lizard Soldier was removed from play and the Nightmare Wheel was destroyed. "And now…I'll end my turn," said Seta, smiling smugly as Lizard Soldier just as quickly came back to the field.

"Impressive, Seta Kaiba," remarked Malachi. "You are very clever, just as I thought you'd be. Nevertheless, you will not win this duel."

"Oh, yeah?" Seta challenged. "Why don't you bring it on, and then we'll see, asshole?"

Malachi was in the lead with an untouched 8000 life points, while Seta had 6900. Malachi had three cards in hand; Seta had four. On the field Malachi had his Gravekeeper's Spy in Defense Mode, Gravekeeper's Curse in Attack Mode, and one card facedown; Seta had his Masked Dragon and Lizard Soldier in Attack Mode, and one monster facedown in Defense Mode.

Malachi took time drawing his next card; and when he saw what it was, he growled with animal pleasure. "Now…I'll offer my Gravekeeper's Curse as a tribute to bring forth Gravekeeper's Chief (ATK 1900, DEF 1200)!"

Gravekeeper's Curse disappeared from the field, and in his place appeared Gravekeeper's Chief, wielding his staff and the usual frown on his face. "Of course, when I Tribute Summon my Gravekeeper's Chief, his effect allows me to Special Summon one Gravekeeper from my Graveyard – and I'll Special Summon the same one I used as a tribute to summon him – Gravekeeper's Curse!"

Again Gravekeeper's Curse appeared on the field; and again Seta lost 500 life points, leaving him with 6400. "Annoying, no?" Malachi questioned.

"Annoying doesn't even begin to describe it," said Seta darkly.

Malachi then looked at the three cards left in his hand and snickered. "Well, it's about to get even worse…for now I activate the power of my Necrovalley field magic card!"

Immediately the valley of the dead appeared, and all the Gravekeepers' ATK and DEF increased by 500. "Now…" Malachi looked a little fondly at Gravekeeper's Spy, whose stats had changed to 1700 ATK and 2500 DEF. "I'll shift Gravekeeper's Spy into Attack Mode…and then I'll activate my trap card, Coffin Seller!"

Immediately the trap card on Malachi's side of the field flipped face-up, revealing a picture of a hooded man before a cemetery – from which coffins were being sold. "Now, here's how it'll go," explained Malachi. "Each time your monsters are sent to the Graveyard, whether from your hand, your deck, or your side of the field, this nifty little card will inflict 300 points of damage to your life points. But don't worry – it doesn't count the number of monsters, just the number of times your monsters are sent to the Graveyard."

"You're such a bastard," Seta snarled.

"I know – and I love it!" Malachi laughed. "Now, I'll activate the power of another magic card from my hand – Smashing Ground, to destroy one monster on your side of the field with the highest DEF…and that would be your Masked Dragon!"

A massive fist shot down from the sky and slammed into the Masked Dragon, crushing it. Immediately spirits from the Coffin Seller arose from the cemetery and attacked Seta, draining him of 300 life points to leave him with 6100!

Among the spectators, watching the duel, Wade cried out, "Man, this is totally bogus! No matter how his monsters get sent to the Graveyard, Seta will lose 300 life points regardless!"

"This Malachi…he really doesn't give an inch of a chance to his opponents, even when he's toying with them," Flora remarked.

And not far away, Shigeo nodded grimly. "Even if Seta finds a way out of this predicament, by the time he does so he'll very likely be too low on life points to do much of a comeback."

"And finally, I'll set one more card facedown," said Malachi, placing the last card in his hand facedown in the magic/trap slot. "Now, Gravekeeper's Chief, attack and destroy Lizard Soldier!"

Gravekeeper's Chief, whose ATK and DEF had risen to 2400 and 1700 via Necrovalley, promptly blasted mystical energy at Lizard Soldier, destroying it and reducing Seta's life points to 4800 – and then, because Lizard Soldier was sent to the Graveyard, Coffin Seller depleted Seta's life points by another 300 points, putting him at 4500.

"Gravekeeper's Spy, it's your turn! Attack and destroy his facedown monster!" Malachi ordered, laughing. Gravekeeper's Spy promptly ran forward and attacked the facedown monster, revealing it to be Troop Dragon (ATK 700, DEF 800) and sending it to the Graveyard, invoking Coffin Seller again and reducing Seta even further to 4200 – and in the process activating Troop Dragon's effect, allowing Seta to Special Summon a second Troop Dragon in Defense Mode from his deck.

But Malachi didn't seem much perturbed by this. "Oh, well – just means more work for Coffin Seller!" he joked. "Gravekeeper's Curse, your turn! Attack!"

Gravekeeper's Curse fired a blast of magic at the newly-summoned Troop Dragon, destroying it and sending it to the Graveyard – and invoking Coffin Seller once more, reducing Seta yet again to 3900. Troop Dragon's effect activated once again, and Seta Special Summoned a third one from his deck in Defense Mode, then shuffled his deck.

"Look how low I've brought your life points now," sneered Malachi, "yet you haven't even touched mine! I wonder what that says about you, Seta Kaiba…"

Watching the duel from a distance, Honey was infuriated by Malachi's insults. She jumped up and shouted, "Don't listen to him, Seta! I still believe in you – you can do it! Show that bastard who's boss!"

Seta heard her, and immediately his resolved hardened. _You little piece of shit, Malachi…I'll soon teach you to mock me!_

He drew another card, so he now had five in his hand. "Oh, Malachi," he tauntingly addressed his opponent, "it's about time for you to start begging for mercy!"

"And why should I?" Malachi asked scornfully.

"Because I've got the tools in my hand to wipe you out!" Seta declared. "First, I'll summon my all-powerful Lord of Dragons (ATK 1200, DEF 1100) to the field!" And the Lord of Dragons emerged on the field in his proud glory.

"Then, I'll activate The Flute of Summoning Dragon!" continued Seta, playing the card. "Since Lord of Dragons is on my side of the field, this magic card will allow me to Special Summon up to two Dragons from my hand. And I'll Special Summon – Rare Metal Dragon (ATK 2400, DEF 1200) and Blue-Eyes White Dragon (ATK 3000, DEF 2500)!"

The Lord of Dragons blew two notes on the Flute of Summoning Dragon; moments later the Rare Metal Dragon and Blue-Eyes White Dragon appeared on either side of him, growling fiercely. "All right – now I'll activate the magic of my Mystical Space Typhoon, to destroy your Necrovalley! Now your monsters will lose their field power bonus altogether!"

Malachi took it in at a glance. The confident smirk left his face. "No!"

"Yes!" Seta replied, as the Mystical Space Typhoon blasted through the valley. In a moment nothing was left of the valley except empty space. Malachi looked at the field and nearly swore – his monsters had completely lost their power!

"Now, I believe a little revenge is in order!" Seta grinned. "Lord of Dragons, destroy Gravekeeper's Curse!"

Lord of Dragons dashed forward, taking off the head of Gravekeeper's Curse with one blow and – to Malachi's utter dismay – bringing his life points down to 7600. "Rare Metal Dragon, do it now! Destroy Gravekeeper's Chief!" Seta commanded – and Rare Metal Dragon, with one whisk of its metallic tail, flattened Gravekeeper's Chief and reduced Malachi even further to 7100.

Then Seta grinned as his Blue-Eyes growled with rage, preparing to attack. "And now, time for my Blue-Eyes to show its vengeance! Use your White Lightning Attack and destroy Gravekeeper's Spy!"

Electrical energy charged up in the dragon's mouth; then suddenly it let it all go in one thunderous blast, obliterating Gravekeeper's Spy and sharply reducing Malachi even further to 5300 life points.

"You don't look so smug now, Malachi," said Seta with a smirk on his face. "What's the matter – aren't you as tough as you said?"

Now the score stood at Seta with 3900 life points, and Malachi with 5300. On the field Seta now had Troop Dragon in Defense Mode, plus Lord of Dragons, Rare Metal Dragon and Blue-Eyes White Dragon in Attack Mode; Malachi had only his Coffin Seller trap card and one facedown card in the magic/trap slot. Neither of them had any cards left in their hands.

Malachi snorted as he drew another card. "You're an idiot – a real idiot," he declared. "Did you think I'd just go right ahead and attack you without having a backup plan? Activate the trap card – Pyramid of Light!"

A moment later the trap card was flipped, and the blue light shot from it to form the pyramid outline. Seta growled as the pyramid was created around them. "Damn," he muttered. "This can only mean…"

"I'm glad to see you haven't forgotten," sneered Malachi. "But first, I'll activate my magic card, Pot of Greed, and draw two cards!" And this he did—then his grin got even wider when he saw what he'd drawn.

"Now that the Pyramid of Light is active," he announced with a leer, "I can use its power to Special Summon my two fearsome beasts from my hand – Andro Sphinx (ATK 3000, DEF 2500) and Sphinx Teleia (ATK 2500, DEF 3000)!"

As Malachi's life points went down to 4300, there were two simultaneous roars as Sphinx Teleia appeared in Defense Mode and Andro Sphinx in Attack Mode. "Luckily for you, my Sphinxes cannot attack in the same turn they're summoned," Malachi chuckled. "So, for the time being, I'll end my turn."

Seta's eyes narrowed as he drew another card. "I'll set one monster in Defense Mode," he said as he placed the card on the field. "And then I'll end my turn."

"Have no other strategies, Seta Kaiba?" Malachi laughed scornfully as he drew his next card. "Andro Sphinx, destroy that facedown monster he just set!"

Whereupon Andro Sphinx flailed one of its paws forward, slicing the monster into ribbons and revealing it to be the Witch of the Black Forest (ATK 1100, DEF 1200). "Perhaps you may remember…when Andro Sphinx destroys a Defense Mode monster in battle, his effect inflicts damage to you equal to half the ATK of the destroyed monster," Malachi reminded Seta smugly – and then Seta lost 550 life points, and then lost another 300 via Coffin Seller's effect, so now he was left with 3050.

"And now that Witch of the Black Forest has been sent to the Graveyard, you've activated _her_ effect," said Seta with a triumphant smirk. "For when she's sent to the Graveyard, her effect allows me to select one monster with a DEF of 1500 or less from my deck, add it to my hand, and then shuffle my deck. And I choose – Cyber Jar (ATK 900, DEF 900)!" And he retrieved the card from his deck.

Frowning in deep suspicion, Malachi examined the card he had in his hand. "Fine. I'll set one more card facedown, and end my turn."

Then Seta drew another card. "I activate Pot of Greed, to draw two more cards!" And he drew the two cards from the top of his deck. Then he examined his three cards thoroughly. "Okay…I'll set one monster facedown, and that'll do it for now."

Malachi eyed Seta's side of the field. Slowly a mad grin covered his face, even as he drew another card. "Oh, I am gonna enjoy this thoroughly…Andro Sphinx, destroy that facedown monster!"

"Whoa! But what if that monster he destroys is the Cyber Jar Seta got from his deck?" Miki exclaimed.

"If it is, then Malachi's just signed his own death warrant," replied Yugo. "Because Cyber Jar's flip effect will destroy every monster on the field…including the Sphinxes."

Andro Sphinx raised its paw again and brought it down, smashing the facedown monster – and indeed revealing it to be the Cyber Jar. As per Andro Sphinx's effect, Seta lost 450 life points – 450 being half of Cyber Jar's ATK – and then he lost another 300 due to the Coffin Seller trap card, so he was left with 2300 life points.

But then Cyber Jar's flip effect activated – and suddenly the entire field exploded, taking every monster to the Graveyard! Since all of Seta's monsters got sent to the Graveyard at the same time, Coffin Seller only deducted another 300 life points from him, so he had a mere 2000 life points left.

"And now…" Seta grinned maliciously. "We each pick up five cards, show them to each other, and Special Summon any Level 4 or lower monster cards to the field…and the rest go to our respective hands." He started picking up cards, and Malachi did the same.

Seta picked up Monster Reborn, a second Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Polymerization, Peten the Dark Clown (ATK 500, DEF 1200) and Nutrient Z; Malachi picked up another Smashing Ground, Giant Trunade, Gravekeeper's Cannonholder (ATK 1400, DEF 1200), Megamorph and Gravekeeper's Servant. Instantly Peten the Dark Clown was Special Summoned to the field in face-up Defense Mode and Gravekeeper's Cannonholder in Attack Mode; all the other cards were added to their respective owners' hands.

But then, to Seta's puzzlement, Malachi started to laugh again. "Oh, you poor, ignorant fool," Malachi cackled. "My Andro Sphinx and Sphinx Teleia have both been destroyed at the same time…"

"Which was my intention all along," said Seta. "Now you've got nothing left to support you."

"But THAT is where you are wrong!" Malachi retorted. "For by destroying Andro Sphinx and Sphinx Teleia at the same time, it became possible for me…to reach the second level of my full power…"

Seta's eyes widened in surprise. _Second level of power? What the hell is he talking about?_

Just then, to Seta's astonishment, Malachi's life points dropped to 3800. "By paying 500 life points when Andro Sphinx and Sphinx Teleia are destroyed at the same time," Malachi rasped, his grin becoming even more grisly, "I can summon a monster so dreadful…so awesome…so incredibly horrific…that to even look upon it is to look upon death itself!"

----------

**_neomage:_** Ha ha ha! Another cliffhanger! Next chapter comes the conclusion to this dramatic duel, and then we'll know who Yugo will face in the final round! Don't stop reading now!

UPDATED 23/06/2006: Edited for the reason I outlined in Chapter 58. Go check it out for details.


	64. Chapter 64

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Yu-Gi-Oh is not owned by neomage, but by Takahashi-sama.)

**CHAPTER 64**

INTERCONTINENTAL DUEL DOME

"By paying 500 life points when Andro Sphinx and Sphinx Teleia are destroyed at the same time," Malachi rasped, his grin becoming even more grisly, "I can summon a monster so dreadful…so awesome…so incredibly horrific…that to even look upon it is to look upon death itself!"

His life points having dropped by 500 points to 3800 to activate this summoning effect, Malachi grabbed his deck, pulled out a card, and held it up high in the sky. "Now, come to the field, my mighty creature!"

On the sidelines, David's eyes widened with horror. "Oh, no! Malachi's really gonna summon THAT to the field!"

"If he does, that Kaiba kid's done for," said Luke.

Miriam looked on with a woeful look. "Malachi…"

All at once a mighty gust of wind started to blow inside the Pyramid of Light with hurricane force. Seta did his best to stand his ground, but the edges of his jacket were being blown so hard that for one moment he swore he'd be carried away for certain.

Then he saw something that stunned him.

As Malachi played the card he'd impulsively pulled from his deck, two ghostly heads – one resembling Sphinx Teleia, the other resembling Andro Sphinx – floated around the field before merging into one – and the result was staggering. There appeared a monster with the upper body of Andro Sphinx, but the lower body of Sphinx Teleia, and definitely ten times bigger and meaner!

"This is the strongest monster in my entire deck," Malachi informed Seta. "The most powerful of all my Sphinxes…and the most terrible of the three…may I present to you, Theinen the Great Sphinx (ATK 3500, DEF 3000)!"

"Whoa…would you look at that thing…" Jenna was definitely scared.

"That is one _ugly_ motherf—" Kyo's mouth was slapped shut by Yugo before he could complete his phrase.

"Uh, yeah, I think we get the idea," Yugo reprimanded Kyo. Then he himself shot a worried glance toward the platform. "But what'll Seta do now…"

The stats of the duel stood at Malachi with 3800 life points and Seta with 2000. Malachi had five cards in his hand, which included the Smashing Ground, Gravekeeper's Servant, Megamorph and Giant Trunade magic cards; Seta had six cards, which included the Monster Reborn and Polymerization magic cards, the Nutrient Z trap card and a Blue-Eyes White Dragon card. On the field Malachi had his newly-summoned Theinen the Great Sphinx and Gravekeeper's Cannonholder, both in Attack Mode, along with his Coffin Seller and Pyramid of Light trap cards, and one other card facedown. On his side of the field, Seta had only Peten the Dark Clown in Defense Mode.

Suddenly, Malachi's life points dropped down to 3300. "When Theinen is successfully summoned," he explained, "I can pay 500 life points to increase his ATK by 3000 points until the end of this turn!"

This information hit Seta like a brick. "You're impossible!" he yelled.

"Oh, no, I'm not! Look and see for yourself!" And Malachi pointed to Theinen's stats – and what Seta saw shocked him. True to what Malachi had said, Theinen was growing in size as his ATK shot all the way up to 6500!

"It's been ages since I last used Theinen the Great Sphinx – there just haven't been any duelists worthy of this level of my power," Malachi remarked, chuckling evilly. "Until now, that is. I knew you'd be a worthy opponent the moment I laid eyes on you, Seta Kaiba…and I determined in my heart that I would get to duel you, to find out everything about your strategies, and then crush you between my fingers. And Theinen is the tool that will allow me to accomplish that!"

Then Malachi activated his Smashing Ground magic card. "Now, take this! I'll use this Smashing Ground magic card to destroy your Peten the Dark Clown!"

A mighty fist came down from the sky and walloped Peten, sending him straight to the Graveyard and triggering Coffin Seller yet again, reducing Seta to 1700 life points. But Seta quickly responded, "Not in this life! When Peten the Dark Clown goes to the Graveyard, I can remove him from play to Special Summon another Dark Clown from my deck to the field!"

Instantly a second Dark Clown emerged. But Malachi merely shrugged. "Like that's going to stop me," he grinned. "Gravekeeper's Cannonholder, fire away at that Dark Clown!"

Gravekeeper's Cannonholder blasted the second Peten into oblivion, and Coffin Seller reduced Seta to 1400 life points. Seta immediately removed that one from the Graveyard and Special Summoned his third one to the field from his deck. But even then Malachi wouldn't give up. "And now, allow me to show you my Great Sphinx's power! Theinen, show him what real strength is all about! Rage of the Sphinx!"

Theinen growled as smoke poured out of his mouth; then, before everyone's astonished eyes, a blue fireball appeared, and he spat it out at the third Dark Clown. This Peten put up his arms to block, but ended up getting fricasseed and sent to the Graveyard…and once again Coffin Seller kicked in, bringing Seta's life points down to 1100, even as the fireball's massive shockwave knocked Seta off his feet and sent him flying for a loop.

Seta slowly picked himself up off the ground. "Damn you…I'll kill you…" he rasped, his voice choked by outrage.

"Try." Malachi stood there, arms folded, a superior smirk on his lips. "Just go ahead and try. I end my turn." And as he said, Theinen's ATK went back to its normal 3500.

"Yo, Seta!" Yugo called. "Don't let him rattle you! You can still beat him – just trust in your deck!"

Seta paused. _Trust…in my deck?_

He glanced down at his deck, then looked at the cards in his hand. "Hmmm…" To himself he said, _I just need one card to do what I need to do, but…can I draw it?_

He placed his fingers on the deck and prepared to draw. _My cards…you've never failed me before…don't fail me now!_

Then he drew.

He paused, holding the drawn card in hand, not looking at it. Then he glanced sideways…and smiled. "Thanks for the tip, Yugo."

Yugo smiled back. Malachi frowned.

"Now, then!" Seta announced. "I'll activate my Monster Reborn magic card to revive my Blue-Eyes White Dragon from the Graveyard!" And a moment later the great dragon emerged on the field, roaring its rage.

"And now…" Seta twiddled his cards in his hand. "I'll activate my Polymerization card, to fuse this Blue-Eyes with the _two_ in my hand to form _my_ ultimate beast – Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon (ATK 4500, DEF 3800)!"

Malachi started. _I see…so that card he just drew was the third Blue-Eyes he needed…_ A smile came over his face. _Perfect…this is my chance!_

In a moment the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon appeared on the field, ready to deliver punishment. "All right, Malachi! Time to take your medicine – a nice, big dose of power!" Seta laughed. "Now, my Ultimate Dragon, blast his Great Sphinx into the afterlife with your Neutron Blast!"

The Ultimate Dragon began to charge energy in its mouth for just that purpose. But suddenly Malachi announced, "Sorry, but I have other plans! I activate my trap card, Shift, to change the target of your monster's attack to another monster on my side of the field – my Gravekeeper's Cannonholder!"

"What?" Seta could hardly believe his ears.

The Ultimate Dragon shifted direction slightly, firing its attack in one massive blast at the Gravekeeper's Cannonholder. That monster got incinerated, and Malachi's life points shot down sharply to 200. "But…I don't understand…" Seta was still trying to come to terms with what just happened.

"Let me explain," said Malachi. "My Shift trap card could only be activated when you designated one of my monsters as the target of an attack, or a Magic or Trap effect. Then, I could simply switch the target to another monster on my side of the field. And I dare say, it worked like a charm."

Seta was still quite puzzled by it. _But why would he run the risk of me wiping out all of his life points like that…_ Then his face whitened in realization. _Unless – NO FREAKIN' WAY!_

"Ha! I know what you're planning, you bastard!" he exploded. "But it won't work! I'll set one card facedown, and end my turn!"

"Oh, so you CLAIM to know what I'm planning, do you?" asked Malachi. "Well, why don't we see if your conspiracy theory is right?"

He drew his next card, then laughed outright. "Now we'll see if what you're thinking is the same as what I'm thinking! I activate Megamorph, to double Theinen the Great Sphinx's ATK since my life points are now lower than yours!"

One moment later, as soon as Malachi activated the Megamorph card, Theinen seemed to double in size. His ATK certainly did – to a whopping 7000! "See this? This is what power is really all about!" Malachi laughed. "You and your three-headed lizard don't stand a chance!"

"Three…headed…lizard…?" Now Seta was furious. **"YOU DARE TO INSULT MY BLUE-EYES ULTIMATE DRAGON!"**

"Well, we'll soon see just how 'ultimate' he really is – after I play this card!" Malachi then held up the card he'd just drawn. "I activate the magic card, Riryoku!"

To Seta's surprise, his Ultimate Dragon faltered…then slumped…then its wings drooped and its heads lowered. What caught his attention even more was that, its ATK was suddenly lowered to half its full amount – 2250! "Malachi…what in the name of all that is holy did you just friggin' do?" Seta asked fatalistically.

"Oh, not much," said Malachi. "But you see, Riryoku decreases the ATK of one monster of my choice by half…and increases the ATK of another monster of my choosing by the same amount, all lasting until the end of the turn. Case in point – Theinen the Great Sphinx." And he pointed to his monster. Looking, Seta almost collapsed when he saw what its ATK now was – a mind-blowing 9250!

"Oh, no!" screamed Jenna. "There's no way he can survive that!"

"Seta, run!" Miki yelled.

But to their astonishment, Seta shook his head. "I…won't run," he announced. "I have my duelist's pride to uphold."

"Seta Kaiba, screw duelist's pride! This is your life we're talking about!" Honey shouted, flustered.

"Save your squabbles for the afterlife!" Malachi snapped. "Now, be my sacrifice, Seta Kaiba! Theinen, finish it now with Atomic Judgment Sledgehammer!"

Theinen pulled back his fist to attack, and it glowed with a bright white energy as he thrust it forward. The fist pierced the weakened Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon in the chest, and the three dragon heads howled as the fist smashed them to pieces.

"At least I can go down fighting!" Seta yelled. "I activate my trap card, Nutrient Z! Since this will obviously give me more than 2000 points of damage, this will increase my life points by 4000 before the damage is actually calculated!"

But even as Seta's life points shot to 5100, Malachi laughed at him. "That won't change a thing, you fool!" he yelled.

Theinen's fist continued on its destructive path, tearing completely through the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon and heading for Seta – and hitting him square in the chest, causing him to scream out in agony. He was sent sailing off the platform and would have hit the adjoining wall if Yugo hadn't jumped up just then and caught him. Both boys flew to the ground and rolled, even as on the scoreboard Seta's life points quickly traveled down to 0.

"Geez…such a destructive display of power…" Mr. Devlin winced.

Pegasus shook his head, covering his forehead with one hand. "Kaiba-boy will have my head…"

"I should get down there – hopefully he's still alive after that attack!" Mrs. Taylor jumped up and dashed off.

Mr. Devlin managed to compose himself a little. "Winner: Malachi Jordan!" he announced.

Honey rushed over to where Yugo was now cradling Seta. "Is he all right?" she demanded.

Gingerly Yugo turned Seta face-up – and winced. There was a massive burn mark on Seta's chest where Theinen's fist had struck him, and his clothes were scorched. Feeling for a pulse, Yugo sighed in relief. "He's still alive, at least," he announced.

Seta moaned and opened his eyes a little. "Uhhh…" he groaned, trying to sit up.

"Easy, easy," Honey admonished him gently. "Seta…you OK?"

"I…I'll live, I guess," he answered. "The Blue-Eyes…it took the brunt of that monster's attack so I should be all right—"

Suddenly his eyes widened. Violently pushing Honey and Yugo aside, he fell forward on his hands – and spewed up a mouthful of blood. Seeing this, Honey's eyes widened in horror. "Oh my God! He's hurt real bad!"

"Somebody get a doctor down here NOW!" Yugo exploded.

Seta puked again; then his strength failed him and he collapsed onto the grass. By this time Mrs. Taylor was coming along with the medical team. One of the medics carefully picked Seta up and put him on a stretcher.

"Take good care of him – that's Seto Kaiba's son you're dealing with," Mrs. Taylor cautioned as the medics went off with a now unconscious Seta.

Yugo's fists clenched. Turning, he was just in time to see Malachi leaving the platform. "Malachi!" he roared.

Malachi paused. "I have no business with you," he said flatly.

"Yeah? Well, I've got some with you," Yugo said darkly.

Malachi remained unmoved. "The one I wanted to duel, I have dueled with him," he commented. "Seta Kaiba, formerly the strongest duelist around…well, no more. Now I am the strongest."

"You can't declare that yet," said Yugo knowingly, his eyes narrowing. "Because who's to say that there isn't someone who's stronger than Seta – or you, for that matter?"

"Yugo…don't tempt this guy," Kyo warned.

"I know what I'm doing, Kyo," Yugo assured him. "I'll handle this."

Slowly Malachi turned around to look at him. "So, are you saying…that you think you stand a chance against me, boy?"

"Oh, I'll do more than stand a chance against you." Yugo grinned malevolently. "I'll put you and your three lion cubs in their place!"

The other's eyes narrowed. "Are you making fun of my Sphinxes?"

Yugo crossed his arms and smirked. "Unless you're afraid to prove me wrong."

Just then Mr. Devlin announced, "The final of the Intercontinental Tournament will be held this afternoon at 4:00 – Yugo Muto vs. Malachi Jordan! Duelists, remember to be here by then for your match! Until then, you have time off to reconfigure your decks as you see fit! Now, dismissed!"

Malachi scowled at Yugo. "Since you want to throw your life away, very well. I accept your challenge. When we meet back here later, I will show you why nobody should ever challenge me." He turned and walked away.

Yugo stared daggers at Malachi's back. "Shit-face."

Kyo approached him from behind with a grave look on his face. "Yugo…do you realize what you've just done? You've set yourself up for a major beating. Yours is a good deck, but even with your skills, the chances of you winning against Malachi are slim to none!"

"It's just as well, Kyo – it was going to happen anyway," sighed Yugo. "All this means now is, I'm going to have to seriously reconstruct my deck and be prepared for a hard and bitter fight." With that, he turned and walked away.

Miki watched as Yugo left, a worried frown on her face. "Is Yugo going to be okay…?"

Kyo sighed. "I don't know, Miki. I honestly don't know."

Nearby, Honey was still on her knees on the grass. "First one…and then the other," she whispered, tears slowly trickling down her face. "My brother…and my love…both of them…"

Jenna walked over to her and knelt down beside her. "They'll be okay, Honey, honest," she whispered. "Raven and Seta are both strong. They'll pull through okay."

"But…what about Yugo? He'll end up just like them if he duels that guy!" Honey cried shrilly.

"Trust him, Honey," Jenna answered firmly. "Trust Yugo to get the job done." And with that, she took Honey into a comforting embrace. "Don't worry about a thing. Yugo'll take care of it."

In her mind she was silently thinking, _I hope you can, Yugo…for all our sakes…_

----------

**_neomage:_** Now, only one duel left in the Intercontinental tournament – and intermission time next chapter! What are the thoughts of our duelists at this time? Stay tuned and find out!

UPDATED 23/06/2006: Edited for the reason I outlined in Chapter 58. Go check it out for details.


	65. Chapter 65

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Kids WB and Cartoon Network hold the rights to Yu-Gi-Oh. Kazuki Takahashi holds the rights to original ownership of the franchise. Nuff said.)

**CHAPTER 65**

TWO HOURS LATER

Yugo sat on the bed in his room, his cards spread out in front of him. "Now, let's see…time to restructure this deck piece by piece…"

Carefully, he replaced all the cards in his deck, selecting each one as he thought best suited the strategy he thought he should use. But after a while he fell back on the bed, frustrated. "Dammit…why does it feel as though something is missing?" he complained.

He sat back up and picked up his cards again, rearranging them in proper order and slipping them into his pocket. "I need to get some air…clear my head a little…"

----------

Moments later, Yugo was walking outside, past the buildings in the dome. As he walked, thoughts haunted his mind. _Question is, can I truly defeat Malachi as I am now? And if I can't…_

Presently he came across one of the attractions that had been built in with the dome: a small river of crystal-clear water overshadowed by a bunch of trees. _Looks like a nice spot to rest,_ he mused as he went over and sat down.

Laying back on the grass, Yugo closed his eyes. But even when he did, the thoughts that nagged his brain refused to subside.

_Damn it all…now that I know Malachi's got such a powerful monster, and such good support cards…how can I do battle against him? Shit…_

His thoughts then turned to what he knew about Malachi. _Such a warped guy…with such a tragic back-story…Miriam must've gone through a lot, having to deal with him for so long with him in such a condition. But knowing all that, how do I duel against the guy when his past has left him capable of slaughtering the first person he sees? And then, too…Raven, and Kyo, and even Seta…all of them were unable to beat him. So…what chance do I have…?_

So absorbed in his own thoughts was he that he failed to hear the gentle footsteps approaching him. Until, that is, a quiet voice called his name. "Yugo…"

His eyes snapped open as he jerked back to reality. He sat up and looked around for whoever it was that had called him. "Jenna…?"

Standing by the tree, Jenna now approached him. "I didn't expect I'd find you here. I've been looking for you for a while now." She surveyed their immediate surroundings. "But…looks like you picked a pretty nice place to be lazy."

"Aw, c'mon, don't put it like that," Yugo protested.

Jenna then cast her eye at the river. "Hmmm…this stream…all of a sudden I've got an urge to dip my feet in it…" She looked at him. "Do you mind?"

"No, no…suit yourself," he answered.

Then, as Yugo watched, Jenna walked to the riverbank and sat down. Undoing the straps to her sandals, she took them off and sank her bare feet into the cool water. "Hmmm…I was right – this IS refreshing," she sighed contentedly.

Yugo just watched her, uncertain as to whether he should ask her the question that was currently on his mind. But, as though she'd read his thoughts, she broke the ice for him.

"You're probably wondering why I was looking for you…right?"

He nodded. "Actually…yeah."

Jenna nodded back. "Well…I wanted a chance to talk to you in private, Yugo. About everything…that's happened."

He got up and went to sit beside her, tucking his legs underneath him. "It's been quite a ride, hasn't it?"

"Sure has." She smiled. "So much has happened…and we've met quite a few interesting people…and gone through a few trials, too."

At that last statement Yugo looked down, ashamed. "Jenna…about that…I really am sorry."

"I know." Jenna sighed. "But you want to know what really hurt the most about it?"

"Not really."

"Well, I'll tell you anyway. It was knowing that…even though you'd said it to Kyo so bluntly, you were part right." Jenna swished her legs back and forth in the water, looking down at them as she did this. "I did have doubts about my abilities…and whether I could even win. And…when it came time to duel against you, Yugo, even though I was angry at you…I was also scared."

He looked at her, surprised. "Of what?"

She returned the gaze. "Well…knowing that you're such a talented duelist…and that you were good enough to beat Seta Kaiba, the number one ranked duelist in the world…I wasn't even certain that I could win again you."

"Well, you almost did," he reminded her.

"Yeah, but that's only because I was dueling out of blind rage. Only in the last few moments of that duel…after we'd apologized to each other…could I feel as though I was your equal…as though I could actually win."

Yugo looked at her and then looked away. "It hurts, doesn't it? Knowing that you're the child of a famous duelist…and so people expect so much from you…" Now his hair overshadowed his eyes. "It's a real bitch, isn't it?"

"I'll say." Jenna smiled in spite of herself. "You know…until I met you, I'd always thought I had it bad. I mean, having Joey Wheeler and Mai Valentine as parents…everyone thought I'd naturally be this great genius duelist. I hated it so much…and then, to meet you, the offspring of the former King of Games, Yugi Muto – I realized, here's someone who actually understands what I have to go through and how I feel about it."

Yugo sighed and stared at his reflection in the water. "Jenna…I don't ever want us to fight again. Real friends don't fight the ones they care about."

Jenna smiled a quiet smile. "I know. And it pains me to think that we were angry with each other, too. So…no more quarrels. Okay?"

"Right."

A moment of silence followed, during which Jenna continued to move her feet up and down in the water and Yugo continued to stare at his own reflection. Then Jenna, looking over at him, noticed the troubled look in his eyes. "What's the matter, Yugo?"

He closed his eyes. "I'm scared."

She looked surprised. "Of what?"

"Of this coming duel, with Malachi…of this feeling I've got in my gut that keeps telling me that I'm not fully prepared to take him on. And…of the knowledge that, in a way, he and I really are alike."

Now Jenna was really astonished. "Whatever are you talking about? How can you say you and that creep are alike? In what way?"

Yugo sighed and didn't say anything for a moment. Then: "I can't tell you everything I know about Malachi, but I'll tell you this much…he's been pretty much alone growing up. He's never had anyone's love or trust. Miriam's the only real family he's got left, but even she can't get close to him because of what's happened to him over time."

He looked down at the water with melancholic eyes. "Just like me…I lost my mother when I was still in diapers; I can barely remember what she looks like now, without the aid of old photos. For the longest time, I kept my father and grandmother distant, suffering in my own world, because I didn't want to hurt them with my suffering." He closed his eyes again. "I can't help but feel…that somehow, Malachi is doing the same thing to Miriam, to protect her from the anguish he feels…that his cold-hearted front is just a shield for his true feelings. He must want to cry…for all the pain he's gone through…but doesn't know how to do that…or maybe he's forgotten how…"

Then Yugo opened his eyes and looked at his reflection again…and this time, in his mind, the face looking back up at him was not his own, but Malachi's. "And right now, I can't help but wonder…if I hadn't met you and Kyo…if you guys hadn't accepted me for who I was…if I hadn't come out of that shell I built around myself…would I have turned into the same kind of person as him…?"

Jenna looked at him sadly. "Yugo…"

Yugo ran a hand through his hair. "It gets to me, you know? I mean, the fact that somebody like him can have such a harsh beginning…and then, to not get any comfort or help from anyone…that it would turn him into what he is now…it's almost laughable, but when you think about it, Malachi really isn't to blame for the way he behaves…" He looked back down, his hair again overshadowing his eyes.

Jenna looked away a moment, seeming to wrestle with some thought. Then she made her decision. "Yugo…there's something I want to give to you," she said, and she reached into a pocket.

"Huh?" Yugo queried. "What is it?"

Presently Jenna pulled out her deck. As a mystified Yugo watched, she thumbed through it…then found the card she was looking for. "Yugo…I want you to have this…" and she pulled out the card and gave it to him.

Yugo was astonished to see what it was. "The Time Wizard…! But, Jenna—"

"It's all right," she smiled at him. "My dad has a copy at home…one that your dad gave him years ago when they were still kids. I can always ask him if I can keep that one. As for this one…I want you to have it back. I don't need it anymore."

"Jenna…"

She looked deep into his eyes. "Something tells me, Yugo, that you'll be better able to put this card to good use than I ever could. If anything, it should give you an edge against Malachi when you face him. Consider it my gift to you – your chance to win this duel and this whole tournament."

She held out the card to him. Slowly, he reached out and grasped it. "Jenna…thank you."

"Of course." She reached up and gently tousled his hair. "It's the least I can do for you, Yugo. After all…you're my best friend."

With that, she picked up her sandals, arose and went on her way. Yugo watched as she sauntered off across the grass; then he looked at the Time Wizard card. "And you're my best friend, too, Jenna…" he murmured.

----------

Seta's eyes slowly opened. "Wha…? Where…am I…?"

Gradually his vision cleared, and he saw Honey sitting by his bedside. "Welcome back to the world of the living, Seta," she said quietly.

He stared dumbfounded at her. "What…happened…?"

She looked levelly at him. "You lost your match, that's what happened."

Seta stared at her…then looked away, ashamed. "I see…"

"Seta, don't feel too badly about it," Honey told him gently. "He just got lucky, that's all. If he hadn't drawn that Riryoku card, you'd still have had a chance."

Seta sighed. "I'd like to think that, too, but…"

"But what?" Honey cocked her eyebrow.

He looked back at her. "The whole time we were dueling, he was deliberately playing around with me…he wasn't even trying at first…yet he was still able to bring my life points down so low in only a few turns. And I, for all my strategies, couldn't keep up…what does that say about me, the son of Seto Kaiba…?"

"Seta, please don't say that!" Honey cried. She drew closer to him. "Seta…the way I see it, to me, you're not merely 'the son of Seto Kaiba.' You're…just Seta."

Gently she placed a hand on his shoulder. "It doesn't matter to me that you lost, nor does it matter who you lost to…as far as I'm concerned, you'll always be the best duelist around."

Seta smiled a little. "It's kind of you to say that…but even so, I still can't forget that I lost…and not just to Malachi, either."

Honey brushed his brow with her fingers. "Nobody's saying you should forget, Seta. Just…keep the memory as inspiration…that you'll never lose to anybody again. No matter what anyone says or does, I believe you to be the best of the best. After all, who's the World Champion?"

Seta smiled now. "Yeah…I guess you're right."

Then he looked away, a thoughtful expression in his eyes. "Well…the fact remains that now, only one person is left to challenge Malachi…and that person is the only other guy who's ever defeated me."

"Yugo…" Honey closed her eyes. "Yes…we'll have to give him all our support, won't we?"

Seta nodded and sighed. "I just hope he'll be strong enough to win against that lunatic."

----------

Malachi sat in his room, going through his cards once again. His mind was all on one person – the one who would be his upcoming opponent. _Yugo Muto…_

A grin slowly crossed over his face. _That guy…he's no ordinary duelist, that much I realize. To have such power at his disposal…he could probably be as good as Seta Kaiba, if not better._

He shook his head with resolution. _Well…I shouldn't take any chances. I guess it's time for me to use THOSE cards…_

He got up and went over to the dresser on the other side of the room. Pulling out a drawer, he found a small box. He picked it up and opened it, exposing four cards. His grin turned even crazier when he looked at them. _It's been years since I last used these…ever since that time…_

----------

Yugo was now back in his room, reassembling his deck once again. The Time Wizard card was set aside by itself, while he placed his cards back in order. _That Time Wizard's going into the deck last…once I have a good idea of my strategy…_

Then he paused as he fingered his cards. "Hmmm?"

He looked through them again – and stopped on a particular one. "Where'd this come from? It wasn't here before…hey, hold on…"

He thought back to the day when he'd first gotten his father's stack of cards. Among them was a special monster card, a card of immense power, a card of such rarity…the Dark Sage (ATK 2800, DEF 3200). Yugo had just kept that card as a collectible item, never using it in his deck, always figuring he'd trade it away to someone who could have a better use for it than he.

And that card was the very card staring back at him now.

Yugo looked long and hard at the Dark Sage…then back at the Time Wizard…and then his eyes passed sideways toward the Dark Magician card sitting all by itself. Slowly a smile crossed his face.

"Jenna…I could kiss you." He grinned and grabbed the three cards, stuffing all of them into his deck with fresh energy and resolution.

----------

ONE HOUR LATER

It was almost time for the duel to begin. The fans were crowding into the seats in the arena, and there was much chatter going on. Everyone was debating whether Malachi Jordan, the reigning Intercontinental champion, or Yugo Muto, the newcomer challenger, would win this battle. But most agreed that this would be a clash of epic proportions.

Blaze, Wade, Marcus and Flora were seated together, and one row behind them sat Shigeo. "This match should be very interesting, now," he remarked.

"Man, I only hope Yugo wins this one. It would be a damn good shame if that creep Malachi were to win the tournament," Wade commented.

Marcus had his arms folded. "Hmph…well, good luck to Yugo."

Flora ran a hand through her hair. "Yugo…please win…"

Blaze just sat there, wearing a frown on her face.

Elsewhere, Miriam, Luke and David stood together. "This is sure gonna be a good match, eh, mates?" David asked.

"Quite so," agreed Luke.

Miriam closed her eyes. _Oh, Lord…please let things work out in the end…_

And in another place stood Kyo, Jenna and Miki. With them were Honey, Seta and Raven, whose arm was still bandaged up. "I hope Yugo gets that asshole for what he did to me," Raven said bitterly.

"Same here," agreed Seta.

"Who would've thought – Seta and Raven, actually agreeing on something," Honey teased.

Seta and Raven looked at each other and grimaced. "EW!"

"Yugo…please do your best…" Miki whispered.

Kyo put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, Miki. I'm certain he will."

Jenna simply smiled knowingly.

And in their respective places, Mr. Devlin, Pegasus and Mrs. Taylor sat. "I certainly hope Yugo wins this duel, or else chaos will rule supreme," said Pegasus.

"That's putting it exotically, but you're right," said Mrs. Taylor gravely.

Now Mr. Devlin got up and announced, "The final duel in the Intercontinental tournament will now begin – Yugo Muto vs. Malachi Jordan! Duelists, please report to the platform right away!"

Then, from one entrance to the arena, Yugo strolled in. He had his Duel-Disk on his arm and grim determination on his face as he walked over to the platform and waited.

In a moment, from another entrance, Malachi walked in. He also had his Duel-Disk at the ready, and his face was emotionless. He climbed the steps to the platform and halted.

Time seemed to slow to a halt as the two stared at each other. Then slowly the crazy look returned to Malachi's face. He spoke, and his voice was eerily chilly. "Yugo Muto…I'm going to enjoy this…entertain me!"

Yugo's eyes narrowed in determination. "It's time to duel!"

----------

**_neomage:_** At this moment Yugo and Malachi finally prepare to face off…and a major clash is setting in! So, everyone, please keep reading and sending in your reviews!


	66. Chapter 66

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: What can I say? I'm not the owner of Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**CHAPTER 66**

INTERCONTINENTAL DUEL DOME

The holographic coin appeared on the field. "I choose heads!" Malachi declared as the coin spun and landed to the ground – and when it did, it showed heads.

"Good! Now, let the fun begin!" Malachi exulted, laughing.

Yugo's eyes narrowed even more. "Come on."

Malachi drew his first card. "Now, to begin, I'll set one monster facedown, one card facedown, and end my turn."

Yugo looked at his cards carefully. "To start things off, I'll summon Magician's Valkyrie (ATK 1600, DEF 1800) in Attack Mode!" And he summoned the spellcaster to the field, she holding her staff and ready to do battle.

Then Yugo held up another card. "I won't take any chances with your monster's DEF! I'll equip Magician's Valkyrie with the Black Pendant, to increase her ATK by 500 points." And as he equipped her with the card, her ATK went up to 2100. "Now attack and destroy that monster!"

Magician's Valkyrie fired a blast of energy at the facedown monster, destroying it and revealing it to be the Pharaonic Protector (ATK 900, DEF 0). "Now I'll end my turn," finished Yugo.

Malachi drew his next card. "I activate my trap card, Ominous Fortunetelling! You probably remember what this does…" He sneered at Yugo. "During each of my Standby Phases, I'll randomly select one card from your hand say what kind of card it is…and if my guess is right, you'll lose 700 life points."

"Grrr…" Yugo growled in major distaste.

"Now, I'll activate the magic card, Gravekeeper's Servant! Each time you attack with a monster, you must discard one card from the top of your deck to the Graveyard!" Malachi played the card, and then the little gremlin with the scythe appeared, hovering over Yugo's head.

Then Malachi examined the four cards left in his hand. "Next, I'll set another card facedown, and activate the magic card Smashing Ground, to destroy one monster on your side of the field with the highest DEF – namely, your Magician's Valkyrie!"

The golden fist shot down from the sky and squashed Magician's Valkyrie – and then, to Malachi's shock, he lost 500 life points, putting him at 7500! "What the hell?"

"It's the Black Pendant's power," Yugo chuckled. "When it's sent to the Graveyard, 500 points of damage are done to your life points."

"Well, how about that? Your first turn's gone past, and already you've managed to scratch my life points. Very nice." Malachi's smile disappeared and the look on his face turned ugly. "But now things are about to get very bad for you! For now I summon my Pharaoh's Servant (ATK 900, DEF 0) in Attack Mode!"

A mummy warrior appeared on the field. "Now! Attack him directly!" Malachi commanded. And the Pharaoh's Servant rushed forward at surprising speed and slammed shoulder-first into Yugo, reducing his life points to 7100.

"Oy – what's up with Malachi? Why's he usin' such weak monsters to attack? That's not like him!" David remarked, bewildered.

Luke examined the field. "David…it's not just the strength of the monsters…it's the monsters themselves," he said slowly. "Zombie-type monsters, Level 2…what does that tell you…?"

Miriam's face turned ashen. "Oh, dear Lord…he couldn't have…!"

Yugo scowled and drew another card. "That monster of yours…it's easy pickings for me!" he declared. "I'll summon Double Coston (ATK 1700, DEF 1650) to the field!" Then the twin ghosts appeared together, swirling around each other madly. "Destroy the Pharaoh's Servant!"

As Yugo declared that attack, the Gravekeeper's Servant magic card activated, and the goblin slashed Yugo's deck, sending the top card to the Graveyard. At the same time, the Double Coston ghosts prepared to strike, spinning madly.

"Not likely! I activate my trap card, Nightmare Wheel, to trap your Double Coston!" Malachi exploded into a fit of laughter. "Now, as long as that card holds onto your monster, you'll lose 500 life points during each of your Standby Phases!"

"Oh, damn…" Yugo swore.

Seta, watching the duel from the sidelines, gritted his teeth. "It's just like before…Malachi's toying with him. If Yugo doesn't watch himself, he'll be finished before Malachi ever gets serious."

"Don't let him rattle you, Yugo! You can beat him!" Jenna shouted.

"Yeah, Yugo! Whip that creep!" Miki added.

The score now stood at Malachi with 7500 life points and Yugo with 7100. Malachi held one card in his hand; Yugo had four. On the field Yugo had only his Double Coston monster; Malachi had his Pharaoh's Servant, plus the Gravekeeper's Servant magic card, the Nightmare Wheel trap card holding Double Coston in place, and the Ominous Fortunetelling trap card as well.

Malachi drew his next card – and Ominous Fortunetelling's crystal ball appeared before his eyes. "Now, let's see…in your hand, the second card from my left – I'll wager that it's a Monster card!"

Smirking a little, Yugo showed Malachi the card in question – it was the Magic card, Monster Reborn. "Eeh! Wrong answer!" he declared, making a noise like a game show buzzer.

Malachi's eyes widened at the idea of him being wrong…then slowly his lips curved into a feisty grin. "Well, at least I know now that you have that card in your hand," he noted. "That gives me enough leeway to activate this field magic card – Necrovalley!"

Yugo's eyes widened in alarm. "No way!"

But just then, the valley of the dead formed around them, Malachi bearing a triumphant smirk on his face. "Let me remind you of Necrovalley's power," he told Yugo. "As long as it remains on the field, all card effects that target cards in the Graveyard are negated, and neither of us can remove cards in the Graveyard from play. And, of course, all Gravekeepers increase their ATK and DEF by 500 points – like my Gravekeeper's Curse (ATK 800, DEF 800)!"

A moment later Gravekeeper's Curse appeared on the field – and blasted a ball of magic directly at Yugo! He winced as his life points went down to 6600!

"Oh, did I forget to remind you – when summoned, Gravekeeper's Curse inflicts 500 points of damage to my opponent!" Malachi laughed as Necrovalley increased the stats of Gravekeeper's Curse to 1300 ATK and 1300 DEF. "And now, I think I'll end my turn."

"Shit…" Yugo drew his next card with a curse on his lips – and then Nightmare Wheel kicked in, rolling over Double Coston and costing Yugo another 500 life points, putting him at 6100. "You're such a pain in the ass, Malachi!"

"Oh, and you're just now realizing it? What a genius you are!" Malachi mocked.

Yugo then looked at the card he'd drawn – and his face brightened a little. "Well, well, well…looks like things could go in my favor! I'll set one card facedown, and then I'll summon Magical Marionette (ATK 2000, DEF 1000), offering Double Coston as a tribute!"

The smile again disappeared from Malachi's face. "Uh-oh."

As soon as Double Coston disappeared from the field, so did the Nightmare Wheel – much to Malachi's total dismay – and in the twin ghosts' place appeared the scarlet puppet-master. "Now, Magical Marionette, attack Pharaoh's Servant!" Yugo yelled.

Gravekeeper's Servant once again sent the top card on Yugo's deck to the Graveyard. In exchange, Magical Marionette's puppet dashed forward and carved Pharaoh's Servant into pieces, lowering Malachi's life points to 6400. "How's that for a hard hit?" Yugo demanded, pleased with himself.

But Pegasus wasn't nearly so ready to celebrate. "Yugo should be extremely careful," he remarked. "Somehow, I have a feeling that Malachi's merely baiting him in…waiting to spring a trap that's already been set in advance…"

Malachi ran a hand through his mane and grinned. "You…are quite possibly the biggest fool anybody could ever wish to meet," he declared simply. "And very soon I'll show you why!"

He drew another card – and again Ominous Fortunetelling's crystal ball appeared before him. "Now, let's have a look-see…you have three cards left in hand…and I'm betting that the card on my right must be a Trap card! C'mon, show it to me!"

Quite reluctantly, Yugo revealed his card – it was the trap card, Blast Held by a Tribute, and he lost 700 life points so that now he had 5400. Malachi burst into loud laughter. "You must feel like shit right about now, don't you?" he asked. "Is this the great power you used to defeat my sister – is this the fierce intensity with which you nearly killed that Wheeler girl?"

At the mention of what had nearly happened between him and Jenna, Yugo flinched. His brows knitted hard and he gritted his teeth. "You bastard!" he yelled.

Malachi chuckled. "Oh, that's it…I can see that fire back in your eyes again. You want to kick my ass…perfect. This will make your defeat even sweeter for me."

Then he looked at the card he'd drawn. "All right…now I'll set one monster in Defense Mode, shift Gravekeeper's Curse into Defense Mode, and end my turn with that. But I find it fair to warn you, boy – you'll soon be in way over your head!"

Yugo scowled as he drew another card. "Damn bastard…"

But when he looked at the card in his hand, he brightened a little. "Now I summon Dark Blade (ATK 1800, DEF 1500)!" He then summoned the black-armored warrior, with swords at the ready. "Now, Dark Blade, destroy Gravekeeper's Curse!"

Gravekeeper's Servant sent yet another card from the top of Yugo's deck to the Graveyard; meanwhile, Dark Blade rushed forward and sliced through Gravekeeper's Curse's neck and torso. Yugo narrowed his eyes again. "Now, Magical Marionette, it's your turn! Attack that facedown monster!"

As Gravekeeper's Servant sent yet another card from the top of Yugo's deck to the Graveyard, Magical Marionette pulled the strings on the puppet and sent it forward to strike. But as the puppet's knives made contact – all of a sudden a pot-bellied bald man wielding a staff defended himself against assault and knocked the puppet back, reducing Yugo's life points to 5000!

"What the hell gives?" Yugo demanded loudly.

Malachi smiled as he looked at the fat newcomer. "This monster is yet another Gravekeeper – my Gravekeeper's Guard (ATK 1000, DEF 1900). His ATK and DEF have been changed to 1500 and 2400, respectively, thanks largely to Necrovalley. Plus…when Gravekeeper's Guard is flipped face-up, his effect allows me to select one monster on your side of the field and return it to your hand! And I choose your Magical Marionette!"

"Aw, dammit!" Yugo complained, but he took up the Magical Marionette and returned it to his hand. "You happy now?"

On the sidelines, Blaze shook her head. "Something's seriously wrong here…it's almost as if Malachi's purposely letting Yugo damage his life points…and previously he was doing everything to ensure that his life points remained intact."

"Yes, that is true," agreed Shigeo. "What is it you suspect?"

"I'm not certain," admitted Blaze. "But whatever Malachi's got up his sleeve, if Yugo isn't cautious enough, it'll mean his undoing."

As for Miriam, all she was feeling was extreme worry. "Guys…can you remember what happened, the last time Malachi had _that_ monster in his deck? It was…simply horrible…"

"Ach, don't remind us, please, Miriam," David replied sullenly.

"Yeah, love," said Luke with equal distaste. "Malachi'll fight tooth and nail to make sure that monster doesn't get destroyed. And you know how he can be when he fights with extreme desperation – he gets homicidal."

Back on the dueling platform, the score was now this: Yugo had 5000 life points, while Malachi was cruising along with 6400. On the field Malachi still had his Ominous Fortunetelling trap card, plus the Necrovalley field magic card and the magic of Gravekeeper's Servant still active, and he had Gravekeeper's Guard in Defense Mode – meanwhile, Yugo had one facedown card, plus his Dark Blade in Attack Mode. Malachi had no cards left in his hand; Yugo had in his hand Magical Marionette, Monster Reborn, the Blast Held by a Tribute trap card, and one as-yet unrevealed card – that was a total of four cards in his hand.

Now it was Malachi's turn, and he drew his next card. Once again, Ominous Fortunetelling activated, and he looked into the crystal ball. "Now, then…I know what three of your cards are…and that other one, the one on my extreme left…I'll wager that it's a Monster card!"

Yugo showed him the card – it was the magic card, Double Spell. Malachi shrugged, not caring that he was wrong. "Well, at least now I know what all the cards in your hand are," he sneered. "And I know that two of them won't work as long as Necrovalley remains on the field!" And he laughed savagely.

_He's right,_ Yugo thought grimly. _Double Spell and Monster Reborn target cards in the Graveyard – as long as Necrovalley is on the field, their effects won't work!_

Then Malachi looked at the card he'd drawn, and grinned ominously. "Now I'll offer my Gravekeeper's Guard as a tribute to summon Gravekeeper's Chief (ATK 1900, DEF 1200) to the field!" Then a moment later the chief of the Gravekeepers was on the field, and Gravekeeper's Guard was in the Graveyard. Malachi chuckled.

"Now, as long as Gravekeeper's Chief is on the field, my Graveyard isn't affected by Necrovalley," he reminded Yugo. "And, when he's Tribute summoned, I can Special Summon one other Gravekeeper from my Graveyard – and I choose Gravekeeper's Curse, in Attack Mode!"

Gravekeeper's Curse reemerged a moment later his ATK and DEF going back to 1300 apiece thanks to Necrovalley. "And I hope you don't forget his effect, either," Malachi sneered as Gravekeeper's Curse's effect hit Yugo with another magic attack and dropped his life points by 500, to 4500. "Now, Gravekeeper's Chief, attack and destroy Dark Blade!"

Gravekeeper's Chief, his ATK and DEF increased to 2400 and 1700 because of Necrovalley, blasted Dark Blade to pieces with his magic; Yugo's life points went down to 3900. Then Gravekeeper's Curse attacked directly, and Yugo fell back as his life points went down even further to 2600.

"Oh, no! Yugo!" Jenna cried.

"C'mon, man, don't just lay there! Get up and fight!" Raven yelled.

Seta glared at the field. "Come on, Yugo…you're better than this…"

Kyo adjusted his glasses and seemed to scrutinize the field. "Hmmm…"

"Huh? Kyo, what is it?" asked Miki.

"I wonder…" Kyo seemed almost distant.

Yugo struggled to get back up, shaking his head to clear the stars out of it. Shakily, he drew another card. "All right…now I'm really getting pissed."

"Well, stay that way, because I'm gonna beat the stuffing out of you, and there's nothing you can do about it!" Malachi gloated. "As long as my Necrovalley is on the field to give my Gravekeepers power, you're a sitting duck!"

As Malachi said this, Yugo glanced at the two Gravekeepers on Malachi's side of the field – and then something clicked. _What in the…? Oh, you damn ignoramus, how come you didn't spot this chink in your armor?_

"Hey, Malachi…" Yugo grinned. "You said that your Graveyard isn't affected by Necrovalley when Gravekeeper's Chief is on the field, right?"

"Yeah…so…?" Malachi raised an eyebrow – and then realization dawned on him. "Oh, my God…"

"Ah, so you see it, too," Yugo chuckled. "Since your Gravekeeper's Chief protects your Graveyard from Necrovalley's effect, that means I can use my cards to target your Graveyard quite easily! And so – I'll use my Monster Reborn card to revive your Gravekeeper's Guard in Defense Mode!"

Then, right before Malachi's horrified eyes, Gravekeeper's Guard emerged on Yugo's side of the field. "Take that!" Yugo taunted.

"Very clever move," said Kyo, smirking. "Malachi basically gave away the weakness behind using Gravekeeper's Chief while Necrovalley's on the field – and Yugo used it to his advantage. Now, things should get very interesting…"

Yugo held up two cards in his hand. "Now, I'll offer Gravekeeper's Guard as a tribute and re-summon Magical Marionette to the field!" And a moment later Magical Marionette was back on the field, the puppet dancing with an ominous promise of revenge in its step.

"And now…" Yugo held up the card he'd just drawn. "I activate the magic card, Mage Power! Now, for every Magic or Trap card on my side of the field, my Magical Marionette will get its ATK and DEF increased by 500 points!"

As the Mage Power card was equipped to the Marionette, its ATK and DEF increased to 3000 and 2000 respectively, since there were now two cards in Yugo's magic/trap slot. "And, another thing," added Yugo. "Each time one of us activates a Magic card from now on while my Marionette's on the field, it'll get a Magic counter – and its ATK will increase by 200 for every Magic counter it has!" And as he said this, the monster got a Magic counter from Mage Power, boosting its ATK to 3200!

"Holy shit!" Malachi bellowed.

"And now…it's time for me to activate my facedown trap card, Pitch-Black Power Stone!" Yugo activated the card that had been facedown for so long, and an ebony stone appeared – sporting three Magic counters!

"What is the meaning of this?" Malachi roared.

"When Pitch-Black Power Stone is activated, it immediately gets three Magic counters," explained Yugo. "During each turn, I can move one Magic counter from it to another card that I can put a counter on – and it just so happens that my Marionette can get a lot more counters!"

As a stupefied Malachi stared, one of the three counters got removed from the Power Stone and got handed to the Magical Marionette – and the monster's ATK increased to 3400! "This'll be more than enough to wipe out any of your monsters!" Yugo declared saucily. "Now, Marionette, slice Gravekeeper's Curse into ribbons!"

Even as the Gravekeeper's Servant magic card activated once again and caused Yugo to send the top card on his deck to the Graveyard, the Marionette controlled the puppet by its strings, causing it to fly up to Gravekeeper's Curse and slash him into bite-sized pieces – reducing Malachi to 4300 life points! "AARGH!" he cried out, instinctively shielding himself with his arms.

"Now that's what I call a comeback play! Go, Yugo!" Honey cheered.

Elsewhere in the stands, Shigeo nodded respectfully. "He can certainly play his cards well, that he can," he acknowledged.

"And, there's another little effect my Magical Marionette possesses," Yugo said with a glitter in his eye. "At any time, I can remove two Magic counters from the Marionette and have him destroy one monster on the field – and right now, he'll destroy your Gravekeeper's Chief!"

The two Magic counters on Magical Marionette went to the spellcaster's puppet, causing it to glow with power. It dashed across the field and slashed Gravekeeper's Chief to pieces with its effect. "So there! No more monsters for you!" Yugo teased, even as the Marionette's ATK went back down to 3000 with the loss of its Magic counters.

Malachi just stood there, openmouthed, staring in utter disbelief. Then slowly his lips curved into a nasty grin. "Yugo Muto…truly you are an unpredictable duelist…and that fuels my desire to smash you to pieces more strongly than ever!" He held out his arms. "NOW, COME ON, YUGO MUTO! MWA HA HA HA HAAA!"

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**_neomage:_** Uh-oh…sounds like Malachi's really losing it! What turn will this duel now take? And on another note, I apologize for the amount of time it takes me to update and answer questions sometimes, but I don't get a chance to get on the Internet very often. But when I do, it's always worth it, I dare say! So, stay tuned in to this story and keep reading!

UPDATED 09/10/2005: See Chapters 58 and 63 for corrections to "Smashing Ground." I'm glad I didn't have to go back and do any major typing, though…whew.


	67. Chapter 67

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Reporting live from a powerful PC, this is neomage saying that Yu-Gi-Oh is not mine, has never been, and will never be.)

**CHAPTER 67**

INTERCONTINENTAL DUEL DOME

As Malachi's crazed laughter rang throughout the arena, Miriam shivered in fear. "No…Malachi…" she whispered woefully.

Luke looked sideways at her and sighed sympathetically. He gently reached out and took her hand in his own; she accepted it and squeezed it, as though afraid to lose her grip on everything she held dear. David observed this silently, then turned a grim eye back on the duel.

The scoreboard above the platform showed the stats of the duel quite clearly: Yugo had 2600 life points; he had two cards in his hand, which had previously been revealed as the Blast Held by a Tribute trap card and the Double Spell magic card; and on the field he had Magical Marionette, whose ATK and DEF were powered to 3000 and 2000 respectively by the Mage Power magic card, and the Pitch-Black Power Stone trap card, which had two counters left on it. Malachi, on the other hand, had 4300 life points; in his hand he held no cards; on the field he had his Gravekeeper's Servant magic card, his Necrovalley field magic card, and his Ominous Fortunetelling trap card.

Now Malachi drew his next card, and again the Ominous Fortunetelling crystal ball hovered before him. "I know too damn well what that card on the left is," he grinned insanely. "It's your Magic card!"

Yugo held up the selected card, and indeed it was his Double Spell card – and he lost yet another 700 life points, putting him at 1900. He was berating himself furiously: _Damn it, Yugo, think of something quick! If you lose any more life points like this, you'll lose the duel – and you can't afford to! Not now, not here!_

Malachi examined the card he'd drawn. "How very fortunate for me," he smirked. "I'll activate the magic card, Graceful Charity, to draw three cards and then discard two to the Graveyard!"

As he played the card, he drew three cards from his deck, selected one, and sent the other two to the Graveyard. At the same time, Graceful Charity's activation gave Magical Marionette another counter, putting its ATK at 3200 once again.

"It's quite evident that even my Gravekeeper's Servant's effect of slowly destroying your deck isn't going to stop you," remarked Malachi. "So, I'll activate my magic card, Nightmare's Steelcage!"

Suddenly a massive cage appeared over their heads, enclosing the entire platform. "For your next two turns, no monster on the field can attack," said Malachi. "Which will give me just enough time to finish you off entirely!"

"Shit…so I can't attack at all," Yugo grumbled. "Never mind, then. At least Magical Marionette gets another counter because of the activation of that card." And he pointed out his monster, whose ATK now stood at 3400 because of the new counter that had been born of Nightmare's Steelcage's activation!

He drew another card. "All right…I'll set all three of these cards facedown, and then end my turn." And as he set the three cards in the magic/trap slot, Mage Power's effect increased Magical Marionette's ATK and DEF even further to 4900 and 3500 respectively!

"I see…trying to avoid my Ominous Fortunetelling trap card, huh?" Malachi gloated. "Well, it won't matter in my next couple of turns. I'll bury you, with or without that card's effect to help me!"

He drew the next card – and this time, because Yugo had no cards in his hand, Ominous Fortunetelling didn't activate. "Okay…I'll set this card facedown, and end my turn."

"I don't like where this is going, mates," David said nervously. "You don't suppose that Malachi's facedown card is…?"

"David, please. Don't say it." Luke's voice was gravelly.

Now Yugo drew his next card. "Hmmm…this could certainly prove useful…okay! I'll set one monster in Defense Mode, and end my turn!"

Malachi narrowed his eyes and chuckled evilly as he drew his next card and the Nightmare's Steelcage gradually disappeared. "Now things are about to become extremely hopeless for you, boy," he declared nastily. "For now I activate my mighty trap card, Pyramid of Light!"

Suddenly the trap card flipped face-up, and the eerie blue light shot into the sky, splitting into four as it formed the outline for the pyramid that suddenly surrounded the entire platform. Malachi's eyes widened in anticipation. "Soon to come is ultimate power…power which you won't stand a chance against!"

"Oh, no! But that means—he'll be able to summon those Sphinx monsters easily with that Pyramid of Light!" Miki panicked.

"Relax, Miki," Jenna reassured her cousin. "If I remember correctly, Andro Sphinx and Sphinx Teleia can't attack in the same turn they're summoned…and anyway, Yugo's Magical Marionette's got a higher ATK than they can handle."

Malachi snickered as he surveyed the scene. "All right…to sweeten the pot, I'll set this card of mine facedown, and end my turn."

Then Malachi looked at Yugo again, and his grin grew even wider with madness. "So, tell me…are you feeling it yet? Are you feeling the fear that all my past opponents have felt? Nobody has ever faced me in a duel without feeling some fear, and they were quite right to feel that fear!" His voice dropped to a hoarse whisper. "I've been called lots of things…things like 'monster,' or 'inhuman.' And you know what? They were right – I stopped being human years ago!"

Yugo looked back at Malachi…and his look was one filled with pity. "Was that the same time you decided to stop trusting people?"

Malachi lost some of his grin. "What?"

Yugo's eyes narrowed into slits. "Tell me, Malachi…nobody's born an evil person…so, what happened to you? Did you experience some sort of abuse when you were little? Did somebody you looked up to turn out to be far less than you'd expected? Or maybe…somebody betrayed you, failed you when you needed them the most, and you've hated the world ever since…"

Malachi's face flushed. "Y-you shut up! You don't know what you're talking about!" he snapped.

"Don't I?" Yugo's tone was even. "Or maybe I _do_ know what I'm talking about, Malachi…you're the one who's in denial."

Miriam, listening to this, raised a suspicious eyebrow. _What on earth is this guy on about?_

"Denial? How can I be in denial when I'm not running from anything?" Malachi demanded testily.

Yugo shook his head. "Well…maybe you're denying that you were left all alone when you were very young…that you were placed on a pedestal you never wanted to be on…" Here his tone became cold and bitter. "…that that cult made you wound your own sister…that their blood is on your hands…"

Miriam's eyes widened and she gasped in utter surprise. _What the—how does he know about that…? Wait…did Pegasus tell him?_

On the sidelines, the others' faces were filled with surprise. "Whatever is Yugo doing?" asked Jenna.

"I don't know," said Seta. "But whatever it is, it's having a bad effect on Malachi."

Indeed, it was – Malachi was starting to tremble, the mad grin back on his face and a crazy glitter in his eyes. "I see…so Miriam told tales out of school…"

"Then it _is _true, isn't it?" Yugo pounced on that.

"So what if it is? What would _you _care?" Malachi shot at him.

He looked down at his hand. "For years…I had to endure the torture of never knowing why our mother left us all alone…to endure the agony of abuse from the man who took us in…" He started to chuckle. "I was treated like a lab rat in that cult…and of course, I resisted at first, but…it was pointless to fight them. So, eventually, I just gave up…submitted to their every whim…gave up control of my own emotions…"

Malachi placed a palm over his forehead, covering one eye, and started to laugh. "I don't deserve anyone's kindness, or sympathy, or forgiveness…so why should I ask for it? Why should I care about the world, when obviously it'll never care about me? My mother never wanted me…Drake used me for his own benefit…and Miriam…she acts like she doesn't care, but I know she still hates me for putting that mark on her…and Luke and David fear and loathe every fiber of my body…why should I care about anyone except my own damn self? In fact, why should I even exist at all?"

Miriam held her head down, the shame showing plainly on her face. She slumped to her knees. "Malachi…"

Luke and David were also looking away, ashamed. There wasn't much they could say. "Boss…" Luke said softly, a small tear running down his face.

There was utter silence in the arena as everyone took in this heart-rending scene. Pegasus himself couldn't bear to look at it. Mrs. Taylor's face was filled with pain for those who'd suffered in this tragic tale, and Mr. Devlin looked very uncomfortable.

Yugo looked at this pathetic scene…and it tore at his heart. _This guy…he's got no will to live…he's got no sense of purpose…_ Slowly he held his head down till his hair overshadowed his eyes._ Just like I used to be…after that time…_

"What's this? Are you feeling sorry for me?" Malachi's cynical tone reached him. "Why the hell should you, anyway? How can _YOU_ possibly know what it's like to be alone, to be misunderstood, to feel abandoned? You've got your little friends to keep you company – how would you possible know!"

Yugo flinched on hearing this.

Time seemed to stop as the words rang over and over in his head, as though the inside of his skull was a vast valley and the words were echoing in his mind. _How would you possibly know! How would you possibly know! How would you possibly know!_

Slowly he lifted his head…and he glared at Malachi…and the other duelist suddenly recoiled in alarm when he saw something sinister…something malicious…in his opponent's eyes.

That something was pure, undisguised wrath.

"You…" Yugo's voice dripped venom. "…just made…the **_BIGGEST FRIGGING MISTAKE OF YOUR LIFE!"_**

Kyo's eyes widened in realization and recognition. "Shit…"

"Huh?" Raven and Honey looked at him.

"Malachi…just touched a really sensitive nerve with that comment," said Jenna. "You thought you'd seen Yugo pissed off when he and I were dueling…well, you haven't seen anything yet."

Now Yugo's life points were at 1900, while Malachi's were at 4300. Yugo had no cards in his hand; neither did Malachi. On the field Yugo still had his Magical Marionette, its ATK and DEF stats altered to 4900 and 3500 partly because of the Mage Power card it was equipped with and partly because the Magic counter it currently held; plus he had one monster facedown in Defense Mode, as well as the Pitch-Black Power Stone trap card with its two remaining counters, and three facedown cards, two of which everyone knew were the Blast Held by a Tribute trap card and the Double Spell magic card. Malachi still had his Necrovalley field magic card, the Gravekeeper's Servant magic card, the face-up Pyramid of Light and Ominous Fortunetelling trap cards, and one facedown card.

In a sudden fury, Yugo drew another card. "I'm gonna show you my full fury!" he yelled. "Magical Marionette, attack directly and end it now!"

Malachi burst into raucous laughter, even as Gravekeeper's Servant sent another card from the top of Yugo's deck to the Graveyard. "As if! I activate my trap card, a second Nightmare Wheel, to trap your monster!"

Suddenly the Marionette found itself held captive by the torture wheel. "Dammit to hell – not this shit!" Yugo swore out loud.

"That is one filthy mouth Yugo's got…but I guess under the circumstances, it can't be helped," sighed Flora, and Wade, Blaze and Marcus nodded in agreement.

Malachi drew another card, and once again Ominous Fortunetelling kicked in and showed him the crystal ball. "Now, that card in your hand," he said softly, dangerously, "I will wager that it is…a Magic card!"

Gritting his teeth, Yugo held up the card for Malachi to see – but it was the Miracle Restoring trap card. "Heh…like that'll make a difference to me," scoffed Malachi. "Now, I'll use the magic card Pot of Greed and draw two cards from my deck!"

Swiftly he drew his two cards. "Now…I'll offer 500 life points to use the Pyramid of Light's power and Special Summon my mighty Sphinx Teleia (ATK 2500, DEF 3000) from my hand in Attack Mode!" And as his life points went down to 3800, a moment later Sphinx Teleia appeared in a flash of the Pyramid of Light's power, growling with dark intent. "And I'll end my turn."

Yugo drew another card. _Crap, crap, crap, crap…I can't use this card at all right now! _"Um…okay…I'll end my turn."

"Worthless!" Malachi snorted as he drew another card. Again Ominous Fortunetelling kicked in. "Now…let me see…the card on my left…it must be a Trap card!"

Wincing, Yugo showed him the card – it was the Miracle Restoring trap card again, and this time he lost 700 life points to put him at 1200.

"And now," Malachi continued, "I'll use the Pyramid of Light and offer another 500 life points to Special Summon my Andro Sphinx (ATK 3000, DEF 2500)from my hand – in Attack Mode!"

As Malachi's life points suddenly dropped to 3300, the outline of the Pyramid of Light shone with a menacing light, a light that materialized into Andro Sphinx, snarling with intense menace at Yugo. "Damn," Yugo grunted, staring into the faces of the massive Sphinxes now together.

"But I'm not finished yet – I think I'll take it straight to the next level!" Whereupon Malachi held up the one card left in his hand. "Now I activate the magic card Dark Hole, to destroy every monster on the field!"

Suddenly a black hole appeared in the sky above their heads, sucking in all the monsters on the field. Yugo held a hand over his eyes as lightning flashed, and as a mighty wind suddenly started to blow he held his ground as best as he could manage. "This is crazy!" he shouted.

"You haven't SEEN crazy yet, kid – trust me on that!" Malachi shouted back.

The mighty wind was affecting even those on the sidelines, too. Miki screamed as her hair was tossed violently about. "We're gonna get blown away if this keeps up!" she cried.

Kyo grabbed her and Jenna and held them close. "Hang on, girls!"

At the same time, Miriam was clinging to Luke for protection. "Oy, mates! If this keeps up, Malachi could well kill us all!" David yelled, doing his best to stand his ground, failing miserably and falling flat on his face.

Thankfully, though, the Dark Hole only consumed the Magical Marionette and its equipped Mage Power, Yugo's facedown monster, Malachi's Nightmare Wheel that had trapped the Marionette, and both Andro Sphinx and Sphinx Teleia. All of those cards were tossed about into an inky black hole, sucked away into nothingness. Then finally the wind settled down.

"Phew…glad that shit's over and done," said Raven, breathing a sigh of relief.

Seta glanced over at the field – and his eyes widened in sudden recollection and horror. "No, it isn't! Malachi destroyed every monster on the field on purpose!"

Suddenly a bright light shone from Malachi's deck, startling Yugo. The next thing everybody knew, a gigantic monster with Andro Sphinx's top half and Sphinx Teleia's bottom half emerged – Theinen the Great Sphinx (ATK 3500, DEF 3000)!

"Glad I got the chance to destroy both of my Sphinxes at once," murmured Malachi, his life points dropping to 2800 as he paid the life points' tribute necessary to Special Summon the Great Sphinx. "And…it's about to get even uglier! I just paid 500 life points to Special Summon my mighty Theinen – now watch as I pay another 500 for his other effect!"

His life points dropped even further to 2300 – and Theinen's ATK rose sharply to 6500! "One attack from Theinen will be enough to wipe you out, punk!" Malachi jeered Yugo. "And nothing you've got can save you now! Now, Theinen, show him how it's done – use your Rage of the Sphinx and finish him off!"

Smoke poured out of Theinen's mouth and the monster growled as a large blue ball of flame emerged in its mouth. Honey saw it and was truly terrified. "Yugo, get away from there! That thing will roast you alive!"

"Yugo! Don't sacrifice yourself like this!" Miki cried out.

"NO! I WON'T RUN AWAY!"

The girls stopped short, dumbfounded at Yugo's refusal to quit. "What…?" Honey asked in disbelief.

"I won't run away now…because I have a point to prove to this guy." Yugo's face was steely. "And I am not moving one inch from this spot until my point is made."

"But what good will it do if it costs you your life!" Honey yelled, frantic – and then she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Seta…?"

"Leave him be, Honey." Seta's tone was firm. "You have to trust Yugo's judgment, remember? He knows what he's doing."

Theinen fired its blue flame at that moment, and it was heading straight for Yugo. "Now, die!" Malachi bellowed vehemently.

"Sorry…but I have other plans!" Yugo stormed back. "I activate my trap card, Mirror Force, to reverse the attack and destroy your monster!"

A bright transparent shield of light popped up in front of Yugo – and just in time, as Theinen's fireball attack slammed into it with ruthless force. The flames danced against it for a moment…forcing themselves against the shield…and then the Mirror Force cracked!

"No way! The trap is breaking apart!" Kyo exclaimed in disbelief.

Just then, Mirror Force shattered completely – right at the moment when the fireball was turned back. The attack flew straight into Theinen's chest, incinerating the monster to ashes!

"Noooo!" Malachi screamed, flustered. "Theinen the Great Sphinx…defeated? This is impossible!"

"Heh…evidently, it's not nearly so impossible," Yugo smirked.

Malachi just stood motionless for a moment. Then slowly the mad grin returned to his face. "You…you're truly an unpredictable one, Yugo Muto," he remarked. "Truly…truly…"

Suddenly he paused again, then put both hands to his temples, to Yugo's great amazement. "M…Mother…I'm still your little boy, aren't I…? I am? Oh, thank you, Mother…"

Yugo's eyes widened in revulsion. _He's REALLY gone bananas!_

Malachi continued to talk, seemingly to himself. "Yes, Mother…" he whispered. "I'll use _those cards,_ Mother…very, very soon…and then he'll pay for crossing us…"

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**_neomage:_** Hooo boy…Malachi's really lost it now, everybody! And what cards does he keep referring to? Read the next chapter and find out!

UPDATED 23/06/2006: Edited for the reason I outlined in Chapter 58. Go check it out for details.


	68. Chapter 68

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: I, Judge neomage, hereby decree that ownership of the Yu-Gi-Oh franchise will forever belong to Kazuki Takahashi!)

**CHAPTER 68**

INTERCONTINENTAL DUEL DOME

"Yes, Mother…" Malachi was apparently talking to himself. "I'll soon use _those cards…_and then we'll make him pay…"

"Uh, guys…Malachi's talking to himself again…" David said warily.

Miriam's eyes widened in ever-growing horror. "Oh, Lord, no, please don't tell me he's actually gonna use _those_ cards…!"

The score now stood as follows: While Yugo had 1200 life points, Malachi had 2300. Yugo had two cards in his hand, one already revealed to be the Miracle Restoring trap card, and the other as yet unrevealed; Malachi had no cards left in his hand. On the field Yugo still had the face-up Pitch-Black Power Stone trap card with two counters on it, his facedown Blast Held by a Tribute trap card and facedown Double Spell magic card; on Malachi's side were his Necrovalley field magic card, the Gravekeeper's Servant magic card, and the still-active Pyramid of Light and Ominous Fortunetelling trap cards.

It was now Yugo's turn. As he drew his card, his face bore a very grim look. _Man, his experience must've been worse than Miriam described it to Pegasus…seems to be suffering from post-traumatic stress or something…but whatever it is, I have to put an end to it – and soon!_

He carefully scrutinized the three cards in his hand and considered his options. "I'm gonna check my Graveyard a moment," he said calmly, pressing a button on his Duel-Disk to bring up the desired information.

As the Graveyard information came up before his eyes, he looked at the cards that had been sent from the top of his deck to the Graveyard. Looking at these cards, his eye caught a particular one. His eyes widened in surprise when he saw what it was – and a faint twinkle appeared in them, then. "Okay…now I have an idea of what I need to do," he declared.

"Ha! And just what are you gonna do?" Malachi wanted to know. "You haven't got a chance of drawing or even summoning any monster strong enough to wipe out my life points! And your chances of reviving any high-level monsters in the Graveyard are zero as long as Necrovalley stays on the field!"

"Hn." Yugo smirked now. "But who says it's gonna stay on the field for long? Because I'm going to summon Breaker the Magical Warrior (ATK 1600, DEF 1000) to the field in Attack Mode!"

Moments later the red-armored mage-warrior was on the field, shield and sword at the ready, and his Magic counter automatically increased his ATK to 1900. "Now, Breaker, attack!" Yugo yelled, sending the top card on his deck to the Graveyard for Gravekeeper's Servant's effect.

Breaker ran forward and slashed Malachi across the chest, sharply reducing his life points to 400. But Yugo wasn't finished just yet. "Now, I'll activate Breaker's effect! When he was Normal Summoned, he automatically got a Magic counter…now, I'll remove that counter and use it to destroy one Magic or Trap card on the field – and I choose your Necrovalley card!"

Breaker raised his sword to the sky, and the blade suddenly began to glow with mystical energy. That energy spread out throughout the valley that Necrovalley had created…until it all disappeared and the field returned to normal once again. As soon as the magic dissipated, Breaker's ATK went back down to its normal 1600.

"Finally, I'll set this card facedown," said Yugo, discreetly placing the Miracle Restoring trap card facedown, "and end my turn."

Malachi drew another card...and Ominous Fortunetelling activated once again. "You've got one card left in your hand—I'll guess that it's a Magic card!" he chuckled.

Yugo promptly held up the card in question – but it was the Dark Magician Knight (ATK 2500, DEF 2100) card. "Well, whatever," chuckled Malachi. "I'll still destroy you, regardless!"

Then he took a look at the card he had in his hand. "Heh…I'll set this monster in Defense Mode, and end my turn."

Yugo looked carefully at the set monster on Malachi's side of the field even as he drew another card, giving him two in hand. _Nothing tried, nothing done…_ "Breaker, attack that facedown monster!"

Breaker rushed forward and slashed the facedown monster in two—but Malachi wasn't concerned. "My very own Magician of Faith (ATK 300, DEF 400), whose flip effect will return one magic card from my Graveyard to my hand—and I choose Pot of Greed!"

In a moment he had his magic card back in his hand. Yugo flinched at this development. "Argh…all right, fine. I end my turn now."

Malachi drew another card, and yet again Ominous Fortunetelling activated. Now Malachi was starting to feel frustrated at getting most of his guesses wrong with this card. "The card you drew in your last turn—I say it's a Trap card this time!" he snarled.

Again Yugo held up the card in question…and again Malachi was wrong, for it was Neo the Magic Swordsman (ATK 1700, DEF 1000). "Sorry," he shook his head.

"Whatever! I'll activate my magic card, Pot of Greed, and draw two more cards from my deck!" And Malachi swiftly pulled out the two cards.

Then he paused and took one long look at the three cards in his hand. "Heh-heh-heh-heh…now, the beginning of the end is here!" he crowed. "I'll set one monster facedown, one card facedown, and end my turn."

"You don't suppose he…drew that card, do you?" Luke whispered.

"If he did, only heaven can help that boy now," answered Miriam, looking fearfully at Yugo.

Yugo drew his next card, giving him three in hand. "And now…I'll activate my facedown trap card, Miracle Restoring! This allows me to remove two Magic counters from my side of the field in order to Special Summon one of two monsters from my Graveyard – Dark Magician (ATK 2500, DEF 2100) or Buster Blader (ATK 2600, DEF 2300) – and I'll use it to Special Summon Dark Magician!"

As Miracle Restoring was activated, the two counters that were still on the Pitch-Black Power Stone disappeared from the field, as did the Power Stone itself – and then, in their place emerged the mighty magician with his staff at the ready. Malachi was shocked to see him. "But when did he—"

"He's one of the cards that got sent to the Graveyard by your Gravekeeper's Servant," Yugo reminded him. "And he's here to hand out revenge! Dark Magician, blast that facedown monster with your Dark Magic Attack!" And he sent yet another card from the top of his deck to the Graveyard thanks to Gravekeeper's Servant.

Dark Magician held up a palm, and an invisible force forced the facedown monster face-up, revealing it to be Gravekeeper's Spy (ATK 1200, DEF 2000) and destroying it. But Malachi only smiled. "Have you forgotten? When Gravekeeper's Spy is flipped face-up, I can Special Summon any Gravekeeper with an ATK of 1500 or less from my deck – and, I'll summon another Gravekeeper's Spy in Defense Mode!"

A second Gravekeeper's Spy soon emerged, crouching in a defensive stance. "This is going to take a little longer than I'd hoped," murmured Yugo.

Then Malachi's eyes flashed. "Now, I'll activate my facedown trap card – The First Sarcophagus!"

Luke, David and Miriam looked on in shock. "He…he actually did…" David breathed.

"This is going to get very troublesome from here on out," replied Luke.

"Malachi…" whispered Miriam, her eyes brimming with tears.

A massive stone casket resembling an ancient Egyptian coffin appeared on the field. Yugo stared at it, dumbfounded. "Uh…what the hell is that thing?"

Malachi's face was a prime picture of insanity by now. "Well…hee hee hee…during each End Phase of your turns from now on, as long as this card remains on the field, I'll be able to bring forth another Sarcophagus card from my hand or deck. And, when I have all three on the field, it'll be the beginning of your greatest nightmare…question is, are you prepared to die when the time comes? HA HA HA HA HAAA!"

"Okay…now I'm really getting scared of that guy…" Miki whispered.

Seta stared intensely at the First Sarcophagus card. "He…never used that card in his previous duels…he really was holding back this whole time!" His voice steamed with growing anger.

Yugo narrowed his gaze. "Well…I'll end my turn, then. I haven't got any other plays to make now."

Just then, as he ended his turn, to everyone's astonishment the sarcophagus on Malachi's side of the field opened. "What now?" Yugo wondered.

The lid was raised…and then a second coffin emerged, in the form of a Magic card. "This is the Second Sarcophagus," crowed Malachi. "Only one turn left, and then the final one will appear!"

Malachi drew another card – and Ominous Fortunetelling kicked in once again, revealing the crystal ball. "Now, then…you've got quite a few cards in your hand…let's guess what that one on your extreme left is, eh? And…I say it's a Monster card this time!"

Yugo held up the card for Malachi to see – but to Malachi's disappointment, it was merely the field magic card, Yami. "Oh, well, it won't matter in another few minutes anyway," he gloated. "You and your two monsters will soon vanish from my sight!"

"Don't count on it," Yugo snapped.

"You should consider yourself honored, Yugo Muto," Malachi told him. "This is only the second time in my entire life that I've ever used this set of cards against anyone." His voice dropped to a whisper and his eyes were deadly serious. "The first time…was when I spilled the blood of the cult members all those years ago."

Yugo's eyes widened in shock. "Oh, **_shit…"_**

"You guessed it! Nobody who ever duels me when I use these cards ever survives! Nobody!" Malachi howled. "And very soon, you'll just be one more victim to be buried in an unmarked grave!"

Malachi then examined the two cards in his hand. "Now…I'll set this one card facedown in Defense Mode, and end my turn."

Yugo gritted his teeth in growing apprehension. _I am SO not liking where this is going…_

Now Malachi's life points stood at a dangerously low 400. He held one card in his hand, but on the field he still had his Gravekeeper's Servant and The Second Sarcophagus magic cards, his Ominous Fortunetelling, Pyramid of Light and The First Sarcophagus trap cards, and Gravekeeper's Spy and one facedown monster in Defense Mode. Yugo, meanwhile, still had 1200 life points, three cards in his hand—the Yami field magic card, and the Dark Magician Knight and Neo the Magic Swordsman monster cards—and on the field he had Breaker the Magical Warrior and Dark Magician in Attack Mode, plus he still had his facedown Blast Held by a Tribute trap card and Double Spell magic card.

Yugo drew his next card. _What could those Sarcophagus cards possibly be hiding? From all indications, it must have been some kind of terrible power to be able to take out an entire cult…the only way to know for sure is to wait and end my turn…only what WILL happen if the last Sarcophagus card comes on the field?_

Then he looked at the new card in his hand. _Damn…as powerful as this card is, there's no way I can use it now…but I know what I CAN do!_

"Okay, Malachi – I'll activate my magic card, Double Spell!" he announced, flipping the card face-up after so long. "By discarding one Magic card from my hand—" and he discarded the Yami card to the Graveyard. "—I can select one Magic card from your Graveyard, and use it as my own. And I'll choose…Graceful Charity!"

As Malachi watched in surprise, suddenly the designated card flew out of his Graveyard, and Yugo caught it with a neat flourish. "Now, I'll activate your card to draw three cards from my deck and then discard two from my hand!"

Yugo soon drew his three cards – but as he looked them over, he seemed a little disappointed. "Darn," he grumbled. "Well, all right, then. I'll send these two to the Graveyard." And after he did this, he was left with four cards in his hand. "Now, I'll attack! Dark Magician, destroy Gravekeeper's Spy! Breaker the Magical Warrior, chop that facedown monster in two!"

Gravekeeper's Servant activated yet again, this time sending two cards from the top of Yugo's deck to the Graveyard – but Dark Magician raised his palm once more and blasted the Gravekeeper's Spy into eternity; then Breaker the Magical Warrior slashed the facedown monster in two, revealing it to be – to Yugo's surprise – Pharaonic Protector (ATK 900, DEF 0).

Malachi chuckled. "Heh-heh-heh…at last, the circle is complete."

Swallowing uneasily, Yugo braced himself and announced, "And I end my turn."

As he said that, the Second Sarcophagus opened itself, and a third casket appeared on the field – this was the Third Sarcophagus.

Every eye in the stadium was on it. _What'll happen now?_ That was the question.

Then all of a sudden, the Third Sarcophagus began to shine with a bright light, a light that illuminated Malachi's face and displayed his insane look. "You know something…?" he whispered. "The Gravekeepers fought hard to protect these coffins from ever being desecrated…and when they failed, the Sphinxes played their part to protect the coffins…but now you've awakened the wrath of an ancient force, one that should have remained asleep all these years…"

Then, to Yugo's amazement, all three Sarcophagus cards disappeared from the field. "Now…I call upon your power and that of your loyal followers…come back from the dead and take revenge upon those who would dare disturb your peaceful slumber…awaken, Spirit of the Pharaoh (ATK 2500, DEF 2000)!"

Then, from the ground arose a mystical monster of very apparent royal bearing. It was wrapped in bandages, but it wore the headpiece of a mighty pharaoh, and in one hand it carried a long staff. Then, on each side of him emerged two mummified soldiers – on his left, much to everyone's astonishment, was one Pharaonic Protector and one Pharaoh's Servant; on the other side, another Pharaonic Protector and another Pharaoh's Servant – and all four soldiers were in Defense Mode!

"He's done it…" Luke whispered. "He's summoned his ultimate monster…"

"Wha…where did all these THINGS come from…?" Yugo wondered aloud.

"Let me sum it up for you," explained Malachi. "As you know, you destroyed one Pharaoh's Servant and one Pharaonic Protector in battle…and the others, I discarded to my Graveyard when I played my Graceful Charity a few turns back. Then, when the Third Sarcophagus was played, all three of the Sarcophagus cards were automatically sent to the Graveyard…and in this way, I was able to Special Summon the Spirit of the Pharaoh from my deck. And…when he's Special Summoned successfully, I'm able to Special Summon up to four Level 2 or lower Zombie-type monsters from my Graveyard. And now…this massive force that you see before you will crush you, and this platform – no, this whole arena – will be painted with your blood!"

Then, with a grand flourish, Malachi took his turn and drew his card. "Now, Spirit of the Pharaoh…use your might and destroy Breaker the Magical Warrior! Ancient Spell of the Pharaoh!"

Spirit of the Pharaoh's staff charged with bright red energy as it fired it all in a gigantic blast at Breaker. The mage-warrior put up his shield to try and block it, but instead he got blasted to pieces and Yugo's life points shot down to 300.

Kyo could stand it no more. "Yugo!" he yelled. "Do something!"

"What CAN he do?" protested Raven. "Unless a miracle happens right about now, Yugo's a goner!"

Jenna put both hands to her chest, feeling the ache of her heart as it thumped wildly in its cavity. "Yugo…"

Breathing heavily, Yugo looked at his stats. _I…I can't take any more of this! If I don't do something soon, he'll finish me off on his next turn!_ He looked at the field with an abhorring eye. _I can't hope to destroy all of those things one by one…if I summon any low-level monster, Malachi will just use the Spirit of the Pharaoh and wipe it out, and me with it…or, he might sacrifice the Pharaoh and destroy my Dark Magician, and then his legion of zombie soldiers will be able to finish me without a problem…_

He looked at Malachi, laughing like a madman on his side of the field…a stab of aching pain shot through his soul. _If I lose, it won't be just one life that's lost here…it'll be two…and…a lot of people will weep – Jenna, Kyo, Miki…and yes, Miriam will shed tears for her brother as well…_

He closed his eyes and placed his fingers on his deck, preparing to draw. _Heart of the cards…come to my aid…please!_

Slowly, he drew his card…and held it in his hand for a long moment. Then he looked at it…and a small smile appeared on his face.

And in that instant, a sudden feeling of hope flashed through Jenna's heart. _Yugo…I believe in you!_

**_"MALACHI!"_**

Malachi shut up his laughing mighty fast. "Wha…!"

"Now…I'll show you what it means to be a REAL duelist!" Yugo bellowed. "I summon Time Wizard (ATK 500, DEF 400) to the field!"

Then, just like that, the Time Wizard was on the field, staff in hand and power at the ready. Kyo and Miki were astonished to see it. "But…isn't that the card Yugo gave Jenna?" Miki asked.

Kyo looked at Jenna. "Jenna…did you…?"

"It's all right." Jenna smiled. "Yugo's the one who can really use Time Wizard to its fullest potential. I trust him."

Malachi stared at the Time Wizard. "What the hell is that supposed to do?"

"I'll tell you." Yugo nodded. "I'm going to activate Time Wizard's effect right now, so you can see it. I am going to flip a coin and call it…and if I call it right, every single monster on your side of the field will be destroyed."

"And if you call it wrong, then what?" Malachi pressed.

"…" Yugo didn't answer for a moment. Then he looked up. "Then…all monsters on my side of the field will be destroyed and I'll lose life points equal to half the combined total of their ATK points."

"But—if Yugo fails, he's a goner!" Raven exclaimed. "Jenna, you gave him a fifty-fifty chance of winning or losing!"

"This whole duel was a fifty-fifty chance for him to win or lose from the start," Seta remarked. "We should leave the rest to him. There's nothing we can do now."

The holographic coin appeared in Time Wizard's possession. "Now, Time Wizard, activate your effect! Spin that coin – and I call heads!" Yugo hollered.

Time Wizard flipped the coin. Both Yugo and Malachi were watching it as it spun…spun…spun…

----------

**_neomage:_** Mwah! I'm a stinker, aren't I? Well, you can read the next chapter for the conclusion of this duel, and trust me, it'll blow you out of your seat! Keep reading and reviewing!

UPDATED 23/06/2006: Edited for the reason I outlined in Chapter 58. Go check it out for details.


	69. Chapter 69

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Yu-Gi-Oh no es mìo, pero es por Señor Takahashi. **(Written in Spanish. Figure it out.)**)

**CHAPTER 69**

INTERCONTINENTAL DUEL DOME

As everyone in the stadium waited with bated breath, the duel's stats were shown on the big-screen – Malachi was left with 400 life points, Yugo with 300. Malachi held two cards in his hand, and Yugo now had four. On the field Malachi had the Gravekeeper's Servant magic card, the Ominous Fortunetelling and Pyramid of Light trap cards, Spirit of the Pharaoh in Attack Mode, two Pharaoh's Servant cards in Defense Mode and two Pharaonic Protector cards also in Defense Mode. Meanwhile, Yugo had his facedown Blast Held by a Tribute trap card, his Dark Magician and his Time Wizard, whose effect he'd just activated.

Time Wizard's holographic coin spun through the air, going higher and higher with each flip. Everyone in the stadium was watching with bated breath, not even daring to blink.

Pegasus, Mr. Devlin and Mrs. Taylor watched wide-eyed as the coin continued to spin. "Yugo called heads," Mr. Devlin whispered, feeling it appropriate to keep his voice as low as possible. "But if he misses, Time Wizard will self-destruct, take the Dark Magician with it…and the explosion'll blow away a big hunk of Yugo's life points."

"And he's got less than a quarter of a hunk right now," Mrs. Taylor added worriedly.

"Keep your fingers crossed," advised Pegasus, crossing his own.

Elsewhere, in the stands, Blaze and the others just stared. Wade bit his lip nervously. Marcus's eye twitched. Flora trembled. Shigeo shuffled uncomfortably. Blaze rubbed her now sweaty hands on her lap over and over.

Now the coin reached the peak of height and began to descend. Kyo adjusted his glasses. Seta and Raven narrowed their eyes. Honey licked her lips out of nervous reflex. Miki clenched her fists tightly. Jenna kept her hands over her heart, feeling it beat harder as her adrenaline rose with her suspense and anxiety.

Some distance away, David was bent over and forward, his hands on his knees, as though to get a better view of the scene. Miriam slowly went over to Luke, and he caught her in a tight embrace. None of them dared to even move their eyes away for a moment.

The coin landed at last. It flipped off the ground, then landed again. On the very edge, it twirled for one long moment.

Both Yugo and Malachi were staring at it intently.

The coin twirled some more…and then landed. And it stayed flat.

And it showed the image of an eye on its face.

Malachi's eyes widened to display fright – genuine, non-counterfeit terror. "…no…!"

Yugo didn't move for a moment. Then he spoke. "Time Wizard…use your effect!"

Time Wizard began to glow as it raised its staff. _"Time Magic!"_ it called out as a large swirl in the dimensional blanket emanated from its center.

Suddenly a large wind began to blow throughout the entire arena, whipping up everyone's clothes and hair. As Malachi watched in ever-growing disbelief, his Spirit of the Pharaoh and its four zombie soldiers slowly evaporated into powder as the centuries rushed by in only a few seconds. "My monsters!" he cried out.

Then, as suddenly as Malachi's monsters were evaporated – the Dark Magician began to glow. Malachi looked up and saw the spellcaster with a blue aura around him. "Wh-wh-wh-wh-what the hell's happening to that Dark Magician!"

Suddenly, to the utter awe of all, a blast of energy exploded right from where Yugo was standing, giving the impression that flames were coating his entire being. As Malachi stared in horror, he could see Yugo's body in the fire. Yugo appeared to be completely coated in shadow, except for his eyes…which glowed a brilliant white.

"With time comes age…with age comes experience," Yugo spoke, his voice seemingly amplified twenty times. "When I called the coin toss for my Time Wizard and got it correct, my Dark Magician underwent a change with the passing years…" And he selected one card from his hand and played it on the field, removing the Dark Magician card and sending it to the Graveyard.

Immediately the Dark Magician began to age, growing a beard and possessing a sagely appearance – and his robes became more majestic, his aura more powerful, and his power even greater. "The thousand years that have passed," Yugo went on, "have transformed the Dark Magician into the mighty Dark Sage (ATK 2800, DEF 3200). And, his powers have increased to the point that, when he is Special Summoned in this way, I can take one Magic card from my deck, add it to my hand, and then shuffle my deck."

Swiftly, so swiftly that Malachi couldn't follow, Yugo went through the cards left in his deck. "And I choose to add from my deck to my hand – Book of Secret Arts! Of course, my elderly spellcaster now has enough power on his own to totally wipe you out, anyway."

"In…incredible…" Shigeo spoke for the first time. "So that is Yugo's true power…"

Seta, too, could hardly believe his eyes. _What kind of power is this?_

Malachi stared in utter amazement at the Dark Sage. "No…impossible…how could I lose like this…"

"Dark Sage, finish it now! Attack with Thousand Magic Attack!" Yugo commanded.

The Dark Sage raised his staff, immense energy gathering at the tip into one giant ball – then blasted it in one massive shot right at Malachi. The attack ripped up the platform tiles as it careened along; it slammed into Malachi with the force of a truck, flinging him off the platform and onto the grass nearby!

"Ungh!" Malachi grimaced in pain as he clutched his middle…and as his life points went down to 0.

"All right! Yugo won!" Miki squealed ecstatically.

Kyo chuckled and adjusted his glasses. "Well done."

Jenna smiled. "Yugo…"

Mr. Devlin got up to announce the winner – but Pegasus stopped him. "Hold on…something's happening down there."

As the holograms on the field disappeared, Yugo deactivated his Duel-Disk and looked across to where Malachi had fallen. Slowly he started to walk over to where his fallen opponent lay. As he got closer, he could hear Malachi mumbling to himself, "No…I lost…I'm not supposed to lose…oh, dear God, I'm gonna be punished for my failure…"

Malachi glanced up on hearing Yugo's footsteps approaching – but when he did look, from his point of view it wasn't Yugo he was seeing. It was the shadow of a familiar ghost from his past, a ghost he never wanted to see again. His eyes widened in terror upon seeing this apparent apparition.

"No—no! Don't come any closer!" Malachi panicked, backing up as Yugo stepped ever nearer. "Stay back!"

But now Yugo was hovering just above him. Malachi was truly scared now. "DON'T!" he screamed, turning his face away and shielding himself with his arms, against the blows he was sure would rain down on him.

"Don't…what?"

Hearing the broken voice, Malachi was fairly stunned. He opened one eye and peeked up – and what he saw astounded him.

Indeed, Yugo was standing over him…but on his face was a picture of sadness…a melancholic look in his eyes as tears flowed down his cheeks. "Malachi…you suffered greatly…without the love of a mother or family…didn't you…?" he asked softly. "As odd as it'll sound…I do understand, because…I lost my mother at a young age, too…"

Malachi's eyes widened.

"And I, too, was placed on a pedestal…being recognized not for who I was, but for what was expected of me…" Yugo continued, his hair now overshadowing his eyes. "Being misunderstood…there were so many times in my life when I'd get so frustrated, because I felt nobody would ever try to know me for who I _really_ was…" He sniffled. "And all I could do at night was cry…because I had to carry the burden on my back, afraid to share it with others lest I cause them pain too…" He drooped even further. "Same for you…wasn't it…?"

Malachi stared at Yugo…then glanced to one side and saw his sister. _Miriam…_ He looked downward as a great sadness came over him.

Yugo's voice caught his attention again. "I guess…the only real difference between us…is that I was able to find people who I could actually relate to…who acknowledged my talents…who didn't uplift me into any high place of glory, but just treated me as any other human being…" Quietly he sat down. "My friends…they're the most precious thing in the world to me…and I'll always love them for the way they've stuck by my side through thick and thin."

Then Yugo looked up again. "But you have people who care about you too, Malachi…your friends…and your sister…they've stayed with you all this time, in spite of what you've done. They love you enough to never leave you. And yet…because of your trauma…you couldn't really see it…could you?"

Malachi looked long and hard at Yugo…and somehow, he could see a picture of his former self reflected in the other boy. _How long has it been…since I shut up my heart…?_

Then he looked up. "Miriam…my sister…"

Hearing her name, Miriam released herself from Luke's hold and quietly walked over to where Malachi was. She knelt down by his side. "Yes, brother…"

He looked deep into her eyes for a long moment…then rested his head on her shoulder. She started – then the tears spilled down her cheeks. "Malachi…"

"Miriam…David…Luke…can you ever…forgive me…?" Malachi asked softly, tightly clenching his fists to try and keep a grip on his emotion threatening to burst out.

Luke and David came over and knelt down next to him. "Boss…" David spoke. "We've never left your side, even in the worst of times…and we never will."

"You…and Miriam…you're the only family we've got now," Luke added. "Everything has a time to be reformed…you just had a bit of a late start, that's all."

Malachi closed his eyes…and a tear finally trickled out of one eye. "Guys…"

Yugo just sat there, watching the scene. Then he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder, and he looked up into Kyo's face. "Come on, Yugo," Kyo said quietly. "You've done all you can do…let them take care of the rest."

Mr. Devlin looked at the scene, then at Pegasus, who nodded. With that, Mr. Devlin stood up and announced, "The Intercontinental championships are now over! The winner: Yugo Muto!"

And now a burst of cheering broke out from the spectators.

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SOME HOURS LATER

Yugo's eyes fluttered open. As he awoke, he found himself lying in his hotel room, his jacket draped over a chair by the bed. "Whoa…was all of that a dream…?"

As his eyes scanned the room, he caught sight of a large golden trophy cup sitting at the foot of the bed. He stared at it – and then remembered. "I see…so it wasn't all a dream…"

"Hey, glad to see you're finally awake, Yugo," Miki's voice reached his ears. Turning, he saw her standing by the door. "You were so exhausted after the duel, you came right back here and dropped down on the bed – and fell fast asleep right away."

"I see," murmured Yugo. Then a thought occurred to him. "Malachi…?"

"Gone." Kyo emerged behind Miki. "He, his sister, and those other two guys left. Nobody knows where they've disappeared to. But…" He reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. "They left this for you."

Puzzled, Yugo went over and took the paper from Kyo. It turned out to be a note, and it read:

_You saved my brother from being completely engulfed in darkness. Today you not only won a physical duel…you forced him to realize that there is still a little light and love in his heart. David, Luke and I will do our best to help Malachi on the road to healing, and I understand that it won't be a simple task…but the rewards will be well worth it. We cannot tell you where we have gone, but I pray that the next time we meet, it will be under better circumstances._

_Thanks much, and good luck. Miriam._

Yugo smiled a little. "Yeah…"

"D'you think they'll be okay, those guys?" asked Miki.

"I don't see why not," said Kyo. "Malachi may have given us a bad first impression, but in the end he proved to be just as human as the rest of us."

That was when Yugo realized something. "Say…where is Jenna?"

"She's packing our bags," replied Miki. "We're about set to return home, you know. I already called our parents, and they'll all be waiting for us at the airport back home. So, all that's left is for you to get yourself together so we can leave."

Yugo nodded. "Uh-huh."

----------

LONDON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, AN HOUR LATER

"So…I guess it's farewell, eh?" remarked Seta.

The gang was standing together in the departure lounge, and Pegasus, Mr. Devlin, Mrs. Taylor, Honey and Raven were there to see them off. Blaze, Wade, Marcus, Flora and Shigeo were there, too, preparing to return home.

"It was really great having you kids at the tournament," answered Mr. Devlin. "Pop by again sometime, why don't you?"

"Sure!" Jenna and Miki nodded eagerly.

Mrs. Taylor smiled. "Miki…tell your father that in just a few days, I'll be returning to Domino City. All right?"

Miki's face lit up. "Really, Mom? That'll be SO great!"

Blaze chuckled. "Well…I guess we all got a little better by this experience," she commented. "Next time, though, I'll definitely kick all your asses."

"Whatever!" Wade said laughingly. "You'll have to defeat my Water deck first!"

"I did it once – I can do it again!" Blaze smirked.

"Hmph." Marcus shrugged. "Well, I guess I'll see you guys around. Flora…you coming?"

"Yep!" Flora said brightly, picking up her bag. "Well, cheerio, everyone! We'll see you again soon!" And with that, she and Marcus left.

Shigeo smirked. "I look forward to the next time you and I can duel each other, Miki," he addressed her. "I'll be more prepared next time."

"Okay, sure!" Miki nodded enthusiastically. With that, Shigeo turned and headed off, as well.

"I can still whip you, no matter what you say!" Wade snapped as he and Blaze walked off together.

"Says you!" Blaze shot back.

"Pffft…those two are always at each other for some reason or another," Yugo mumbled. "They should just get married and be done with it."

"Yugo, don't be so mean!" Miki pouted.

"Hey, Seta," said Raven. "Make no mistake: Next time, I'll certainly be a hell of a lot stronger! And then I'll kick your butt all the way to the moon!"

"Well, let's see…I expect Hell will get air conditioning before that happens," Seta chuckled.

Honey barely managed to keep an infuriated Raven from charging at Seta. "Seta…see you around," she said sweetly. "Raven and I are gonna stick around with Father for a little while longer, and then head home. So, till next time…" And she dragged her indignant brother out of the lounge.

"Well, everyone…I guess this is farewell for now," said Kyo, adjusting his glasses and picking up his bag.

"See you soon! And, Aunt Serenity, we'll definitely see you back in Domino City!" Jenna announced cheerfully.

"You kids take care of yourselves now!" Pegasus beamed at them. "And, Yugo-boy and Seta-boy, tell your folks I said hello. Although I'm not so sure good old Kaiba-boy will accept it so easily…"

"Will do." Yugo chuckled. "Well, see ya!"

"I just hope they filled up the tank for the Blue-Eyes White Jet," Seta murmured as they went off.

"Mark II," Miki reminded him, and she laughed.

"Yeah. Mark II." And they all shared a laugh.

"There goes a good group of duelists," sighed Mrs. Taylor.

"The next generation," agreed Mr. Devlin.

The three adults turned and walked in the opposite direction, back to the airport entrance. But Pegasus, walking behind Mr. Devlin and Mrs. Taylor, had a worried frown on his face. _I still can't believe what I saw in Abel Drake's journal…that power he used to control his followers…it was actually the power of a Millennium Item! But they were buried in that cavern, weren't they…? So what exactly is going on…?_

----------

DOMINO CITY AIRPORT, SEVERAL HOURS LATER

Mr. Muto, Mr. and Mrs. Bakura, Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler, Mr. Taylor and Grandma Muto sat in the lounge at the airport, looking around anxiously for their children. "I do hope they get here soon," mumbled Grandma.

"Don't worry so much, Mother – they'll be here very soon," Mr. Muto assured her. "All we can do right now is to be patient."

"So…looks like Yugo won another tournament," Mr. Wheeler remarked. "This calls for some big celebrations, don't you think?"

"I believe so – especially considering the type of guy he had to face in that final duel," agreed Mr. Bakura. "Malachi Jordan certainly was a brutal opponent."

Mrs. Wheeler looked up presently. "Hey, there they are!"

The adults looked up – and indeed, there were Yugo, Kyo, Jenna and Miki. "Oh, they're here at last!" exclaimed Mrs. Bakura. "Welcome home, children!"

"Mom! Dad! Over here!" Jenna called out, waving, even as the adults began to walk in their direction.

"They're all here," Yugo whispered.

----------

KAIBACORP, AT THE SAME TIME

Seta closed in on Kaibacorp's landing bay with the Blue-Eyes White Jet Mark II. "Kaibacorp control tower, this is Seta Kaiba, requesting permission to land," he radioed in.

"Roger that, sir; you are clear for landing," the reply came in.

Seta finally came close to the landing bay and began the descent. The jet floated down smoothly, the technicians rushing for cover as the bottom thrusters fired toward the ground. Then finally the jet was on the ground, and the cockpit opened.

"Welcome home, Master Seta!" several of the techs hailed him as they came forward. He nodded slightly and climbed out, dropping himself to the ground and walking off so the techs could begin their maintenance work. He headed for the hangar doors, where his father was waiting.

The senior Kaiba stood there, arms folded, a small smirk on his face. Seta halted in front of him and lowered his eyes. "You know."

"Yes, I know. I was following the whole tournament, after all."

Seta sighed. "I need to work harder."

"That you do," said Kaiba. "For now, though…welcome back."

----------

**_neomage:_** Dun-dun-duuuuun! So, the reason behind Abel Drake's mysterious power has been revealed! And, on a side note…I'd like to make a request – all readers, please send me the names of the five characters you like the most so far in the story, in order of most liked to least liked, so I can make a little poll. It'll be fun, believe me! Stay tuned!


	70. Chapter 70

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Yu-Gi-Oh belongs to Takahashi – CUT! Okay, we gotta take that one again. Disclaimer, Chapter 70, Scene 1, Take 2. ACTION! Yu-Gi-Oh belongs ONLY to Takahashi. PERFECT! THAT'S A WRAP FOR THE DISCLAIMER!)

**CHAPTER 70**

KYO'S HOUSE, THE NEXT DAY

Kyo's eyes fluttered open. "Whoa…what happened to me last night?" he groaned, patting his belly which seemed strangely full.

"Oh, you're awake at last, sleepy-head," said Mrs. Bakura, hovering over her son. She bent down and kissed his forehead. "You ate way too much last night, and ended up falling asleep like a baby."

"Oh…I remember now," Kyo grunted. "Right after we got back from London yesterday evening, you guys took us to Burger World to celebrate Yugo's win…and I guess I must've eaten too many Half-Pounder burgers or something…"

"Aye, that you did, young man," Mr. Bakura's voice could be heard. "It's a wonder you didn't puke at all."

"Dear, please," Mrs. Bakura reprimanded her husband. "The last thing Kyo needs right now is to be scolded for his eating abilities."

Kyo sat up with a little difficulty. "Well, I guess I need to go take a walk and get rid of the extra food left in my system," he announced.

"That reminds me, Miki's here. She said she wanted to have a word with you," And Mr. Bakura jabbed his finger toward the front porch.

Puzzled, Kyo walked toward the porch. He found Miki sitting there, a peaceful smile on her lips. "Hi, Miki," he greeted her.

"Hi, Kyo." She looked up at him and smiled some more. "Can we take a walk?"

"Sure."

----------

A few minutes later found the two of them walking through Domino City Square together. "So, Miki, what's on your mind?" Kyo asked.

She chuckled. "Let's sit down first, huh?"

They walked over to one of the benches close to the town clock and sat down. As soon as they did, Kyo noticed Miki's face – her cheeks were a light shade of pink. "Uh, Miki…are you blushing…?"

Miki giggled a little. "Kyo…I've been thinking about this for the longest time…and I wanted to get you alone for a while so I could tell you," she whispered.

He looked at her, a little concern showing on his face. "Miki…is anything wrong?"

"No, no, nothing like that."

"So, then, what's up?"

Miki didn't answer immediately. Then she looked directly at Kyo. "Kyo…do you remember…our first kiss?"

Kyo's eyes widened in astonishment, and now he turned a bright shade of red. "Uh, y-yeah, I do," he replied. "What about it?"

"If you really remember, tell me."

Kyo looked into her eyes and saw only then the burning question of trust buried deep in them. He chuckled and adjusted his glasses.

"Well…it was that time, during the Kaibacorp Challenge Cup…right after I'd finished dueling Marcus," Kyo recalled. "That was the day…you acknowledged me…accepted me, faults and all." He sighed and smiled quietly. ""I guess it was the first time we got acknowledged as a couple by the others…"

"Well, the time we got acknowledged like that was right after…I kissed your Mudora (ATK 1500, DEF 1800) card," Miki reminded him. "Ever since then, you've done nothing but take good care of that card…all because of that one gesture. It's really, really sweet of you."

"You want to know what's sweet?" countered Kyo. "It's the fact that you were willing to jump in front of a deadly blow meant for me…that's something I call unselfishness extreme."

"I guess…" Miki sighed and rested her head on his shoulder. "Kyo…"

"Hmmm?"

Miki smiled again. "I'm happy…that I was able to meet you guys…because of you, I was able to become a duelist…to prove myself…you, Yugo and Jenna…you supported me all the way…and I just want to say thank you."

Kyo chuckled and pulled her even closer to him. "You're welcome." And then the two of them said nothing more, just enjoying each other's company.

----------

ELSEWHERE IN DOMINO CITY, AT THAT MOMENT

Yugo sat on a bench in the local park, watching the kids at play. Quite a few of these were playing Duel Monsters, and having picnic lunches, throwing Frisbees, and otherwise having fun of all sorts. He smiled and chuckled.

"Yugo…?"

Starting, Yugo turned to face Jenna, standing right behind him. "Oh, hey, Jenna. What's up?"

"Can I sit with you?"

"Sure."

Jenna sat down beside Yugo. "I really didn't expect to find you here, of all places," she remarked. "Maybe you would've been down at Burger World, pigging out again."

"After last night?" Yugo quipped. "The old folks bought me so much stuff, I could barely keep it all down without feeling nauseous."

"Hmmm…" Jenna counted off on her fingers. "Three Half-Pounders, extra cheese; two servings of Jumbo Apple pie; two banana splits with extra ice cream and chocolate syrup; two super-sized strawberry milk shakes—"

"Jenna, please!" Yugo gulped, looking green. "I really don't want to think about that anymore!"

"Sorry, sorry." Jenna laughed.

"But at least it was something of a victory feast," Yugo added more cheerfully. "Winning the Intercontinental tournament, the championship title…It's all been really exciting…"

"Everything that's happened over the last couple of weeks has been very exciting," Jenna agreed. "And luckily for us, everything being timed just when we're on holidays from school…" She smiled smugly at the thought. "The Kaibacorp Challenge Cup started the weekend classes ended at school…then only a couple of days later, the Intercontinental championships came along…and we still have more than a month before school starts back again!"

Then she noticed the look on Yugo's face. "Hey…is everything okay?"

His hair was hanging over his brow, but Jenna could see at once the dark look in his eyes. "It's funny, Jenna…" he said quietly. "So many things we take for granted, others would do anything to have…like love, or a family, or even self-confidence…"

Jenna gave him a knowing look. "You still thinking about Malachi?"

"How can I not? I mean…what's gonna happen to him now?" Yugo looked rather distant as he spoke. "Knowing he's had so many traumas in his life…I still can't help but feel for the guy…"

Jenna chuckled and put a hand on Yugo's shoulder. "Relax, Yugo. Malachi will be okay. He's got his sister, and David and Luke, by his side. They'll all be fine. What you need to worry about is how you're going to spend the rest of the holidays…you can't stay moody all the time."

Her voice took on a sad tone as she spoke. "And, besides…if you're upset…it makes me upset. And I don't like that."

Yugo smiled a little and rubbed the back of his head. "My bad. I'm sorry."

"Apology accepted." Jenna stood up. "Well, how about we go to the mall? Maybe there's something there that we can do…or maybe some of the latest music CDs have come out! I wanna go!" She looked at Yugo with big, pleading eyes.

"All right, all right. Let's go, then!" Yugo stood up, and Jenna grinned in victory.

----------

KAIBACORP, FIVE MINUTES LATER

Seta stood at the window of his room, looking out at the city below. Presently there was a knock at his door. "Come in," he invited.

Soon the elder Kaiba came in. "Moping, are we?" he asked in a somewhat mocking tone. "Well, no use crying over spilt milk, I say."

Seta shrugged. "I guess…" He closed his eyes. "I just…I didn't expect to lose my match like that…and just when I was so close to winning, too…"

Kaiba looked at his son knowingly. "Are you jealous of Yugo because _he_ won the tournament instead of you? Because he was capable of defeating an enemy you could not?"

Seta's eyes widened in astonishment; but the grim line that set across his lips told Kaiba everything. The older man sighed and went across to the window.

"Seta…allow me a moment to give you some advice, and I pray you'll be sensible enough to heed it sooner rather than later," Kaiba said quietly. "Jealousy never did anybody any good. It feeds resentment; it walks hand-in-hand with hatred; it leads to one's own self-destruction. It may be a source of strength, but that strength is only temporary, and causes a toxic effect on both mind and body."

Seta raised an eyebrow. "And you know all this, how…?"

"In youth, I was just like that," said Kaiba. "For years, Yugi Muto and I were fierce rivals, yet time and again I would always lose any duel I challenged him to. For a time, I even went so far as to hate him; and the more I hated, the more bitter I became…until at last I was unapproachable by anyone, even my own brother—your uncle Mokuba."

Seta held his head down. "I see."

"But I'll tell you one thing," Kaiba went on hopefully. "Eventually I was able to come to terms with the fact that he was a better duelist than me. I had always believed myself the best of the best…but even if you're the best, there'll always be someone out there who's better, or has the potential to be better. Maybe Yugo is a better duelist than you; and then again, maybe not. There'll be time to straighten that out, when the opportunity is right."

Seta smirked. "The World Championships…"

"If he chooses to enter by then, that is," corrected Kaiba. "If he doesn't, well, no harm done. But he is your rival; so you must take every opportunity to make your deck as strong as it can be. But don't fortify your deck alone – fortify your heart as well."

"Fortify my heart? What does that mean?" asked Seta, puzzled.

Kaiba looked down at his son and patted him on the shoulder. "It means, learn to bond with your monsters. Yugo has bonded with his deck, and especially with his Dark Magician. I'm sure you may have noticed it – every time that monster comes onto the field, his chances of winning become even greater. The Dark Magician is one of those monsters in Duel Monsters that, for lack of a better phrase, contains unlimited potential." He smiled. "But so does the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Remember that."

Kaiba then turned and left the room. He paused at the door. "If nothing else, you and Yugo could very likely become the two greatest duelists the world has ever known. All you have to do is prove yourself worthy of becoming the best." And with that he was gone.

Seta looked at the empty doorway, a serene feeling coming over him. "Bond with my monsters…hmmm…how do I begin to do that?"

----------

MIKI'S HOUSE, LATER THAT EVENING

Kyo and Miki were by this time walking along the sidewalk approaching her house. "Well, here we are," said Miki quietly.

"Yep," replied Kyo. "So, I guess this is it until tomorrow, then…?"

"Doesn't have to wait so long, does it?" Miki smiled. "Why don't you come inside and have a little snack with me?"

"Um…won't your dad mind? I mean, he is rather protective of you," Kyo said, laughing nervously.

"Don't worry about that," said Miki. "He knows you're okay. He won't mind a bit."

"Well, in that case, why not?" Kyo grinned.

The two of them went up to the door, and Miki opened it. "Dad, are you here? I'm home!" she called.

"In the kitchen, honey," Mr. Taylor's voice rang out.

Kyo and Miki entered – and stared in astonishment. Mr. Taylor was at the table, holding a massive sandwich that was approximately five inches long, six inches thick and four inches tall, filled with everything imaginable. "Oh, hey, Kyo!" he greeted the boy. "Came to have dinner, did you?"

"Well…ha, ha…just a small little something will be fine, thank you," Kyo answered, rubbing the back of his head.

"I'll fix you something!" Miki said eagerly. And she headed for the fridge, pulling out all manner of vegetables, meats, cheeses, and whatnot.

Mr. Taylor's eye twinkled. "While she looks about that, Kyo…could we step outside a moment? There's something I've been wanting to ask you."

"Uh…sure." Kyo nodded.

The two went out the front door and stood on the porch. Mr. Taylor's face was now serious as he looked at Kyo. "I'll need an honest answer from you now, Kyo. How much do you really love Miki?"

Kyo was surprised at the question, and blushed. "Well…very much, Mr. Taylor," he replied.

"I hope so," said Mr. Taylor gravely. "She _is_ my daughter, after all, and my most priceless treasure. All the money I make in the world would never replace her. And, I wouldn't want to think that you, who she cares about so much, would be the one who'd break her heart one day."

Kyo felt indignation rising; but because of his respect for the older man, he kept it in check. "Sir…respectfully…I would never do that to Miki. And I swear to you, I never will, either. She's done so much for me up to now…it would be ungrateful of me if I were to do anything to hurt her."

Mr. Taylor looked at Kyo for a long moment. Then slowly a grin spread across his lips. "That's what I hoped to hear from you, my boy. I already know you're a good kid…and Miki speaks highly of you. I just wanted to hear it from your mouth. Now, why don't we shake on that?" He held out his hand.

Kyo reached out and grasped Mr. Taylor's hand eagerly. "I won't back down on my word, Mr. Taylor. I promise you that!"

Just then Miki's voice reached them from inside. "Kyo! I've got a nice sandwich here for you! Come and get it!"

"Well, I guess we'd better head back inside, eh?" suggested Mr. Taylor.

"Yes, sir." Kyo nodded. Together they headed back through the door into the house once again.

----------

A HILL OVERLOOKING DOMINO CITY

"Domino City…it's been so many years since I've been here last…"

Two figures stood on a hill, looking down at Domino City below. Both were wearing brown robes, with hoods that concealed their faces. The one who had spoken now said, "I believe things should get very, very interesting…"

His companion asked, "Do you believe those kids will pose a problem?"

"You mean Yugo Muto and his friends?" The first man grinned. "I don't foresee any trouble from them. But if they do interfere…"

"Then we'll take care of them," the second said eagerly. He rubbed his arm fondly. "Oh…it's been so long since I had to duel against anybody…this will be so much fun…"

"Just not yet."

"Huh?" The second man stared in surprise. "Not yet? Whatever do you mean?"

"I mean, there's no need to rush. All those souls aren't going anywhere. We'll have plenty of time to pick, choose and refuse the ones that we'll need…and then, when the time is right, we will begin our reaping." The first man chuckled.

"Ah – I see what you're saying. So, we bide our time, then?" said the second man.

"Indeed, that we shall do."

----------

**_neomage:_** Now, I intended this to be an aftermath chapter where the characters give their personal feelings about the events of the Intercontinental tournament, and I spent a good many hours trying to find a way to introduce this chapter well. So, please let me know what you thought of it, please, and as I'd asked last chapter, please send your five most favorite characters so I can make a little poll! Thanks much to one and all!


	71. Chapter 71

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Not a soul in this world owns Yu-Gi-Oh except Kazuki Takahashi.)

**CHAPTER 71**

_Characters' First Appearance in Story_

_JILLIAN_

_NAME: Jillian Uriah_

_AGE: 17_

_HAIR: Black (has one bang over eyes that is dyed red)_

_EYES: Hazel_

_CLOTHES: White pullover jacket, gray jeans skirt, black high-heeled boots_

_GINA_

_NAME: GINA (acronym for Genetic Interface Network Android)_

_AGE: 12 (has the appearance of a 16-year-old)_

_HAIR: Transparent (resembles Ishizu Ishtar's hairstyle)_

_EYES: Transparent_

_CLOTHES: Short-sleeved blouse, skirt, moccasins (all transparent)_

KAIBACORP, FOUR DAYS LATER

Seta was in his room, going through his deck for the fifth time in a row that morning. "Well…hmmm…maybe I could take this out, or…no…how about this…"

As he worked, there was a knock at his door. "Come in!" he called.

In came Roland. "Sorry to disturb you, Master Seta, but your father has asked that you come to his office."

"Has he said why?"

"No, only that you should come right away."

Puzzled, Seta put away his deck and followed Roland to the elevator. From there, they went up several stories to Kaiba's office.

Stepping into his father's office, Seta announced, "Here I am…but why did you summon me?"

The chair behind the desk had its back turned to Seta. Now it swiveled around, revealing Kaiba with a small smirk on his face. "Seta…there's someone here I want you to meet," he answered. "A new employee of Kaibacorp, who'll be working very closely with you."

"Is that so?" Seta marveled. "From the way you put it, I guess it must be a bodyguard, huh?"

"You could say that." Kaiba then looked to one side. "All right, you may come out and introduce yourself now."

Then, to Seta's amazement, a young woman appeared from behind one of the columns close to Kaiba's desk. She had a somewhat formal look on her face as she surveyed Seta. "Greetings, Seta Kaiba," she addressed him. "My name is Jillian Uriah, and your father, Mr. Kaiba, has employed me to be your personal bodyguard. I do hope that you and I will get to know each other well and, perhaps, be better acquainted as time goes by."

"Uh, sure, I guess," replied Seta. "How long ago did you arrive?"

"Actually, I came just this morning," Jillian answered. "As of now, though, I'll be a permanent fixture to Kaibacorp's security…and more specifically, _your_ security."

"Jillian has come highly recommended," Kaiba spoke up. "She's been a bodyguard for numerous important figures in business and government for the last three years. Sure, she may be about as young as you are, but she's highly effective."

"Is that right?" Seta was quite interested now. "Well, I guess things will get very, very interesting, then…"

----------

MIKI'S HOUSE, AT THAT MOMENT

"La-de-da-de-da…looks like I've got mail!"

Miki sat in front of her computer, on the Internet, scanning the web-pages for any and all new e-mail she had received. "Junk mail…junk mail…junk mail…more junk mail…" she grumbled in disgust as she continued digging through the files before her.

Then she spied several new messages from friends. "Ah! At last, sensible stuff!" she thought happily as she began to read them.

One message was from Jenna, sharing all the latest girl talk and gossip. Another was from the president of the debating club she'd joined at school, giving all members the latest club updates. A third was from Kyo, and in his message he simply sent a picture of a heart. Miki trembled and blushed with happiness when she saw this one.

Then she looked at the last message – from an unknown source. "Hmmm…? GINA? Who on earth is that?" Miki wondered.

This message read: _Looking for a friend who holds an interest in Duel Monsters. Please respond ASAP. Will reply ASAP._

Now, Miki was a sensible girl. She'd heard all the warnings about giving out particular information about self to strangers on the Net. For all she knew, this GINA could very well be only a screen name for some predator who'd try to wheedle full name, age, date of birth, phone number and home address from her.

But this person had asked for specific information. _A friend who's interested in Duel Monsters, huh? Well…I guess there'd be no harm in replying._

So, with only the slightest caution, Miki posted this reply: _I'm a duelist, and I love Duel Monsters. What are your favorite cards?_

She pressed the Send button.

What happened next startled her. Almost as she finished sending the message, a new one popped up on her screen! This one said: _I like using Spirit Monsters._

Miki was very puzzled. _Spirit Monsters?_ she typed.

Sending that message, she got another one instantly. _Why don't I show you right now?_

Now Miki was starting to get suspicious. _How do you intend to do that?_ She typed this one and sent it off.

The reply came back: _Let me show you. Switching to Audio-Visual mode, now…_

Suddenly a bright light flashed from Miki's monitor, so bright she had to forcibly push her chair away from the desk and cover her eyes lest she be blinded. Then the light subsided, and a gentle, matronly voice spoke to her.

"Do not be afraid, Miki Taylor. Uncover your eyes."

Miki looked up – and was startled. There before her, seemingly projected from her monitor, was the transparent figure of a woman.

"Wha…? Who…what are you?" she blurted out.

The transparent woman smiled. "I'm GINA, the one you were just corresponding with."

----------

KAIBACORP, AT THE SAME TIME

Seta and Jillian were walking together along the corridor. "So, Jillian…you duel?" Seta asked for the sake of conversation.

"Sometimes, if I feel like it," Jillian answered shortly. "And only if my opponent is a powerful one."

She paused and glanced at him. "Why? Do you wish to test me?"

"Perhaps," Seta answered, smiling smugly. "Only thing is, do you really think you're good enough to take on the World Champion?"

Now Jillian smiled back, for the first time. "Well…I don't see why I can't at least hold my own against you. After all, nobody is infallible…even a champion has to fall sometime."

"Then it's settled!" Seta nodded. "Meet me in the dueling arena downstairs on the second floor in fifteen minutes. Then you can show me what you're made of!" And with that he walked off, leaving Jillian with an amused smile on her face.

----------

MIKI'S HOUSE, AT THAT MOMENT

"You're…GINA…?" Miki could hardly believe her eyes. "But—how is this possible? You're actually being projected right from my computer monitor!"

"Allow me to explain," said GINA, in a smooth, tranquil voice. "I'm not a real living person like you—I am actually a computer program with artificial intelligence. The letters in my name stand for _Genetic Interface Network Android._ I have the ability to travel throughout the Internet and through all kinds of software and technology. I can learn as much information as there is to learn in the blink of an eye…and I can even take on a human form, like what you see before you, and project myself temporarily into the human world."

"Ohhh…cool," Miki was mesmerized.

"I was built many years ago by a very intelligent, wealthy and sensitive woman," GINA went on. "She was quite gifted with computers, but she seemed to understand that, like humans, sentient beings like myself can also have feelings. So, she incorporated within me all the emotions that humans are capable of feeling, and with the unique way in which she designed me, in time I was able to learn almost all of the world's knowledge. But…"

"But what?"

GINA held her head down, and the look on her face suggested sadness. "Ever since my creator…died…I have wandered the network, lonely, friendless, without purpose in my life. Then I began to think – or, as humans may say, I processed information through my programming. I remembered that my creator was very fond of Duel Monsters, and so I began to run a system check throughout the network of the names of all popular duelists worldwide. And, after some time had passed, I was successful in finding several prominent names."

"So that's how you found me," Miki remarked.

"Correct," said GINA. "You made yourself famous during the recent Duel Monsters Intercontinental championships, only losing in the second round to your cousin, Jenna Wheeler. I am only able to communicate with you in this fashion now because, at the time I found your homepage address, you happened to be online. So I crafted that message as a way to get your attention."

"Whoa – but what about Yugo, and Kyo, and Jenna and Seta? Couldn't you get in contact with them or something?" Miki wondered.

"Hmmm…Yugo Muto…Kyo Bakura…Jenna Wheeler…Seta Kaiba…" GINA seemed to frown. "Kaibacorp has a massive anti-virus system that wipes out all foreign programs that attempt to interface with its computer systems. Unfortunately, good programs as well as bad ones can be easily erased from existence with this anti-virus system…so I could not risk visiting Seta Kaiba's computer. And, as for the others…they were not online or even on any computers."

"I see…so I was the only available one," said Miki thoughtfully.

"Will you help me, Miki Taylor? Help me to find some purpose in my existence," GINA said, almost pleadingly. "I am so tired of roaming endlessly…to be somewhere where I can belong, to do something that can let me feel wanted…that is all I ask."

A lump came into Miki's throat, and she swallowed with some difficulty. "Well…" she said finally. "Let me see if I can assist you. Can you store yourself on a diskette?"

"I can store myself on any such things – diskettes, CDs, DVDs…what do you have in mind?" GINA asked, a bit perplexed.

Miki chuckled. "If you can't get into Kaibacorp, I'll just have to take you there."

----------

KAIBACORP, SOME MINUTES LATER

In just a few minutes Seta and Jillian were in the dueling arena, both wearing Duel-Disks. "I must confess, I saw the Intercontinental tournament on TV," said Jillian. "And I saw your matches, too. You've got a pretty good deck…but even you won't be able to stand before my mighty deck."

"Really? And what kind of deck could you possibly use that could be so frightening?" wondered Seta.

"You'll soon see," said Jillian, with a mysterious look on her face.

Above them, in the control room, Roland signaled to Seta. "The holographic system has now been turned on, sir!" he announced. "Life point settings are at 8000, and the duel is now underway."

"Very good, Roland," answered Seta. "Now, let the fun begin!"

The coin appeared on the field. "I call heads!" said Jillian, and the coin was flipped. It then came back down – and it was heads.

"Good…I'll go first." Jillian drew her first five cards, and then drew a sixth. She smiled. "Now, Seta…you're about to see why I'm known as such a powerful bodyguard, despite my age!"

"Show me." Seta smirked.

"I summon Guardian of the Throne Room (ATK 1650, DEF 1600) in Attack Mode!" Jillian then summoned a yellow robot armed with homing missiles.

"That's supposed to scare me? Come on!" Seta grunted.

"But wait – I'm not done yet! For now I equip my monster with the magic card, Butterfly Dagger – Elma, to increase its ATK by 300 points!" Jillian then played a magic card that gave the Throne Room Guardian a massive dagger in one hand and increased its ATK to 1950. "Then I'll set two cards facedown, and end my turn."

"Interesting," Seta mused. "But it won't be nearly enough to frighten me, I'm afraid – for now I'll set one monster in Defense Mode, one card facedown, and end my turn."

Jillian chuckled and drew another card. "Playing cautiously, are we?" she asked sweetly. "Well, I'm sorry, but that simply won't do! Now I activate my magic card, Graceful Charity, to draw three cards and then discard two from my hand!"

Swiftly she drew three cards, then picked two and sent them to the Graveyard, so that when she was done she held three cards in her hand. "And now…I'll summon my great Guardian Elma (ATK 1300, DEF 1200) in Attack Mode!"

In a moment a blue-haired young woman appeared on the field, wielding a mystic dagger and ready to fight. "Guardian Elma possesses a unique special effect," said Jillian. "When she's summoned successfully, I can select one appropriate Equip Magic card from my graveyard and equip her with it. And now, the card I'll equip to her from my Graveyard is the Magic card, Gravity Axe – Grarl!"

Swiftly shifting her dagger to one hand, Guardian Elma soon held a massive axe in the other hand as her ATK went up to 1800. "Impressed so far?" asked Jillian.

"Actually, no," said Seta.

"Well, you soon will be – for I'll activate my magic card, Premature Burial, paying 800 life points to Special Summon my Guardian Grarl (ATK 2500, DEF 1000) to the field in Attack Mode!" And then, as her life points went down to 7200, she summoned a massive behemoth of a monster, wielding an equally massive axe – eerily similar to the one Guardian Elma was currently equipped with.

Seta took this in with a critical eye. _Hmmm…those Equip Magic cards…why do they have the same name as these monsters?_ Then his lips curved into a nasty smile. _Unless…_

"Hmmm? It seems you've got something on your brain, Seta," observed Jillian. "Want to share?"

"Oh, gladly." Seta was quite pleased with his discovery. "It seems that some of your Guardian monsters can't be summoned unless the Equip cards that have their names in them are already on the field. THAT, dear bodyguard, is the one flaw in your strategy." He chuckled. "That I found it out this early means only one thing – that very soon you'll be going down!"

"Uh-huh. And so what if I have a little hole in my defense?" asked Jillian, seemingly unperturbed by Seta's revelation. "Who's to say that I can't simply make up for that weakness with another semi-strategy?"

"Seems you've got it all figured out, huh?" Seta smirked. "Maybe you have…but that doesn't mean I can't break your defense, and break it clean!"

"We'll soon find out, won't we?" returned Jillian. "For it _is_ still my turn, and now I am free to attack! Guardian Elma, attack his facedown monster now!"

"Wrong move!" Seta countered. "I'll activate my trap card, Crush Card, and offer my facedown monster as a tribute to activate it!"

Suddenly Seta's facedown monster disappeared, and the Crush Card was flipped face-up. "This card will destroy every monster with 1500 ATK or more on your side of the field, in your hand, and any that you draw in the next three turns!" he announced triumphantly.

But then Jillian shook her head. "Sorry to disappoint you, but now I'll activate MY trap card, Seven Tools of the Bandit, paying 1000 life points to negate your trap card's effect and destroy it!" And her life points dropped to 6200.

"Huh?" Seta looked on with great alarm in his eyes.

Suddenly, from Jillian's trap card emerged a massive switchblade, slicing the viruses cleanly into little pieces! "I'll do what I must to protect my monsters, you see…and I'll also do what I must to take you out! So…I'll now activate my other trap card, Disappear, to remove one card in your Graveyard from play! And I have my sights set on that monster you just tried to sacrifice for your card's effect…and if my guess is correct…it'll be Peten the Dark Clown (ATK 500, DEF 1200)!"

"NO!" Seta screamed.

But much to his dismay, Peten the Dark Clown was sent out of his Graveyard and removed from play. "And since he's been removed by a card effect I control, and not by his own effect," said Jillian smugly, "you can't Special Summon any more of his kind to the field, isn't that right?"

"Grrr…" Seta snarled in frustration.

"And there's more! Since the target of my monster's attack was changed before the battle could begin, according to the rules, my monster is allowed a replay! So…all three of my monsters, attack now!"

Guardian of the Throne Room wheeled forward and slashed Seta with the Butterfly Dagger, reducing him to 6050. Then Guardian Elma rushed forward and sank the Gravity Axe into Seta's shoulder, causing him to cry out in agony and lowering him further to 4250. Finally, Guardian Grarl swung forward with his own axe, reducing Seta even further to 1750!

"Ugh…" Seta fell forward on one knee.

"Feeling pretty much in a tight spot, aren't you?" Jillian asked. "Well, if you're really as great a duelist as everyone thinks, then you'll do well to stand up and fight! Show me the power of the great Seta Kaiba!"

----------

OUTSIDE KAIBACORP, AT THAT MOMENT

Miki stood on the steps outside Kaibacorp, looking up at the building hopefully. She fingered her pocket, in which the diskette containing GINA's encryption codes were stored. "Let's see if Mr. Kaiba can't make a home for you here," she said softly.

----------

**_neomage:_** Now, according to the official rules of the real game, a replay can take place during the Battle Phase of a duel in certain situations, e.g. when the monster chosen as an attack target is tributed for a card effect, or if said monster gets its ATK or DEF boosted or otherwise affected by a card effect. And now…we have a new player in the story, chosen to be a bodyguard for Seta…and a computer program that can think and act independently! Whatcha think? Review!


	72. Chapter 72

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Only Takahashi-sama owns Yu-Gi-Oh. That's it. Done. Over with. …why are you still reading this? Shoo! Get away! Go on to the chapter!)

**CHAPTER 72**

KAIBACORP, INSIDE THE DUELING ARENA

Seta's life points were now a low 1750, while Jillian's stood at a sturdy 6200. On the field Seta had absolutely nothing, while Jillian had Guardian of the Throne Room equipped with the Butterfly Dagger – Elma, Guardian Elma equipped with the Gravity Axe – Grarl, and Guardian Grarl powered by the Premature Burial card. Seta was holding four cards, and Jillian had one card.

With great difficulty, Seta stood back on his feet. _Man, am I ever in some deep shit…if I don't get my act together, she'll be able to finish me off completely next turn! And I have to prevent her from doing anything of the kind, NOW!_

He drew his next card, and smirked when he saw what it was. "All right – I'm not out of the game yet!" he announced triumphantly. "Now I'll set two cards facedown, set one monster in Defense mode, and end my turn!"

"Is that all? Then I'm afraid you're done for, sir!" Jillian declared as she drew another card. "Allow me to show you what I mean! I'll now attack with my Guardian Elma! Do it – destroy his facedown monster!"

Guardian Elma dashed forward and slashed the facedown monster card – revealing it to be Witch of the Black Forest (ATK 1100, DEF 1200). "I believe you know what this does," said Seta. "When the Black Forest Witch is sent to the Graveyard, her effect will let me—"

"Will let you take a monster with a DEF of 1500 or less from your deck, add it to your hand, and shuffle your deck. Yes. I know." Jillian nodded.

"Then allow me to show you the monster I'm going for! It is my Gray Wing (ATK 1300, DEF 700)!" Seta took the card from his deck and added it to his hand, and then shuffled his deck.

"But I fear that won't do you an ounce of good! Guardian of the Throne Room, attack his life points directly and finish it!" Jillian commanded.

"Not so fast! I activate my trap card, Sakuretsu Armor, to destroy your attacking monster!" Seta snapped, flipping the card face-up. As Jillian looked on in consternation, her monster was destroyed, and both it and the Butterfly Dagger went straight to the Graveyard.

"All right, so one monster failed, but my Guardian Grarl will not! Go, Guardian Grarl!" Jillian ordered.

"Again, no way! I'll activate my other trap card, Nutrient Z, to increase my life points by 4000!" And suddenly, Seta's life points went way up to 5750, right before Guardian Grarl hit him and reduced him to 3250!

"Hmmm…interesting," Jillian mused. "I guess I may have underestimated you…but even so, what can you possibly do now? Next turn, if you don't adequately prepare yourself, I'll be very much able to finish you off completely!"

----------

Meanwhile, in his office, Kaiba was idly looking at the monthly company report, when suddenly his phone rang. "Yes?" he answered it.

"Sir, there's a young lady in the lobby asking to see you," reported the secretary. "Miki Taylor."

"Taylor…oh, I see. Well, all right. Send her up." And Kaiba replaced the phone in its cradle.

In ten minutes there was a knock at his door. "Enter!" he called.

Miki peered through timidly. "I hope I haven't caught you at a bad time, Mr. Kaiba, but I've got something I want to show you…something you might find interesting," she said, somewhat innocently.

"Well, firstly, no, you haven't caught me at a bad time," said Kaiba. "And secondly, have a seat and show me what it is you want to show me."

Whereupon Miki produced her diskette. "Have a look at what is on that," she invited.

Kaiba took the diskette from her and popped it into a nearby computer. "So, what's on this that's supposed to grab my attention?" he asked her.

Almost as he finished asking the question, suddenly his monitor began to glow brightly, and a bluish tint appeared on the screen. "Wha—! Hey, what in heaven's name is this?" Kaiba demanded, jumping up.

"Do not be so alarmed, Mr. Kaiba," GINA's voice emerged, and very soon she appeared from the screen in her transparent humanoid shape. "All will soon be explained."

Kaiba stared hard at the scene before him. "Miki Taylor…exactly what is this, and where did you get it?" he asked point-blank, his tone taking on an edge of suspicion.

Briefly Miki explained how GINA had appeared to her through her computer, and gave a summarized detail of the program's origins. "At least give her a little chance to prove herself, Mr. Kaiba," she pleaded.

"Her? You speak of this computer program as though it's a living being," Kaiba scoffed.

"You jest, Mr. Kaiba," GINA said gravely, "because I am, to you, merely a computer program. True, but I am a program that has been designed to think of my own volition; to feel as you humans feel; to reason, and thus determine what is right and what is wrong, though according to human standards a program is not supposed to be able to do such a thing. And…I can probably tell you some of the biggest secrets of your life, but for your sake and Miki's I will not mention them here, in front of her."

Kaiba's eyes narrowed. "Tell me…who could possibly have designed you to act like this?"

GINA hung her head a little. "My creator's name…was Rebecca Hawkins."

Kaiba froze. "Yugi's…wife…"

"Yes, while she was alive she was known as Mrs. Rebecca Hawkins-Muto, though perhaps not officially," confirmed GINA. "You see, Mr. Kaiba, some things I know because my creator programmed me to know them; others, I know because I have interfaced with the Web and have gleaned as much knowledge as there is to know. So, I am everything your company could want: an encyclopedia, a language translator, a source of entertainment, and an enhancement to your security, among other things."

"Well, thanks but no thanks," said Kaiba huffily. "Kaibacorp's computer systems are fine as they are."

Miki looked crestfallen, but GINA was not about to give up. "Then what if I told you that I can give you every bit of information regarding business strategies you can take up, to further enhance your company's reputation…and that I can be a great source of training in Duel Monsters?"

Kaiba's ears perked up at that. "Are you saying…that you can be a better simulator than our current Duel Computer?"

"Indeed," GINA answered. "I have knowledge of every single Duel Monster card in existence, and can compile a deck accordingly just by using the card information stored in my database. If you wish, put me to the test and I will show you what I mean."

Kaiba frowned as he considered this. "Well…all right. I'll give you a little test to prove what you're saying. Have a duel with me right now!"

"Hold on, Mr. Kaiba," Miki jumped up, waving her hands. "Let me duel GINA. I was the one she challenged first, anyhow."

"All right. Let's head down to the dueling arena, then." Kaiba then looked at GINA's transparent form. "I'll allow you to _briefly_ interface with the Duel Computer's mainframe, and if you impress me enough, then I'll take your offer into consideration. Not before. Got it?"

"Very well, Mr. Kaiba." GINA nodded, and then vanished from view.

----------

Back in the arena, Seta's life points now stood at 3250, while Jillian's were still at 6200. On the field he had nothing once again, while she still had Guardian Elma equipped with the Gravity Axe – Grarl, and Guardian Grarl powered by the Premature Burial card. He had three cards in hand; she had two.

Seta drew his next card. "Now…! I'll summon my Gray Wing to the field in Attack Mode!" And he summoned the gray dragon, screeching as it emerged.

"Hmph…what good will that do you, may I ask?" asked Jillian, very unimpressed.

"Watch and learn! Now, I'll discard one card from my hand for Gray Wing's effect!" And Seta sent a card from his hand to the Graveyard. "When I discard a card to the Graveyard from my hand during the Main Phase, Gray Wing can attack twice during the Battle Phase of that same turn!"

"And…? How will that help you against my monsters?" Jillian wanted to know.

"Again, watch and learn! Now I use my Monster Reborn card to revive the very monster I just discarded – my mighty Blue-Eyes White Dragon (ATK 3000, DEF 2500)!"

Moments later Seta revived the legendary dragon on his side of the field, and it roared in anger at Jillian. She herself was staring at it, mesmerized. "This is it…the very creature that earned you your fame," she whispered. "But even the Blue-Eyes White Dragon is limited to one attack per turn!"

"Then evidently you don't know very much about my dragon's abilities, do you?" Seta smirked. "Now, I'll activate another card, Burst Stream of Destruction! When Blue-Eyes White Dragon is on my side of the field, it can wipe out every monster on your side!"

Jillian's eyes widened in surprise. "Uh-oh!"

"Now, my dragon! Show her your Burst Stream of Destruction!" Seta yelled.

The Blue-Eyes charged up a thunderous blast of lightning in its mouth, then released it on Jillian's side of the field, completely wiping out Guardians Elma and Grarl, as well as the cards they were equipped with!

"Unfortunately, Blue-Eyes White Dragon can't attack in the same turn I use that card effect," admitted Seta. "But Gray Wing can still attack you directly – twice! Go, Gray Wing – use your Double Bite attack!"

Gray Wing flew forward with the speed of a gale, biting Jillian's upraised arm in a savage attack with its teeth As her life points went down to 4900, the dragon flew back once, then came forward again, biting her again and reducing her further to 3600.

"Nice comeback, Seta," Jillian commended him. "Still…I am far from beaten! Now, I draw!"

She drew another card. "Oh-ho-ho!" she laughed. "Now we'll really see what you can do! For now I will set one monster in Defense Mode, set one card facedown, and end my turn!"

Seta drew his card. "Pffft…as if that'll do anything! Blue-Eyes White Dragon, use your White Lightning!" he commanded.

The Blue-Eyes blasted another wave of lightning from its mouth, frying the facedown monster – and Jillian only smiled. "That monster was my Arsenal Summoner (ATK 1600, DEF 1600)," she explained. "His flip effect allows me to select any card that includes the word 'Guardian' in its name from my deck and add it to my hand. However, there are certain cards I can't select…but this one isn't one of them! Come to my hand, my Guardian Tryce (ATK 1900, DEF 1700)!"

The card was immediately added to her hand, and she smirked. "Soon, Seta…very, very soon…I'll show you your greatest nightmare come to life…" Jillian said with a leer in her eye and voice.

"Whatever. Gray Wing, attack!" Seta ordered.

"Not quite! I activate my trap card, Call of the Haunted, to revive my Arsenal Summoner in Attack Mode!" Jillian flipped her card face-up, and then among the rising gravestones Arsenal Summoner emerged, his shining dagger in one hand. Gray Wing swiftly stopped short, uncertain.

"Grrr…fine! I end my turn!" Seta pouted.

"A pout just doesn't suit your face, sir," said Jillian, now smiling ever-so-sweetly. "But then again…I'm about to make you the most miserable guy on the planet, so I guess it can stay there."

She drew another card, so now she held three. "First things first! I activate Pot of Greed to draw two cards!" And as she played the card, she drew two more cards so now she held four. She examined the cards she held…and a small smirk appeared across her lips.

"Now, then…I'll activate another magic card, Change of Heart – and take control of your Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

Seta's jaw dropped. "No way!"

The Blue-Eyes faltered, then reluctantly flew over to Jillian's side of the field. Then she held up another card. "Now I activate the magic card, Twin Swords of Flashing Light – Tryce, discarding one card from my hand to activate it and equip it to my Arsenal Summoner!" She discarded one card to the Graveyard to activate this new card. "A monster equipped with this card decreases its ATK by 500 points, but in exchange it can attack twice during the same Battle Phase!"

A moment later Arsenal Summoner's dagger was gone, and in its place he held two bright shining swords, even as his ATK dropped to 1100. Then Jillian held up the last card left in her hand. "And now…I'll offer your Blue-Eyes White Dragon as a tribute to summon my Guardian Tryce!"

Guardian Tryce appeared on the field, lightning swirling around him and the twin swords he held. "Okay, Guardian Tryce, attack and destroy Gray Wing!" Jillian ordered – and Guardian Tryce raised his swords, shooting lightning at Gray Wing and destroying it, lowering Seta's life points to 2650.

"Now, Arsenal Summoner, it's your turn! Attack!" Jillian commanded. And Arsenal Summoner slashed at Seta – first with one sword, bringing Seta to 1550, and then with the other, reducing him further to 450.

"Only one more turn, and then it'll all be over," Jillian smirked. "Oh, well. So much for this duel."

Now Seta's life points were at a dangerously low 450, while Jillian's stood at 3600. He held one card in hand, and she had none. On the field Jillian had Arsenal Summoner powered by the Call of the Haunted trap card and equipped with the Twin Swords of Flashing Light – Tryce magic card, and Guardian Tryce ready to fight once again; Seta, on the other hand, had absolutely nothing on the field – again.

Seta frowned. Unless he played his hand well here, he would certainly lose. And Jillian was working him over good with her cards. _Come on…_

Suddenly, like a lightning bolt, his father's words came back to him. _Don't fortify your deck alone – fortify your heart as well…learn to bond with your monsters!_

He closed his eyes and tried to concentrate. _Okay…the next card I draw can either make or break me…I hope it's the right one I get, though…!_ And, swallowing hard, he drew the card from his deck.

He glanced at it. "YES!"

"Hmmm?" Jillian looked at him, puzzled.

"All right, Jillian – time for you to pay me my due!" Seta announced. "Now, I'll activate my own Pot of Greed to draw two cards!"

He drew two cards, so now he held three. "And now, time for me to wipe out every monster on your side of the field – with my Raigeki magic card!"

Suddenly a shower of thunderbolts shot down from the sky above and blasted Arsenal Summoner and Guardian Tryce, as well as the cards equipped to the former monster, into the Graveyard – but Jillian only chuckled. "Not a good move, Seta," she chastised him, "for when you destroyed Guardian Tryce, you activated his effect – allowing me to Special Summon the monster I used to Tribute Summon him in the first place…namely, your Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

Then there was a terrible howl as the Blue-Eyes White Dragon reemerged on Jillian's field. "Seems your dragon isn't as loyal as you would be led to believe," remarked Jillian.

"So, that's why you stole him in the first place," said Seta grimly. "Well – time to steal him back!"

"WHAT!" Jillian shot out.

Whereupon Seta held up one of the two cards left in his hand. "Now, I summon my Flash Assailant (ATK 2000, DEF 2000)!" And he summoned a savage-looking bandit wielding a vicious knife.

"Hmph…poor choice, Seta," said Jillian. "Flash Assailant's effect decreases his ATK and DEF by 400 for every card in your hand." And, as if to prove her point, Flash Assailant's ATK and DEF both suddenly dropped to 1600 because Seta still had one card in his hand.

"But I can take care of that in a jiffy!" And then Seta revealed the card left in his hand – Megamorph! "This will double my monster's ATK since my life points are lower than yours!" And he played the card. As Flash Assailant's ATK and DEF returned to 2000 each, Megamorph doubled the monster's ATK further to 4000!

"Oh, dear…" Jillian looked on in sudden panic.

"I would rather kill my own dragon than allow a stranger to hold it captive!" Seta declared acidly. "Flash Assailant…as much as it pains me to do it…destroy the Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

Flash Assailant rushed forward – and THROUGH the dragon. The Blue-Eyes wavered a moment, then let out a howl as it collapsed and disintegrated, and Jillian lost 1000 life points, leaving her with 2600.

"Hmmm…" Jillian drew her next card. She studied it for a long moment…then came to a decision. "Okay, sir. I forfeit. You win."

"Huh?" Seta was at a loss for words. "Are you serious?"

"As serious as any duelist should be," and here Jillian revealed the card she'd drawn – the magic card, Rod of Silence – Kay'est. "What good would this card have done to me? And…your determination alone shows that you are the superior duelist. So, I yield this duel to you."

"And just in time, too, it seems," a familiar voice sounded just on the platform above them. Looking up in amazement, the two saw Kaiba, arms folded. Beside him stood Miki.

"Miki?" asked Seta, in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"Se's here to test a computer program…to see if it'll be a better duel simulator than the one we currently have," said Kaiba calmly. "And if it is, I intend to take it. So, could you and Jillian kindly vacate the arena, please…?"

----------

**_neomage:_** So, what do you all think of this part of the story thus far? Let me confess where I got the inspiration for GINA from: the sentient female computer program on Toonami. And BTW, Toonami is owned by the people at Cartoon Network. So, keep reading and reviewing, everybody!


	73. Chapter 73

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: The only things I own are the new characters, this story, and several cards.)

**CHAPTER 73**

KAIBACORP, INSIDE THE DUELING ARENA

"This girl…is she a friend of yours?" Jillian asked as she and Seta walked up to the platform where Miki and Kaiba stood.

"Yeah, one of them," Seta nodded.

Miki, meanwhile, headed down to the dueling arena, her Duel-Disk at the ready. Kaiba went up to the control and, once there, popped the diskette containing GINA's program into the computer. "Now, show us what you've got," he muttered.

Suddenly, from the wall opposite where Miki stood, a monitor popped out. Then, to Seta and Jillian's amazement, out emerged GINA, in all her transparent humanoid glory. "Well, here I am again," she sighed. "Miki…you ready?"

"Sure! Show me what you've got!" Miki activated her Duel-Disk.

"Uh, Dad…exactly what is happening here?" Seta called to his father.

"This, Seta, is a computer program Miki found on the Net a while ago," explained Kaiba. "It was a program created by Rebecca Hawkins; and, it's a sentient program, too."

"Hmmm…" Seta shrugged. "Well, okay, I guess."

Then the coin appeared on the field between Miki and GINA. "I will call it," said GINA. "Heads."

The coin was flipped, then came to land on the ground – and indeed it was heads. "Then I will go first," announced GINA.

She drew her first set of cards, then carefully went through them. "I summon the Headless Knight (ATK 1450, DEF 1700) in Attack Mode!" Then, to the field came a massive suit of armor bearing a sword and shield, but missing its head.

"Ew! How repulsive!" Miki squirmed.

"Then I shall activate the magic card, Spring of Rebirth!" said GINA, and as she did this a fountain of water appeared before her, with a fairy hovering over it. "As long as this card remains on the field, each time monsters are returned from the field to their owner's hand I will increase my life points by 500."

Kaiba's eyebrow twitched on hearing this. _Wait…where have I seen this strategy before?_

"Next, I will set one card facedown," said GINA, placing one card facedown, "and then I will end my turn."

Miki looked at the cards in her hand as she drew from her deck. "All right…I'll summon my Marauding Captain (ATK 1200, DEF 400)!" Then her trademark monster appeared on the field, swords at the ready.

"Hmmm…interesting…" said GINA. "When you Normal Summon this monster, you can also Special Summon one Level 4 or lower monster from your hand."

"Yeah! And I'll summon my Gearfried the Iron Knight (ATK 1800, DEF 1600) with this effect!" And Miki summoned the iron-clad knight to the field.

"But do you realize, Miki," said GINA thoughtfully, "that summoning Marauding Captain is, more often than not, your trademark move? I know, because your duelist data is stored in Maximillion Pegasus's computer system…which I've visited before."

"Then that means you know every card in my deck…" Miki frowned.

"I do. But, I do not know in what order you will use them in this duel, if that is any consolation," said GINA apologetically.

"Well…I'll let you know. Gearfried the Iron Knight, destroy the Headless Knight!" Miki commanded. "Shield Bash!"

Gearfried jumped forward, slamming his left arm-shield into the Headless Knight's chest. The armor broke down into pieces, and GINA's life points went down in the process to 7650. Then: "Cross-X Slash!" Miki commanded, and Marauding Captain attacked directly, reducing the android further to 6450.

"Then, I'll set one card facedown, and end my turn," said Miki.

GINA drew another card. "Very well…I summon Inaba White Rabbit (ATK 700, DEF 500)!" She then summoned a furry little rabbit holding onto an iron post.

"Awww…look at him, he's so CUUUUTE!" Miki squealed.

"And yet so deadly at the same time," GINA said knowingly. "For he can attack your life points directly! Do it, Inaba White Rabbit!"

The rabbit suddenly shot behind Miki before she could see what was happening – then the iron post slammed into her back. She flinched and cried out as her life points went down to 7300.

"And now, I will place one card facedown, and end my turn," announced GINA.

Then, as her turn ended, a strange thing happened: suddenly Inaba White Rabbit disappeared from the field, and the card returned to GINA's hand. "Um…" Miki looked dumbfounded.

"Oh, this…this is the effect of my Spirit monsters," said GINA. "During the End Phase of ach turn that a Spirit monster is summoned, it returns to its owner's hand. And, since my monster was returned to my hand, Spring of Rebirth will restore 500 points to my life points!"

As if to capitalize this point, Spring of Rebirth shot a small shower of water over GINA, and to Miki's amazement the android's life points returned to 6950. "And now…what will you do?"

Miki swiftly drew her next card. "I'll now activate my trap card, Conscription! It allows me to—"

"To pick up the top card on my deck, and if it is a monster and can be Normal Summoned, you get to Special Summon it to your side of the field; otherwise, the card is added to my hand," said GINA. "Sorry for the interruption, but you do know that I have much knowledge of this game."

"Oh…right." Miki scratched her head sheepishly, then returned to being serious. "Then let's see the card on top of your deck, please!"

GINA silently picked up the top card from her deck and showed it to Miki – and to the girl's disappointment, it was the Pot of Greed magic card. "Too bad," GINA remarked as the card was added to her hand.

"Whoa…that program IS smart, I gather," Jillian commented.

"Well, the duel's only just beginning," Seta reminded her. "So, there's still a ways to go before we can say that there'll be a definite result either way."

Meanwhile, on Kaiba's face was a grim look. _That strategy…reminds me of that guy, Noah…_

The score now stood like this: GINA's life points were 6950, while Miki's were 7300. GINA now held four cards in hand, two of which were Inaba White Rabbit and Pot of Greed; Miki also held four cards. On the field GINA had the Spring of Rebirth magic card, plus two facedown cards; Miki had Marauding Captain and Gearfried the Iron Knight in Attack Mode.

Now Miki examined the cards in her hand. "Now…I summon Orgoth the Relentless, offering Marauding Captain and Gearfried the Iron Knight as tributes!" And in a moment both warriors disappeared from the field, and in their place stood the hulking behemoth, his sword at the ready. "Attack directly!"

"I will counter that!" GINA said suddenly. "I activate the trap card, Blast Held by a Tribute, to destroy your Tribute-summoned monster and inflict 1000 points of damage to your life points!"

"ACK! NO!" Miki screamed.

But it was too late. As GINA's trap card flipped face-up, Orgoth halted – and then exploded from within! The blast knocked Miki back somewhat, reducing her life points to 6300!

"Oh, nuts!" Miki groaned. "Well, I'll just place one card facedown, and end my turn for now."

GINA drew her next card. "Very well. Now I will summon my next monster, Susa Soldier (ATK 2000, DEF 1600)!" Then suddenly a large bolt of lightning shot down from the sky, and form it emerged a warrior resembling an Indian brave. "Now, my Susa Soldier, attack!"

"No way! I activate my trap card, Sakuretsu Armor, to destroy your monster!" Miki snapped, flipping her card face-up. A huge suit of armor found its way onto Susa Soldier, crushing him until he disintegrated!

"As you humans would say, 'What a bummer'!" GINA quoted. "But I'm not finished yet! Now I will activate my Pot of Greed card and draw two more cards from my deck!"

She drew two cards; looking at them, she seemed pleased. "Now I will end my turn."

Miki drew another card. "Oh, how wonderful! Now I'll activate Monster Reborn to revive a monster from the Graveyard!"

She pressed a button on her Duel-Disk, and a moment later the Graveyard information came up. But then she paused. "Huh? Where are your Spirit monsters?"

"Oh…" GINA's expression appeared sheepish. "Spirit monsters can't be Special Summoned, no matter what the circumstance."

"I see." A smirk crossed Miki's face. "Then I'll revive my Orgoth the Relentless to the field, in Attack Mode!" And then she revived the giant knight to the field.

"Then…I'll summon my Disc Fighter (ATK 1000, DEF 1000) to the field in Attack Mode!" And then she summoned the discus knight to the field. "Now, my monsters, attack directly!"

Orgoth the Relentless rushed forward, delivering a slash that reduced GINA's life points to 4450. Then, Disc Fighter threw one of his discs at GINA, hitting her in the chest and reducing her further to 3450.

"Well done," commended GINA. "But now, the battle really begins!"

She drew another card. "Now, then…I will activate my facedown magic card, Spiritual Energy Settle Machine!" And then, to Miki's amazement, a large machine appeared beside GINA and began to hiss and spew steam.

"This card," said GINA, "will prevent all Spirit monsters from returning to their owners' hands at the end of the turn they are summoned…however, to keep it in effect, I must discard one card each time I end my turn. But, that will be the least of my troubles once I get around to finishing you off…"

"Hmph. Bring it!" challenged Miki.

GINA examined the six cards in her hand. "I will now activate my Premature Burial magic card, to revive my Headless Knight to the field at a cost of 800 life points!" And as her life points dipped to 2650, her Headless Knight was revived to the field.

Then GINA held up another card. "And now, I will activate the magic card, Change of Heart, to take control of your Orgoth the Relentless!"

"What the…?" Miki's eyes widened in shock.

GINA played the Change of Heart card, dragging Orgoth to her side of the field. "And now, I will offer my Headless Knight and your Orgoth to summon my ultimate beast – Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi (ATK 2800, DEF 2900)!"

Suddenly, Headless Knight and – to Miki's chagrin – Orgoth disappeared in a flash of fire; in their place now stood a tall, muscular man with hair of flames. "Now, my monster, destroy her Disc Fighter!" GINA commanded. "Hellfire Fist!"

Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi's right fist became engulfed by a crimson flame as, with one step, he jumped forward and slammed that fist into Disc Fighter's chest, crushing the other monster's armor and reducing Miki's life points to 4500!

"And there's more," continued GINA. "When Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi does Battle Damage to your life points, during your next Draw Phase you must discard every card in your hand to the Graveyard before you actually draw your next card."

"Nuts!" Miki cried out.

"So, for now, I will end my turn," said GINA. And she discarded a card from her hand for the effect of the Spiritual Energy Settle Machine.

"Hmmm…it seems that girl is in trouble," said Jillian.

"Don't be so sure," said Seta. "I've seen Miki duel before. She's got a knack for surprising people with unexpected maneuvers at the last moment."

Kaiba heard this and smirked a little. _Let's see if that's really true._

Now the stats had changed somewhat: Miki was in the lead with 4500 life points, while GINA had 2650. However, GINA had the advantage on the field, as she had her Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi in Attack Mode, plus her Spring of Rebirth and Spiritual Energy Settle Machine magic cards face-up and active; meanwhile, Miki had nothing at all on her field. GINA had two cards left in hand, while Miki had only one.

A blast of fire from Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi's hair scalded Miki's card, and she hurriedly sent it to the Graveyard. Then she drew a new one from her deck. "Fine…I'll set this card facedown, and end my turn." To herself she added, _Okay…prepare to take a serious beating!_

GINA drew another card. "I re-summon Inaba White Rabbit to the field!" And then the white rabbit reappeared on the field. "Attack directly!"

Again the rabbit flew forward with its iron post, hitting Miki squarely in the stomach and lowering her life points to 3800. "Now, Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi, attack directly with Hellfire Fist!" GINA ordered, and her muscular monster hit Miki with a massive fist that sent her tumbling back and reduced her further to a mere 1000 life points.

"Ow…" Miki rubbed her bruised shoulder as she stood back up. "Well, at least I'm not holding any cards in hand, so I don't have to discard anything for Hino-what's-his-name's effect," she said wryly.

GINA seemed to scrutinize Miki carefully. "All right…now I will place one card facedown, and end my turn." And she discarded the last card left in her hand for the effect of her Spiritual Energy Settle Machine, once again.

Miki drew another card. "Okay! Now if this isn't a blessing from above, I don't know what is!" she cried out triumphantly. "Since you've got two monsters on your side of the field, and I have none, I can Special Summon my Fiend Megacyber (ATK 2200, DEF 1200)!"

In a moment she summoned the mighty warrior in his golden armor. "And now, it's time I revealed my facedown magic card – United We Stand! For every monster on my side of the field, my Fiend Megacyber will receive 800 extra ATK and DEF points – and, since he's the only monster on my field right now, he'll have to settle for 3000 ATK and 2000 DEF – but that'll do just fine!"

GINA's facial expression had her raising an eyebrow.

"Now, Fiend Megacyber, attack and destroy the Inaba White Rabbit!" Miki ordered. And the Fiend Megacyber rushed over and mauled the poor rabbit, sharply reducing GINA's life points to 350.

But then GINA seemed to chuckle. "Now, I activate my trap card, Last Turn!" And then her facedown card flipped face-up.

"What on earth is that?" asked Miki in surprise.

"This is a card that I could only activate during your turn when my life points were 1000 or less," explained GINA. "What it does is, I select one monster on my side of the field, and all other cards on the field and in both players' hands will be sent to the Graveyard. Then, you must Special Summon one monster from your deck in face-up Attack Mode and attack the monster I choose. No damage is calculated from the battle, but whichever monster is left standing on the field after the battle is over, the owner of that monster wins the duel; any other situation ends in a draw. And so…I choose Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi to remain on the field! Now, you choose!"

To Miki's astonishment, the Spiritual Energy Settle Machine and Spring of Rebirth magic cards, and her own Fiend Megacyber and United We Stand cards were all sent to the Graveyard. "Great…now what monster should I choose?" she groaned as she went through her deck.

Several of the monsters she saw would be too weak to attack Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi in a head-on battle by themselves, and one monster she saw – Silent Swordsman Lv. 7 (ATK 2800, DEF 1000) – though a good candidate, could not be Special Summoned except under certain circumstances. But she had to do something!

Then suddenly she spied a certain monster card in her deck, and a happy little smile crossed her face. "Okay, I've decided!" she announced. "I'll Special Summon this monster to the field – Obnoxious Celtic Guard (ATK 1400, DEF 1200)!"

Then she brought forth a Celtic Guardian look-alike from her deck. "Attack GINA's monster now!" she cried, and the warrior held up his sword and charged forward. Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi, in turn, raised his Hellfire Fist and brought it down – and Obnoxious Celtic Guard raised his sword to block it.

A massive shockwave rocked the entire arena, and it was so forceful it blasted Miki back. Seta and Jillian held onto the railings tightly lest they be blown back as well, and even Kaiba looked unsteady on his feet. But when the smoke cleared…both monsters were still standing!

"Impressive move, Miki," GINA announced. "Your choice was a good one. Obnoxious Celtic Guard cannot be destroyed in battle by a monster whose ATK is 1900 or higher…and in choosing him, you forced the duel into a draw. Truly, you are a duelist full of surprises."

Miki slowly stood up. "Yeah…thanks."

Silence followed for a few minutes. Then came the sound of slow, steady applause – from Kaiba himself. "Very, very impressive," he nodded. "Miki, you've convinced me. I'll keep GINA around, even if only for a little while."

Miki looked up at him, a bright smile covering her features. "Thank you, Mr. Kaiba!"

Kaiba nodded, then turned to Seta and Jillian. "You two…say hello to your newest Duel Monsters simulator, company encyclopedia, electronic security, and everything else…all with thought of its own."

"You serious? THAT'S what this is?" said Seta, genuinely surprised.

"This should be good," murmured Jillian.

----------

LATER THAT AFTERNOON

Seta watched as his father worked at the giant computer in the lab. Stepping away a moment, he pulled out his cell-phone and speed-dialed Miki's number. It rang a few times. "Hello?" Miki's voice came over the line.

"Miki…it's me, Seta," said Seta. "You certainly did the right thing, bringing GINA here. She'll definitely enhance our systems for sure. Of course, Dad's still a little uncertain, since this thing's got intelligence of its own, but I'm sure he'll mellow to it with time."

"Yeah." Miki's voice was filled with happiness. "I'm just glad she'll have a home now. Your dad is a great guy."

"Yeah, I guess," said Seta. "Well, so long."

He hung up and walked back to where the older Kaiba was working. "Finished?" he asked.

"Just about," and Kaiba rolled his sleeves down. "Now, let's switch this on and see…"

Moments later a loud whirring could be heard throughout the building as Kaibacorp's computer systems got updated and upgraded with the new program and software inside it. Then GINA's voice could be heard throughout the building:

"Good afternoon, employees of Kaibacorp, Masters Seto and Seta Kaiba. How may I serve you?"

Kaiba chuckled. "Yep…this should be a very interesting development."

----------

**_neomage:_** WHEW! Finished with this side-story at long last! Well, next chapter a very dark saga will begin, so prepare for a lotta angst and suspense – and some very intense duels in the middle of it all! Thanks for your continued support, and continue reading!

UPDATED 27/09/2005: Made a bit of a mistake using the Soul Exchange card in this duel, so I had to change it to Change of Heart. For those who may have seen this mistake, sorry for the slip-up.

UPDATED 17/11/2005: The monster's name is Obnoxious Celtic GUARD…not GuardIAN. Sorry about that.


	74. Chapter 74

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: The original stuff isn't mine, that's for sure. I only own this story.)

**CHAPTER 74**

_Characters' First Appearance in Story_

_JAN_

_NAME: Jan Shimizu_

_AGE: 25_

_HAIR: Aqua (think of Yami Bakura with aqua hair)_

_EYES: Black_

_CLOTHES: Maroon duster trench-coat, brown undershirt, black jeans, black boots_

_LASSITER_

_NAME: Jude Lassiter_

_AGE: 30_

_HAIR: Bald_

_EYES: Black_

_CLOTHES: Blue robe, blue shoes_

KYO'S HOUSE, FOUR NIGHTS LATER

Kyo lay in his bed, fast asleep. He tossed to one side, threw an arm to another side, and groaned in his slumber. "No…no…don't do this…" he muttered.

----------

_Kyo found himself standing along a dusty road, the houses on either side looking sinister and the sky showing not an ounce of light from either the moon or the stars. He was five years old again, and he was chasing after somebody. "Come back!" he wailed. "Don't leave me alone!"_

_The figure in front of him was completely shrouded in shadow, but his voice was low and gruff when he spoke to Kyo. "Kid…you should forget about me," he said, his eyes flashing for a moment to show malevolent warning in them. "I surrendered to the darkness of my heart long ago. You are still young, still pure of heart…don't walk in the same path that I now walk in. Grow up to be a good man, and make your mother and father proud."_

_Then the figure turned and walked away. Kyo rushed after him. "Wait! I don't understand! Don't do this to me!"_

_Suddenly, from the darkness several horrifying hands shot out and grabbed Kyo's limbs, pulling him back – and letting the silhouetted figure get further and further away. "No! Don't do thiiiiiiiiiissss!" Kyo screamed, as the hands continued to pull him back._

_Then suddenly, in front of his line of vision, an evil-looking face appeared. "Forget about him, little boy," it hissed. "He has surrendered his soul to us…and very soon, you will be our next victim…so, come to us and surrender yourself forever!"_

_"No! Lemme go!" Kyo kicked out, trying vainly to free himself; but it was of no use – already those hands were dragging him toward the evil face, which was now laughing maliciously, exposing blood-stained teeth…_

----------

"AAAAARRRRRGH!"

Kyo sprang forward in bed, his eyes widened in fright. His breathing was heavy; sweat poured down his face. _Nightmare…_

Slowly he glanced over to the alarm clock by his bed. The time was 3:30 a.m. Sighing, he flopped back on his pillow…but sleep was long in coming again. His brain was now invaded by troublesome thoughts. _It's been years since I had that dream…I thought I'd forgotten about it, but apparently I haven't. But…why would it return to haunt me now, after all this time…?_

----------

THE ENTRANCE TO DOMINO CITY, SOME HOURS LATER

The sun was just rising over the horizon, and the early morning fog was just starting to clear away. Everything appeared peaceful, copasetic…

Two figures in robes - one brown, the other blue – were walking into Domino City. "So, the time is now?" the brown-robed one asked.

His blue-robed companion nodded. "What better time to bring chaos into someone's life, than when things appear at their calmest?"

He turned and chuckled. "When you are on the battlefield, and you are camped somewhere, the time to be most alert is, ironically, the very time when warriors sleep heaviest – right when dawn is near, for they feel that all danger is past by then. Oh, they will keep sharp watch in the darkest part of night, but let the light of the morning come, and they drop their guard for an instant – and THAT is the moment when the wise combatants will strike with full force."

The first stranger smirked underneath the hood that concealed his face. "So where to, then?"

"First, we must determine _what_ the objective is…and for me, the objective is to draw _him_ out. From there, I know where I should go first."

"And what about Kyo Bakura?" the first asked,

"Him I will leave to you." The second chuckled again.

"Good." The first licked his lips. "I've had a longing to have a sample of his skill."

"Then you know what to do. Let us disperse." And the two strangers split up, walking along different avenues, away from each other.

----------

YUGO'S HOUSE, TWO HOURS AFTERWARD

"Yugo! Oh, Yugo, wake up!"

Yugo roughly pulled the covers over his head. "I am not getting up…I am not getting up…I am not getting up…" he growled savagely.

"Breakfast is ready!" Grandma's voice came through again.

"Okay, I changed my mind – I'm getting up!" Yugo was up in a flash and headed straight for the bathroom.

Ten minutes later he was downstairs and at the table. "So, what's for breakfast?" he asked.

"Fried tofu steaks in tomato sauce, with brown bread," Grandma informed him.

"Okay!" Yugo said eagerly. He watched with growing appetite as Grandma set the plate before him.

Moments later the food was gone, and he pushed back his chair and smiled. "That was a definite filler! Now, to go pester the others as usual!"

"Just stay out of trouble, you hear me, young man?" said Grandma firmly.

"Yes, Grandma, I hear you," Yugo said resignedly, grabbing his jacket and heading out the door.

----------

Moments later he stood in front of Kyo's door and knocked. The door was opened a few minutes later, and there stood Mrs. Bakura. "Oh, good morning, Yugo," she greeted him. "You're here for Kyo, right?"

"Yes, ma'am!" Yugo answered cheerfully. "Can he come downstairs?"

"Actually…" Mrs. Bakura's face took on a worried frown. "Kyo's been rather moody this morning; he won't even come downstairs for breakfast. I can't help but wonder if he's feeling ill or something…"

"Maybe I should come back later, then," said Yugo. "He'll probably feel better by then…"

"Hold on—don't go anywhere!" Kyo's voice emerged from inside. Turning, his mother saw him coming down the stairs as if he had not a care in the world.

"What's up, dude?" Yugo greeted him. "Wanna go hang out?"

"Yeah, sure. Why don't we go to the square and just chill for a while," Kyo suggested.

"Not without your breakfast you don't, young man!" Mrs. Bakura said firmly. "And Yugo, would you care to join us? Granted, you've probably eaten already…"

"Sure!" Yugo bounded inside before Kyo could object.

"Greedy bastard…" Kyo muttered.

----------

MIKI'S HOUSE, AT THAT MOMENT

Miki was in the kitchen, busily washing up the dishes as her father prepared to leave. Mrs. Taylor had phoned that morning to announce that she would be flying in to Domino City in an hour or so, and so Mr. Taylor was preparing to head to the airport so he could pick her up.

"You sure you'll be all right, sweetheart?" he asked as he grabbed his car keys.

"Sure!" Miki replied. "Just bring Mom back here, that's all."

"Will do. See you later!" And Mr. Taylor went out the door, and Miki slid the bolt-chain in place. Minutes later, she went back to the kitchen and watched from the window as the car pulled out into the main road and zoomed off.

Sighing contentedly, Miki wiped the last plate clean and set it in the dish-rack to dry. "Now, what should I do…" she wondered aloud.

Suddenly a loud knock at the door disturbed her thoughts. "Hmmm? Who could that be?" she wondered. "Did Dad forget something?"

She glanced out the window – but saw no sign of the car. "Okay, not Dad," she thought. "Maybe it's Jenna or one of the boys!"

Her heart skipping a beat in happiness, she waltzed to the door and opened it, its movement restricted by the bolt-chain – and her eyes widened in surprise. "Um…yes? Can I help you?"

The person on the doorstep was a man roughly a foot and several inches taller than her, with long, spiky aqua-colored hair. He wore a trench-coat with edges that swept the ground, and he wore a small smile on his lips. "Sorry to disturb you, miss," he said in a polite voice. "You're Miki Taylor, right? I was wondering if you'd be so kind as to give a message to Kyo Bakura for me, please?"

"And you are…?" Miki asked cautiously.

Then man turned his head and shot a quick glance at the street. Then he turned back to her. "My name isn't important now," he answered. "Just kindly give him the message. He'll know who it's from."

"Uh-huh…" Miki pushed the door back a little. "And what's the message?"

The man smirked. "This."

Suddenly, utterly without warning, he raised one foot and kicked the door with all his might. The force of the kick was so powerful, the bolt-chain snapped off the doorpost and the door itself flew back, hitting a shocked Miki square in the face and sending her flying back, landing on her rump.

With determination, the stranger stalked into the house, over to Miki, and grabbed her by her hair, yanking her upright and causing her to scream out in pain. "Ow! Stop it!" she screamed. "Let me go!"

The stranger shook his head. "Sorry, sweetheart…this is nothing personal. Just doing what I have to do." Then, as Miki's eyes widened in further terror, he raised his fist.

----------

Outside the house, the blue-robed man sat, eating from a box of Herr's Sour Cream and Onion potato chips. "That Jan…he sure doesn't know anything about restraint," he sighed as he listened to the very audible blows being landed and the innocent girl's grunts of agony.

A moment later, total silence followed. Then the sounds of items crashing against the ground, and then dragging of some heavy object, could be heard. Then, as the man listened in amusement, he heard the sound of something spraying. A few minutes later Jan emerged from the house, replacing a can of spray-paint in his coat.

"Not that I mind or anything, but…was all of that really necessary?" the man asked as he reached into the bushes and pulled out a brown robe, handing it to his companion to put on. "You're just lucky nobody passed by the house while you were having fun in there."

"Believe me, Lassiter…if I know Kyo, this is definitely something that'll catch his attention," Jan replied with a smirk as he pulled on the robe over his own clothes. "If this doesn't grab his notice, nothing will."

"Well, you certainly did your homework on the kid," Lassiter chuckled, taking another handful of chips from the bag. "Then again, you probably know him better than anyone else already…"

Jan reached over and snatched the chips from his companion. "And you should do your homework where potato chips are concerned – they'll send you to an early heart attack before your time," he muttered as, ironically he began stuffing chips into his own mouth.

"Well, let's get out of here before somebody else comes along and sees us," said Lassiter. And with that, the two dashed to the side of the house and ran off.

----------

A FEW MINUTES LATER

Yugo and Kyo were walking along the street together. "So, what's up?" Yugo inquired.

"Not much," said Kyo. "Just…"

"Just?" Yugo prompted.

"Well…I had this really weird dream last night…" Kyo started.

"And I bet I know what it was all about!" Yugo exclaimed, in his boisterous manner. "You dreamed you were eating the world's biggest banana split, along with the world's largest number of burgers and fries and Colas, right?"

Then he noticed that Kyo wasn't paying attention; he seemed distant. "Uh…Kyo?"

"Huh?" Kyo snapped back to attention. "Oh, sorry…did you say something?"

The next thing he knew, Yugo gave him a kick in the butt that sent him flying to the other side of the street, headfirst into a lamppost. "PAY ATTENTION WHEN PEOPLE ARE TALKING TO YOU!" Yugo yelled in exasperation.

"Ow…" Kyo groaned, swirls in his eyes.

"Guys!" a familiar voice called behind them. Looking up, they saw Jenna running up the street toward them.

"Hi, Jenna! What's happening?" asked Yugo.

"Nothin'! Just thought we could hang at Burger World together!" Jenna replied. "You wanna go?"

"Yeah…" Kyo stood up, rubbing his head. "Let's go, then."

"And let's stop by Miki and bring her along! We shouldn't leave her out of the equation, you know!" added Yugo.

With that, the trio walked in the direction of Miki's house, Kyo walking ahead of Yugo and Jenna. "Hey, Yugo…did you do something to Kyo?" Jenna looked at Yugo accusingly.

"Well…I guess I musta kicked him too hard or something," Yugo admitted sheepishly.

Then his face became reflective. "But I'm worried."

Jenna looked surprised. "What? Why?"

"Well…his mom said he's been a bit moody this morning," Yugo revealed. "And just now, I noticed that he's been a bit absent-minded. I wonder if something happened to him…"

"Well, why don't you ask him?" suggested Jenna.

"I would, but I don't want to pry," said Yugo. "If something's up with him, he'll tell us when he's ready. We shouldn't force him to reveal it before he's actually ready to say anything."

Presently they rounded a corner and started to walk along the avenue leading to Miki's house. "Well, we're almost there," announced Yugo. "I wonder if Miki's baking any cookies or if she's got any sub-sandwiches ready for us…"

Then they walked up the driveway – but right before they reached the front porch, Kyo suddenly halted. "What's up?" Jenna inquired.

"Something…is…wrong…" Kyo suddenly dashed up the steps and stopped short in the doorway. Puzzled, Yugo and Jenna followed him…and what they saw over his shoulders filled them with horror.

Inside, the living room was trashed. Furniture was turned over, glass was broken, and the front door itself swung to and fro on its hinges, the bolt-chain hanging limply from its edge. In the kitchen, dishes had been cast to the floor, cupboards had been thrown open and left like that, and…right there on the wall was a word spray-painted in red: PANDEMONIUM.

Kyo stared at it for a long moment, his eyes widening in dismay. Then he turned and dashed up the stairs, calling out, "Miki! Are you here? Answer me!"

Yugo and Jenna followed after Kyo, both feeling very sick with worry. All three stopped at the entrance to Miki's room. The door was pushed up, but not completely; carefully Kyo pushed it open – and recoiled in absolute horror. There on the floor, bound, gagged, and badly beaten, lay Miki's unconscious form.

"MIKI!"

----------

**_neomage:_** Many apologies to the Miki fans out there for the way Miki's been treated in this chapter. Trust me, I love her as much as you do, but I wanted to emphasize Jan's brutishness as much as possible without going overboard. I'll try to lessen the seriousness of her injuries next chapter, I promise! Notwithstanding this, though…now **_somebody's _**wrath will be kindled! Stay tuned, please!


	75. Chapter 75

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: **(thunder rolls) **I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!)

**CHAPTER 75**

DOMINO CITY HOSPITAL, FIFTEEN MINUTES LATER

The nurse working the front desk sighed as she looked at her schedule for the day. "Great…not another two hours until I can go on my break…"

Another nurse, passing nearby, remarked, "At least be glad you're working the desk job instead of being in the emergency room, watching the doctors stitch flesh together and whatnot…"

"Ugh, please don't say anything about that," the desk nurse snorted in disgust.

Suddenly the front door burst open, and three teenagers stumbled in, one of them carrying an unconscious fourth in his arms. "Help us, somebody!" he yelled.

----------

Moments later Yugo and Kyo were in the waiting room, waiting with great impatience for the doctor. Kyo sat staring at the floor; Yugo paced up and down. Presently Jenna came back in.

"I just got off the phone with Uncle Tristan and my folks," she explained. "They should be here any minute." She sighed in agony. "What a way to start today…my cousin in hospital, her house trashed…and all on the day Aunt Serenity's scheduled to return home…"

"Any word from the cops?" asked Yugo.

"From what Dad told me, they're still canvassing the block," said Jenna. "They'll want to take statements from each of us, too, in a little while."

At that moment the door opened, and in walked the doctor. "So, which of you is immediate family to the young lady?" he inquired.

"I'm her cousin," Jenna spoke up. "What's the word, doc?"

"Well, miss, your cousin was quite lucky," the doctor reported. "She suffered bruising over her body, especially in her abdominal region and on her arms; but she should be fine. We will want to keep her here overnight for observation in case of anything, though. Have you already notified your parents?"

"Yes, sir – her parents and mine will be here shortly," said Jenna. "I'll let them know to talk to you. Thanks so much for everything."

The doctor nodded and left. Jenna looked around in glee – and then noticed that Kyo was gone. "Where's Kyo?" she asked, puzzled.

"He stepped out while the doc was talking," said Yugo.

"Well, I'd better tell him the news, then!" Jenna stepped for the door – but then felt a hand hold her back. "Hey, Yugo, what's the idea?" she protested.

Yugo's eyes were narrowed in a grim look. "Better leave him alone right about now, Jenna," he said sternly. "He's had this really weird look on his face ever since we left Miki's house. Something tells me he might need some time alone for the present."

----------

Kyo had escaped to the roof of the hospital, where he now sat staring at nothing in particular. It was all a whirl in his mind – the trashed house, the unconscious body…the strange message spray-painted on the wall…

**_PANDEMONIUM._**

Kyo's eyes narrowed into slits. _It was HIM…it's so obvious that it was him…such a level of destruction, and that word…who else could it have been but him…?_

He glared at the cloudy sky above him. _Has he finally come back to Domino City, after all these years? Why has he returned? And what the hell does he want?_

Then Kyo thought of Miki, now laying in a hospital bed several floors below him; and he gritted his teeth. _Damn you…Jan…_

----------

Meanwhile, the adults soon arrived at the hospital – Mr. Muto, Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler, Mr. and Mrs. Bakura, and Mr. and Mrs. Taylor. The last two were especially worried sick. "Where is she? Where's our little girl?" Mr. Taylor demanded as they stepped through the door.

Jenna was there to greet them, while Yugo stood afar off, leaning on the wall with arms folded. "The doctor says Miki will be okay," Jenna reported. "She did get beat up somewhat, but she'll be okay. But they want to keep her here overnight, just in case."

"Well, thank God for that," sighed Mrs. Wheeler.

Mrs. Taylor looked ready to cry. "Why would somebody want to hurt my baby girl…why, why, why?" she asked over and over, putting her hands to her face. Mr. Taylor promptly pulled her over to a chair and sat her down, comforting her as best he could.

Mr. Muto walked up to Yugo. "Son…could you please tell me how on earth this happened?" he asked.

"I know just about as much as you do, Dad," confessed Yugo. "The three of us went to Miki's house, and found it just the way it is now." He looked up. "This just sucks, man…"

Mr. Wheeler took charge of the situation. "Tristan, Serenity, since the police are gonna label your house a crime scene for a while, you're movin' in with us until this blows over. No questions asked."

"None to be asked, man," Mr. Taylor answered, looking at his brother-in-law gratefully.

"Uh…any news from the boys in blue?" asked Jenna presently.

"They still need your statements," said Mrs. Wheeler.

"And we're quite prepared to drive you over to the police station so you can take care of it," said Mrs. Bakura. "Only question is, where's Kyo?"

"Right here," Kyo's voice reached them. Turning, they saw him coming forward, his glasses obscuring his eyes. "Let's just go and get this over with."

"Will Kyo be okay?" Jenna asked uneasily as she watched Kyo walk through the doors to get to his parents' car.

"I don't know," admitted Yugo quietly.

----------

BURGER WORLD, THREE HOURS LATER

Jan and Lassiter sat together in Burger World, looking at the menu and deciding what to order. Jan's coat was slung on the seat next to him. Sitting across him, Lassiter was missing his blue robe and now sported a green and blue sports jacket and jeans, and a baseball cap.

The waitress came up to them. "What'll it be, boys?"

"A Full Pounder for me, extra fries, extra pickles, extra cheese," said Lassiter.

"I'll have two cheese dogs, extra mustard, and one small order of coleslaw," said Jan.

"Coming right up!" the waitress said brightly, and she walked off to get the orders placed.

"Heh…you still haven't changed, even after all this, have you?" remarked Lassiter with a good-natured grin. "Such a big appetite, especially after doing something as dastardly as what you pulled off earlier…"

"Well…I don't feel any remorse. It's not like I killed the girl or something," said Jan. "Beating up somebody is just a small felony, compared to murder."

"Yeah, well…I guess _we _did the right thing when we drafted you in, huh?" said Lassiter. "You certainly had the qualities that we were looking for in a recruit."

"I suppose so," Jan shrugged.

By and by the waitress returned with their orders. Jan reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet, giving her some cash. "An extra tip for you, cute-stuff," he said, and winked slyly. The girl blushed as she accepted the money and went off with the tray.

Lassiter picked up the ketchup bottle and drowned his fries in the stuff. "So, what's the next step?" he asked as he started to dig into his burger.

Jan picked up one of his cheese dogs and bit into it. Then he picked up a fork and took up some coleslaw, popping it into his mouth. "Next…we get Yugo and Kyo separately. As we agreed before, you can deal with Yugo…I'll handle Kyo."

"I guess that's appropriate. Especially since Kyo is—"

Jan held up a warning finger. "I thought we agreed never to discuss that."

"Oh, right. Sorry." And without another word, Lassiter dug into the food before him.

----------

DOMINO CITY POLICE STATION

Mrs. Bakura sat fretfully in the car as she waited for the others to come out. "It can't possibly take this long just to collect a few statements, can it?" she wondered.

Presently the doors to the police station opened, and out came Mr. Bakura and the three kids. "Over and done with, for the present," announced Mr. Bakura. "We'll have to let the police handle it from here. There's nothing more we can really do."

"Yeah…" Jenna ran a hand through her hair. "I just want to go home and forget this ever happened."

"But you CAN'T forget – especially with Miki in the hospital and those bastards still at large," Kyo snapped.

"Kyo, calm down," said a surprised Yugo.

Kyo glared at them, then turned his back. "I'm taking a walk." And he stormed off.

"Sheesh…has it really affected him that much?" complained Jenna.

"Come on, kids, let's drop you home," said Mr. Bakura quietly.

----------

Moments later, the car pulled up outside of Jenna's house. "Want me to come in with you?" asked Yugo.

"No thanks; I'll be fine," Jenna assured him. "The grownups should be home soon, so I'll be all right. But I'll keep the door bolted, just in case."

"Yes, dear, you do that," said Mrs. Bakura.

Yugo opened the car door and stepped out, too. "I'll walk it from here," he announced. "My house is just around the corner, anyway."

"Well, take care then, kids," said Mr. Bakura, and soon the car sped off.

Jenna walked up the driveway and opened the door. She paused and looked back at Yugo. "This is just too weird…why would somebody want to hurt Miki? And why on earth is Kyo acting so weird all of a sudden?"

"I don't know, Jenna," Yugo sighed. "But whatever's going on, I hope those punks get arrested soon."

"Yeah, well…see you later, then." And Jenna went inside and shut the door.

Shaking his head, Yugo walked off. He rounded the corner to the street where his house was and jogged lightly to the front door. But as he ran along, many troubling thoughts came to his mind.

_Why would somebody want to hurt Miki, anyway? She hasn't done anything to anyone…and somehow, from the looks of her house, I wouldn't bet that it was a mere break-in gone bad. There's something else to it all…but what?_

Then he reached the front door and pushed it open – and stopped cold. A chill ran through his bones as his eyes shifted from one side to the other, looking around. "Grandma? You here?" he called.

"In the kitchen, sweetie," her voice answered.

Sighing in relief, Yugo waltzed toward the kitchen, where he found his grandmother chopping up some vegetables. "You scared me for a bit there, Grandma," he confessed. "I got this really funny feeling when I came through the door, but I guess it was just my imagination, huh?"

"Well, never mind, dear; lunch will soon be ready, so sit down," said Grandma.

Yugo pulled out a chair. "Dad called you from the hospital?" he asked.

"Yes, he did. But he told me that little Miki should be fine by tomorrow," answered Grandma. "And also to say he'll be by the Wheelers' house in case of anything."

Yugo nodded. "So, as bad as the situation is right now, I'm starving," he admitted. "So, what's for lunch?"

All this time Grandma had kept her back to Yugo. "Well, let me tell you what the main ingredient's gonna be," she said, turning around to face him – and Yugo recoiled in shock when he saw her. On her face was a twisted, crazy look, and in her hand the knife she'd been cutting food with was now wielded menacingly. On her forehead – much to his astonishment – was a glowing yellow eye!

"Young man, the main ingredient today will be…YOU!"

----------

ELSEWHERE IN DOMINO CITY, AT THAT MOMENT

Kyo walked along, seemingly unaware of time or place. He barely noticed the people passing by him on the other side of the street; he barely saw the traffic as the cars whizzed past him; he didn't even notice the clouds overhead gathering together in a dark, angry moment.

_This is not good…if he's back in Domino City…_

Then suddenly he paused. It was much too quiet now. No laughter or chatter from passing pedestrians, no zooming engines rushing by on the road…and everything around him seemed to have come to an eerie standstill. "Okaaaaay…I don't like what's going on around me," he whispered.

Then suddenly he froze. His blood felt cold in his veins. He was walking on a particular street – the very street he'd always used to see in his nightmares. His eyes widened in growing horror as he surveyed the area. There was definitely bad karma around, and he could feel it as though it was right next to him in physical form.

Forcing himself to breathe deep and remain calm, Kyo glanced around again. Where he was, the streets intermingled so that he could cut across one avenue and get to his home block in less than five minutes. So, taking a deep breath, he dashed across three streets, turned a corner, and was soon in sight of his own house.

His parents' car was there, in the driveway – but the front door, ominously, was swinging wide open. Swallowing somewhat nervously, Kyo approached the house and entered. "Mom? Dad? You guys around?" he called.

He walked through the house, finding nothing out of place in the living room, dining room, or kitchen. Then he decided to head upstairs…but when he ascended the stairs and passed by his parents bedroom door, he paused and looked back. Stepping back a few feet, he peeked in – and almost fainted.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Bakura were lying on the floor as if dead!

"NO!" Kyo cried out, dashing in and feeling both their necks for a pulse. Thankfully, they were still alive at least, just unconscious. Kyo breathed a major sigh of relief to know that he hadn't suddenly become an orphan, after all.

Carefully, he lifted his parents' bodies one by one and gently lay them down on their bed. When he was through, he smiled. The way they looked, they appeared to merely be sleeping. Stepping out, he quietly closed the door.

That was when he noticed a note taped to his own bedroom door, a few feet away. Cautiously approaching it, he tore the note off the door and read it. It said:

_Be outside right away with your Duel-Disk. PANDEMONIUM._

The anger returned to Kyo and revitalized him. Ripping the note to pieces, he went into his room, sought out his cards and Duel-Disk, and finally found them. Strapping the Duel-Disk onto his arm, he placed his deck into a pocket and, bracing himself, turned and walked back downstairs to the front door.

As he stepped outside on the front lawn, he stopped…and glared. Standing not far away was a familiar figure. Aqua-colored hair…superior smirk…dressed in a large maroon trench-coat, black jeans and boots…this was a figure he knew and hated too well. Jan.

"Welcome home, Jan," Kyo said coldly.

Jan smiled at him. "And it's nice to see you too, after all these years…little brother."

----------

**_neomage:_** Wow! This entire story arc started out with an ominous note, and now things are about to heat up! So, Jan is revealed to be Kyo's brother, and suddenly Yugo's grandma has gone insane! What's going on? Read on and find out!


	76. Chapter 76

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: **(lightning flashes) **I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!)

**CHAPTER 76**

YUGO'S HOUSE

"Grandma…" Yugo began, very slowly getting up as he spoke. "Come on, Grandma, you're creeping me out…just put the knife down…"

Grandma laughed – but somehow, to Yugo, the laugh didn't sound like her own at all. "You're such a pathetic boy," she spat at him. "You, a big strong teenager, afraid of an elderly woman who's got less than a quarter of your strength? You're a wuss!"

Yugo shook his head. "All right, Grandma – joke's over!" he snapped.

"Who said I was joking?" Grandma hissed.

Suddenly she lunged at him, the knife upraised to stab him. Yugo swerved to one side, though, and grabbed Grandma's wrist, pinning her arm behind her and forcing her to drop the knife in the process. "Stop it, Grandma! What the hell's gotten into you all of a sudden?" he yelled.

"Using such language to your own grandmother…you're a shameless piece of trash," Grandma mocked him, the glowing eye in her forehead shining brightly.

Just then she raised one foot and stamped down hard, digging her heel into Yugo's shin. As he winced and let go of her arm, she shot around with an open palm, shoving him in the chest – and sending him flying into the wall, hitting it hard. Yugo gasped as the breath was knocked out of him, and he slumped to the ground.

Grandma bent down and retrieved the knife. "Now, where was I?" she pondered. "Oh, yes, I remember – I was about to slit your throat wide open!" And, holding the knife in a thrusting position, she bent her arm back to deal the blow.

Yugo rolled out of the way just in time, though, so that the knife hit the wall instead. Shrieking in frustration, Grandma stabbed at him again and again, but he kept rolling out of her way until he was near the kitchen entrance. Then he jumped up and sped upstairs to his room.

"You've been a very naughty boy, Yugo – and I'm going to punish you but good!" Grandma called after him, charging up the stairs.

Yugo slammed the door shut. "Like hell you will!"

For answer the knife-blade suddenly came right through the door, inches away from Yugo's face. Jumping back involuntarily, he tripped and fell onto his bed. Sitting up, he watched in horror as Grandma continued to stab the door down from the other side, chipping away the wood piece by piece.

Glancing about frantically, Yugo spied his Duel-Disk lying on his bed. Grabbing it, he checked to see that his deck was still slotted into it, then strapped it on and activated it. "For the last time, Grandma, back down now – or else!" he shouted.

"Or – else – what?" Grandma shot back, emphasizing each word with a stab at the door. "You'll – fight – back?"

Finally the knife made a hole in the door big enough for Grandma's arm to go through, and she pushed it in, feeling around for the doorknob. Finding it, she opened the door and pushed it in – and stood still. "Uh-oh…"

Shining from Yugo's Duel-Disk was the mighty Dark Magician (ATK 2500, DEF 2100)! "Grandma…put the knife down…or else I'll really MAKE you," Yugo spoke softly.

"So make me!" Grandma lunged at Yugo again – and the Dark Magician jumped in the way, pointing his staff at her.

"No!" cried Yugo, realizing what the magician could do. "Disarm her – don't kill her!"

Heeding his master's call, the Dark Magician flipped the business end of the staff away from Grandma – and instead hit her hard in the stomach with the other end. Grandma flew out the door, hitting against the railing outside – and the rail gave way and collapsed, taking Grandma all the way back down to the dining room!

"Oh, man…" Yugo suddenly panicked. Switching his Duel-Disk off, he dashed downstairs, hoping to find his grandmother still alive. "I hope I didn't kill her…"

Presently he arrived at the doorway between the dining and living rooms…and stopped short. "What in the…"

Grandma stood in the living room, none the worse for her fall – but now the knife she'd been wielding was at her feet. On one arm, she sported a Duel-Disk. "Okay…what kind of sick prank is this?" Yugo demanded. "Grandma, you're not a duelist!"

Then his eyes narrowed even deeper. "And you're not a homicidal maniac, either!" He gritted his teeth. "In other words – YOU'RE NOT MY GRANDMA!"

"Hmm, hmm, hmm…" Grandma chuckled – and again, it didn't sound like her own voice. This time, though, Yugo could tell that it was someone else's voice altogether, a man's voice. "Well done, Yugo…you finally figured it out…" And the yellow eye shone brightly in Grandma's forehead.

----------

KYO'S HOUSE, AT THAT MOMENT

"How many years has it been since I left this boring place, huh?" Jan asked. "Ten years, maybe?"

Kyo glared hard at him. "Jan…why? Why did you attack Miki?"

"Oh, your little girlfriend?" Jan chuckled. "Well, it was the best way I could think of to grab your attention. And of course, leaving the word 'Pandemonium' at the scene of the crime was a surefire way to cement it in your head as to who was responsible…but at least, be grateful that it wasn't any worse than it was. I could have _killed_ her if I'd wanted to, after all…but that goes to show you, I still have even a little mercy left in my heart, after all."

"Fine, so you got my attention now," Kyo snarled.

"Truthfully, it was the only real way I could get to have this meeting between us now," said Jan. "I couldn't just come up to the front door one day, knock and say, 'Mom, Dad, it's me, Jan! I'm home again!' No…it wouldn't have been as simple as that. To prove my point – when Mom and Dad came home just a while ago, I was waiting inside for them. They were very astonished to see me, of course, and Dad didn't seem much too pleased, either. Of course, I knocked them out before they could give any of their parental opinion."

"But why did you come back, then?" demanded Kyo. "For that matter, why did you leave all those years ago in the first place?"

"Ah…so you haven't forgotten about that," Jan chuckled. "Then you should remember what I said to you that day, little brother…that I'd given up my life to the darkness, and that…for your sake, it would be best if you never followed in my footsteps. And, in all honesty, I must say…you've certainly become quite the mature little bastard."

"You haven't answered me," Kyo said venomously.

"Don't blow a gasket," Jan warned. "Why did I leave? I left to seek out the one thing a duelist should have: power. Sure, I had a great deck even then, but it wasn't enough for me, was it? No…I had to have more…so much more!"

His eyes narrowed and his grin became even more evil. "And why did I come back? Well…I'll let you in on a little secret. When I left, I joined up with a very powerful organization, an organization that gave me everything I could ever want, and more. In return, I had to help them gather souls…for the completion of a mighty project that they've had in the works for the last twelve years."

"Souls?" Kyo questioned.

"Yes, souls – human souls. And right here in Domino City is one particular soul that we know possesses great power…embodied in the persona of your friend, Yugo Muto!"

Kyo's eyes widened in realization. "You…you came for Yugo!"

"Putting it in a nutshell, yes," said Jan. "And right at this moment, one of my superiors is handling him with ease, while I take care of you."

"So, you came for me too…" Kyo growled.

"Not really. You're not our target, per se. I just came because I wanted to pay my respects…and find out if you're a worthy challenge for me." Jan reached into his coat and pulled out a Duel-Disk and cards. "You were just a little kid when I left Domino…and now, you've become a fine young man. Question is, are you as good a duelist now as I've heard?"

"Why don't I let you find out for yourself?" Kyo snarled, activating his own Duel-Disk. "Prepare to duel, BROTHER!"

Jan smiled. "As you wish…though I find it fit to warn you from now, you will not find me such an easy opponent to defeat. Best-case scenario, you'll probably end this duel in a draw…worst-case, you lose very terribly."

"You sound mighty confident in yourself," Kyo growled.

"Then how about we raise the stakes?" asked Jan. "The loser of this duel…will lose the one thing he treasures the most above everything else in the world. For me, it will be my right to duel ever again…for you, it will be…well, I think you know _who."_

Kyo narrowed his eyes in determination. "Leave Miki out of this! She doesn't have to get any more involved than you've gotten her already!"

"Oh, but then it takes the fun out of this duel, Kyo," said Jan tauntingly. "Anyway, YOU don't make the rules of this duel now. I do. So shut up and prepare to lose everything you hold dear to your heart!"

----------

DOMINO CITY HOSPITAL

Mr. Taylor looked in at Miki as she slept peacefully. "My baby girl…" he whispered softly, his emotions threatening to tear him apart.

Mr. Muto walked up to him and put an encouraging hand on his shoulder. "She'll be fine, Tristan. You don't need to worry so much," he said gently.

"Yeah…I know…" Mr. Taylor sighed. "I know Miki's a tough girl…she'll pull through this easily…but it still doesn't change how I feel right now."

"Of course not – you are her father, after all," said Mr. Muto. "It's only natural that you—"

Suddenly he froze. His eyes widened and his arm went limp. "Uh, Yugi…something the matter?" Mr. Taylor questioned fearfully.

"Something's…wrong…I can sense it…" Mr. Muto replied slowly. Then, to Mr. Taylor's surprise, he turned and dashed down the corridor toward the door.

"Yugi, what's going on?" asked a bewildered Mr. Taylor.

"Just stay here with the others!" Mr. Muto flung over his shoulder as he roughly pushed the door open and fled.

----------

JENNA'S HOUSE

Jenna sat in her room, looking out of her bolted window at the black sky outside. "I have a bad feeling," she whispered softly.

----------

YUGO'S HOUSE

"Who are you?" Yugo demanded. "And what have you done to my grandmother?"

The mysterious voice laughed, even as the yellow eye in Grandma's forehead continued to shine. "My name is Jude Lassiter," he announced, speaking through Grandma. "And, right now, your grandmother is under my mind control!"

"That's ridiculous!" Yugo snapped.

"Oh, so the idea of your grandmother trying to kill you was ridiculous, too, huh?" Lassiter spoke up. "But she did it – under my bidding. You see, little Yugo, the power of my Millennium Item allows me to do what I'm doing right now, controlling your dear grandmother's mind and talking to you through her."

Yugo raised an eyebrow. "Millennium…Item…?"

Lassiter laughed. "Oh, so you really didn't know about that?" he asked. "Well, allow me to tell you, then. There are seven Millennium Items in the world, each with great power that dates back 3000 years – and the power of the Millennium Rod that I wield is mind control. Only a person with a connection to the Millennium Items, or a person with willpower stronger than mine, can resist the power of my Millennium Rod – and sad to say, your grandma has neither!"

"Grrr…what do you want, you son-of-a-bitch?" Yugo growled.

"Oh…about that…" Lassiter chuckled. "I came here to collect you, my boy, at the order of my organization. See, my superiors believe that you possess a majestic power – but the only way I can prove it is to duel you here and now. Of course, it's not like you have a choice in the matter…for if you refuse to duel, I will crush your grandma's mind until she's a vegetable!"

The rage showed itself plainly in Yugo's face. "Fine, bastard! I accept your challenge!" And he activated his Duel-Disk.

"Poor, foolish, boy," Lassiter sneered. "Do you really believe you stand a chance of defeating me and my deck? Well, I'll help you see otherwise!"

Then, controlling Grandma's movements, Lassiter activated the Duel-Disk. "And now, let us begin!"

Both players' life points shot to 8000, and the holographic coin emerged on the field. "I'll let you call it," Lassiter said.

"Then I call heads!" Yugo shouted.

The coin was flipped, but when it landed, it showed tails. "Oh, shit…fine! Go ahead!" Yugo snarled.

"You're gonna regret losing the coin toss, boy," Lassiter chuckled as he made Grandma draw the first five cards. Then the sixth was drawn. "Now, I'll set one monster in Defense Mode, one card facedown, and end my turn for now."

Yugo drew his card. "I summon Magician's Valkyrie (ATK 1600, DEF 1800) in Attack Mode!" And the female mage emerged on the field.

"Hold it! Now I'll activate my trap card, Reckless Greed!" Lassiter flipped his facedown card. "This allows me to draw two cards from my deck, but in exchange I must skip my next two Draw Phases!" And he drew two cards.

Yugo's eyes narrowed. "Well, fine then! Magician's Valkyrie, destroy his facedown monster with Mystic Scepter Blast!"

Magician's Valkyrie charged up a green bolt of energy on her staff and fired it at the facedown monster. It was flipped face-up, revealing an invisible creature with wings and a halo, and was destroyed.

"The monster you just destroyed was my Skelengel (ATK 900, DEF 400)," said Lassiter. "His flip effect allows me to draw one card from my deck." And he drew another card.

"I see…so your strategy revolves around drawing cards from the deck," remarked Yugo.

"Oh, it's about a lot more than just drawing cards, believe me!" and Lassiter laughed scornfully at him.

"Well, in that case…I'll set one card facedown, and end my turn," said Yugo.

Lassiter shrugged. "Now, this marks the first of the two turns that I can't draw a card because of my Reckless Greed." He glanced at the seven cards in his hand. "But I have more than enough to make up for it!"

"Just make your move," Yugo said darkly.

"Don't mind if I do! Now, I'll play the magic card Upstart Goblin, which will increase your life points by 1000!" said Lassiter, playing the card.

"And you're being so nice because…?" Yugo asked suspiciously as his life points went up to 9000.

"Because Upstart Goblin will also allow me to draw another card from my deck!" And Lassiter drew yet again. Then he studied the cards in his hand. "Next, I'll activate Pot of Greed, to draw another two cards!"

"Look, when do you plan to quit it with the constant drawing?" Yugo asked impatiently.

"Don't worry – it'll all be over before you even realize it!" Lassiter then looked at the eight cards in his hand and selected two of them. "And now, I'll set another monster facedown, one more card facedown, and end my turn!"

Quickly Yugo drew his next card. "I'll summon my D.D. Warrior Lady (ATK 1500, DEF 1600) to the field!" And then the cybernetic fighter appeared, light-saber at the ready. "Now, Magician's Valkyrie, attack!"

Again Magician's Valkyrie blasted the facedown monster – but when it was flipped face-up this time, it proved to be the Witch of the Black Forest (ATK 1100, DEF 1200). "As you know, when the Witch of the Black Forest is destroyed," said Lassiter, "her effect allows me to take one monster from my deck with a DEF of 1500 or less, show it to you, add it to my hand, and then shuffle my deck. And I know what card I want now: the Right Arm of the Forbidden One (ATK 200, DEF 300)!"

Yugo's eyes widened in horror when he heard that. "No! Then that means…"

"So, now you know my dirty little secret, kid," Lassiter sneered. "That's right – I use an Exodia deck! And, in just a few more turns, I'll have all five pieces of Exodia in my hand, and then nothing can save you! Absolutely nothing!"

----------

**_Nneomage:_** Hooo boy…Yugo's in a pickle! Lassiter with an Exodia deck AND a Millennium Item? Exactly what is going on? And now that Jan and Kyo are about to clash, what sort of strategy will Jan use? Keep reading everyone!


	77. Chapter 77

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: The honorable Takahashi-san owns Yu-Gi-Oh, not me.)

**CHAPTER 77**

KYO'S HOUSE

The holographic coin appeared between Jan and Kyo. "I'll call heads!" Kyo stormed.

The coin was flipped…and it came up as heads. "So, you get to go first," said Jan. "Whoop-de-do."

Kyo scowled at him as he drew his first card. "I'll set one monster facedown in Defense Mode," he announced. "Then I'll set one card facedown, for later. Make your move!"

"Certainly." Jan drew a card. "Now, I summon Archfiend Soldier (ATK 1900, DEF 1500) in Attack Mode!" And he summoned a fiend warrior wielding a set of knives. "Attack and destroy his facedown monster!"

Archfiend Soldier dashed forward and sliced the facedown monster in two – but Kyo chuckled. "That was my Kelbek (ATK 1500, DEF 1800), and when he's attacked, his effect sends the monster that attacked him back to its owner's hand."

Jan shrugged and took it back into his hand. "All right. Then I will place one card facedown, and end my turn."

Kyo drew another card. "Now, I summon the Agent of Creation – Venus (ATK 1600, DEF 0) in Attack Mode!" In a moment the yellow angel emerged on the field. "Then I'll activate her effect of paying 500 life points to Special Summon one Mystical Shine Ball (ATK 500, DEF 500) from my hand or deck, and pay 1500 to summon all three from my deck in Attack Mode!"

Moments later three glowing balls of light appeared on Kyo's side of the field as his life points went down to 6500. His tone became even more condemning. "And now, I'll activate the trap card, Solar Ray! For every Light monster on my side of the field, this card will inflict 600 points of damage to your life points – and since I have four Light monsters on my field right now, you'll lose 2400 life points!"

A mighty blast of light shot out from the trap card and hit Jan squarely on the chest, reducing him to 5600 life points. "All right, my faeries – attack him directly!" Kyo yelled.

The Agent of Creation – Venus fired a blast of light energy at Jan, reducing him further to 4000. Then all three Mystical Shine Balls came together as one and slammed into him one by one, reducing him further still to 2500.

"Had enough?" Kyo smirked.

Jan chuckled. "Overconfidence will get you nowhere fast, little brother," he said calmly. "And while you've been bringing down my life points, I've been biding my time…and now, it's time for me to get a little more serious!"

With that said, he drew his next card, so now he had six in hand. "Now I summon Shadowknight Archfiend (ATK 2000, DEF 1600) in Attack Mode!" And he summoned a giant fiend wielding a fearsome sword. "Destroy his Agent of Creation – Venus!"

Shadowknight Archfiend slashed Venus cleanly in two – but strange to say, Kyo only suffered 200 points of damage, putting him at 7800. "The battle damage your Shadowknight Archfiend does to my life points is always halved, Jan," he reminded his estranged brother. "You'll have to try a little harder than that."

"It doesn't matter to me," Jan said scornfully. "At least, now I have a monster on the field that's stronger than any you might dare to bring against me."

Kyo drew another card. "Is that a fact? Then suppose I offer all three of my Mystical Shine Balls to summon my Moisture Creature (ATK 2800, DEF 2900) in Attack Mode?" he said mockingly.

Suddenly the three souls of light disappeared, replaced in the next instant by the large gelatin fairy. "And when he is summoned with three tributes, I can destroy every Magic and Trap card on your side of the field! So do it, Moisture Creature – destroy that facedown card of his!"

Moisture Creature slid along the ground like water, and in a moment's notice sucked Jan's facedown card into the ground. Jan watched, evidently uninterested. "So?"

"So, now your life points are vulnerable!" Kyo said, thoroughly pleased that victory was soon to be in his grasp. "Now, my monster, destroy the Shadowknight Archfiend!"

Again the Moisture Creature slid along the ground, this time sucking in the Archfiend until there was nothing left to designate where he'd stood…and Jan's life points went down further to 1700. "Better give up now, Jan, because I'm gonna kick your ass!" Kyo declared.

"Guess again." Jan drew his next card, so he again had six in hand. "All right…Now I'll activate Monster Reborn to revive my Shadowknight Archfiend to the field!"

A moment later Shadowknight Archfiend returned to the field, hissing in anger at Kyo. Jan then chuckled. "And now I'll offer Shadowknight Archfiend as a tribute to summon my mighty Great Maju Garzett (ATK , DEF 0)!"

Kyo recoiled in horror when he heard that. "Oh, shit…!"

A few minutes later Shadowknight Archfiend was replaced by a hideous-looking monster, with a gross mixture of muscle, bone and hair to form its structure. Jan grinned even more. "Great Maju Garzett's ATK becomes double the ATK of the monster I used to Tribute summon him…and Shadowknight Archfiend's ATK was 2000, so…"

Kyo gaped. "Oh, no – his ATK will become 4000!"

"Exactly right!" Jan smirked as his monster's ATK shot to 4000! "Now, Great Maju Garzett, destroy the Moisture Creature! Sludge Regurgitate!"

Great Maju Garzett took a deep breath, thumping its stomach – and then vomited a foul-smelling sludge at the Moisture Creature, melting it and bringing Kyo's life points down to 6600. "And now, I'll set one more card facedown, and end my turn," said Jan knowingly. "Still think you can beat me now?"

Kyo's life points were now at 6600, while Jan's were low at 1700. Kyo had four cards in his hand, while Jan had three left in hand. On the field Kyo had nothing now, and Jan had the Great Maju Garzett and his facedown card.

_Damn it…his Great Maju Garzett's so powerful now…and I don't have a single monster in my hand that can defend against 4000 ATK points…_ Kyo thought ruefully to himself as he drew his next card. _Still, I gotta do what I can do!_

He drew another card. "Fine…now I'll set one monster in Defense Mode, one card facedown, and end my turn."

"Tsk, tsk…such slouchy playing," Jan mocked him. "Whatever happened to all the confidence of a while ago? Or did it all melt away with your Moisture Creature?"

"Shut it!" Kyo snapped.

"Well, whatever." Jan drew another card. "Now I summon Desrook Archfiend (ATK 1100, DEF 1800) in Attack Mode!" And then he summoned a strange-looking monster, looking extremely rugged.

Kyo couldn't help but chuckle. "Hmmm…Shadowknight…Desrook…some of your Archfiends are actually based on chess pieces."

"I'm happy you observed that," said Jan. "That's why I use them – I've always been a big fan of chess. But anyway, back to the matter at hand. Great Maju Garzett, destroy his facedown monster!"

Again the monster used its Sludge Regurgitate, but when Kyo's monster card was flipped face-up, it was revealed to be Agido (ATK 1500, DEF 1300). "When he's destroyed in battle and sent to the Graveyard, I'll roll a die. Then, whatever the result is, I'll be able to Special Summon a Fairy-type monster from my Graveyard whose level coincides with the die result…and if the result is 6, I'll Special a Level 6 or higher monster!"

"Feeling lucky?" Jan chuckled. "Do your thing."

Kyo then rolled a holographic die. "Go, dice roll!" he commanded.

After a few minutes, the die roll stopped – and it was a 5. "Damn!" Kyo cursed. "I don't have any Level 5 Fairy-types in my Graveyard!"

"Then that means my Desrook Archfiend will be free to attack your life points directly!" Jan smirked. "Do, it, Desrook Archfiend!"

"Not!" Kyo snapped. "I activate my trap card, Fairy Box! This will allow me to flip a coin and—"

"And call heads or tails," Jan interrupted. "But you can only do it when I attack with a monster. If you call it right, the monster's ATK will be reduced to zero during the Damage Step of the attack. Whatever. Continue, Desrook, Archfiend!"

"Ha! I'll call tails for the coin toss!" Kyo barked.

But when Fairy Box's coin was flipped – the result was heads! "Guess fortune doesn't favor the brave – or the foolish – after all," Jan taunted. "Do it, my monster!"

Desrook Archfiend dashed forward and hit Kyo hard, reducing his life points to 5500. "Just a few turns more, and then I'll reduce you to nothing more than dog food!" Jan announced.

"Bastard…" Kyo glowered at him.

"So, make your move, then," said Jan.

Kyo drew another card, paying 500 life points to maintain the Fairy Box so he now had 5000. "I'll set another monster in Defense Mode, another card facedown, and that's it for now."

"Just like always," Jan chuckled. "Just like in the past. I'd always string you around, let you think you had the advantage over me, even let you take down my life points somewhat – and then I'd move in for the kill. Really, after all these years, nothing has changed."

"Oh, but I beg to disagree," Kyo said sourly. "Much HAS changed since you turned your back on your family, you wretch. And now, I'm gonna make you pay for deserting Mom, Dad and me all those years ago."

"Hmph. You can't hold your own against the power I possess, Kyo…and I'm about to prove it to you." Jan drew another card. "And this card I've drawn will be the proof of it!"

Kyo raised an eyebrow. _I've got a very bad feeling about this…_

Suddenly Jan lost 500 life points, putting him at 1200. "The Achilles' heel of my Archfiend monsters," he sighed resignedly. "Some of them demand different life point costs during each of my Standby Phases – this one asks me for 500. But…the card I'm about to play will change all that!"

He held up the card in his hand. "And now, prepare to look at the power of a card that's always been the bane of your dueling existence, little brother…the field magic card, _Pandemonium!"_

Kyo reared up in alarm on hearing this. "WHAT!"

----------

YUGO'S HOUSE, AT THE SAME MOMENT

Meanwhile, at Yugo's house, the dueling stats between him and Lassiter-controlled Grandma were taking a grim turn. Yugo had 9000 life points now, while Lassiter had the original 8000. Yugo held four cards in hand; Lassiter had seven cards, one of which was the Right Arm of the Forbidden One. On the field Yugo had Magician's Valkyrie and D.D. Warrior Lady in Attack Mode, and one card facedown; Lassiter had only one card facedown.

It was still Yugo's turn, and still his Battle Phase, and already his Magician's Valkyrie had attacked. "I'll beat you before you can ever get all five pieces of Exodia in your hand!" he stormed. "D.D. Warrior Lady, attack directly!"

D.D. Warrior Lady rushed forward and slashed the opponent, reducing Lassiter's life points to 6500 – but Lassiter only chuckled. "Hey, kid," he said. "It may not look it now from where you stand, but for every life points your Grandma loses, she gets weaker and more injured! Remember, she IS your opponent – I'm merely controlling her mind and telling her what to do!"

Yugo stopped short on hearing this. "Shit…"

"And now, I'll activate my trap card, Jar of Greed!" said Lassiter, flipping the facedown trap card. "It'll allow me to draw another card from my deck!" And in a moment's notice he had a total of eight cards in hand.

"You coward," Yugo growled. "Couldn't you face me man-to-man, instead of using my own grandma to get to me?"

"Well, of course, but then where would the suspense be in that?" Lassiter joked. "Besides, I just enjoy watching you squirm."

Yugo's eye twitched. "All right, fine. I end my turn now."

Now Lassiter looked at the cards in his hand. "Hmmm…this is now the second turn that I can't draw from the deck because of my Reckless Greed trap card, but at the same time how very interesting indeed," he remarked. "All right. I'll play the magic card Graceful Charity, to draw three cards and then discard two from my hand." And after he did all of this, he was left with eight cards again.

Yugo groaned in frustration. _This is entirely bad…if he keeps drawing from his deck, then very soon he'll have all the pieces of Exodia! And it's the most unstoppable monster in all Duel Monsters…once you have all five pieces in your hand, no Monster, Magic or Trap card can save your ass!_

"And next," continued Lassiter, "I'll set another monster facedown, and end my turn."

Sucking in air between his teeth, Yugo drew another card. "Okay…I summon the Dark Magician Girl (ATK 2000, DEF 1700), offering D.D. Warrior Lady as a tribute!"

A moment later Dark Magician Girl replaced the Warrior Lady on the field. But then Yugo hesitated. "Um…okay…I'll end my turn."

"Why did you hesitate just now?" Lassiter mocked him. "Were you afraid of what my facedown monster might be, hmmm? Well…no need to worry about it, for in another few moments you'll be history, anyhow."

Since Lassiter was no longer bound by his Reckless Greed card's restrictions, he drew another card, so he now held eight once more. "Now, I summon Cannon Soldier (ATK 1400, DEF 1300) to the field!" And he brought forth a purple machine with gun turrets on its shoulders. "And now, I'll activate its effect! By offering one monster on my side of the field as a tribute, Cannon Soldier can inflict 500 points of damage to your life points!"

Lassiter's facedown monster disappeared, and Cannon Soldier's turrets fired at Yugo. He got hit by the artillery shells and was pushed back, his life points brought down to 8500. "Shit!" he cursed.

"And there's more," Lassiter revealed, grinning evilly. "The monster I tributed was Sangan (ATK 1000, DEF 600), whose effect when it goes to the Graveyard allows me to take one monster with an ATK of 1500 or less from my deck, show it to you, and add it to my hand, then shuffle my deck. And I choose – Left Leg of the Forbidden One (ATK 200, DEF 300)!"

_Just wonderful,_ Yugo thought sarcastically. _Already this shit-head's got two of the Exodia cards in his hand. How much worse can this possibly get, huh?_

"Next, I'll activate my magic card, Premature Burial, to bring back Sangan at a cost of 800 life points!" continued Lassiter, playing the magic card. And while his life points went down to 5700, Premature Burial brought back Sangan in Attack Mode.

"Finally I'll set two more cards facedown, and then…" Lassiter grinned ominously. "Again I'll activate Cannon Soldier's effect, tributing my Sangan once more!"

Again Sangan disappeared from the field; again Cannon Soldier's turrets fired at Yugo, reducing him to 8000 flat; and again Sangan's effect activated, and Lassiter chose another monster with an ATK of 1500 or less from his deck to add to his hand – this time the monster chosen was Exodia the Forbidden One (ATK 1000, DEF 1000).

"Damn it all," Yugo groaned, even as he watched Grandma's hands shuffle Lassiter's deck for Sangan's effect.

"And now, I end my turn." Lassiter chuckled. "Can you handle what's gonna happen next?"

Yugo assessed the situation before him. _He's got six cards in his hand now, three of which are Exodia pieces…man, can this get any worse than this?_

----------

JENNA'S HOUSE, AT THAT MOMENT

Jenna went down to the kitchen, hoping to get herself a drink of lemonade to calm her nerves. But even as she took out a tumbler and poured the lemonade into it, her hand still shook; it was as if something awful was troubling her senses.

_Something is definitely wrong…I can sense it…_

Suddenly there was a loud knocking at the front door. Startled, Jenna looked toward the door, then swallowed. Leaving the kitchen, she cautiously approached the door. "Who is it?" she asked, remembering what had happened to Miki.

"It's Mr. Muto! Open the door!"

Sighing in relief as she heard the familiar voice, Jenna opened the door. But her relief was dashed when she saw the look on Mr. Muto's face. "What's the matter? What happened?" she asked, alarmed.

Mr. Muto was breathing hard – he'd run all the way from the hospital to get here. "Where's Yugo? Is he here with you?" he demanded.

"Uh, n-no, he went home…" Jenna started.

"Damn!" Mr. Muto grunted. "I have to get to him – and you'd better come, too. It's not safe for you to stay by yourself! You'll be better off with me!" And he grabbed her wrist, pulling her out the door.

"Mr. Muto, you're scaring me!" said Jenna, frantic.

"Right now, we should all be scared…" Mr. Muto said ominously, talking more to himself than to her. Together they ran across the street, en route to the Muto house.

----------

**_neomage:_** Two dangerous duels are about to come to a shocking conclusion! What will happen next? And, on another note…many thanks to those of you who've sent in your five favorite characters up to now. The poll will be revealed eventually, so keep sending in those lists! Kudos to everyone!


	78. Chapter 78

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Yu-Gi-Oh is not owned by me.)

**(WARNING: Spoiler alert in this chapter!)**

**CHAPTER 78**

YUGO'S HOUSE

Yugo had 8000 life points, while Lassiter had 5700. Lassiter held six cards in his hand, three of which were the Right Arm, Left Leg, and head of the Forbidden One; Yugo held four. On the field Lassiter had Cannon Soldier in Attack Mode and two cards facedown; Yugo had Dark Magician Girl and Magician's Valkyrie on the field, plus one facedown card.

Yugo quickly drew another card. "I summon Kiryu (ATK 2000, DEF 1500), offering Magician's Valkyrie as a tribute!" And in a moment he summoned the red-scaled dragon. "Destroy Cannon Soldier!"

Kiryu flew forward, its razor-sharp wings slicing Cannon Soldier in two and reducing Lassiter's life points to 5100. "Even if I do have to hurt Grandma a little," Yugo said between clenched teeth, "I'll finish you before you can summon Exodia, and then I'll free her from your mind control! So there! Dark Magician Girl, attack directly!"

Dark Magician Girl fired a blast of magic from her staff, hitting Grandma in the stomach and reducing Lassiter's life points further to 3100. But Lassiter only smiled even more. "You may have more life points than I," he remarked, "but it's not always about life points, my boy! Watch and learn!"

He drew another card. "Now, I'll flip over my facedown magic card, Painful Choice! This will allow me to select five cards from my deck, and then you choose which one to add to my hand. The other four will then be sent to my Graveyard."

He thumbed through his deck and selected his five cards. "Now, choose!"

Yugo swallowed hard as he glanced at the cards. The five that Lassiter had picked were Monster Reborn, Card Destruction, Mirror Force, Left Arm of the Forbidden One (ATK 200, DEF 300) and Right Leg of the Forbidden One (ATK 200, DEF 300). "All right – I choose the Card Destruction magic card to stay in your hand!" he announced.

"All right." Lassiter chuckled and sent the other cards to the Graveyard. "And now…prepare for the end!"

Just at that moment Mr. Muto and Jenna emerged. "Yugo, what in the world…?" Jenna stopped short as she surveyed what was happening. "Why are you dueling your grandma…?"

"Stay back!" Yugo cried. "This isn't Grandma! Somebody's controlling her mind and using her against me in this duel!"

Mr. Muto's eyes narrowed. _Mind control…I see…so this is what I felt…and it feels so strangely familiar too… _Then he gritted his teeth. "Whoever you are, controlling my mother – you're using a Millennium Item, aren't you?"

Jenna stared blankly at him. "A what?"

Lassiter-controlled Grandma laughed a hollow laugh. "Ah, Yugi Muto…it's an honor to finally meet you. I see you haven't forgotten about the Millennium Items…well, it's true. I am using one of those Items, and this one you should be familiar with – the power of the Millennium Rod!"

"That can't be!" exclaimed Mr. Muto. "The Millennium Items were sealed away years ago, after…"

"After you sent the ancient pharaoh back to the world of the dead, correct?" said Lassiter. "Well, who says we couldn't find that cavern and take back the Millennium Items for ourselves? For even though they'd served their purpose, the Items still hold great power – power that I and my comrades-in-arms will use for our own goals!"

"What do you want?" demanded Mr. Muto angrily.

"That's for me to know and you to find out! And, speaking of which…I should finish it up with your son – who, I must say, is an exact replica of you in terms of dueling style."

Yugo flared up. "Don't compare me to my father!" he snapped.

"Oh-ho…that's your weakness, isn't it?" sneered Lassiter. "I can see it so clearly now…you've always longed to be your own duelist, free of your old man's influence…well, you'll never match up to him, no matter how hard you try. And now, allow me to prove my point!"

Suddenly Lassiter's remaining facedown card flipped face-up. "I now activate my trap card, Backup Soldier! This card could only be activated when I had five or more monsters in my Graveyard…and it'll allow me to take up to three normal monsters with an ATK of 1500 or less from my Graveyard and add them to my hand. And I only need to take two such monsters from my Graveyard…and Yugo, you already know what they are…"

Yugo turned white. "Oh…no…" he whispered.

"That's right – the Left Arm and Right Leg of the Forbidden One!" Lassiter swiftly took the two cards and added them to his hand. "And now, with these, I have all five pieces of Exodia in my hand!"

"Exodia?" Jenna's face was a picture of disbelief. "It's not possible!"

"Yugo!" Mr. Muto cried.

Suddenly, right there in the living room, a massive portal opened, and out stepped a great golden behemoth with chains on his limbs and the headdress of a pharaoh. "Say hello to the mighty Exodia!" crowed Lassiter. "Now, Exodia…OBLITERATE!"

A ball of intense fire appeared in between Exodia's palms, and the monster prepared to blast Yugo's side of the field. Then, quite suddenly, it forced one palm forward – and the blast smoldered Dark Magician Girl, Kiryu, and Yugo's facedown card.

But it never hit Yugo.

What happened next took place in an eye-blink. But the next thing Yugo knew, he was way over on the other side of the room, away from the duel and Exodia's blast, and in his place – Mr. Muto was there!

"…Dad…?" Yugo stared, his lip quivering. Then he snapped. "DAD!"

He rushed over to where his father's body lay on the ground, badly burned from Exodia's attack. "Dad, are you alive? Please, I beg you, say something!" Yugo cried out.

Mr. Muto's eyes fluttered open. "Son…don't look at me like that…" he whispered. "You…you've become pretty mature with time, my boy. Your old man's proud of you." His eyelids drooped. "Make me and your mother ever proud, Yugo."

And then his eyes closed and his head lolled to one side.

"Dad…Dad…don't do this…" Yugo whispered. "Don't die on me like this…"

Jenna looked on helplessly. "Yugo…"

"Heh. Such a pathetic scene." Lassiter-controlled Grandma switched off the Duel-Disk.

Yugo turned his eyes on Lassiter, mad with rage. "You son-of-a-bitch!"

"Now you're really pissed…that's good," Lassiter chuckled. "You want revenge? Then become stronger, Yugo Muto, and come after us! In fact, you SHOULD come to us. My associates and I will be in Egypt, waiting for you. To make sure you do, I'll be taking your dear Grandma as collateral…so, come over to Egypt and come to us, my boy. Don't try looking for us, though – _we'll_ find _you."_ And before they could do anything, Grandma was made to dive for the living room window.

"No, wait!" Jenna snapped to action, rushing after Grandma just as the elderly lady's body crashed through the window. Rushing over, Jenna as just in time to see Grandma sprint off at astonishing speed.

"Damn…at this rate I'd never catch her…especially not in her current state," Jenna cursed to herself.

"Jenna! Help me with Dad – quick!"

Turning, Jenna was reminded of Mr. Muto's condition – "Ah – right! I'll call an ambulance!"

----------

KYO'S HOUSE, AT THAT MOMENT

The skies above the brothers became darker and lightning flashed as Jan played his card. "Witness the power of my Pandemonium field card!" he roared.

Right below their feet, a huge shrine suddenly erupted from the ground. Boulders rose up to form altars on every side, and Jan chuckled as the sky became even more menacing. "And now, things are about to end in the worst way for you, dear brother," he said spitefully.

"…no…this can't be…" Kyo whispered, trembling with sick fear.

The score of the duel stood at Jan with 1200 life points, Kyo with 5000. Kyo had two cards in his hand, and on the field he had the Fairy Box trap card, one monster in Defense Mode and one other card facedown. Jan, by contrast, had three cards left in hand, and on the field he had the active Pandemonium field magic card, his Desrook Archfiend and Great Maju Garzett in Attack Mode, and one other card facedown.

"Feeling frightened now, are you? Well, it's about to become even worse!" Jan declared haughtily. "For now I'll re-summon my Archfiend Soldier in Attack Mode!"

Moments later, the monster he'd had to take back into his hand earlier reappeared on the field. Jan ran a hand through his hair. "You know…my Pandemonium card is such a useful card," he sighed. "For you see, when it's active on the field, neither player has to pay any life points for any Archfiends' effects. In addition, when an Archfiend is destroyed in any way except through battle, I can take one Archfiend monster that has fewer level stars than the destroyed monster and add it to my hand. And…" Here he grinned wickedly. "It also serves another purpose…"

"What other purpose?" Kyo asked suspiciously.

"Just watch! I activate the trap card, Ultimate Offering, so that I can pay 500 life points to make another Normal Summon or Set!"

The trap card was flipped face-up. Then Jan's life points dropped to 700 as he announced, "I summon Warrior of Zera (ATK 1600, DEF 1600) to the field!" And then – to Kyo's horror and surprise – Jan summoned the very same warrior that Kyo carried in his deck!

"What in the hell…? What the bloody hell are you doing with THAT monster, Jan?" Kyo demanded, incredulous.

"Well…you probably know that the Warrior of Zera seeks the power of the Archlords, and fights against the temptations of fiends," Jan reasoned. "But what if…he gave in to temptation…what would happen…?"

Kyo's eyes widened in ever-growing shock. "You can't…!"

Jan held up the last card in his hand. "I offer the Warrior of Zera as a tribute to Special Summon my great and terrible Mazera DeVille (ATK 2800, DEF 2300)!"

The Warrior of Zera's features began to alter, until large wings grew out of his back, his nails grew into claws, and his face took on a terrifying look. His muscles grew to ridiculous proportions, and his toenails grew into long claws, too!

"Heh-heh-heh…when Mazera DeVille is Special Summoned while my Pandemonium is on the field," said Jan smugly, "I can force you to discard three random cards from your hand. And, since you have less than three cards, you gotta discard your entire hand!"

Pale, Kyo sent his two cards to the Graveyard. "You…you're evil…"

"You just noticed?" Jan asked sarcastically. He rolled back his sleeve, revealing a device strapped to his wrist. "And by the way, allow me to show this to you – it's a detonator for the bomb I placed at the hospital where your little bitch of a girlfriend is now laying peacefully. One touch of this red button here, and she goes bye-bye – of course, when you lose this duel, which you will, she'll die anyway!"

"You…" Kyo snarled.

Suddenly a faint noise caught Jan's attention. He cocked his head to one side. "Hmmm? What is that?"

Kyo heard the sound, too – it sounded so strange, and yet so familiar. "Could that be…"

It sounded like a Blue-Eyes White Dragon (ATK 3000, DEF 2500)!

Suddenly the dragon howl got louder – and then something zoomed past Jan, knocking him flat. "OW! What in the—!"

The next thing he knew, the something rushed past him again – but this time a hand grabbed his wrist and ripped the detonator off. Seeing this, Jan was shocked. "No way!"

Kyo, too, was amazed. "No way…!"

It was Seta Kaiba on his Blue-Eyes White Motorbike, holding a handlebar with one hand and wielding Jan's detonator in the other. Now, as he came back around toward them, he flipped the bike on its rear wheel and spun around on it three times before bringing the front wheel back to the ground. "Looks like I made it just in time," he commented.

"Had to make an entrance, hadn't you?" Kyo quipped.

"Hey—a guy's gotta look good when he's saving the day." Seta then regarded Jan. "So, slime-bucket, what was that you were saying about killing Miki?"

Jan glared at him. "I know who you are," he growled. "You're Kaiba's brat!"

"You could put it that way – and this 'brat' will kick your ass if you try anything funny," Seta warned.

Just then Jan's eyes widened and he seemed to stare into space. As he put a hand to his ear, a large golden eye emerged in his forehead. "What's that…? It's time to leave? But I was just about to…Oh. Oh, fine, then. I'll meet you there."

Kyo and Seta stared at him – he didn't appear to have a comm.-link on his ear, so who was he talking to?

The golden eye disappeared from his forehead as Jan turned to them again. "Well, boys, unfortunately I'll have to cut the fun and games short for now, but…dear Kyo, you and I will duel again – and we'll finish what we started here. For the time being, consider this duel's result a draw. Later!"

To their astonishment, he bent down for one second, switching off his Duel-Disk as his holograms disappeared. Then he made one giant bound for the rooftop of Kyo's house and ran off!

"I don't quite care how he did that just now – he ain't gettin' away!" Seta said hotly as he revved up the bike and tore past Kyo.

Keeping the bike as steady as possible, considering he was still holding the detonator, Seta kept one eye on the road but glanced upward at the rooftops now and again. He could see a glimpse of Jan's form as the other guy ran along. Then suddenly Jan made a sharp right turn – and Seta assumed he must be jumping off the roof of that house, so he turned right, too. But he wasn't prepared to come into a wide-open parking lot – and find no sign of Jan anywhere!

"Um…okay…he pulled a Houdini on me…" Seta flinched. "Damn it!"

Reluctantly, he turned the Blue-Eyes White Motorbike around and headed back to Kyo's front yard. There he found the other boy still standing. "Kyo, why are you still hanging around like this?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow.

Kyo didn't seem to hear him. "How…how could you do this…brother…" he whispered.

Seta's eyes widened when he heard this. _That guy…was his brother?_ Then he took control of the situation again. "Kyo! Snap out of it!" He grabbed Kyo's arm and shook him violently.

"H-h-h-hey, stop!" Kyo quavered, and only then did Seta let him go. "Where's Jan?"

"Got away from me," Seta sighed.

Kyo then looked inquisitively at Seta. "But why are you here, Seta? How did you know about…?"

"Long story," said Seta. "But right now, we gotta get this thing…" and he disdainfully held up the detonator. "…to the lab techs at Kaibacorp. They'll be able to disarm it easily. And you'd better get to the hospital and make sure Miki's all right."

"Uh, okay…just let me go check on my folks…" And Kyo dashed back inside the house, hoping that his mother and father might have regained consciousness by now.

----------

Elsewhere, Lassiter sat patiently, holding a golden rod in one hand. The rod bore a round ball on its tip; on the sides of that ball were two pointed pieces of metal, and an intricately designed eye was on the middle of the ball. The eye glowed with a menacing light, and Lassiter looked fondly at it. Then presently he held up his head. "Took you long enough."

A few feet behind him, Jan was breathing heavily. "A little unexpected trouble," he reported. "Seto Kaiba's son came along and stole my detonator."

"Kaiba…" Lassiter's face darkened for a moment. Then he came back to himself. "Well, it doesn't matter. At least we have what we came for – and very soon, Yugo will come to Egypt, where the master awaits."

"Your Millennium Rod must've done some damage to him," Jan observed, watching Lassiter play with the thing.

"Psychological, yes," Lassiter shrugged.

"But what guarantee do we have that Yugo will come?" Jan wanted to know.

"If he values his grandmother the way I think he does…he will." The Millennium Rod flashed again, and this time Grandma Muto appeared, a golden eye in the middle of her forehead.

"By the way…" Lassiter glanced at Jan. "How'd your little family reunion go?"

"Better than I'd hoped, actually," and here Jan smiled. "Kyo…such a pleasurable target to manipulate."

Lassiter chuckled. "And soon, very soon…the games will finally begin."

----------

**_neomage:_** It's gonna be a little harder for me to keep making new chapters, since I have school and my part-time job to do, but I'll never fail my loyal fans – I'll keep giving you new shtick for as long and as often as I can! And as this saga deepens…it appears Lassiter and Jan have a higher authority to whom they report! And how did Seta manage to get there just at the right time? Keep reading for further info, and also keep sending in your five favorite characters so I can complete my poll! Thanks and lots of respect to you all!


	79. Chapter 79

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Kazuki-san owns Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**(WARNING: Major Spoiler alert here! If you haven't seen the Japanese episodes, you will verily be spoiled!)**

**CHAPTER 79**

DOMINO CITY HOSPITAL, FIFTEEN MINUTES LATER

Miki's eyes slowly opened. "Hmmm…how long have I been sleeping…?"

Hovering over her was her mother. "Oh, you've awakened," said Mrs. Taylor. "How do you feel, dear?"

"A bit beat up, but I'm fine otherwise – I think," admitted Miki.

"But what happened?" Mrs. Taylor wanted to know. "Do you know who it was that attacked you?"

"No clue, Mom," said Miki. "But…I guess he had it in for Kyo. That's why he targeted me."

"Oh, Miki…" sighed Mrs. Taylor. "I'm just happy you're okay. But please, please be more careful when you open the front door to a stranger next time, all right?"

"Yes, ma'am," said Miki, and she saluted.

Just then Mr. Taylor came in, his face grim. "Serenity, trouble," he reported. "They just brought Yugi in."

----------

A moment later Mr. and Mrs. Taylor joined the others outside the doors to the emergency room. Yugo and Jenna were at the front. "What on earth happened, kids?" Mrs. Taylor demanded.

"It's a really bizarre story, Aunt Serenity, and I doubt you'd believe it," said Jenna.

"Suffice it to say, Dad and I got into a little trouble back at the house, and he got severely burned because of it," added Yugo. "The docs are giving him some relief in there right now, or at least I hope so."

Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler were standing next to the group. Now Mr. Wheeler spoke up. "Yugo, we've all had our share of strange events, so nothing can really surprise us. So, tell us exactly what happened."

Before Yugo could reply, however, Mrs. Wheeler looked up. "Oh, dear – it's Teá and Ryou, and they're in bad shape!"

Everyone simultaneously looked up at that – just in time to see nurses wheeling the Bakura couple in on stretchers. Behind them came Kyo, a very disgruntled look on his face. "As if this day couldn't get any worse," he muttered.

"What on earth?" Mrs. Wheeler exclaimed. "All right, what happened?"

Kyo glanced down at the ground before replying. "Mom and Dad were attacked in our house," he said. "And then…I dueled the guy, but he ran off. Seta came along and drove him away."

"Let's go into the lounge and sit down, everybody," Mr. Taylor announced. "I want to hear every bit of the story from scratch. Kyo, Jenna, Yugo, you'll tell us everything that happened, and leave nothing out."

----------

TWENTY MINUTES LATER

"…and that's the whole story," Yugo said, wrapping up the tale.

"I see…so, this guy was controlling your grandmother's mind, then?" said Mrs. Wheeler.

"Yeah, with a Millennium Item, or something like that," said Jenna. "At least that's what Mr. Muto called it."

All the adults looked at each other.

They were all gathered together in Miki's room. She, being awake, had listened to Yugo and Kyo tell their stories with wide-open eyes. Now she said, "Kyo…you never said you had a brother…"

"He never told any of us," said Jenna. "Kyo, why…?"

Kyo's face darkened. "When Jan left home," he said quietly, "he changed his last name to Shimizu, saying he wanted to have nothing more to do with us, that he wanted to make his own name, his own legacy – even if it meant disowning us, his own family. Afterwards, it became a rule in our house never to speak of him. The old folks here are the only ones who knew about him, and Mr. Muto did, too. But they respected our feelings on the matter, so that's why they've never told you guys, either."

"Obviously, these two attacks are related to each other," said Mr. Taylor. "Jan and this Lassiter guy were working together, weren't they?"

"That's what it looks like," said Mr. Wheeler. "Only thing is, I thought the Millennium Items were buried in that cavern all those years ago."

"All right, hold the phone!"

Everybody stared at Yugo as he made the angry outburst. "I've been hearing about Millennium Items all day today. Millennium this, Millennium that! Will somebody PLEASE explain to me what in the bloody hell you all are talking about!"

"I'll tell you."

Starting at the sound of the new voice, everyone looked up to see Seto Kaiba standing at the doorway. By his side stood Seta. "Seta told me what happened," said Kaiba, "so I decided to come over and see what I could do."

"You wouldn't come for nothing, that's for sure," remarked Mrs. Wheeler.

"That much is true," said Kaiba. "Seta…?"

Seta nodded. "I was supposed to tell you the story earlier, Kyo, and so I'll tell it now for everyone's benefit."

"But what about—" began Yugo.

"I'll explain when he's done talking." Kaiba's tone held no room for further argument. "Now, continue, son."

Seta nodded. "It all started this afternoon…"

----------

EARLIER THAT AFTERNOON, IN SETA'S MEMORY

_Seta turned on the computer, and a moment later GINA came online. "Good day, Master Seta," she greeted him. "How may I serve you?"_

_"A nice big meal from Burger World would be nice," Seta joked._

_"Sir, you KNOW my capacities aren't that unlimited," GINA reprimanded him._

_"Sorry, sorry. So, just the latest news in Domino City, that's about it."_

_"One moment." GINA disappeared from the screen._

_Seta leaned back and waited patiently. Then GINA came back again – but there was a note of anxiety in her voice when she spoke. "Sir, I'm afraid I have bad news. Miki Taylor has been hospitalized."_

_"What?" Seta barked. "What happened?"_

_"Evidently she was assaulted in her home," GINA reported. "The police report has just been compiled on the station's computer system, and includes photos taken of the crime scene."_

_"Show me."_

_A moment later GINA reappeared with snapshot images of Miki's living room, showing the damage that was done. Looking at the pictures, Seta then noticed the spray-painted word PANDEMONIUM on the kitchen wall. "Hey, what's that?"_

_"It seems to be the assailant's calling card," said GINA._

_"Perhaps…GINA, could you give me the current status for Miki's hospital record, with regards to this?"_

_"One moment." Again GINA disappeared – but this time she took a while longer to return. When she did, she had a very worried expression on her face._

_"What's the matter?" Seta asked._

_"I have found Miki's room at the hospital, but…there's something else…it seems that a bomb has been set into the digital coding of the hospital's electronic generator system!"_

_"You're kidding!" cried Seta. "What sort of bomb is it? Do you know?"_

_"It's an electronically-controlled bomb – that's how I was able to find it, sir," said GINA. "Whoever set it is very clever with computers. They managed to rig the bomb's digital settings in sync with the generator's digital monitor. From what I could make of it, the bomb itself is remote-controlled."_

_"Hmmm…remote-controlled…every remote-controlled bomb might have a digital serial to it, no? The bombs they make these days in the military are like that," Seta reasoned. "GINA, could you find the serial number for that bomb? My guess is if we can find the serial, then we can find the remote."_

_"Already have that number for you, sir," said GINA, and she displayed a seven-digit number on the computer screen. "Now searching for the matching remote serial…found it! All right, now tracking the remote's digital signal…"_

_Seta waited patiently. Then GINA came back again. "It seems the remote's signal is moving, sir…through the suburbs of Domino City…wait, it has stopped – right in front of Kyo Bakura's house!"_

_"Then it's up to me to find and stop that bomber!" Seta declared. "Send the message to my father, GINA, and let him know what's happening. I'll be back!" And he flew out of the room._

----------

THE PRESENT

"So, Miki, you must be glad now that you found GINA and brought her to us, aren't you?" said Seta. Miki blushed.

"What about the bomb itself?" Mrs. Wheeler asked worriedly.

"My people are handling it even as I speak," said Kaiba calmly. "All my employees are multi-talented, you understand. We have to be prepared for situations like these should they arise at Kaibacorp."

"Well, at least that's over and done with now," and Mr. Wheeler breathed a sigh of relief.

"But that still doesn't answer my question," said Yugo stubbornly. "What are these Millennium Items you guys are talking about – and how do you even know about them, come to think of it?"

"Ah, yes…" Kaiba nodded. "Well, this is a story that dates back several hundred years. So clean out your ears and listen well, kids."

Kyo, Yugo, Jenna, Miki and Seta looked at him expectantly.

"3000 years ago, in ancient Egypt, there was a time when the game of Duel Monsters existed," Kaiba began. "The only thing is, the monsters were very much real, and caused much destruction when their powers were unleashed. And they weren't used for mere games either – they were used in actual warfare, by kings, pharaohs and conquerors who sought riches and glory. Over time, though, they were sealed away in stone tablets, to lessen the extent of damage they could do.

"But then, along came sorcerers and shadow priests who would seek to bring back the dark magic and thus unleash chaos upon civilization. To counter this, a brave pharaoh created the Millennium Items, seven artifacts with great power, in order to house the shadow magic that the sorcerers released.

"Over time, many men would use these Millennium Items, to conquer their enemies and to reign, until at last the Shadow Games that the magic created brought about a war that threatened to destroy the world, until that ancient pharaoh's son, the Pharaoh Atem, and six of his high priests used the Millennium Items to lock away the Shadow Games' magic for eternity. Their spirits were sealed within the Items that each of them commanded, and they would pass from owner to owner over the next 3000 years."

Kaiba paused. "Then, some years ago," he continued, "a kid received the pieces of one of those Items, the Millennium Puzzle, as a present from his grandfather. Others before him had tried to fit the pieces of this Puzzle together, but had failed, for only a chosen one could solve it. Inside that Puzzle was housed the spirit of Pharaoh Atem, the very same man who gave up his life to save the world from the threat of the Shadow Games. This boy, as young as he was, was able to solve that Puzzle, and in doing so freed the spirit of Pharaoh Atem. That boy…was Yugi Muto…your father, Yugo."

All the kids stared in surprise. "That's pretty…incredible," remarked Miki.

"Yeah, it was," agreed Kaiba. "For a long time he had the power of the Millennium Puzzle, and it gave him the knowledge and wisdom of Pharaoh Atem. Some may say it gave him two personalities, in effect creating two Yugis – one being the regular Yugi that everyone knew, and the other being a mighty confident guy who never lost a duel. And then…eventually he got the other Millennium Items, and took them to a sacred cavern…the cavern where they had been hidden from the world for centuries in the first place, waiting for their true owners to return and claim them.

"In that cavern was a stone statue – a gateway to the world of the dead. Here Yugi placed the seven Millennium Items in their places, and then he and Pharaoh Atem had a ceremonial duel…a duel that, if Yugi won, would sent Atem back to his final resting place. Yugi did win that duel, and then afterwards the cavern collapsed, burying the Items therein."

"But how do you know all this?" asked a skeptical Kyo.

"Because I was there, at that ceremonial duel," returned Kaiba. "Your father was there too, Kyo, for he had been the bearer of one of those Items, the Millennium Ring. I was there because, 3000 years ago, my ancestor was one of the high priests who wielded the Millennium Rod."

"The Millennium Rod…that's what that Lassiter guy used to control my grandma's mind!" exclaimed Yugo.

At that Kaiba jerked up. "Lassiter? Jude Lassiter?"

Every eye turned on him. "You know him?" asked Jenna.

Kaiba's face was sour. "He used to work for me. I hired him as Kaibacorp's lawyer, but then he tried to set us up for a blackmail scheme in which he would've raked in millions. Naturally, I sued his sorry ass for every single cent he had, and drove him from my door."

"Well…from what Yugo's been telling us, Lassiter seemed to be after _him,"_ announced Mr. Wheeler.

"That's what my – ahem – _brother,_ Jan, said too," said Kyo disgustedly.

"He said Yugo should go to Egypt…and that he'd be holding Yugo's grandma to make sure he went," Jenna said quietly.

Now all eyes turned on Yugo. "You're not…going to go, are you?" Mr. Wheeler asked worriedly.

Yugo sighed. "I honestly don't know what I should do."

"Here's what I suggest," said Kaiba. "Give it a day or two, at the least. If they really want you, they won't kill your grandma. They'll just use her as bait to draw you in, and if you rush in, they'll trap you. So it's best to wait them out, even for a little while."

"And besides, Yugo," said Mrs. Wheeler, "you still have your father here, in intensive care. It won't make any sense for you to run off at this time."

Yugo nodded. "I…I guess you're right."

Mr. Wheeler nodded with decision. "All right, then; here's what I propose. Yugo, you can stay with us for tonight. Kyo, if the doctor says your parents have to stay here, then you can stay with us, too. Are you comfortable with that, Mai, Jenna?"

"Certainly, it's no trouble," answered Mrs. Wheeler.

Jenna nodded.

"Yeah…" Yugo smiled. "I just need to get some stuff from the house, that's all."

"We'll help you," offered Mr. Taylor – but Mr. Wheeler stopped him.

"No, you won't," said Mr. Wheeler firmly. "You still need to stay here with Miki. I can give Yugo whatever help he needs."

"Well, let me just go check on my parents," said Kyo, and with that he walked out.

"I hope this all works out," said Miki quietly.

"Don't worry, honey, it will," Mr. Taylor said tenderly.

Seta shrugged. "Those guys down below must be done disarming the bomb by now," he said. "We should go check on them." And he and his father left the room.

"Come on, now, Yugo, let's get you back to the house before the police can make it into a crime scene, and get some stuff for you to sleep over for tonight," said Mr. Wheeler; and with that, Yugo and the Wheelers left.

----------

A HILL OVERLOOKING DOMINO CITY

Lassiter looked down at the city impatiently. The Millennium Rod glowed with a bright light, and he growled in anger. "So, that's how they want to make it, huh? Well…I guess I need to give that boy a bit more incentive…"

----------

**_neomage:_** Seriously, I don't know for sure if I've got the actual history of the Millennium Items correct, so if anybody has any corrections for me, please let me know. Why did I say 3000 years and not 5000? Well, I'm following the Japanese storyline, which is IMHO a hell of a lot more accurate than the US version. And…next chapter, a hell of a lot of angst, and a lot of heartbreak, and a confession of a massive secret! Please read and review!


	80. Chapter 80

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: 80th anniversary! I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!)

**CHAPTER 80**

THE WHEELERS' HOUSE, THAT NIGHT

"Well, this is where you can sleep for the time being," said Mr. Wheeler, patting the couch. "Sorry it's not like a real bedroom, but at least you've got easy access to the bathroom and kitchen."

"That's fine," said Yugo. "Thank you guys so much."

A few hours earlier, the police had been combing Yugo's block for any signs of the intruders who had apparently broken into his house. Yugo and the Wheelers had had a bit of a time convincing the cops to let them in so they could get some of Yugo's clothes, but in the end they'd managed to secure a duffel bag that held a sizable amount of clothes and shoes, toiletries and other necessaries. And now, Yugo was at the Wheelers' house, getting settled into the family's living room, which was quite comfortable.

Presently Mrs. Wheeler came into the room. "I just got off the phone with Teá," she announced. "The whole family's back at home, and she and Bakura are none the worse for the bonks they got over their heads. The doctor did say they should take it easy for a few hours, but they'll be fine by morning."

"And Tristan and Serenity?" questioned Mr. Wheeler.

"They'll probably remain at the hospital for tonight. Miki should stay there until morning; at least, that's what Kyo reported when he came on the line," said Mrs. Wheeler.

"Well, that's fine, I guess," said Mr. Wheeler. "So, that means we shouldn't expect them to stay here till about tomorrow afternoon."

Mrs. Wheeler nodded. "So, now that everything's been settled, who's hungry? I've got roast chicken ready to be heated up!"

----------

Later, Yugo stumbled out of the kitchen, holding his belly. "Man, oh man…I feel stuffed."

Jenna came behind him, giggling. "You should know better than to eat more than your fair share of my mother's cooking."

"I'll remember that, thanks," he sighed and fell back on the couch.

"Well, I'll be in my room. Later, Yugo." And Jenna went upstairs and left Yugo alone.

He sighed and leaned back, patting his full belly. "Man…this makes my problems seem so much lighter now…"

Just then there was a knock at the door. Yugo jumped up and went to answer it – and then stopped short. Caution returned to him as he realized that this was how Miki had gotten assaulted. So, carefully, he looked through the peephole.

To his greatest puzzlement, there was nobody on the front porch. But as he opened the door and looked around, his eye caught an envelope on the mat. Bending down, he picked it up and opened it. "What's this…? There's no return address," he mused.

When he read the letter inside, he felt all the blood drain from his face. This is what it said:

_Do you honestly believe that we will simply wait for you to decide your mind before you come to Egypt, kid? I don't think so. At 11:30 tonight there will be a flight leaving Domino City Airport for Cairo, Egypt's capitol. Make sure you are on that flight. Go back to your house and check your mailbox – inside you will find a plane ticket signed in your name, and money to carry you. Be warned – if you are not on that flight, then for every day you procrastinate one person you love will die. And they will all die slow, painful deaths. We have spies in Domino City who will be watching your every movement until the moment you are on the plane, and who will not hesitate to kill whosoever we order them to kill if we must. To prevent any unnecessary bloodshed, therefore, for your friends' sakes, be on that plane! LASSITER._

Yugo crumpled the letter in his fist, his face a mask of undisguised anger. "Damn you…"

----------

LATER THAT NIGHT

Yugo's shadowy form crept past the DO NOT CROSS police tape stretched across his yard, and gingerly opened his mailbox. True to the letter's instructions, he found a plane ticket and some traveling money inside, in an envelope. Taking it out, he stuffed it into his pocket and then closed the mailbox, exactly as he'd seen it. Then he bolted away.

He headed back toward the Wheelers' residence and crept through the living room window, the very same window he'd gone through to get out. Thankfully, the Wheelers had already gone to bed an hour earlier. Now, he only had forty-five minutes to make it to the airport and be on the designated flight.

Having been to this house many times before, he pretty much knew his way around even without a light to aid him. Fumbling in the darkness, he found his duffel bag and checked it. He hadn't taken too much stuff out of it, and so he started to pack again.

Suddenly a light was turned on behind him. "What are you doing?"

Yugo froze. Slowly he turned to face the speaker. "Jenna…?"

Indeed it was Jenna, having come downstairs to the kitchen for a late-night snack. She stared in disbelief at Yugo as he had one hand on his bag. "Yugo…" She didn't quite know what to say.

Yugo stared back into her face. Slowly a pained expression came into his eyes. "Jenna…I'm sorry…but I have to do this."

She shook her head, not accepting his statement. "But the folks said it would be okay, Yugo! You don't have to leave!" she protested.

"You don't understand," said Yugo quietly. "Earlier this evening…I got a message…threatening your lives unless I'm on a specific flight by 11:30 tonight. I…I can't risk that happening, so…I…" He trailed off.

Jenna walked over to him and sat down next to where he was kneeling. "It'll be okay, Yugo," she whispered. "We'll be fine. The cops have been canvassing the neighborhood every hour on the hour…"

"But who's to say Lassiter and whoever else is working with him don't have links in the force?" Yugo interrupted, in a harsher voice than he'd intended. Then, realizing his misstep, he spoke more softly. "With the power of his Millennium Rod…it's easy for Lassiter to take over somebody's mind and use them for his own purposes. They've got spies everywhere, Jenna, and who knows – they could have people in the police force, at the hospital, _everywhere._ So…really…it's in everyone's best interest if I leave."

Jenna didn't say anything for a long moment. The silence in the room, and the look of sadness that slowly crept over her face, threatened to rip Yugo's heart out of its chamber and dice it into thousands of tiny pieces. He looked away – he couldn't endure the expression in her eyes.

Then she spoke again. "Yugo…please take me with you."

Yugo looked up in total surprise. "Huh?"

Jenna looked him dead in the eye. "Yugo…I don't want you to go there…alone…by yourself…and I don't want to be alone here. If you leave now, I…"

"What do you mean, alone?" Yugo questioned. "You'll still have the others here, Jenna. Kyo will be here…and Miki…and yeah, even Seta…"

"I know that." She said this with great firmness. "But even with their company…I will still feel empty…if you're not around." A small tear found it way out of her eye and trickled down her cheek.

"Jenna…it won't make any sense for me to take you. For one, those guys only want me. And besides, your mother and father would never forgive me if I deliberately put you in harm's way. And…I know I could never forgive myself." Yugo held his head down. "How could I be so cruel as to put my best friend in danger, Jenna?"

Jenna flinched at this, but Yugo didn't seem to notice. Then Jenna swallowed. "Okay…if you won't take me…then at least let me go with you to the airport. It's the very least I can do, isn't it?"

He looked back at her and saw the longing in her eyes. A small smile crept over his face. "All right."

----------

Some minutes later, Jenna and Yugo were walking along the empty streets. Yugo's bag was slung over his shoulder, and he held the strap with one hand while keeping the other in his pocket. Jenna had her hands clenched together in front of her, her head slightly held down.

They didn't speak for several minutes, each preoccupied with internal thoughts. Then Jenna decided to glance at her watch. "It's 10:55…maybe we can stop for a little bite to eat at Burger World. The airport isn't very far away."

"Yeah…I could use a bite to eat, for sure," Yugo admitted.

Burger World was just across the street from where they now stood; they went across the road and went inside. "Glad it's a late-night diner, huh?" Jenna chuckled.

"Yeah," agreed Yugo.

They sat down at a table, Yugo resting his bag on the ground. The waitress came along and said in her friendly way, "Pretty late for you kids to be out! And…are you taking a trip somewhere, Yugo?" she asked, eyeing Yugo's bag.

"Yeah…you could say that…" said Yugo.

"Well, all right, then. So, what can I get you guys?"

"I'll have a Half-Pounder, extra cheese, pickles, and fries, and a side order of biscuits and coleslaw," said Yugo.

"Let me have a fried Tortilla Wrap, extra tomato sauce, and a glass of cherry milk," said Jenna.

Satisfied, the waitress took the orders round to the back. Yugo chuckled. "Have to have the best meal possible before a flight," he remarked. "Airline food sucks ass really bad, you know."

"Yeah." Jenna giggled.

They fell silent for a moment. Then Jenna remarked, "I remember when we first came here…you, me and Kyo…you were so greedy, you ordered everything on the menu – and ended up with a stomachache for the whole of the next day."

"Yeah, that was pretty funny later," Yugo grinned. "Kyo never let me hear the end of it for the rest of that week. But…you weren't so polite yourself – you asked for three Tortilla Wraps with lots of tomato sauce – and was it ever a chore for us to drag you out of here!"

"And don't forget the time when Kyo tried drinking six milk shakes and ended up staying in the bathroom for the next hour," said Jenna, and the two of them laughed.

By and by the waitress arrived with their food. "Enjoy!" she beamed as she left them.

"Well…let's dig in, huh?" said Jenna. And without further ado, they picked up their forks and began to eat.

----------

Twenty minutes later, the two were on their way again. "11:15," noted Jenna. "The airport's just ten minutes away from here. That gives you five minutes to get checked in and on board that flight.

Yugo just nodded.

The pair continued walking along, the lights of the airport growing ever nearer. And with every step they took, Jenna felt a stab in her heart.

All too soon they arrived at the airport's front doors, and walked in. They walked up to the front desk, and the cute young girl seated there raised her eyebrow in polite inquiry. "How may I help you?" she asked.

"I'd like to ask about the flight to Cairo," said Yugo.

"Ah, yes – that leaves in another ten minutes. How many pieces of luggage will you be checking in, sir?" the girl asked.

"Just one," and Yugo patted his bag.

"Ticket, please?"

Yugo reached into his pocket for the plane ticket. Pulling it out, he handed it in. The girl checked it, then nodded and stamped it. "Please, go that way," and she pointed in the direction of the baggage collection chute.

Yugo nodded to Jenna, picking up his bag. Together they walked toward the chute – but then Jenna stopped. Beyond there was the departure lounge, and past that…she didn't want to think about.

Yugo noticed her hesitancy. "Jenna…?"

She came back to herself. "Ah – yeah. Let's go."

----------

A few minutes later, the two made it past the baggage collection chute and were now in the departure lounge. Yugo sighed as he watched, some distance away, his bag being carried through the chute onto the plane's luggage compartment. "Well…I guess this is it," he sighed.

"Yeah." Jenna sighed sadly.

Yugo looked at her. "Jenna…I'm sorry…"

"No…it's okay." She tried to smile. "You're doing what you need to do…for everyone's sakes. But…I'm worried…"

"About?"

She lowered her face. "What if…I never see you again…?"

Yugo's eyes widened in surprise. "No, Jenna, don't say that. Of course I'll come back, I promise. I could never leave my closest friends behind and forget about them."

Jenna trembled a little. Slowly she reached into a pocket and pulled something out. "Yugo…here…please take this."

Puzzled, Yugo looked at what it was that she was holding. It was a small photograph of Jenna herself. "What's this?"

"Just a little something…to keep close to you." Jenna nodded knowingly. "When you look at it…you'll always be reminded of me…of all of us."

Yugo smiled a little and reached out to take the photo. "Thank you," he said softly. "I'm just sorry…that I don't have anything to give to you in return."

Jenna trembled again. "Just answer me one thing, before you have to leave, Yugo," she said, and now the tears started to come. "All this time…all this time we've known each other…was that all I ever was to you…just your friend?"

Yugo's eyes widened in real astonishment. Then slowly the astonishment disappeared. "Jenna…"

She held her head down again, trying her best to hide her tears and failing miserably. "From the very first," she whispered, barely audible, "when I first met you…I felt something deep down…but I never paid much attention to it, just figuring it was admiration for the son of my father's best friend…but now…" She sniffed. "I guess the saying is true…you don't know what you have and how important it is till you lose it."

Yugo gave her one long look. "Jenna…now I know what I _can_ give you, as thanks for the picture…and for all the times we've shared together." He took a small step toward her.

Jenna still had her head down, so she wouldn't have to look at him. Therefore, she was quite unprepared for when he gently placed his fingers on her chin, tilting her face upward. "Yugo, what—" she started – and then her eyes widened in amazement as she felt his lips press against hers.

Time seemed to stop in that one moment. Jenna was completely shocked – and at the same time, somewhere in her heart, secretly relieved and happy. This was the moment she'd dreamed about so many times in the past, but had always been afraid to voice for fear of rejection. She closed her eyes and savored the feel of his warm mouth on hers.

Yugo himself was awakening to a realization he'd had for so many years, but had pushed into the recesses of his mind. For as long as he could remember, he'd secretly harbored a crush on Jenna, but had never wanted to complicate the friendship they had, so he'd kept it to himself, never telling anyone else. Now, he was glad he no longer had to hide it, and yet at the same time he felt sorrowful that the revelation had to come under such tearful circumstances.

Becoming a little bolder, he opened his mouth a little and gently pressed against hers with his tongue, seeking to deepen the kiss. She responded eagerly, parting her lips and letting him in, and at the same time wrapping her arms tightly around his neck, drawing him in even closer. She held him like that, never wanting to let him go; and he, in turn, caressed her cheek with one hand and wrapped his other arm around her waist, pulling her in to him as well.

As the two kissed, memories of times past flooded both their minds – hanging out at Burger World and at school together; entering the Kaibacorp Challenge Cup together with Kyo and Miki; the two of them meeting outside Yugo's house the night before the finals of that tournament; facing each other in the Intercontinental tournament; sitting together underneath the shade of the trees at the dome, discussing Yugo's worry about his match with Malachi, and Jenna giving him her Time Wizard…and the last moment they'd had together only moments earlier, at Burger World. Their lips and tongues now spoke a silent language, conveying to each other messages they could never have been able to speak in words.

Finally, reluctantly, they pulled away from each other, a tiny line of saliva the only thing connecting their lips. "Yugo…that was…my first time," Jenna whispered, looking at him out of half-closed eyes. "I always hoped it would be with you."

"Yeah…mine, too," he acknowledged.

Jenna sighed and leaned her head on his shoulder. "Yugo…I'll never forget this. And I'll always be praying for you."

"And I for you," he whispered back.

They would very much have loved to stay in that position forever; but then the announcement came over the intercom. "Last call for all passengers boarding Flight 219 to Cairo, Egypt!"

Jenna whimpered and sniffled again. "You'd better go now, or else the flight'll leave you behind," and her voice was starting to break.

Yugo nodded – and now a tear stole its way down his cheek, too. "Jenna…goodbye."

And then he turned and walked away, toward the exit of the lounge, where the flight deck would be waiting to receive him. Jenna stood there, watching him go, knowing she couldn't follow him no matter how much she wished it – and as this thought came home to her, it threatened to tear her in two.

Slowly retreating back to the front lobby of the airport, every step Jenna took seemed mechanical, rehearsed. She herself appeared in a daze, unwilling to believe that the boy she cared so much about had just left and was now going, going, gone. At length she sat down on a chair , her hands balled into fists and pressing on her knees, her hair hanging down over her face as she bowed over in her seated position.

And then the words came, the very words she had been unable to speak, but had instead delivered to Yugo through their shared kiss.

"I love you, Yugo."

And now the tears streamed uncontrollably down her face, and her sobs seemed to drown out the noise of the airport, and she made no attempt to restrain herself now. At this moment, restraint was pointless.

----------

**_neomage:_** Confession: a smile came over my face when I wrote the kiss sequence between Yugo and Jenna. Originally, I hadn't had any intention of developing anything between these two, but it was ScrewedForLife who gave me the idea in one of her earlier reviews (thanks, SFL!) And now…next chapter, a new adventure will begin! How will the others react to Yugo's sudden departure, and what will happen to Yugo himself once he reaches Egypt? Keep reading, everybody!


	81. Chapter 81

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: The only things I own are this story and the new characters, and some cards.)

**CHAPTER 81**

_Characters' First Appearance in Story_

_JUDITH_

_NAME: Judith Skye_

_AGE: 25_

_HAIR: Black_

_EYES: Green_

_CLOTHES: Yellow robe, yellow sandals_

THE WHEELERS' HOUSE, EARLY THE NEXT MORNING

Mr. Wheeler yawned and opened his eyes. "Boy, that was a good sleep," he muttered. "Time to go get some coffee."

Mrs. Wheeler stirred beside him. "Get me some, too, please?" she murmured. "I could really use an eye-opener today."

Nodding, Mr. Wheeler rubbed his eyes and got up, heading for the door. He paused at the window and opened the blinds, revealing that the sun was still rising. "I tell you, I think today's gonna be a really good day."

"I believe you," said Mrs. Wheeler, turning over in bed and smiling at her husband. "Now all you need to do is comb your hair and wash your face, and you'll look more like a decent human being…"

"Just for that, no coffee for you!" Mr. Wheeler barked, pretending to be angry.

"Okay, I take it back! Coffee please!" Mrs. Wheeler apologized, waving her hands in surrender and grinning pathetically.

Nodding, Mr. Wheeler opened the door and headed for the stairs. But as he reached them, he stopped and gawked. "What in the…"

He could see into the living room, right toward the couch where Yugo was supposed to be sleeping – but there he saw Jenna, curled up, tightly hugging one of the cushions to her body.

Mr. Wheeler headed down the stairs and bent down next to Jenna's sleeping form, and gently shook her. "Jenna…what're you doing here? And where's Yugo?"

Jenna had her back turned to her father. Now, roused by his shaking, she slowly turned to face him – and he saw at once her tear-stained face. "Daddy…"

Mr. Wheeler flinched – Jenna never addressed him in such a broken voice unless something was drastically wrong. And the last time she'd done that was several years ago, when she'd lost her favorite doll. "Jenna…what happened…?"

Jenna sniffed. "Yugo…is…gone…"

"What? Gone? Gone where…" Realization dawned on Mr. Wheeler's face. "Oh, no."

----------

KAIBACORP

Seta yawned as he entered the dining room. Behind him came his bodyguard, Jillian Uriah. "Remind me never to eat any Oreos before bedtime again," Seta muttered drowsily.

Seated at his place at the table, Kaiba smirked. "Serves you right," he said. "You know what chocolate does to you right before bed – you get nightmares and can't be roused until next morning. Let that be a lesson to you."

Seta and Jillian took their places at the table. "So, what do you suppose they'll give us for breakfast this morning, sir?" Jillian asked Kaiba.

"If I know them, they'll probably do their best to surprise us," said Kaiba, shrugging.

Suddenly Roland burst into the room, in a panic. Crossing over to Kaiba, he bent down and whispered in his employer's ear. Kaiba listened – and his eyes widened in shock and outrage.

Seta looked worriedly at his father. "Uh…Dad…? What's that all about?"

Kaiba looked grimly at him. "Bad news, Seta. Very, very bad."

----------

OUTSIDE KAIBACORP

A few early-morning commuters were passing outside the Kaibacorp building, seeking to open their business places early today. Joggers were running past, getting their morning exercise. A couple of vehicles drove past. The morning was rather quiet, as quiet as a morning in Domino City could get.

Until the quiet was shattered by a loud scream of outrage, coming from Kaibacorp itself.

**_"HE DID WHAT!"_**

----------

DOMINO CITY HOSPITAL

Miki sighed sweetly and opened her eyes. "I never thought sleep could feel so wonderful," she said to herself. "Today, I'm to be let out of the hospital. How much better can this day get?"

To one side of the room, Mr. Taylor was standing and drinking coffee. Near Miki's bedside, Mrs. Taylor was sleeping in an easy chair. Now the older woman sighed and awoke herself. "Good morning, everybody."

Mr. Taylor turned around. "Oh, hi there, girls," he greeted them.

"Didn't you sleep, Dad?" asked Miki.

"Sure I did, for a couple of hours, anyway," said Mr. Taylor. "But enough about me. Miki, you feel ready to leave this place today?"

"Sure thing!" Miki answered cheerfully.

Just at that moment the nurse entered the room. "Tristan Taylor?" she asked. "Telephone call for you. The phone's in the hall."

Mr. Taylor excused himself and stepped out. Mrs. Taylor smiled at her daughter. "Well, tonight you get to sleep in your cousin's room," she remarked.

Miki frowned. "You mean the police tape is still around our house?"

"I'm afraid so," sighed Mrs. Taylor. "But never fear, sweetheart. We'll be back home in due time."

Miki now looked thoughtful. "Uh, Mom…will Mr. Muto be okay?"

Her mother nodded. "The doctors say he's still unconscious, so he'll have to stay here for a while longer, but…they've got high hopes for his recovery. He'll be all right, don't worry."

Just then Mr. Taylor came into the room, his face darkened by a scowl. "I just got off the phone with Joey," he reported. "Yugo took off last night."

At that Miki and Mrs. Taylor looked at him in alarm. "What? Where is he?" demanded Mrs. Taylor.

"He…got on a plane going to Egypt last night," said Mr. Taylor. "Jenna was with him at the airport. She told them the whole story not more than ten minutes ago."

"What in the name of heaven was he thinking?" Mrs. Taylor exclaimed.

"Well, the way Joey tells me, Jenna said Yugo got a threatening message last night, saying he had to be on that plane or else…some of us would die," Mr. Taylor said, and shuddered.

Miki spoke up. "How's Jenna?"

Mr. Taylor seemed a little hesitant to answer that one. "Well…Uncle Joey wouldn't say."

Miki's face hardened with determination. "Mom, Dad…help me get out of this hospital! I have to go see Jenna!"

----------

THE BAKURAS' HOUSE

Mr. Bakura sat up in bed groggily. "Where am I?" he wondered. Then the delightful smell of eggs and toast came home to him, and he looked around. He spotted a tray with a plate of those victuals near his bedside, and Mrs. Bakura was standing near the door, looking very pleased.

"Good morning, honey," she greeted him.

"Teá…did you do this?" Mr. Bakura pointed to the breakfast.

"No, it was Kyo," said Mrs. Bakura. "He took the liberty of looking about breakfast for us."

"How kind of him," and then Mr. Bakura fell silent.

"Something wrong?" Mrs. Bakura asked, immediately concerned.

"I'm just…" Mr. Bakura sighed heavily. "I still can't believe **_he_** had the nerve to come back."

Mrs. Bakura's expression became serious, too, and she nodded solemnly. The night before, Kyo had told them everything of what had happened between him and Jan, and of the whole revelation of the Millennium Items by Kaiba in Miki's hospital room, and of the threats made against Yugo by the enigmatic Lassiter.

Suddenly Kyo himself stormed into the room, his face a mixture of rage and dismay. "Who would've believed it!" he screamed.

"What? What? What's happened?" Mr. and Mrs. Bakura demanded simultaneously.

"I just…got off the phone…with Mr. Wheeler," said Kyo. "Yugo…that nut-job…he's gone to Egypt! Took off last night!"

"Please, Kyo, tell me this is your attempt at a bad joke early in the morning," said Mr. Bakura sternly – but the look on his son's face was more than enough to convince him.

----------

CAIRO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, EGYPT

The official gently shook the young boy. "Excuse me, sir…? You need to wake up, now."

Wrapped in a traveler's blanket and propped up in one of the airport terminal's chairs, Yugo was thus roused. "Huh…wha…? Oh, right. Thanks. Say, what time is it?"

"Just after seven." The official regarded him. "You came in with the other passengers early this morning, right? Tell me, is this your first time traveling abroad, young man?"

"Uh, no," said Yugo.

The official nodded. "Well, anyway, I'd advise you to find a suitable hotel to stay at as long as you'll be here," he said. "Rooms tend to get taken quickly, this time of year, what with all the tourists coming to Cairo and all."

"Okay. Thanks a lot." And with that Yugo rolled up the blanket, stuffed it into his bag, and prepared to set out.

Approaching the doors to the airport, Yugo stepped out and regarded the sights before his eyes with wonder. The airport's parking lot was very much like back home, only with a few more taxis and cab drivers clamoring for passengers. He saw people, dressed in the latest fashions, looking about as ordinary as himself…

But he kept his guard up. He knew that travelers, especially those going alone to strange new places, could be easy pickings for thieves and pickpockets. And then, too, didn't Lassiter and his comrades have spies everywhere, probably watching his every movement right now?

"Oy, young lad! You, with the spiky blond hair!"

Stopping in his tracks, Yugo looked up and immediately saw who had hailed him: a tall, thin man with a turban around his head and a large grin on his face. This man was one of the cab drivers, leaning on a black car with a white stripe around the side. "Give you a lift, my friend?" he asked in a heavy Egyptian accent.

"Uh…no, but thank you." Yugo nodded politely, and was about to walk away when the man's voice stopped him again.

"Hey, wait a minute – I know you! You're that Muto kid, the one who won the Intercontinental championships some time ago, aren't you?" the driver asked. "Of course! I'd recognize that style of haircut anywhere! You don't see a lot of hairstyles like that anywhere these days!"

"Uh, yeah…yeah, I'm Yugo Muto," said Yugo. "You a fan?"

_"A _fan? I'm, like, your biggest fan, my friend!" the driver laughed. "And just for you, I'll take you anywhere in the city you wanna go, at half the usual fare!"

Yugo considered. Then he made up his mind. "Thank you. That's quite a sacrifice you're making," he remarked as he walked toward the car.

"No sacrifice at all! I pick up, like, forty fares or more in one whole day, so it'll be worth it! And besides, carrying a celebrity like you around in my cab – who could ask for more?" the driver chuckled, holding the door open for Yugo.

Yugo pushed his bag in and followed it a moment later. "Much obliged, friend. And your name is…?"

"Ah! How rude of me!" the driver exclaimed, apologetic. "I am called Rashid! Everybody in Cairo knows me – some say I'm a bad driver, some say I'm nuts, but everybody says I'm honest and can get you anywhere you wanna go on time!"

"That sounds like fun," Yugo remarked, smiling.

"Yeah, it sure is," agreed Rashid. "So, where can I take you?"

Yugo settled back in the seat. "Let's just take a little drive through the city. I'm in the mood for some sight-seeing before I go to a hotel."

"Okey-dokey! One sight-seeing trip, coming up!" And with that Rashid started the car, and a moment later zoomed away.

----------

SOMEWHERE

Six individuals were gathered together in a dark cavern. All around them were other figures, all dressed in brown robes; but the six were dressed in robes of varying colors. "Where is that moron?" one of them asked crossly, a man dressed in a violet robe. Suspended from his neck by a string was a round golden object with five points on its edge and a triangular design in its middle.

"Be patient, old chum," said another man in a British accent, dressed in a green robe and wearing a golden ankh-key, also suspended from his neck by a string. "Lassiter knows better than to keep us waiting when it's important. And besides, too, the dear boy Jan is with him; he'll keep the old boy in check."

Another of the six spoke up, a woman dressed in a yellow robe and wearing a golden necklace with an eye design. "I can see it now…" The eye on the necklace flashed. "Yes. Yugi Muto's son got on board the flight to Cairo from Domino City last night. He should be here in Cairo by this time."

"And Lassiter and Jan?" said another man, dressed in an orange robe and holding a small golden pair of balancing scales in one hand.

Again the woman's necklace flashed. "Yes…they are on their way even as we speak…" she reported. "In fact, they will be inside this room when the next person to speak stops speaking."

"Which'll be me, I wager," said another robed individual, clad in an indigo robe and his face masked by shadow; however, one of his eyes flashed golden in the poor light.

Just then Lassiter himself emerged in his blue robe, followed a moment later by Jan. Lassiter was spinning his Millennium Rod in one hand and whistling as though he had not a care in the world. "Did you all miss us?" he asked cheerfully.

"You shouldn't be so arrogant, Lassiter," said the last robed person, wearing a blood-red robe. Around this one's neck, suspended by a chain, hung an upside-down golden puzzle pyramid with an eye on its front. "There are serious matters to be dealt with. Now is not time to be playing around." He spoke with a certain tone in his voice.

"My humblest apologies, Master," said Lassiter.

Jan bowed respectfully. "Master, we have something for you – a little guarantee that our target will eventually be in your hands." And as he looked behind him, along came Grandma Muto, still under the control of Lassiter's Millennium Rod!

The red-robed man smirked and nodded in approval. "You two could not have done better. Now the little one will certainly fall into our clutches in due time."

The yellow-robed woman stroked her necklace thoughtfully, and the red-robed man saw this out of the corner of his eye. "Does your Millennium Necklace show you a vision, Judith?" he asked.

"Yes, Master," she said quietly. "I have seen…that an old ally of your greatest enemy will see it fit to interfere in your grand scheme."

"Well, it matters not. Let any fool try to oppose me. Let them all come, and then they will surely die." And the master chuckled as his puzzle pyramid flashed. "For soon, very soon…all will know the folly of opposing the organization that is JUDAS!"

----------

**_neomage:_** Okay! So the Millennium Items have indeed fallen into evil hands – and now, two of the bearers' identities have been revealed – first Lassiter, and now Judith! Now, who are the remaining five Millennium Item bearers? And what of the vision Judith saw with her Millennium Necklace – what does it mean? More to come, so keep reading!


	82. Chapter 82

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Yu-Gi-Oh is the property of Kazuki Takahashi, Kids WB, Cartoon Network and Shonen Jump Manga.)

**CHAPTER 82**

BACK IN DOMINO CITY, AT THE WHEELERS' HOUSE

The Taylors' car pulled up outside the Wheeler residence. "Well, everybody, here we are," announced Mr. Taylor, shutting the engine off.

"Indeed," sighed Mrs. Taylor.

Miki jumped out of the backseat and dashed up the steps to the front door. She banged loudly on the door and cried, "Hey, please, open up!"

Mrs. Wheeler opened the door a moment later. "Oh, you're all here," she noted. "And have you recovered enough, Miki?"

"Never mind about me right now, Aunt Mai – where's Jenna?" asked Miki firmly.

"She's upstairs, but…" Mrs. Wheeler sighed in a woebegone fashion. "It's pointless to try talking to her now. She's holed up in her room, not eating or drinking anything…it's like she's lost in a vacuum of her own."

Miki's face turned crimson. She pushed past her startled aunt and stomped with determination up the stairs.

"Miki, hold it! It won't do any good to go up there – you can't…!" Mrs. Wheeler cried out.

"Watch me." Miki said this in such a severe tone that Mrs. Wheeler was stunned into silence. Then the young girl arrived at her cousin's bedroom door and pulled it open.

A pathetic scene greeted her eyes: Jenna was sitting up in her bed, her eyes staring at nothing in particular. Tears were silently running down her cheeks; with one finger she was tracing the outline of her lips. "Yugo…" she whispered softly.

Miki saw this, and her heart melted. Quietly she walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed. "Jenna…? Jenna, can you hear me?"

But evidently Jenna wasn't hearing or even seeing her at all. "To have him for so long…and to recognize such a wonderful truth…and then to lose him just like that…" She closed her eyes. "Oh, Jenna, how could you be so foolish?"

Miki held her patience. "Jenna…"

Jenna continued, still in the same monotone. "You're a weakling, Jenna…you always have been…" she said out loud, but directed at herself. "How could you keep something so important a secret from the very guy you've loved all this time? You don't deserve to be the object of his affections, you silly thing, you…"

Miki's voice took on a harder edge now. "Jenna…"

"And now he's gone…and you're all alone…and he's never coming back…what use is there in living…?" Jenna went on, unmindful of Miki. "Maybe I can throw myself off the roof, or poison myself…at least I won't have to live with this agony…"

Now Miki was livid. "SHUT THE HELL UP, YOU STUPID BITCH!" she snapped, grabbing Jenna's wrist and sending a powerful slap to her face. "You keep talking like that, and I'll beat the crap out of you myself!"

The slap seemed to have the desired effect, for Jenna blinked and stared at her cousin. "Miki, wha…?"

Miki's enraged eyes bore into Jenna's face. "Were you even hearing yourself just now, Jenna?" she demanded. "Wishing you were dead…you're so pathetic! Committing suicide isn't going to bring Yugo back here, one way or the other!"

A great silence followed Miki's angry tirade. Just at that moment the adults appeared at the doorway. "What in the hell is going on up here?" asked Mr. Taylor.

Miki paid no attention to them, but kept all her attention on Jenna. "Jenna…I know what happened last night," she said, more gently, but still with a note of reproof in her tone. "Uncle Joey called us at the hospital and told us what you told him. But…I wanted to hear it from your own mouth, Jenna. Tell me what happened, just the way you witnessed it."

"Miki, don't...she's already…" Mr. Wheeler started to say – but then his sister held onto his arm. "Serenity?"

Mrs. Taylor shook her head. "Leave them be, Joey," she said. "There are some things that a female won't tell anyone except another female. Leave them be."

Jenna held her head down. "Last night…when I was with him…it was so much more fulfilling than any other time before…and then, at the airport, he and I…" and here she unconsciously touched her lips.

Miki saw this and knew. "Oh…you did, did you?"

"But…" Jenna hung her head. "When he said that one word…goodbye…it was as if my life was over. I couldn't continue living without him…I can't…" She started to sniff.

"Oh, so now you're going to shed more tears over him?" Miki's face hardened again. "Well, here's my suggestion: Why don't you stop sitting here, feeling sorry for yourself, and _go after him?"_

The adults gasped at that. "What are you saying?" asked an incredulous Mrs. Wheeler.

"I'm SAYING, she should go to Egypt and bring Yugo back." Miki turned a steely gaze on the grown-ups. "I wasn't going to tell any of you this…but as soon as I got out of the hospital, I was going to make preparations to go help Yugo rescue his grandma."

"Well, now that I'm hearing about it, I can't let you do it! I won't allow it!" snapped Mr. Taylor.

Miki turned a furious gaze on him. "And would you say the same thing if Mom was the one they captured?"

Mr. Taylor was completely taken aback. Before he could even begin to reply, to everyone else's amazement Mrs. Taylor joined in the assault. "Yes, Tristan – if I was the one they'd taken, would you still forbid our daughter to attempt a rescue?"

"But…" Mr. Taylor attempted.

"You evidently aren't giving Miki enough credit," said Mrs. Taylor, very disappointed. "She has gotten far stronger ever since the Kaibacorp Challenge Cup. And she's a smart girl – she knows how to take care of herself. If she wants to go to Egypt, then by gosh, I'll help her to go!"

Miki's eyes were wide with surprise…and then she smiled a little. "Mom…"

Mr. Taylor looked frantically at his in-laws. "Joey, Mai, say something!" he protested.

Mr. Wheeler's hair overshadowed his eyes. "Tristan…do you remember the friendship symbol Teá drew on our hands all those years ago?" and here he held up one of his hands. "We swore, all of us…her, you, me and Yugi…that we'd be friends forever, come what may. And now, Yugi's unconscious in a hospital bed, his mother's been taken hostage by a bunch of psychos, and his son is over in a foreign country trying to bring her back – are we supposed to just stand by and do nothing in the meantime? If we can do even the least to help Yugo, then I say let's do it – even if it means our kids will be going over there in our place. At least, in this way, we'll still be honoring our promise."

Mr. Taylor looked down at his own hand, remembering the friendship symbol that had been drawn there all those years ago, and sighed. "Well…if that's how you feel about it…I guess there's no way I can say no, after all."

Mrs. Wheeler looked intently at her daughter. "But what about Jenna…?"

At that they all looked at Jenna. Her eyes were closed and her head was bowed. "I…I don't know if I can…" she whispered. "I'm scared…"

"Of what?" asked an exasperated Miki.

Jenna looked up. "You weren't there, Miki – you didn't see the fear in Yugo's face when that Lassiter guy defeated him in that duel…and I…I couldn't do anything to help…I couldn't do anything…"

Mr. Wheeler frowned in deep thought…and then he decided. "Wait right here," he said. "I'll be right back."

Everyone looked on, puzzled, as he headed for his bedroom. A few minutes later he came back, holding a card in his hand. "Jenna…may I present to you…a very special card that I've been holding onto for some time now." He held the card out to his daughter.

Jenna took it from him and looked at it. "Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon (ATK 2400, DEF 2000)…what good will this do me?"

"Try it and you'll see." Mr. Wheeler smiled mysteriously. "That card's got some hidden abilities that will come in handy on this trip. All I ask is that you go and help the boy you love as much as you can. Make me proud, Jenna…make us all proud, both of you."

Jenna looked at all of them. Then the tears came to her eyes. "Dad…thank you…"

Mrs. Wheeler chuckled. "Well…what can I do to help? Oh, I know." She hurried off and then returned moments later with a Duel-Disk!

"Uh, Mom…I already have a Duel-Disk," said Jenna.

"I know, silly." Mrs. Wheeler smiled. "But take my old Duel-Disk anyway, for good luck. With your father's cards and my Duel-Disk at your disposal, in a way, we'll be right by your side, even if not physically. And…go do your thing, Jenna, and don't be scared anymore. You've inherited courage from two brave people…use it."

Mrs. Taylor smiled. "Well…I know what I'll do," she said. "I have a few contact numbers for some people who can give you girls a helping hand. I'll give them a call right now and see if they can't come and assist you." And she went downstairs.

For the first time, Mr. Taylor smiled. "Well, I shouldn't just do nothing," he said. "I'll call up Duke Devlin and see if he can't speak to Pegasus about charting a plane for you to go to Cairo. Just…please…be careful, all right, ladies?"

"Yes, Dad," said Miki, and she walked up to him and hugged him tightly.

Jenna chuckled. "Then no more crying! I'm gonna pack my stuff! Cairo…Yugo…here I come!"

"So, I guess that'll make three of us, huh?"

Everyone turned at the sound of the familiar voice. There stood Kyo, a smirk on his face, adjusting his glasses. "Mrs. Taylor just explained the situation to me," he said. "So, could I go, too?"

"Of course you can go! If you get permission from your parents, that is," said Mrs. Taylor, coming up behind him. "As long as they give their approval – which I'm sure they will – there'll always be a place for you to go on this little venture!"

"Sure thing!" said Kyo. "After all, I'm not about to let Miki go off to Egypt all by herself. So, I'm gonna head home and pack!" And he headed downstairs and toward the front door, and a moment later was gone.

"There, see? Now you have extra muscle for the journey," remarked Mr. Wheeler, and he laughed.

Miki's heart fluttered with happiness. _Oh, Kyo…_

And Jenna smiled a serene smile. _Friends forever…truly so…_

----------

KAIBACORP, IN THE MEANTIME

Seta was packing a bag furiously, his face a picture of anger. Jillian stood to one side, watching him. "So, you'll really go after him, then, sir?"

"Yes," he said shortly. "Somebody's gotta protect Yugo from Lassiter and his cronies, after all."

Jillian gave him a searching glance. "If I may…it's not really Yugo you're concerned about, is it?"

He stopped packing and sighed. "Okay. You know what? You're right. Yugo's quite capable of handling himself." His expression darkened. "It's Lassiter himself…ever since that time when he tried to double-cross our family, something tells me he may have tried his hand at getting revenge…in a subtle way…even before this. I intend to find him and get the truth out of him, by whatever means."

Jillian sensed that what Seta was talking about was on a very personal level, and thought it wise not to venture there. But she said, "But, Seta…what happened with Lassiter and your father…weren't you just a little boy when it happened?"

"I was." He set an evil gaze on her. "And my mother was still alive then." The words dripped from his lips like bitter poison.

Now Jillian flinched. All her time as a bodyguard hadn't prepared her for this – seeing this cold, hateful side of any employer. Mercifully, the senior Kaiba entered the room. "Seta…"

"Yes, sir?" asked Seta, the bitter look gone from his face simultaneously.

Kaiba sighed. "You're determined to go fetch Yugo back here, aren't you? Well, I won't try to stop you, BUT…there are two things I will ask you to take with you."

Seta looked at his father expectantly. "Yes?"

Kaiba looked at Jillian. "You will take Jillian here as your bodyguard. She is responsible for your personal safety, regardless of what happens. And…I will also give you this." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a card, handing it to Seta.

Seta's eyes widened when he saw the card. "Can it really be?"

His father nodded. "I was going to wait until time for the World Championships to give you this card, but…considering the danger you may be faced with on this trip, I find it fitting to give it to you now. Just don't use it unless absolutely necessary, do I make myself clear?"

"I understand." Seta nodded sincerely.

"And, one other thing…" Kaiba held up a laptop. "I've copied GINA's program onto this laptop. Use her skills well on this journey, son."

Seta reached out and grasped the laptop carefully. "Thanks, Dad…for everything."

----------

HALF AN HOUR LATER

Later, Seta and Jillian were walking with resolution toward the heliport on the rooftop of the building. A mechanic ran up to him and saluted. "Master Seta, everything is ready for your departure. The Blue-Eyes White Chopper is all fueled up and ready to go. And, at your request, the Blue-Eyes White Motorbike is already loaded on board."

Seta looked up at the Blue-Eyes White Chopper – a giant helicopter with a front resembling a Blue-Eyes White Dragon's face. And inside was nestled his beloved motorcycle.

"Thank you. Jillian, you ready to go?"

"When you are, sir."

With that, Seta and Jillian boarded the chopper, and the door was shut. Seta then opened the laptop his father had given him and powered it, and GINA appeared. "Good morning, Master Seta. How may I serve you?"

"Take over the controls of this helicopter," said Seta. "Destination: Cairo, Egypt."

"Understood." GINA materialized fully into her human form and held the helicopter's controls. She flipped a few switches, and moments later the chopper's rotor blades began to spin. In a few minutes, the Blue-Eyes White Chopper rose up into the sky, and soon was heading away from Kaibacorp.

Kaiba stood at his office window and watched the chopper zoom away. "Good luck, son," he murmured.

----------

DOMINO CITY AIRPORT, AN HOUR LATER

The group stood together at the airport; Kyo, Jenna and Miki holding their bags in which were stored clothes, their Duel-Disks and cards. "I'm glad you decided to let Kyo go with us, Mr. and Mrs. Bakura," said Miki.

"It was the least we could do, dear," replied Mrs. Bakura.

Mr. Bakura nodded. He then took some cards out of his pocket and nudged Kyo. "Kyo…before you leave, I want to give you these," he said softly. "Use them well…especially when you face **_him_** again. Restore honor to our family by defeating him. There is no other way."

Kyo nodded solemnly. "Believe me, Dad, I will."

"Well, how long ago did you call Duke?" asked Mrs. Taylor.

"Right before we left the house," said Mr. Taylor. "He gave me Pegasus's contact number, and then I called him and asked for travel assistance. And…he said he'd send his own personal jet for the kids. But it IS taking a while to get here."

Mr. Wheeler shrugged. "Well, when it gets here, it gets here."

Mrs. Wheeler sighed. "Oh, if only Yugi was awake…"

"No need to fret, Mai," said Mrs. Taylor. "We can always take turns visiting him at the hospital till he comes around."

Suddenly Jenna pointed upward. "Is that it?"

All of them looked upward, in time to see a jet coming down to land on the airstrip. On its side was written in bold letters: PEGASUS. Next to that was a painting of a deranged cartoon bunny.

Mr. Wheeler sighed. "That's Pegasus for ya," he remarked, and with that the group went into the airport.

A few minutes later found them out on the landing strip, ready to go and board the jet. Kyo, Jenna and Miki looked up and were amazed. "Well, I'll be!" exclaimed Miki. "Look who it is!"

At the head of the steps leading up to the plane were none other than Raven and Honey Pegasus! "Howdy, folks!" Raven called to them. "Father asked us to baby-sit you guys on your journey to Egypt!"

"Well, thanks so much for your assistance," said Jenna.

"Hold it! Don't think you'll be leaving us behind!" another familiar voice rang out behind them. Turning, the trio was astonished to see who it was.

"Blaze? Wade? Marcus? Flora? Shigeo? What are you guys doing here?" asked Miki.

"Your mom called us up and told us what was going on, and asked if we could assist you," said Blaze. "Of course, since we didn't have anything to do, we volunteered for the search-and-rescue mission, as Marcus calls it."

"Yeah – some action at last!" Wade exclaimed joyfully. "I've been bored as hell the last few days since the end of the Intercontinentals – and now I can finally get a chance to kick some serious ass!"

"Pipe down," Marcus said in his usual bored tone. "We need to take this seriously."

"Oh, Marcus, please, you need to lighten up a little!" Flora said playfully. "Just because the task that's been set before us is a serious one doesn't mean we should be all the time!"

"Well, although it is regrettable that we should meet again under these circumstances, my friends," said Shigeo, dressed in his ninja garb as usual, "nevertheless it is good to see you again."

"Well, let's get this show on the road – or in the sky, if you prefer!" laughed Honey. "Time won't wait for us!"

"Well, Mom, Dad, everyone, bye-bye! We'll definitely bring Yugo and his grandma back, for sure!" Jenna waved.

"Good luck, sweetheart!" Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler waved back.

"Make us all proud, every one of you!" said Mrs. Taylor.

"We'll be rooting for you all the way!" added Mr. Taylor.

"Do your best, everyone!" Mrs. Bakura called to them.

"Never give up!" Mr. Bakura added.

"So long!" And with that, Miki, Kyo, Jenna and the others ascended the steps to join Raven and Honey in the jet.

----------

**_neomage:_** All right! So now, by my count, twelve humans and one super-intelligent computer are going to Egypt to find Yugo! Believe me, there will be a hell of a lot of dueling from here on out! Stay tuned!

P.S. Please continue sending in your favorite characters lists. Minimum number of characters: 5! More if you want, but no less than 5! Thanks in advance!


	83. Chapter 83

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Yu-Gi-Oh is the property of Kazuki Takahashi, Kids WB, Cartoon Network and Shonen Jump Manga.)

**CHAPTER 83**

_Characters' First Appearance in Story_

_MICHAEL_

_NAME: Michael Bronte_

_AGE: 26_

_HAIR: Purple (dyed)_

_EYES: Black_

_CLOTHES: Violet robe, violet sneakers_

_BERNARD_

_NAME: Bernard Stone_

_AGE: 43_

_HAIR: Blond_

_EYES: Blue_

_CLOTHES: Orange robe, orange moccasins_

SOMEWHERE

Judith sat down by herself, fondling her Millennium Necklace. Just then two of her colorfully-robed companions appeared. "What troubles you, Judith?" asked the violet-robed man, his Millennium Ring flashing with malevolence. "The constant viewing of the past and future finally fry your brain?"

"Such a sense of humor you have, Michael," Judith said sourly. "My Millennium Necklace has just given me a vision…that several youngsters are on their way to Cairo. They will all be here by nightfall."

"Friends of Yugo Muto's, no doubt," said the orange-robed man, casually holding his Millennium Scale. "But it matters not. Let them come. We will certainly crush the whole lot of them."

"Well said, Bernard, old boy," and Michael laughed cruelly. "For my part, those little buggers will be the perfect foible for me – give their souls to the Great One, and send their bodies to the Shadow Realm to rot for all eternity!"

----------

CAIRO, EGYPT, LATER THAT AFTERNOON

"So, good sir, how do you like the fair city of Cairo so far?" Rashid asked eagerly as he chauffeured Yugo around in his taxi. "Quite big and filled with buildings, yes?"

"Quite so," Yugo agreed, looking out with wonder at the many buildings on either side of the street. "You know, Rashid, in all honesty, I expected there to be nothing but endless desert and old pyramids whenever I thought of Egypt, but – to see modern buildings here! It's a real eye-opener!"

"Believe me, my friend, you're not the first to have made that assumption and been proven wrong," remarked Rashid. "Well, it's almost time for my lunch break. Would you care to come with me, Mr. Yugo? The place where I usually have my lunch break is a really good place to get good food, and the service is just so wonderful!"

"Hmmm…if you recommend it, Rashid, I guess I will," said Yugo.

Whereupon Rashid made a sharp right turn, an immediate left, and then pulled over onto the curb – in front of a KFC outlet.

"Whoa…" Yugo stared in amazement. "KFC in Cairo? I'm learning more and more, that's for sure."

The two got out of the car and Rashid locked it up securely. Then they walked into the outlet, and as soon as they came through the doors Rashid hailed some of the workers in Egyptian. Several of them grinned and called back to him, boisterously but good-naturedly.

"I come here so often, every employee here knows me well," explained Rashid, grinning broadly. "They know what I always order, and what time I always come, and so as soon as I get to the counter I get my food quickly and easily."

"What do you order?" Yugo couldn't hide his curiosity.

"What else? A Number 8!" And Rashid pointed to the overhead menu above the counter. Yugo immediately saw what it was – a Twister combo.

"It's handy to have food you can hold and eat with one hand when you have a job like mine," remarked Rashid. "The Twister sandwich they have here is always the best choice for someone like me. I order it with extra tomato and cheese. Sometimes, if I'm of a mind, I order two!"

Yugo grinned. "Pretty good to have links everywhere, huh?"

"I'll say!" agreed Rashid.

By and by they reached the counter, and one of Rashid's grinning friends handed him a bag. Rashid looked inside and found, to his delight, two Twister sandwiches. "Let's go now, my friend, and we can eat in my car. Inside here is too crowded right now."

Yugo nodded. The two exited the restaurant and headed to Rashid's car. After Rashid unlocked the doors, they sat down and began to dig in.

"Pretty good, no?" Rashid asked between bites.

"Yeah," said Yugo. "Reminds me of the sandwiches back home…" Then suddenly he fell into a deep silence.

Rashid regarded him. "Something troubles you?"

Slowly Yugo reached into his pocket and pulled out the photo of Jenna. He stared at it with a sad heart. Rashid looked over at it and whistled. "Hmmm, a pretty girl, that is," he commented. "Your girlfriend, maybe?"

"Yeah…something like that…" Yugo sighed and returned the photo to his pocket. "I had to leave home and come here to Egypt…to protect her and all my friends from a terrible calamity. It's a long story."

"Hmmm," said Rashid thoughtfully, taking another bite of his Twister. "Well, I respect your need for privacy, my friend, so I will not ask for details. But it is very sorrowful that a young man like you should carry such a heavy burden on your shoulders."

"Thank you," murmured Yugo, and he took a massive bite of his Twister.

Suddenly there was a shrill cry of "Help! Somebody help me!"

"What on earth?" Yugo looked up – and was astonished. A little girl, no older than seven, was being chased down the street by two burly-looking men, coming in the direction of Rashid's car!

Swiftly Yugo jumped out as a startled Rashid watched. "Hey, kid, over here!" he shouted, beckoning to the child to come in his direction. She obeyed with swift eagerness, huddling behind him. Yugo then braced himself to face off against the attackers.

Not very pleased at Yugo's interference, one of them swung forward with a massive fist. Yugo swerved to the side, however, and countered with a crushing blow to the ribs that had the man doubling over. Yugo then flipped over that man's back and sent a kick to the second thug's face, pushing him back somewhat.

The second thug reached into his belt and pulled out a switchblade, flicking the knife open. "Hey, friend, look out!" Rashid cried in panic.

But Yugo was already prepared. As the thug lunged forward in a slashing motion with the blade, he ducked, split his legs and sent a punishing blow to the guy's crotch. As the assailant bawled out and cursed in Egyptian, Yugo followed up with a swift uppercut to the face, then immediately pulled back his fist and sent all the force of it into the man's throat. The assailant dropped the knife, choked and held his neck, gasping for air.

The first thug that Yugo had dropped, seeing the predicament his comrade was in, grabbed the dropped knife and attempted to stab Yugo. But the boy hadn't forgotten about him – he spun and delivered a forward thrust-kick to that guy's mouth, sending him flying back and hitting his head against a nearby lamppost. The thug slumped to the ground, unconscious.

The man who'd gotten punched in the throat, having recovered his breath, crawled over to his fallen pal and picked him up. Glaring at Yugo, he uttered something in Egyptian and then lumbered off.

"My friend, that is not good," Rashid said slowly. "He said, 'May Ra bring a terrible curse on me if I do not avenge this insult!' You'd better watch your back – men like that always act good on threats of that nature. And…we'd better get out of here! This fight may have attracted the attention of the police!"

"I'm sorry I brought you into this mess, Rashid," apologized Yugo as they entered the man's car.

"Are you kidding? That's the most exciting thing I've ever seen in days!" Rashid grinned.

The little girl Yugo had rescued now came up to his passenger window and began to chatter excitedly in Egyptian. Rashid translated for him. "Ah, this little girl…she says, 'Thank you, sir, for saving me from those brutes. If you had not helped me, I don't know what they would have done.'"

"Ah…yes, you're welcome," said Yugo.

Rashid translated the expression to the girl. She began to chat again, and again Rashid translated. "Now she says, 'I would be honored if you were to come back with me to my papa's house, for I know he would wish to show his gratitude for you saving his child's life.' So, Yugo, what will you do?"

Yugo smiled. "In Japan, it would be considered rude to refuse a kindness, so…I'll accept her gracious offer! Just tell her to get into the cab!"

Rashid translated the message to the kid, and she immediately got into the backseat. The taxi driver then started his car and pulled away from KFC.

"So, kid, where does your father live?" asked Yugo.

Rashid translated it to the girl, and she began to talk excitedly. Rashid's eyes widened when he heard what she said. "My friend, she says, 'My papa works at the big Ishtar Enterprises building'!"

"Ishtar Enterprises?" asked Yugo.

"Indeed! Ishtar Enterprises is a global company that specializes in computer programming software – it's a big-shot place!" answered Rashid. "If her papa works there, he must be a very important person!"

"Can you take us there?" asked Yugo.

"But of course! I know a shortcut to get there – just hold on to your hats, my friends!"

Rashid swiftly shifted the car into a higher gear and stepped on the gas. The next thing Yugo knew, he was holding on for dear life and screaming his lungs out as the car shot around corners, narrowly missed pedestrians and other traffic, ran through two red lights and almost went flying over a bridge!

But eventually they stopped outside a massive office building, and the child got out of the car. Yugo was still breathing hard. "Damn, Rashid," he whispered, "your friends were right – you do drive like a maniac!"

"But I got you here, didn't I?" And Rashid grinned.

The girl beckoned to Yugo to come with her. "Uh, Rashid…could you come with me, please? I think I'm gonna need an interpreter for this," he said uncertainly as he got out.

"Okey-dokey! One interpreter, coming up!" And Rashid got out of the car and locked it securely again.

They followed the girl into the building, and as soon as they were in the lobby Yugo looked around in awe. "Wow…this place must be one busy beehive twenty-four hours a day!"

"This is a real honor for me, you know," said Rashid. "I have never been able to get any further than the front door of this building before. Then again, I've never had any reason to come in here, either."

The group went to the elevator, and the little girl pushed the buttons for the top floor like she knew what she was doing. "Well…all the way to the top, I guess," said Rashid as the elevator doors closed.

----------

Five minutes later, the elevator bell made a _ding_ and the doors opened. Stepping out, the trio found themselves in a large hallway with many doors. The child looked around, then walked casually toward a certain door. Yugo and Rashid looked at each other and decided to follow her.

Walking up to the door, she knocked loudly and then pushed the door open. Stepping in after her, Yugo and Rashid were entranced by the looks of the office: decorated with plants, lovely wallpaper, a solid blue carpet, and large windows offering a view of the city below. They watched as the girl ran toward a large chair that had its back turned to them. But a moment later the chair swiveled around – and Rashid gasped.

"Oh, holy Ra – do you know who that is?" he gasped. "That is Marik Ishtar, the very head of this company!"

Yugo's eyes widened. "You're joking!"

Now they listened as Mr. Ishtar and the child talked to each other in Egyptian. From time to time the girl would point to Yugo, and Mr. Ishtar looked at him and nodded. Then, after a while, he got up from his seat and walked up to Yugo – and to the boy's utter astonishment, Mr. Ishtar addressed him in perfect English, without a hint of an accent!

"I must thank you from the bottom of my heart, my young friend," said Mr. Ishtar. "You rescued my daughter, who is far more precious to me than life, and for that you have my sincerest gratitude. I would know the name of the person who rescued my child from danger."

Yugo nodded. "Yugo Muto, sir," he introduced himself. "And my friend, Rashid, who was kind enough to bring me and your daughter here," and he pointed to the cab driver.

"Of course, you have my gratitude, as well, sir," and Mr. Ishtar nodded at Rashid, who bowed respectfully.

Then Mr. Ishtar regarded Yugo. "Hmmm…Muto, you said? Yes, of course…the son of Yugi Muto…I should've guessed from the hairstyle, although it's all one color."

Yugo started. "You…know my father?"

Mr. Ishtar nodded. "I met him many years ago, during the famous Battle City tournament of which he became champion. He was quite the duelist, and I should know – I faced him and eventually had to concede defeat."

The little girl now came up to Mr. Ishtar and held onto his pants leg. "Ah, yes – how rude of me," said Mr. Ishtar. "My daughter, Mariska."

Yugo got down on one knee and held out a hand. Mariska shook it rather shyly, and chatted in Egyptian. "She suggests," translated Mr. Ishtar, "that you should join us for dinner this evening."

"Well, I'm honored, but – I don't have a proper suit to wear," said Yugo, somewhat embarrassed.

"Not a problem! My personal assistant, Odion, will take you to my tailor and have you set up nicely." Mr. Ishtar then walked over to his desk and picked up his telephone receiver. He spoke for a moment in Egyptian, then hung up. "That should do it – he'll be up in a moment."

"I'm curious, Mr. Ishtar – why would your daughter run around the city unattended? Isn't that dangerous for a child of her age?" asked Yugo.

"Oh. Well…" Mr. Ishtar ran a hand through his dark-gray hair. "She usually likes to go to a little store a few blocks from here and buy candy. I keep telling her not to do it as it will spoil her dinner, but…that's how children are, I suppose."

Presently there was a knock at the door, and then it opened, revealing a very tall, almost bald man with a single ponytail and strange tattoo markings on his face. "Ah, Odion," said Mr. Ishtar. "This young man is Yugi Muto's son, and he just now rescued Mariska from certain danger. He will be joining us for dinner later on, and I ask that you take him to my tailor and have him furnished with a good suit of clothes."

"Yes, Master Marik," said Odion. "Please, come with me, young man."

----------

A few minutes later, Yugo, Odion and Rashid were back outside the entrance to the building. "Well, I suppose this is where we part ways, my friend," sighed Rashid.

"I guess so," said Yugo. "But then again, perhaps we may meet again, Rashid. Either way, I won't forget how helpful you have been to me. Here, let me pay the fare…"

"Never mind about the fare, my friend!" Rashid said eagerly. "Just seeing what I've seen, and being a chauffeur to you is payment enough for me! And in case you ever need my services again, here is the card for the cab company here in Cairo!" And he handed a business card to Yugo. "Just ask for Rashid, is all you do! Well, let me take your bag out of the car, and then it's farewell!"

They went to the car, and Rashid opened the door and hefted Yugo's bag out. Then they shook hands. "Well, till next time, Yugo Muto, I fare thee well!" said Rashid cheerfully, and he got into his car and drove off.

Odion walked up and picked up Yugo's bag. "I shall carry this for you," he said. "Evidently you have not checked into any hotels…well, there'll be no need to do so. After dinner, you will be a guest in Master Marik's home. For now, we go to the tailor's."

"Of course," said Yugo, nodding respectfully. And then the two walked in the direction of the parking lot, Odion easily carrying Yugo's bag over his shoulder.

----------

**_neomage:_** So, now Marik Ishtar and Odion make their debut entrance into the story! And right about now I must apologize to one of my reviewers for not coming through with his posted request, but not to worry – I have ideas for character deck structures popping up in my head even as I type this right now – and certain characters will definitely use those decks and some very special cards, too! So, never fear – keep reading!


	84. Chapter 84

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Yu-Gi-Oh always! Kazuki Takashi forever! DEATH TO KIDS WB FOR SCREWING THIS GOOD SHOW UP!)

**CHAPTER 84**

CAIRO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, LATER THAT EVENING

"Whoa…how are we EVER going to find Yugo in all this mess?" Wade lamented.

They were all standing outside the airport, looking on in wonder at the crowds coming and going. "This'll be like looking for a needle in a haystack," said Shigeo.

"I don't care how long it'll take us – I intend to find Yugo, even if I have to turn this entire country upside down," Jenna declared.

"Well, at least we won't have to worry about accommodations," said Honey. "Father called ahead at this really cool hotel, Pharaoh's Lair, and they've got bookings for all ten of us."

"Cool," said Marcus.

"There should be a shuttle bus coming to pick us up," said Raven. "Oh, look, there it is now!"

A small coaster was parked a few feet away, the driver beckoning to them with a sign bearing Honey and Raven's names. "All right! Food, comfy beds and five-star treatment, here we come!" said Flora eagerly as they all walked toward the bus.

----------

OVER THE CITY OF CAIRO, AT THAT MOMENT

The Blue-Eyes White Chopper was flying over the city, with GINA managing the controls excellently. Nearby, Seta was prepping the Blue-Eyes White Motorbike as Jillian watched. "You're not serious about pulling this stunt, are you, sir?" Jillian asked.

"Believe me, it'll be fun," said Seta. "So, here's the plan: I'll conduct my search from the ground, while you and GINA do your search from the sky. If there's any sign of Yugo, radio in."

"Understood," said GINA. "Although, I do think Jillian is right in her fear, sir. You really should rethink this stunt of yours."

"It'll be fine!" Seta insisted, strapping on his helmet. "You two worry too much. Just let a guy do his thing!"

"Don't expect me to clean your remains off the pavement later…" Jillian muttered.

"Open the door!" Seta ordered.

Sighing wearily, Jillian pulled the door open. Immediately Seta revved up the bike and declared, "See you later, you two!"

Suddenly the tires screeched as Seta shot out of the door and went flying into space. Jillian quickly shut the door and looked out the window, her heart thumping wildly. "Seta, you damn daredevil," she groaned.

As the ground came up on him fast, Seta reached for his vest with one hand, keeping the other tightly on the handlebars. He found a certain cord and pulled on it – and immediately a massive parachute exploded out of the pack on his back, slowing his descent!

Soon he was going at a comfortable pace, until he was a few feet above the ground. Then, still holding onto the handlebars, he undid the three buckles on the chute harness and it went flying off him. Immediately he descended to earth more rapidly, the tires hitting with a loud THUNK. But he quickly revved the bike – and then shot off down the street!

"WOO-HOO!" he screamed out. "I gotta do that again sometime!"

----------

A RESTAURANT IN CAIRO, AT THAT MOMENT

"Ah, welcome, Mr. Ishtar, sir," the waiter bowed respectfully to the other man. "Your usual table, on the terrace?"

"Yes, thank you kindly," said Mr. Ishtar.

He, Yugo, Odion and Mariska were entering the restaurant together. Gone now were Yugo's usual clothes, replaced by a snappy gray suit and a white bow-tie. The others were all dressed for the occasion, too, and evidently Mr. Ishtar commanded great respect, even in a restaurant such as this.

The group went upstairs to the designated table, and they all sat down. The waiter was already there, and he set four menus before them. "I shall return momentarily to take your orders," he said, and bowed and left.

"Well, let's see what they've got tonight," said Mr. Ishtar, opening his menu. "Hmmm…the lobster looks good…I think I'll have that with a fresh Greek salad. How about you all?"

"The chicken curry will suit me well, Master," said Odion.

Yugo examined his menu carefully. "Uh…I know. I think I'd like the beef cutlets and roasted potatoes."

Mr. Ishtar then looked at his daughter. "And you, Mariska?"

Before Yugo could comment, Mariska said quickly, "Fish filet and pumpkin rice."

Now Yugo was blinking. "I see…so Mariska does know some English…"

"A little…" Mariska said shyly, and then lapsed into Egyptian.

"I encourage her to speak English whenever possible," explained Mr. Ishtar. "I have hired a tutor for her, and her English is improving steadily. However, she does like to keep in touch with her mother tongue."

"Well, I must say, her English was certainly good enough to call for help when she was being chased this afternoon," remarked Yugo. "That's how I met upon her."

Mr. Ishtar nodded and smiled gratefully. "And I owe her life to you, my young friend. Oh, look, the waiter's returning now."

Indeed, the waiter was hovering over them moments later. "May I take your orders now?" he asked.

One by one they gave him their orders, and he wrote them down. "And to drink?" he asked.

"A glass of champagne for me," said Mr. Ishtar.

"Heineken for me," said Odion.

"Milk for me, and for the young lady," said Yugo, and Mr. Ishtar nodded in approval.

"Very good. This won't take long." And the waiter left.

"So, while we wait, let us chat a bit," said Mr. Ishtar, leaning forward with interest. "What brings you to visit Egypt, Yugo?"

Yugo flinched a little. "Well…it's a bit of a long story, and a strange one, too," he admitted. "I don't think you would believe me even if I told you."

"Try me. I've seen my share of strange things in my lifetime, so nothing can shock me now." Mr. Ishtar would not be deterred.

Yugo weighed the pros and cons of telling Mr. Ishtar his story, in his mind. Then he gave in. "All right…but I'll try and edit it a bit, for Mariska's sake."

And then, very slowly, he told them the whole sad tale – of how Jan Shimizu and Jude Lassiter had come to Domino City, how they had threatened the lives of Yugo's friends unless he came to Egypt, and how they had manipulated events so that he would have no choice but to come anyway. Mr. Ishtar listened with a grave expression, Odion looked very somber, and even Mariska seemed to listen with sympathetic awe.

When Yugo mentioned Lassiter possessing the Millennium Rod and using it to control Grandma Muto's mind, Mr. Ishtar started in shock. "He had the Millennium Rod? That can't be!"

"Huh?" Yugo blinked again. "You…know about these Millennium Items he was talking about?"

"I not only know about them…I used to own one of them," Mr. Ishtar said gravely. "But…I can't believe it…how could they have excavated them from that place…?"

Odion then noticed the waiter returning with their food and nudged his master. "Ah – it appears our dinner has come," said Mr. Ishtar. "But fear not, Yugo. As soon as we are back at my home, we shall continue this discussion. Because you have brought up a very serious topic that will require you to have as much knowledge on this as possible."

----------

THE STREETS OF CAIRO, ONE HOUR LATER

Seta raced through the city streets on the Blue-Eyes White Motorbike, getting more frustrated by the second. Then suddenly his comm.-link radio went off, and he answered it. "Go ahead, Jillian."

"Any luck on the ground?" Jillian asked. "We've been combing the skies, but so far no visuals of any weird-haired guy matching Yugo's description."

"No luck here," sighed Seta. "But I'm not going to give up yet. We WILL find Yugo! Keep searching!"

"Understood. Over and out."

Seta growled. "Where the hell are you, Yugo?"

----------

EN ROUTE TO MARIK ISHTAR'S HOUSE, AT THAT MOMENT

The limousine rushed along the road, bypassing traffic with ease. Odion was at the wheel, Yugo's duffel bag on the seat beside him. In the back, Yugo was sitting opposite Mr. Ishtar and Mariska. While Mariska was busily entertaining herself with a picture book, the other two were engaged in a much more serious discussion.

"So, Mr. Ishtar, you said that as soon as we left the restaurant you'd tell me what you know," said Yugo. "So…would you care to do so now?"

"Certainly. Although…I would much rather wait until we have arrived at my house, where I can give you an illustration of the things I wish to tell you," said Mr. Ishtar politely. "Besides…some of the things I wish to disclose cannot be said in front of my daughter."

"I understand." Yugo nodded.

Presently the limo turned off the road and began a long trek up a hill. They then pulled up outside a large iron gate. "Are we here?" Yugo asked.

"We are," answered Odion, and he pressed a button on the dashboard.

Immediately the gate slid open, and the limo rolled up the driveway, pulling up on the front steps of a large house. Odion pressed the dashboard button again to shut the gate, then got out and opened the door for his master.

"Odion, take Yugo's belongings inside, and then put Mariska to bed," Mr. Ishtar instructed. "I and our guest will take a little walk in the catacombs below the house."

"Yes, Master." Odion then beckoned to Mariska in Egyptian. The little girl climbed out of the car and looked up at her father and Yugo.

"Good night, Papa…and friend." And then she followed Odion into the house, Odion carrying Yugo's bag over his shoulder.

Mr. Ishtar beckoned to Yugo to follow him, and they walked in another direction to the side of the house. An iron door stood here; Mr. Ishtar pulled out a large key and pushed it in the lock. "Beyond this door," he informed Yugo, "lie answers to many questions that I know you have, and the secrets to an equally mysterious past. But I must warn you – you must enter this chamber with an open mind, or else be robbed of vital knowledge."

"All right." Yugo swallowed and braced himself.

Mr. Ishtar pushed the door open and bade Yugo step in. The boy did as he was told, and Mr. Ishtar followed, locking the door behind him. "Uh…it's kinda pitch-black in here now," Yugo observed.

For answer Mr. Ishtar reached for a switch on the wall. Suddenly the place was flooded with light! "Better?"

"By far," said Yugo.

Mr. Ishtar then walked ahead. "Now, I want you to sharpen your ears and listen to the tale I have for you," he said softly. "For to give you knowledge, I must first give you a bit of a back-story to establish what I will soon tell you."

Yugo nodded again and followed behind his host.

Mr. Ishtar began. "The story begins 3000 years ago, in ancient Egypt," he said. "The game of Duel Monsters was more than just a game then – it was a way to wage war, to gain riches and power, to overthrow one's enemies. All of this took place when the pyramids were still young, yet all this was enough to nearly bring about the annihilation of the world – until a brave and mighty pharaoh named Atem locked away the dark magic used to manipulate the creatures of the Shadow Games, using the power of the Millennium Items to do so."

"Hmmm…sounds like the story I heard from Mr. Kaiba," Yugo remarked.

"Oh, Seto Kaiba told you this, did he?" asked Mr. Ishtar. "And yet, there is more to come."

"Of course. Continue, if you will."

Mr. Ishtar took a deep breath. "Tell me, then, Yugo: Do you know of the archaeologist, Ishizu Ishtar?"

"I know of her – she was a partner to my mother, Rebecca Hawkins-Muto…" Yugo stopped short. "Wait…was she…related to…?"

Mr. Ishtar nodded. "She was my sister."

Yugo's eyes widened – and then he turned his face away. "Well…I'm sorry."

"It's all right," said Mr. Ishtar, managing a smile. "I went through a great trial when I lost her…and I imagine you went through much after you lost your mother, too. The two of them, dying in the same plane crash…so tragic…"

Mr. Ishtar's face hardened with resolve. "But there is a reason why I have brought up my sister, Ishizu. You see, Yugo, she wasn't always a famous archaeologist, nor was I always a businessman."

"What do you mean?" asked Yugo.

"Well, you see," said Mr. Ishtar nostalgically, "when the Pharaoh Atem sealed his spirit and those of his priests into the Millennium Items, in the process he sacrificed his own memory. A certain family was then entrusted with keeping the Pharaoh's written memory safe until the day when his reincarnated spirit would return. That family…was mine."

Yugo raised an eyebrow. "I see," he remarked. "So, you and Ms. Ishtar were members of a family that protected the Pharaoh?"

"In a sense," said Mr. Ishtar. "And…there was a special way in which they did this, too. The firstborn son of each generation had to carry the memory of the Pharaoh on his back – quite literally, I add." And he turned his back to Yugo, slipping his coat off and unbuttoning his shirt.

"What're you doing?" asked Yugo, perplexed.

Mr. Ishtar did not answer him, but took his shirt off. And right there – and Yugo flinched when he saw it – on the older man's back were numerous scars, seemingly cut into the skin with a hot knife. "What…what in the world ARE these?" Yugo questioned.

"These, my boy, are hieroglyphic symbols depicting the Pharaoh's memory," said Mr. Ishtar. "In case you're wondering, yes, it was very painful to have this put on my back. The pain I felt fueled a deep resentment that I'd always held toward my destiny, until…" His voice trailed away.

"Until?" Yugo asked.

"Until my hatred…spawned a darker personality deep in my mind, waiting to break out," said Mr. Ishtar. "But Odion was there back then, assigned to be my protector by my father. You saw the marks on his face? He inflicted them onto his own face himself, as a seal for my dark side. When I faced your father in Battle City, my darker half sought to destroy the world and envelop it into chaos…and I wielded the Millennium Rod in a bid to do so. For you see, Yugo, in addition to keeping the Pharaoh's memory, we were also expected to protect two Millennium Items for the Pharaoh – the Millennium Rod and Millennium Necklace. Eventually, though, I was able to overcome my darker self and banish him to the shadows forever."

"How intriguing," said Yugo.

"So, in this way and over time, Yugi was able to gather all the Millennium Items, and together with these marks you see on my back depicting the memory of the Pharaoh inside his Millennium Puzzle, he was able to return the Pharaoh's spirit back to the world of the dead. However, those were not all that were required…" He put his shirt back on and walked ahead.

Yugo, mystified, followed after him. They soon came upon a room where a stone tablet stood all by itself. "Now, Yugo, see this tablet? Take a good look at it. It depicts the pharaoh in a duel against his greatest rival, the high priest who wielded the Millennium Rod."

Yugo walked up and looked at the tablet. His eyes widened when he saw the pharaoh and priest. "Wha…? They really look like Dad and Mr. Kaiba!"

"Of course! And the monsters above their heads are the Dark Magician and the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, ready to duel against each other!" Mr. Ishtar looked knowingly at him. "It is no surprise that you and Seta Kaiba are rivals now, Yugo – you two are the descendants of two famous warriors from the ancient past!"

"How totally cool…" whispered Yugo. "I wish my friends were here to see this…"

Then he looked at the tablet again. "Say…what are those three creatures above the Dark Magician and Blue-Eyes White Dragon, at the very top?"

Mr. Ishtar looked at what Yugo was talking about. Then he laughed. "My young friend…those creatures…are the very creatures that nearly brought about the end of the world – the three most powerful, most feared, and most revered of all Duel Monsters—the Egyptian God Monsters!"

----------

**_neomage:_** For those of you who've watched the show before (of which those will be many), this will simply be a refresher course for you; but for our friend Yugo, it's a new revelation to him! And at last, for the first time the Egyptian God Monsters enter the story, just as so many have been asking for! And Mr. Ishtar's explanation continues next chapter, so stay tuned!


	85. Chapter 85

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Yeah, yeah, you know the drill. I am not the owner of Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**CHAPTER 85**

MARIK ISHTAR'S HOUSE

"The…Egyptian God Monsters?" Yugo asked, looking at the three mysterious beasts in awe.

"Yes," said Mr. Ishtar. "These three creatures caused much destruction to the world, even though evil sorcerers did try to utilize their power for their own purposes. But you can't control beasts of such magnitude just like that – in fact, only the Pharaoh and anyone who could use a Millennium Item could command some servility from them. It was only because of the Pharaoh that these monsters were brought under control, and their spirits eventually sealed away for the good of all mankind."

He walked up to the tablet and pointed to the three monsters. The one on the extreme top left of the tablet looked like a serpent with wings; the one at the extreme top right looked like a bird-like beast with the body of a dragon; and the one at the very top appeared to resemble a hulking behemoth of some sort.

"And these are their names," Mr. Ishtar went on. "This one…" He pointed to the serpent beast. "…is called Osiris the Sky Dragon." Then he pointed to the behemoth. "This is Obelisk the Tormentor." And then he pointed to the last beast. "And this one is the Winged Dragon of Ra."

"Hmmm…Osiris, Obelisk and Ra…the names of gods in Egyptian mythology, I suppose," remarked Yugo. "No wonder you call them God Monsters."

"Quite so," agreed Mr. Ishtar. "And, there's an interesting story behind the cards based on these monsters."

Yugo stared at him. "What? There are actually cards for these things?"

"There _were,"_ said Mr. Ishtar. "You see, Yugo, when he first created the Duel Monsters game, Maximillion Pegasus had to do much research in Egypt. In his travels he uncovered the secret of the God Monsters, and thus inspired, he decided to create Duel Monster cards based on these three great beasts. But that proved to be a mistake, for the spirits of the God Monsters did not take kindly to being disturbed. Everyone else that was involved in the project of creating those cards…died under mysterious and terrible circumstances."

"Creepy," and Yugo shivered.

"Indeed," said Mr. Ishtar. "Pegasus himself realized that he could not control the power of the God Monsters. So, as soon as he finished making the cards, he handed them to my sister Ishizu to be sealed away, and seal them away she did. But…I had to get involved."

"How so?" inquired Yugo.

"You remember what I'd just said about…my darker half's attempt to destroy the world? Well, in my attempt to do so, I became a criminal, assembling a large worldwide organization known as the Ghouls, or Rare Hunters. Our objective was to rule the world by amassing every rare card in existence and using them as tools…but my primary focus was on the Egyptian God cards that Pegasus had made and given to my sister. I managed to steal two of them, but she kept the third – Obelisk the Tormentor – and gave it to Kaiba as a keepsake. That was when the Battle City tournament began, as a way to lure me out and in the process bring out the other two God cards as well.

"In the process of the tournament Yugi acquired Osiris the Sky Dragon from one of my henchmen, and later got Obelisk the Tormentor from Kaiba after defeating him in a duel. Then, he faced my darker half…and won the Winged Dragon of Ra." Mr. Ishtar paused a moment.

"So, what happened afterward?" Yugo wanted to know.

"Later on, in his ceremonial duel to return the Pharaoh to the afterlife, your father had to face the might of all three Egyptian God Monsters – in the same duel. Considering that even one alone could cause great destruction, I still believe that it was a miracle that Yugi was able to defeat them. Then, at the close of the duel, the cavern collapsed…burying both the Millennium Items and the God cards within."

Yugo nodded with understanding. "So, Mr. Ishtar, you say you used to be a rogue…what happened? How were you able to clear it up with the authorities?"

Mr. Ishtar sighed. "After the Pharaoh was returned to the world of the dead, I remained in hiding for a while – I had been in hiding ever since the Battle City tournament, for the crimes I committed as the leader of the Ghouls were numerous. But then, after my sister…passed away, I felt no reason to hide any longer. So, I turned myself in, stood trial, and was sentenced to life imprisonment. Only intervention on Kaiba's part convinced the judge to lessen my sentence – ten years imprisonment and another fifteen in which I am not allowed to leave Cairo. Imprisonment both ways, but…it is due punishment for my crimes."

"And you were able to start your business even with your criminal record?" wondered Yugo.

"My lawyer was very gracious – convinced the judge that as long as I am to serve my sentence outside of jail, I am to be kept busy. So, working with Kaiba's company, I was able to start my computer programming software business. In just two years, look where I am now!" Mr. Ishtar sighed. "Granted, the only downside to it is that I can never leave the country for the next thirteen years or so, by which time I'll be an old man…but with all the money I make and the reputation I've repaired and forged, it's all worth it."

There was silence for a moment as Yugo took in all this info. Then he spoke again. "Mr. Ishtar…you know about the Millennium Items, and from all indications Jude Lassiter, the man who abducted my grandmother, is only a member of a larger organization. And these people are very likely using the Millennium Items for some great agenda…is it possible that they could have gotten the Egyptian God cards from that cavern, also?"

Mr. Ishtar's face now looked grim. "It's very unlikely, but then again anything is possible," he answered. "But even without the God cards, if they have the Millennium Items at their disposal then they will be very tough to defeat."

Then he looked levelly at Yugo. "Tell me, Yugo…you came to Cairo seeking to rescue your grandmother from their clutches, correct?"

"Yes!" said Yugo. "Mr. Ishtar, you know about the Millennium Items' power, and what they're capable of! Can you help me?"

Mr. Ishtar nodded. "I will do what I can to assist you, but…if you lost to Lassiter, as you said before, then you will need to fortify your deck even more strongly than ever – and the fact that he used the might of Exodia against you should not be an excuse, for no monster in Duel Monsters is infallible." He held out his hand. "Let me see your deck!"

Yugo reached into a pocket and pulled out his cards, handing them to Mr. Ishtar. The older man thumbed through them, and nodded. "A good deck, as it stands," he announced, "but it's missing some vital cards that could make you both unpredictable and invincible. I have some cards that I could give to you to help you out…" Then he narrowed his eyes. "But you'll have to earn them."

"Earn them? How?" asked Yugo.

Mr. Ishtar chuckled. "Very simple: a series of tests that I will administer, that will push your dueling knowledge, common sense, and sense of ethics to the very edge. For every test you pass, I will give you a card and a little information about the Millennium Items' power. And then…if you prove yourself worthy enough…I will give you a series of cards whose power will surpass even the Egyptian God Monsters themselves!"

Yugo was spellbound…this had to be a dream. "When do we begin?"

"Patience, young man—patience," Mr. Ishtar reprimanded him, though secretly pleased at the boy's eagerness and willingness to do what was necessary. "We will begin tomorrow evening, once I have left work. For tomorrow during the day, you will relax here in my home. Odion will see to your care. Come now – let us retire, for I have work in the morning, and Odion likely has your room ready by this time."

They turned and headed back for the door to the outside of the house. "May I comment on something? Odion seems very loyal to you, as does Mariska," said Yugo.

"Oh, Odion has always been there for me," said Mr. Ishtar. "He is like my brother. And as for Mariska…she isn't my daughter by blood. I adopted her last year, after her parents were killed in a boating accident on the River Nile. With Ishizu dead, those two are the only family I have here…"

Yugo nodded. "I understand."

"That is something to be treasured, you know – family," said Mr. Ishtar. "And friends, also."

They reached the door and stepped outside, and Mr. Ishtar locked up the place again. Then they headed for the front door of the house, where Odion was waiting.

"Master Marik, Yugo," he greeted them. "Everything is in readiness."

"Thank you, Odion." Mr. Ishtar then turned to Yugo. "Well, have a good night's rest now, my friend. And remember – fortify your mind from now, for tomorrow evening we will commence your…training, shall I call it?" He chuckled.

"Yes…and thank you so much, for everything," said Yugo, bowing respectfully.

"Let me show you to your room. This way." Odion turned and headed up a flight of stairs, Yugo following after him.

Mr. Ishtar stood at the foot of the stairs, a faint smirk on his face. _So, Yugi Muto's son will learn how to be a much better duelist…tomorrow should prove interesting, after all…_

_----------_

PHARAOH'S LAIR HOTEL, HALF AN HOUR LATER

"Ahhh…now this is the life!" Wade exclaimed happily, flopping down on his bed.

Seated nearby with his arms folded, Marcus shrugged. "Well, it's not the accommodations here that I'm concerned about," he said. "It's how we expect to find Yugo in such a large city as this one."

"Yeah, well, some clue will turn up," said Wade.

Nearby, Blaze chuckled. "Confident as always, huh, Wade?" she remarked.

"No other way to be," said Wade.

Flora was brushing her hair at the mirror. "I hope Jenna and the others are handling this well," she remarked quietly. "Especially Jenna."

Shigeo was sitting cross-legged in a corner. "I believe Flora is right," he nodded. "Jenna seems to be doing her best to withhold some emotional strain from the rest of us."

Blaze closed her eyes and smiled. "She cares about Yugo very much, and she's worried. But she doesn't want us to see that. So, let's give her a little break where that's concerned, what say you all?"

"I think you're right," said Wade.

----------

"So whatcha think?" asked Raven.

Miki surveyed the room. "It's so nice! This is just about as good as the rooms we had back at the dome during the Intercontinental championships," she replied. "Don't you think so, Kyo?"

Kyo nodded in agreement. "This is definitely a good place to crash for a while, while we continue our search for Yugo."

Honey looked around. "Say, where's Jenna, anyway?"

"I think she was out on the balcony, getting a little fresh air," said Kyo. "Should we go get her?"

"I'll do it," said Honey, and she left the other three to continue inspecting the room.

Going outside to the balcony, Honey looked around. It was a rather big area, and there were quite a few people sitting out here and enjoying the night air and the stars overhead. Then she spied Jenna, sitting all by herself, and went over to join her.

"Hey there, girl," she said softly, sitting down next to Jenna. "You all right?"

Jenna sighed. "I just can't help but wonder," she whispered. "What if we do find Yugo…and he's mad at us for following him here? What if…he's mad at me?"

Honey shook her head. "No, Jenna. Yugo doesn't strike me as being that kind of person. If anything, I'll bet he'll be glad to see your face again."

"I suppose that's true…" Jenna smiled now. "Because…he was really unhappy to have to leave me behind at the airport. I could see it in his eyes when we parted…that he didn't really want to leave…he didn't want to go there all alone, without anyone to be by his side." Her voice became stronger. "But I'll be okay. And I won't give up until I can lay eyes on him again."

Honey chuckled. "That sounds like the Jenna I know." She looked up at the stars. "Between you and me, Jenna…I think I might have done exactly the same thing if it was Seta who left. Shed a few tears at first, but then make the decision to go after him. It's what any girl in love might do – go after her guy with all the power of her heart."

Jenna giggled at this. "Maybe you're right." She looked out beyond the balcony, toward the sky's horizon. "Yugo and I were already best friends from the start…now, with this, I feel even closer to him than ever. I **will** find him, no matter how long it takes."

"That's a good girl." Honey patted Jenna on the back. "Now, let's get to our rooms and get ready for bed. We've got a big day ahead of us tomorrow."

----------

A HILL OVERLOOKING CAIRO, TWO HOURS LATER

The Blue-Eyes White Motorbike climbed up the hill to the spot where the Blue-Eyes White Chopper had landed. After a moment Seta got up there, right next to the helicopter, and shut off the bike. "Got tired of searching?" he asked.

Jillian was sitting on the grass, leaning against a tree, and she sighed. "It's been quite a little while since we started the search, but so far, no luck. And, to be honest, sir, the whole trip here to Egypt has me tired already."

"Well, we have been traveling a good distance, and spent a few hours going through Cairo," admitted Seta. "So, sure. I guess we can call it a night and start fresh in the morning."

The laptop containing GINA's program was open in the helicopter; at that moment she materialized in her human form. "Master Seta, we should have a plan ready to act on by morning," she suggested. "I have mapped out various different routes throughout the city of Cairo that you can use to conduct your search."

"Thank you, GINA," said Seta. "But I already have a plan in mind. If we're going to find Yugo quickly and effectively, then…"

"Then what, Seta?" asked Jillian.

Seta chuckled grimly. "Then I need to see someone who lives right here in Cairo…someone I haven't seen in years…someone who could perhaps offer a helping hand or some advice, if nothing else."

"Who would that be?" wondered Jillian.

GINA smiled. "I think I know who it is…"

"Of course you do – but don't tell just yet. Jillian, don't worry; you'll get to meet him first thing in the morning. For the present, good night to both of you." And with that, Seta crawled into the helicopter and fumbled around for a blanket.

Jillian looked questioningly at GINA. "C'mon, tell me, please! Who is it?"

But GINA shook her head. "If Master Seta wishes to introduce you to the person, then I will let him. Be patient, Miss Jillian, and try to get some sleep. As for me, I will now recharge myself and conserve power." And she disappeared.

"Great…getting advice from a computer program on how to manage myself," Jillian grumbled, settling back against the tree and closing her eyes. Before long, she was way in the Land of Nod.

----------

SOMEWHERE, SOME HOURS LATER

The red-robed man sat intently, his Millennium Puzzle flashing with a sinister light. Behind him, four brown-robed figures emerged. "What is thy will, Master?" they all asked in one voice.

"Judith's prediction has come true," said the master, his face masked by shadows. "Yugo Muto's friends have come to assist him. Seek them out, and eliminate them. Bring their heads to me as proof."

"We hear and obey, Master." And with that, the four disappeared into the darkness.

----------

ISHTAR ENTERPRISES, THE NEXT MORNING

Mr. Ishtar whistled as he waltzed into his office. "Heh…a day of work, meeting clients and overseeing new software, and then this evening…" He smiled at the thought of himself training Yugo later. It would be rigorous training, but the boy would benefit greatly from it, of that he was sure. He would have to benefit, if he was to face these new enemies that now wielded and corrupted the power of the Millennium Items.

He sat down and turned on his computer, waiting for it to boot up. Then suddenly his phone rang, and he answered it. "Yes?"

"Mr. Ishtar, sir," his secretary spoke up, "some people are here, asking to see you. A Mr. Seta Kaiba and Ms. Jillian Uriah. They came in just after you went up to your office."

"Seta Kaiba?" Mr. Ishtar's face lit up. "All right, send them up."

He hung up the phone and waited patiently, even as his computer finished booting up. Then, roughly ten minutes later, there was a knock at his door. "Enter!" he called.

The door opened, and in walked a blue-haired boy and a pretty young girl carrying a laptop under her arm. "Welcome, welcome!" Mr. Ishtar stood up. "Seta, my boy, it's been so long since I last saw you. How have you been?"

Seta nodded formally. "It's good to see you too, after all these years…Uncle Marik."

----------

**_neomage:_** WOO-HOO! The cat's out of the bag at long last, after eighty-five chapters of this story! All those of you who've been asking who Seta's mother is – here's your answer! If Mr. Marik Ishtar is Seta's uncle, then that means…Ishizu Ishtar was Seto Kaiba's wife, and therefore Seta's mom! My best-kept secret in this story is now out in the open!

And NO, I am NOT NOW OR EVER calling that Egyptian God Monster that ridiculous name, "Slifer." Its name is Osiris, for crying out loud! Not Slifer – _Osiris!_ Put that in your pipes and smoke it, butchers of all good work (coughcoughcoughKidsWBcough)!

So keep reviewing, everybody, and keep reading, for more action is yet to come!


	86. Chapter 86

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Kazuki Takahashi is the esteemed owner of Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**CHAPTER 86**

_Characters' First Appearance in Story_

_RODNEY_

_NAME: Rodney Rex_

_AGE: 19_

_HAIR: Brown (very spiky)_

_EYES: Black_

_CLOTHES: Brown robe, black shoes_

_REGGIE_

_NAME: Reggie Rex_

_AGE: 21_

_HAIR: Brown (not spiky at all)_

_EYES: Black (has a double scar over right eye)_

_CLOTHES: Brown robe, black shoes_

ISHTAR ENTERPRISES

Mr. Ishtar smiled broadly. "I swear, you're the splitting image of your father, except for your hair color…but that matters not. So, how IS your father?"

"He is well," said Seta.

Mr. Ishtar then beheld Jillian. "And this is your girlfriend, I take it?"

Seta turned crimson, and Jillian looked furious. "Respectfully, sir, I am his _bodyguard!"_ she snapped.

"My humblest apologies," said Mr. Ishtar, chuckling.

"My bodyguard, Jillian Uriah," Seta introduced them. "And Jillian, meet my uncle, Marik Ishtar."

Reluctantly, still bristling from the embarrassment she'd just suffered, Jillian shook Mr. Ishtar's hand. He noted her reluctance and took it with a smile. "So, what brings you out here, all the way to Egypt? Has Domino City become so boring?" he asked.

"Actually, we're here on a mission," said Seta firmly. "One of my friends, Yugo Muto, came here to Egypt two days ago, and I'm here to find him. I just thought maybe you could help us by posting his picture around the area, so if anyone spots him…" And he held up a photo snapshot of Yugo.

"My, my…well, I won't lie to you. I have seen this boy before – and in fact, I know where he is now, at this very moment," said Mr. Ishtar.

Astonished, that was what Seta was. "Where is he?" he demanded.

"He is resting at my home," answered Mr. Ishtar. "I am helping him in his little quest, for a special reason. Yesterday he rescued your adopted cousin Mariska from some hoodlums who would've otherwise caused her great harm, so I have accepted him as a guest in my house…as I will you, if you are so inclined."

"Well…it would be greatly appreciated," said Seta quietly. "But let me ask: How exactly are you 'helping' him?"

"Hmm, hmm, hmm…so far I have told him much of the history of the ancient past, which I should tell you now, too. And, I have decided to take it upon myself to train him, and help him to become a stronger duelist. He needs to claim this strength, if he is to defeat these mysterious enemies that he's told me about."

Seta narrowed his eyes. "Train him, huh?"

"Now, now, nephew; don't start getting jealous," chided Mr. Ishtar good-naturedly. "Of course, if you're willing, I can train you, too – and you, too, young miss," speaking to Jillian. "From what Yugo told me, these individuals are playing for keeps; therefore, it's vital that whoever's going to oppose them should be thoroughly fortified for the battle ahead."

"What should we do?" asked Seta.

"You still remember where my house is, right, Seta?" asked Mr. Ishtar, and when Seta nodded: "Good. You can go there and meet up with Yugo, if you really want to see him; make yourselves at home, relax, do whatever. But in the meantime, prepare yourselves, for the training I have in mind will be much harder than anything you will ever have faced before in your young lives."

----------

PHARAOH'S LAIR HOTEL, AT THE SAME TIME

"Yawwwwwwn…" Kyo's mouth opened wide. "Oh, man…"

"Good morning, Kyo!" Miki stood over him, smiling sweetly. She bent down and gave him a kiss on his mouth, causing him to blush madly. "Time for you to wake up!"

"Where's everybody?" Kyo asked groggily, putting on his glasses.

"Well, Raven and Honey went off to the bazaar to buy some stuff. Her idea." Miki giggled. "And everyone else is downstairs, checking out the hotel's food court."

"Typical of a woman," sighed Kyo. "Always have to check out the wares in any place, be it a shop, market or department store."

Next thing he knew, Miki was pulling his ears and making them hurt. "Typical of a woman?" Miki barked.

"I take it back! I take it back already!" Kyo yelled in agony.

----------

CAIRO MARKET

"So, can we go back to the hotel now?" pleaded Raven.

"Quit being such a crybaby! There's so much more to see and do here!" Honey exclaimed. She ran from one stall to the next, checking out the wares of the peddlers. "Oh, such fancy bangles! And what pretty jewelry! And would you believe the prices they're offering for such dresses? And…"

Raven sighed and shook his head. "Geez…just like her shopping sprees back home…"

He then noticed an old woman on the other side of the street, beckoning to him. He paused, uncertain, and pointed to himself questioningly. She nodded, and he went over to her.

"Care to have your fortune told, young man?" she asked, with a clear Egyptian accent.

"Yeah, sure, why not? What harm could it do?" Raven stooped down to be on face-level with the old woman.

The old crone now pulled out a crystal ball and set it up on her table. "To get three questions answered will cost you a dollar fifty, American money," she instructed.

"Whatever." Raven reached into his pocket and produced the funds. Pocketing it, the fortuneteller then stared deeply into her crystal ball.

"Ask any three questions, young man," she said, "but choose them wisely."

"Okay, um…will I ever defeat my rival?" asked Raven.

Staring into the crystal ball, the woman replied, "If you mean Seta Kaiba, then no. He does not consider you a rival; there is another that he strives to defeat, and you are not that person."

Raven cringed. _What a crock of shit,_ he thought to himself.

He carefully considered his next question. "Will my friends and I find the one we seek?"

Again the woman looked into her crystal ball. "You will indeed find Yugo Muto in due time. How long it takes is up to all of you, for he is much closer than you think."

Raven shrugged at that. "Last question. Will my sister ever stop shopping incessantly and let us go back to the hotel?"

This time, however, when the fortuneteller looked into her crystal ball, her face took on a frown…then slowly a picture of fear came into her eyes. In a very low voice she said, "If you wish to leave the market…then I would suggest that you do it now. Your sister's shopping will be meaningless compared to what will happen if you do not hurry."

Raven could see the anxiety in the woman's face. He thanked her and got up – and immediately as he did this and turned around, he saw why she had been so terrified. Immediately in his line of sight, all the way at the other end of the market, were two men in brown robes that were staring intently in his direction.

Glaring at them, Raven crossed over to where Honey was admiring a pair of bracelets. "Let's go, Honey."

"Not now, bro. I want to see what else I can buy. See? I got all this stuff at bargain prices!" And Honey held up a rather large bag with the stuff she'd just bought.

But Raven would have none of it. "Start. Walking. Now." And before she could raise her voice in protest, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her after him. Immediately, out of the corner of his eye, he saw the two robed men walking after them.

"Raven, what gives? Let me go already!" Honey exclaimed, well and truly astonished, trying to pull her hand free but to no avail – Raven's grip was like a steel vice.

"No. We're leaving now." Raven's voice called for no contradiction.

Honey, however, still didn't understand – and now her face was a picture of pain. "Raven, please…you're hurting me…" she whimpered.

"Honey…just glance behind you."

Very puzzled, Honey reached into her pocket and pulled out a compact mirror. Opening it with the pretense of looking at her face in its reflection, she at once saw the two robed men behind them. "Um…"

"Now do you understand?" Raven asked calmly. "Those two jackasses have been tailing us ever since I dragged you away from that stall. I don't know what they're up to, but whatever it is, it can't be anything worth sticking around for. So I say, let's beat it."

"Well, all right, but could you at least let go of me? You're _really_ hurting me!" Honey said, her voice taking an edge.

Finally Raven released her. "When I give you the signal, run like hell."

The siblings continued to walk through the crowds, and the two robed men continued to follow them, evidently not caring that their prey knew they were being tailed. Then suddenly they came to a small intersection, and suddenly Raven shouted, "GO!"

Immediately Raven and Honey bolted down the intersecting avenue – and their pursuers began to rush after them, too. Honey, glancing back, saw them coming onto them. "Those guys sure run fast!" she exclaimed.

Raven spied a corner where they could run around and perhaps escape their pursuers. "Honey, next left turn!" he instructed, and she nodded.

But as they took that left turn – they found it to be a completely dead end! "Shit! They've got us trapped!" he cursed.

"Oh, hell, no…the wall's too high to jump over…" Honey grumbled.

Turning around, they were just in time to see the two robed men come around the corner and face them. "Great…now what?" Honey moaned.

"I'm not about to let these assholes rob us just because we're tourists!" Raven exploded. "I'll beat the crap out of their faces so bad, their own families won't know them when I'm done!"

The two men looked at each other and nodded. "Tough words, boy," said one of them – and to the siblings' surprise, his accent was American. "But do you think you can back them up – in a duel?"

"A duel?" Raven started.

"Yes!" said the other robed man, also in an American accent. "Both of you fight both of us in Duel Monsters – tag-team style! For we are…"

At which point the two threw off their hoods to reveal their faces. One had extremely spiky brown hair; the other had a double-scar over his right eye. "Rodney and Reggie Rex, the invincible Reptile and Dinosaur duelists, proud members of the JUDAS organization!"

"JUDAS?" Honey raised her eyebrows. "That's the name of your gang, then?"

"That's right, toots!" said Reggie. He rolled back his sleeve and revealed his Duel-Disk on his arm. "So, you ready to duel or what?"

"We never turn down a challenge!" Raven exploded, flipping his jacket open to reveal two Duel-Disks.

"We?" Honey looked at him skeptically.

"Come on, sis, now is not the time for this," Raven said, flashing her a stern glance. "Anyway, these guys aren't gonna just let us walk past them. So take a Duel-Disk and let's just get this over with."

"But I don't have my cards with me…" protested Honey.

"After what we were told by the others about these guys, do you think I'd let you walk without your deck?" Raven reached into two pockets and pulled out two decks – hers and his own. "Now, come on, Honey! Let's show these guys not to mess with the Pegasus siblings!"

Honey's face bore a look of deep resolve. "Yeah!" she exclaimed as she strapped on her Duel-Disk and slotted her cards into it. Raven did likewise, and then simultaneously they turned to their opponents.

Reggie looked at Rodney as he activated his Duel-Disk. "You ready for this, brother?"

"As ready as I can ever be," answered Rodney. "So, then…let's do this!"

----------

PHARAOH'S LAIR HOTEL, AT THAT VERY MOMENT

Wade was in the lounge, grabbing item after item and stuffing them onto his plate. "Man, these guys certainly know how to cater to guests," he remarked with a smile on his face.

Nearby, Blaze shook her head. "Wade, overeat and you'll surely be stuck on the toilet later on," she needled him.

"Whatever. I've got an iron stomach," replied Wade. "And anyway, you got it, you flaunt it."

The two went to an empty table and settled down, and Wade promptly began to feed his face. Blaze chuckled as she watched. "You won't win any girlfriends with such bad table manners, you know that?" she said.

"Uh-huh, whatever. And why would you care, anyway?" Wade asked, not taking his eyes off the food on his plate.

Blaze's face was flushed. "So…can't somebody give a friend advice anymore?" she demanded.

Wade paused in his eating at that. "Oh, gee, Blaze…how kind of you, to consider your greatest rival your friend."

Blaze blushed even more. "So what?" she asked defensively. "Yugo and Seta are rivals, but they're still friends, aren't they?"

"If that's all it is…then why is your face as red as your hair?" Wade asked softly.

"None of your business!" Blaze snapped, turning away.

"If you say so," Wade shrugged and picked up his fork again…

…and then suddenly tossed his fork behind him with violence, causing it to be embedded in the wall beyond. "Come out, come out, little busybody," he sang in a playful voice.

Blaze was stunned. "Wade, what are you—"

"Heh, heh, heh…how very perceptive of you, Wade Ocean," said a strange female voice, loud enough to cause every head in the lounge to turn. And then – much to everyone's astonishment – someone emerged from behind the wall where Wade's fork was embedded, dressed in a brown robe.

Immediately Blaze was on her guard. "Who the hell are you?" she demanded loudly.

The stranger raised a hand to the hood concealing her face, and pulled it back. Blaze's eyes widened in sudden horror, and the blood rushed from her face, turning it deathly pale. "No…it can't…be…"

Wade looked at her with concern. "Blaze, do you know this woman?"

Blaze could barely speak. "This woman…is my mother!"

----------

**_neomage:_** It's me again. School is such a pain in the ass, but I have to try and cope and survive through the endless assignments, as do we all, right?

Shock value here, folks! Blaze's mother is actually a member of JUDAS! And now, two duels are about to be fought – a tag-team duel with Raven and Honey vs. Rodney and Reggie Rex, and Blaze's mom vs. either Blaze or Wade! (For a quick flashback to the story of Blaze's adopted mother, refer to Chapter 25.)

So, keep on reading, my loyal fans, and enjoy the story as it progresses!


	87. Chapter 87

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: neomage is NOT the esteemed owner of Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**CHAPTER 87**

_Characters' First Appearance in Story_

_SAMANTHA_

_NAME: Samantha Redman_

_AGE: 35_

_HAIR: Orange_

_EYES: Hazel_

_CLOTHES: Brown robe, black shoes_

PHARAOH'S LAIR HOTEL

Wade stared at Blaze as she made her revelation. "Your…mother…?"

The mystery woman laughed. "Let me introduce myself," she said. "The name's Samantha Redman, and I am a member of the organization JUDAS. And I am here for you kids!"

"But…I don't understand…" Blaze's voice was hollow. "How…you died…I saw you…you never came out of that burning building…"

Samantha chuckled. "It's true, I ALMOST got burned alive in that fire that day," she admitted. "But just as I was on the verge of death, JUDAS found me and saved me. They offered me a new life, one free of the drabness I always felt as a firefighter…they offered me something different. And, of course, I accepted their offer – and look where I am now!"

Wade looked at her with growing ire. "Hey, lady…don't you get it? This girl worried about you, mourned for you, for years! And all this time you could never even send her a message telling her you were alive? What kind of parent are you?"

"Heh…it's not as if we were flesh and blood anyway," Samantha said cruelly.

"That doesn't matter! You were the closest thing to a mother she ever had!" Wade exploded. "And you mean to say that after all of that, you still don't care?"

"Why should I? That was then. This is now. And now…" Samantha rolled back her sleeve, revealing a Duel-Disk on her arm. "I'm gonna duel you…for your lives…whether you want to or not!"

Blaze slowly shook her head. "…no…I can't…I won't…"

"Then if you won't, **_I_** will!" Wade pulled out his Duel-Disk and strapped it on. "Bring it on, lady!"

Samantha chuckled. "It doesn't matter to me which of you I get to duel…you'll both fall by my hand anyway."

Realizing that a major duel was about to start, the other patrons in the lounge moved back to give them room. At the same time, the holographic coin appeared on the field. "I'll let you call it," offered Samantha.

"Then I call tails!" Wade announced.

The coin was tossed…and it turned up tails. "Good, then! I will go first!" Wade declared, drawing his cards.

Samantha drew her first five cards, too. "I know all about your Water strategy, Wade Ocean…but as powerful as it is, it won't defeat my deck."

Wade glanced at Blaze. "Blaze…you'd better step back. I'm gonna finish this one real quick, and it's not going to be a peaceful affair."

Blaze nodded. "Wade…please go easy on her…she's still my mom…"

Wade could see the confusion, the fear, in Blaze's eyes. "All right."

Then he turned back to Samantha and drew his first card. "First, I'll summon Space Mambo (ATK 1700, DEF 1000) in Attack Mode!" Then he brought forth a monster that resembled a cross between a flounder and a spaceship. "Then I'll set one card facedown, and end my turn."

"Good beginning," observed Samantha. "But still not good enough!"

She drew her card and examined her hand. "I now summon Amazoness Chain Master (ATK 1500, DEF 1300)!" And then she summoned a muscular woman wielding a spearhead suspended by a long chain. "Then I'll set two cards facedown, and end my turn."

Wade frowned. "Hmmm…something's fishy…all right. I'll bite." He drew another card. "I activate the power of Umi!"

Instantly the field turned into a holographic ocean; but as she felt the waves lapping against her legs, Samantha didn't seem much concerned. "So?"

"So? Umi will increase the ATK and DEF of all Fish, Sea Serpent, Thunder and Aqua-types by 200!" And as if to prove Wade's point, the ATK and DEF of Space Mambo shot to 1900 and 1200 respectively.

"And then…" He held up another card. "I'll summon my Enchanting Mermaid (ATK 1200, DEF 900) to the field!" And as his beautiful mermaid appeared, her ATK and DEF went up to 1400 and 1100 thanks to Umi. "Now, Space Mambo, destroy Amazoness Chain Master!"

Space Mambo flew forward and slammed into Amazoness Chain Master, destroying her and bringing Samantha's life points to 7600; but the older woman only smiled. "Foolish boy…you've activated my monster's effect! When Amazoness Chain Master is destroyed in battle, by paying 1500 life points, I can look at your hand and select one monster card from it. Then I add that card to my hand and treat it as my own!"

Wade paled when he heard this. "You're friggin' kiddin' me!"

As Samantha's life points went down to 6100, she narrowed her eyes at him. "Now, Wade…show me your hand."

Grimacing, Wade held up his cards. He was holding Levia-Dragon - Daedalus (ATK 2600, DEF 1500), Torrential Tribute and A Legendary Ocean. Samantha smiled. "Okay…I'll take your Levia-Dragon and add it to my hand!"

With that, she walked over to him, snatched the card from him, and went back to her own side of the field, with a smirk on her face. "So, now what will you do, little boy?" she teased.

"This!" It was now Wade's turn to smirk. "I activate my trap card, Spiritual Water Art – Aoi!"

Suddenly a massive water seal appeared around Wade. "By offering one Water monster on my side of the field as a tribute," he explained, "I can look at your hand, select one card from it, and send that card to the Graveyard. And I'll tribute my Enchanting Mermaid to activate this card's effect!"

Samantha face-faulted. "Damn!"

Very reluctantly she showed her hand to Wade. In addition to Wade's Levia-Dragon – Daedalus, she was holding The Unfriendly Amazon (ATK 2000, DEF 1000), the trap card Dramatic Rescue, and Amazoness Paladin (ATK 1700, DEF 300). "You know which card I'm gonna pick," said Wade. "My very own Levia-Dragon! So, if you would be so _ladylike _as to give it back, please…?"

Snarling, Samantha tossed it back to him. "You will pay for that!" she snapped. "Making me pay all those life points for nothing!"

"Hey I never told you to make such an unnecessary gamble," said Wade, as he sent Levia-Dragon – Daedalus to the Graveyard. "All right. I'll set one card facedown, and end my turn."

Shaking her head, Samantha drew her next card – and her eyes lit up with pleasure when she saw what it was. "Well, well, well…I'll use the magic card Monster Reborn, to revive your Levia-Dragon to my side of the field!"

Wade gawked. "No way! Absolutely no way!"

But even as he watched, Levia-Dragon – Daedalus emerged on his side of the field, growling menacingly as Umi increased its stats to 2800 ATK and 1700 DEF. "How embarrassing, huh?" said Samantha. "You make every effort to prevent me from using your own monster against you, but in the end I get to use it anyway."

"No!" snapped Wade. "I'll activate my trap card, Torrential Tribute, to destroy all monsters on the field!"

"I think not!" returned Samantha. "I activate my trap card, Seven Tools of the Bandit, paying 1000 life points to negate your trap card!"

A jackknife appeared and sliced Wade's trap card in two. "Oh, shit!" he cursed.

"Too bad," said Samantha, even as her life points went down to 5100. "And, as if that weren't bad enough, I'll now summon my Amazoness Paladin!"

In a moment she summoned a woman wielding a slender-looking sword. "Amazoness Paladin gets a 100-point ATK boost for every monster on my side of the field that includes the word 'Amazoness' in its name, or is named 'Amazon Archer' (ATK 1400, DEF 1000) – and that includes herself!" said Samantha. And to prove her statement, Amazoness Paladin's ATK went up by 100 points to 1800, since she counted herself in her effect.

"Now, my little man, say goodbye!" Samantha cried.

----------

CAIRO MARKET, AT THE SAME TIME

The holographic coin appeared on the field. "We'll call heads!" said Rodney.

Then the coin was flipped – and it did turn out to be heads. "Um, okay…so how is this gonna go now?" wondered Raven.

"Allow me to explain," said Rodney. "Each side will take turns, as per usual; the order in which we'll go each turn will be me, then you, girly, then my brother, then you, stupid-face, then me again, and so on."

"…stupid-face…?" Raven's eye twitched.

"Since there are four of us playing a tag-team match, each of us will have 4000 life points, so that each side has a total of 8000 as according to the official rules of the game," said Reggie. "Also, the two members of a tag-team will share one side of the field, so both players can't have more than five monsters total on their side. Each team will also share the same Graveyard. Once both duelists on one side are knocked off, that side loses. You can use your cards to help your partner at any time. As we go along, you'll get the idea of how the tag-team duel works. Okay, Rodney, show 'em how it's done!"

"Gladly!" Rodney drew his first card. "Now, to start off, I'll summon Armored Lizard (ATK 1500, DEF 1200) in Attack Mode!" And he summoned a blue-scaled lizard with sinister-looking fangs. "And that will end my turn for now. Take your turn, girl."

"Okay." Honey drew her card. "I'll set one card facedown, one monster facedown in Defense Mode, and end my turn."

"Now I'll take my turn!" announced Reggie, drawing his card. Then he laughed. "How lucky for our team! I activate the magic card, Ultra Evolution Pill, which allows me to offer one Reptile-type monster on my side of the field to Special Summon one Dinosaur-type monster from my hand. And I'll offer my brother's Armored Lizard to Special Summon my mighty Black Tyranno (ATK 2600, DEF 1800)!"

Suddenly the ground shook as a massive black T-rex emerged on the field, roaring in rage. "And next, I'll boost his ferocity with the magic card, Raise Body Heat, to increase his ATK and DEF by 300 points!" continued Reggie, playing the card. Black Tyranno's ATK and DEF instantly shot up to 2900 and 2100!

"And now, my Black Tyranno…" Reggie's smile turned malicious. "Take a bite out of their facedown monster!"

Black Tyranno rushed forward, intent on ripping Honey's facedown monster to shreds. But suddenly Honey retorted, "I activate my trap card Mirror Force, to destroy your monster and protect my monster!"

A protective barrier emerged around their side of the field, just as Black Tyranno shoved its head downward to bite Honey's facedown monster. Instead, the force field knocked it back, destroying it completely!

"Grrr…fine! I'll set one card facedown, and end my turn!" said Reggie.

Raven drew his first card. "Finally, my turn," he muttered. "Okay. I'll set one monster facedown, two cards facedown, and end my turn."

"Is that all you guys can do – play defensive?" mocked Rodney as he drew another card. "Now I'll summon Granadora (ATK 1900, DEF 1700) in Attack Mode!"

A hideous-looking lizard appeared on the field – and Rodney's life points went to 5000! "When this card is summoned successfully, I increase my life points by 1000 points," he explained. "Only question now is, which of you do I attack…? I know! Granadora, attack the girl's facedown monster!"

"Not so fast, you shit-head!" Raven snapped. "I activate MY trap card, Raigeki Break! By discarding one card from my hand, I can destroy one card on the field – and I choose your Granadora!"

"ACK!" Rodney cried out in sudden horror.

A sudden bolt of lightning shot down from heaven and fried Granadora to a crisp – and suddenly Rodney flinched, his life points dropping to 3000! "Oh, I see…when Granadora is destroyed while on the field, you take 2000 points of damage," Raven smirked. "So much for him, then."

"YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT!" Rodney exploded.

"Now, now, brother…let me handle this," said Reggie soothingly. "They will both fall in due time, anyway."

"Yeah…" Rodney calmed down a little.

Honey looked across at Raven. "Thanks for the assist."

"Hey…you scratch my back, I scratch yours," replied Raven, and he gave her a wink.

Honey looked at their side of the field. "Raven…I hope you don't mind me borrowing your monster for a bit…?"

He gave her a knowing glance. "Nope, not at all. Go right ahead."

She nodded and drew her card. "All right…I'll activate the magic of my Toon World card, tributing 1000 life points to do so!"

As Honey's life points dropped to 3000, a cartoon book appeared before her. "And now, I'll tribute my facedown monster, and also my brother's facedown, to Special Summon my mighty Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon (ATK 3000, DEF 2500)!"

The cute and cuddly version of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon appeared on the field, flexing some exaggerated muscles. "Rodney, your life points are low enough for my little pet to blast you out of this duel for good! But unfortunately my Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon can't attack in the same turn it's summoned, so…I'll end my turn."

The stats of the duel stood like this: Raven had his full 4000 life points, while Honey had 3000, giving them a grand total of 7000. Raven had two cards in his hand, while Honey had three. On their side of the field stood the Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon, plus Honey's Toon World magic card and Raven's facedown card.

Rodney also had 3000 life points, and Reggie also had an untouched 4000 life points, so they too had 7000 life points. Rodney held five cards in his hand; Reggie held two. On their side of the field they only had Reggie's facedown card.

Reggie now took his turn, drawing his card. "I activate the magic card, Card Destruction! This will force all of us to discard our entire hands and draw from our decks the same number of cards we discarded!"

Irked, Raven and Honey discarded their cards and drew again, so in the end they held the same number as they had had previously. "Now what, bro?" asked Rodney as he drew his replacement cards.

"Now, I will set one monster in Defense Mode, and end my turn for now." Reggie chuckled. "But fret not, friends…for soon and very soon, you will know the folly of challenging our might!"

"Talk is cheap." Raven drew his next card. "As I'm gonna demonstrate right now. I'll remove one Dark Monster and one Light monster out of my Graveyard to Special Summon my Chaos Sorcerer (ATK 2300, DEF 2000)!"

Soon he summoned his sorcerer, clad in black leather and wielding both light and dark magic in his hands. Then he held up another card. "Now, I'll activate the magic card, Dimension Fusion! After I pay 2000 life points to activate this effect, both sets of players can Special Summon as many of their monsters as possible that have been removed from play. But as I recall, there aren't any monsters on your side of the field that have been removed from play, have there? On the other hand, I just removed two monsters from play to Special Summon my Chaos Sorcerer – D.D. Survivor (ATK 1800, DEF 200) and the great D.D.M. – Different Dimension Master (ATK 1700, DEF 1500)!"

Raven's life points dropped to 2000, but then there appeared his two monsters that were removed from play earlier – D.D. Survivor, wearing rags to conceal his cybernetic appearance, and the Different Dimension Master, wearing a big cloak concealing his cybernetic body. "And, since Honey and I are technically sharing the same turn, this means that now her Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon can attack you bums! How's that for firepower, huh?"

"Oh, shit! We are SO screwed!" Rodney cried, beginning to panic.

But Reggie was still unusually calm. "Not just yet, little brother…"

"Now, I'll begin the assault with my D.D. Survivor! Attack and destroy that facedown monster!" Raven commanded.

But just as the cybernetic warrior was running forward to do the deed, Reggie shouted, "Hold everything! I activate my trap card Negate Attack, to stop your monster's attack and bring your Battle Phase to an end!"

D.D. Survivor got sucked into the vortex created by the Negate Attack trap card – and a moment later reappeared next to the other monsters, who were beginning to back down themselves. "Damn it all," grunted Raven. "Fine. I end my turn. Make your move, creeps."

Rodney took his turn once again, drawing his card. "Now this is what I call useful!" he declared. "Now I will set one monster facedown and—"

"No, you won't!" Raven said hotly. "I activate my trap card, D.D. Trap Hole! When you set a monster in Defense Mode, this card will destroy and remove from play that monster and one monster on our side of the field – and the monster I'll sacrifice is my D.D. Survivor!"

To Rodney's utter horror, his facedown monster was destroyed and removed form play. "So much for that attempt, chump," said Raven.

"I…REALLY…do not like you." Rodney was fighting to stay calm. "Well, then, I'll set three cards facedown, and end my turn. Try getting past that."

Suddenly, to the evil brothers' amazement, D.D. Survivor reappeared on the field. "Oh, did I forget to mention?" said Raven. "When D.D. Survivor is face-up and is removed from play, during the End Phase of that turn he gets Special Summoned to my side of the field."

"So that's why you chose him for your trap card's effect," Rodney grumbled. "Very clever, if I do say so myself."

Honey took her next turn, drawing her card. "I'm a little worried…about those facedown cards…what do you think they are, Raven?" she inquired.

"Don't know," he admitted. "But they do seem suspicious. If we attack, one of them just might destroy our monsters, and we can't afford that right now."

"Okay," she nodded. Then to the brothers: "I'll just end my turn for now."

Shrugging Honey's decision, Reggie drew his next card – and his eyes lit up when he looked at it. "Oh, happy day! Rodney, this card is gonna send these two into hell!"

"No way…you drew _that_ card?" Rodney asked.

"Believe it!" Reggie then looked up at Honey and Raven. "Prepare to say goodbye to this duel and your lives, fools! For now I'll use the magic card, Soul Release, to remove three of my Dinosaur-type monsters from our Graveyard!"

Honey and Raven looked at each other. "Why'd he do that?" they asked simultaneously.

"And now…" Reggie smirked with utter superiority. "I summon Tyranno Infinity (ATK ? DEF 0) in Attack Mode!"

Suddenly a massive T-rex emerged, electricity crackling about its body. "And this monster," said Reggie, "increases its ATK by the number of my Dinosaur-type monsters that have been removed from play times 1000 points! And I just removed three Dinosaur-types from my Graveyard, so this one gets 3000 ATK points!"

Raven and Honey stared in shock. "NO WAY!"

----------

**_neomage:_** Now, then – the duels have begun! Raven and Honey vs. Reggie and Rodney, and Wade vs. Samantha! And don't think I've forgotten about the other duelists, either – they'll soon get their turn! Very, very soon!

BTW, remember the info I asked y'all for so I could make my poll? Well, from what I've seen in the reviews so far, only two persons have submitted lists of names, but I can work with those. Feel free to send your five favorite characters in this story, and I'll update the poll as often as possible!

So, based on the two lists that I have so far, the overall top ten most favorite characters (most liked to least liked) are: Kyo, Seta, Yugo, Miki, Miriam, Jenna, Malachi, Blaze, Marcus and Luke!

Please keep sending in your top five favorites, so I can modify this list as necessary! Thank you for your patronage, and continue reading this fanfic because a lot more is to come!


	88. Chapter 88

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: For the 88th time, I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!)

**CHAPTER 88**

_Characters' First Appearance in Story_

_VLAD_

_NAME: Vlad Draxton_

_AGE: 13_

_HAIR: Gray_

_EYES: Black_

_CLOTHES: Brown robe, black shoes_

CAIRO MARKET

The tag-team duel was now at a standstill. Raven had 2000 life points left, and Honey had 3000, so together they had 5000. Raven held one card in his hand, and Honey had four. On their side of the field they had Raven's D.D. Survivor, D.D.M. – Different Dimension Master, Chaos Sorcerer, and Honey's Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon, plus Toon World was still active.

On the other side of the field, Rodney held 3000 life points, and Reggie still had 4000, so they had a combined total of 7000. Rodney now held two cards in his hand, and Reggie held none. On the field the brothers had Reggie's facedown monster, Rodney's three facedown cards in the magic/trap slot, and the Tyranno Infinity monster Reggie had just summoned, its ATK powered to 3000 since they had three Dinosaur-type monsters removed from play.

"Now, Tyranno Infinity, attack and destroy D.D. Survivor!" commanded Reggie. Tyranno Infinity charged forward, snapping D.D. Survivor's top half off with one massive bite – and because it was Raven's monster, his life points dipped to 800!

"Now, I'll end my turn," Reggie said smugly. "But now what will you do, fools?"

Raven drew another card. "I am getting sick and tired of this! I offer my Different Dimension Master as a tribute to summon my Cybernetic Magician (ATK 2400, DEF 1000)!" And then he brought forth a blue-robed sorcerer whose clothes looked as though they were made of microchips.

"And what is that going to do?" mocked Rodney.

"It's going to prove just how much of amateurs you two really are!" said Raven. "But first…I'll activate Chaos Sorcerer's effect! Once per turn, his power can remove one face-up monster on the field from play – and I choose your Tyranno Infinity!"

Reggie and Rodney stared at each other. "Not good!"

But that was what Chaos Sorcerer did that very next moment: he charged up lethal fiery energy in his hands, then let it go at the dinosaur. It hit Tyranno Infinity in the chest, disintegrating it into nothingness!

"The only thing about it is, Chaos Sorcerer can't attack in the same turn he uses this effect," said Raven. "But my other monsters CAN attack! Cybernetic Magician, destroy Reggie's facedown monster!"

Cybernetic Magician raised his staff and fired a bolt of lightning at the facedown monster, destroying it and revealing it to be the Two-Headed King Rex (ATK 1600, DEF 1200). Then: "Okay, Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon, take 500 of my life points and attack directly!" commanded Raven.

But as Raven's life points dropped to 300— "Not quite!" Rodney shouted suddenly. "I activate the Shadow Spell trap card, to trap your dragon and reduce his ATK by 700!"

As one of Rodney's three facedown cards flipped face-up, Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon found itself trapped by a multitude of chains, even as its ATK shot down to 2300! "Shit!" Raven cried out. "This is not what was supposed to happen!"

"Tough," said Rodney coldly.

"Tch…fine, then. I'll just put one more card facedown and end my turn." Raven said this in a very disgruntled voice, playing the last card in his hand.

Rodney took his turn again, drawing his card. "I'll set one monster facedown…" He glanced over at his brother, who nodded. "…then I'll set one card facedown, and end my turn."

Honey took her turn, drawing her next card. "My turn to play!" she announced. "I'll activate the magic card, Toon Table of Contents, which will allow me to add one card that has the word 'Toon' in its name from my deck to my hand!"

"Not so!" exploded Rodney, flipping over one of the cards he'd set earlier. "I activate my trap card, Magic Jammer! By discarding one card from my hand, I can negate your magic card's activation and destroy it!"

"Grrr…" Honey looked at the four cards left in her hand. Then she looked hard at the field. "Cybernetic Magician, attack and destroy that facedown monster!"

But when the monster was flipped face-up, Rodney grinned maliciously. "That monster is my Gale Lizard (ATK 1400, DEF 700)! When flipped face-up, his effect allows me to select monster on your side of the field and return it to your hand – and I choose your Chaos Sorcerer!"

"Damn…!" Raven cursed as he took back his Chaos Sorcerer into his hand.

"So much for that, eh?" Rodney sneered.

"Okay, fine! I'll end my turn – go ahead and do your worst, pricks!" Honey snapped.

"You're gonna regret that request, sweet-cheeks!" said Reggie as he drew his next card. Then he grinned again. "And now…I'll summon another Tyranno Infinity to the field!" And then a second T-rex with energy crackling about its body appeared!

Raven was shocked. "Impossible!"

"No, not really." Reggie seemed especially pleased. "Since I now have four Dinosaur-type monsters out of play – all thanks to you, you stupid shit-for-brains – my new Tyranno Infinity's ATK will now be 4000!"

And it was so, for a moment later Tyranno Infinity's ATK shot up to 4000 while it roared in fury. "But that's not all," continued Reggie. "You see my brother's three cards in the magic/trap slot? One of them is, of course, the Shadow Spell trap that's keeping your Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon from doing jack-shit. And the other two are facedown…but that's about to change! Watch this!"

In a moment he'd flipped one of the two facedown cards face-up. "I activate the magic card, Premature Burial, paying 800 life points to Special Summon a monster my brother sent to the Graveyard when I used my Card Destruction magic card earlier…say hello to his mighty Gogiga Gagagigo (ATK 2950, DEF 2800)!"

A moment later a horrific-looking lizard appeared on the field, powered by the Premature Burial card, even as Reggie's life points went down to 3200. "Now we have a mighty armada to crush you and your pathetic monsters!" laughed Reggie. "Still think we're amateurs?"

"Actually…yep." Raven nodded.

Reggie gritted his teeth in annoyance. "Oh, you do, do you? Well, I'll take great pleasure in eliminating you first! And to ensure that both you and your sister feel the full brunt of my power, I'll activate my brother's other facedown card, the equip magic card Malevolent Nuzzler, which will increase my Tyranno Infinity's ATK by 700 points!"

Moments later Tyranno Infinity roared in anger as its ATK shot up to a high 4700! "Tyranno Infinity, wipe out his Cybernetic Magician and put an end to him!" Reggie hollered.

Tyranno Infinity rushed at Raven's Cybernetic Magician with murderous intent…but Raven only smiled. "You fool! I activate my trap card, Dimension Wall!"

Suddenly, much to Reggie's astonishment, even as Tyranno Infinity chomped Cybernetic Magician to pieces – a huge dimensional rift opened right near Reggie, and it was Reggie himself who got the damage, putting his life points at 900 and the evil brothers' overall total at 3900! "Ack…but…what happened?" Reggie asked, dumbfounded.

"It was the effect of my Dimension Wall trap card," explained Raven. "I could only activate it when you declared an attack with a monster. Then, instead of me, _you_ got the Battle Damage I would have gotten from that battle."

"Okay, fine," grumbled Reggie. "But at least I can still attack your sister's Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon with Gogiga Gagagigo! Do it now, Gagagigo!"

Gigiga Gagagigo slithered forward, snake-like, and ripped Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon's head off its shoulders, destroying both it and the Shadow Spell chains holding it – and reducing Honey's life points to 2350.

"All right! Now I end my turn!" snapped Reggie.

Raven glanced at Honey. "Is it just me, sis, or are these guys getting annoyed?"

Honey chuckled. "I say, let's keep them annoyed."

----------

PHARAOH'S LAIR HOTEL, MEANWHILE

Back at the Pharaoh's Lair Hotel, the stats between Wade and Samantha were thus: Wade had an untouched 8000 life points, while Samantha's stood at 5100. Wade held one card in his hand, A Legendary Ocean, while Samantha had two, the Unfriendly Amazon monster and the Dramatic Rescue trap card. On the field Wade had his Umi field magic card active, plus he had his Space Mambo in Attack Mode. By contrast, Samantha had one facedown card, plus Wade's Levia-Dragon – Daedalus and her own Amazoness Paladin with ATK increased to 1800 by her effect.

"Go, Levia-Dragon – Daedalus! Use your Leviathan Dive and wipe out his Space Mambo!" Samantha commanded. In response, Levia-Dragon dived underneath Umi's waters, rising up underneath Space Mambo moments later and smashing it headfirst – reducing Wade's life points to 7100 in the process.

"But I'm not done yet! Amazoness Paladin, attack with Merciless Blade!" Samantha went on. In response, Amazoness Paladin dashed forward and stabbed Wade through the stomach with her sword; he gagged and spat blood as his life points shot down further to 5300.

"And now, I will set one card facedown, and end my turn," said Samantha smugly. "Question is now, can you handle this? Oh, wait, I already know the answer to that – YOU CAN'T!"

"I'd call you the 'B' word right about now, but I've more respect for Blaze than that," Wade growled, wiping the blood from his mouth and holding the place where he'd been stabbed. "But I have to say, right about now…you are definitely not yourself. And I'm gonna bring you back to your senses, even if I have to beat you up to do it…for her sake."

"Oh, and would you really hit a lady, dear Wade?" Samantha said mockingly. "Especially the dear long-lost mother of the woman who, ahem…happens to be your greatest rival?"

"Whatever I must." Wade's tone was flat and vicious.

"Hmph. We'll soon see about that." Samantha brushed the hair out of her eyes contemptuously. "Your move, boy."

Wade drew his card. "Now, then! I'll replace my Umi with my Legendary Ocean field magic card!"

Suddenly, from the waters rose several towers, but this didn't impress Samantha one bit. "And exactly what will this accomplish? A Legendary Ocean will only let you treat the field as Umi, plus the ATK and DEF of all Water monsters is increased by 200, and all Water monsters in our hands are downgraded by one level – oh, hell, no!" Her eyes widened in sudden realization. "Don't tell me…!"

"You guessed it, sister!" Wade chuckled. "I do have a monster in my hand that would normally need a tribute to summon it, but since A Legendary Ocean is now on the field, that won't be necessary! So say hello to The Legendary Fisherman (ATK 1850, DEF 1600)!"

A moment later the spear-wielding warrior appeared, riding on the back of his orca. "As long as Umi is on the field – and the Legendary Ocean is substituting for that now – my Legendary Fisherman can't be attacked and isn't affected by any magic cards!" Wade announced triumphantly. "And now, my Fisherman, attack and destroy Amazoness Paladin!"

"Wrong move!" Samantha shouted suddenly. "I activate my trap card, Amazoness Archers!"

Suddenly her remaining trap card was flipped face-up, and a volley of archers shot their arrows at the Legendary Fisherman. Several of the projectiles hit him all over his body, and Wade watched in astonishment as the monster's ATK went down to 1350! "But…what gives…?" he quavered.

"Amazoness Archers could only be activated when you attacked while I had an Amazoness monster on my side of the field," explained Samantha with a sneer. "As long as you had monsters on the field, whether facedown or whatever, they'd all become face-up Attack Mode monsters without their flip effects being activated, and their ATK would be decreased by 500 points as long as they were on the field. And…you'd HAVE to attack with all of your monsters in the same turn I activated the card. And so…you are forced to attack me with your Legendary Fisherman, whether you like it or not! Amazoness Paladin, counterattack now!"

Amazoness Paladin slashed sideways with her sword, slicing the Legendary Fisherman's head clean off his shoulders and reducing Wade's life points to 4850. "DAMN IT TO HELL!" Wade yelled in frustration.

"It truly sucks, doesn't it?" taunted Samantha. "The fact that you're about to lose, big-time, and there's nothing you can do about it…well, not to worry – I'll bring your suffering to an end right now!" She drew another card as she spoke. "Now come to the field, my Unfriendly Amazon!"

A moment later a stern-looking warrior woman appeared, wielding a sword in one hand. "Since she doesn't count as an Amazoness, my Amazoness Paladin doesn't increase her ATK," said Samantha. "But that'll be just fine, for now I have more than enough attack power to finish you off! Go, Amazoness Paladin and Unfriendly Amazon – slice him to pieces!"

One after the other, Amazoness Paladin and the Unfriendly Amazon rushed Wade and slashed him with their swords, bringing his life points down all the way to 2850 with one attack, then to 1050 with the other. Then, as he was there on one knee holding his injuries, Samantha prepared to attack with Wade's own Levia-Dragon – Daedalus!

"Say goodbye!" Samantha yelled.

Suddenly, before anyone could act, Blaze dashed in front of Wade and spread her arms out eagle-style. "No! You want him, you'll have to take me, too!"

"Out of the way, Blaze – this isn't your duel!" Samantha chastised her. "Levia-Dragon, finish it now!"

The Levia-Dragon rushed forward through the water, knocking Blaze away with its massive tail before slamming its head directly into Wade, reducing his life points to 0 and causing him to howl in pain. Blaze went flying, crashing into several tables and chairs in the lounge.

"Ugh…" Wade grunted in agony as he slumped forward.

"Too bad," Samantha said with spite. "But you lost this duel, so now…your soul belongs to us!"

She reached into her sleeve and pulled out a crystal orb. "In the name of the organization JUDAS, I hereby claim your soul to fuel our ambitions!" she cried out.

Suddenly, to Wade's utter horror, he glanced down and saw a ghostly image of himself being sucked out of his chest. "What the hell…I feel really…weak…" he moaned, falling forward on his face.

Picking herself up from the rubble, Blaze stared in shock as Wade's soul was sucked into Samantha's orb. "What did you do to him?" she cried out.

"I stole his soul," said Samantha, quite casually.

"Impossible!" Blaze exclaimed.

"His soul will be a fine addition to Master's grand collection," continued Samantha. "And soon, very soon, JUDAS' great ambition will be fully realized!"

"No…" Blaze trembled in rage. "How can you do this…? How can you do what they tell you to do?"

"For the simple reason…that I owe them for everything I now have, which I never had before," said Samantha coolly. "But if you really feel bad for your friend Wade, then fret not, dear Blaze. For I will be coming for your soul next, the next time we meet – until then, ta-ta!" And with that, pocketing the orb, she made a superhuman jump for the roof and then disappeared!

As the other guests in the lounge chattered loudly about the confusion, Blaze slowly walked over to where Wade's empty body lay. She knelt down and cradled his head in her lap. "Wade…I'm so sorry…" she whispered.

----------

ELSEWHERE AT THE PHARAOH'S LAIR, MEANWHILE

Where were Jenna, Marcus, Flora and Shigeo while their comrades were being attacked? They had all gone to a separate wing of the hotel, which was only a few minutes' walk form their rooms but was a considerable distance from the dining lounge, and was situated so they couldn't see Cairo's open-air market from that side. At present, Jenna and Flora were checking out a gift shop, while Marcus and Shigeo looked on, somewhat uninterested.

"Oh, that bracelet there looks really pretty!" cried Flora. "I wish I could buy it!"

"Yeah," said Jenna. "It would look really good on you, for sure!"

Marcus, his arms folded as usual, snorted. "Women and shopping…hand-in-hand."

"That's a mystery I'm still trying to ponder myself, my friend," Shigeo assured him.

Then, out of the corner of her eye, Jenna saw Miki and Kyo emerging from a booth. "Hi! What're you guys up to?" she asked.

"Kyo bought this for me! Take a look!" Miki held up a Kuriboh plushie.

"AWWW…IT'S SO CUUUUTE!" Jenna and Flora squealed, their eyes turning into hearts.

Marcus eyed Kyo. "You bought her a plushie?"

Kyo sighed. "It was the only way I could calm her down after she got pissed at me this morning," he confessed. "Don't ask for details, please."

"So, where do you wanna go next?" asked Miki.

"How about we go to the food court? I think Wade and Blaze may still be down there," said Flora. "We can all grab a bite to eat together."

"I second the motion," said Jenna. "So, let's go!"

Suddenly Shigeo glanced upward and yelled, "LOOK OUT!" before dashing forward and shoving an astonished Miki and Flora out of the way. The next thing they all knew, a blast of lightning struck the spot where they'd been standing only moments earlier!

"Hey! What gives?" Kyo demanded, even as other guests started screaming and running for cover.

"It came from up there!" Shigeo pointed toward the roof of one of the booths.

Standing there was someone in a brown cloak. "So, you were able to spot my attack before I could do you any harm," he announced. "But only one among you is my prey…Marcus Ironside!"

Marcus blinked. "Uh…do I know you, man?"

The mystery figure leaped down to the ground and pulled back the hood concealing his face. When the others saw him, they stared in astonishment – he seemed no older than 13!

"My God…he's only a year younger than me…" Jenna whispered.

Then the boy spoke. "My name is Vlad Draxton," he introduced himself. "And I am here, Marcus Ironside, as a representative of JUDAS…to exact justice on you for a crime you committed two years ago!"

----------

**_neomage:_** Wade is down! Raven and Honey are fighting for their very lives! And who is the mysterious Vlad Draxton, and what grouse does he have with Marcus? So, next chapter, things will come to a drastic turn for – better or worse? Only one way to find out! Keep reading!

UPDATED 19/11/2005: I made a slight error with A Legendary Ocean in this chapter. It downgrades the Level of all Water monsters in the user's hand by 1, not 2. Sorry about that.

UPDATED 29/01/2006: There's an English release for the Toon Index magic card, called Toon Table of Contents. So, I had to rename it accordingly.


	89. Chapter 89

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Back at ya once again! I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!)

**CHAPTER 89**

PHARAOH'S LAIR

"A crime I committed?" Marcus asked, bewildered. "Are you out of your gourd, kid?"

Vlad spat to the side with contempt. "I see…so you really don't remember," he remarked softly. "Well, allow me to remind you. Two years ago, when you were still in the military…you and several members of your troop came to a small village in Eastern Romania—my home. While there, my fellow villagers gave you shelter, food and even some entertainment in exchange for your protection of us from insurgents…and then…"

He held his head down, his face a mask of pure venom. "One day, enemy soldiers that had been tracking you and your troop soldiers came to our village, early in the morning…and you cowards RAN AWAY! That's right – you all ran like dogs with your tails between your legs, while they smashed us, the innocents YOU were supposed to protect! They ravaged our food, our women, our children! They slaughtered the adults and—_violated_ us children! AND YOU ALL RAN!"

The others stared with shock at the fury in his tone. "Marcus…what is he saying…?" Flora asked, wide-eyed.

Marcus was just standing there, his hands hanging limp at his sides. He held his head down, his lips trembling. "It's…true…it's all true…" he whispered, his voice beginning to crack.

Flora stared in disbelief. _Marcus…showing emotion…? I haven't seen that since…since he confessed to the events of his past, back in the Kaibacorp Challenge Cup…_

"I can still see it…" Marcus went on, almost to himself. "Every night, when I close my eyes…I still see the events of that day. The screams of those innocents…the laughter of the enemy…the guns being firing…the bombs exploding…and what did I do? I ran…like a coward…"

"And that's why I'm here – to PUNISH you for that cowardice that cost me my family, my friends, my home!" Vlad exploded.

Miki spoke up. "But why join JUDAS? They're an evil bunch of people!"

"Oh, really?" said Vlad. "Well, allow me to propose something. Do you know _why_ the organization is called JUDAS? It's because every single member there – right up to the big boss himself – has been betrayed by someone in some way, just as the infamous Judas Iscariot betrayed his Savior. Myself—I was betrayed by this big piece-of-bullshit excuse for a soldier! And now, JUDAS is giving me a chance to exact my revenge—I'd be a fool to turn it down after waiting all these long months and years!"

He then rolled up one of his sleeves, revealing a Duel-Disk. "Let's do this now, Marcus Ironside!" he snapped. "I am a hero of justice, ready to dish out judgment to you for your evil of abandoning us in our most desperate hour of need!"

Marcus sighed. "I guess I have no choice but to accept."

"No, you don't have to!" Kyo yelled suddenly. "Marcus…think about this a little, at least!"

"Kyo…stay out of this." Marcus glanced at him. "It's only right that he be allowed to take his anger out on me. He has every right to do that. I failed him and his people…and I deserve to pay the penalty."

"Damn right!" Vlad nodded vigorously. "And now, prepare to duel!" He pulled out a deck of cards and shoved it into the slot in his Duel-Disk.

Marcus, likewise, pulled out and readied his own Duel-Disk. "Not a night has gone by that I haven't asked forgiveness from above for what I did that day," he said.

"Save your prayers for when I send you to Hell!" Vlad answered.

The holographic coin appeared on the field. "I call heads!" Vlad shouted.

The coin was flipped, and when it landed, indeed it came up as heads. "Then I will go first!" said Vlad. "Prepare to duel – and prepare to die!"

He drew his first card. "To start things off, I'll summon the mighty Elemental Hero Avian (ATK 1000, DEF 1000) in Attack Mode!" He then summoned a green-clothed warrior with large wings on his back. "Then I'll set two cards facedown, and end my turn."

"I see…" Shigeo thumbed his chin thoughtfully. "I've heard of this dueling strategy. Some years ago, a series of new cards were introduced into the Duel Monsters game…among them was a card set entitled 'Elemental Heroes,' based on superheroes. If this guy is using a deck like that, it means that he sincerely believes himself to be an avenging good guy."

"A good guy inside a bad gang? That's paradoxical," said Miki.

Marcus prepared to draw his card. "All right!" he announced. "I summon Y-Dragon Head (ATK 1500, DEF 1600) to the field!" He then summoned the red dragon robot. "Now, attack his Avian!"

"Not so fast!" shouted Vlad. "I activate my trap card, A Hero Emerges!" And then one of his facedown cards was flipped.

"What in the…?" Marcus gazed in wonder.

"This trap could only be activated when you declared an attack," said Vlad. "Now, you must pick one card from my hand, and if it's a monster, it gets Special Summoned to the field; if it's not a monster, it'll go to the Graveyard." He held up the three cards in his hand. "Now, choose!"

Marcus looked at the three cards, frowning greatly. "Ummm…okay…I'll choose the card on the left – my left, that is."

Vlad grinned insanely. "HA! Wrong choice, mush-for-brains!" he yelled. "Now, I Special Summon my great Elemental Hero Clayman (ATK 800, DEF 2000) in Defense Mode!"

A great clay golem with a red helmet emerged, crouched in a defensive stance. Marcus shook his head. "But I can still do a replay of my attack!" he smirked. "Y-Dragon Head, resume your attack on Elemental Hero Avian!"

"I think not!" Vlad returned. "Now I activate my other trap card, Staunch Defender!" His other card flipped face-up.

To Marcus's utter astonishment, Y-Dragon Head suddenly flew off-course – right for a collision with Clayman! It slammed into the golem, damaging itself and dropping Marcus's life points to 7500 in the process!

"What the hell was that?" Kyo asked from the sidelines.

"My Staunch Defender trap card could only work when my opponent declared an attack," explained Vlad. "Then, I selected one face-up monster on my side of the field, and during this turn he'd only be able to attack that monster and no other. And…if he had any more monsters on the field, he'd have had to attack the selected monster only, with every single one of them!"

"Damn…" Marcus sucked in his breath between his teeth.

"I assume that's all you can do for now," said Vlad. "So, I shall now take my turn again!"

He drew another card. "Aha! Just what I needed!" he exclaimed. "I summon Elemental Hero Burstinatrix (ATK 1200, DEF 800) in Attack Mode!" He then summoned a foxy-looking woman covered in flames.

"Now I activate the magic of Polymerization, to fuse together Elemental Hero Avian and Elemental Hero Burstinatrix to form…Elemental Hero Flame Wingman (ATK 2100, DEF 1200)!" Vlad laughed loudly as he performed the fusion. "Say hello to your long-awaited punishment!"

Avian and Burstinatrix got caught together in a swirl in time and space…then out stepped a new monster, a flaming warrior with wings! "Awesome…look at that…" whispered Jenna.

"But I'm not done yet!" Vlad went on. "Now, since this is the only card in my hand, I will Special Summon my Elemental Hero Bubbleman (ATK 800, DEF 1200) in Attack Mode!" Then he brought forth a man wearing a blue costume with a white cape, and a bubble-blaster on each arm.

"And now, I'll shift my Elemental Hero Clayman to Attack Mode," and Vlad shifted the golem's position so that now it stood head and shoulders above everyone else. "Now, my Elemental Heroes are ready to squash you! Prepare to take your justice like a man – and die!"

----------

CAIRO MARKET, IN THE MEANTIME

Honey's 2350 life points and Raven's 300 gave the siblings a grand total of 2650 life points remaining. Honey held four cards in her hand, and Raven held one, his Chaos Sorcerer. On the field they only had Honey's Toon World magic card still in effect. On the other hand, way over on the other side of the field, the Rex brothers had 3900 life points total, with Rodney at 3000 and Reggie at 900; neither brother had any cards in hand; and on their side of the field they had their second Tyranno Infinity with ATK powered to 4000 by its effect and further powered to 4700 being equipped with Malevolent Nuzzler, and Gogiga Gagagigo powered by the Premature Burial magic card.

"What're we gonna do, bro? If we slip up here, then the boss'll really give it to us!" Rodney whispered nervously.

"Don't fret, Rod," replied Reggie. "Just remember why we joined JUDAS in the first place…and that should be motivation enough t help us win. Right?"

The panicked look disappeared from Rodney's face almost immediately, replaced by a bitter resolve. "Yeah, I hear ya."

"I hate to interrupt your little 'bonding session,' but it's my turn now!" Raven drew a card. "Now, I'll remove another Light monster and another Dark monster out of my Graveyard to Special Summon my Chaos Sorcerer back to the field!" And in a moment his sorcerer was back, ready to fight again, as Raven's D.D. Survivor and Cybernetic Magician got removed from play.

Raven then held up the last card in his hand. "Now, I'll set one card facedown…and activate Chaos Sorcerer's effect of removing one monster on the field from play – and I choose your Tyranno Infinity!"

Chaos Sorcerer chanted his spell, and a moment later incinerated Tyranno Infinity into ashes. "So there!" Raven laughed. "Your move!"

Rodney was trembling with rage even as he drew his next card. "You son-of-a-bitch," he snarled. How dare you…how dare you destroy our best monster like that? We'll make you pay! Gogiga Gagagigo, destroy Chaos Sorcerer for good!"

Gogiga Gagagigo slithered forward and slashed with its claws, removing Chaos Sorcerer's head cleanly from his shoulders. In the same moment Raven's life points were cleaned out, so that the collective total on his side was only 2000 life points – all of it belonging to Honey.

"Oh, well…it's all up to you now, Honey," sighed Raven, stepping back. "There's still my facedown card, sis. Use it well."

Honey nodded solemnly. "I won't let these losers beat us, Raven," she promised.

She then drew her next card and contemplated what was in her hand. _It's all or nothing now…here goes!_

"I activate my own Premature Burial, paying 800 life points to revive my Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon from the Graveyard!" And as her life points went down to 1200, her Toon Dragon appeared, looking very pissed.

Then Honey held up her hand. "Time-out," she called. She looked anxiously at Raven's facedown card. _Could this be…?_

Flipping this card slightly so only she could see it, she peeked underneath. Her eyes widened when she saw what it was. "Raven…you used this card…?"

Standing a little ways off, Raven smiled. "I always told you that that card would come in handy. I WAS saving it for when I'd kick Seta's ass, but…I see no reason not to use it now."

Honey looked at him. "Raven…"

"Do it! Use my card!" Raven cried.

She nodded. "Okay – I activate my brother's trap card – Return from the Different Dimension!"

All at once a massive portal opened above their heads. "Wh-what's going on?" Reggie quavered.

"It's the effect of that trap card, punk," said Raven. "By paying half of her life points, Honey can now Special Summon as many of our monsters as possible that were removed from play. At the end of the turn, all monsters that were Special Summoned in this way will be removed form play again…but that'll be more than enough for her to finish you two bozo brothers off!"

"And now, I bring from the Different Dimension three monsters," Honey declared frostily. All three belonging to my brother, but now under my command – D.D. Survivor, Cybernetic Magician, and the Different Dimension Master!"

As Return from the Different Dimension's effect sapped Honey's total life points to 600, the three named monsters flew down from the portal and landed beside the Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon in fine style. "And, one more thing," Honey added, as her life points suddenly went down to a mere 100. "My Toon monsters don't HAVE to attack directly if I don't want them to! Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon, I've sacrificed 500 life points – now attack and destroy Gogiga Gagagigo!"

Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon fired a thunderous blast of lightning energy, frying Gogiga Gagagigo and reducing the brothers' life points to 3850. Then the other three monsters readied themselves to attack. "FINISH THEIR SORRY ASSES NOW!" Honey yelled.

"NOOOOOOO!" Rodney and Reggie screamed – but in vain.

Cybernetic Magician fired a blast of magic, hitting both brothers. Then D.D. Survivor dashed at super-speed from one to the other, hitting them in the chest before returning to Honey. Finally, the Different Dimension Master charged up energy in both hands, releasing them at Rodney and Reggie – and even then, their life points had already gone down to 0.

"Shit…we failed…this can't be…" Rodney whispered, dropping to his knees even as the holograms began to disappear. "Now…we can never avenge our bad fortune…"

"What in the hell are you talking about?" asked Raven, cocking an eyebrow.

Reggie glared at him. "We…my brother and I…we used to be heirs to a grand fortune," he said softly. "We were apprentices to the legendary duelist, Rex Raptor, and under his tutelage we became famous…but then some of his shadier rivals stabbed him in the back – they lured him to duel in a dishonorable match – and then, just when he was about to win, they…" He snapped his mouth shut and looked away.

Honey looked at them. "I see…"

"We've been treated like dirt ever since," Rodney took up the story. "Our family never approved of us taking up dueling to begin with, because it didn't seem to match up to the 'high-society life' that they lived. They disowned us…and we were running the streets for years, looking out for each other, until JUDAS found us…and now we want revenge on those money-sucking bastards who turned their backs on us!"

"Unfortunately, you lost that opportunity when you lost this duel," an eerie voice sounded from just above their heads. "Now, Rodney and Reggie Rex…you shall pay the price!"

Startled, Reggie and Rodney looked up to the rooftop right above Honey and Raven – and both started to back away, terror written on their faces. "S-S-S-S-S-Sir M-M-M-M-Michael!"

Looking up, Raven and Honey were equally startled. The newcomer was wearing a violet robe, and around his neck, suspended from a string, was a peculiar golden object – a round ring artifact with spiky points suspended from its edge. "I have been watching your performance all along, brothers," he announced sharply, "and you have failed. The Master will be expecting something as the outcome of this battle…and I have no intention of returning to him empty-handed. So, both of you, no questions asked, will surrender yourselves to the judgment of my Millennium Ring!" And he whipped out two crystal orbs from his sleeves in the blink of an eye.

The Millennium Ring suddenly started to glow – and Rodney and Reggie became even more frightened. "No, sir, please wait!" they cried. "Please forgive us, sir! Give us another chance, we beg you!"

"NO – MORE – CHANCES!" Michael roared.

As Raven and Honey stared in shock, suddenly transparent apparitions of Reggie and Rodney got sucked out of their bodies as both brothers screamed…and then collapsed to the ground. Their souls got sucked into the orbs Michael was holding!

"Oh…my…freaking…god…" Raven gulped audibly.

Then the siblings heard Michael chuckling and involuntarily looked up. "You two…you have great power," he remarked, looking down at them. "Especially you, Raven Pegasus."

"You know my name?" Raven asked, dumbfounded.

"Oh, we know all about both of you," said Michael, "and about your comrades who came with you. In fact, if I'm not mistaken, one of those comrades will have fallen by now and another one is dueling as I speak…all back at the very place you hoped would bring you respite."

Honey took this in with one moment. "Raven!" she cried. "The others – they're in danger! We have to get back to the hotel now!"

"I hear you, sis!" Raven nodded. He shot a sharp glance at Michael. "Bastard…"

"You intrigue me very much, Raven Pegasus…who could guess that such genius lies underneath the exterior that you have?" Michael asked, very amused indeed. "Oh, you and I will meet again for certain…and then you will have a chance to duel against me in a true duel – a Shadow Game! I look forward to it!" He then turned and ran off, jumping across the rooftops with great agility!

"Forget about him, Raven – we gotta go!" Honey urged.

"Yeah…right…" said Raven.

With one swift motion he grabbed both Rodney and Reggie and dragged their unconscious bodies into the alley, where they wouldn't be spotted. Then he emerged a moment later and followed after his sister. But a troubling thought pressed on his mind: _That guy…why am I getting such an eerie feeling, as though I've met him before…? Who IS he…?_

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**_neomage:_** Forgive me for not updating for so long, but schoolwork's been piling up on me and it's a hassle just to type new chapters and update. In addition, when I get mail concerning corrections to card effects, it's such a hassle to go back over the old chapters – and STILL juggle schoolwork. But never fear, for I never give up! I will continue to do what I can, and you all will continue to see more action coming at you! So keep reading and checking for updates now and again! Kudos to everyone, for without you this fanfic couldn't continue, nor could all those others here at the site! Thanks!


	90. Chapter 90

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: NOT. MY. OWN. CREATION. PROPERTY. OF. KAZUKI. TAKAHASHI.)

**CHAPTER 90**

_Characters' First Appearance in Story_

_MAXELL_

_NAME: Jonathan Maxell_

_AGE: 39_

_HAIR: Brown (imagine Cowboy Bebop's Vicious with brown hair and darker skin)_

_EYES: Blue (one eye is the Millennium Eye, concealed by his hair)_

_CLOTHES: Indigo robe, indigo shoes_

PHARAOH'S LAIR

As the duel between Marcus and Vlad raged on, the score stood like this: Vlad had an untouched 8000 life points, while Marcus's now stood at 7500. Marcus had five cards in his hand, and Vlad had none. On the field Vlad had an army of Elemental Heroes – Elemental Hero Flame Wingman, Elemental Hero Clayman, and Elemental Hero Bubbleman, all in Attack Mode; while Marcus only had his Y-Dragon Head on the field, in Attack Mode as well. And it was still Vlad's turn, and he was about to attack!

"Go, Flame Wingman! Destroy his Y-Dragon Head now!" Vlad commanded. "Use your Justice Wing Flame!"

Flame Wingman flew into the sky, his wings turning bright red with the flames coming from them, then suddenly swooped down and slashed Y-Dragon Head's body in two. Marcus flinched as he took 600 points of damage, putting him at 6900 – and suddenly cried out as the flames from the attack hit him directly, reducing him even further to 5400! "What in the…!"

"When my Elemental Hero Flame Wingman destroys a monster in battle, his effect inflicts damage to my opponent's life points equal to the ATK of the destroyed monster," explained Vlad. "Now, Bubbleman, it's your turn! Bubble Gun!"

Elemental Hero Bubbleman fired massive bubbles from his blaster at Marcus; the bubbles exploded on contact, stinging Marcus and reducing him to 4600. Then: "Go, Clayman! Rock Sledgehammer!" And Elemental Hero Clayman slammed a mighty stone fist into Marcus's gut, bringing him further to 3800.

Marcus gagged and doubled over, holding his middle where Clayman had struck him. "How do you like your punishment, coward?" Vlad taunted him. "Feel the agony you forced me to inherit!"

"This is bad…" murmured Kyo.

"Yes—and not just for Marcus," said Shigeo. "This Vlad kid…he claims to be fighting for justice, but…he's much too full of anger, and that anger is what's controlling his judgment right now."

"But Marcus isn't playing at his best, either…"said Flora worriedly. "I'm afraid…facing a ghost from his past…he may have been caught up with too much guilt about what happened then. He probably feels he DOES deserve to be punished in such a brutal manner, and is even ready to take the punishment right now…"

"Marcus!" cried Miki. "Whatever you did back then, the past is the past! You have to look forward to the here and now!"

"Yeah!" Jenna added her voice. "Fight on, Marcus! Show us your real strength!"

"Fools!" Vlad spat at them. "There's no coward that can claim to have any strength!"

Marcus rubbed his nose. "Perhaps I do deserve to be punished for my betrayal back then," he admitted. "But if I lose here, without putting up a fight…then what's my real worth? Where's my sense of pride?"

"You have no pride!" shouted Vlad. "You threw that away years ago when you ran away!"

"Even so…there must be some way I can atone…and getting killed isn't that way!" said Marcus with determination, drawing his next card.

He studied his hand carefully. "They say I should fight back…so I will! Even if I owe you a lifetime's worth of apologies, if you're a member of the group we're after, I'll crush you!" He selected a card from his hand. "And now…I'll summon Fusilier Dragon, the Dual-Mode Beast (ATK 2800, DEF 2000)!"

"WHAT?" Vlad asked, dumbfounded.

A metal dragon appeared on the field immediately after, rolling on tank-wheels, with two small gun turrets, one on each side, and a very short neck. Its ATK and DEF suddenly dropped to 1400 and 1000! "Fusilier Dragon can be summoned or set without a tribute," said Marcus, "but in exchange its ATK and DEF will be halved. But it's enough to at least attack you! Now, my beast, destroy Elemental Hero Clayman!"

Fusilier Dragon fired two blasts from its gun turrets and shot Clayman to pieces, reducing Vlad's life points to 7400 – but the boy only smirked. "As if that will do anything to me," he scoffed.

"We'll see, won't we?" said Marcus. "Now, then. I will set one card facedown, and end my turn."

"Pfft…now you've got a superior smirk on your face…as though you think you can actually win," said Vlad. "It's not gonna happen!"

He drew another card and seemed very pleased. "I summon my Elemental Hero Sparkman (ATK 1600, DEF 1400) in Attack Mode!" And then he summoned a costumed hero with lightning flashing around him. "Destroy that Fusilier Dragon with your Shining Surge Flash!"

Sparkman pushed his arms out to the side – and a moment later a bright flash of light consumed Fusilier Dragon…but even as his life points dwindled to 3600, now Marcus grinned. "You fell for my trap! I activate the trap card, Time Machine, to return my Fusilier Dragon to the field in the same Battle Position it was in previously!"

A giant capsule appeared on Marcus's side of the field, and from it Fusilier Dragon reemerged – only this time, its neck was longer than before, and from its mouth came a stream of smoke! "What in the hell is going on?" demanded Vlad.

"Ah – very clever comeback," said Kyo, smirking. "Even if Marcus summoned Fusilier Dragon without a tribute and had its stats halved as a result, he could always revive it from the Graveyard and it would come back with its ATK and DEF at full strength. Very good, indeed."

"Cripes…" Vlad grunted. "Fine. I'll shift Flame Wingman and Bubbleman to Defense Mode, and end my turn for now."

"You're gonna really regret that!" snorted Marcus as he drew another card. "For now I'll activate Premature Burial, paying 800 life points to bring back my Y-Dragon Head from the Graveyard!"

Y-Dragon Head got resurrected from its grave as Marcus's life points dwindled to 2800, and it screeched at Vlad. "Then," continued Marcus, "I'll summon X-Head Cannon (ATK 1800, DEF 1500) in Attack Mode!"

The massive machine monster appeared moments later. "Now…X-Head Cannon, attack and destroy Elemental Hero Sparkman!"

X-Head Cannon fired a blast from its gun turrets, obliterating Sparkman and bringing Vlad's life points down to 7200. Then: "Y-Dragon Head, crush Elemental Hero Bubbleman!" And Y-Dragon Head snapped off Bubbleman's head with one bite. Finally: "Fusilier Dragon, destroy Flame Wingman!" And Fusilier Dragon opened its mouth, firing a massive laser and searing the winged warrior-monster!

"Had enough?" said Marcus.

"After one lucky move? I don't think so." Vlad narrowed his eyes as he slowly drew his next card…

…and when he saw what it was, he smirked. "Good! Now things are going to get a little more interesting!"

"Hmmm?" Marcus cocked an eyebrow.

"I'll Special Summon a second Elemental Hero Bubbleman from my hand, in Defense Mode this time!" Vlad summoned a second copy of the blue-cloaked Elemental Hero. "But there's something else…when I summon Bubbleman, if I don't have any other cards on the field or in my hand, I can draw two cards from my deck."

"Just great…" muttered Marcus.

Vlad drew his two cards, then studied both of them intensely. "Now, how about that? I activate the magic card, Pot of Greed, to draw two cards!" And he drew another two cards, so now he had three in his hand. "Then I'll activate my magic card, Miracle Fusion!"

"What in the world kind of name is that?" Marcus demanded.

"It allows me to remove from play, either from the field or my Graveyard, any Fusion-material monsters that are listed on a Fusion monster that has 'Elemental Hero' in its card name, and Special Summon that monster to the field," explained Vlad. "And so, I'll remove Elemental Hero Clayman and Elemental Hero Sparkman out of my Graveyard to Special Summon their fused form: Elemental Hero Thunder Giant (ATK 2400, DEF 1500)!"

The spirits of Sparkman and Clayman emerged at that moment, swirling together to form a massive giant with electricity swirling around his body. But Vlad sill wasn't finished. "Now, I'll offer Elemental Hero Bubbleman as a tribute to summon Teva (ATK 2000, DEF 1500)!"

In the next moment a warrior of light appeared on the field. "When Teva is Tribute Summoned successfully, you can't declare an attack during your next turn," said Vlad smugly. Then he held up the last card left in his hand. "Now I activate Monster Reborn to revive Elemental Hero Bubbleman in Defense Mode! But seeing as I can't do anything else right now, I'll end my turn."

"Now you're proving to be less of an innocent victim and more of a snotty prick," said Marcus with annoyance. "You've been around JUDAS too long."

"Well, they've given me something I didn't have those years ago – strength to crush my enemies, and strength to get revenge!" said Vlad with malice. "So, I'll kill you here and take your soul as an offering to the Master!"

Now Marcus had 2800 life points, while Vlad had 7200. Vlad had no cards in his hand, but Marcus had three. On the field Marcus had Fusilier Dragon, Y-Dragon Head powered by the Premature Burial card, and X-Head Cannon; Vlad had Elemental Hero Bubbleman in Defense Mode, and Teva and Elemental Hero Thunder Giant in Attack Mode.

Quickly Marcus drew another card. "Okay—just what the doctor ordered!" he announced triumphantly. "I summon Z-Metal Tank (ATK 1500, DEF 1300)!" And then he brought the yellow tank onto the field. "And so, now that I have all three of my XYZ monsters on the field, I can remove them all from play to summon my ultimate XYZ-Dragon Cannon (ATK 2800, DEF 2600)!"

As Y-Dragon Head's Premature Burial card disappeared from the field, all three monsters disengaged several parts and then came together to form the familiar monstrous tank with numerous gun turrets. "Even though I can't attack this turn because of your Teva's effect," went on Marcus, "I can still activate my Dragon Cannon's effect! By discarding one card from my hand, I can make my monster destroy one card on the field – and I choose your Elemental Hero Thunder Giant!"

As Marcus discarded his card, XYZ-Dragon Cannon's guns fired massive lasers that obliterated the Thunder Giant completely! Vlad, of course, was dismayed. "This is unreal! This can't be happening!"

"So much for your justice, I suppose," said Marcus. "But, I must comment…justice that borders on anger-driven vengeance can't really be called justice, can it?"

Vlad bit his lip in irritation. "You…I'll teach you a lesson you'll never forget…"

He drew another card – and his eyes widened in complete surprise. Then he started to laugh. "All right…I'll activate the magic card Enemy Controller!"

All at once a massive game controller appeared on Vlad's side of the field. "This card has two effects," he remarked. "It will allow me to either change the battle position of one monster on your side of the field, OR to offer one of my own monsters as a tribute in order to take control of a monster on your side of the field. So…which do you think it'll be?"

Marcus's eyes widened in shock. "You wouldn't dare!"

"Oh but I would – and I will, too!" answered Vlad. "Now, I input the command: Right-Right-A-B-A-X-Down-Right-Y! Come to me, XYZ-Dragon Cannon – and be offered as a tribute, Elemental Hero Bubbleman!"

As Elemental Hero Bubbleman disappeared from the field, XYZ-Dragon Cannon rolled over to Vlad's side, much to Marcus's chagrin. Then Vlad laughed out loud. "Now, XYZ-Dragon Cannon, sacrifice yourself and destroy the Fusilier Dragon!"

The Dragon Cannon fired numerous blasts from its turrets – but Fusilier Dragon retaliated by firing a massive laser that obliterated the opposing robot. Both monsters were thus destroyed – and Marcus's life points were wide open!

"Now, Teva! Attack directly!" Vlad commanded. Teva responded by throwing blades of light at Marcus, cutting him deeply and reducing him to a mere 800 life points.

"Urrgh…" Marcus groaned in pain, holding his wounds where blood was starting to leak out. "Damn you, punk…"

"No, it is YOU who is damned for eternity!" Vlad returned. "Now, I end my turn…but what will you do now, you bastard?"

"C'mon, Marcus, get up! You can still do it!" cried Flora. "I believe in you!"

Marcus slowly rose up. "I won't…I can't lose here!" he rasped as he drew his next card, giving him a total of three. "I'll summon Kinetic Soldier (ATK 1350, DEF 1800) in Attack Mode!"

A blue and brown cyborg monster appeared on the field. Vlad took one look at it and burst out laughing. "And just what the hell is that supposed to do?"

"When Kinetic Soldier does battle with a Warrior-type monster, his ATK and DEF are increased by 2000 during the Damage step of the battle," said Marcus. "So his ATK becomes 3350 and his DEF becomes 3800 during that battle!"

Vlad's grin instantly disappeared. "SHIT!"

"Go, Kinetic Soldier! Attack and destroy Teva!" Marcus commanded. Kinetic Soldier's response was to rush forward, its ATK and DEF increasing accordingly as it rammed Teva with brute force. As Teva was destroyed, Vlad flinched as his life points went down to 5850.

"Then, just in case," went on Marcus, "I'll set one card facedown, and end my turn."

_I'm in some serious shit here!_ Vlad realized. _The greater majority of my monsters are Warrior-types, and if his Kinetic Soldier's stats increase to match them…this is going to be ever so troublesome!_

Carefully, he drew his next card…then eyed it for a long moment…then started laughing hysterically. "All right, you bastard…it's time to bring this drama to an end!" he announced. "For now I activate the magic card, Autonomous Action Unit!"

"What in the…? What does that do?" asked a bewildered Marcus.

"It allows me to pay 1500 life points in order to Special Summon a monster from your Graveyard on my side of the field in Attack Mode, and then that monster gets equipped with this card," said Vlad, and his life points dropped to 4350. "And I choose your very own Fusilier Dragon, the Dual-Mode Beast!"

Fusilier Dragon appeared on the field a moment later, smoke hissing from its mouth. "Now do it, Fusilier Dragon! Attack his Kinetic Soldier and bring an end to it!" howled Vlad.

"Oh, no, Marcus!" cried Jenna.

Kyo narrowed his eyes. "Marcus…"

"AS IF I'D LET YOU WIN JUST LIKE THAT!" Marcus exploded. "I activate my trap card, Mirror Force, to destroy Fusilier Dragon!"

Suddenly his card was flipped face-up and a barrier formed before him, just as Fusilier Dragon fired its massive laser. The laser bounced off the barrier and headed straight back for Vlad's side of the field, destroying both Fusilier Dragon and the Autonomous Action Unit equipped to it!

"HOLY SHIT!" Vlad cried out.

"And now…it ends," said Marcus. "You allowed your hate and desire for revenge to poison your mind…and now, it's time to reap the fruits of your bitter labor!"

He drew another card. "I activate my Monster Reborn magic card to revive Fusilier Dragon to my side of the field!" And a moment later Fusilier Dragon re-emerged, roaring in mechanical anger.

Then Marcus held up the last card in his hand. "And now…I'll offer Kinetic Soldier as a tribute to summon my mighty Jinzo (ATK 2400, DEF 1500)!" Then moments later his trademark monster appeared on the field. "Now, my machines, finish it!"

Jinzo fired its Psycho Shock, hitting Vlad directly in the chest and knocking his life points for a loop, putting them at 1950. Then Fusilier Dragon fired several rounds from its gun turrets, bringing Vlad to 0.

"Goddammit…" Vlad moaned, dropping to one knee. "I was so close…and even after all this, I still couldn't win…"

"Because, fool, you were weak."

All of them started on hearing the strange voice. "Who's there?" demanded Shigeo.

Miki then glanced upward, above Vlad – and she cried out, "Look! Up there!"

Vlad turned and looked – and all the color drained away from his face. "N-no! It can't be…!"

Standing on the roof of one of the stalls was a dark-skinned, brown-haired man in an indigo robe. "You sorely disappoint me, Vladimir Draxton," he said sourly. "And here I thought you actually had potential…but everything has its limit. Now pay the price for your failure and die!"

He whipped out a large crystal orb and held it up. Suddenly his left eye began to glow, shining with a brilliant light. Then Vlad's body began to glow and he screamed his agony – and to the others' horror, a transparent version of himself swiftly went out of his body and into the orb!

"You bastard! What the hell did you do?" demanded Marcus, rushing over to where Vlad's body had fallen.

"I have simply taken his soul," said the man coolly. "The Master's plan requires many souls for accomplishment…one more, even of our own, will not matter much."

"You son-of-a-bitch…how can you say that about your comrade?" Miki seethed.

"Him? He was never my comrade. The others in JUDAS who hold Millennium Items, like myself…" And here he brushed his hair back a little, revealing a golden eye where his left eye should be. "…_they_ are my comrades. The others of them are mere tools."

"How cold…" Flora shuddered.

"My name is Jonathan Maxell. Remember it. As far as I am concerned, you are all a bunch of gnats that will eventually be wiped off the face of the earth in due time." His single blue eye then glanced down at Flora, and his voice became as ice. "Especially _you,_ you plant-loving whore. 'Unto the third and fourth generation will the sins of the father be passed on.' For your grandparents' transgressions, you will meet your fate…by my hand. Until then…" And suddenly he disappeared!

"Damn you! Come back here!" Marcus shouted.

"It's no good…he's already gone," mumbled Shigeo.

Kyo looked over at Flora. "Flora…do you know that guy?"

"No. I've never met him before." Flora trembled visibly. "But I think maybe my grandparents did, long ago…"

"GUYS!"

Turning, the group saw Raven running toward them at top speed. "Got…back here…just a while ago…" he panted. "Honey and I…we ran into two JUDAS members." Then he saw Vlad. "And it looks like you guys did, too."

"Are you all right?" Miki asked with concern.

"Honey and I are fine…but I'm afraid Wade isn't," said Raven gravely. "We ran into Blaze in the lounge when we got back. Seems another JUDAS member dueled Wade and beat him, and took his soul away."

"Oh, no! Wade!" Jenna cried. "We have to go see him now!" And she turned and ran off.

"What do I do with him?" asked Marcus, indicating an unconscious Vlad.

"Let's take him back to our rooms," said Kyo. "There's little else we can do right now, anyway. Right now, what I want to do is see how Blaze and Wade are doing."

"Let's…let's go then," said Flora quietly. Hurriedly, the group headed back for their rooms, Marcus carrying Vlad in his arms.

---------

**_neomage:_** To all my fans, I apologize if my last set of posts seemed a bit harsh or ungrateful. I know that without your corrections and support, this fic couldn't go on smoothly. And, to certain wise reviewers you're right – I must not neglect my schoolwork, even for this. Thanks to everybody for your continued support and please keep reading! Again, gomen ne!


	91. Chapter 91

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Kazuki Takahashi and Shonen Jump have the rights to the good shit. Kids WB and Cartoon Network have the rights to the crappy stuff.)

**CHAPTER 91**

SOMEWHERE

The red-robed man sat in the darkness, his face once again masked by shadow, contemplating. Then suddenly his Millennium Puzzle began to glow and tremble. "More souls…are coming," he said softly.

Seconds later three figures entered the room – Michael, Maxell and Samantha. "Master, we have brought more souls for your offering," said Samantha respectfully, and she showed her crystal orb.

"You have captured Wade Ocean's soul. Good job…his is a powerful soul that will feed our objective well." The master nodded in approval.

"Regretfully, sir, I could only bring the souls of two of our subordinates, as they failed in their mission," said Michael, and he produced his two orbs.

"As did I, Master," added Maxell, and he held his own orb in hand.

The master shrugged. "It matters not. One soul for the sacrifice is no different from another. In time all of their souls will be ours, anyhow."

The three walked up to him and held out their orbs; he took them one by one and walked over to the wall. Tapping on a section of the wall with his foot, he suddenly opened up a secret doorway and went in. Samantha, Michael and Maxell waited for a moment – and then the master reemerged.

"Now, go." He waved his hand to dismiss them, and they all left.

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PHARAOH'S LAIR, FIVE MINUTES LATER

Wade was already lying in his bed, the sheet drawn over his body, his face void of life. Next to him, in Marcus's bed, Vlad Draxton had just been placed, the sheet similarly drawn over him. Blaze sat by Wade's side, looking down sadly at him; nearby, Kyo, Miki, Marcus and Shigeo stood over where Vlad lay.

"Wade…I'm so, so sorry…" Blaze whispered. "I couldn't help you, or protect you…"

She felt a gentle hand on her shoulder, and looked up into Honey's face. "Blaze…it'll do no good blaming yourself," Honey said quietly. "You had no idea…that your adopted mom would've become one of them. And now, it seems that more and more of us are having connections to someone or other in JUDAS, so you're not the only one."

Blaze sighed. "I just wish…I could save Wade, that's all," she groaned.

Shigeo walked over to the two girls. "Perhaps we can," he said. "These JUDAS guys…if we can defeat them, then we stand a good chance of redeeming those souls they've stolen up to now."

"But I'm still troubled by something," said Kyo thoughtfully. "Why in the world did they want to target Yugo in the first place? I mean, sure, he's a celebrity duelist by now – but somehow I'm getting the feeling that it's more than that."

"They're collecting souls – maybe they want his for some reason," suggested Miki.

"That's certainly a good point," said Shigeo.

"No…somehow, I'm getting the vibe that this is about more than just taking Yugo's soul," said Kyo firmly. "Vlad said earlier that everyone in JUDAS has been betrayed by some person or persons…but who among them could possibly have such a serious grudge against Yugo? The leader, whoever he or she is?"

"We have no way of knowing that right now," said Marcus. "All we know for certain is, innocent lives are being put at risk here…and the longer this draws out, the more people will get hurt." He sighed and cast a woeful gaze on Vlad's unconscious form.

Just at that moment Raven stumbled in, carrying Rodney Rex's body. He was followed a moment later by Flora and Jenna, who were carrying Reggie Rex. "We figured it wouldn't be good if anybody found these guys and started asking questions," said Raven. "So we had to go back for them. Plus, I have some questions to ask these guys when they wake up."

"Good thought, but if their souls were taken they won't be waking up for now," Marcus told him.

"But still, I'm concerned," said Flora. "D'you guys think they'll come back?"

"They probably won't come back here," said Kyo, adjusting his glasses. "They don't strike me as the type of people who'll strike in the same place twice. If my intuition is correct, they'll want to attack in places where it'll be less conspicuous – where they can get us alone."

"If so, then we shouldn't go _anywhere_ alone now," Shigeo pointed out. "There are nine of us still standing…perhaps, once we resume our search for Yugo, we should go out in threes."

"But suppose the hotel's cleaning staff wants to come in and clean this room, and they stumble upon these guys' bodies? Just a thought," said Flora uneasily, even as she and Jenna hefted Reggie's form onto a nearby couch, where Raven had already placed Rodney.

"Hmmm…then I guess one of us should stay here and keep watch over these guys, someone who'll be in the least amount of danger by being alone," surmised Marcus.

"I'll stay," Shigeo volunteered.

"No—let me," Marcus rebutted. "Of all of us here, I'm the only one who doesn't need protecting by anybody else. If by some chance one of the JUDAS people comes back, then there'll be better odds if I'm the one who's…"

Blaze jumped up and held up a hand to stop him. "NO!"

They all stared at her. "Blaze…" Miki whispered.

"Please, Marcus…please let me stay here instead." Blaze's hair overshadowed her eyes. "It's only fair that I be able to _do_ something to help out. Besides, you and Flora always did work well as a team…it wouldn't be fair to her to be paired up with somebody else at this time."

Jenna heard the pleading tone in Blaze's voice. "I second the motion," she said, raising her hand. "Yes, let's allow Blaze to stay here, while the rest of us go out in pairs and continue our search for Yugo."

Marcus looked at both girls; then he gave in. "If you really feel so strongly about it, then I guess I shouldn't argue anymore about it."

"Okay…now that we're in agreement about who stays here, we should decide how we'll pair up," Raven pointed out. "Considering our differing strengths, weaknesses and deck strategies, we need to be paired up so that each person can provide natural balance for his or her partner."

"You're thinking about the tag-team duel we were forced into, aren't you?" asked Honey. "I think it's unlikely that another duel like that will take place – my guess is, they'll favor single duels from here on out. Case in point – that Michael guy, who had that Millennium Ring thing – he seemed eager to fight you one-on-one, bro. I have to bet that that's how the rest of them will challenge us."

Kyo started. "The Millennium Ring…?"

Miki looked across at him – and noticed immediately the dark shadow crossing his face. "Kyo…?"

Kyo looked up at Raven. "Raven…if this Michael is gonna seek you out, then I want to be there when he does find you. So, let's you and I partner up."

Raven looked at him quizzically. "Any special reason?"

"Yeah." Kyo said nothing more than that.

"Um…okay, then. I guess Shigeo and I can team up, then," said Miki.

Shigeo nodded. "I will protect you with my life, my friend."

"Marcus, will you go with me?" asked Flora.

"Sure." He nodded.

"Then that just leaves me and Honey to work together," said Jenna.

"I think it'll turn out okay," said Honey optimistically. "Blaze, you're sure you'll be all right alone?"

"I've been alone most of my life," said Blaze softly. "One more minute of loneliness won't do much, I think."

"All right…if you say so, then," said Miki gently.

"That settles that. Let's move out, then, and be back here by nightfall!" said Marcus. And with that, the four pairs moved out the door, leaving Blaze watching over Wade and their fallen enemies.

----------

MARIK ISHTAR'S HOUSE

It had been a total of one and a half hours in between the time Seta Kaiba visited Marik Ishtar at his place of business and the time the members of JUDAS attacked Jenna, Kyo, Miki and their friends, and now it was 9:45. So, what was Yugo doing in all that time?

Well, at this point he was just waking up. "Hmmm…I haven't slept so good in a long time…" he muttered, sitting up. "Hmmm? What's that?"

On the dressing table not far away from his bed was a silver dish-cover on a tray. Getting up, Yugo walked over and lifted it – and to his immense delight, he found a breakfast of toast, two fried eggs, two slices of salami and two Danish rolls, and there was also a cup of tea. Odion must have left this here for him, he decided as he polished off everything in one go.

Finished with breakfast, he went to his bag for a change of clothes and headed for the bathroom, which was only one door down from his room. "Now this is sweet living!" he remarked.

Five minutes later he emerged from the bathroom and headed back into his room to change into his clothes. Then, some fifteen minutes later, he emerged – wearing his familiar white undershirt and black jeans, and pulling on his black jacket. "You can never get too tired of wearing the same outfit," he hummed to himself. "I'm sure glad I brought along extra changes of these – I'd feel so odd not wearing them!"

This time, though, in addition to his regular outfit he was also sporting a pair of fingerless leather gloves on his hands. "Now the day begins!" he announced, making sure they fit properly. "Bring it on, world!"

----------

Odion was outside, working on a small garden plot that grew by the front porch steps. He took great care as he tended to the orchids in particular; in her life, they had been Mistress Ishizu's favorite type of flower, and had been included in the bouquet she'd gotten from Seto Kaiba on their wedding day.

"If you were with us today, Mistress Ishizu…" Odion whispered sadly.

He knew he would never forget that terrible day, more than ten years ago by now. That day when Mistress Ishizu, along with Rebecca Hawkins-Muto and several of their fellow researchers, perished in that disastrous plane crash. Master Marik had gone without food or drink for a week afterwards, so deep in mourning he'd been; only Odion's intervention had prevented the master from wasting away.

And that, he figured, was the only time Seto Kaiba had ever cried.

Because, in addition to Mistress Ishizu and Miss Rebecca, Kaiba's younger brother Mokuba had been among the fatalities. Odion remembered well what had happened at the mass funeral that followed – trying to look composed because of his reputation, Kaiba had failed miserably, falling to his knees before Mokuba's grave, screaming oaths and blasphemies to the heavens in the voice of a madman as the tears rushed down his face, and he was creating such a scene that several of the volunteer pallbearers had had to forcefully pull him away.

_Young Mokuba was the only other family that Kaiba had,_ Odion mused as he thought back on that awful day. _And then Kaiba opened his heart to Mistress Ishizu, and the two were married…and then to lose both of them in one fell swoop, just like that…I'm amazed he's still sane after all this._

Then Odion chuckled to himself. _Then again, there is a reason why Kaiba hasn't lost his sanity…because he still has a piece of that memory that's still alive, in human form…_

A sudden _beep beep_ from the gate interrupted his train of thought, and he looked up. His eyes widened in amazement. _Can it be…?_

He dashed up to the porch and went inside. Opening the security panel for the front gate's digital code, right by the doorway, he punched in the numbers. Moments later he heard a loud buzz as the front gate opened, then heard the roar of the vehicle's engine as it came up to the front porch.

Odion went outside again. "Master Seta…good to see you again, sir."

Indeed, it was Seta aboard his Blue-Eyes White Motorbike, with Jillian riding behind him. "Long time no see, Odion," Seta greeted him. "Did Uncle Marik call and tell you I was coming?"

"He did," Odion confirmed. "Not too long ago, in fact. And he told me why you were coming too."

"Then Yugo is here, then?" Seta asked.

"He is. He's right upstairs in his room, in fact; you may go in and see him."

Seta nodded. "Jillian, wait right here. I'll be right back."

He hopped off the bike and strode inside, heading right into the main hall. _It's been years since I last came here…yet I still remember this place as though I'd been living here for years…_

He remembered that upstairs, second door on the left, was one guest bedroom. This was the room where he and his father would sleep in the old days on separate beds, each time they came to visit. That was before his mother's death, though; ever since then, Kaiba had practically stopped bringing Seta here, partly due to the fact that Marik had been serving his prison sentence.

Back in the here and now, as Seta waltzed up to the door, he stopped and knocked, preparing himself. "Come in it's open!" he heard Yugo call from inside.

But Seta would not detract from his original plan, and knocked again. "I said, it's open," Yugo repeated.

Again Seta knocked. Finally he heard Yugo grumbling as he came to the door, "Fine, fine…I'm coming."

As Yugo opened the door, Seta pulled back his arm – and thrust it forward in a solid punch, hitting Yugo square in the face and sending him flying! "Bastard!" he exploded.

Yugo landed on the ground, holding his bruised cheek. "Agh…Seta?"

"Don't 'Seta' me! I ought to kick your ass for running off like that!" Seta exploded, clenching his fist menacingly. "Making all of us worry like that…" His tone dropped. "…failing to believe in us…you really know how to piss a guy off, Yugo."

Yugo looked away sheepishly. "Sorry."

Seta shrugged. "Hmph. Well, what's done is done and can't be undone. Come on, get up, you lazy punk." And he held out his hand, which Yugo accepted.

----------

"So, you are his bodyguard, eh? You seem a bit young for the role," remarked Odion as he continued to work on the orchids.

"Nevertheless, I do what I do well," Jillian answered calmly.

"You certainly seem the type of person who'll never give up," Odion remarked. "How long have you been his bodyguard?"

"Only a short time, actually," said Jillian. "Before that, I was bodyguard to several important figures for three years."

"Hmph," said Odion.

Just then Seta reappeared, Yugo following behind him moments later. "Well, here we are again, everyone!" he chirped good-naturedly.

Jillian walked up to them. "Well, well, well…so you're Sir Seta's main rival, eh? Finally, I get a chance to see you in person."

Yugo cocked an eyebrow. "And you are…?"

"She's my bodyguard, Jillian Uriah," Seta introduced her.

Yugo snickered. "I'm worried, Seta…whatever will Honey think?"

The next thing he knew, two giant fists hit him in the face and sent him sailing through the door. "IT'S NOT LIKE THAT!" Seta and Jillian shouted simultaneously.

"…ow…" Yugo groaned from inside.

Resuming his calm demeanor, Seta turned to Odion. "Uncle Marik has told me that he plans to train Yugo," he announced. "But after speaking with him, he's agreed to help train me and Jillian here, too."

"It would certainly do you good, sir," said Odion. "Considering the type of enemies you now have against you, Master Marik's coaching will grant you great benefits."

"Only thing is, we'll have to wait till he gets off work later," sighed Seta.

"But for the present, you can walk around and get re-acquainted with the house," offered Odion. "It has been a while since you've been here last, anyway."

"True, true. Come on, Jillian – let's go pick up Yugo." And then Seta walked back inside the house, Jillian following after him. Odion chuckled and continued to work on the orchids.

---------

**_neomage:_** Due to a massive chapter overhaul and a revelation on certain rules here at the site, I have had to take out the awards "ceremony" that was previously in this chapter…I hope all those who were involved will be able to understand…but fret not, your places of honor are not forgotten! Well, this is the end of this chapter…and there's more to come for sure!


	92. Chapter 92

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: So what else is new? Kazuki Takahashi owns Yu-Gi-Oh!)

**CHAPTER 92**

CAIRO, SOME HOURS LATER

Marcus and Flora were walking along the street together, talking casually while at the same time keeping a sharp eye out for anybody who might be a member of JUDAS. "Flora…" Marcus said slowly. "That Jonathan Maxell guy…I still can't get it out of my head – what he said to you, I mean."

"I know what you mean," lamented Flora. "And I still don't understand it…what could he possibly have against my family, that his hate would extend specifically to me?"

Marcus's mouth was set in a grim line. "We'll find out sooner or later, I think."

They didn't say anything more for a minute. Then Marcus glanced to one side…and saw Flora trembling. "What's wrong?"

"Marcus…" Flora's voice sounded ready to crack. "Why? Why are these people doing this? Why are they causing so much anguish for all of us?"

He gave her a knowing look. "You're still thinking of what happened to Blaze and me, aren't you?"

"For some reason…each and every one of us is connected to somebody in JUDAS," groaned Flora. "And every time they challenge us to a duel, no matter who wins or loses…it's heartache and heartbreak for all of us. Why, why, why, why…"

She looked extremely pale and ready to drop; Marcus quickly grabbed her. "Flora…Flora…take it easy," he urged.

But now she was weeping. "I just wish I knew…how they can be so cruel…how they can allow bitterness to take them over so easily…" she sobbed.

Marcus sighed in pity – Flora was still quite unused to the reality of life, after all. Her years of living with a loving grandmother and among good friends hadn't adequately prepared her for something like this. He, on the other hand, had had to face the horrors of reality first-hand, so he knew what it was like. The problem was explaining it to her – even if he did manage to do so clearly, she still wouldn't be able to absorb it.

So, he did the only thing he felt he could do – he gently pulled her into an embrace. "Shhh, Flora…it'll be okay," he said softly. "We'll make sure that these guys don't get away with their sins. I promise you…on my life."

Flora didn't say anything in reply, but her sobs subsided somewhat and she returned the embrace. _At least she's reassured somewhat,_ Marcus thought in relief.

--------

Meanwhile, Kyo and Raven were walking through the market, both absorbed in their own thoughts. Presently Raven spoke up. "So, Kyo…exactly why did you want to partner with me, just to find Michael? You're being awfully enigmatic about it."

"Why I'm doing what I'm doing is my business, and mine alone. Just be glad you're not on your own with this." Kyo's voice was stony as he adjusted his glasses.

"Well, whatever, man." Raven shrugged.

They continued walking for a little while. Then suddenly Kyo froze. Raven noticed it. "What?"

"Don't you feel it?" said Kyo. "Something cold…sinister…as though someone's following after us…with malicious intent…"

"Malicious intent?"

"Yeah…" Kyo swallowed, hard. "Intent to kill."

Raven cocked his eyebrow. "Hmm…"

Then, with one movement, both boys looked forward…and stared in growing shock. For only a dozen steps before them, right in the middle of the crowd, stood Michael Bronte himself, his Millennium Ring flashing!

"But…but I felt this energy _behind_ us…" Kyo swallowed again. "When did he get _in front of us…?"_

Michael chuckled. "If you really must know," he spoke up, "I've been next to you the whole time, listening to everything you've been saying. In fact, when all of you were converged together back at your hotel, I was right outside your door…listening to everything you were saying to each other."

Raven shook his head. "That's impossible…"

"Is it? Then you really don't know the power of the Millennium Items, do you, boy?" Michael's smile slowly turned upside down. "You, whose parents wielded Millennium Items back in their day…you don't know what they're capable of?"

"What in God's name are you talking about? Our parents never had Millennium Items!" Raven spat.

"Yes…they did."

Raven stopped short and stared at his companion in surprise. "Kyo…?"

Kyo's eyes were narrowed into little slits. "My father…years ago, he wielded the power of the Millennium Ring…the same Millennium Ring that this guy's now wearing around his neck."

"Ah, so you do know some of your family's cursed history," Michael smiled again. "And you, Raven Pegasus…your adopted father once held another Item himself, the Millennium Eye. I'm surprised he never told you about that."

"Should it matter?" Raven barked.

"Actually, yes," answered Michael. "For whether you like it or not, you are part of a grand scheme that has been centuries in the making. Yes…centuries of darkness…centuries of chaos…centuries of time slowly winding down to this moment – to the moment when your deaths would be assured!"

Suddenly, from Kyo's point of view, Michael seemed to disappear! "What! Where'd he go?" Kyo asked in astonishment—

—and then suddenly his eyes widened and his mouth opened in a silent scream. For right there, in front of him, a malevolent shadow had run a sword through his stomach and up out of his chest!

From Raven's point of view, there wasn't anything there…but then Kyo coughed blood. "Oh my freaking God…what in the hell have you done to him, you son-of-a-bitch?" he demanded of Michael.

"Not much, actually," Michael chuckled. "I merely used my Millennium Ring to create an image in your friend's mind. As far as he's concerned, he's been run through with a sharp blade and he's gonna die unless something is done for him."

"Stop it right now, you shit-face!" Raven exploded.

"Fear not—you can still save him, if you so desire," Michael rebutted. "Just duel me right now…in a Shadow Game." He snapped his fingers…and the Millennium Ring began to glow again.

Suddenly, the people that had been passing by the three vanished into thin air…and then a thick inky mist seeped all around their feet. A creepy fog swept around their bodies, until they could see nothing else but each other. "My little man…" Michael began to laugh. "Welcome to the Shadow Realm!"

----------

At that very moment Jenna and Honey were walking past a mall. Honey sighed. "I wonder how the others are doing," she moped. "We've been asking people for help in finding Yugo so far, and so far all we've gotten is nothing."

"They won't give up, and neither should we," said Jenna. "I already said it, Honey…I don't intend to rest until I can lay my eyes on Yugo again."

"I understand," said Honey. "Say, why don't we catch a taxi and charter the driver? We could cover a lot more ground that way, compared to if we stay on foot all day."

"I agree," said Jenna. "Here—taxi!"

She hailed a black taxi with a white stripe; the cab pulled over and its driver's window rolled down. "Hello, pretty ladies!" the driver called cheerfully in an Egyptian accent. "Hop in! Where to?"

Honey and Jenna got in. "We'd just like you to drive us around the city, please," said Jenna. "We'll pay you for your trouble – we're just trying to find a friend urgently."

"Okey-dokey! Buckle up, ladies!" the driver answered.

No sooner had Honey and Jenna done so than the taxi began to dash through the streets like mad. "Whoa! You drive fast!" Honey exclaimed.

"I'm well known for that," the driver answered. "But it's like I say – I may drive like a madman, but at least I get you to where you're going on time!"

"Heaven help us…" mumbled Jenna.

"My name is Rashid, by the way," the driver continued. "And your names are…?"

"I'm Honey, and this is my friend Jenna," Honey introduced them politely.

Rashid nodded…and then looked intently at Jenna. "Hmmm…"

"Uh…what is it?" Jenna asked, feeling slightly uncomfortable.

"Ah—forgive me," said Rashid, catching his error. "You just remind me of someone…AH YES! Now I remember! You're that girl in Yugo's photograph!"

That information hit Jenna like lightning. "WHAT!" she almost screamed. "You know Yugo, mister?"

"But of course! I had the privilege of driving him around this wonderful city of Cairo!" Rashid announced proudly. "He's quite an interesting boy, that he is!"

"Listen, Mr. Rashid…where is he now? Do you know?" Honey asked sternly "It's important that we find him, and soon."

"Well…I took him to Ishtar Enterprises, a really big-shot company not far from here," said Rashid thoughtfully. "But he only managed to get in under some intriguing circumstances. That building is not a place where you can just waltz in."

Honey smiled. "Take us there anyway, Rashid," and she reached into her purse and pulled out a huge wad of cash. "I promise you, we'll make it worth your while."

Rashid's eyes widened when he saw the money. "Ahhh…well, all right, if you wish."

Jenna nodded gratefully. "Thank you ever so much."

"Okey-dokey, then! Hang on!" And Rashid stepped hard on the gas, causing the car to shoot down the street as Honey and Jenna hung on for their lives.

----------

SOMEWHERE

The mysterious leader of JUDAS sat on his throne, watching as his Millennium Puzzle shone with a bright light. "Hmmm…it appears that a Shadow Game has been engaged," he remarked. "Most likely by Michael. That fool always did love to toy with Shadow Duels."

"But at least he got results from such duels, you can grant him that," said Lassiter, standing in the shadows, holding his Millennium Rod in one hand.

"Well, let's hope he gets results from this one," the leader murmured.

Just then Samantha came forward, and bent down on one knee. "Master…one of them is on her own, and is easy prey. Please, allow me to retrieve this soul for you."

The master glanced at her. "You have never failed to bring me some spoils from battle, Samantha. And you have proven yourself worthy time and again." He waved his hand. "Very well. Go."

"Thank you, Master." Samantha then got up and exited the room, as Lassiter looked on and grinned.

----------

CAIRO, IN THE MEANTIME

Shigeo hopped down from the rooftops and landed next to Miki, in front of a clothing store. "I've scanned the area within a fifty-meter radius…and no sign of Yugo yet."

"I'm impressed," said Miki. "You really do act like a ninja."

"Hey, I have a rep to protect," said Shigeo. "May as well adopt the lifestyle, after all."

"Well, now what?" asked Miki.

"Hmmm…" Shigeo glanced around. "Let's continue walking a little longer, eh?"

"All right."

The two duelists walked further. Miki looked thoughtful; presently she spoke her mind. "Shigeo…"

"Hmmm?"

"I'm curious. Of all the dueling styles there are, why Ninjas? Why did you pick Ninjas as your theme?"

Shigeo chuckled. "It's a bit of a silly story, really," he answered. "You wouldn't be interested."

"Well, then I wouldn't have asked." Miki smirked.

"Hmph. Well said." Shigeo nodded. "All right, I'll tell you."

He looked away a moment. "When I was a child, I was always fascinated by how ninjas in the movies could be such good warriors, and also be so full of discipline and honor. Back then, I was wild, rowdy, and a real pain in the ass for my relatives. But…"

He sighed. "My grandfather was the grandson of a legendary samurai warrior from way back in the 1800's. He believed in discipline and honor very strongly, and so, when my mother died, he took me in and trained me. His training course was very rigorous, and many times I came close to calling it quits…but then I would remember the discipline that ninjas are supposed to have, and the code of honor they are expected to uphold, and so I'd stay and stick it out. This outfit you see me in now – it belonged to my great ancestor."

"I see," said Miki. "So you preserve the family honor by continuing to fight as a ninja – only, without the sword or throwing stars."

"Yep." Shigeo nodded. "I respect my grandfather's legacy and memory very much…and this Ninja deck that I carry around, it was he who first compiled it for me. For in addition to being a great historian, he was also quite skilled in Duel Monsters. He taught me how to play the game…and he always had a saying. 'Shigeo,' he'd say, 'since swords are banned in this day and age, let your deck be your sword. The soul of the samurai is in his sword, and the spirit of the ninja is in his skill…let your soul be in your cards and your skill always reside in your heart.'"

Miki nodded respectfully. "How wonderful," she murmured. "Your grandpa would be proud of you now."

"That he would." Shigeo nodded. "Well…let's keep going. We haven't got a lot of time."

"Yeah, that's right," Miki agreed, and the two kept walking…unaware that some distance behind them, a shadowy figure was stalking them…

----------

PHARAOH'S LAIR

Blaze continued sitting by Wade's bedside, feeling sorry for herself. "Well, Wade, it's just you and me," she sighed. Then she glanced over at Vlad Draxton and Rodney and Reggie Rex. "Oh, yeah, and these jokers too…"

She chuckled and brushed her hair out of her eyes. "I'm gonna go get something to munch on from the lounge," she whispered. "Don't go anywhere, okay?" And she got up and went out the door.

Fifteen minutes later she came trudging back upstairs, carrying a plastic plate filled with donuts, Danish rolls and other sweet treats. "Time to eat!" she said as she reached the room door and opened it.

What she saw startled her so badly, she dropped the plate. "You…!"

Sitting next to Wade's bedside, Samantha Redman was stroking the boy's hair. "Such a handsome guy he is," she said softly. "But don't feel too lonely for long, Blaze…because you'll be joining him very soon…"

----------

THE SHADOW REALM

"The…Shadow Realm…?" Raven asked, looking around in consternation.

"That's right, my friend," sneered Michael. "This is the place where all the souls I've banished wander for all eternity. Can you hear their moans of fear and loneliness?"

"You're a real bastard…" Raven snarled.

The Millennium Ring shone again; to Raven's astonishment, Kyo was hoisted into the air, suspended right above Raven's head, still staring into space. "He's still trapped inside his own mind by the effects of my Millennium Ring," said Michael tauntingly. "And as long as he stays in that state, he WILL die – unless you defeat me in this duel."

"So, bring it on!" Raven cried, readying his Duel-Disk.

"Ah-ah-ah – not so fast, Raven Pegasus," said Michael, wagging a finger. "This is a Shadow Game now, and Shadow Games are different from normal duels…in that they have some additional rules that both players must abide by. The rules vary with each game, but…"

"So stop screwing around already! What are these rules of yours!" Raven demanded.

Michael smiled. "All right, here are the rules," he said calmly. "You have something to lose in this duel – your friend. So, I'll put something up for grabs, too – my own heart!"

Suddenly, right before Raven's astonished and disgusted eyes, Michael seemingly reached into his own chest and pulled out his heart, still attached to the numerous blood vessels surrounding it. Then suddenly the heart seemed to grow in size, length and width until it was about as large as a human body!

"Now, this is how it'll go," said Michael. "For every 1000 life points lost, one-eighth of my heart will be consumed and destroyed by the malevolent spirits that wander this place. Once my life points reach 0, my heart will be destroyed completely, and of course, I'll die. On the other hand, for every 1000 life points you lose, one-eighth of KYO'S body will be sucked away into darkness…and once you run out of life points, not only will he die, but _you_ will perish along with him!"

"Then I guess I just gotta make sure I don't lose then, eh?" smirked Raven.

"Fool! Your father may have owned a Millennium Item in his day, but you have no such connection! Your loss to me is assured!" Michael snapped.

"Only one way to find that out," said Raven darkly. "Now, enough talk! Let's duel!"

----------

**_neomage:_** A Shadow Game is about to commence…someone stalks Miki and Shigeo…Blaze and her adopted mom Samantha are gonna have a confrontation…and Honey and Jenna are one step closer to finding Yugo! What next, you ask? Well, keep reading and see!

And, I must say this: The rules for the tag-team duel between Raven/Honey and Reggie/Rodney? No, they don't really exist as far as I know, but I had to make up some form of rules to make the tag-team duel more effective. Trust me, though, after the hell I went through to keep the duel correctly written, I'm not gonna write any more tag-team duels…unless I have to…so, keep reading and enjoy!


	93. Chapter 93

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Nobody owns Yu-Gi-Oh except Takahashi-sama.)

**CHAPTER 93**

THE SHADOW REALM

As Raven and Michael prepared to duel, the holographic coin emerged on the field. "I call tails!" Michael announced.

The coin was flipped – but it turned out to be heads. "Darn…fine. You can go first…not that it'll make a difference." Michael shrugged.

Raven scowled at Michael's seeming arrogance. "Prepare to perish!" he shouted as he drew his first cards. "To start off, I'll set one card facedown, and summon D.D. Survivor (ATK 1800, DEF 200) in Attack Mode!" He then summoned his wandering cybernetic warrior. "That's all for now."

Michael shrugged as he drew his card, adding to his preliminary hand. "I'll just set one monster facedown, two cards facedown, and end my turn with that."

Raven looked up at Kyo, still lost in his own mind as he hung suspended in the air by the invisible force of Michael's Millennium Ring. "Hang on, Kyo…I'll get you down from there soon," he whispered. "Miki will have my head if anything happens to you…"

He swiftly drew his next card. "I offer D.D. Survivor as a tribute to summon the Different Dimension Dragon (ATK 1200, DEF 1500) to the field!" And then as the warrior disappeared from the field, in its place appeared the dimensional dragon monster, appearing from the rift in time and space that was its home. "Attack and destroy that facedown monster of his!"

The Different Dimension Dragon blasted a breath of green fire at the facedown monster – and when the card was flipped face-up, it revealed a strange-looking man in a green cloak and red hat, with all sorts of contraptions showing under his clothes. "The monster you destroyed was my Trap Master (ATK 500, DEF 1100)," said Michael. "When flipped face-up, his effect destroys one trap card on the field, and if the card is facedown, I get to see what it is – and if it's a trap card, it still gets destroyed. So, let's see what type of card your facedown card is, eh?"

Flinching, Raven watched as his facedown card was flipped – and revealed to be the Dimension Wall trap card. One of the Trap Master's remaining tools flew forward and sliced the card to ribbons, rendering it useless!

"And now – time for me to activate one of my facedown cards – the trap card Needle Wall!" Michael suddenly announced. "During each of my Standby Phases, I get to roll a six-sided die once…and, I treat your Monster Card zone slots as numbers 1 to 5, counting from my right. Whatever monster is in the same zone as the number on the die result then gets destroyed…and if the result is 6, I get to roll again!"

Raven flinched again. "You're a dick."

"I take it as a compliment!" Michael chuckled. "Wanna try something else, kid?"

"No…I'll end my turn." Raven sighed.

Now Michael drew another card. "Oh-ho-ho! How wonderful for me!" he cried. "Now, Needle Wall, activate your effect! I roll the die!"

A gigantic wall filled with spikes appeared near Raven's Monster Card zone, and a die was rolled. Both watched it anxiously…and when it landed, the result was 2. "Hmph…and your Different Dimension Dragon is in slot 1. Oh, well. There's always next time," Michael said philosophically.

Then he looked at the four cards in his hand. "I summon Don Zaloog (ATK 1400, DEF 1500) in Attack Mode!" And then he summoned a gray-haired man with an eye-patch and wielding a sword.

"Huh?" Raven looked on in surprise. "I've never seen a monster like that before…"

"Well, enjoy the view for as long as you can, because this is the card that will herald the beginning of your demise!" said Michael threateningly. "Don Zaloog, you see, is the leader of an ancient and terrible gang that wreaks havoc on all other creatures in the world of Duel Monsters – the Dark Scorpions! And they're a closely bonded group, as you'll soon see!"

He held up one of the three remaining cards in his hand. "And now I activate the magic card, Mustering of the Dark Scorpions! When Don Zaloog is on my side of the field, I can Special Summon any card from my hand that has the phrase 'Dark Scorpion' in its name, or is named Cliff the Trap Remover (ATK 1200, DEF 1000), even though I'm forbidden to Special Summon two monsters with the exact same name. And I'll summon Dark Scorpion – Chick the Yellow (ATK 1000, DEF 1000)!"

To Raven's utter chagrin, a broom-haired youth wearing the same colors as Don Zaloog but carrying a massive mallet appeared on the field. "And next," continued Michael, "I'll activate the magic card, Secret Pass to the Treasures! By selecting one monster on my side of the field that has 1000 ATK or less, I can have that monster attack your life points directly this turn!"

Raven's eyes widened in horror, realizing what that meant. "No…!"

"Yes – say goodbye to some of Kyo's body as it's fed to the darkness!" Michael laughed cruelly. "Chick the Yellow, bypass the Different Dimension Dragon and attack directly!"

Chick the Yellow dashed past the dragon and jumped high into the air, slamming his mallet into Raven's head – hard. Raven got floored as his life points shot to 7000 – and to his horror, Kyo's right leg got enveloped by the blackness around them!

"Damn it!" he screamed.

"I hate to be the bearer of even more bad news, kid," said Michael, "but when Chick the Yellow did Battle Damage to your life points, his effect activated. Now, I have a choice: I can either look at one card on the top of your deck, and return it to either the top or bottom of your deck…or, I can return one card on the field to its owner's hand. Oh, what the hell – I'll use the second effect and return your Different Dimension Dragon to your hand!"

Whereupon Chick the Yellow jumped backward and swatted the Different Dimension Dragon with his mallet – and the card popped out of the monster slot on Raven's Duel-Disk and flew right back into his hand. "But that means…you'll be able to attack me directly with…!" he groaned.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have a bright boy here!" said Michael in mock congratulation. "Let's give him a prize! I know – Don Zaloog, attack directly!"

Don Zaloog dashed forward and sliced Raven's chest with his sword. Raven grunted as his life points shot down further to 5600 – and Kyo's left arm got sucked up by the blackness!

"And now, there's Don Zaloog's effect to contend with," went on Michael. "When he does Battle Damage to your life points, I can either randomly send one card from your hand to the Graveyard, or I can send two cards from the top of your deck to the Graveyard. Ah…hmmm…I'll have you discard two cards from the top of your deck to the Graveyard!"

Don Zaloog slashed at Raven's Duel-Disk – and the two cards on top of his deck got sent to the Graveyard. "Sucks, doesn't it?" mocked Michael. "All right – now I end my turn!"

While Raven's life points now stood at 5600, Michael's were at an untouched 8000. Raven had five cards in his hand, including his Different Dimension Dragon; Michael had no cards left in hand. On the field Raven's side was completely empty, while on Michael's there stood Don Zaloog and Dark Scorpion – Chick the Yellow, plus the Needle Wall trap card and one other card facedown.

Raven looked on, concerned, at the stats of the Shadow Game itself. Now Kyo, still lost in mental limbo, had his arm and leg missing in the darkness, while just ahead Michael's heart – still beating openly, much to Raven's revulsion – was intact. _I think it's time I change that,_ Raven thought bitterly.

He drew another card, giving him six in all. Then, pausing a moment to check his Graveyard, his eyes widened. _So, THOSE cards are in there…I can use this strategy against him with ease, then!_

"Hmmm?" Michael looked on, curious.

Raven selected one card from his hand and held it up high. "I'll remove one Light monster and one Dark monster in my Graveyard from play to Special Summon my mighty Chaos Sorcerer (ATK 2300, DEF 2000)!" And as he removed the two monsters out of his Graveyard, his dark-clad spellcaster appeared, the magic flashing in his hands.

Michael's eyes widened. "Oh?"

Then Raven held up another card. "Next, I summon my Banisher of the Light (ATK 100, DEF 2000) in Attack Mode!" Then he summoned his next spellcaster. "As long as this guy remains face-up on the field, any card sent to the Graveyard is removed from play instead."

Michael's eyes narrowed. "And so…what exactly are you gonna do?"

"This!" Raven held up yet another card. "I'll activate the magic card Soul Release, to remove the two cards left in my Graveyard from play!" And as he activated the card, the two cards got removed from play – and then, via the effect of Banisher of the Light, Soul Release was removed from play too.

Then Raven examined the cards that had been removed from play. "Okaaaaay…so I have a total of five cards removed from play…very well, then. Now, since I have more than four cards removed from play and there are no cards in my Graveyard, I can activate the magic card Chaos Greed, to draw two cards from my deck!"

As he activated the card and as the card itself got removed from play thanks to Banisher of the Light, Raven drew his two cards, so now he held four in his hand. He fiddled with one in his hand; then he looked up at Kyo. "Sorry, man."

Then he held up the card. "And now, I'll activate the magic card Dimension Fusion! Once I pay 2000 life points, both players can Special Summon as many monsters as possible that have been removed from play! And since you haven't got any monsters removed from play, that leaves me to do the Special Summoning by myself! How's that?"

As Raven's life points sharply dropped to 3600 – and as Kyo's left leg and right arm disappeared into the shadows – Dimension Fusion was removed from play, because of the Banisher of the Light yet again. But this time, there appeared on Raven's side of the field three monsters: D.D. Survivor, Cybernetic Magician (ATK 2400, DEF 1000), and a completely new monster – Cyber Dragon (ATK 2100, DEF 1600), a mechanical serpent beast!

"Heh…" Michael couldn't help but chuckle. "It seems I was right about you. You really are a genius with your deck strategy."

"Well, now I'll activate the magic card Polymerization, to fuse the Cyber Dragon on my side of the field with the one in my hand to form Cyber Twin Dragon (ATK 2800, DEF 2100)!" Raven held up two of the three remaining cards in his hand.

Suddenly a dimensional distortion opened up, and the Cyber Dragon in Raven's hand got sucked in along with the one on the field. Then, they re-emerged – as one gigantic machine with two long necks and two very vicious-looking heads! Michael stared at it in awe. "Such a mighty beast," he whispered.

Raven was grinning widely now. "Now, all of my monsters have a combined ATK powerful enough to wipe out a chunk of your life points!" he announced. "You haven't got a chance!"

"Very smart," Michael congratulated him. "You keep all your bases covered, even if your plans will really succeed, for you take into consideration that they may not. I salute you, Raven."

"Whatever!" Raven snorted. "Now, let's begin! Cybernetic Magician, attack and destroy his Don Zaloog!"

But as the Cybernetic Magician charged up energy in his staff… "Not quite!" Michael shouted suddenly. "I activate my trap card, Needle Ceiling! Since there are more than four monsters on the field, all monsters on the field will be destroyed!"

"WHAT!" Raven cried out.

Suddenly, right above their heads, a huge ceiling with spikes protruding from it came crashing down on the field, crushing all the monsters on both players' sides! "Shit! And I was so close!" Raven swore.

"Too bad, man," Michael shrugged. "But I gotta hand it to you, you really did have me worried for a moment there."

"Aw, damn it all!" Raven groaned. "All right, fine! I end my turn!"

Now the life point score stood at Raven with 3600 and Michael with a still-intact 8000. Raven had only one card left in his had, which Michael already knew was the Different Dimension Dragon, while Michael himself had no cards left in hand. On the field Raven had absolutely nothing, while on Michael's side he still had his active Needle Wall trap card..

Michael chuckled. "Boy, it must make you feel really bad, huh?" he questioned. "To come so far and to summon so many powerful monsters in one turn, only to have all of them destroyed right before your very eyes…just like your parents…"

Raven froze. "What the hell did you say?" he asked warily.

"Hee, hee, hee…how do you think I know about that?" said Michael. "Of course, the plane crash was in the papers, but…I can tell you some very intimate details about the incident that the papers didn't say. For example, they didn't say that Mr. and Mrs. DaCosta—your real mom and dad—were having themselves a little, ah, _fun_ in the bathroom stall fifteen minutes before the crash…or that Mr. DaCosta was wearing green and gray striped socks that day…or that the pilot and co-pilot were telling rude jokes when the intercom was off…"

Slowly Raven's eyes widened in horror and his face went deathly pale. "You…that crash was never an accident…_YOU_ caused it to happen!"

Michael clapped his hands slowly, ominously. "It was real easy to do, see," he said, fingering the Millennium Ring. "All I had to do was follow from a distance using a charter plane I'd actually stolen, use my Millennium Ring's powers to make the circuitry for the plane's controls go out completely, and…well…everybody knows the rest." He chuckled. "The wonders of a Millennium Item…that's why I never leave home without mine."

"No…" Slowly Raven crumpled to his knees. "Why…for God's sake, WHY!"

"Well, one of my colleagues had a rather big beef with your folks, and also with Ishizu Ishtar and Rebecca Hawkins," said Michael. "So I did him a favor and, er, rubbed them out. Just like rubbing chalk off a blackboard. It was that easy."

The look on Raven's face slowly changed…from shock and sorrow…to pure anger. "You goddamn piece of shit," he rasped. "May Heaven strike me down dead if I don't kill you here!"

"Ha!" scoffed Michael. "And what can you do at this point? You haven't even begun to touch my life points, but yet I've got you on your knees right in front of me! Face it—you're in a hopeless situation, and there's absolutely nothing you can do about it!"

Then, with a grand flourish, Michael drew his next card. Because Raven had no monsters on the field, Needle Wall didn't activate itself again. "And now, the beginning of the end is here for you! I summon Dark Scorpion – Meanae the Thorn (ATK 1000, DEF 1800) in Attack Mode!" And he summoned a young woman wearing the same colors as the two previous Dark Scorpions and wielding a very thorny whip. "Use your Bramble Whiplash!"

Meanae raised her whip and lashed at Raven, ripping his shirt and causing blood to fly. Raven winced in pain as his life points went down to 2600…and as one half of Kyo's torso disappeared.

"And now for Meanae the Thorn's effect," continued Michael, very pleased with himself. "When she does Battle Damage to you, I can either select a card with 'Dark Scorpion' in its name, or that is named Cliff the Trap Remover, from my deck and add it to my hand; or I can select that card from my Graveyard and add it to my hand. And the Dark Scorpion I choose will come from my deck – Cliff the Trap Remover!"

He thumbed through his deck and found the card he was looking for. Holding it up for Raven to confirm, he added it to his hand. "Next turn…next turn, I'll let you go and see your parents," and he chuckled ominously.

Raven quickly drew his next card—and his eyes widened in horror again. _No…I can't use this now…this card is useless to me in this kind of situation!_ The card he was looking at was his D.D.M. – Different Dimension Master (ATK 1700, DEF 1500), which required a tribute to be summoned—and Raven had no monster cards on the field at all.

"Well, it seems you've reached the end of your rope, my friend," observed Michael. "Not to worry—I'll bring your suffering to an end right away! I draw!"

When he drew his next card and looked at it—his eyes lit up. "And now, this is what I call a very good draw!" he said happily. "Okay! I summon Cliff the Trap Remover to the field in Attack Mode!"

He summoned a man in the Dark Scorpion colors, wearing glasses and carrying a jackknife. Then he held up the card he'd just drawn. "And next, I activate the magic card, Sword of Deep-Seated, equipping it to Cliff the Trap Remover to increase his ATK and DEF by 500 points!"

The ominous silhouette of a face appeared momentarily as Cliff the Trap Remover was equipped with a great broadsword—and his ATK and DEF shot up to 1700 and 1500 respectively! "Okay, Meanae the Thorn—attack now with your Bramble Whiplash!" Michael commanded.

Meanae the Thorn slashed at Raven with her whip again, reducing his life points further to 1600. The other half of Kyo's torso disappeared into the shadows…and now only his head was left. Michael laughed loudly.

"How's it feel, punk, to fail your friend so terribly?" he demanded. "But not to worry…you won't feel guilty—not that you'll even have the chance! Cliff the Trap Remover, use the power of the Sword of Deep-Seated and end it now!"

Cliff the Trap Remover rushed forward and swung downward, burying the Sword of Deep-Seated into Raven's shoulder. Raven gagged and spat up blood as his life points shot down to 0. "Sorry…Kyo…Honey…everyone…" he groaned as he sagged to the ground.

Michael chuckled. "Too bad," he said smilingly. "And right at this point, your friend's entire body should be enveloped by the Shadow Realm…"

He looked up to confirm this—and his eyes widened in amazement and his jaw dropped. "What in the...!"

Where Kyo's body had hung suspended in the air, a massive light was shining! In shock, Michael looked on—and then glanced down in total astonishment. His Millennium Ring was glowing brightly. "What the? Hey, Ring, I never gave you a command! What the hell are you doing?" he demanded.

Suddenly all the shadows that had engulfed Kyo's being were thrust away from him and dispelled! Kyo himself looked up from eyes filled with rage. "You bastard…I heard everything you said…I'll never forgive you!"

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**_neomage:_** WTF? How on earth has Kyo managed to escape the magic of the Millennium Ring—and why has the Millennium Ring begun to act up like it just has? And what will happen now? Only one way to find out—read the next chapter!


	94. Chapter 94

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Six chapters to the big surprise…I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**CHAPTER 94**

THE SHADOW REALM

"No…way…" Michael stared in total shock as Kyo's body slowly descended to the ground, bathed in a massive light that cut away at the darkness of the Shadow Realm. "How could you resist my Millennium Ring's might?"

"Right now, what you should be concerned about is how you're gonna get your heart slashed to pieces!" Kyo stormed – for Michael's heart was still outside of his chest, beating noisily.

With that said, Kyo rushed toward Michael's exposed heart – but suddenly the Millennium Ring shone again, its light pushing the boy back! "Heh, heh, heh…I still control the Millennium Ring, kid," sneered Michael. "I don't know how or why you were able to escape its power just now, but no matter. Since your pal's lost this Shadow Game, his soul…is MINE!"

Before Kyo could react, the Millennium Ring shone again – and as Michael suddenly held up an orb, behind Kyo Raven's body twitched as his soul got sucked out!

"No! Give it back, right this instant!" Kyo exploded.

"Sorry, but **_I_** made the rules for this game – and so, even you must still abide by them," Michael taunted him. Then the Millennium Ring shone again, and slowly Michael's heart shrank to its normal size; he reached out with one hand and, grasping it carefully, slowly pushed it back into his chest cavity.

Kyo was seething in real fury. "You piece of shit…!"

"Well, I thought Raven would provide me with a real challenge, but I guess I was wrong – he couldn't even get close to my life points," commented Michael. "But…hmmm…you interest me greatly now, boy. It's not every day that someone can resist the force of my Millennium Ring, after all. Next time we meet, we'll definitely have a match."

He then chuckled evilly. "And there WILL be a next time."

To Kyo's astonishment, Michael began to disappear into thin air! "Come back here!" he raged, rushing forward—but just as he reached out to grab the other guy, Michael disappeared completely, all the while laughing.

"Grrr…" Kyo growled, gritting his teeth.

As the shadows disappeared, he became aware that they were back in Cairo, with the people walking past them as though nothing had happened. He turned and saw Raven just laying there, eyes open and staring lifelessly. "Damn it…" he muttered, walking over and picking up his friend's body. "Honey is so gonna kill me…"

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PEGASUS'S DUELIST KINGDOM CASTLE, AT THAT VERY MOMENT

Pegasus was in his old castle on Duelist Kingdom Island, standing by his bedroom window as he sipped a glass of white wine. "Such a beautiful view," he sighed, looking out at the view of the sea and nearby cliffs that the window gave him.

Suddenly, without warning, the wine glass cracked! "Huh?" Pegasus looked down at it, startled. "The glass cracked…on its own?"

He stared at the cracked glass for a long moment…and then he looked out the window again. "Oh, dear…I hope this isn't an omen of some kind," he murmured.

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PHARAOH'S LAIR, AT THE SAME TIME

"GET AWAY FROM HIM!" Blaze screamed.

"Now, now…is this how you speak to your mother, after so long? I'm disappointed in you, Blaze," said Samantha in a voice full of mock woe. "Then again, you always were a disappointment."

Blaze's face was full of real anger now. "You…are not my mother," she said coldly. "The mother I had would never speak to me like this…she'd never join bastards like JUDAS!"

Samantha stopped stroking the unconscious Wade's hair and stood up. "You really don't get it, do you?" she asked, the humor in her tone now gone. "I said it before, Blaze: my life as a firefighter was a boring life. It was a thankless job. And…it was a profession that ultimately betrayed me."

"What in the hell are you talking about? Nobody ever betrayed you!" Blaze cried.

"Didn't they?" Samantha returned, her tone taking a sharp edge. "Well, dear, let me educate you. Do you not know…that that fire wasn't an accident? That it was arson—arson perpetrated by one of my own comrades?"

The anger vanished from Blaze's face in an instant. "What?"

"Dear, oh, dear…you really didn't know?" Samantha asked. "It was one of the higher-ups in my department. He was a pyromaniac—he loved to see things ablaze. He was the one who set fire to that building that day—and then came back, cool as you please, and commissioned us to go and put it out! And none of us ever knew the truth…until…"

Samantha lowered her eyes. "When JUDAS rescued me from the flames, I found out the truth very soon afterwards. The authorities found out, too, and arrested his punk-ass…but by the time they acted at all, they were already _five years too late!_ So many people had been betrayed by the very system that was supposed to save them…including me…and I have the scars to prove it!"

With a grand flourish she turned, pulled her robe down a little, exposing her right shoulder—and Blaze gasped. Right there, on the other woman's shoulder, was a nasty-looking burn scar that went down her back!

"NOW do you understand?" Samantha said icily, replacing her robe in its proper position. "I was betrayed…just like everyone else in JUDAS…and so I joined them for one purpose: To burn the world, just as the world burned me!"

The anger returned to Blaze's face. "And taking the souls of innocent people is the way to get your revenge?"

"You still don't understand…or maybe you _choose_ not to understand," mocked Samantha. "But nevertheless, the facts cannot be changed: The master has been collecting souls for a very long time now, including the souls of duelists who dared to stand against him. And at his bidding, I am here to collect yet another soul…even if that soul happens to be of one who I used to call family."

Blaze held her head down; a hot tear trickled down her cheek. "Samantha Redman…you want to duel me, then I WILL duel…and I will save you from these people who've used your own anger to manipulate you."

Samantha smirked. "Save me? Girl, you better know your place! I don't need to be saved from anything by anyone! And as for you…you only have two choices now. The easy way—you come with me. Perhaps, just perhaps, the master may offer you some leniency and grant you a place in JUDAS. After all, you ARE a strong duelist, and you are a person who was betrayed—betrayed by the system that was supposed to feed you, clothe you, shelter you…"

She frowned again. "Or, we can do this the hard way: we duel, and I steal your soul when I win."

_"If_ you win," countered Blaze. "Now, come on!" And she whipped out her Duel-Disk.

"Fine." Samantha chuckled and revealed her own Duel-Disk. "But not here—not enough space. How about we go to the roof of this building, where we won't be disturbed?"

"Fine, then! Lead the way!" Blaze agreed.

----------

In a moment both women were on the roof of Pharaoh's Lair, facing off against each other. "Honestly, Blaze, I really wish it didn't have to turn out like this," said Samantha. "Think of the power and glory you're throwing away. It's not too late—you can still come with me!"

"Save it…bitch." Blaze's tone was murderous as she activated her Duel-Disk.

"Tsk…all right, girl, if that's how you want to play it…then no holding back!" replied Samantha, activating her Duel-Disk as well.

The holographic coin appeared on the field. "I'll call it! Tails!" Blaze cried.

The coin was flipped…and when it landed, it showed tails. "Good! I'll start!" Blaze drew her first six cards, and Samantha drew her first five.

Blaze examined the cards in her hand. "I'll set two cards facedown, and summon Blast Magician (ATK 1400, DEF 1700) in Attack Mode!" And then one moment later her crimson magician appeared on the field. "And that's all for now."

"Pffft…As if that's supposed to frighten me," Samantha shook her head as she drew her card. "I'll set one monster facedown in Defense Mode, one other card facedown, and end my turn."

Blaze bit her lip. Samantha had played both a monster and a magic or trap card facedown – and what was she supposed to do now? She had only seen Samantha use a small number of cards in the duel against Wade, and only the heavens knew what other cards she might use in this duel now.

Taking a deep breath, Blaze drew her next card. "If that's how you want to play it, then I can do the waiting game too…I'll summon Solar Flare Dragon (ATK 1500, DEF 1000)!" She then brought forth her fiery dragon monster, blowing smoke everywhere.

"And next I'll equip the Blast Magician with the magic card Salamandra, to increase his ATK by 700 points!" And as Blaze activated the card, suddenly the Blast Magician got equipped with a blazing sword as his ATK shot to 2100 – and as a Magic Counter appeared, swirling around his body!

"When one of us activates a Magic card, one Magic counter goes on Blast Magician," explained Blaze. "And, as long as Solar Flare Dragon is on the field, during each of my End Phases its effect decreases your life points by 500 points!"

Samantha frowned. "I see."

"And now…I end my turn!" Blaze announced – and immediately Solar Flare Dragon blasted a hot ball of fire at Samantha, scorching her and dropping her life points to 7500.

"You need a lesson in manners, young lady," Samantha said sourly. "I'll be glad to teach you that lesson…right about now!"

She swiftly drew a card. "I summon Amazoness Tiger (ATK 1100, DEF 1500) in Attack Mode!" And she summoned a massive tiger, growling menacingly at Blaze. But then, to Blaze's astonishment, the tiger's ATK went up to 1500!

"Heh…Amazoness Tiger increases its ATK by 400 for every monster on my side of the field that includes 'Amazoness' in its card name, or is named Amazon Archer (ATK 1400, DEF 1000)," said Samantha. "Plus, as long as Amazoness Tiger remains on the field, no other Amazoness or Amazon Archer can be selected as an attack target. Case in point…be revealed, my facedown monster!"

Her facedown monster was suddenly revealed in Attack Mode, showing a warrior woman with a blowpipe. "Say hello to my Amazoness Blowpiper (ATK 800, DEF 1500)," said Samantha, even as Amazoness Tiger's ATK increased its ATK further to 1900. "Then, I'll simply set another card facedown, and end my turn."

Blaze was in the lead with an untouched 8000 life points; she held two cards in hand; and on the field she had Solar Flare Dragon, Blast Magician equipped with the Salamandra card, and two other cards facedown. Meanwhile, Samantha had 7500 life points, three cards in her hand, and on the field she had Amazoness Tiger and Amazoness Blowpiper, plus two cards facedown. And once again, it was Blaze's turn.

Drawing her card, Blaze's eyes narrowed. "Take this! I activate my trap card, Ring of Destruction, to destroy your Amazoness Tiger and inflict damage equal to its current ATK!"

"Huh?" Samantha reared up.

But before she could say another word, a large flaming collar found its way around Amazoness Tiger's neck. Then, much to Samantha's dismay, Blaze flipped over her other facedown card. "Now I activate my other trap card, Barrel Behind the Door! This will take whatever Effect Damage I would get and inflict it on your life points instead!"

Suddenly the Ring of Destruction flashed white, then exploded, taking the Amazoness Tiger's head off completely! Because its ATK had been 1900, Samantha got 1900 points of damage, lowering her to 5600 – and then Barrel Behind the Door caused another explosion on her side, inflicting to her the damage Blaze should have gotten, lowering her even further to 3700!

"Feeling the heat yet? Maybe you should reconsider this duel," remarked Blaze, smirking now. "Okay, Solar Flare Dragon, attack!"

Bursting into flame, Solar Flare Dragon rushed toward the Amazoness Blowpiper. But then Samantha cried out, "Not! I activate my trap card, Call of the Haunted, to revive my Amazoness Tiger to the field!"

As the Call of the Haunted card flipped face-up and Amazoness Tiger reappeared, its effect restored its ATK to 1900, influenced by its own and Amazoness Blowpiper's presence on Samantha's side of the field. At the same time Solar Flare Dragon halted, uncertain.

"Damn it," Blaze grumbled. "But at least I have a chance to do the replay! Solar Flare Dragon, wait a moment…Blast Magician, shoot the Amazoness Tiger dead with Fire Crescent Wand!"

"Hold it!" Samantha countered. "Now I activate my facedown Quick-Play magic card, Offerings to the Doomed! This card will destroy one face-up monster of my choice on the field, but in exchange I must skip my next Draw Phase! And I select your Blast Magician to be destroyed!"

Suddenly, before Blaze's amazed eyes, Blast Magician burst into flames and was incinerated, along with the Salamandra card and the Magic counter the monster had had on it! "Oh, hell, no…" she muttered.

"Now's who's feeling the heat?" Samantha quipped.

Blaze flinched at that. "Shut up! At least I can still summon a monster now! And I'll offer my Solar Flare Dragon as a tribute to summon my mighty Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch (ATK 2400, DEF 1000)!"

Solar Flare Dragon exploded in a blaze of fire; then moments later, standing in its place was the mighty emperor of flames. "When he's Tribute summoned successfully," said Blaze, "Thestalos has the ability to randomly discard one card from your hand to the Graveyard…and, if that card was a Monster card, you get damage to your life points equal to the monster's level times 100 points! So do it now, Thestalos!"

Thestalos blasted a ball of fire from his hand at Samantha's cards. One of them, the Dramatic Rescue trap card, quickly got singed. "And now, I end my turn!" said Blaze. "What will you do now? I have a stronger monster on the field than you do…next turn, I'll wipe you out completely!"

But Samantha chuckled. "Poor, foolish girl," she said quietly. "I still have a major advantage against you…as I'm about to show you!"

Her Offerings to the Doomed magic card, which she'd activated during Blaze's turn, prevented her from drawing a card this turn, but she didn't seem worried even though she now held only two cards. Suddenly Amazoness Blowpiper knelt down and fired a shot from her blowpipe at Thestalos. Immediately, to Blaze's utter surprise, Thestalos' ATK went down to 1900!

"That's the effect of my Amazoness Blowpiper," explained Samantha. "During each of my Standby Phases, I select one face-up monster on your side of the field, and then she decreases that monster's ATK by 500 till the end of the turn. And, for you, that will prove very, very detrimental!"

Then she played a card from her hand. "And now I activate the magic card, Amazoness Spellcaster! This card allows me to switch the original ATK of any Amazoness or Amazon Archer on my side of the field with the original ATK of one monster on your side of the field till the end of this turn! And the monster on my side that I choose will be my very own Amazoness Blowpiper!"

As the magic card activated, an Amazon priestess appeared, chanting a few words before disappearing. In a moment, Amazoness Blowpiper and Thestalos had switched ATK points, the Blowpiper's becoming 2400 and Thestalos' becoming 800, reduced to 300 since the Blowpiper's effect was still in force!

"Damn!" Blaze cried out, realizing what would happen next.

"Now you've become bait for my monsters to attack you!" declared Samantha. "But first…I'll summon Amazon Archer to the field!" She then brought forth a warrior woman with a bow and arrow at the ready. Because Amazon Archer was included in Amazoness Tiger's effect, the tiger's ATK shot up further to 2300!

"Now, Amazon Archer, use your Crossfire Arrow and destroy Thestalos!" commanded Samantha. And Amazon Archer did just that – pulling back the bowstring, she fired her arrow into Thestalos' chest, felling him and reducing Blaze's life points to 6900.

"But that's only the beginning! Amazoness Blowpiper, use your Poison Dart!" continued Samantha. And with her newly-increased ATK, the Blowpiper shot another blow-dart at Blaze, hitting her in the shoulder and reducing her severely to 4500. Then: "Amazoness Tiger, maul her now!" And Amazoness Tiger rushed up and slashed at Blaze, first with one set of claws and then the other, bringing her down even further to 2200!

"Ungh…" Blaze held onto her torn and bleeding wounds where Amazoness Tiger had slashed her.

"But I'm not done yet!" went on Samantha, much to the other girl's surprise. "For Amazon Archer has her own useful effect…I can tribute two monsters on my side of the field to inflict 1200 points of damage to my opponent's life points! So, Amazon Archer, take Amazoness Blowpiper and Amazoness Tiger and use your effect!"

Amazoness Blowpiper and Amazoness Tiger began to glow brightly, turning into balls of light. As Amazon Archer readied another arrow into her bow, and as the Call of the Haunted trap card that had powered Amazoness Tiger disappeared, the two balls of light merged as one, then came together at the arrow's point. Amazon Archer promptly let the arrow go, and it flew into Blaze's already-injured shoulder, bringing her life points down to 1000!

Blaze toppled to her knees and cringed in pain as blood began to seep from her wound. "No…"

"So…what was that you were saying about 'saving me' now?" taunted Samantha. "How can you save me from anything, when you can't even save yourself from losing this duel?"

"No…you're wrong…" Blaze tried, with great difficulty, to stand. "I said I was going to save you…and that's what I'm gonna do. And nobody—_nobody—_is gonna tell me otherwise…NOT EVEN YOU!"

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**_neomage:_** So, we're about to come to the conclusion of a very fiery (excuse the pun) duel between Blaze and her adopted mother, Samantha! And, on a separate note, I'm sorry that it takes me so long to update each time, but school assignments are staring to bite me in the ass big-time. But I still try, as you can see. So, never give up, loyal fans—keep reading and looking out for more updates!


	95. Chapter 95

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Five chapters to the big surprise…I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**CHAPTER 95**

PHARAOH'S LAIR

Blaze's life points stood at a mere 1000; though she had two cards in hand, she had absolutely nothing on the field. By contrast, Samantha had 3700 life points, and though she had no cards left in her hand, she still had her Amazon Archer on the field.

Forcing the pain of her wounds out of her mind, Blaze drew another card. "YES! Just what I need!" she exclaimed. "All right…I summon Molten Zombie (ATK 1600, DEF 400) in Attack Mode!" And then suddenly, from the ground hot flames erupted as a zombie creature wrapped in magma appeared.

Then Blaze held up one of the two cards left in her hand. "Next…I'll remove a Fire monster in my Graveyard out of play to Special Summon my Spirit of Flames (ATK 1700, DEF 1000)!" And in a moment her red-skinned spirit appeared in flames, looking very pissed-off.

Samantha took this in with a critical eye. "I see…"

"Now, Molten Zombie! Destroy Amazon Archer with Magma Wrap!" cried Blaze. With that, Molten Zombie flowed like liquid lava toward Amazon Archer, wrapping itself around her and melting her right down to ashes as Samantha's life points swiftly dropped to 3500.

Then: "Spirit of Flames, it's your turn! Attack her directly!" And as its effect increased its ATK to 2000, Spirit of Flames blasted a wave of fire at Samantha, scorching her and reducing her life points to 1500.

Samantha smarted from the heat of the flames. "Ow…reminds me…of that day…when I nearly got roasted in the fire," she whispered. "Guess I'll always be playing with fire, no matter how far away I am from it…"

"I end my turn now," said Blaze. "But what will you do?"

Samantha drew her card…and smiled. "I'll activate Pot of Greed to draw two cards!" And she did so. Then her smile grew even wider and she started to chuckle. "Heh, heh, heh…"

"What's so funny?" Blaze demanded.

"Watch this!" Samantha promptly played another card. "I summon my mighty Amazoness Swords Woman (ATK 1500, DEF 1600)!" And she summoned an Amazoness with a wild-looking headdress and carrying a massive sword.

"Uh…is that supposed to frighten me?" asked Blaze.

"Perhaps it should." Samantha nodded meaningfully. "Now, I activate the field magic card, Gaia Power! This increases the ATK of all Earth monsters by 500 in exchange for decreasing their DEF by 400!"

Suddenly a large tree grew in the middle of the field, overshadowing both players. Amazoness Swords Woman's DEF went down to 1200, but her ATK shot up to 2000! "Now, Amazoness Swords Woman, attack and destroy the Spirit of Flames!" shouted Samantha…and, dashing forward, Amazoness Swords Woman sliced the Spirit of Flames cleanly in two, reducing Blaze's life points down to 700.

"And with that, I end my turn," said Samantha smugly. "My victory is assured, now."

Scowling, Blaze drew her next card. "All right, then…I'll activate my own Pot of Greed and draw two more cards!" And she activated the card, a moment later having a total of three cards in her hand. Then she examined the cards she'd drawn, and she smiled broadly.

"Whatever are you so happy about?" demanded Samantha impatiently.

"Watch and learn!" replied Blaze. "For now I'll activate the field magic card Molten Destruction, to increase the ATK of all Fire monsters by 500 and decrease their DEF by 400…and in the process, your Gaia Power card will be destroyed!"

Suddenly an explosion of lava erupted right under the Gaia Power tree, incinerating it as the Molten Destruction volcano appeared. As Amazoness Swords Woman's ATK and DEF returned to their original 1500 and 1600 respectively, Molten Zombie's ATK shot up to 2100 even as its DEF went down to 0. Samantha gritted her teeth when she saw this. "This looks bad…"

"Now…I summon the Ultimate Baseball Kid (ATK 500, DEF 1000), in Attack Mode!" And Blaze brought forth her baseball player, his ATK increased by Molten Destruction to 1000 and his DEF reduced to 600. Then, because Molten Zombie was a Fire monster, Ultimate Baseball Kid's effect increased his ATK further to a whopping 2000!

"Now, time to bring this to an end! Molten Zombie, destroy Amazoness Swords Woman!" commanded Blaze. And Molten Zombie turned into liquid magma again, wrapping itself tightly around Amazoness Swords Woman and melting her – but then, her sword suddenly went flying and embedded itself into Blaze's chest, drawing blood and reducing her to a scant 100 life points, yet Samantha herself took no damage!

"That's the effect of Amazoness Swords Woman," said Samantha. "Whatever battle damage I would normally have gotten from a battle involving her, gets transferred to my opponent's life points instead."

Blaze coughed blood. "M-maybe…but…at least the Baseball Kid can still…attack you!" she rasped. "Go on, Baseball Kid…finish it now!"

Tossing his familiar baseball into the air, the Ultimate Baseball Kid thwacked it with his bat and with all his might. As the ball went sailing toward Samantha, it suddenly got set ablaze, transforming into a massive fireball, slamming into Samantha and knocking her back several feet – and reducing her life points to 0 in the process!

Trying to get back up, Samantha fell forward on her hands and knees. "Shit…almost had you…" she grunted. "But it was…good, at least…that I got to fight you. You're strong, Blaze…it's too bad you still refuse to join us…"

"Geez…fighting you was the last thing I wanted to do…" Slowly Blaze slumped to the ground, clutching her bleeding chest. "Please…I beg you…give Wade's soul back…"

Samantha chuckled. "Sorry, but…even if I wanted to, it's not in my power. Only the master can do that…and he's not about to now, not when the ambitions of JUDAS are so close to fruition…"

Blaze coughed again, harder this time. Even as the holograms finally disappeared—including the one of Amazoness Swords Woman's blade—her wound still bled. Her vision was getting hazy; she felt like she'd pass out any minute. But she managed to choke out, "…ambitions…?"

"Heh…well, since you beat me, I'll tell you this much," said Samantha quietly. "JUDAS…wants to resurrect a powerful entity…a force that was defeated in battle 3000 years ago, and now hungers for revenge…it also feeds on the need for revenge that the master has…"

"But…who is this 'master'?" Blaze murmured.

"I cannot tell you that," said Samantha, "for only those who hold the Millennium Items have the right to look upon his face or speak his name. But this much I do know – he seems to have held a grudge against the Muto family for years."

Blaze blinked. "Against…Yugo's family…?"

Suddenly a deep voice boomed out, "I do believe, dear Samantha, that that will be enough of that."

Looking up, both women caught sight of a blond, middle-aged man in an orange robe, holding on a pair of golden balancing scales. "Sir Bernard…" Samantha whispered.

"You fought valiantly, Samantha, yet you still lost." Bernard shook his head. "And now, you must pay the price…your soul." He pulled out a large orb from his robe. "Now, ready yourself for the power of my Millennium Scale."

Samantha lowered her head. "I accept my punishment, Sir Bernard."

"N-n-no…!" Blaze cried, vainly stretching her hand out to halt him.

But already the Millennium Scale was glowing, its balancing cups trembling. Samantha made a small gasp as its magic began to work…then, her soul got sucked out of her body and into the orb, which Bernard casually pocketed. Samantha fell forward, now lifeless.

"A shame," said Bernard. "She was one of the better ones in our group."

Then he looked down at Blaze. "You need not fret, young lady. Your adopted mother's soul will go to good use…as will yours, eventually. But I shall leave you as you are, for now, to ponder on the events that have taken place here. You will see me again in the near future. Till then, farewell." And he turned and walked away, mysteriously vanishing into thin air as he did so!

"Shit…shit…shit…goddamit to hell…" Blaze closed her eyes, a tear escaping from one eye…and then she finally passed out.

----------

ELSEWHERE IN CAIRO

Miki and Shigeo were still walking along at a leisurely pace through the rather large bazaar. Passing by some shops, they happened to walk near one that sold old-fashioned lamps. The lamps were all intricately designed, somewhat like Aladdin's legendary lamp, and all the wicks were lit.

Suddenly, as the two walked past, a strong gust of wind blew out one of the lamps. The shop owner muttered under his breath as he went to find matches to relight that lamp…but Miki, seeing this, suddenly felt an icy chill.

_Wha…?_ She stared at the blown-out lamp for a long moment. _What is this chill I feel? And why…?_ Then she threw a panicked glance behind her. _Blaze…?_

Shigeo then noticed that Miki had stopped. "Something wrong?"

"Oh…uh…" She looked sheepish. "It's…it's nothing. Sorry."

But in her mind she was thinking, _Blaze…has something happened to you? Oh dear…I hope not…but…_

She trotted and soon caught back up with Shigeo. "So, where to now?" she questioned.

"Well…maybe we can just keep an eye out for the others right now, and find out if they've gotten any clues," remarked Shigeo. "Because we've been on the watch for a while now, but so far, no sign of Yugo anywhere."

Miki sighed. "Shigeo…I know I was full of fire to go find Yugo from the outset, but…now, I don't even know," she admitted quietly.

"Don't give up yet," said Shigeo. "You owe it to Jenna and yourself. You were the one who first made the suggestion to go after Yugo, out of concern for him…and now, you've come this far—it'd be a waste to turn back and go home empty-handed, don't you think?"

Miki nodded. "I know all that, but—"

Suddenly she felt Shigeo's palm over her mouth, followed by his sharp "Ssh!"

Very bewildered, Miki was. She stared at Shigeo for a long moment. He seemed to be glancing about, a suspicious look in his face. Carefully, Miki removed his hand from her mouth and asked, in a whisper, "You see Yugo?"

"No…not Yugo…" Shigeo's tone was very serious, in fact unusually so. "Just now…I felt something…a very strange energy…as though someone's following us."

"JUDAS?" Miki wondered, immediately on her guard.

Shigeo shook his head. "No…I don't sense any evil intent, like with Vlad Draxton or Jonathan Maxell. And this energy…it feels strangely familiar…but I can't quite put my finger on it, as to how come it is so."

"Well…" Miki shrugged. "If there's no evil intent as you say, then whoever's following us must be a friend, right?"

"Maybe…but all the same, let's keep our guard up," said Shigeo. "You never can tell—maybe this person IS an ally, or then again, maybe it's someone from JUDAS who knows how to mask their evil intent really well. The only way we'll know is if we can confront this person face-to-face."

"Well, all right," said Miki, "but don't you think this person might know that we know we're being tailed now?"

"Hmph…let's just keep walking. Maybe we can bet he…or she…doesn't know that yet." And with that Shigeo walked off without another word, Miki hurrying to catch him.

----------

ISHTAR ENTERPRISES

The taxi pulled up outside the large office building. "Here we are, pretty ladies!" Rashid announced cheerfully.

Jenna and Honey got out, dazed. "They should…revoke…your license," said Honey, looking very green but trying her best to hold it in.

"And if they did that, then you wouldn't have been able to come here, right?" Rashid asked good-naturedly.

Jenna leaned in to the window. "Mr. Rashid…thank you so much for your help," she whispered.

"No problem! It's an honor to be able to help Yugo Muto's friends!" Rashid replied.

"Okay…" Honey had regained her bearings somewhat. "So, the owner of this place is Marik Ishtar…and he's the one who knows where Yugo is. Just as you told us, right?"

"That is correct," said Rashid. "Say…would you two like me to come with you? I could act as your interpreter!"

"Thank you, but…I actually know some Egyptian," said Honey. "Now, about that fare…" She pulled out an American 100-dollar bill and offered it to the cab driver. "You take American money?"

"Certainly!" said Rashid, and he took the money.

"Keep the change," said Honey. "It's our thanks to you."

"And I am much obliged to you! As thanks, here is my card…just give me a call if you ever need my services again!" and he handed a business card to Honey. "Fare thee well!"

With that, Rashid started the car and tore off as Jenna and Honey watched from the sidewalk. Honey put the card in her pocket. "This could come in handy later on," she nodded.

"Honey…you never told us you know Egyptian," Jenna remarked.

"Well, I studied it as a hobby when I was little," said Honey. "Raven thought I was nuts, but Father actually seemed proud." She then turned her attention on the big building before them. "Well, shall we go, then?"

----------

Up in his office, Mr. Ishtar was busily at work on the computer. "So, those are the figures," he muttered. "Need to improve on that sector quick, fast, and in a hurry…"

Suddenly his desk phone rang, and he answered it. He listened a moment, then replied in Egyptian and hung up. "Interesting," he chuckled.

Minutes later the door opened, and two young girls walked in. One had brown hair and hazel eyes, and a look of importance on her face; the other had long blond hair and—Mr. Ishtar noticed—an uncanny resemblance to two very familiar persons in his memory.

"Welcome, ladies," he greeted them, standing up. "I am Marik Ishtar."

The two girls shook his outstretched hand one after the other. "Honey Pegasus, and my friend Jenna Wheeler," Honey introduced them.

Mr. Ishtar looked at Jenna and nodded. _I thought so…so she's that guy's daughter, eh?_ Aloud he said, "To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"

Honey chuckled. "We're here on business, actually," she announced.

"Are you? You seem a little young to be businesspeople, but then again age shouldn't be a factor," replied Mr. Ishtar.

Now Honey smiled more widely…and this time she addressed Mr. Ishtar in Egyptian. _(I've heard about you from my adopted father, Maximillion Pegasus. Are you really the same man who headed the infamous Rare Hunter organization so many years ago?)_

Mr. Ishtar appeared startled. Then he chuckled and replied in Egyptian. **_(Yes, I am he, though I am not proud now of my actions then.)_**

_(Of that I am sure. But the past is the past. What matters is the here and now.)_

**_(And your adopted father is Maximillion Pegasus…does he still watch those ridiculous Funny Bunny cartoons?)_**

_(Unfortunately, yes. And he still eats Gorgonzola cheese and drinks wine while reading Funny Bunny comics.)_

_**(That Pegasus is still a child at heart.)**_

_(And yet, when things get serious, so does he.)_

Mr. Ishtar glanced at Jenna. **_(And this young lady…)_**

_(She has come to Egypt searching for Yugo Muto.)_

****Mr. Ishtar's eyes widened. **_(I see…so she is one of those precious friends I was told about…)_**

Honey's expression turned more serious. _(Then you know where he is?)_

Mr. Ishtar nodded. Then, turning all his attention on Jenna, he addressed her in English. "My dear young lady," he said quietly, "rest assured, Yugo is perfectly safe. But I must ask: Why have you come all this way, just to see him?"

Jenna blushed a little. "Because…" She held her head down. "I want to help him…and I want to see him again."

Mr. Ishtar read the hidden expression in her eyes. _Just the same way my dear sister would look when she spoke of Kaiba…_ "I must warn you, I have currently made plans to aid him in training…so that he may defeat the JUDAS organization that seeks him out. If you get in the way of that training, he may…"

Jenna shook her head. "I don't want to get in his way, sir," she replied. "I just want to be able to see him again…even if I can't speak directly to him right away…and…I want to help him out in whatever way I can, no matter how small my task may be…as long as I can actually help."

Mr. Ishtar read the determination in her face. He smiled. "Very well. Then see him you will."

Jenna looked up, her eyes filled with hope and expectancy. "Mr. Ishtar…thank you," and now tears were in her eyes.

Mr. Ishtar nodded. "I'll be heading for home shortly. You young ladies may come with me, so that you can get to see Yugo."

"Uh, we have other friends here in Cairo, who came with us," said Honey.

"And they will have the opportunity to see their mission accomplished, as well," said Mr. Ishtar. "But…" His face darkened. "I only hope they know the risks present. JUDAS will target anyone they desire, after all."

"We were all made aware of that," said Honey. "All of us who have come are powerful duelists, able to protect ourselves if necessary."

"Good." Mr. Ishtar leaned over his desk, switched off his computer, and then began to head for the door. "Let us head to my humble abode, then. And while we are on the way there, you can tell me who else has come with you, so that I can get to meet them all when the time is right."

"Certainly." Honey nodded respectfully.

As the girls followed Mr. Ishtar out of the office, a flutter of happiness filled Jenna's heart. _Yugo…I can get to see you again…I'm so glad!_

----------

**_neomage:_** So…thus ends the duel between Blaze and Samantha…and Jenna and Honey meet Marik Ishtar for the first time – and get a chance to go see Yugo again! And before anybody e-mails me to ask, NO, Honey and Mr. Ishtar weren't telepathically talking to each other. That was simply English italicized and placed in brackets to give the impression that they really were talking to each other in translated Egyptian, which they were. Well, more excitement to come in the upcoming chapters, so read on, everybody!


	96. Chapter 96

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Four chapters to the big surprise…I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**CHAPTER 96**

_Characters' First Appearance in Story_

_DRAKE_

_NAME: Abel Drake_

_AGE: 38_

_HAIR: Tan (think of Naruto's Orochimaru with short tan hair and non-bleached skin)_

_EYES: Hazel (NOT snake-like, like Orochimaru)_

_CLOTHES: Green robe, green shoes_

_HAKIM_

_NAME: Hakim Abdul_

_AGE: 22_

_HAIR: Green (dyed)_

_EYES: Black_

_CLOTHES: Baggy blue pants, gray sandals_

_ZECHARIAH_

_NAME: Zechariah Asim_

_AGE: 20_

_HAIR: Black (tied back into two separate pigtails)_

_EYES: Black_

_CLOTHES: Loose-fitting cream shirt, brown jeans, black slippers_

PHARAOH'S LAIR, HALF AN HOUR LATER

Blaze's eyes slowly fluttered open. "Ow…where…am I…?"

As her vision came into focus, she found herself back in her room, on her bed. Beside her was a worried Kyo. "Oh, you're back with us," he sighed in relief. "For a moment I thought you were dead."

"Um, no…I don't die so easily." Blaze then noticed that her shirt was partway off, and her chest was bandaged. She shot a sharp glance at Kyo. "Did you…?"

"Well, uh…I had to, to stop the bleeding, when I found you," he explained somewhat sheepishly. "And it was a good thing I came back when I did, and found you, or else…"

Kyo wasn't prepared for the massive kick to his face that sent him flying headfirst into the wall. "WHAT ABOUT MY MODESTY AND CHASTITY?" Blaze exploded indignantly.

Swirly-eyed, Kyo shakily got back up. "But, but, but…" he whined.

Blaze sighed and looked away. "Well…thanks."

Kyo looked intently at her. "Something tells me that there was more than physical injury in this battle. Are you all right?"

She shook her head. "Mom…I mean, Samantha…I had to duel against her…and I won, but – one of those other JUDAS guys came and…took her soul."

Kyo's eyes narrowed. "Just wonderful."

Then Blaze looked up at him. "By the way, where's Raven? Weren't the two of you together?"

Kyo shook his head sadly. "We ran into trouble of our own."

"…I see." Blaze closed her eyes as she absorbed this news. "Where's he now?"

"I put him back in his room. But right now, what I am more worried about is how Honey's gonna take this when she gets back."

"Well, at least let's hope they're all having better luck than we've been having," Blaze sighed.

----------

MARIK ISHTAR'S HOUSE, AT THAT VERY MOMENT

"It's been so long since I last set foot in this place," Seta remarked as he, Yugo and Jillian walked through the halls of Mr. Ishtar's house. "But everything's pretty much as I remember it."

"So…Mr. Ishtar's your uncle, huh? Quite a surprise," remarked Yugo. "Which means his sister…was your mother…"

Seta stopped walking. As Yugo and Jillian looked on in sudden concern, his blue hair overshadowed his eyes. "Yeah…" he said simply.

"Hey, man…sorry." Yugo said this somewhat sheepishly.

Seta caught himself. "Ah – no, no…it's nothing," he shrugged.

He then walked on ahead, leaving Yugo and Jillian standing together. "Geez…Sir Seta's getting even more worked up about this," Jillian whispered nervously.

"Quite so," agreed Yugo.

They resumed walking and eventually caught up to Seta. He had paused before a framed painting of a beautiful woman with delicate, motherly features, and was now staring intently at it. "Wow," said Jillian, looking up at the painting. "She's a beauty…"

Yugo studied the painting carefully. "This is…"

"Ishizu Ishtar, older sister to Master Marik, wife to Seto Kaiba, and mother to Master Seta here," Odion's voice sounded behind them.

"Oh, Odion," said Seta, turning around. "Did you want something?"

"Just that I got a message from Master Marik – he's on his way back here as we speak…and also, lunch will be served shortly."

"Sounds promising," said Seta, nodding with approval. "Well, guys, let's go to the dining room, shall we?"

With that, the three teens followed Odion to the dining room, only a few doors away. Entering, they took their seats at the rather massive dining table while Odion went off to the kitchen to fetch the food.

"You guys sure are lucky," remarked Jillian after a moment of silence. "To be getting training from Mr. Ishtar like this…it must be an honor for you."

"Hmmm? Jillian, aren't you going to join us, too?" Seta asked, perplexed.

"I do want to, but…" Jillian sighed, her single red bang hanging over one eye now. "It's going to be too consuming of his energy to train three people. I'm willing to compromise – while he trains you two, I can always practice on my own."

"Perhaps you won't have to," said Seta thoughtfully. "Odion's a rather skilled duelist in his own right, too; maybe you and he could spar with each other."

Then Odion's voice came through to them again. "Lunch is served!"

The three looked up in wonder as he came back into the room, bearing a rather large and heavy tray on one hand. Setting it down between them, he lifted the lid – and all three stared in astonishment. There, on the tray, was a massive joint of smoked beef, seasoned with thyme and pepper, with three plates of roasted potatoes and steamed vegetables!

"Oh…my…god…" Yugo whispered, eyes wide, his mouth drooling.

Without moving her head or even taking her eyes off the food, Jillian, seated next to Yugo, reached over and put a hand under his chin, locking his jaws shut. "Restraint…restraint…" she said quietly.

Just then, from the front gate, there was the distant sound of a car horn. "That would be Master Marik now," said Odion with a grin. "I'll admit him. He will wish to eat with you, so why not wait?" And he replaced the lid on the tray and left the room.

"Nooooo!" Yugo wailed, waterfalls coming from his eyes.

"There, there," said Jillian. "We'll get to eat, so don't fret."

Seta leaned back and shrugged. "But I do believe one thing – we really shouldn't have to train on empty stomachs. So, the sooner we can eat, the better."

"That's what I think, too!" said Yugo.

"All you're thinking of is filling your greedy belly," Seta smirked.

"Oh, shut up!" Yugo grumbled, defiantly crossing his arms and giving Seta the evil eye.

Moments later Odion returned. "Master Marik is here, all right," he informed them. "But it seems he also has two other guests with him."

"Two other guests?" asked Yugo, puzzled.

At that moment Mr. Ishtar himself entered, smiling. "Hello again, everyone," he greeted them. "Yugo…I have someone here who's been wanting to see you for a while."

"To see me, eh?" Yugo asked, his face becoming a picture of self-importance. "Well, sir, who could it be?"

Mr. Ishtar turned and beckoned to whoever it was behind him. "Come on in…let him see you."

And then Jenna Wheeler came into the room, followed a moment later by Honey Pegasus. "Yugo…" she whispered, looking right at him.

Yugo's eyes widened in astonishment. "Jenna?"

----------

SOMEWHERE

Judith sat down, contemplating, idly running her fingers over her Millennium Necklace. Just then Lassiter happened by. "Penny for your thoughts," he teased.

"Actually, for your information, I was meditating – trying to clear my mind," Judith replied. "You should try it, too, sometime. Maybe it'll cure you of your self-important nature."

"Well, on a more serious note, I'm going to go on a little sojourn," remarked Lassiter, his smile half-disappearing. "I have to go find that Key-bearer – he's been gone a little too long, don't you think?"

"How wonderful that you show concern, Lassiter," said a jeering voice behind him. Turning, Lassiter came face-to-face with the green-robed man who wielded the Millennium Key, suspended from his neck by a string.

"Heh, heh, heh…the infamous Abel Drake finally returns," said Lassiter. "My good friend, where were you, anyway?"

"Well, I was out collecting two more pawns in our plans," admitted Drake. "Why don't you meet my two newest puppets?"

From behind Drake suddenly appeared two Egyptian men. "Meet Hakim and Zechariah, two ordinary street thugs. These two had a scuffle with our dear friend Yugo Muto in the middle of town recently," explained Drake. "And they were so humiliated, their desire for vengeance could be felt. So, I decided to give them a helping hand."

"In other words, you altered their personalities with your Millennium Key," said Judith.

"Something he does to the weaker species of humans every day," added Lassiter. His face took on a wicked sneer. "Like he tried with that Malachi kid all those years ago."

Now Drake's face was extremely sour. "I thought we agreed never to discuss that!" he snapped.

"Actually—it's a topic that merits great discussion," came a deep voice from the shadows.

Drake's angry look disappeared in an instant. "M-M-Master!"

Then the red-robed man appeared, his face still hidden by the shadows, but his Millennium Puzzle flashed with benevolent light. "Recall, Abel Drake, that that experiment of yours ended in extreme and utter failure," he said darkly. "Malachi Jordan was intended to be your most powerful weapon – and instead he turned on you and destroyed everyone in your pathetic little cult. Recall, also, that the only reason I allowed you to go through with it was that you promised me it would reap benefits that would aid us in our ultimate scheme. And recall, too, that the only reason I spared your miserable life after you failed that time was because you swore that you would make up for your mistake by seeking out and killing Jordan – which you still have yet to finish, by the way. So, I would highly advise you not to fail me a second time with these two that you've now brought forward…or else you will know the **_real_** meaning of **_terror."_**

Drake had been trembling while the master had been speaking. "I…I understand, sir," he whispered, gulping.

"Good. Now, go and do what you will." And with that, the master disappeared.

"Oh, that was just comical," said Lassiter, feeling certain that the master was really gone. "Drake, m'boy, you should've seen the look on your face when he was talking to you! I wish I had a camera!"

"Shut your face, Lassiter," growled Drake. "In any case, I don't have the time to be arguing with you. I must go now. Zechariah, Hakim, come!" And he turned and walked off, his two lackeys following after him.

Judith sighed. "Lassiter…can't you be a little nicer sometimes?" she asked.

"Hmph…I stopped playing nice years ago. Now, I only torment. It's what I do," replied Lassiter, and his Millennium Rod shone as if in agreement.

----------

CAIRO

Marcus was waiting outside a public restroom for Flora to come back out. "Sheesh…she's been in there for, like, forever," he grumbled.

But presently Flora emerged, all smiles. "Ta-da! How do you like the new makeup I applied?" she asked, batting her eyelashes.

She was wearing a light application of green eye-shadow, deep red lipstick, and her nails were polished an odd combination of purple with yellow streaks. Marcus studied her carefully. "You are aware, aren't you, that some cosmetic products are made through animal testing?" he asked her.

"Not these," said Flora. "The eye-shadow, lipstick, and nail-polish were made from natural plant extracts, through my grandmother's own secret remedy. No need for testing, no need to torture anyone or anything…just straight and simple."

"I see. Well, they look…really nice, I guess," Marcus shrugged.

Flora eyed him as they resumed walking. "Marcus…you really don't know how to compliment a woman, do you?"

"H-huh? What on earth are you blabbering about?" Marcus asked, astonished.

Now she smiled playfully at him. "Tell me, buddy-boy, have you ever had a girlfriend?" she asked sweetly, again batting her eyes.

"Wait, why on earth would you want to know that?" Marcus asked, now very flustered.

Flora laughed. "You don't blush very often, Marcus Ironside, but I swear—when you do, you just look so CUTE!"

Marcus closed his eyes and clenched his teeth. "Must…fight…blush…must…fight…blush…" he muttered.

Flora laughed again and shook her head. "Poor guy," she said softly.

Neither of them noticed a dark shadow rushing across the rooftops overhead—but then a knife shot down at them! Marcus, shaking his head as he continued to fight his incoming blush, saw the knife out of the corner of his eye—heading for Flora! "Look out!" he yelled, shoving her out of the way—and getting the blade in his shoulder!

Unprepared for Marcus's violent shove, Flora tumbled to the ground. Looking up, she was just in time to see the blade hit Marcus. "Oh my god! Marcus!" she cried, rushing to his side. "Are you all right?"

"I…I think so," Marcus answered, gingerly pulling the knife out and wincing as he did so.

"How noble of you…if you hadn't pushed the little bitch, that knife would've pierced her jugular vein," said a sinister voice. Looking up, the two were just in time to see Jonathan Maxell jump down from the rooftops and land on the ground to face them.

"You again…you bastard…" Marcus growled savagely.

Maxell pulled his hair back, revealing his Millennium Eye. "Begone, little man," he scowled. "My business is with your tramp." And the Eye flashed.

Suddenly dark clouds began to form all around them. "What in the hell is this?" Flora asked.

"This, girl…this is the Shadow Realm, the place where your mind will be left to rot for all eternity, even as I take your soul for JUDAS," answered Maxell.

"Bullshit…" Marcus scowled.

"I thought I told you to get lost!" Maxell snapped, throwing another knife at Marcus. The blade hit him in his leg, and Marcus groaned in pain.

"Stop it! Please don't do this!" Flora begged.

"You need not fear for him—he's not the one I want," Maxell replied. "No, you stupid girl…I have come for YOU—to take revenge on you for the sins your family has committed against me!"

He pulled back his sleeve, revealing a Duel-Disk. "Now, come, so that I may take your soul! Prepare to duel—and prepare to die!"

----------

**_neomage:_** All right! Another Shadow Game is about to commence! The reunion between Yugo and Jenna has started in this chapter…and Abel Drake, the mysterious man in Malachi Jordan's past, has finally made his debut appearance! For back-reference, check out Chapters 59, 60 and 69!

Sigh…I finally managed to get on top of my schoolwork somehow, though the pressure nearly crushed me…but not to worry! I'll still continue to write my fanfic chapters and update as often as I can!

Well…that's all for now! Keep reading, everybody!


	97. Chapter 97

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Three chapters to the big surprise…I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**CHAPTER 97**

THE SHADOW REALM

"Goddammit to hell," Marcus groaned, pulling the knife out of his leg and glaring daggers at Maxell.

"Now, these are the rules for this Shadow Game," said Maxell, his Millennium Eye shining with menace. "Each time a monster on the field is destroyed, the controller of that monster will feel that monster's agony, depending on the severity of its death. And, in your case, you little slut…it will be agony unlike anything you've ever experienced!"

With her jaw set, Flora activated her Duel-Disk. "Come on!"

Their life points were set at 8000 apiece, and the holographic coin emerged and was flipped. "Tails!" called Flora.

But when the coin landed, to her disappointment it was heads. "Damn it," she groaned.

Smirking, Maxell drew his first five cards, then drew a sixth. "Now, before I make my first move," he announced, "allow me to tell you exactly what you're holding in your hand."

Having just drawn her first five cards, Flora stopped short. "W-w-what?"

Maxell grinned maliciously as his Millennium Eye glowed again. "You, Flora Green, are holding one trap card, Mirror Force—two monster cards, Vampire Orchis (ATK 1700, DEF 1000) and Des Dendle (ATK 300, DEF 2000)—and two magic cards, Eradicating Aerosol and Premature Burial. Your plan is to use Vampire Orchis and Des Dendle in a summoning combination, while using Mirror Force as backup defense."

Flora's face turned ashen. "How in God's name did you know…?"

Marcus, too, was equally astonished. _He's able to see her cards?_

Maxell pointed to his Millennium Eye. "This nifty little Millennium Item of mine allows me to read your mind," he told Flora. "So, in essence, I can see your strategies before you even play them, and also see what cards you're holding in your hand since their images are swiftly stored in your brain. And it is your brain that will be my most dangerous weapon in this match!"

Flora narrowed her eyes. "Bastard! Don't read my mind!" she screeched.

Maxell just laughed. "Now, I shall take my turn," he announced. "I will simply set one card facedown, and end my turn."

Flora, somewhat shakily, drew her card. _Shit…if he's able to read my mind, then I have to change my strategy! I was going to attack him with Vampire Orchis, but now chances are he's got a trap card waiting to spring on me! And I can't allow him to get the better of me just because he's got a magic eye at his command!_

Aloud she announced, "I'll set one monster in Defense Mode, and also set one card facedown. And I end my turn."

"Altering your strategy won't help you," Maxell declared darkly. "Now, I draw!"

He drew his next card and chuckled. "Very interesting…all right. I summon Kozaky (ATK 400, DEF 400)!"

To Flora's astonishment Maxell summoned a blue-skinned man wearing a lab technician's coat. "He's a scientist who devoted his life to his work, but because of overwork his mind's completely collapsed," explained Maxell. "Nevertheless, his work has produced some very interesting benefits…as I'll soon show you!"

"You're sick," said Flora.

"I think not! Now…" Maxell looked at his facedown card. "I activate my facedown trap card, Ultimate Offering!"

Surprising Flora even more, the trap was sprung—and it certainly wasn't one she was thinking of. "You tricked me!" she screeched.

"It's all part of my plan, believe me," said Maxell. "Now, as long as Ultimate Offering is on the field, in addition to the mandatory Normal Summon, I can do as many other Normal Summons or Sets as I like at a cost of 500 life points each. And so, I'll offer 500 life points to summon another monster – Giant Kozaky (ATK 2500, DEF 2400)!"

As Maxell's life points went down to 7500, a giant, robotic version of Kozaky then appeared on his side of the field, sporting a hammer, a drill and two pincer-arms as weapons. Flora stared at it in awe. "Oh, geez," she moaned. "A powerful monster that doesn't even need tributes to be summoned…"

"But wait – it's about to get worse!" said Maxell. "For now I activate the magic card, Shien's Spy! I can now choose one monster on my side of the field and shift control of it to you until the end of this turn – and the monster in question will be Giant Kozaky!"

Giant Kozaky was on Flora's side of the field moments later. "What on earth are you planning?" demanded Flora.

"Oh, believe me, you'll soon see," said Maxell, chuckling evilly. He then shuffled the three cards left in his hand. "Now, I activate the magic card Raigeki, to destroy every monster on your side of the field!"

Suddenly lightning bolts shot down and fried both Flora's facedown monster and Giant Kozaky – and Flora suddenly screamed in agony as she felt a massive electric shock pass through her!

"Flora! Hang in there!" Marcus cried out.

"I…I'm okay…" Flora whispered – but then the short-circuiting Giant Kozaky exploded in one massive blast, and she groaned in pain as her life points inexplicably went down to 5500!

"Permit me to explain," said Maxell. "Whenever Giant Kozaky is destroyed, its effect inflicts damage to its controller equal to its original ATK, 2500. Makes for very fine manipulation, if I do say so myself." Then he held up the two remaining cards in his hand. "Now, I'll set these two cards facedown, and end my turn."

Up to this point Maxell had 7500 life points, no cards in hand, and on the field he had Kozaky in Attack Mode, the active Ultimate Offering trap card and two other cards facedown. On the other hand Flora now had 5500 life points, plus she had four cards in her hand, and on the field she only had one facedown card in her magic/trap slot.

Groaning, Flora drew another card. "Okay…I'll set another card facedown, and summon Vampire Orchis in Attack Mode!" And then she summoned her fang-bearing tree. "When I Normal Summon this monster successfully, I can Special Summon my Des Dendle from my hand! So come forth, Des Dendle!"

Moments later Des Dendle's fungus-like appearance emerged beside Vampire Orchis. "And now, for the best part," said Flora. "I can use Des Dendle's Union effect to combine it with Vampire Orchis – like this!"

Suddenly Des Dendle leeched onto Vampire Orchis's roots, and the two plant monsters became one. "Now, Vampire Orchis, attack Kozaky!"

Vampire Orchis's flowers shot forward from its branches and chomped into Kozaky, draining what little blood he had – considering his pale look – and reducing Maxell's life points to 6200. Maxell flinched as he felt the agony of his monster's destruction, but managed to shrug it off. "Bah – that means nothing to me!"

"Oh, it should," said Flora. "Because Des Dendle's Union effect goes like this: when it's equipped to a monster by its effect, each time that monster destroys another monster in battle I get to Special Summon one Wicked Plant Token (ATK 800, DEF 800) in Attack or Defense Mode. And I'll bring forth this one in Attack Mode!"

Just then a small token resembling a round slime ball emerged right next to Vampire Orchis. "Now, then, my Wicked Plant Token, attack directly!"

The token surged forward, latching onto Maxell's arm and burning him, reducing him further to 5400. "Shit! That stings!" Maxell snapped.

"But I don't understand," said Flora. "Why? Why do you hate me so much? What could I or anybody in my family have done to you that was so terrible?"

Maxell spat to the side. "Oh, I'll tell you – right before you die, that is."

He quickly drew his next card. "Now I activate my first trap card, Mind Haxorz! This allows me to pay 500 life points to look at your hand and at every card that's been set on your side of the field. So, show me those cards!"

Grimacing, Flora held up her hand. Just as Maxell's Millennium Eye had shown before, she was holding Eradicating Aerosol, but now she also held her Multiplication of Ants magic card. Her two facedown cards on the field were Mirror Force and Premature Burial. "I'm gonna get you for this," she said, teeth tightly clenched as she spoke.

"Don't count on it," said Maxell, sneering again, even as his life points went down to 4900 because of Mind Haxorz's effect.

Then he looked at the card he'd drawn. "Oh, how brilliant! Now I summon Zure, Knight of Dark World (ATK 1800, DEF 1500) in Attack Mode!"

He summoned a skeletal fiend dressed like a noble knight. "Now…it's time for me to deal some damage back to your life points! Zure, attack and destroy her Wicked Plant Token!"

:"Foolish mistake!" snapped Flora. "Now I activate my Mirror Force trap card, to destroy your monster!"

But then Maxell laughed. "Just what I expected you'd do, amateur bitch! So now I can activate MY trap card – Trap Jammer!"

Suddenly, a humongous bear-trap shot out and clenched the Mirror Force trap tightly in its jaws! "When you activate a trap card during the Battle Phase," said Maxell, "this card negates the effect of that activated trap card and destroys it. Hurts like a bitch, doesn't it?"

"Oh, no!" cried Flora helplessly.

Zure ran forward and slashed with a wide cross-chop, slicing the Wicked Plant Token into pieces and reducing Flora's life points drastically to 4500. "Too bad, missy," said Maxell. "Now, I end my turn."

"Well…because it was only a token, I didn't have to feel any pain, at least," said Flora thoughtfully.

Watching from the sidelines, Marcus shook his head uneasily. _Looks to me like Flora and this dude are playing rather evenly. But…_ He shook his head again. _Looks can be deceiving…and considering that he can read her mind with that Millennium Eye thingy of his, if she's not cautious then this could turn out very, very badly…_

Now the score stood at Flora with 4500 life points and Maxell with 4900. Flora had two cards in her hand—the Eradicating Aerosol and Multiplication of Ants magic cards—and on the field she had her facedown Premature Burial magic card, and Vampire Orchis equipped with Des Dendle. By contrast, Maxell had no cards left in his hand, but on the field he had Zure, Knight of Dark World, and his Ultimate Offering trap card was still active.

Flora drew another card. _Damn it…even with Des Dendle's Union effect, Vampire Orchis isn't strong enough to take on that Knight of Dark World…but at least this can help me somewhat!_

Aloud she announced, "Now I set one monster card in Defense Mode, shift Vampire Orchis into Defense Mode, and end my turn."

Maxell scoffed. "Is that the best you can do?" he taunted. "Just like your grandparents…you start out with a confident mask, but as soon as trouble confronts you, you start hiding behind every defense mechanism you can harness."

"What did you say?" Flora demanded angrily. "My grandparents never ran from anything in their lives!"

"All right; you're ignorant, so I'll give you the benefit of the doubt where that's concerned," said Maxell. "So, I'll take it on myself to inform you."

"Inform me of what?"

Maxell shook his head. "Twenty years ago," he answered, "when I was about your age, I was a young, aspiring entrepreneur with big dreams of making it big in life, just like any young adult, I suppose. Back then, your grandparents were pursuing their botanic research in order to find ways for the commercial world to better economize business – to integrate profit with protection of the environment.

"I was entering into a very famous industrial firm that specialized in processing and shipping of industrial waste. That company was a very prosperous one, too—even its most menial workers got big wages every year. I eventually became the company's Vice-President, and my handling of company matters was top-notch. But then…your grandfather, Nigel Green, took us to court over claims that we were sanctioning illegal dumping of toxic material off America's west coast. That case lasted for three long and bitter years…"

Here Maxell ran a hand through his hair, his voice continuing in a sinister tone. "…and by the time that suit was settled, my employers had lost millions of dollars – and I lost my job because the company was forced to shut down! And Green never even said he was sorry!" His voice was dripping with hate as he spoke. "I couldn't get employed anywhere else, with any other company, because my former employers' reputation had been so stained that it leaked over to me. I and several of my fellow employees sued Green for wrongful damages done to us, but somehow he got the court to rule in his favor, the case was thrown out…and I ended up as a janitor in a damn dump of a high school! ME, a JANITOR with MY qualifications? I swore revenge…and now that he and your grandmother are already dead, I'll just have to use you as a scapegoat!"

Flora hissed with contempt. "Maybe you got a bad break," she acknowledged, "but that's no reason to act like a major asshole to everyone else!"

"SILENCE!" Maxell exploded. "You environmentalists are all the same – you should be considered eco-terrorists! And I will defeat you and take my revenge on your family!"

He drew his next card. "Hee, hee, hee…I activate Pot of Greed, and now I will draw two cards!" And he drew two more cards. Then he examined them both and laughed outright.

Flora stiffened. _Why am I getting such a bad feeling all of a sudden?_

"I activate the magic card, Change of Heart! This will allow me to take control of one monster on your side of the field!" Maxell grinned wickedly. "And since my Millennium Eye has already shown me what your facedown monster card is, that's the one I'll take!"

_Oh, no!_ Flora screamed to herself.

Then the facedown monster was brought over to Maxell's side of the field, and he flipped it face-up. "Man-Eater Bug (ATK 450, DEF 600)…its effect destroys one monster on the field, regardless of position…and I target your Vampire Orchis!" announced Maxell.

The flipped Man-Eater Bug jumped forward and chomped away at the Vampire Orchis with its sharp teeth. The vampire tree was immediately destroyed, and Des Dendle along with it. Flora winced as she felt the sensation of teeth ripping into her, just as her monsters were. Then Maxell held up the one card left in his hand.

"And next…I'll activate the magic card Graceful Charity! This allows me to draw three cards, after which I must discard two from my hand." He then drew his three cards. When he saw what they were, his eye widened considerably.

Marcus's eye twitched. _I don't like that look on his face…_

Maxell discarded two of his three cards, so now he was left once again with one. But then, much to Flora's astonishment, suddenly a massive monster wielding a silver sword appeared on Maxell's side of the field! "What madness is this?" she demanded.

"This is the effect of Siliva, Warlord of Dark World (ATK 2300, DEF 1400)," explained Maxell calmly. "When he is sent from my hand to my Graveyard by a card effect, he is Special Summoned to my side of the field…and, now I can summon another monster! I offer your Man-Eater Bug as a tribute to summon Goldd, Wu-Lord of Dark World (ATK 2300, DEF 1400)!"

A golden fiend appeared, with giant wings and wielding a broad bronze axe. "Nothing you've got can save you now! Goldd, Siliva and Zure, attack her directly and put an end to it!"

"NOOOO!" Marcus screamed from the sidelines, vainly trying to move with his injured leg.

But all three monsters swiftly dashed forward, two of them impaling her with their swords and the third burying his axe into her shoulder. Her eyes opened wide and her mouth was open in a silent scream, even as her life points shot down to 0.

"At last, my revenge is complete…" Maxell pulled out an orb. "And now, little wench, your soul is mine! May your mind rot in the Shadow Realm forever!" He then held up the orb – and as Marcus watched in horror, Flora's soul got sucked into it, even as her bleeding body went limp and slumped to the ground.

"Hmph…in the end, she proved to be nothing more than a bothersome bitch," Maxell murmured.

Marcus could stand it no longer. "Shut your pie-hole, you piece of shit! Don't you dare talk of her like that!"

"And why should you care? She wasn't someone important to you," Maxell shot at him.

Marcus gritted his teeth. "She…was my friend! And you…I'll rip that Millennium Eye out of your head and beat you to death with it!"

"Like you can do anything much with your current injuries," Maxell scoffed. "You are a rather cheeky bastard, though, so I'll do you a favor. Next time I see you, I'll kill you. Until then…" And with that he mysteriously disappeared!

Marcus growled, then winced because of his injuries. "Damn you…"

----------

**_neomage:_** So there you have it! Maxell uses cards based off the recent "Dark World" cards in the Elemental Energy booster packs that have recently been released! And now, we know what his motivation has been! Now, what about the others—how will they fare, when their numbers are being cut down one by one by JUDAS? Keep reading!

Miriku: (is gorging on Hersheys candies)

neomage: …Is she always like this?

Kimiru: Yep.

neomage: (shudders) Thank God I didn't bring the ice cream, then…

UPDATED 05/02/2006: Made a slight error with Maxell's life points, so I had to readjust.


	98. Chapter 98

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Two chapters to the big surprise…I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**CHAPTER 98**

BACK IN JAPAN, AT DOMINO CITY HOSPITAL

While Yugo and Jenna were being reunited, and while their friends were desperately engaged in duels against JUDAS, what was happening back home? Had Mr. Muto emerged from his coma in all this time?

Sadly, he hadn't. He was still in his hospital bed, as unconscious to the world as a dead man might be. Looking in on him, Mrs. Taylor gave a very sad sigh. "Poor Yugi…" she whispered softly.

"No change?" Mr. Wheeler came up behind her.

"No, Joey…none at all," she replied. "Do you think he'll be okay?"

"Of course he will! That's Yugi you're talkin' about—he'll bounce back soon and very soon!" Mr. Wheeler replied confidently.

Not far away, Mr. Bakura shook his head. "I still can't believe this," he muttered. "How could the Millennium Items have been brought back? Weren't they destroyed when that cavern collapsed, after Yugi dueled the Pharaoh all those years ago?"

"That's what was supposed to happen," replied Mrs. Bakura. She was sitting next to her husband with a thoughtful expression on her face. "But then again, we never stuck around to find out, did we? Otherwise we would've been buried alive in that place."

"And even worse…_he_ is involved with this mysterious group now…" Mr. Bakura's face was a picture of pure disgust.

Mrs. Bakura looked intently at him. "Dear…I know why you feel so antagonistic toward him. It's because, in a way, he reminds you of…that spirit…that possessed you when you still had the Millennium Ring. Jan reminds you too much of him."

Mr. Bakura looked away. "I guess I am guilty of playing favorites," he admitted quietly. "I always paid more attention to Kyo than to Jan…that's why he turned away from us, his own family. That's a burden I will always have to bear, from this time to my death."

"There, there…Kyo will make things right. I believe in him." Mrs. Bakura said this confidently.

At that moment Mrs. Wheeler and Mr. Taylor came in. "Guys, guess who just came with us," said Mr. Taylor.

"No need for them to do that, Tristan," said a familiar voice – and then Seto Kaiba came in behind Mr. Taylor.

"What're you doing here, Kaiba?" asked Mr. Wheeler. "Don't you have things to do?"

"Joey! Be nice!" Mrs. Wheeler scolded.

"Still as antagonistic toward me as ever, eh, Wheeler?" Kaiba smirked. "I just thought I'd come and see how Yugi's coming along…but there's no change, is there?"

"No," sighed Mrs. Taylor. "He's still the same as when they brought him in."

"Hmph…well, he's got enough spirit in him. He'll snap out of it soon," said Kaiba quietly. "But what I'm concerned about right now is that our kids are over in a strange land, fighting against a group of thugs with those Millennium Items in their possession."

"Hey, yeah, I'd forgotten about that," said Mr. Taylor.

"All we can do is believe in them," said Mrs. Bakura. "Nothing will be accomplished by worrying. We should just do everything we can."

"Teá's right," said Mr. Wheeler. "Our kids have heart. They'll be okay."

"I agree that your daughter's a tough girl, and she's got courage," said Kaiba. Then he smirked. "Question is, did she get any of it from YOU?"

"You looking for trouble, rich-boy?" Mr. Wheeler snapped.

"Joey, no! This is a hospital—show some respect!" Mrs. Taylor hissed.

Immediately Mr. Wheeler became aware of several passing doctors and nurses glaring at him. "Sorry, sorry," he apologized.

"Well, at least some things never change," sighed Mr. Bakura.

"Agreed," said Mr. Taylor.

----------

BACK IN CAIRO, EGYPT, AT MARIK ISHTAR'S HOUSE

Yugo sat quietly by one of the windows in the living room, staring outside as he contemplated. Only moments ago, Jenna and Honey had come in, and he'd been understandably startled – he hadn't expected them, especially Jenna, to come all this way looking for him. And then Jenna had taken him out of the dining room and brought him here, where they could have some privacy.

Jenna was sitting not far away, on an ottoman, looking intently at him, wondering what she should say. Then: "Yugo…"

"Huh?" Yugo was startled out of his train of thought.

Jenna's eyes were partly closed. "Yugo, are you…angry with me?"

Yugo stared at her. "Huh? Why would I be angry?"

"Because…because I came all this way, looking for you." Jenna held her head down. "I wanted to see you again so badly, Yugo…I missed you so…"

She got up and walked over to him, kneeling at his feet. She rested her head in his lap. "I was so sad when you said goodbye…I didn't feel like I could live on much longer without you…and then, I got the incentive to come here and search for you. All of us came…Kyo…Miki…Blaze, Wade, and all the others…we all came."

Yugo looked down at Jenna's hair, spread all across his knees. Gently he reached down and stroked it. "Jenna…I'm not mad at you," he said quietly. "Actually…I'm happy to see you again, too. There were a few times when I'd feel dead inside, and a little guilty…every time I looked at your picture…"

Here he reached into his pocket and pulled out the photo Jenna had given him. She looked up. "You…kept my picture…"

"How could I throw this away, Jenna? I could never do something so foolish." Yugo smiled. "It's too important to me now."

Jenna blushed. "Yugo…"

He looked deep into her eyes. "Jenna…I'm just sorry I made you worry so. And I'm sorry I made the others worry, too…I just…" He held his head down now. "I just want to beat these guys, rescue my Grandma and go home."

"I know." Jenna reached forward and touched his cheek. And…I'll do everything I can to help, no matter how little I can do."

Yugo chuckled. "Just seeing you again is enough to strengthen me…and knowing that I'm not alone in this now...that's my motivation."

"Er—excuse me…"

Startled, both turned to look up into Odion's face. "Sorry to interrupt, but…Master Marik is almost ready to commence the training session, Yugo," he informed the boy. "You must ready yourself as soon as possible."

"I understand," said Yugo gravely. "I'll be along in a few."

Satisfied, Odion exited the room again. Jenna looked quizzically at Yugo. "Training, huh?"

"Yeah…so that we can better understand these people who hold Millennium Items, and how to beat them." Yugo's face was full of resolution. "Jenna…can you do me a favor?"

"Anything."

He looked her right in the face. "Head back to the others…and tell them that I'm okay, and that everything will be all right. Next time you see me, we'll all be going home together. Is that all right?"

Jenna nodded. "It's a promise."

"A promise, then." And the two intertwined their pinky fingers together.

----------

"I see…so JUDAS struck as soon as you guys came."

Seta's face was grave as he looked at Honey. Jillian's eyes were narrowed. "So, Wade Ocean is down, then?" she asked.

"Yeah," said Honey. "Other than that, I can't tell you what has happened since we all split up to do our searching."

Seta sighed. "Was it really wise to split up at all?"

"Under the circumstances, we felt it was necessary to cover more ground," explained Honey. "I only hope the others haven't run into any serious problems by this time…"

Just then Odion appeared. "Master Seta, Master Marik is ready to begin the training. Will you be joining us?"

"Of course, Odion. I'll be there in a moment," answered Seta.

Nodding, Odion went away again. Seta then looked at both girls. "Ladies, can you do me a favor?"

"Of course, Sir Seta," replied Jillian. "What is it?"

Seta looked right at her. "Jillian…I want you to escort Honey and Jenna back to the others."

"What? But I want to help you!" Honey protested.

"You WILL be helping me, believe me," said Seta firmly. "Go back to the others, Honey, and stick together. When all this is over, we'll come and join you. And Jillian…on the way, pick up GINA and the chopper, and ensure that they're safe." For they had left these back at the camping site when they'd set out to find Mr. Ishtar.

Jillian nodded gravely. "I understand, Sir Seta. I will do as you have asked."

Seta walked over to Honey and patted her head. "No need to worry, Honey. Everything will be all right, I promise."

She nodded. "Okay. I'm holding you to that promise, Seta."

He nodded back. "Well…time for me to go do what I must. I'll be seeing you all, then." And he turned and walked out, leaving Honey and Jillian to themselves.

Jillian looked over at Honey. "You certainly trust him a great deal," she remarked.

"What's not to trust?" Honey answered.

----------

Seta walked outside of the front door, then went around the side of the house to the little door Mr. Ishtar had taken Yugo through last time. Standing at that entrance were Yugo and Mr. Ishtar, waiting for him.

"Have you said your goodbyes?" Mr. Ishtar asked.

Seta shook his head. "I didn't say goodbye," he said. "That word denotes finality. But I, on the other hand, plan on seeing my loved ones again, so…"

"Same here," echoed Yugo.

Mr. Ishtar nodded. "Well said. Very well, then. Follow me." He turned and opened the door—and all three walked through, each with his own thoughts in mind.

_Hold on, Grandma, just a little longer,_ Yugo thought. _I'll definitely save you!_

_Lassiter…I'll soon come and get you, you bastard…just wait!_ Seta silently swore.

_Sister…please watch me…_ Mr. Ishtar thought to himself.

----------

Odion and the three girls were just stepping through the front door, heading for the limousine. "I will drive you back to the city," said Odion. "I have to pick up Master Marik's daughter from her tutor's, anyway."

"We appreciate it, thank you very much," and Honey and Jenna bowed.

Jillian sighed. "I really wish I could join those two, but…I won't change my mind now. They need that training more than I do."

Odion nodded. "Very well," he answered. "But not to worry—you can always come back here and receive training, if you ever feel you need to do so."

"Thank you." Jillian nodded.

"Well, then, shall we go?" Odion opened the door and allowed the three girls to climb in. Then he stepped into the limo himself, behind the driver's seat, and moments later the car was speeding through the front gate and back toward the city.

----------

SOMEWHERE

The shadow-faced master sat on his throne, calmly twiddling his fingers. Then he shifted. "Bernard…speak."

Behind him, Bernard went down on one knee, his Millennium Scale on the ground beside him. "Master…permit me to raise a question."

"Go on."

Bernard took a deep breath. "What is the point of all of this? I mean, we all joined JUDAS to acquire revenge against our enemies…but once we have our revenge, then what? What will our purpose be?"

The master said nothing for a long moment. Then he sighed. "Bernard…remember one thing. The reason you joined us in the first place…for the purpose of justice. Am I right?"

"Of course, Master!" Bernard exclaimed.

"Then remember another thing," the master went on. "If we waver for even a moment in handing down justice to those who deserve it, then all our hopes will have been for naught. If innocents must suffer in the midst of our methods, then it's a shame…but in the end, all our wishes will be granted. And…" He touched the Millennium Puzzle hanging around his neck. "I possess the power to return life to the innocent – all I require are the souls of those who would dare cross us. Remember, I told you this before."

"I have not forgotten, Master. It's just…I wonder if we're really doing the right thing…?" Bernard said quietly.

The master chuckled. "For the Great One's sake…even if we do not feel so…we have to do what we have to do. And, for the present, that is to collect more souls to complete our objective."

Bernard bowed his head. "I understand, Master. I will continue to do what I must."

"Very well. Go, then." The master waved his hand.

"Yes, sir." Bernard picked up the Millennium Scale, got up, and left the room, and once again the master was shrouded in shadow.

----------

A HILL OVERLOOKING CAIRO

The Blue-Eyes White Chopper sat on the hilltop overlooking the city, and beside it, in her humanoid form, GINA was sitting underneath the tree, looking down at the city, and she sighed.

"Tracking the duelist signal on Miss Jillian's Duel-Disk…she is in a limousine with Jenna Wheeler and Honey Pegasus…heading for the border of the city, en route to here," she spoke aloud to herself. "It's an honor to be protecting Master Seta's belongings, but still…I wish he could've taken me with him…"

----------

EN ROUTE TO CAIRO, AT THAT VERY MOMENT

The limousine by this time was closing in on Cairo. Looking outside at the road, Jillian presently tapped on te partition glass. "Odion…could you please turn left at this next crossing? Sir Seta's vehicles have been left on this path, and I want to retrieve them now."

"Very well." Odion turned the car left at the appointed moment.

"So, Seta decided to bring all his toys with him, huh?" commented Honey. "He must really be wanting to play a few games with these JUDAS guys."

"Maybe," said Jillian.

Suddenly two streaks of black flashed past the limousine. "What the hell?" exclaimed Jenna, looking out the window in bewilderment.

Odion looked over the dashboard and gasped. "Hang on!" he yelled, violently turning the wheel to one side and causing the girls to collapse over each other.

"What happened?" Jillian demanded.

"Let's find out," said Hone, and she opened the door.

But as the group stepped out…they stared in utter astonishment. Right in the middle of the path was a giant tree that had been carefully sawed and rigged to fall on top of them! "Holy shit…" Jenna breathed.

Then, from the other side of the tree, two motorcycles whizzed around, two Egyptian men at the handlebars. "These guys rushed past us a while ago, didn't they?" said Honey.

"Damn it…" Jillian gritted her teeth in anger. "They must've found the campsite up ahead while Seta and I were gone…figured we'd have to come back for the vehicles…and rigged this plot of ground so that, once we were riding past the tree, they'd go past us and spring the trap!"

"How insightful of you, my dear," said a British voice—and just then a third man appeared on top of the fallen tree, dressed in a green robe.

Jenna took one look at the golden ankh-key suspended from this newcomer's neck. "Are you…one of those JUDAS guys?" she asked.

"Quite correct!" the man answered. "Abel Drake…pleased to make your acquaintance!"

Honey's face turned white when she heard the name. "You…you're that guy Malachi Jordan was talking about during the Intercontinental Championships, aren't you?" she exclaimed.

"Oh, so he spoke of me, did he?" asked Drake. "How thoughtful of him. But there'll be enough time for a family reunion later…right now, my two associates and I will tear all of you apart! Boys, go get them!"

----------

**_neomage:_** So, this group narrowly misses a trap, only to be forced into a showdown – Seta and Yugo begin their training with Marik – and only two more chapters left before the big surprise is revealed! Keep reading – lots more to come!


	99. Chapter 99

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Only one chapter to the big surprise…I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**CHAPTER 99**

A HILL OVERLOOKING CAIRO

GINA was calmly looking out over the city of Cairo. "A place of great history and mystery," she muttered.

Suddenly she paused. "Hmm? It seems that their progress has been stopped a mile from this spot," she mused. "What could be wrong?"

GINA looked out into the distance. "Perhaps I should investigate," she figured. "All right. I'll just load myself into the helicopter's autopilot system, and then go down and see for myself what is happening…"

----------

Meanwhile, a mile away, Abel Drake and his two cohorts were facing off against Jenna, Honey, Jillian and Odion. "Hakim, Zechariah, attack!" Drake commanded, his Millennium Key shining brightly.

With that all three pulled out Duel-Disks and strapped them on. "I see…so that's how they intend to play," said Jillian. "Well, if that's how they want to play, so be it! You guys ready to do this?"

"Yeah!" Jenna and Honey activated their own Duel-Disks.

Odion shook his head. "Unfortunately, I did not come prepared for a scenario such as this," he confessed. "But all three of you seem to be good enough duelists, so I will leave it to you."

"Thanks, Odion," said Honey. "Take cover, then. We'll call you in case we need help!"

Jillian tossed her head back, the single red bang over her face swishing. "The freak in the green robe's mine!" she announced. "I'll leave the lackeys to you guys!"

Drake jumped down from his perch on the fallen tree and smirked. "A bit overconfident, aren't we?" he spoke up. "I'll take care of that in a moment!"

"Bring it on, punk!" Jillian activated her own Duel-Disk.

The one named Hakim ran to one side, all the while facing Jenna. "You…" he said in halting English. "I shall crush you!"

"Stuff it, asshole." Jenna narrowed her eyes. "Because right now, I am very, VERY pissed off!"

And the thug named Zechariah was threatening Honey, too. "I will show you my strength!" he rasped.

Honey scoffed. "Loser."

Just then—much to the girls' astonishment—two massive walls of light appeared, separating the three pairs of duelists! "My doing," expained Drake smugly, his Millennium Key flashing. "This way, we won't disturb each other."

"Oh, shut the hell up and just duel already!" Jillian snapped.

----------

Outside the walls of light, Odion looked on worriedly. "Damn," he grunted. "One of the enemy currently has a Millennium Item at his disposal…this is bad…"

----------

DUEL 1, INSIDE THE WALLS OF LIGHT

Hakim and Jenna drew their cards as the holographic coin appeared. "I call tails!" Jenna shouted. Then the coin was flipped…and indeed it was tails.

Jenna drew her first five cards, then drew her sixth. "I summon Rocket Warrior (ATK 1500, DEF 1300) to the field!" Then she summoned her interchangeable monster. "Then I'll set two cards facedown, and end my turn."

Hakim drew his first card. "White Magical Hat (ATK 1000, DEF 700), Attack Mode!" And he summoned a man in a white cape and top hat to the field.

Then he selected another card from his hand. "Activate magic card, Graceful Dice! I roll a die, multiply the result by 100, and add the total to my monster's ATK, lasting till the end of this turn!" Then as he spoke, a die appeared on the field and was rolled…and the result was a 6, increasing White Magical Hat's ATK to 1600! "Now, attack!"

Whereupon White Magical Hat blasted energy from his hands – but then Jenna shouted, "Oh, no, you don't! I activate Mirror Force, to destroy your monster!" And then the next thing Hakim knew, a large force field bounced the attack back and destroyed his monster!

"Grrr…one card facedown, and end turn," said Hakim, placing a card in the magic/trap slot.

Jenna shook her head as she drew another card, giving her four in all. "Is that all you're gonna do?" she asked. "Well, then, I'll summon Red-Eyes Black Chick (ATK 800, DEF 500) to the field!" And she summoned the baby Red-Eyes in its egg.

"Hold it!" Hakim shouted. "Activate trap card, Blind Destruction! During my Standby Phase, I roll a die, and then I destroy all monsters on the field with a level equal to the result…and if the result is 6, all monsters Level 6 or higher will be killed!"

Jenna's eyes narrowed. "Then I'll just have to make sure there is no Standby Phase for you, asshole. For I'll tribute Red-Eyes Black Chick to Special Summon the adult Red-Eyes Black Dragon (ATK 2400, DEF 2000)!"

Suddenly, before Hakim's frightened eyes, the Red-Eyes Black Chick grew to enormous size, until it had transformed into the Red-Eyes Black Dragon, growling with menace. But Jenna wasn't done. "Now, I activate my other trap card, Metalmorph, and equip it to the Red-Eyes – and then tribute both the Red-Eyes and Metalmorph to Special Summon Red-Eyes Black Metal Dragon (ATK 2800, DEF 2400) from my deck!"

The metal that had formed on the black dragon as Jenna spoke formed onto its skin a little better, until its form was completed and the metal looked polished and smooth. But evidently Jenna still wasn't done. "Next, I'll activate the magic card Monster Reborn, to revive Red-Eyes Black Dragon to the field!"

In a moment the regular Red-Eyes reappeared beside its metallic counterpart, roaring at a now very frightened Hakim. Then, with ominous movement, Jenna held up the last card left in her hand. "And now…time to test the card my father gave me before I set out on this journey! I sacrifice Red-Eyes Black Dragon to Special Summon its truest form…Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon (ATK 2400, DEF 2000)!"

Sinister black shadows formed around the Red-Eyes, and its eyes glowed with ever-growing menace. "Its ATK increases by 300 for every Dragon-type monster in my Graveyard," said Jenna calmly. "And since I now have two of those in my Graveyard…the Red-Eyes Black Chick and the Red-Eyes Black Dragon…this monster's ATK will increase by 600 points!"

Hakim watched in horror as, true enough, the Darkness Dragon's ATK shot to 3000! "H-h-have mercy!" he quavered.

Jenna's voice was cold. "No."

Then, one by one, the three monsters on Jenna's side of the field attacked. First, Rocket Warrior shot forward in rocket mode and hit Hakim square in the chest, reducing him to 6500. Then the Red-Eyes Black Metal Dragon soared forward and hit Hakim head-on with its metal wings, reducing him even further to 3700. Finally, the Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon charged up its fireball and shot it at Hakim, severely reducing him to a mere 700 life points.

"Your turn." Jenna's voice was still cold.

With much fright in his eyes, Hakim drew his next card. Suddenly, Blind Destruction's effect activated, as beams of light shot down and a die was rolled. It rolled…and rolled…and then showed its result: 3!

"NO!" Hakim screamed.

"Tough luck," Jenna said softly.

Hakim looked despairingly at the four cards in his hand. "Ah…Sand Gambler (ATK 300, DEF 1600), Attack Mode!"

A drifter appeared on the field, flipping a coin. "Now, I use his effect and toss a coin three times," said Hakim, trembling somewhat, "and if all three results are heads, every monster you control is destroyed. But if all three results are tails, every monster I have will be destroyed!"

Three coins appeared and were flipped…and only one showed heads! Hakim went pale – and then went on hands and knees before Jenna. "I beg you, please forgive me!"

Jenna looked at him scornfully. "Pathetic. My monsters, finish him now!" And as Hakim began to scream in terror, all three of Jenna's monsters advanced menacingly on him as his life point counter swiftly dropped to 0…

----------

DUEL 2, AT THE EXACT SAME TIME

While Jenna and Hakim were dueling, Zechariah and Honey were facing off against each other, too. "Heads!" Zechariah shouted. The holographic coin was flipped…

…and indeed it was heads. "I go first!" Zechariah shouted.

"Geez…I CAN hear you, you know," Honey winced, rubbing an ear.

Zechariah drew his first card and examined it closely. "T.A.D.P.O.L.E. (ATK 0, DEF 0) in Attack Mode!"

A small, squiggly tadpole then appared on the field. Honey wrinkled her face in total disgust. "Eew! How repulsive!" she cried. "I hate frogs!"

Zechariah grinned. "Then, I set one card facedown." He set a card. "And I end my turn."

Grimacing, Honey drew her card. "I summon Dark Rabbit (ATK 1100, DEF 1500)!" And she brought forth her deranged cartoon rabbit. "Destroy that icky frog-thing!"

Dark Rabbit jumped forward and punched rapidly at T.A.D.P.O.L.E., utterly destroying it. "But Zechariah simply grinned even as his life points went down to 6900. "When T.A.D.P.O.L.E. is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard," he explained, "I can add any number of T.A.D.P.O.L.E. cards from my deck to my hand, after which I must shuffle my deck." He then reached into his deck, pulled out two cards and added them to his hand, and shuffled his deck again.

Honey grimaced. "Damn. All right…I'll set one card, and end my turn."

Zechariah then took his turn, drawing another card so now he held seven in his hand. "Activate magic card, Card Destruction! Now we must both discard our hands and draw the same number of cards from our decks that we discarded!"

Pale, Honey discarded her four cards and drew four more, while Zechariah discarded his seven and drew another seven. Then Zechariah held up one of his new cards. "I activate Premature Burial, paying 800 life points to bring back T.A.D.P.O.L.E. to the field!"

Zechariah's life points dropped to 6100 as the tadpole monster reappeared. Then he held up another card. "Now…tribute T.A.D.P.O.L.E. to summon Des Frog (ATK 1900, DEF 0)!"

Honey screamed. "AAAAAH! Not MORE frogs!"

But as the tadpole monster disappeared, in its place stood a massive green frog. "And, when Des Frog is Tribute Summoned successfully," added Zechariah, "I can Special Summon more Des Frog cards to my side of the field up to the total number of T.A.D.P.O.L.E. cards in my Graveyard!"

"Shit…THAT'S why you used your Card Destruction card just now," and Honey grimaced.

Zechariah searched his deck and took out two more cards, and a moment later he'd Special Summoned two more Des Frogs to the field. Then he announced: "Activate facedown magic card, Des Croaking! When there are three Des Frogs on my side of the field, all cards on your side of the field are destroyed!"

The three frogs began to croak horribly. Dark Rabbit put his hands over his ears to block out the nose, but he got destroyed anyway. "Ack!" Honey shrieked.

"Now, Des Frogs, attack!" Zechariah commanded, laughing.

One Des Frog lashed out with its tongue, reducing Honey to 6100. Then, another jumped forward and hit her, reducing her further to 4200. The third spat water at her, bringing her down to 2300. "Have that!" Zechariah exulted.

Honey stood up, her face a picture of real anger. "Bastard…I'll get you back for this!" she exploded.

Whereupon she drew her next card, so now she held five. "And now…prepare for _my_ comeback!" she snapped. "For I'll tribute 1000 life points to activate the magic of Toon World!"

As her life points dipped to 1300, suddenly the familiar cartoon book emerged. Then: "Next, I'll activate my facedown trap, Call of the Haunted, to revive my Dark Rabbit to the field!"

A moment later Dark Rabbit rose up from the gravestones. "Then…" Honey examined her hand. "I activate Pot of Greed, to draw two more cards!" And a moment later she drew her two cards, so now she held five once again.

Then she chuckled when she saw what was in her hand. "I activate the magic card, Cost Down! By discarding one card from my hand, I can downgrade the Levels of all monsters in my hand by 2 until the end of this turn! And so, I can Special Summon my mighty Toon Summoned Skull (ATK 2500, DEF 1200)!"

Her toonish skeletal fiend appeared a moment later, grinning from ear to ear. "Next…I'll offer Dark Rabbit as a tribute to Special Summon my loyal Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon (ATK 3000, DEF 2500)!" Honey declared. And as Dark Rabbit disappeared from the field, together with the Call of the Haunted trap card, the cute and cuddly Blue-Eyes appeared in his place, flexing muscles.

"And now…" Honey held up the very last card left in her hand. "I activate the magic card, Megamorph! Since my life points are lower than yours, this card will double the ATK of one of my monsters – and I choose to equip it to my Toon Summoned Skull!"

As she played the card, suddenly Toon Summoned Skull's muscles became even bigger than before – and its ATK shot to 5000! Zechariah was understandably unnerved. "Not good…not good…" he muttered.

"Hey, not to worry," Honey's voice reached him. "My Toon monsters can't attack the same turn they're summoned. So, I end my turn."

Reassured, Zechariah drew another card so he now held six. "I shift my monsters to Defense Mode," and all three of the Des Frogs crouched down. "Then, I set one monster in Defense Mode, and end my turn."

Honey drew another card. "Trying to defend your life points against me, eh?" she asked. "Well, unfortunately for you, all Toon monsters are capable of attacking directly!"

Zechariah turned white. "No…!"

"Now, Toon Summoned Skull and Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon, attack directly and wipe out his life points!" Honey ordered. And as her life points dropped to 300 – 500 for each Toon monster to attack, draining her of 1000 life points – Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon fired a blast of energy from its mouth, while Toon Summoned Skull fired sulphuric smoke from its mouth; both attacks engulfed a screaming Zechariah and reduced him to 0.

Honey ran a hand through her hair. "I almost feel jealous of Jillian, taking the big fish for herself and leaving us with the small fry…"

----------

DUEL 3, IN THE MEANTIME

During the moments Jenna and Honey had been starting their respective duels against their thuggish opponents, Jillian had been readying herself to fight Drake. "So? What're you waiting for?" she demanded. "Activate your Duel-Disk already!"

Drake, however, just stood there, arms folded, a smirk on his face. "Impatient, aren't we?" he quipped. "You needn't worry, my dear; there's plenty of time to resolve this. First things first, though…perhaps I should show you what you're really up against, eh?"

"What on earth are you talking about?" asked Jillian.

Suddenly, Drake's Millennium Key shone brightly. "My Millennium Key gives me the ability to unlock and view others' memories…including the ones they've supposedly suppressed," he said with a grin. "And right now…" He took the Key from around his neck and pointed it at her. "I can see right into your mind, little Jillian Uriah…those memories you believe you'd long forgotten!"

Jillian's eyes widened in shock. _What the hell…shit…I can feel him…it's as though he's got his hands all over my body!_ "Stop it…" she grunted.

Drake grinned even more evilly. "Hee, hee, hee…it would seem I've found your weak point, girl," he said, very amused. "This should be even more interesting than I expected…"

----------

**_neomage:_** Well, next chapter comes the big surprise I promised, and believe me, it'll be one that some of you probably will not be expecting! And, Honey and Jenna's respective duels have finished rather quickly, but then again, Hakim and Zechariah were just small fry…the real duel between Jillian and Drake will soon begin! Keep reading!

UPDATED 21/11/2005: Thank you guys so much for pointing out those errors. Yes, I did mean to write Graceful Dice, not Graceful Charity; and yes, I did mean to say that Honey should have LOST 1000 life points, not be left with that amount. I guess sleep deprivation must've been eating at my brain (grin). But anyway, thanks once again!


	100. Chapter 100

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: 100th anniversary, people! **(blows noisemaker and tosses confetti everywhere) **I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!)

**CHAPTER 100**

A HILL OVERLOOKING CAIRO

"…stop it…" Jillian's eyes widened in ever-growing apprehension.

Drake merely chuckled. "Let's see…as much as you claim to have great bravery, your memories suggest otherwise," he taunted. "For one thing…that one time when you failed to protect someone…your very own older sister…"

"Shut up!" Jillian cried.

"Now, what was it that happened?" asked Drake. Then his Millennium Key shone. "Ah, yes…that day, you and she were walking home from school together – and then, a group of thugs attacked the two of you…six of them…" He sneered at her. "They dragged both of you into a dark alleyway…and they did everything they wanted to do to her…and they forced you to watch…"

Jillian fell to her knees, clasping her hands over her temples. "NO! STOP IT!" she was shrieking now.

"When they were done, she was bleeding everywhere…and then…so thoroughly torn up about the incident was she that when they were finally finished and had left, as battered and bruised as she was, she crawled over to the nearby dumpster…grabbed a long sliver of glass…and slit her own wrists and throat…" And he made sinister slashing motions across his own wrists and neck with his finger. "And all you saw…was blood, blood, and more blood!"

Jillian threw her head back, completely in a frenzy now. _"SHUT UUUUUUP!"_ she screamed in a _very_ high-pitched voice.

Not far away, Honey, de-activating her Duel-Disk, heard the scream and looked around in alarm. "Jillian…?"

Jenna, on the other side, heard it too. "Jillian, what's going on?" she called out, bewildered.

Inside the wall of light, Jillian was hugging herself tightly, her eyes wide and seeing nothing. "…no…stop it…" she whispered. "Please…don't take her from me…don't take her from me…I beg you…don't hurt her…"

Drake laughed scornfully. "And then, years later, when you grew up, you decided to become a bodyguard…as a way to say sorry to your sister for not being strong enough to protect her that day," he teased. "Every life you saved from that moment on…every time you protected someone…you imagined that it was HER you were saving, didn't you? Only, you knew in your heart that your redemption and forgiveness would never come…"

Jillian hunched over. "Sis…I'm so sorry…I couldn't save you…" she said, in a barely audible whisper.

Smirking, Drake finally activated his Duel-Disk. **_"Now,_** I'm ready to duel," he announced.

By this time the pillars of light that enclosed Honey, Jenna and their respective opponents finally cleared up. "Glad that's over," said Jenna. "Only, what was that scream I heard just now…?"

Just then she heard Honey's voice calling to her. "Jenna! Jillian's still trapped inside that light thingy!"

Both girls looked up at the wall of light. "This is very, very bad," Honey grumbled.

Inside, the holographic coin appeared in between Drake and Jillian. "Since you're in no position to call it right now, I'll do it…heads!" Drake announced.

The coin was flipped…but it came up as tails. "Hmph…looks like I lost that one," said Drake, shrugging. "Oh, well. You go first, then."

Slowly standing up, holding her head in one hand, Jillian's eyes still displayed great fear. "You…you aren't human…" she gasped.

"Oh, well. That doesn't bother me."

Jillian swallowed hard. "Okay…I'll go first, then."

Both drew their cards; then Jillian, quite shakily, drew her sixth. "I…I summon Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress #1 (ATK 1400, DEF 1200)…" And she summoned a blue dragon, ready to do battle. "Then…I'll set one card facedown, and end my turn."

Drake chuckled. "Poor girl…nothing in your deck can save you from me!" He drew his card. "Now, I summon the Soul-Absorbing Bone Tower (ATK 400, DEF 1500) to the field!"

Suddenly, right before Drake, a massive bone tower sprung up out of the ground. Drake then looked at the five cards left in his hand. "And now…"

"H-huh?" Jillian looked up, very much alarmed.

Drake picked a card. "I activate the magic card, Card Destruction! Now we must both discard our entire hands and draw a number of cards equal to the number we discarded!" To that end, and much to Jillian's reluctance, they discarded their hands and drew their new cards.

But then Drake grinned evilly. Holding up the four new cards he'd drawn, he announced, "And now, I'll activate the magic card Monster Reborn, to revive a monster from my Graveyard – say hello to the mighty Despair from the Dark (ATK 2800, DEF 3000)!"

Then, from behind Drake came the most awful wail as a ghoulish black specter rose up from the ground. Jillian quailed when she saw it – this monster was a dark shadow with purple claws! "Jesus…such a wicked creature…" she whispered.

"And there's more," Drake informed her. "When a Zombie-type monster is Special Summoned successfully, the Soul-Absorbing Bone Tower's effect allows me to send two cards from the top of your deck to the Graveyard!"

Cringing, Jillian took the two cards on top of her deck and sent them to the Graveyard. "Damn you…" she growled.

"And, one more thing," continued Drake. "As long as there is another Zombie-type monster on my side of the field, the Soul-Absorbing Bone Tower cannot be selected as an attack target. Now…Despair from the Dark, crush the Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress! Corrupt Possession!"

Despair from the Dark lunged one eerie arm forward and snatched the Winged Dragon in between its claws. Then, with its other hand, it shoved long fingers into the dragon's chest…and Jillian flinched as her life points shot down to 6600!

"Now, Bone Tower, attack! Skull Crumble!" Drake commanded. And the Soul-Absorbing Bone Tower started tossing skulls at Jillian, reducing her further to 6200.

"Finally…I'll place one card facedown," finished Drake. "Now, girl…make your move."

Trembling visibly, Jillian drew her next card, so she now held five. Then her face hardened a little. "I summon Guardian of the Labyrinth (ATK 1000, DEF 1200) in Attack Mode!" She summoned a warrior in blue armor, covered with a purple aura.

"Hmmm…" Drake chuckled to himself.

But Jillian wasn't done. "Now, I'll equip the Guardian of the Labyrinth with the magic card, Wicked Breaking Flamberge – Baou, and send one card from my hand to the Graveyard to activate it!"

As she discarded one card from her hand, leaving her with two, Guardian of the Labyrinth found himself holding a massive sword, his ATK increased to 1500! "Wicked Breaking Flamberge – Baou increases the ATK of a monster equipped with it by 500 points," explained Jillian. "But I'm not done yet! Now I'll also equip him with the magic card, Shooting Star Bow – Ceal!"

In a moment the Labyrinth Guardian was also holding a mystical bow – but his ATK sharply got reduced to 500! "Shooting Star Bow – Ceal decreases the ATK of the monster equipped with it by 1000 points," explained Jillian.

"And how will that help you?" asked a scornful Drake.

"Watch and learn!" Jillian then played the last card left in her hand. "I activate Premature Burial, paying 800 life points to revive Guardian Ceal (ATK 1700, DEF 1400) from the Graveyard!"

As Jillian's life points shot down to 5800, Guardian Ceal appeared – a being with flames shooting from his body. Drake shook his head. "And?"

"Well…admittedly, I could only summon Guardian Ceal if I had Shooting Star Bow – Ceal on the field – that's why I activated that card first," confessed Jillian. "But that's about to change, for now I'll activate my facedown magic card, Tailor of the Fickle! This allows me to take one equipped Magic card and equip it to another correct target – and I'll shift the Shooting Star Bow – Ceal from the Guardian of the Labyrinth to Guardian Ceal!"

A moment later the Guardian of the Labyrinth was relieved of the Shooting Star Bow – Ceal and his ATK shot back to 1500 as he held on tight to the Wicked Breaking FLamberge – Baou; and Guardian Ceal was wielding the magic bow even as his ATK shot down to 700. "And, I have more news for you," said Jillian. "Guardian Ceal's effect allows me to send one Equip Magic card that's equipped to him to the Graveyard to destroy one monster on your side of the field – and the one I choose to destroy is your Despair from the Dark!"

Drake's smirk disappeared in an instant. "Shit…!"

Suddenly the Shooting Star Bow – Ceal in Guardian Ceal's hands turned into a flaming arrow. Stringing it into the bow he'd already come equipped with, Guardian Ceal took aim and fired the flaming arrow into Despair from the Dark's wretched heart. The specter howled as it disintegrated!

"Now, it's time for me to make my comeback!" Jillian declared. "Guardian of the Labyrinth, attack and destroy the Soul-Absorbing Bone Tower now!"

Guardian of the Labyrinth dashed forward and sliced the Bone Tower in two with the Wicked Breaking Flamberge - Baou, reducing Drake's life points to 6900. Then, Guardian Ceal was able to attack directly, firing a flaming arrow at Drake and reducing him further to 5200. "So there! How do you like that?" Jillian demanded.

The score now stood at Jillian with 5800 and Drake with 5200. Drake had two cards in his hand, while Jillian had none. On the field Jillian had the Guardian of the Labyrinth equipped with the Wicked Breaking Flamberge – Baou, and Guardian Ceal, both in Attack Mode; Drake only had one facedown card.

Drake drew his next card…then his eyes widened and he started to laugh. "Now, THIS is something interesting!" he chirped. "I'll activate the magic card, Dark Hole, to destroy every monster on the field!"

"Oh, holy shit!" Jillian cried.

Suddenly a black hole opened above their heads, sucking in Jillian's two monsters. "Damn! Not my monsters!" she screamed.

"Sorry, dear, but now you've got nothing left on the field to help you," said Drake contemptuously. "Now…I activate the magic card, Call of the Mummy! As long as this card stays on the field, if I have no monsters on my side of the field, I can Special Summon one Zombie-type monster from my hand. And, I'll Special Summon from my hand…Ryu Kokki (ATK 2400, DEF 2000)!"

In a moment a giant skeletal figure appeared on the field, hissing at Jillian. But evidently Drake wasn't done. "Now, I'll activate my facedown magic card, Book of Life! This will allow me to Special Summon one Zombie-type monster from my Graveyard in face-up Attack or Defense Mode, and also I can remove one monster in YOUR Graveyard from play!"

Jillian's eyes widened in horror. "You can't…!"

"I can, and I will! I'll Special Summon my Despair from the Dark in Attack Mode – and remove your wretched Guardian Ceal from your Graveyard and from play!" Drake laughed hysterically.

To Jillian's great consternation, Guardian Ceal was removed from her Graveyard – and at the same time Despair from the Dark was revived on Drake's side of the field, grinning malevolently at her. "And now, time to end this game!" Drake announced. "Despair from the Dark, Ryu Kokki, attack!"

Despair from the Dark thrust one massive claw forward, impaling Jillian through the shoulder. She gagged and threw up blood as her life points sharply dropped to 3000. Then Ryu Kokki's bones slid forward and it bit her with its fangs – reducing her even further to 600!

"You haven't got a prayer now!" taunted Drake. "On my next turn, you'll be finished!"

Gasping painfully, Jillian drew another card. "I won't give up – ever!" she swore between her teeth. "I'll set this monster in Defense Mode…and end my turn."

"Your attempt is but a hopeless one, you do realize that, right?" said Drake. "But not to worry…you'll soon be joining your sister in heaven!" He drew his next card. "Now, my monsters, finish her off and put an end to it!"

Ryu Kokki chomped the facedown monster in between its teeth, revealing it to be the Guardian of the Throne Room (ATK 1650, DEF 1600). Then, Despair form the Dark thrust its claws again, this time impaling Jillian in her other shoulder, drawing blood and reducing her life points to 0.

Drake whipped out three orbs. "It seems those two fools, Hakim and Zechariah, failed their duels," he remarked. "But no matter – I can sill bring their souls back with me…along with yours!"

Outside the wall of light, Jenna and Honey were looking on worriedly. "I could hear Jillian screaming in there," said Jenna. "I hope she's all right…"

Looking to one side, Honey suddenly noticed Zechariah's soul leaving its body. Her eyes widened in horror. _Oh, my God – that's the same thing that happened to Rodney and Reggie Rex when that guy with the Millennium Ring took their souls!_ A quick look to the other side confirmed for her that Hakim's soul was being taken, too!

"NO! JILLIAN!" she shrieked.

But from inside that wall of light, they heard Drake's cackling. "Too late, bitches," he addressed them. "Your friend has already lost this duel, and now her soul is mine! And now, I must be taking my leave, for the master demands so many souls, and to bring him three at once will certainly bring me honor…well, fare thee well!"

Just then the light began to spin around as a tornado would. It took to the sky and then mysteriously disappeared…but Honey and Jenna's attention was now diverted to Jillian's motionless body on the ground, bleeding like crazy! "Dear Lord! Jillian, hang in there!" Jenna screamed, rushing forward.

Gingerly, she cradled Jillian's head in her lap – and almost recoiled when she saw the other girl's eyes. Jillian's entire face seemed void of life! "He…he really took her soul…" she whispered.

"Damn it…!" Honey groaned in frustration.

Odion emerged from the safety of the limousine. "She…it looks like she lost her duel…and paid a heavy penalty for it, too," he said softly. "Ra help us all…"

Suddenly, from above them came the sound of helicopter blades whirring. Looking up, they all saw the Blue-Eyes White Chopper coming down on them, GINA at the controls.

"Is that…the computer program Seta was talking about?" wondered Jenna.

GINA spoke to them. "Hop in!"

Honey and Jenna needed no second invitation; as soon as the helicopter was low enough, they clambered in. Odion passed them the bodies of Jillian, Hakim and Zechariah. "We can't just leave them here, after all," he noted.

"We have to head to the others, pronto! Help us find them, GINA!" Jenna demanded. "Odion, go back to Mr. Ishtar and let those guys know what's happened!"

"Will do!" Odion answered, and he jumped into the limousine and sped off. Meanwhile, GINA turned the controls in Cairo's direction and a moment later the chopper was speeding in that direction.

"Wow…a computer program that actually takes human form…I gotta get me one like you…" Honey said, mesmerized.

"We can talk about that later," said GINA firmly. "My programming just received the duelist data from Miss Jillian Uriah's Duel-Disk saying she lost a duel. Tell me everything that happened, while we search for the others."

----------

SOMEWHERE, SOME MINUTES LATER

The mysterious red-robed leader of JUDAS sat on his throne, staring into the darkness. Then he looked up. "Took you long enough, Drake."

"Sorry for my being later, Master," Drake apologized, emerging from the shadows. "But I have three more souls…" He hesitated. "Unfortunately, only one of them is of your enemies."

"The other two being those two losers you picked up?" asked the master severely.

"Ulp…y-yes, sir." Now Drake was starting to sweat.

There was a very long pause. Then the master sighed. "Oh, well…it doesn't matter. At least, you did manage to get rid of one more of our enemies. Give the soul orbs here, and then you may go."

Drake gently took out the three orbs and set them on the ground. "Am I…forgiven, sir?"

"Yes…but next time, do not expect such leniency on my part." The master's eyes flashed as he got up. "Now go…before I change my mind."

Drake nodded and exited swiftly. The master shook his head as he watched the other man leave; then, he bent down and picked up the three orbs. He headed for the nearby wall, where he tapped on a section of it with his foot—opening a hidden pathway, just as he had done last time. He paused a moment, and then went in.

The room he entered glowed with a bright blue light – on the walls, that light was emanating from countless soul orbs. Orbs of different sizes, shapes and glowing power…light shone from them all. There were orbs in the ceiling and certain sections of the floor, as well as the walls…and in the center of the room was a massive Egyptian sarcophagus with the face chiseled off.

The master stopped before the coffin and gently set the three newly-arrived orbs on the ground, alongside several others that had been there before. "Oh Great One," he announced respectfully, "hundreds of souls we your faithful ones have brought for you, to revitalize your strength that you possessed 3000 years ago…and now, I offer to you three more. If my offerings please you, please accept them."

There was silence for a few minutes. Then a slow, eerie voice answered, coming from the sarcophagus itself! "Well done, my loyal servant. Soon, very soon, my power will be back at full strength, and I will walk among men as I did three millennia ago. You serve me well."

"It is my honor, oh Great One," answered the master.

The Great One chuckled. "I can still remember when you and I first met," its voice remarked. "Your desire for vengeance against your enemy, Yugi Muto, attracted me to you, and you were so eager for the opportunity that you willingly gave over your former life to me. In exchange for your undying loyalty and perseverance toward my resurrection, I gave you three great gifts, all from the heart of the Shadow Realm itself, where I had been bound by the accursed Pharaoh Atem so long ago. I gave you the cunning of Bakura, the great Thief King; the strength and power of Marik Ishtar's darker half; and the intelligence of Anubis, formerly great lord of the dead. With these, you have amassed a mighty army; all its members capable, bright and strong, and with the power of the Millennium Items which, at my direction, you re-crafted from the gold of the originals that were buried in that cavern where Atem's soul was laid to rest. But now…now I will soon be able to wreak my own brand of vengeance on this world, and absolutely nothing will be able to stop me!"

"And I will assist you in every possible way that I can, oh Great One," the master answered, and bowed respectfully.

"Aye, that you will, my servant. Before long, your own wish will be granted: your vengeance against Yugi Muto will be complete at last."

The Millennium Puzzle around the master's neck shone at that moment, and an image of Yugi Muto appeared before his eyes: spiky red and black hair, with wild yellow bangs to match; and a face filled with determination and courage. Then, quite suddenly, the light of the Puzzle shone even brighter, revealing the master's face…and his hair was styled exactly like Yugi Muto's, but his was jet black with white bangs, and his eyes shone dark red—and the Japanese kanji for the word "vengeance" was tattooed over one eye!

"Yes…" he rasped. "Very soon, Yugi…the Great One will rule supreme…and then I, Keisuke Odachi, will have my revenge!"

----------

**_neomage:_** WAHOO! At long frickin' last, people – in this, the 100th chapter of the Yu-Gi-Oh! Forever story, the leader of JUDAS has finally been given a name and a description! And, for the first time, we get to see the soul room where all those souls they've been stealing are kept! And this mysterious "Great One" that has spoken here…who is it? You'll just have to wait to get the answer to that one! But never fear: Next chapter, I'll post an official biography for Keisuke Odachi as I have for everyone else, and the action will definitely get even hotter than ever! So don't give up, loyal ones – keep reading!


	101. Chapter 101

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Yu-Gi-Oh and all the original characters are owned by Takahashi-sensei.)

**CHAPTER 101**

_Characters' First Appearance in Story_

_ODACHI_

_NAME: Keisuke Odachi_

_AGE: 32_

_HAIR: Black, with white bangs (think of Bleach's Byakuya with Yami-styled hair)_

_EYES: Red (has the kanji for "Vengeance" tattooed over one eye)_

_CLOTHES: Red robe, red boots_

SOMEWHERE

Jan entered the throne room, and noticed the doorway in the wall. Respectfully, he stepped back and waited for the master to reemerge. And then…the red-robed figure did.

Jan immediately went down on one knee. "Master," he greeted him.

Odachi looked down at him. "As you were, Jan. What brings you to me?"

Jan stood up again. "Master…I have been keeping an eye on two of our enemies' movements, and I wish to go and retrieve their souls for you."

Odachi eyed him. "And they are…?"

"Miki Taylor and Shigeo Tatsunoko."

Odachi nodded. "Two of the weaker enemies…very well."

"Just a moment, Jan…"

Both turned and saw Bernard Stone emerging from the shadows, holding the Millennium Scale in one hand. "Shigeo Tatsunoko, you say?" he remarked. "He's not as weak as it might seem…in fact, his soul, I believe, would make a perfect addition to the collection we have already amassed. And, in fact, it would probably speed up the Great One's resurrection process. The more powerful a soul is that we capture, the faster the Great One is revived and the more power the Great One gains."

"You raise a good point," said Odachi thoughtfully. "So, do you want to go and oversee the capture of these two souls?"

"With your permission, Master," and Bernard bowed from the waist.

"Permission granted. Now, go." Odachi waved his arm, dismissing them. Jan and Bernard nodded, and then went off on their way again.

----------

A HOUSE IN THE MIDDLE OF CAIRO

Where was Mariska Ishtar during this time? Well, at this very moment she was at her tutor's house, where Odion had dropped her off earlier that morning.

"C-O-M-P-U-T-E-R…computer!"

"Good, very good!"

They were seated in the middle of the living room, where Mariska sat at her tutor's feet with a spelling book on her lap. "I-N-C-R-E-D-I-B-L-E…incredible!"

"Good!" said the tutor.

Mariska suddenly paused, and glanced outside the window. _Papa…yellow-haired friend…_ she thought to herself. _I hope you're okay…_

----------

CAIRO, LATER THAT EVENING

Shigeo and Miki continued to walk along, keeping a wary eye out. "Do you still feel that stalker's presence, Shigeo?" Miki asked.

"Yes, but now it's rather faint," replied the ninja boy. "It's as if this person decided to edge off by a few yards or so."

Miki looked up at the sky. "It's getting late," she remarked. "Should we head back?"

"Let's do that, yes," agreed Shigeo. "I'd like to take a rest for the day."

They began to head back through the streets of the city, passing by the various shops and parked vehicles…and then Shigeo stopped. "Miki…"

Miki halted. "Huh?"

Shigeo gulped. "Miki…I sense something…something dark and sinister…" he whispered. "And…it's as if…if I make even the slightest movement, it'll stab me through the chest…!"

Miki saw the frightened look in Shigeo's eyes, and began to feel quite afraid herself. _I can't quite sense anything the way he does, but…just seeing his face like this…it's enough to make me feel scared!_

"You have every right to feel afraid."

Startled, Shigeo, turned around – and suddenly two figures dashed right past him, one of them grabbing a shocked Miki – and then both jumped to the nearby rooftops and disappeared!

"Shigeo, help me!" Miki shrieked.

The ninja sprang to action. Jumping to window ledges and using them to boost himself, he launched himself toward the edge of the nearest rooftop, jumping from ledge to ledge; then he grabbed the edge of the roof and pulled himself up. "Come back here, cowards!" he shouted.

But when he righted himself…way over on the other side of the roof was a man in an orange robe, with a golden pair of scales in one hand and a Duel-Disk on his arm. "Shigeo Tatsunoko…I've been waiting for you…"

----------

The mysterious figure that had grabbed Miki held her tightly under his arm for what seemed like an eternity; then presently he let her go, and she rolled along the ground. "Ouch!" she winced as she rolled along roughly.

Presently she picked herself up, then swiftly turned to face her assailant: a man in a brown robe with a hood over his face. "Who the heck are you? Show yourself!" she snapped angrily.

The man chuckled…and lifted the hood back. When Miki saw his face, all the anger drained away from her face—replaced by fear. "It's you…Jan!" she whispered in a weak voice.

Jan nodded. "Yep, it's me," he acknowledged.

"You came…to take my soul…" Miki gulped. "Haven't you tortured us enough, you monster? Why can't you just leave us alone? What did any of us ever do to you?"

Jan looked at her for a very long moment. Then he sighed. "Miki…you are merely a victim of circumstance," he said quietly. "Just as all of us are. Fate decided our roles in this life…and nothing you or I can do will change that. Under other circumstances, we may have been friends, but, as it stands…"

"You're talking crap, just like last time I saw you! And you're not taking my soul without a fight!" Miki exploded, revealing her Duel-Disk. "Now, come on, you little prick! I'll get you back for attacking me in my own house!"

Jan shrugged. "So be it." And he revealed his own Duel-Disk.

----------

"You…know me?" Shigeo asked, stunned. "Who are you?"

The orange-robed figure chuckled. "My name is Bernard Stone," he introduced himself. "And I am one of the seven highest-ranking members of JUDAS. Now, I challenge you to a Shadow Game…with my Millennium Scale determining whose fate will be to live and whose will be to die!"

Suddenly the Millennium Scale flashed a bright golden glow—then, to Shigeo's horror, the sky turned black and dark shadows began to roll in! "No…this is…" he whispered.

"The Shadow Realm—where our game will begin," said Bernard calmly. "And now…observe."

Suddenly he tossed the Millennium Scale into the air—and the thing seemed to vanish! But just before Shigeo could comment, to his utter astonishment he found himself and Bernard standing in the balancing cups of the scale, the item itself having somehow grown to massive proportions!

"See? You are in one of the Millennium Scale's cups, and I am in the other," announced Bernard. "And below us…" He indicated the very bottom of the Scale's stand, where a pool of fire and magma bubbled and hissed below them!

"Shit…this heat is intense!" Shigeo grunted.

"Now, this is the rule for this Shadow Game," went on Bernard. "Each time one of us loses life points, that person's balancing cup will be lowered closer and closer to the fire…until, when a player's life points reach 0, the cup will tip over and…well, you can figure out the rest."

Shigeo shook his head. "This totally blows!"

Bernard shrugged as he activated his Duel-Disk. "It's called 'life.' Nothing is every truly fair," he said to his opponent. "Now, shall we begin? But before that…"

To Shigeo's amazement, Bernard suddenly put his hands together in front of him and bowed slightly. "I believe, in Japan, this is how warriors show respect to each other before the beginning of a battle. So, at least, not everyone in JUDAS is completely without a sense of honor," said the older man.

Somewhat uncertainly, Shigeo bowed back in similar fashion. "For a man who happens to be a high-ranking member of JUDAS, you sure seem to know something of honor," he remarked.

Bernard nodded. "Now, enough chat! Let's duel!"

----------

The holographic coin was flipped, and… "Tails!" Miki called out.

And, indeed, the coin result was tails. "Good! So I'll go first!" Miki exulted as she drew her first five cards.

Jan shook his head. "I find it fair to warn you, I will not hold back on any of my power just for your sake," he said gently.

"What a fine time to warn me—you didn't seem to have a problem bursting into my front door uninvited, did you?" Miki asked, somewhat bitterly. "Now, enough of this! I summon Marauding Captain (ATK 1200, DEF 400) to the field!"

Her familiar warrior soon appeared. "When he's Normal Summoned successfully, I can Special Summon one Level 4 or lower monster from my hand. And I Special Summon my Familiar Knight (ATK 1200, DEF 1400) in Defense Mode!" Miki then summoned her knight, bearing his shield in a defensive stance.

"Next…" Miki chose another card. "I activate the magic card, Tribute Doll! This will allow me to offer one monster on my side of the field as a tribute to Special Summon a Level 7 monster from my hand. And so, I'll offer Marauding Captain to activate Tribute Doll's effect…and Special Summon my mighty Orgoth the Relentless (ATK 2500, DEF 2450)!"

Orgoth appeared moments later, his mighty sword at the ready. "Then," went on Miki, fiddling the last two cards in her hand, "I'll set two cards facedown, and end my turn."

"A good way to start out, I'll grant you that," said Jan thoughtfully. "However, it is also a way that wastes cards out of your hand. Allow me to show you how I handle cards!"

He drew a card. "I summon Warrior of Zera (ATK 1600, DEF 1600) to the field!" And a moment later he summoned his warrior.

Miki started. "Wait…I've seen that monster before…"

"I suppose you would have – it's the same monster Kyo uses to summon his greatest fairy, Archlord Zerato," said Jan. "But in my hands, his potential is very, very different! Watch!"

He looked at the five cards left in his hand. "Now, I activate the field magic of Pandemonium!" And he held up one of the cards high, playing it on his Duel-Disk.

To Miki's horror, lightning began to flash all around the playing field and the sky grew dark. "And now, with Pandemonium activated, I can Special Summon the Warrior of Zera's fiendish self to the field!" said Jan, playing another card. "I tribute him to summon my Mazera DeVille (ATK 2800, DEF 2300)!"

Suddenly the Warrior of Zera began to transform – into his fiendish side! "Since you have no cards in your hand, I can't use Mazera DeVille's effect of forcing you to discard three cards from your hand when he's Special Summoned," sighed Jan. "But still – it won't matter once I've defeated you!"

"Just try to," Miki scowled darkly.

But Jan merely shook his head. "Actually, I know better than that. I haven't forgotten about your facedown cards – very likely they're something that'll prove not to my benefit. So…I'll just set one card facedown, and end my turn."

Miki frowned as she drew her card, realizing what she was up against. Jan now had a stronger monster on the field than she did; she needed to get herself in gear, fast. "All right…I'll equip Orgoth with this magic card, Divine Sword – Phoenix Blade, to increase his ATK by 300 points!"

Orgoth found himself holding a shining sword as his ATK went up to 2800, enough to rival Mazera DeVille. Jan raised an eyebrow at this. "Impressive maneuver," he admitted. "But still…it won't work against me!"

"And why not?" asked Miki severely.

"End your turn, and I'll show you," Jan invited.

Miki frowned. Something about Jan's tone just now…unnerved her. "All right, then. I end my turn. What are you up to?"

As Jan drew his card, he suddenly grinned. "Watch this! I activate the trap card, Rising Energy! By discarding one card from my hand, I can increase the ATK of one face-up monster on the field by 1500 points till the end of this turn…and I'm gonna increase Mazera DeVille's ATK right now!"

As Miki looked on in shock, suddenly Mazera DeVille's bulky muscles gew even more than before; and his ATK went up to 4300; but evidently Jan still wasn't done. "Next, I'll activate the magic card, Giant Trunade, to return every Magic and Trap card on the field to their respective owners' hands!"

Miki looked up in alarm. "No!"

But there was nothing she could do as, quite suddenly, a massive hurricane blew all the magic and trap cards back into their hands, so each had three in hand once again. Jan then chuckled. "Oh, this is going to be even easier than I first thought…"

"What're you saying?" asked a bewildered Miki.

"You'll see!" Jan then played a card from his hand. "Now, I activate the magic card Raigeki, to destroy your monsters!"

Bolts of lightning shot down from heaven, frying Orgoth and the Familiar Knight; Miki winced as she watched them die. "You…monster…" she whispered.

"And now…" Jan played another card. "I activate the magic card, Exchange! We will now select one card from each other's hands and—ahem—exchange them, and then we can use the cards we select as our own at any time. But not to worry—when the cards we've chosen go to the Graveyard, they go to the Graveyard of the original owner. Now…choose! Not that you have a choice, anyway…" He laughed and held up his own single card for Miki to see—the field magic card, Pandemonium.

Flinching, Miki held up her own three cards: Divine Sword Phoenix Blade, the magic card Pot of Greed, and the trap card Sakuretsu Armor. Jan walked up to her and took the Pot of Greed from her, forcefully giving her the Pandemonium card in exchange; then he walked back to his side of the field.

"And now…let's see how well your Pot of Greed card will serve me!" Jan chuckled as he activated the card, giving him two new cards from his deck. "Oh, would you look at that – I'll definitely win this one now!"

_This isn't good!_ Miki's thoughts raced.

"First, I'll use my Monster Reborn magic card to revive your Orgoth the Relentless to the field!" And—much to Miki's shock—Orgoth came back to life on Jan's side of the field, wielding his sword and ready to battle!

But in the next instant Jan shook his head. "Don't worry…I won't use your favorite monster to defeat you. I'm not that mean." He then held up the last card in his hand. "For I've got other things in mind…like tributing Orgoth to summon my own beast: Great Maju Garzett (ATK ? DEF 0)!"

Orgoth disappeared from the field…and then in its place stood Jan's grisly-looking fiend. "Great Maju Garzett increases its ATK by double the original ATK of the monster I used as a tribute when I summon him," said Jan—and then his monster's ATK shot to 5000, double Orgoth's original 2500! "Now, I have more than enough power to beat you down!"

Miki's eyes widened and she took a step back. "…no…!"

"Great Maju Garzett, Mazera DeVille, attack her and finish it!" Jan shouted. And both monsters charged Miki, hitting her with such violence that she was flung to the ground and her life points sharply dropped all the way to 0.

Miki huddled on the ground, in pain and fright. "Damn…I lost…I lost to you…"

Jan walked over to her, throwing her Pot of Greed Card down at her and retrieving his own Pandemonium card where she'd dropped it. Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out an orb. "Sorry, kid," he said quietly. "Just doing what I must. It's got nothing to do with personal hate."

Then the orb glowed brightly…

…but suddenly a massive blast of energy exploded three feet away from Jan! He jumped back, very much astonished. "What in the heck?"

"You goddamn thief…you'd better run away now, before I tell my monster to burn you to a crisp," a sharp British voice said coldly, even as the speaker's monster growled menacingly.

Hearing the voice, Miki's eyes widened. "Can it be…?" Then she got enough courage and strength to sit up and look in the direction of the voice. "It's you!"

"Aye, love, it's us," a female voice announced.

Miki could hardly believe her eyes. Standing on a rooftop just above them, further up, was a massive lion beast, its top half covered with brown fur and a golden mane and its bottom half consisting of four legs covered in white fur – Theinen the Great Sphinx. Riding on top of its head were four familiar figures – David and Luke Jericho, and in front of them, Miriam and Malachi Jordan!

----------

**_neomage:_** ALL RIGHT! Finally, I've gotten a chance to bring Malachi and his posse back into the story! But what are they doing here in Cairo—and will their presence tip the scales in our heroes' favor? Find out next chapter!


	102. Chapter 102

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Not mine. Never was mine. Never has been mine. Never will be mine.)

**CHAPTER 102**

CAIRO

As Theinen the Great Sphinx glowered at Jan, the latter scowled. "Who the friggin' hell are you?" he demanded of the monster's bearers.

Malachi shook his head. "There's no need for us to tell our names to a dog," he replied coolly. "And I won't say it again. Beat it, or else you die."

The two glared at each other for a long moment. Then Jan yielded. "Well, whatever. She wasn't my true target anyway."

"True target?" Malachi raised an eyebrow.

Then Jan slipped off his brown robe, revealing his maroon trench-coat and black boots underneath. "Miki…as you've been fortunate enough to keep your soul a while longer, give this message to Kyo for me when you see him," he said calmly. "The message is this: 'Search for the sanctuary in Cairo with the biggest steeple. He will be waiting for you there.' That's all." And with that, he turned and dashed away across the rooftops.

"Um…okay…" Miki gulped.

"Oy, girly, you bruised or anything?" Luke's voice came down to her.

"Uh, no, I'm all right—I think," Miki replied.

"That's good," Miriam answered. Then the four jumped off Theinen's head and landed on their rooftop, jumping down again to be next to Miki even as Malachi deactivated his Duel-Disk and the hologram disappeared.

David looked around, his Duel-Disk at the ready. "Any more of those buggers around? I'm ready to fight anytime!" he declared.

Miki frowned—and then it hit her. "Oh, my God—there's still another one! He shouldn't be too far from here…and he and Shigeo might be fighting right now!"

"The ninja-boy, huh?" said David. "Well, we'll soon find him! You with me, Luke?"

"Anytime you're ready, brother!" Luke agreed. The two of them then dashed off in another direction. "Don't worry, guys—we'll be right back here!"

Miriam helped Miki up from where she'd still been on the ground. "Looks like you've gotten yourself into some deep trouble today, haven't you?" she asked kindly.

"It's been nothing but trouble since we got here to Cairo," Miki admitted.

Malachi looked at his sister. "David and Luke may need some assistance, sis. Go give it to them—we'll wait right here for you to return."

Miriam nodded. "Understood, brother." She then turned and ran off in the direction David and Luke had dashed off in.

Miki watched as Miriam made her exit; then she looked up rather timidly at Malachi, wondering if she should ask the question that was on her mind. He noticed her look. "Knight-user… 'Why are you here?' That's the question you want to ask, correct?"

The girl looked startled. "Uh, y-yes," she admitted.

Malachi closed his eyes. "Because, quite simply…I have a rather big debt to pay back to that guy…Yugo Muto."

----------

THE SHADOW REALM

Meanwhile, back at the duel between Shigeo and Bernard, the holographic coin was flipped. "Heads!" Bernard called.

Then the coin landed—and indeed it was heads. "I shall go first then," said Bernard, and both players drew their first five cards.

Presently Bernard drew his sixth, and looked at it for the longest moment. "To begin," he said calmly, "I'll set five cards facedown, and summon Makyura the Destructor (ATK 1600, DEF 1200) to the field in Attack Mode!" And he summoned a strange-looking warrior monster with sharp claws protruding from its hands. "And I end my turn."

Shigeo stared at the five facedown cards on Bernard's side of the field. _What is this…five cards facedown in his magic/trap slot? Is this some kind of joke?_

Aloud he declared as he drew his next card, "All right! I'll set one monster facedown, set another card facedown, and end my turn!"

Bernard chuckled. "Naïve, naïve, naïve," he reprimanded the ninja. "You call yourself a ninja duelist, yet you begin with such a weak play?"

"What are you talking about? You've only got one monster, too!" argued Shigeo.

"And yet…that's about to change!" Bernard swiftly drew his next card. "Now, observe this! First, I'll activate the trap card, Royal Command! This will negate the activation and effects of all Flip Effect monsters as long as it stays on the field!"

Shigeo's eyes widened at this information. "What!"

"Next, I'll activate my second trap, Embodiment of Apophis!" Another of Bernard's cards flipped face-up, revealing a snake-like beast wielding a sword and shield – and to Shigeo's amazement, it occupied one of the monster slots!

"How is this possible? Explain yourself!" Shigeo demanded.

"Be glad to," said Bernard. "This is one of those cards called trap monsters; after activation as a Trap card, it becomes a monster. In the case of Embodiment of Apophis, it becomes a Reptile-type, Earth attribute, Level 4 monster with an ATK of 1600 and a DEF of 1800; and when I activate it, I can Special Summon it in Attack or Defense Mode – and right now, he's gonna be in Attack Mode!"

Shigeo growled softly.

"Next…my third trap card: Dead Dragon – Zoma!" Bernard activated yet another trap. Then, from this one sprouted a skeletal dragon!

"Let me guess: Another trap monster?" wondered Shigeo.

"Correct! And this one becomes a Zombie-type, Dark attribute, Level 4 monster with ATK 1800, and DEF 500 – only, when he's Special Summoned, it's always in Defense Mode…I can't do anything about that," Bernard shrugged. "Oh, well. Doesn't mean anything to me."

"Okay…activating anything more?" Shigeo wanted to know.

"Not right now! Now, I'll attack!" announced Bernard. "Embodiment of Apophis, strike his facedown monster now!"

Bernard's reptilian monster slid forward and sliced Shigeo's facedown monster – revealed to be the White Ninja (ATK 1500, DEF 800) – but the ninja's flip effect didn't activate because of the Royal Command trap. Then, Makyura the Destructor prepared to strike!

"Not so fast!" Shigeo snapped, even as the monster charged at him. "I activate the trap card, Draining Shield, to negate your monster's ATK and increase my life points by an amount equal to his ATK!"

But as the force field began to appear around Shigeo, Bernard shouted back, "And I'll counter that with my own trap card, Seven Tools of the Bandit, to negate and destroy your trap card's activation at a cost of 1000 of my life points!"

Suddenly, as Bernard's life points went down to 7000, one of his two remaining facedown cards flipped face-up, revealing the seven-tooled jackknife! As the knife flipped over to Shigeo's side of the field and sliced his force field in two, Makyura made it through and stabbed Shigeo through the stomach with its claws!

"Oh…God…" Shigeo coughed blood and held his middle as his life points went down to 6400…and in the process, his balancing cup tipped lower than Bernard's! "Damn it…this is bad…"

"You see? I am the master of traps, boy…nobody has ever escaped from my labyrinth of traps such as these!" declared Bernard. "Of course, you're welcome to try…surprise me, if you can!"

Shigeo slowly straightened himself, wiping an arm across his brow as he felt the heat of the lava below his balancing cup. "I…I'm not sure I understand you, mister," he confessed. "You are, apparently, a duelist of honor…you haven't used any truly underhanded tactics or cheated in this duel up to right now…and even now, as I look at you, I don't get the impression that you're an evil person…yet, why are you with such a wicked organization as JUDAS? If you are truly the kind of person you say you are, why join up with a bunch of criminals?"

Bernard looked at his younger opponent for a very long moment. Then he smirked. "If you can get my balancing cup lower than yours…then I will answer your question. So, for now, I end my turn."

Shigeo's life points stood at 6400, while Bernard's were at 7000. Shigeo held four cards in his hand; Bernard held one. On the field Shigeo had no cards whatsoever; Bernard had his Makyura the Destructor in Attack Mode, his active Royal Command trap card, and his Embodiment of Apophis and Dead Dragon – Zoma trap monsters in Attack and Defense Mode respectively, plus he still had one card facedown.

Drawing his next card, Shigeo carefully considered his options. _There's no telling what his remaining facedown card could be…seeing his strategy, it's obvious by now that it's a trap card, but still, I don't know what kind it is. So, I have to play this as delicately as possible without further damage to myself or else…_ And here he shot a fearful look down at the magma below his balancing cup.

"All right! I summon Lady Ninja Yae (ATK 1100, DEF 200) to the field!" Shigeo summoned his female ninja warrior, wielding her short sword and ready to battle.

Bernard shook his head. "You have fallen into yet another trap! I activate Trap Hole, to destroy your monster!"

Suddenly a massive hole opened in the ground, and Shigeo watched in consternation as Lady Ninja Yae disappeared into it. "Shit!" he groaned.

"Anything else?" asked Bernard.

Shigeo considered his hand. "I'll…I'll set one card facedown, and end my turn."

Bernard drew his next card and seemed pleased at what it was. "Now then, I'll set this card facedown, shift my Dead Dragon – Zoma into Attack Mode, and ready myself to attack! Makyura, do it now!"

"NO!" Shigeo snapped. "I activate my trap card, Sakuretsu Armor, to destroy your attacking monster!"

The next thing Makyura knew, he was fastened tightly in a suit of armor that squeezed him to a crushed pile of bones. But Bernard only smiled. "You've done it! You've activated Makyura's effect! During the turn he's sent to the Graveyard, I can activate Trap cards directly from my hand!"

Shigeo reared up in alarm. "You're kidding!"

"No, I'm not! And to prove my point, I'll activate the last trap card left in my hand directly to the field – Call of the Haunted, to revive Makyura in Attack Mode!" And then Bernard played the trap card directly from his hand in the last available magic/trap slot; a moment later Makyura returned from among the tombstones, ready to fight again. "Now, my monsters! Make mincemeat out of him!"

Makyura dashed forward and sliced Shigeo's chest with his claws, reducing the ninja to 4800. Then, Embodiment of Apophis slithered forward and stabbed Shigeo with its sword, reducing him further to 3200. Finally, Dead Dragon – Zoma flew forward and rammed Shigeo hard in the chest, reducing him all the way to 1400. And with every hit Shigeo got, his balancing cup got dangerously closer and closer to the lava and magma, even as Bernard's cup went higher and higher!

"Damn it all…" Shigeo rasped, clutching his wounds. "This looks like it…"

"No, it isn't," Bernard's voice reached him. "It's not over till one of us runs out of life points. As far as I can see, you still have life points. So, I'd recommend you fight me if you want to live!"

Shigeo narrowed his eyes. _This guy…_ He slowly stood up. "All right…I'll fight…even if this is the last move I'll be making for this duel!"

He drew his next card, giving him four in all. "First, I'll activate Pot of Greed, to draw two more cards!" And he drew another two cards, so by this time he had five in his hand. Looking at the two new cards, his eyes widened in considerable astonishment.

Bernard looked at him. "Hmmm?"

"To start off…" Shigeo held up one of the cards he'd just drawn. "I'll summon another Lady Ninja Yae to the field!" And a moment later, a second Lady Ninja Yae appeared on his side of the field.

Then Shigeo held up another card in his hand. "Next, I'll activate Lady Ninja Yae's effect! By discarding one Wind monster from my hand, I can have her return every Magic and Trap card on your side of the field to your hand!"

Bernard's face took on a look of major surprise. "What did you say?!"

Lady Ninja Yae, sheathing her sword, began to move her hands and fingers close to each other as she performed some mysterious hand seals. "Now, Lady Ninja Yae! Use your Dispel Jutsu!" Shigeo commanded – and as the ninja woman suddenly thrust one open palm forward, all of Bernard's trap cards went back to his hand, including his trap monsters…and Makyura was destroyed and returned to the Graveyard, since Call of the Haunted was no longer on the field!

"I see…so that's the weakness of your trap monsters," said Shigeo. "Even if they are in monster form, they can still be affected or destroyed by card effects that target magic or trap cards."

"Congratulations on figuring that out, but now what can _you_ do? Even your Lady Ninja Yae won't be powerful enough to bring my life points lower than yours!" barked Bernard.

"No…but this next trick of mine will do the job justice!" Shigeo held up the three cards left in his hand. "Now, I activate the magic of Monster Reborn, to revive the monster I discarded for Lady Ninja Yae's effect – Ultimate Insect Lv. 7 (ATK 2600, DEF 1200)!"

Suddenly there was a loud, horrible buzzing as a massive cross between a moth and a beetle, wings spread out in flight, hovered over the field. "Next…" Shigeo held up the next card in his hand. "I'll equip my Lady Ninja Yae with this magic card – Fuhma Shuriken, to increase her ATK by 700 points!"

Lady Ninja Yae soon found herself holding some massive throwing stars as her ATK shot up to 1800, but still Shigeo wasn't done. "And then…I'll set this last card facedown," he went on, placing his last card in the magic/trap slot. "Now, my monsters, attack directly!"

Lady Ninja Yae took one of her shuriken, and at lightning speed she threw it at Bernard. The shuriken hit him on the arm, reducing his life points to 5200. Then, quite suddenly, the Ultimate Insect fired a blast of disgusting goo from its mouth at Bernard, whose life points got further reduced to 2600 by this action.

Bernard chuckled. "Very nice," he admitted. "But unfortunately you haven't done much to lower my balancing cup – it's still higher than yours!"

Shigeo bit his lip – it was true; though Bernard's cup had come down somewhat, it was still quite higher than his own. "This stings," he muttered.

Suddenly, to his great surprise, the Millennium Scale began to glow…and Bernard's features began to change. His blond hair, neatly cut, inexplicably began to grow out longer than ever, till it went past his shoulders, and the hair on his brow grew till it partially covered one eye. His face, in the meantime, took on a more feral expression, and his canine teeth became far more pronounced!

"Hmph…surprised at my change in appearance?" inquired Bernard. His voice was more rasping now, when previously it had been smooth and gentlemanly. "It couldn't be helped…since you've managed to bring my life points below 4000, I'm forced to invoke the Millennium Scale's power. Now, I will hold nothing back AT ALL!"

Then Bernard drew another card. "Now, here's what I'll do," he declared, holding up five of the six cards now in his hand. "I'll set five of these facedown, and end my turn." He grinned. "Can you risk it? Can you risk doing anything now?"

Now Shigeo was in trouble. He knew that four of Bernard's cards were Call of the Haunted, Embodiment of Apophis, Dead Dragon – Zoma and Royal Command; but he still had two cards which the ninja boy had no idea what they were. And if those two happened to be among those now facedown…

----------

"Oy, David, ya cocky bastard! Wait up!"

David looked back and stuck out his tongue at his brother. "You're jus' too slow, Luke! Later!" And he dashed off again.

"Damn imbecile…he always gets into trouble this way…" Luke muttered between clenched teeth.

Presently his sense of awareness alerted him to the fact that someone was behind him. He turned his head slightly and was surprised. "Miriam? Why're you here?"

"Malachi's orders…said I should follow after you guys, he did," Miriam panted as she caught up to Luke. "You guys are such pests…making a girl like me run in my heels!" And she cast a glance down at her high-heeled boots.

"Blame David the Moron – he won't slow for anybody to catch him," Luke grunted disdainfully.

The pair jumped down onto a lower rooftop – and saw David standing only five feet away. "About time we caught up to you, ass-wipe," Luke growled as he walked up to his brother.

Then he noticed that David was pale. "Oy…somethin' wrong, bro?"

David gulped; his eyes were as wide as saucers; it was easy to see the fright in his face. "Guys…look over there…" and he pointed to his left, towards a nearby rooftop.

Puzzled, Miriam and Luke looked, too—and all the color drained away from their faces. "Oh, my freakin' God…" Miriam's voice quavered.

"It's…just like all those times…" Luke swallowed with immense difficulty.

On that rooftop was a billowing black fog…with a sinister energy emanating from it. "Shit…could it be…him?" David whispered.

"If it is, may God help that ninja kid…" said Miriam.

----------

**_neomage:_** One of the cards used by Bernard Stone in this chapter, Dead Dragon – Zoma, is a trap monster currently being used in Japan, but there's no telling when it'll be released in English. It's one of the cards that I'm using in this fanfic that haven't actually been translated to English yet (some of the others being Magician's Valkyrie and several Toon-related cards…but they'll get around to them soon, I hope!). And…notice that Bernard seems to have suddenly gained a Yami-like personality from his Millennium Scale?

Well, that's all for now. Please, everyone, keep reading and reviewing!!!

UPDATED 15/12/2005: Made a correction with regard to Shigeo's life points. Wouldn't have matched up with his life points in the next chapter otherwise.


	103. Chapter 103

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Doesn't belong to me.)

**CHAPTER 103**

THE SHADOW REALM

Shigeo's life points stood at a low 1400…he held no cards in his hand…on his side of the field he had Lady Ninja Yae equipped with the Fuhma Shuriken, and the Ultimate Insect Lv. 7, both in Attack Mode, and he also had one card facedown. On the other hand, Bernard had 2600 life points left…he had one card in his hand…and on the field he had five cards facedown in his magic/trap slot. As far as the Shadow Game stats were concerned: both were still standing in the balancing cups of a giant-sized Millennium Scale, with hot fire and magma below them; Shigeo's cup was only slightly lower than Bernard's.

Ever so carefully, Shigeo glanced down at the hot magma bubbling below him, and flinched. _Can't think about that right now…gotta concentrate on the duel…_ Then he looked at Bernard's side of the field, and sighed. He almost definitely knew what those facedown cards were, of course, but he couldn't know for certain, especially since in all Bernard presently had on his side, both on the field and in his hand, two cards that Shigeo definitely hadn't seen activated yet.

_This guy…he definitely knows how to make good use of his trap cards. I've managed to get them all off the field at once, but…now what?_

"Hey, boy. That magma isn't gonna get any cooler by just you waiting around, you know," Bernard's voice reached him impatiently. "It's your turn, you know. Draw your card."

"All right, already. Don't rush me," Shigeo muttered as he drew his next card.

He studied the card he'd just drawn for a very long moment. Then he made his decision. "I'll set this monster in Defense Mode, and end my turn."

"Oh? Afraid of my traps now, are you?" Bernard mocked him. "Well, you're about to develop a lot more fear!"

He drew his next card, giving him two in all – and suddenly pointed a finger at his side of the field. "Now, I'll activate a couple of my traps once again! Royal Command, Embodiment of Apophis, Dead Dragon – Zoma and Call of the Haunted – activate!"

In a moment the four traps were flipped face-up: Call of the Haunted revived Makyura the Destructor to the field from the Graveyard once again; Embodiment of Apophis reappeared as a trap monster in Attack Mode, and Dead Dragon – Zoma reappeared as a trap monster in Defense Mode; and Royal Command was flipped face-up, too. Bernard smirked. "You're familiar with these traps already, right? Well, I'm still not revealing my last remaining card – it's fun to leave the opposition guessing, wouldn't you agree?"

"Damn it…!" Shigeo swore.

"My, my…has the little ninja lost his cool already?" Bernard wondered out loud. "Funny…oh, well. I guess things can't always go as we plan them after all. Well, I'll just end my turn now."

Shigeo drew another card and again considered what he should do. "Okaaaaay…I will end my turn."

Now Bernard frowned. _Hmmm…looks like he's not taking any of the bait – he could easily try to get at my life points by attacking one of my monsters that are in Attack Mode, but… _He threw a quick look at his facedown card on the field and decided on what he must do.

He drew his next card. "All right…I'll shift all of my monsters into Defense Mode…and then I'll activate my trap card, Minor Goblin Official!"

Bernard's last remaining trap card suddenly appeared on the field. "Allow me to explain this card," he said calmly. "I could only activate it when your life points were 3000 or less. Now, during each of your Standby Phases, this card will lower your life points by 500…until you drop into the magma below us!"

Shigeo sucked in air between his teeth. "This is very bad…"

"And now, I end my turn!" Bernard chuckled. "Only question now is, what will you do?"

Shigeo drew another card, and Minor Goblin Official sucked his life points to 900…but now he was smiling. "Bernard…why haven't you attacked me yet?"

Bernard stared at him. "What?"

"Can it be that you, the master of all traps, are actually afraid of MY trap card?" Shigeo gestured to his facedown card in the magic/trap slot that hadn't yet been flipped. "Or why else would you hesitate to come at me?"

Bernard growled. "I am a member of JUDAS! I fear nothing!"

"We'll soon see, won't we?" said Shigeo matter-of-factly. "Now, then. I activate the magic of Mystical Space Typhoon, to destroy your Call of the Haunted!"

A gust of wind destroyed the Call of the Haunted, and Makyura along with it. But Bernard only smiled. "Have you forgotten? When Makyura the Destructor is sent to the Graveyard, during that turn I can activate Trap cards from my hand!"

"No…I haven't forgotten at all," said Shigeo. He then held up the last card in his hand. "Now…I'll tribute Lady Ninja Yae, Ultimate Insect Lv. 7, and my facedown monster to summon my mighty Gilford the Lightning (ATK 2800, DEF 1400)!"

Suddenly a massive blast of lightning shot down from the dark skies above and consumed Shigeo's three monsters, as well as Lady Ninja Yae's Fuhma Shuriken—and in their place stood the legendary warrior, sword at the ready. As Bernard stared in shock, suddenly he felt a stab of pain as, from out of nowhere, shuriken shot up out of the ground and hit him, reducing him to 1900 life points! "WHAT!"

"Oh, I almost forgot to tell you," said Shigeo. "When Fuhma Shuriken is sent from the field to the Graveyard, I get to inflict 700 points of damage to your life points. And now, to resolve Gilford's effect…When I offer three monsters to summon him, his effect destroys every monster on your side of the field!"

Bernard's eyes widened. "HUH?"

Gilford unsheathed his sword, and lightning crackled from its tip. That lightning hurtled over to Bernard's side of the field, obliterating Embodiment of Apophis and Dead Dragon – Zoma completely! "Impossible! How can you have such a mighty warrior in your deck?" Bernard bellowed.

Shigeo smirked. "Don't seem so confident now, do you?" he quipped. "I wonder why?"

Bernard cast a quick glance at the three cards in his hand. "You're not going to get to my life points just like that! Since Makyura's effect when he went to the Graveyard allows me to activate traps from my hand during this turn, I'll activate this one – Hallowed Life Barrier! By discarding one card from my hand, I can reduce any damage I get from you this turn to zero!"

"Cripes!" Shigeo growled.

"Frustrating you, am I?" asked Bernard, as Hallowed Life Barrier formed a force field around him. "Well, it won't matter in the next couple of turns, anyway. You'll be done."

Shigeo glared at him. "All right…I end my turn, then."

Now Shigeo's life points were at 900, he had no more cards in his hand, and on the field he had Gilford the Lightning and one facedown card in his magic/trap slot. Bernard, by contrast, had 1900 life points, one card in his hand, and on the field he had his Royal Command and Minor Goblin Official trap cards active.

Bernard drew another card. "Ah—good! Now, this is just what I need!" he exclaimed. "I'll set these two cards facedown, and end my turn!"

Shigeo drew another card—and winced in pain as Minor Goblin Official drained him of 500 life points, leaving him with only 400…and the heat of the magma below his balancing scale cup wasn't making the situation any better. _This is the last turn I have…if I can't do something this turn, after I draw on my next turn I'm dead!_

Then he glanced at the card he'd just drawn. "Hmmm…"

Bernard looked at him. "Well?"

Shigeo nodded. "I know what I'll do now. I summon this monster, Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke (ATK 1800, DEF 1000)!"

Moments later a colorful ninja wielding two kunai appeared beside Gilford the Lightning. But suddenly Bernard cried, "No way! I activate my trap card, Metal Reflect Slime!"

Suddenly a metallic-looking ball of slime appeared on Bernard's side of the field. "Yes, this is another trap monster," he announced. "This one, after activation, becomes a Water attribute, Aqua-type, Level 10 monster with ATK 0 and DEF 3000, and is Special Summoned in Defense Mode. While a monster, it cannot attack…but that won't matter, because why would I attack with it anyway, when it's got such a high DEF that not even your Gilford the Lightning can penetrate it?" He smiled. "Now, all I have to do is wait out my next turn, and then my Minor Goblin Official trap will put an end to this duel!"

But suddenly, to Bernard's amazement, Shigeo started laughing. "What's so funny, may I ask?" Bernard demanded incredulously.

"I'm sorry…" Shigeo rubbed the back of his head. "It's just – the one losing now won't be me!"

"And you figure that, how?" said a bewildered Bernard.

"Take a good look at my Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke," said Shigeo, pointing to his newly-summoned ninja. "When he attacks a face-up Defense Mode monster, that monster is automatically destroyed without any damage calculation being applied!"

Bernard's jaw dropped. "No! Impossible!"

"Go, my Grandmaster! Steel Lightning Jutsu!" Shigeo commanded. And, in response, Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke leaped forward, kunai at the ready, and slashed the Metal Reflect Slime once. But when the ninja landed and sheathed his weapons, to Bernard's amazement the trap monster split into twenty different pieces before disintegrating!

"And now…it ends!" declared Shigeo. "Gilford the Lightning…use your Lightning Strike!"

"Sorry, but I always have insurance in situations like this!" shouted Bernard. "I activate my last trap card, Blast Held by a Tribute! When you attack with a monster that was Tribute Summoned or Set, this card destroys every Attack Mode monster on your side and inflicts 1000 points of damage to you! You'll be wiped out!"

"Not if I can help it!" Shigeo shot back. "I activate my own trap card, Solemn Judgment! By paying half of my life points, when you either activate a Magic or Trap card or summon a monster, I can negate the action and destroy the cards involved! And right now, I'll stop your Blast Held by a Tribute card from activating!"

"NO!" Bernard yelled.

As Shigeo's life points went down to 200 for Solemn Judgment's effect, Bernard's Blast Held by a Tribute trap card was swiftly negated. At the same time, Gilford swung his sword, creating a massive lightning blade that hit Bernard—HARD—and thus brought his life points down to 0.

Bernard coughed blood as he struggled to get up, and as his balancing cup lowered and Shigeo's rose up out of harm's way…but on his lips was a smile. "Yes…you have done well, young one," he acknowledged. "Truly, you are worthy of your title of 'Ninja Duelist.'"

Shigeo nodded gravely. "You fought well, yourself," he said quietly. "Now, you must keep your end of the bargain. The question I asked you before…answer it now, while you still have time."

Bernard hung his head. "Very well. I will tell you everything."

Shigeo waited.

"Fifteen years ago," said Bernard, even as blood continued to leak from his mouth. "Fifteen years ago…I was once a police officer. Just an average cop, I was, working the streets on a daily basis. The pay was only above average, and my job often put me into some rather thankless situations, but for the most part, I was content…knowing that at least I was doing my part to make society a better place for everyone to live.

"Then…one day, my partner and I were called into the chief's office. We'd been trying to pin down a certain drug kingpin for months, but we knew next to nothing about the guy's activities—hell, we didn't even know who he was. But Chief had some orders for us: to go to a certain location that night and do surveillance on a drug buy that was supposed to go down.

"Well, we got there, and everything went well for the first hour or so…no activity going down, and two boxes of donuts gone…" Bernard smiled a little at the memory. "Then…a little later on, just when we were beginning to wonder if the info Chief had given us was right after all…we saw a couple of punks hanging around, and then…and then, a big black car rolled up. Out of the back window, we saw a hand extended – that hand was holding a big bag of drugs."

Shigeo nodded. "And…?"

"My partner thought we should call for backup, but I had a gut feeling telling me to move in right now and nab the guys. So, we got out, and sneaked over to them. We were in a park, so everything was very closely wooded together – the trees, the bushes…and it was dark, so it was easy for us in our uniforms to slip close to them. Then, when I was a good enough distance to try taking a shot…I fired at the car's tires, deflating them so the boss wouldn't get away. But then…"

Shigeo raised an eyebrow. Bernard's voice was becoming choked.

"A big gunfight took place right then and there," Bernard went on. "I managed to hit the kingpin while he was still in the back of the car…but when the door opened and he rolled out, I couldn't believe my eyes – it was the mayor!"

"…what…?" Shigeo stared at the JUDAS member in astonishment.

"Yeah, I see the surprise on your face," said Bernard. "That's exactly how I felt, too, at that moment. And then…in that moment when I froze, he took the chance…pulled out a gun, and fired…but…my partner…she pushed me out of the way, and…" Now tears started to roll down his face.

"I went back to the precinct and told the other cops what had happened," Bernard went on. "Only thing was, I didn't know at the time…that nearly every cop in the department, right up to Chief himself, was on the mayor's drug payroll. They fixed a lot of false evidence on me…made it look as though I'd gone crazy and killed my own partner. I found out that everybody I thought I could've trusted was crooked: the lawyer who prosecuted me, the judge who presided over the case – everybody involved was having a share of the mayor's pie, and I was just a liability…an honest liability that had to be dealt with, pronto."

"My word…" Shigeo didn't know what else to say.

"They locked me up for three years, in a mental facility," added Bernard. "Padded cell walls, straightjacket, the works. They drugged me every day…to ensure that the truth would never get out. I suffered…betrayed by the very system of so-called law enforcement that I'd served faithfully for so long." His voice took on a bitter overtone. "I nearly went crazy…and I would have completely, too, if not for _them…"_

"JUDAS?" questioned Shigeo.

Bernard nodded. "The master…came to me one night…told me that I had a destiny, a role to play…if I wanted freedom and a shot at revenge, I could have it, he said. Then he…gave me the Millennium Scale, and told me all about its capabilities, and said that if I wanted to have the power to judge the truly good and the truly corrupt, I should join JUDAS. That moment…was twelve years ago.

"I was thinking only of revenge, so I eagerly accepted his offer. I learned how to wield its power…and then, I went back and hunted down every single one of those corrupt bastards who silenced me and locked me away: the ballistics expert who falsified the reports, the prosecutor and all those false witnesses he brought against me in court, the judge who sentenced me to be locked up in the loony bin…every single one of them paid dearly for screwing with my life…and then, there was only the mayor left…and I took care of him but good."

Shigeo shivered.

"After that, though…I realized that there was no turning back, now that I was one of JUDAS," Bernard added quietly. "And, for the next twelve years after that, right up to the present here and now…I did things…horrible things…things I felt were necessary for true justice…I helped to sacrifice so many innocent souls…fifteen years ago, if you'd told me that I would end up doing what I have done over the last decade and more, I would've called twenty shrinks down on your ass. But…"

Shigeo looked at him sadly now. "But what?"

Bernard smirked. "It's funny…even though I know…even though I've always known…that the way I've gone about things has been anything but fair or right…strangely enough, somehow I don't feel remorse for any of it. In fact…the only thing I feel sorry for now…is the fact that so many innocent people had to be so unfairly butchered by the corrupt system before I or anyone in JUDAS could intervene." He looked at Shigeo. "You may not agree with our methods, or with our stealing of souls for our ambitions, but…who will dispense justice for those who truly deserve it? If not us, who?"

Shigeo sighed. "I…honestly don't know how to answer you."

Bernard chuckled. "Well…I can tell from your hesitancy that you still intend to help your comrades put a stop to JUDAS. If that is your decision, then…who am I to tell you not to?" He smiled now. "In that case…I will leave you with two things: my Millennium Scale's power, and some information."

"Huh?" Shigeo jerked in astonishment.

"Yes…" Bernard nodded. "The Millennium Scale, like its fellow Millennium Items, has great power that, in the right hands, can bring blessings to the world. The Scale itself…it has the ability to judge a person's heart. Just place that person's heart in one of the balancing cups, and weigh it against the feather of Ma'at, goddess of truth. If the heart is heavier than the feather, the person will be consumed by Ammit, the monster of the dark abyss."

"And the information…?" Shigeo asked.

"It's on the leader of JUDAS himself," replied Bernard. "His name is Keisuke Odachi, and for well over a decade he has held deep hatred for Yugi Muto—but even the rest of us high-ranking members don't know why. As soon as you are able to, contact Yugi and find out from him who Odachi really is…and ensure that his son is made aware of the history between his father and Odachi, whatever it is."

As Bernard was speaking, suddenly his balancing cup began to tip over. "Well…I guess it's time for me to die now," he said quietly. "Goodbye, ninja duelist. It was pleasing for me to have an honorable match with you. May your life be less bloodstained and filled with pain than was mine." And he bowed slightly.

"No! BERNARD!" Shigeo screamed, dashing to the edge of his balancing cup and reaching out to grab Bernard – but in vain. As he watched, wide-eyed, Bernard fell all the way down, down, down…and was consumed by the magma.

Shigeo looked for a long moment at the spot where Bernard had fallen. Then, putting his hands together, he bowed respectfully. "Rest well, Bernard Stone," he said softly. "Now, your pain will finally be put to sleep forever."

----------

Outside the swirling mass of black fog, Luke, David and Miriam watched worriedly. Then suddenly, before their astonished eyes, the fog began to dissipate. "Is it…over?" Luke wondered.

At length the fog completely vanished…and standing there was Shigeo, breathing heavily. In one hand he held the Millennium Scale, which shone brightly. "Would you look at that…the ninja kid actually survived," David remarked, his voice filled with wonder.

Shigeo straightened up, then turned his head and beheld the three onlookers. "Huh? You guys? What are you doing here?" he called to them.

"We can straighten that all out in a bit," said Miriam. "The main point is…are _you_ all right?"

Shigeo nodded. **_"I _**am."

He walked to the edge of his rooftop and jumped across to where the others were standing. "Where's Miki?"

"The knight-girl? She's all right; she's with Malachi," Miriam informed him. "Let's get back to them, speaking of which."

"Yeah, let's," agreed Luke and David simultaneously.

The group turned and began to head back to where they'd left Miki and Malachi. As Shigeo went with them, he glanced down at the Millennium Scale, still in his hand, and smiled a small, sad smile as his hair now overshadowed his eyes.

_Thank you, Bernard Stone._

----------

**_neomage:_** And thus comes to a conclusion the duel between Shigeo and Bernard…and the downfall/death of one of the core members of JUDAS. For me, Bernard's back-story was rather tragic…I don't know how you guys will find it. But in any case, review, please!

BTW, the Metal Reflect Slime trap card is yet another trap monster from the Japanese Yu-Gi-Oh! card set. It's so cool…I wish they'd bring it out in English! (sulks)

And…now Shigeo is the bearer of the Millennium Scale! Let's have your ideas: Who else do you think will get Millennium Items, and who do you think will get which ones? Continue reading!


	104. Chapter 104

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Almost time for the semester to end…I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**CHAPTER 104**

SOMEWHERE

Odachi was seated on his throne, seemingly staring into space…and he had a very grim look on his face. Then he glanced behind him. "Michael...Jonathan…come forth."

A moment later Michael Bronte and Jonathan Maxell appeared, their respective Millennium Items flashing. "Master…?" said Maxell in a questioning voice.

Odachi narrowed his eyes. "Do you sense it…? I can no longer feel Bernard's energy…and one of our enemies now holds his Millennium Item. This is very troublesome for us."

"Yes, Master…I sense it, also," said Michael gravely, and one of the points on his Millennium Ring flashed menacingly. "What will you have us do?"

"Head out…find out which of those meddlesome pests has defeated Bernard…and don't just take their souls now." Odachi's eyes narrowed even further – and the tattoo over his eye seemed to glow a sinister red. "KILL THEM."

Maxell grinned. "Gladly, Master."

"With pleasure, Master," said Michael. And with that, the two turned and walked into the shadows.

Odachi nodded. Then he looked in another direction. "Lassiter…"

"Yes, sir?" Lassiter emerged from the shadows, holding his Millennium Rod in hand.

Odachi looked directly at him. "Old friend…it's about high time we stopped screwing around. It's time we showed these little dip-shits the difference between us and them. Will you lend me your power?"

Lassiter chuckled. "But of course, Master. Just leave it to me." And he held up the Rod, the eye in the middle of its tip shining brightly. "I'll take care of matters for the Great One's sake."

Odachi nodded. "You do that. Now get going."

Lassiter nodded, then turned and headed into the darkness.

----------

CAIRO, AT THAT VERY MOMENT

Malachi paced back and forth on the edge of the rooftop; not very far away, Miki was watching his movements with certain uneasiness. Presently he paused. "Something on your mind?"

Miki sighed. "Nothing gets past you, huh?"

She looked up at the sky thoughtfully. "I'm just wondering how everyone else is doing…I hope they haven't run into any serious trouble."

Malachi shrugged. "Hmph."

"Malachi! We're back!"

Turning, the two of them saw Miriam, Luke, David and Shigeo coming toward them. "The ninja kid here actually beat his opponent! It was just so sweet!" David exulted.

"Shigeo, are you okay?" Miki asked worriedly.

"I'll be fine, all right," Shigeo assured her. "And you? Did your opponent give you much trouble?"

"I was saved, thanks to these guys," replied Miki. "Otherwise, he would have taken my soul." She shivered.

"Well, the main point is, you're safe now," said Luke good-naturedly.

All this time Malachi had been watching Shigeo carefully. Now he said, "Hey, ninja-boy, what is that you're holding?"

At once everyone's attention was turned to the Millennium Scale which Shigeo still clutched. "Oh…this…I got it from the guy I defeated," he answered. "I think it'll be a great asset in our fight against these JUDAS people."

Malachi narrowed his eyes. _It's not the same one…but it IS similar…_

"Speaking of which, what brought you guys here to Cairo?" Shigeo spoke up.

"Oh, about that," said Miriam. "Truth of the matter is, it was Maximillion Pegasus who sent us to come and find you guys."

"Pegasus?" Miki asked in surprise.

"Yeah, that's right," said David quietly. He then looked up at Malachi. "Boss?"

Malachi nodded. "Go ahead, it's all right."

Assured, David resumed the tale. "Well, y'see, after…after your pal Yugo won the Intercontinental last time, Pegasus approached us and gave us an offer to die for—a chance to live with him at his mansion on Duelist Kingdom Isle. We've been there ever since, training ourselves, getting better cards…and then…"

"Then, Pegasus got the word that Yugo had disappeared to Egypt," Luke picked up the story. "And sure, he sent his kids out to help y'all, but he was still kinda worried. So, he got us on a jet to come here…and the rest is history."

Miriam nodded. "And there's more," she went on. "My brother…hopes to find a certain someone while we're here…"

Shigeo eyed Malachi. "Abel Drake?"

Malachi nodded. "Was he the one you faced just now?"

"No," said Shigeo.

"Good." Malachi's eyes flashed. "Because there's only one person who's gonna send that bastard to Hell…and that someone will be me." He then turned and walked away from the group.

"Malachi…" Miriam whispered.

Suddenly Miki looked up. "Hey, do you guys hear that? It sounds like…a helicopter…"

Luke looked around—and then he pointed. "Up there!"

They all looked up. "It's Seta's chopper!" Miki exclaimed. "More reinforcements are here at last!"

Malachi looked up. _Seta Kaiba…_

Indeed, it was the Blue-Eyes White Chopper, hovering above their heads. Now it began to descend for a landing; they all swiftly moved out of the way as the helicopter came down. "Well, at least we won't have to worry about transportation," David quipped.

Presently the door to the chopper opened – and out stepped Jenna. "Hey, there, Miki!" she called.

"JENNA? You got to ride in Seta's chopper?" Miki could hardly believe her eyes.

"Not just her—me, too," Honey's voice called out, and then she appeared. "We're borrowing Seta's chopper for a little while. It's a bit of a long story."

Then she beheld Malachi and his group. "Oh? You guys are here, too?"

"That we are," nodded Miriam. "And we're gonna help you guys crush these blokes into jelly."

"Well, in that case, climb in," offered Honey. "There's enough room for all of you. We'll take you back to the hotel where we are; as I recall, there should be enough room on the roof to land this big sucker. Right, GINA?"

"Affirmative," GINA's voice came through from the control panel. "Now, let us hasten."

"Wait—you guys have a talking computer? Cool!" exclaimed David as they clambered aboard.

"Now, while we go to the hotel, let's fill each other in on what's been happening," said Honey, and she sat back in her seat as GINA's programming lifted the helicopter off the ground again.

----------

PHARAOH'S LAIR, IN THE MEANTIME

Blaze slipped her jacket back on, looked at herself in the mirror and smirked. "Smokin'!" she exclaimed.

"You finished yet, Blaze?" Kyo called to her from the other side of the room door.

"Yeah, I'm decent; you can come in now," Blaze confirmed.

Kyo came in and nodded with approval. "Nice to see you've recovered somewhat," he announced.

"Yeah, well, I guess some of us are just lucky enough to be fast healers," said Blaze, and she patted her shoulder. "I'm still not at a hundred per cent, but at least I can hold my own if I need to, again."

Kyo nodded. "Well, I guess we ought to be heading back out," he suggested.

"Forget it, buster," Blaze snapped. "It's close to nightfall now; we should take a rest and go again tomorrow. Right now, however, I could use some food."

"I agree with you right there," Kyo nodded. "How about we get down to the dining lounge and grab some munchies?"

"After you," and Blaze gestured toward the door.

Laughing, Kyo headed through the doorway—and stopped cold. "Blaze…"

"Huh?" Blaze walked to where Kyo was…and her eyes widened in horror. "Oh, my god…"

In the passageway, heading for them was Marcus, bleeding from his shoulder and leg, carrying Flora with difficulty. "A little help here…" he said weakly.

Kyo and Blaze dashed toward him. "What in the hell happened to you?" Blaze demanded.

"What does it look like? We ran into a JUDAS prick, that's what!" Marcus snapped—and slumped. "Ow, that smarts…" He winced as he held onto his shoulder.

Kyo had Flora in his arms; he looked at her and shuddered when he saw her pale skin. "The guy…took Flora's soul…?"

"He did," Marcus acknowledged. "And he put me through hell, too—sent a knife through my shoulder and leg, the bastard. The best part is, we were all the way on the other side of town…I had to carry Flora back here, with my wounds, avoiding public attention as best I could. Even coming into the hotel just now—I had to use the back entrance to keep from attracting any suspicion, and thank God the door was open."

Kyo looked at Blaze. "Our food will have to wait," he said resignedly. "Let's get Flora into the room and get something for Marcus's wounds."

----------

ELSEWHERE IN CAIRO

Odion drove the limousine through the streets, heading for Mariska's tutor's house. His attention was only subconsciously on the road, however; he kept thinking about what he'd just recently experienced. _That Abel Drake person…such a fiend he is, callously taking an innocent's soul…may Ra help us all…_

By and by he pulled up outside the driveway, where Mariska and the tutor were waiting. "You're later than usual, sir," the tutor remarked.

"Ran into a little trouble on the way here," answered Odion. "Ready to go, Mariska?"

"Yes," Mariska answered.

"Well, have a safe trip home now, Mariska, and remember to practice what you've learned today, okay?" the tutor counseled.

"Yes," said Mariska, and she nodded. Then, at Odion's direction, she went for the car and climbed into the backseat.

Odion turned to go—and felt the tutor's hand on his arm. "Sir Odion," she whispered to him, "I've been feeling a very evil presence here in Cairo over the last couple of hours. It is all I can do to keep focused on the task your master set for me, to educate Mariska. What in the world is going on?"

"I wish I knew more," Odion admitted. "For the time being, though, Master Marik is working on remedying the situation. We just have to trust his judgment for now, and hopefully everything will work out. If not…"

"I understand," the tutor sighed. "I just feel so frightened by this whole affair…not knowing what is going on."

"I know…but for Mariska's sake, try to squelch your fear," advised Odion.

"And may Heaven keep you safe," said the tutor. And then she turned and went back inside. Odion ran his hand over his bald head, then headed for the car where Mariska was already waiting for him.

----------

MARIK ISHTAR'S HOUSE, IN THE MEANTIME

It had been a few hours since the series of events in between the time Mr. Ishtar had taken Yugo and Seta into the secret area with the stone tablet, and the time when their friends had had to fend off JUDAS's followers. But had the training actually started?

No, it hadn't—not yet. After entering the doorway at the side of the house, Mr. Ishtar had led Yugo and Seta into the room with the tablet, and then had instructed them to wait there. "I must ensure that everything is in readiness," he had told them. "For the time being, please have a little patience. I will return in a moment's notice." And then—much to their amazement—he had flipped a switch on the wall, partially concealed by the tablet…and the tablet had raised up enough to reveal another doorway, through which Mr. Ishtar had then vanished.

Now, it was some hours later, and outside the moon was up in the sky. In that room, all by themselves, Yugo and Seta were patiently waiting. Seta was leaning on the wall, arms folded; Yugo was staring at the tablet again. Presently Yugo spoke up. "Hey, Seta…you've seen this tablet before, haven't you?"

"Sure I have, Yugo," said Seta. "I used to come down here many times just to look at it. It always mystified me…intrigued me, even."

Yugo nodded. "I still can't believe it, though," he admitted. "You and I…are the descendants of two famous people from 3000 years ago…and our fathers had a connection to these Millennium Item things."

"Well, here's my take on it," said Seta. "Maybe those people on this tablet are our ancestors, but…we make our own destiny, Yugo. We decide for ourselves what kind of path we'll take in life. We decide whether to stay on the straight and narrow, or to walk on the path to destruction. It's hard for me to believe that there is such a thing as fate…we all do what we do because we choose to, not because we were destined to."

"So, you don't believe in mystic stuff, then?" Yugo asked, perplexed.

"I didn't say that. Did you hear me say that?" said Seta. "It can't be denied that some really freaky shit's been going down over the last couple of days, and that the Millennium Items possess great power. As long as we know that, at least we have an advantage over these JUDAS bastards."

Just then the tablet began to shift again; Yugo and Seta tensed in anticipation. And then Mr. Ishtar emerged. "Sorry I kept you waiting so long, fellows," he apologized. "But everything is in readiness now. Follow me."

He turned and headed back through the doorway; Yugo and Seta followed after him, both wondering what was to come next. "Let's hope this training actually works," mused Yugo.

The passageway took them down several flights of stairs. "You built this place underground?" wondered Seta. "Even I've never been down here before."

"It was your father's idea, actually," answered Mr. Ishtar. "Before you were born, he had this place constructed so that he could have a place to train whenever he was here."

By and by they entered a wide-open space, in the middle of which was a massive dueling platform. "This looks like one of those platforms they used back in the original Duelist Kingdom tournament, all those years ago," commented Yugo. "Dad told me what these things looked like back then."

"Yeah…but Duel-Disks are much more popular now," remarked Seta. "You can duel anytime, anyplace."

They walked up beside the platform. Then Mr. Ishtar turned to face the boys, a very serious expression on his face. "Yugo…Seta…there is something I will say to you before we get down to business," he said quietly. "This training you're about to undertake…it will not be anything close to a walk in the park. You will oftentimes feel as though you're taking one half-step forward and three full steps back—which is exactly what will happen if you don't follow my orders. You know me as a noble man, but when it comes time to train for situations like what you're up against with JUDAS, I can and will be quite the taskmaster. And, one other thing: In order to complete this training, you must rely not only on your previous dueling experience, but also on your will to do what is necessary to get the job done. If you are unable to comply with these conditions, then say so now, or forever hold your peace."

Yugo and Seta stayed silent.

"Good…as I thought." Mr. Ishtar glanced at his watch. "It is now 7:00…this entire training will take us exactly 24 hours, since we are pressed for time and since the situation is more desperate than I would have liked. By this time tomorrow evening, you two should be far more powerful duelists than you are now, with my guidance. Powerful enough, in fact, to withstand the might of the worst thing JUDAS can throw at you."

Yugo and Seta looked at each other, then back at Mr. Ishtar, and nodded.

Mr. Ishtar held up his ten fingers. "Ten simple lessons. That's all it'll take. But just because they are few in number doesn't mean they'll be easy to learn. Even so, are you absolutely sure you will go through with this?"

Seta nodded. "I know I am."

"Yeah, me too," agreed Yugo. "Now, enough talk, Mr. Ishtar. Bring on the lessons!"

Mr. Ishtar nodded. Then, he walked up to the platform and bent down, fetching an object of some sort. As the two boys watched him, puzzled, he pulled out a massive hourglass!

"An hourglass?" Yugo asked, dumbfounded.

"Not an _hour_glass, Yugo," Mr. Ishtar corrected him. "This tells the passage of a day. Exactly 24 hours. And…" His eyes flashed. "Once I flip this over and the sands start to run out…then the training will begin! Now, prepare yourselves! Step up to the platform!"

The platform had two separate stations on one side; quickly Yugo and Seta took their places in these stations. Mr. Ishtar then nodded with approval…and swiftly flipped the 24-hour-glass upside down, grunting with the effort. At once the sand in the top half of the glass began to spill out into the bottom half.

"By the time the sand runs out," said Mr. Ishtar, "if you do as I tell you, your skills will have greatly improved. Ready to start?"

"Yes, sir!" the boys shouted simultaneously.

Mr. Ishtar nodded approval. "Then, let us begin!"

----------

**_neomage:_** At last! Yugo and Seta begin their training! And now JUDAS is becoming even more ruthless than previously! What will happen next?


	105. Chapter 105

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: 'Tis the season to be jolly…huh? It's still too early? Oh, well…I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**CHAPTER 105**

MARIK ISHTAR'S HOUSE

"So, sir…what's the first lesson?" asked Yugo.

Mr. Ishtar nodded knowingly. "First things first…give me your decks!"

Yugo and Seta looked at each other, perplexed; then they pulled out their respective decks and gave them to Mr. Ishtar. He pocketed the two decks, and then went on. "Now, the first lesson is quite possibly the most basic one…and Yugo, I'm sure your father must've taught you this at some point when he was teaching you how to play Duel Monsters."

"Huh?" A question mark appeared over Yugo's head.

Mr. Ishtar's eyes flashed. "Lesson 1: You must be able to appreciate every card's individual strength. This I direct to you, Yugo—at some point, knowing the kind of man your father is, I'm sure he must have told you that every card, no matter what its attack strength is, has its own individual power that needs only to be tapped in order to bring out that card's potential. And you, Seta—you know what power is all about, for you frequently use it in your deck; but even the weakest monsters assist you somehow, do they not?"

Seta nodded. "They do."

"And, also," went on Mr. Ishtar in a mysterious tone, "surely there have been times when you had to rely solely on weak monsters when your more powerful monsters were incapacitated, correct?"

Yugo chuckled at that. "I can certainly attest to that." He glanced sideways at Seta. "Even weak-leveled monsters have saved my ass at some time or another."

Seta merely snorted. But Mr. Ishtar nodded with approval. "Then, I am certain you will be capable of passing this test—if you really mean what you say. So, here we go."

He reached into a separate pocket and pulled out two decks, wrapped in plastic. Tossing them to Yugo and Seta, he went on, "To pass this test…you must win a duel in which the only monsters you have are Level 3 or lower. Is that understood?"

Seta sighed heavily and looked at the deck he now held. "I guess so…"

"Very well. Now, you may begin!" And Mr. Ishtar reached into yet another pocket, this time pulling out a small device. Flipping it open, he pushed a big white button. Then suddenly, to the two boys' astonishment, from the other side of the dueling arena emerged two holographic figures in dark clothing, wielding cards!

"These two holograms will be your opponents," said Mr. Ishtar. "They will be playing at an elite level; defeat them, and you will move on to the next lesson. Fail, and you will be stuck on this lesson until you pass. Clear?"

"Yes, sir!" Yugo and Seta nodded, determined.

"Good! Now, begin!" Mr. Ishtar commanded.

Yugo and Seta stepped apart from each other, choosing their holographic opponents. One of the holograms was a lighter shade of gray than the other; Yugo chose the lighter-shaded one as his opponent. Tearing off the plastic wrap that held his deck, he readied it on the deck-holder on his side of the platform. "Bring it on!" he cried, even as his life points shot up to 8000.

Seta's sentiment was the same as he faced off against the other opponent. "Let's kick some serious ass!" he yelled, preparing his own chosen deck.

The two holograms made no reply, but merely readied their respective decks on their side of the platform. Standing off to the side, Mr. Ishtar watched the upcoming duel. "This should be interesting," he mused.

Two holographic coins appeared in the middle of the arena—one for each pair of opponents. "Heads!" Yugo cried.

"Tails!" Seta shouted at the same time.

Then the two coins were flipped—and both came down as heads. Seta groaned in frustration as he drew his first five cards; Yugo grinned. The two holograms had no emotion whatsoever.

Mr. Ishtar reached into a pocket and pulled out a cigarette. He lit it and took a puff, watching the two duels intensely. "Well…may as well light this one," he sighed. "This is definitely going to be a long training session."

----------

DUEL 1: Seta vs. Black Hologram

Black Hologram drew its first five cards as it prepared to face off against Seta; then it drew its sixth card. "To begin," it now spoke in a robotic voice, "I will set two cards facedown, and summon The All-Seeing White Tiger (ATK 1300, DEF 500)!" Then it summoned a massive white tiger that snarled menacingly at Seta. "And I end my turn."

Seta drew his card, then took a critical look at the cards he now held. _Uncle Marik wasn't kidding around…I haven't got any strong monsters in my hand! Oh, well…I have to work with what I've got._

"Okay! Now, I summon Armored Zombie (ATK 1500, DEF 0) in Attack Mode!" He brought forth a gruesome-looking monster with rotting armor on its body.

But suddenly Black Hologram announced, "Activate trap card, Chain Destruction! When a monster with 2000 ATK or less is summoned, all monsters of the same name in the summoning player's hand and deck are destroyed, after which the deck is shuffled."

To Seta's shock, a giant chain burst out of the Chain Destruction trap card and passed through the Armored Zombie. Though the Zombie itself wasn't destroyed, to Seta's horror two other cards in his deck were immediately sent to the Graveyard! "Shit!" he muttered.

Then he looked at Black Hologram's side of the field. "Okaaaaaay…I'll set one card facedown, and end my turn."

Black Hologram drew its next card. "I summon Nanobreaker (ATK 1600, DEF 1800)!" And, to Seta's astonishment, it summoned a cyborg woman with a massive blade—a Level 4 monster!

Seta was considerably startled—and then he began to reason. _Hold on…Uncle Marik only said WE would be affected by the dueling conditions…he never said our opponents would be similarly affected! This puts me and Yugo at a disadvantage…but I have to fight!_

"Nanobreaker! Attack with Breaker Blade!" Black Hologram shouted.

Nanobreaker rushed forward, sword upraised. But suddenly Seta snapped, "I think not! I activate my trap card, Ring of Destruction, to destroy your monster and inflict damage equal to its ATK to both our life points!"

A moment later a heavy iron collar found its way around Nanobreaker's neck – and then the monster exploded! Both Seta and Black Hologram received 1600 points of damage, so that in the end both had 6400.

Black Hologram shrugged. "I end my turn."

_Gee…that hologram sure is acting cool…does it know something I don't?_ Seta cast a look at his opponent' facedown card. _That card…maybe…_

He drew his next card. Then, with a smirk, he announced, "I activate the magic card, Bait Doll! This will force the activation of one facedown Trap card, and if the timing for that card's activation is not correct, its effect is negated and the card is destroyed! But…" He growled. "If the card isn't a Trap card, it's merely returned to its original position."

A large voodoo doll appeared on Seta's side of the field, then rushed over and kicked Black Hologram's facedown car face-up. True to Seta's suspicions, it was the trap card Mirror Force, and the card was destroyed. "In your face!" Seta boasted.

He then picked up the Bait Doll magic card – and put it back in his deck. "When I activate this card, it goes back to my deck instead of the Graveyard. Then, I must shuffle my deck." And this he did.

Then he looked at the four cards left in his hand…and began to smile. "Now, this is what I call divine intervention! Yo, prepare for a serious beat-down!"

Black Hologram looked at him expectantly.

Seta picked out one of the cards. "I activate the magic card, Brain Control! By paying 800 life points, I can take control of one face-up monster on your side of the field till the end of this turn!"

As Seta's life points went down to 5600, the All-Seeing White Tiger ran over to his side of the field. Then he pulled out another card from his hand and announced, "And now…I'll summon the Marauding Captain (ATK 1200, DEF 400) to the field!"

A moment later Miki's signature monster emerged on the field, and Seta smiled when he saw it. _Miki…I see why you like this monster…his effect is certainly a useful one._ Aloud he said, "When Marauding Captain is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon one Level 4 or lower monster from my hand…and I choose to Special Summon the Dragon Zombie (ATK 1600, DEF 0)!"

In a moment a gruesome-looking dragon ghost appeared on the field. Then Seta held up the very last card in his hand. "And now…I activate the magic card Monster Reborn, to revive your Nanobreaker from the Graveyard!"

Moments later Nanobreaker appeared on his side of the field, her sword at the ready. "And now, your life points are wide open for a direct attack!" he bellowed. "Go, my monsters! Slice this hologram foe into ribbons!"

One by one, the monsters attacked. The All-Seeing White Tiger dashed forward, slashing at Black Hologram with its claws and reducing it to 5100. Then, Armored Zombie unsheathed its sword, slashing forward and reducing the enemy further to 3600. Afterward, Dragon Zombie blasted some very corrosive breath from its mouth, reducing Black Hologram even further to 2000. Next, Marauding Captain dashed forward and slashed with his twin swords, reducing the enemy further still to 800. Finally, Nanobreaker sliced downward with her blade, reducing Black Hologram to 0.

"Whew…that was close," Seta murmured, wiping a hand over his brow. "I wonder how Yugo's doing…?"

----------

DUEL 2: Yugo vs. Gray Hologram, AT THE EXACT SAME TIME

While Seta had been fighting against the Black Hologram opponent, Yugo and the Gray Hologram were preparing to face off against each other. "I won't lose to you!" Yugo declared, drawing his cards.

Gray Hologram didn't reply, but instead drew its cards.

As Yugo had won his coin toss, he got to draw his sixth card. "Now, this looks kinda promising, I think," he said. "Okay. I'll set one monster in Defense Mode, set one card facedown, and end my turn!"

Gray Hologram drew its card. "I summon Don Turtle (ATK 1100, DEF 1200) in Attack Mode!" And in the next instant, a turtle monster appeared on the field. But then—much to Yugo's amazement—Gray Hologram summoned two more Don Turtle monsters from its hand!

"HEY! What the hell gives, you shitbrain?" Yugo exploded.

"When Don Turtle is Normal Summoned or Flip Summoned successfully," explained Gray Hologram, "I can Special Summon any number of Don Turtle cards from my hand."

"O-kaaaay…" muttered Yugo.

Gray Hologram then selected one of the three cards left in its hand. "I activate the magic card, Ultra Evolution Pill! By offering one Reptile-type monster on my side of the field as a tribute, I can Special Summon one Dinosaur-type monster from my hand. And I choose…Black Tyranno (ATK 2600, DEF 1800)!"

"WHAT!" Yugo started.

Suddenly one of the Don Turtles disappeared…and in its place stood a massive black T-Rex, roaring in fury. Then Gray Hologram held up its last card. "Next, I activate the magic of Mystical Space Typhoon, to destroy your facedown magic/trap card!"

A moment later a massive wind blew, and a tornado utterly destroyed Yugo's facedown card. "And, finally, I choose to attack with Black Tyranno!" said Gray Hologram. "When the only cards on your side of the field are monsters in Defense Mode, Black Tyranno can attack you directly!"

Yugo's eyes widened in shock. "You gotta be kidding me!"

But just at that moment Black Tyranno stomped forward, lunging downward with its head to bite Yugo. He managed to jump out of the way in time, but still smarted as he smelled the monster's gross breath, and as his life points went down to 5400! "That sucks!" he exclaimed.

"Now, my first remaining Don Turtle, attack his facedown monster!" Gray Hologram commanded. And the first Don Turtle attacked and flipped over Ameba (ATK 300, DEF 350), a swirling ball of water, and destroyed it. Then the other Don Turtle could attack directly, reducing Yugo even further to 4300.

"And now, I will end my turn," said Gray Hologram.

Yugo swiftly drew his next card. "You are SO gonna pay for that!" he exploded.

Then he looked at the cards he now held in his hand…and a faint smile flickered on his face. _Fortune favors the brave!_

"I summon Copycat (ATK 0, DEF 0) in Attack Mode! When he's summoned, he copies the ATK and DEF of one monster on your side of the field!" Yugo exploded, summoning the jester with a mirror over his face. "And I'll have him copy your Black Tyranno!"

Copycat began to transform, turning into an exact replica of the Black Tyranno. But evidently Yugo wasn't done. "Now, I'll activate Monster Reborn, to revive Ameba to the field!" And he played one of the four cards left in his hand, a moment later bringing back Ameba to the field.

Then Yugo looked at the three cards left in his hand. "Now, I activate the magic of Shien's Spy! This allows me to shift control of one face-up monster on my side of the field to you until the end of this turn – and I choose Ameba!"

Ameba's watery mass swirled over to Gray Hologram's side of the field – and suddenly Gray Hologram lost 2000 life points, putting it at 6000! "When control of Ameba shifts from me to my opponent, 2000 points of damage are inflicted to my opponent," explained Yugo, "and that effect can only be used once as long as Ameba stays on the field. But that's all I'll need to beat you now!"

Yugo then examined the two cards left in his hand and decided what he would do. "Next, I'll activate the magic of Riryoku! This will allow me to reduce the ATK of one monster on the field by half and increase the ATK of another monster by the same amount…and I'll reduce Black Tyranno's ATK by half and increase Copycat's ATK by the same amount!"

Copycat Tyranno's ATK sharply rose to 3900, while the real Black Tyranno's ATK dropped to 1300! But still Yugo wasn't done. "Finally, I'll activate the magic card Raigeki, to destroy every monster on your side of the field!"

Bolts of lightning shot down from the sky and fried Gray Hologram's monsters, leaving nothing but blackened spots where they'd been standing. "Copycat, attack directly!" Yugo commanded. And in the next instant Copycat Tyranno dashed forward and chomped down hard on Gray Hologram, reducing its life points to 2100.

"And now…I end my turn," said Yugo, and at that moment Copycat Tyranno's ATK went back down to 2600.

Gray Hologram simply drew its next card. "I will activate the magic card, Offerings to the Doomed! This will destroy one face-up monster on the field, but in exchange I must skip my next Draw Phase!"

Yugo flinched – and suddenly, right before his eyes, Copycat Tyranno disappeared from the field! "This sucks ass real bad, man," he muttered.

"And now, I end my turn," said Gray Hologram.

Yugo swallowed hard and looked at his deck. He needed to draw a monster card, and one with a high enough ATK at that, if he hoped to win. Plus, he had an added advantage in that Gray Hologram had absolutely nothing on the field, and its Offerings to the Doomed magic card that it had activated prevented it from drawing during its next turn. But the problem was, not many Level 3 or lower monsters had high ATK. So…

Yugo drew his next card – and to his horror, it wasn't a monster card at all, but a magic card – the Law of the Normal! "Oh, man – what kind of joke is this?" groaned Yugo. "Fine. I end my turn."

"It is my turn now," said Gray Hologram. "But as I cannot draw any cards this turn because of the effect of Offerings to the Doomed, I will simply end my turn."

_One more chance…or else, he might draw something on his next turn that'll really do me in!_ Yugo thought to himself.

Then he looked hopefully at his deck. _Can I do it…? Can I draw a card that I can really use? _He closed his eyes and prepared to draw. _Heart of the cards…please help me!_

Then he drew. And he looked long and hard at his card. And he started to laugh. "ALL RIGHT! I summon Mataza the Zapper (ATK 1300, DEF 800)!"

He summoned a Samurai warrior with his sword at the ready. "And now, attack!" And Mataza dashed forward, swinging its sword and reducing Gray Hologram's life points to 800. But then…Mataza prepared to attack again!

"Mataza the Zapper can attack twice during the same Battle Phase," said Yugo. "And that is what will finish you! Go, Mataza the Zapper – end it now!" And Mataza slashed again, this time reducing Gray Hologram's life points to 0.

Just then, the hologram disappeared, and Yugo sighed with relief. "Glad that's over," he said aloud.

----------

On the sidelines, Mr. Ishtar had been observing both duels intently. _Well done, both of you…for you to be able to finish your duels in such short order…you truly have talent. And…to draw the cards you needed to get through this lesson…I guess I'll have to make the next lesson a little harder. Only in that way will you truly be able to call forth your duelist's potential, Yugo and Seta…_

"Check it out, Uncle Marik! We passed this test!" Seta called to him.

"Aye, that you did," acknowledged Mr. Ishtar. "But even though this test may have been too easy for both of you, this was only the first of the ten tests – there are still nine left to go. And trust me, after this, those other nine tests will not be as simple as this one may have been for you."

"We don't mind! Bring it on, Mr. Ishtar!" Yugo cried.

"Agreed! Or how else are we gonna get any stronger?" agreed Seta.

Mr. Ishtar chuckled. _Such spirit…these two really are something else._ "Very well, then! I will allow you two an hour to rest and ready your minds and bodies for the next test."

"What? Why wait an hour? We're ready right now!" protested Yugo.

"Listen, and listen well," said Mr. Ishtar, speaking very firmly. "Duels always take energy out of you, no matter how good you think your stamina level is. If you were to undergo the second test right now, your minds and bodies would not be adequately prepared to endure it. And, besides, the deadline for you to successfully complete all ten of these tests is twenty-four hours…you still have plenty of time yet." He pointed to the day-glass – the sands hadn't even begun to fill the bottom half of the glass yet.

"Okay, okay…I suppose we can afford to wait, then," Yugo relented.

"Remember, Yugo: The patient warrior is the one who will triumph over his more aggressive and hot-blooded enemy," advised Mr. Ishtar. "Now, wait here, both of you, and rest. I will be back shortly. In one hour, the second test will commence." And he turned and left the room.

Yugo turned to Seta. "Tell the truth, Seta: Did that test seem easy to you?"

"A little," admitted Seta. "But then again, not having high-level monsters to work with is a real pain. I guess it was just lucky for us that we got magic and trap cards to make up for the weak monsters we got."

"Not weak, really…" Yugo sighed. "Some of our monsters had effects, and those effects really helped us out. It's just like Mr. Ishtar told us – every card has its own individual strength."

"Yeah…I totally agree with that," said Seta. But in his mind, he was wondering, _Gee…is what Uncle Marik said true? Will these next set of tests be that much harder…?_

Some distance away, heading for the door, Mr. Ishtar smirked. _Hee, hee, hee…if those two only knew just how hard the second test will be…then they'd really appreciate the difficulty of these tests…and if only they knew what's in store for them in the second test, they'd literally shit their pants! But I'll save the surprise until the next hour…_

----------

**_neomage:_** I must apologize to any of you who think this first test was too quickly resolved…on the other hand, I think it further emphasizes the untapped potential that lies dormant within Yugo and Seta. Next chapter, things get far more serious, as JUDAS has now taken off its gloves! Keep reading!


	106. Chapter 106

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Time for me to buckle down to business and finish with school for the semester…Yu-Gi-Oh isn't mine, by the way.)

**CHAPTER 106**

PHARAOH'S LAIR

Marcus gingerly rubbed at the bandages binding his shoulder and leg injuries. "This really, really blows right about now," he said darkly.

Not far away, Flora had been placed on a sleeping mat on the carpet; now Blaze covered Flora with a blanket. "Sorry, girl," she said softly.

Kyo presently looked at his watch. "I really don't like this," he muttered. "The others should've been back by now." His eyes narrowed. "Guys, you don't suppose…?"

"Don't. Just don't." Marcus's voice left no room for further debate.

Suddenly Blaze cocked her head up and listened. "You guys hear that…? It sounds like a helicopter, right over our heads…"

Puzzled, Marcus leaned to the side so he could look out the window. "Well, I'll be – it's a chopper that looks like a Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

Kyo and Blaze jerked to attention at that. "It must be Seta! He's come to help us out!" Kyo said excitedly.

"The chopper looks like it's gonna land on the roof," observed Marcus.

"Well, let's go greet them!" Blaze jumped up and headed for the door. Kyo was after her in a minute, and Marcus followed, though more slowly.

----------

A few moments later, the three were up on the rooftop, even as the Blue-Eyes White Chopper gradually came to a landing. "Finally…we're gonna get a break," muttered Blaze.

Then the helicopter's side door opened – and who should jump out but Miki! "Hi, Kyo!" she cried, running toward him.

"Miki? Oh, thank God you're okay!" Kyo caught her in a tight embrace.

Jenna and Honey hopped out of the chopper, and Shigeo followed a moment later. "We're back, guys," Jenna said cheerfully. "And you'll never guess who's here to help us out!"

Then, much to Kyo's amazement, Malachi and his posse alighted from the chopper as well. "What's this? You guys are here, too?" he asked, adjusting his glasses.

"Been a while, angel-user," Malachi addressed him.

"So, it seems everybody that was at the Intercontinentals is here," noted Miriam. "This should make things a bit more interesting, I dare say."

Honey then looked around. "Uh…where's Flora? Wasn't she with you, Marcus?"

At that Kyo, Blaze and Marcus flinched. Miki noticed it. "Uh-oh…did something happen?" she asked softly.

"Why don't we all go inside…then we'll tell you…" Kyo sighed wearily.

----------

A FEW MINUTES LATER

"I see…so that's what happened…"

All of them were back inside, beholding the unconscious bodies of their friends. Miki knelt down where Flora's body lay and gently patted her cheek. "You poor thing, you…" she whispered.

"I'm really, really worried, guys," Blaze lamented. "These JUDAS guys…it's as if there's no way to beat them…they just keep coming from out of nowhere…"

Shigeo, leaning against the wall, shook his head. "No, I disagree. They CAN be defeated…and I have proof of that." And, as the others watched, he reached into his vest and pulled out the Millennium Scale.

Marcus started. "ACK! Not another of those things!"

"Relax, it won't bite you," Shigeo hastened to assure him. "I had a duel against one of their top people…and I defeated him…"

Blaze eyed him keenly. "You don't seem too happy that you won that duel, Shigeo."

Shigeo ran a hand through his hair. "Well…his story was pretty bleak…" And then he related the tale Bernard Stone had told him at the end of their duel.

"Do you really believe a member of JUDAS?" Kyo asked skeptically.

"Well…he lost that duel…and paid for it with his life," said Shigeo. "If he knew he was going to die, then I doubt he'd gain anything by lying in the last few moments of his life. And, too, he did give me the Millennium Scale…and some critical info on JUDAS's leader…"

"He did?" Honey asked in surprise.

"Yep." Shigeo nodded. "Apparently, the leader is this guy named Keisuke Odachi – and from what Bernard told me, he seems to have had some history with Yugo's father. Bernard said we should ask Mr. Muto about it when we have a chance."

"Hmmm…well, I could call right now and ask the folks," said Jenna. "I'm going to the lobby to make that collect call."

"I'll go with you," said Blaze. And then the two girls left the room.

Malachi glared to the side of the room, where Rodney and Reggie Rex's bodies lay on the floor, leaning on the wall. Next to them sat Vlad Draxton and Samantha Redman. "All of these guys…JUDAS?" he questioned.

"Uh, yeah," said Kyo.

"Why keep them here?" asked Malachi.

"All of them were victims of circumstance," said Miki. "It was the only humane thing to do. Besides, if we just left them lying around, somebody might find them and start raising a lot of questions…we didn't want that."

Malachi shrugged. "Whatever."

----------

"Come on, come on, come on…somebody pick up, please…?" Jenna whispered, tightly clutching the phone.

"Be patient," said Blaze. "They'll definitely pick up."

And, as if to prove Blaze's statement, a moment later Mr. Wheeler's voice came on the phone. "Wheeler residence."

"Dad, it's Jenna!" Jenna exclaimed.

"Baby, is that really you? Oh, what a relief!" Mr. Wheeler cried. "How are you guys? Are you all okay?"

Jenna hesitated, then looked over at Blaze. The other girl shook her head; Jenna nodded and turned her attention back to the phone. "We're fine so far, Dad," she answered. "Guess what? We found Yugo!"

"Oh, that's great news!" Mr. Wheeler gushed. "Where is he now?"

"Well…he and Seta are currently training with Mr. Marik Ishtar, to fight against JUDAS," explained Jenna.

"Marik? You mean that old butt-crack's still alive?" Mr. Wheeler laughed. "Oh, wait'll the others hear about this!"

"Dad, Dad…we got a hold of some information, and we need some help figuring it out," Jenna interrupted him. "Have any of you ever heard of someone called Keisuke Odachi?"

There was a long silence for a moment. Then Mr. Wheeler came back on the line. "Keisuke Odachi? The name doesn't ring a bell…why?"

"Well…er…" Jenna fumbled for the right words. "We managed to defeat a high-ranking member of JUDAS earlier today, and…he said that that's the name of JUDAS's leader. And he also said that Mr. Muto might know who Odachi is."

"Well, I'm sorry, Jenna, but I don't know who Keisuke Odachi is, and I doubt any of the others here know either," admitted Mr. Wheeler. "And as for Mr. Muto…he's still out of it. His status hasn't changed since you guys left here."

"Oh…" Jenna seemed disappointed. "Well, thanks anyway, Dad. Just to be safe, though, could you ask Mr. Muto once he's conscious again?"

"Sure I'll ask him. And, sweetheart…you guys be careful, all right?"

"Will do, Dad. Love you. Bye now."

"Later, dear."

Jenna hung up. "Well, that didn't work out…"

"So, now what?" asked Blaze.

Jenna thought for a moment—then it hit her. "Hold on…the computer on the chopper, GINA…maybe she can do a search on Keisuke Odachi! It's worth a shot!" And with that she bolted upstairs, heading for the roof. Startled, Blaze hurried after her.

----------

Kyo and Miki were standing together outside the hotel room. "I see…so that's what he said, eh?" Kyo asked Miki, scowling.

She nodded. "Kyo…you're not really going to go find him, are you?"

"I have to, Miki. I have to settle this thing between us. And…" He held his head down. "I need to know, too…if there's anything left of the brother I once knew inside that guy. I won't know unless I face him."

Miki sighed. "Well…I suppose it would do no good to persuade you," she remarked. "So…I won't try to stop you. Just…please…be careful, okay, Kyo?"

Kyo nodded. "I will. I promise."

Miki looked imploringly at him. "Somehow…the promise isn't enough." And then, to Kyo's astonishment, she reached up on tip-toe and planted a big kiss on his lips.

Kyo's eyes widened…and then slowly closed as he started to kiss her back. She wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him closer to her as their lips locked together. Then, after a moment they released each other. "Miki…don't worry," Kyo said softly. "I won't leave you alone. I'll come back, I swear."

"Yeah…I know you will." Miki nodded and gave him a tiny smile.

"Okay…I'll be going then. Hold down the fort till I get back, all right?" Kyo gently put her aside. "I trust you and your knight armada will do the job justice."

Miki giggled and saluted. "Aye-aye, commander!"

Kyo chuckled and turned his back to her. "I'm going." And with that, he walked down the corridor toward the stairs.

Miki still stood in that saulting position…and even as she smiled, a tear ran down her cheek. _Be brave…Kyo…_

----------

Inside the room, Shigeo was looking at the Millennium Scale. _Strange…holding this thing, I actually feel a bit more confident…as though I can take on anything…_

Malachi's voice interrupted his thoughts. "Tell me, ninja-boy…you were able to sense our presence the whole time earlier today?"

Shigeo looked up. "Well…yeah, I was. And I knew it was so familiar, but I couldn't quite place my finger on who it could be…until now." He chuckled. "I didn't think that our biggest enemy in the Intercontinentals would be assisting us now."

Malachi snorted. "Don't get the wrong impression," he said. "I'm not here to look for friends. I'm here for two reasons only. One: To repay my debt to Yugo Muto…for helping me to regain what little sanity I had left. And two: to find and kill that prick, Abel Drake. Now that I know we share a common enemy, I'm willing to work alongside the lot of you, even if only for a short time."

Shigeo suppressed a chuckle. "I might have expected that kind of answer from you," he remarked. "Only don't let those others hear you – Yugo's friends, I mean. They're rather tight-knit when it comes to the concept of togetherness…but then again, you have some concept of that too, living by, don't you?"

Malachi shrugged. "If you want to think of it that way, so be it."

Not far away, Miriam was looking out the window. "Do you fellows think those jerk-offs will try anything?" she queried of David and Luke.

"Those JUDAS people? I don't know…but we should probably stay on our guard, for safety's sake," Luke reasoned.

"Bro's right," agreed David. "But if they really do come, then I'll show them something to be afraid of!" And he patted his pocket fondly, where his deck rested.

----------

GINA's human form materialized as Jenna and Blaze approached the Blue-Eyes White Chopper. "May I help you, Jenna?" she asked.

Blaze was impressed. "You weren't kidding when you said this computer thing was smart," she commented.

"GINA, I need your help," said Jenna. "Can you search the Net for any information on a man named Keisuke Odachi? That's supposed to be the guy who runs JUDAS."

"One moment…" GINA got up and walked over to a nearby satellite dish near the edge of the roof as Jenna and Blaze looked on. She placed her transparent hand on the dish…and began to glow!

"Um…GINA…?" Jenna asked worriedly.

Presently GINA took her hand off the satellite dish and stopped glowing consequently. "I have some information on his background," she announced. "Keisuke Odachi, born 1986 in Japan. His biological mother died in childbirth; his father's whereabouts and current living status are unknown, believed to be dead. Odachi lived at an orphanage in Kyoto for most of his life; however, he displayed great genius that allowed him to enter England's Oxford University at the young age of 13, late in September of 1999. He did a Bachelor's Degree in History with a minor in Philosophical Science; earned Summa Cum Laude honors in his second year; graduated top of his class and valedictorian for the graduating class of 2003. Reapplied later the next year for an Associate Degree in History, minoring in Psychology. And…earned Cum Laude status in his third year, and graduated with his class with no other special distinctions."

"Wow…in other words, he was a brainiac," and Jenna whistled appreciatively.

"That sure doesn't sound like someone who'd lead an evil organization," said Blaze. "Anything else?"

"No," said GINA. "There is absolutely nothing else on Keisuke Odachi after that. No records of travel, no records of purchases of any kind, no employment records…nothing."

"Hmmm…he disappeared from the public eye," said Jenna thoughtfully.

"Sounds worrisome," said Blaze. "Should we tell the others what we've found out?"

"Maybe we should," said Jenna. "And I still want to know what sort of connection he could have had with Mr. Muto, but…that'll have to wait until he regains consciousness. Let's just hope he does, soon…"

----------

CAIRO

On a rooftop half a mile away from the Pharaoh's Lair, Michael and Maxell stood together. "So, how do you wanna do this?" asked Michael.

"Take them out, BAM, BAM, BAM, just like that," said Maxell, emphasizing each BAM by slamming a fist into his open palm.

"Might I suggest a better method – one that won't require any work on your part?" said a voice behind them. Turning, the two came face-to-face with Lassiter, who had his Millennium Rod in one hand.

"I thought you were jerking off somewhere, old man," said Michael. "What do you want?"

Lassiter shook his head. "I'll ignore your comments this time, little shrimp," he replied. "What I propose is this: We use the tactic of divide and conquer." And the Millennium Rod glowed with sinister intent.

"I see what you mean," chuckled Maxell, and his own Millennium Eye flashed. "You always did excel at that."

"Let's wait until they've gone to bed," said Lassiter. "Until then, we have all the time in the world…" And he grinned evilly, the golden eye flashing in his forehead.

----------

In the middle of the city, a church stood all by itself. It stood out from all the other buildings around it, for it had the biggest steeple, towering over some of the rooftops. The steeple had a big cross on its very top.

Inside the church, a figure was kneeling at the altar, eyes closed as he prayed. Then suddenly his eyes snapped open, and slowly he stood up.

"He's coming…just as I hoped…" Jan Shimizu muttered, slowly turning to face the church's entrance. "Kyo…come to me, little brother…"

----------

**_neomage:_** So, whatcha think of this chapter? A bit of background history on Keisuke Odachi…and JUDAS makes ready to strike! And, in addition, Kyo has headed off to have a confrontation with his long-estranged brother, Jan!

CHRISTMAS MESSAGE: Now, readers, just so you know – I will not be posting any new chapters until after Christmas is over. I apologize to those of you who hate cliffies, but this time, this one can't be helped – I still do have exams to finish, and of course, there IS the Christmas holiday to spend, and my birthday. To those of you with birthdays in December, whether they've gone past or are still to come, happy birthday! To every last one of you – Merry Christmas and Happy New Year when they come! And fear not – Mr. neomage always keeps his word! I'll continue to work on new chapters when I have the opportunity, and you'll see a whole new list of chaps before you know it! So, stay faithful and keep reading and watching for new updates, everybody!


	107. Chapter 107

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Welcome back, one and all! Just to remind you – neomage doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh!)

**CHAPTER 107**

MARIK ISHTAR'S HOUSE, FORTY-FIVE MINUTES LATER

Yugo was leaning against the dueling platform, snoring loudly. Nearby, Seta was watching him, his eyebrow twitching. Finally, he'd had enough. He walked over to the blond-haired boy and gave him a massive kick.

"WAAAAH!" Yugo rolled along the ground, ending up facedown with his butt sticking up in the air.

"I wonder how your people sleep at night when you put down that kind of snoring," Seta grumbled.

Yugo got up, groaning, and shook his head. "Damn…what time is it?"

Seta looked at his watch. "8:15," he noted. "That's almost longer than an hour since we finished Uncle Marik's first test."

"I still think that first test was kinda easy," said Yugo, speaking more seriously now. "D'you think the next one will be more of a challenge?"

"It's all up to his judgment, I guess," admitted Seta.

Yugo stood up and stretched. "Well…there's one thing I'm concerned about," he admitted.

"What?" asked Seta.

"When I first spoke to him, and he brought up this whole training thing," Yugo said thoughtfully, "Mr. Ishtar told me that, for every test I passed, he'd give me a Duel Monsters card and some information on the power of the Millennium Items. I only wonder what kind of info he'll give to us now, and what kind of cards we're bound to get…"

Just at that moment Mr. Ishtar himself happened by. "Sorry to keep you guys waiting," he said to them. "I have some news for you. The second test will take place at 9:00, which is exactly forty-five minutes from now. I had to spend the time just now finding suitable cards from my personal stash to give you as rewards for passing the previous test, and even now I'm not yet finished constructing the decks you'll be using in the second test."

Yugo and Seta looked at each other. "We're using different decks…I see…" Seta mused.

Mr. Ishtar reached into his pocket and pulled out two cards. "One for each of you," he told the boys.

They took the cards from him and took a look at them. Seta was utterly amazed at the one he'd gotten. "Is this supposed to be a joke, Uncle Marik?" he complained, as he held up the card – Kaibaman (ATK 200, DEF 700), a card depicting a Kaiba look-alike with a dragon-like helmet.

"No, my boy, no joke at all," said Mr. Ishtar coolly. "You should take a good look at that card's effect, too – it could save your life, if you were to use that card in your deck."

Puzzled, Seta examined the card more closely. "Oh…I see…tribute this card to Special Summon the Blue-Eyes White Dragon (ATK 3000, DEF 2500) from my hand – so it's not so useless after all."

Yugo was carefully looking at his card – Magician's Circle, a trap card. "This looks like a situational card, sir," he remarked.

"True – but that card, too, can save your life when used at the right time," said Mr. Ishtar. "Oh, and I should give you boys information on the power of the Millennium Items, too, should I not? Then listen, and listen keenly."

Yugo and Seta looked at him expectantly.

"Now, then…the Millennium Item of whose power I will now speak is the Millennium Necklace," continued Mr. Ishtar. "The Pharaoh Atem had at his side six priests, who each wielded a Millennium Item along with the Pharaoh himself. The Millennium Necklace, historically, was worn by the priestess Isis, and has the power to grant its wearer foresight and after-sight – in other words, whosoever controls the power of the Millennium Necklace has the ability to see both past and future events."

"Hmmm…very dangerous," remarked Seta.

"Seta, years ago, during the famous Battle City tournament," went on Mr. Ishtar, "your mother wielded the Millennium Necklace's power in a quarter-final duel against your father, and almost won – except that, at the last minute, he changed the outcome of her prediction by utilizing a strategy unlike what she'd foreseen. Afterward, she could no longer use the Necklace's power, and so she gave it to Yugi Muto, who was able to use its powers far better than she ever could."

"Hmmm…interesting…they never mentioned that to me," Seta remarked.

"Because, for the longest time after Battle City, Kaiba still believed the whole mysticism of the Millennium Items was nothing more than hocus-pocus mumbo jumbo," said Mr. Ishtar. "It took a trip to Egypt sometime afterwards to convince him that what he was seeing wasn't fairy-tales or anything of the sort. Until that time, he thought your mother was crazy…and yet, ironically, of all the women who chased after him, she was the one who won his heart and who he ended up marrying." He chuckled as he said this.

Seta said nothing; just stared at the ground. Yugo watched him, and his own heart ached. _It must really hurt Seta even more now…the fact that he lost his mom before he could even get to know her…_

"Well, that's all for now. I'll go and continue working on those decks for the next test." And Mr. Ishtar walked off, leaving Yugo and Seta alone again.

----------

A CHURCH IN CAIRO

Kyo walked along the street, carefully looking around for any churches with steeples. He'd spent the better part of fifteen minutes walking about since he'd left the Pharaoh's Lair hotel, and now his legs ached. If only he could find the place…

As he walked along, suddenly his attention was caught by something seemingly out of place: a massive building with a very tall steeple. _Could this be it?_ He walked up to the front door and knocked on it. "Hello?"

A minute passed; then, as Kyo prepared to knock again, the door opened partway, and a tiny old man peered out. "Good evening, my son," he greeted him, just a tiny hint of an Egyptian accent in his voice. "May I help you?"

"Good evening, sir," Kyo greeted the man, bowing. "Are you the priest for this church?"

"That I am, my son," said the priest respectfully. "Have you come to confess your sins to God, or to give glory to Him for His blessings and mercy?"

"Actually…I was wondering if a certain man is here," said Kyo. "I was told to come and meet him at this church, the church with the biggest steeple."

The priest looked down and noticed Kyo's Duel-Disk. "My son…by any chance, is your name Kyo?"

"Um…yes…" Kyo raised an eyebrow.

The priest nodded knowingly. "The one you are looking for…he is already here, upstairs, on the roof, waiting for you. I will show you the way up."

The door opened wider, allowing Kyo to enter. Shutting the door securely, the priest then headed for a flight of stairs nearby, and started to go up them. Kyo followed behind the man of the cloth.

"I must comment on something, my young friend," the priest remarked as they continued their upward path. "Shortly before you arrived…he was at the altar, kneeling down before it, and praying. As much as he tried to keep the prayer quiet, nevertheless I could still hear him. He…"

Kyo looked expectantly at him.

"He was…" The priest hesitated again. Then he continued. "He seemed to be asking God for forgiveness…for a great many sins he'd committed in his life…and that, depending on the outcome of this duel, he should wish to either be punished…or redeemed."

Now Kyo's eyes widened completely at that. _Redeemed?_

By and by they reached the top of the stairs, close to the ceiling, where there was a door to lead outside. The priest cautiously opened the door, then moved to the side a little to allow Kyo to pass. "He is out there."

Kyo nodded. "Thank you. And…" He slowly took off his glasses. "You'd best leave this place while you can, my friend. It could get very, very dangerous here, now."

The priest nodded understanding. "May God save both of you."

With that said, Kyo went through the door, and the priest locked it after him. Kyo found himself outside, on the roof, the edge only several hundred feet away. _This is already dangerous,_ he thought to himself.

Then he looked up, and became instantly alert. "There you are."

At the extreme end of the rooftop was Jan, his Duel-Disk at the ready. "So, Miki gave you the message," he said softly. "Good. Now, we can fight here, undisturbed by anyone. There will be only one outcome to this duel now, little brother…and this duel will definitely decide our fates."

Kyo raised his arm and activated his Duel-Disk, too. "Very well, then…let's do this! My faeries versus your fiends!"

Jan nodded, then smiled. "It's actually fitting…that the place where we shall do our battle should be a place that depicts the everlasting struggle of good against evil," he commented.

Kyo narrowed his eyes. "Hmph. How poetic. Now, are you ready?"

"As ready as this body will ever be," answered Jan smoothly.

They both took their decks and slotted them into their Duel-Disks. Then a moment later the holographic coin appeared. "Heads or tails?" Jan asked.

"Tails!" shouted Kyo.

The coin then landed…and it was heads. "Then I will go first," said Jan.

Both brothers drew their first five cards – and then announced, "Time to duel!"

----------

PHARAOH'S LAIR, AT THAT EXACT MOMENT

Miki sat on the edge of the staircase, only a few steps away from the hotel room, staring seemingly into space with her chin resting on her knees. "Come back safe," she whispered. "Kyo…"

"Oh, 'ello there, love. Mind if I join you?"

Startled out of her dark mood, Miki looked up to see Miriam standing over her. "Uh, sure, sure." She scooted over to make room for the Goth girl to sit.

"It's funny, isn't it? How life can give you one 'ell of a messed-up adventure," Miriam remarked after a moment. "Look at us…unlikely partners, all of us, against such a daft group of foes like JUDAS."

"Yeah…I admit that is true," agreed Miki. "And to top off the irony, each of us somehow has some connection to somebody in JUDAS. That makes it all the more hurtful when we have to duel them."

"Some battles can't be avoided," Miriam answered philosophically. "They're destined to happen." She gave Miki a look. "Like the fight between your boyfriend and his brother."

Miki started. "What? You know about that?"

"Yep – your cousin told us about it while we were coming here, about the last time those two had a duel," admitted Miriam. "She was explaining everything to us, about how your pal Yugo ended up here in Egypt, and how he and that guy Seta are now in trainin' for a comeback against these JUDAS morons…all of it. Not a pretty story, either."

There was a long silence. Then Miki sighed. "I trust in them…in all of them," she remarked. "Kyo will do what he has to…and Yugo and Seta will come back in time to help us finish these guys off. Until then, I know I'll continue to keep the front line's defense strong, like I promised Kyo I would."

"That's a brave girl." Miriam patted Miki encouragingly on the shoulder, and smiled.

----------

Inside, Shigeo was standing by himself, watching the antics of the others. Luke and David had presently engaged each other in a thumb-wrestling match; Blaze and Jenna were taking turns to comb each other's hair; and Malachi was standing off to the side, acting like he didn't care about any of it.

Shigeo sighed. Only moments ago Jenna and Blaze had come back downstairs from the roof and shared with them all what GINA had uncovered about Keisuke Odachi; but, at best, that was only a little that they had to work with. They needed more information…and Mr. Yugi Muto, the only person who could give that information, was still in a coma…what else could happen?

Suddenly, inexplicably, the Millennium Scale started to glow. Shigeo saw it, and immediately held it up, but discreetly so the others wouldn't see it. It was hard to hide a bright glow, however; and pretty soon, every one of them looked at him.

"That Scale thing malfunctioning or something, mate?" Luke asked.

"I…I don't know what's going on," Shigeo admitted. "Maybe it's reacting to something…"

"Well, whatever," said Malachi. "All I know is, I'll soon be ready to go to bed."

"Me, too," confessed Jenna. "I'm tired out from today."

Presently the Scale's glow stopped…but the worried look on Shigeo's face didn't disappear. _This glow just now…is it an omen, a sign of something about to happen? I'm afraid to think so…_

----------

A CHURCH IN CAIRO

As Kyo and Jan drew their first five cards each, Jan drew his sixth. "Hmph…not a very interesting hand," he remarked, somewhat disappointed. "Well, fine, then. I'll set one monster in Defense Mode, set one card facedown, and end my turn. Make your move, Kyo."

Kyo narrowed his eyes as he drew his card. "I summon Agido (ATK 1500, DEF 1300) in Attack Mode!" And a moment later he summoned his robotic-looking fairy. "Attack that facedown monster!"

Agido flew forward – but when its pincer-claws connected with the facedown monster and it was flipped face-up, to Kyo's absolute surprise it turned out to be the Infernalqueen Archfiend (ATK 900, DEF 1500), with a DEF equal enough to Agido's ATK to repel it altogether!

"Too bad," Jan mocked him. "And now, I have enough leeway to activate my facedown trap card – Battle-Scarred! To activate this card's effect, I select one Archfiend monster on my side of the field…and during each of my Standby Phases, every time I pay the life point cost for the selected Archfiend, you must also pay an equal amount of life points! And, my Infernalqueen Archfiend demands a cost of 500 life points during each of my Standby Phases, so you will also have to pay 500 life points as long as Battle-Scarred stays on the field!"

Kyo shook his head. "You had this all planned out, didn't you?"

"Every good duelist must make adequate preparations before every confrontation," answered Jan. "So, now what will you do?"

"Hmph…fine. I'll set one card facedown, and end my turn," replied Kyo.

Jan drew his next card – and just at that moment Infernalqueen Archfiend's effect sapped him of 500 life points, leaving him with 7500. But then Battle-Scarred kicked in, and Kyo also lost 500 life points to leave him with 7500, as well. And then – to Kyo's amazement – Infernalqueen Archfiend's ATK rose to 1900!

"Oh, I forgot to mention," said Jan. "During each Standby Phase – whether mine or yours – as long as Infernalqueen Archfiend stays on the field, her effect increases the ATK of one Archfiend monster by 1000 till the end of the turn."

"Oh, damn!" Kyo cried.

"Not nice to use such bad language on the premises of God, little brother," said Jan, wagging a disapproving finger. "And now, it's time for me to punish you for it! Now I summon the mighty Terrorking Archfiend (ATK 2000, DEF 1500)!"

Suddenly, right next to the Infernalqueen Archfiend appeared a massive fiend with a giant crown and a sword in one hand. "Then, I'll set another card facedown," continued Jan. "And now, it's time to attack! Infernalqueen Archfiend, destroy Agido with Corrupt Judgment!"

Infernalqueen Archfiend fired a stream of black flame at Agido, incinerating it and reducing Kyo's life points to 7100. Then: "Terrorking Archfiend, your turn to fight! Blade of Oppression!" And Terrorking Archfiend took a swing at Kyo with his sword, tearing off a piece of his shirt and reducing him further to 5100 in the process!

"Crap…" Kyo grunted, holding on to the part of his shirt that had been torn by Terrorking Achfiend's attack. "This totally sucks," he moaned.

"Seems my fiends are proving to be too much for you already," said Jan, a tad disappointed. "Oh, well. I end my turn." And as he said this, Infernalqueen Archfiend's ATK returned to normal.

Gritting his teeth now, Kyo drew another card – and again Infernalqueen Archfiend's effect kicked in, so her ATK shot up to 1900 once again. "Oh, I'm getting rid of that fiend of yours right about now!" Kyo snapped. "For now I summon the Shining Abyss (ATK 1600, DEF 1800)!"

In a moment's notice he summoned his other robotic fairy to the field. "And next…I'll equip this one with the Cestus of Dagla, to increase his ATK by 500 points!" And then the fairy's ATK shot up to 2100. "Destroy Infernalqueen Archfiend!"

Shining Abyss hovered forward and decapitated Infernalqueen Archfiend, bringing Jan's life points down to 7300. Since the face-up Battle-Scarred trap card couldn't last on the field without its targeted Archfiend, it was immediately destroyed as well – and then Cestus of Dagla's effect kicked in, increasing Kyo's life points by the damage Jan sustained, to 5300.

"And now…I'll activate my facedown trap card, Tower of Babel!" Kyo announced as his familiar tower shot up into the sky, past the church steeple. "As you should know, when one of us activates a Magic card, this tower gets a Magic counter…and once it has four counter, the tower is destroyed and the person who activated the fourth magic card gets 3000 points worth of damage!"

"Good for you," said Jan. "But in response to that – I'll activate my own trap card, a second Battle-Scarred – and the Archfiend I choose this time is my very own Terrorking Archfiend! Only this time, since his life point cost is 800 during each Standby Phase, both you and I will have to pay 800 life points!"

"Okay, that didn't go down very well…" Kyo muttered. "Fine, then. I end my turn now."

Jan drew another card – and Terrorking Archfiend sapped him of 800 life points, leaving him with 6500. But Jan's second Battle-Scarred sapped Kyo, too, leaving him with only 4500. "I'm still 2000 life points ahead of you, you notice," Jan remarked. "You have some serious catching up to do."

"Just shut up and make your move," Kyo snarled.

"Don't mind if I do!" Jan then closely examined the four cards in his hand. "Heh, heh, heh…I'm afraid that for you, little brother, the beginning of the end is here and now!"

"Now what are you on about?" wondered Kyo.

"Watch!" Jan then played a magic card. "I activate Monster Reborn, to revive your Agido from the Graveyard!" And moments later, to Kyo's astonishment, even as Monster Reborn's activation placed a counter on the Tower of Babel…Agido reappeared on his brother' side of the field!

"How dare you!" Kyo shouted.

"Oh, but that's only the tip of the iceberg, believe me," and Jan chuckled. "For now…I'll offer both Agido and Terrorking Archfiend to summon my dreaded Maju Garzett (ATK ? DEF 0)!"

Suddenly, as Agido, Terrorking Archfiend and the second Battle-Scarred trap card disappeared from the field, a gigantic mess of flesh, bone, gristle and hair appeared on Jan's side of the field. "You've already been acquainted with my Great Maju Garzett (ATK ? DEF 0)…but this Maju Garzett is a little different. His ATK, when he's Tribute summoned, becomes the combined original ATK of the two monsters I tributed to summon him!"

"Oh, hell no…" Kyo groaned. But even looking at Maju Garzett's stats showed it all – Agido's original 1500 ATK and Terrorking Archfiend's 2000 ATK combined to give the new monster a grand total of 3500 ATK!

"And now…time to say goodbye to this duel!" Jan laughed.

----------

**_neomage:_** Things have taken a serious turn for the worse, it seems! Jan and Kyo have begun their clash, but so far it seems Jan has the edge! What next, ladies and gentlemen? Keep reading!


	108. Chapter 108

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: The only thing I have to do with Yu-Gi-Oh is this story.)

**CHAPTER 108**

A CHURCH IN CAIRO

On the rooftop of the church with the biggest steeple, Kyo and Jan's duel continued. Kyo's life points now stood at 4500; he held three cards in his hand; and on the field he had Shining Abyss equipped with the Cestus of Dagla, plus his Tower of Babel trap card with one Magic counter on it. By contrast, Jan had 6500 life points; he had two cards in hand; and on the field he had his just-summoned Maju Garzett with a new ATK of 3500.

"Go, Maju Garzett! Attack with Mighty Sewage!" Jan commanded. Maju Garzett responded by spewing a sickening wave of bile at Shining Abyss, melting it completely and bringing Kyo's life points down to 3100.

"Ew! That's totally rancid!" Kyo gasped, holding onto both his mouth and nose.

"Eh, when you've been with a monster like this as long as I have, you get used to it," said Jan indifferently. "What you should be concerning yourself with is the fact that now, you're at my mercy. Another attack from Maju Garzett, and you're finished. Although…I WAS hoping you'd provide me with a better challenge than this. Truly, this is very, very disappointing."

Kyo narrowed his eyes again. _Damn it all…it's just like when we were kids…he always beat me at this game…he was always the only one I couldn't win against…do I even stand a chance against him now?_

He closed his eyes as he tried to get a grip on the situation. _If I lose here…I'll lose my soul to him…and then, my friends…who will be left to protect them, if not me?_

"Oy, Kyo. Something on your mind?"

Kyo glared at Jan. "What would you care?"

"Shouldn't I?" Jan raised an eyebrow.

"Let me spell it out for you, since you seem to have forgotten," Kyo replied acidly. "You abandoned us, your family, and walked off to who knows where years ago. Then, only a few days ago, you attacked my girlfriend in her house and sent her to the hospital. And on top of that, you're affiliated with a bunch of psychos who've threatened harm to my best friend Yugo – yeah, why SHOULD you care?"

Jan looked at Kyo for a long moment. "I see…so Dad and Mom never did tell you the reason why I left all those years ago…"

"Shut it! I don't want to hear it!" shouted Kyo.

"Oh, but I think you do – and in fact, I think you _should,"_ said Jan, his voice taking a bitter overtone. "So, whether you want to listen or not, you'd better. Because…our parents, and especially our father, are not as much of saints as some people would like to make them out as."

"What the hell are you talking about?" demanded Kyo.

"Ah, now you're interested," said Jan. "Very well, then, I'll tell you.

"As you and I both know, when he was our age Dad possessed one of the Millennium Items, the Millennium Ring. However, it had been possessed by the spirit of an infamous tomb-robber from 3000 years ago, and that spirit…made Ryou Bakura do unspeakable things…things that would put a hardened criminal to shame. Even now, years after the Millennium Items were initially buried in that underground cavern, Dad never could get rid of the memory…he held a deep resentment that he'd been nothing more than a tool for a wicked spirit.

"And then, I was born, and then you came along years later, one after the other. As we grew, I began to notice something: Mom and Dad paid more attention to you, the baby of the family. I chalked it off at first to the general attention parents give to the younger children, because they're the ones that need nurturing…but as we grew older, their affection for you didn't change in the slightest, nor did the way in which they ignored me."

Up to this point Jan had been talking in a calm voice; but the expression on his face showed everything his tone did not. "And then…when I took a good look at myself in the mirror one day, I suddenly saw the near splitting image of the thing Dad hated most, staring back at me. I resembled that spirit he abhorred so much…and I knew so much of the family history, yet it never clicked until that one moment. And, at that point, I knew what I had to do.

"I hated Dad for practically casting me off just because of my resemblance to that thing he hated, but…I knew you and Mom were the only two reasons he didn't just get rid of me outright. I knew he wanted to do it; I could see it in his eyes every single time he looked at me, in those early years. Even if he didn't voice it or actually carry out the deed, the desire was there to…take out his own brand of revenge for the pains he suffered, on me, the scapegoat. So…I had to leave.

"I was young then; foolish, some might say; but I had a perfectly legitimate reason to go at that point. I had to, in order to preserve peace. And then…how ironic this may be…I found my anger at Dad transforming me into the embodiment of the very thing he'd always feared and hated. I began to lust after power, to be able to stand up against him, to pay him back for his unnecessary stigma." He looked intently at his brother. "Did you never find it strange that Dad always seemed to dislike me, to not want to have anything much to do with me? Did you not find it odd that Mom paid far more attention to you than she ever did to me?. Is it any wonder, then, that on that day when you chased after me, I was so full of bitterness toward them, yet I told you not to follow in my footsteps? Because I did not want you to know the hatred I felt…the anguish I carried around…the burning desire for payback I had…"

Kyo's body, by this time, was limp. "Jan…"

"You don't need to believe me if you don't wish to," said Jan, his eyebrows knitting furiously, "but know this: Every single thing I have told you up to now is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. And, know this as well. I hold no grudge against you for taking their affection…what I can't stand is the reason they showed barely any affection to me at all, especially Dad. It is for that that I want to make him feel the loneliness, the sorrow, the anger I felt because of his neglect of me all this time!"

Kyo looked down, not knowing what to say at all. _Now I understand…what an idiot I've been all this time…I thought only of how Jan shattered our family by his leaving, and yet…I never stopped to consider how he must've felt…how his own pain forced him to make a choice he never wanted to make…and then, he became…_

He shook his head, reached into his pocket and put his glasses back on. "Jan Bakura…As there is a God in heaven, I swear, I shall redeem you."

"Redeem me? What is there that is left to redeem, might I ask?" Jan asked, amused.

"The brother I once knew…he _is_ still inside what I see before me, somewhere," answered Kyo. "And if drawing him out means I must defeat you, then so be it."

With a grand flourish, Kyo drew his next card. "And now, I activate the Ritual magic card, Shinato's Ark!" he cried. "By offering monsters from my side of the field or my hand whose total Level stars equal 8 or more, I can Special Summon a being of great power! And so, I'll offer my Level 9 monster, Moisture Creature (ATK 2800, DEF 2900) from my hand to call forth – Shinato, King of a Higher Plane (ATK 3300, DEF 3000)!"

With that, Kyo played one card from his hand, sent the Moisture Creature monster to the Graveyard, and held up the third card. As Jan stared in shock, suddenly Shinato's Ark appeared on the field, light shining from inside as it opened…and a moment later, the king of all faeries appeared, a blue glow surrounding his entire being. At the same time, because of the activation of Shinato's Ark, the Tower of Babel got another Magic counter on it, so now it sported two.

Jan then shook his head. "Impressive, BUT…my Maju Garzett's ATK is 200 points higher than Shinato's! You'll need to do a little better than that if you want to defeat me!"

"Then how's this?" Kyo swiftly played the last card in his hand. "I'll equip Shinato with the Silver Bow and Arrow, to increase his ATK and DEF by 300 points each!"

Suddenly, Shinato found himself holding a gigantic bow with a shining arrow at the ready – and his ATK and DEF shot up to 3600 and 3300 respectively. "Take aim, Shinato! Destroy Maju Garzett!"

As another Magic counter went onto the Tower of Babel due to the activation of the Silver Bow and Arrow, Shinato drew the bowstring back, then released – out of nowhere – a hail of light arrows at the gruesome fiend. The arrows impaled Maju Garzett all over its body, knocking it dead and bringing Jan's life points down to 6400.

"Have that!" Kyo yelled in triumph.

"Okay…now things are starting to get a little more interesting," and Jan applauded. "Now, the real fight truly begins!"

Kyo's life points now stood at 3100, while Jan's were at 6400. Kyo had no cards left in his hand; Jan had two cards still in his hand. On the field Kyo had Shinato, King of a Higher Plane, equipped with the Silver Bow and Arrow, and the Tower of Babel trap card with three Magic counters on it; Jan now had absolutely nothing on the field.

As he drew his next card, Jan frowned. _This isn't good…now I'm in a serious predicament…if I can't find some way to get back in the game, I'm finished! But…_ He looked at the cards in his hand; then he looked at the field again. _He's got a strong monster on his side of the field…not to mention his Tower of Babel has three counters on it, and if I activate any Magic card now, that fourth counter will cause the tower's destruction and 3000 points of damage to my life points. What do I do…?_

"All right," he announced aloud. "I'll set one monster in Defense Mode, and end my turn."

"Wrong move!" Kyo declared, drawing another card. "Go, Shinato! Destroy his facedown monster!"

Shinato fired another volley of arrows at the facedown monster. Flipped face-up, it turned out to be the Warrior of Zera (ATK 1600, DEF 1600) – but as the monster was destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, several stray arrows from the Silver Bow and Arrow suddenly came down and hit Jan, reducing his life points to 4800! "Hey! What in the world…!" Jan shouted.

"That's the weakness of placing your monsters in Defense Mode when I have Shinato on the field," said Kyo, smiling broadly now. "When he destroys a Defense Mode and sends it to the Graveyard due to the battle, I can inflict damage to my opponent equal to the destroyed monster's original ATK!"

Jan sucked in air between his teeth. "This surely sucks, man," he groaned.

He drew another card, giving him a total of three. Then he glanced again at Kyo's Tower of Babel, clenching his fist in frustration. Then he made his decision.

"I activate the magic card Pot of Greed, to draw two more cards!"

Suddenly, as Jan drew his two new cards to give him a total of four, the fourth Magic counter went onto the Tower of Babel. Simultaneously, the tower exploded, sending showers of brick fragments flying everywhere – and Jan took 3000 points of damage, leaving him with 1800 life points!

"O-kaaaaay…I didn't really think you'd so willingly give up life points just like that," commented Kyo worriedly.

"I have my reasons for doing so," Jan told him. "Like this one! I'll summon a second Warrior of Zera to the field!"

Moments later another Warrior of Zera appeared on the field. Kyo frowned at this…and then slowly his eyebrows rose in surprise. "Oh, hell, no…don't tell me you plan to…!"

"See – we have a smart boy here!" Jan said mockingly. "All right! Now, I activate the field magic of Pandemonium!"

All at once, stone altars rose up around both of them as dark clouds gathered and lightning flashed from heaven. "And now…it's time for me to bring forth my terrible beast! I offer this Warrior of Zera as a tribute to call forth the mighty Mazera DeVille (ATK 2800, DEF 2300)!" And with a loud laugh, Jan played his card.

Warrior of Zera's bodily features changed once again, with the giant wings sprouting from out of his back and his face taking on a more devilish look…until his fiendish form was complete at last. "And, just to remind you," said Jan, "when I Special Summon Mazera DeVille successfully while Pandemonium is on the field, you must discard three random cards from your hand – and it looks like you've only got one card in your hand, so you have to get rid of it, as well!"

Cringing, Kyo discarded his only card to the Graveyard. Then Jan held up the one card left in his hand. "And lastly, I'll set this card facedown, and end my turn." Now he chuckled. "All of a sudden, I feel confident again that I will beat you."

Kyo looked him squarely in the eye as he drew another card. "You're turning this holy place into a devil's playground," he said curtly. "But how long do you think it'll last?"

"For as long as necessary – and why not?" said Jan.

"I'll show you why not! Shinato, King of a Higher Plane, wipe out his Mazera DeVille right now!" Kyo commanded. And again Shinato let loose with the Silver Bow and Arrow, firing a volley of arrows down at the fiend.

But suddenly Jan laughed again. "Not! I activate my trap card, Bark of Dark Ruler! When a Fiend-type monster on my side of the field is involved in a battle this card allows me to pay any multiple of 100 life points to decrease the ATK and DEF of my opponent's monster till the end of this turn – and I'm gonna pay a full 1000 points to decrease the ATK and DEF of Shinato by the same amount!"

Suddenly, as Jan's trap card was flipped face-up and his life points went down to 800, from the card shot a ball of sonic power so strong, it hit Shinato with a mighty SMACK. Shinato's ATK and DEF went down to 2600 and 2300 almost immediately – and at the same time Mazera DeVille retaliated, dodging arrows as he rushed in, slicing Shinato's head off with one of his wings and reducing Kyo's life points to 2900!

"Nuts!" Kyo exclaimed.

"So, do you end your turn now?" Jan needled him.

Kyo looked at the card he'd drawn before and cursed mentally – he couldn't use it now. "All right, fine. I end my turn."

Now the duel's stats were shown thus: Kyo had 2900 life points, and Jan had a low 800. Kyo now held one card in his hand; Jan had none. On the field Jan had Mazera DeVille poised to fight, plus he had the Pandemonium field magic card active; Kyo, on the other hand, had absolutely nothing on the field.

"It's a total reversal of our stats now, isn't it?" Jan mocked Kyo as he drew his next card. "You may have more life points than me, but now you have nothing on the field and I have a mighty monster ready to attack, when previously it was the other way around! Now what shall I do…oh, I know! Mazera DeVille, attack directly!"

Mazera DeVille dashed forward and slahed at Kyo with his wing; Kyo got thrown back heavily as his life points swiftly shot down to a mere 100. "You're just lucky I wasn't able to summon another monster just now," Jan sneered, "but next turn, I'll have my Mazera DeVille carve you up like a Christmas turkey, and then it'll be all over for you!"

Kyo struggled to get to his feet. "Listen here…I said I was gonna redeem my brother from the monster that stands before me…and that's what I aim to do! And absolutely nothing you do or say to me is going to make me change my mind now!"

"But what chance do you have, huh?" Jan demanded. "There's no chance for you to defeat me now, is there? Nope!"

Kyo wiped a sleeve across his mouth. _Okay…this is it…everything rests with this next draw…_ He closed his eyes as he prepared to draw. _My faithful deck…don't let me down now…I beg you!_

Then he drew.

Jan looked at him expectantly. "Well?"

Slowly Kyo opened his eyes and looked at the card he'd drawn. And slowly a smile spread across his face. "Dear _brother,"_ said he, "where's there's faith and life, there's hope! And I'm gonna show you exactly what I mean!" Then he held up his drawn card. "I activate Pot of Greed to draw two cards!"

Jan raised an eyebrow. "Okay, so you've done that…so?"

Kyo drew his two cards – and his face lit up in genuine surprise when he saw what the two new cards were. "Now, would you look at that! All right, Jan – prepare for the biggest shock of your life!"

Swiftly Kyo held up one card. "And now…it's time for me to give blessings to this cursed place! Shine from heaven, my Sanctuary in the Sky!"

Jan jerked at that. "WHAT!"

Suddenly, a bright light poured down from the clouds above, dispelling the darkness. Mazera DeVille put up his wings to shield himself as the familiar floating castle appeared. Then Kyo held up the second card. "And now…I summon my own Warrior of Zera!"

Soon Kyo's Warrior of Zera appeared on the field, sword at the ready. Jan frowned when he saw the monster…and then it dawned on him. "It…can't…be…"

"But it is! Now, I offer my Warrior of Zera as a tribute to Special Summon the pride and joy of my deck – come to the field, my Archlord Zerato (ATK 2800, DEF 2300)!" Kyo cried.

The light from the Sanctuary in the Sky took up the Warrior of Zera, even as Jan watched in disbelief. Then, as the warrior entered the castle, an even brighter light shone from it – and then the powerful Archlord Zerato appeared, his angelic wings spread forth and his sword by his side. Slowly he descended to the field, then turned to face his devilish counterpart on Jan's side.

"Impossible! There's no way you could've gotten just the right cards at the right moment! It's too coincidental!" Jan exploded.

"Well, guess what? It did happen, whether you like it or not," Kyo informed him.

Suddenly Jan laughed yet again. "Well, it doesn't matter how you did it," he said. "Both of our monsters are at a stalemate now; if they were to clash, neither one would win. And somehow I don't believe either of us can risk losing such powerful monsters from the field, now, can we?"

"Then it's become a waiting game," said Kyo. "But which side will win now: the side of light, or the side of darkness?"

"That…is for this duel to decide!" replied Jan. And he prepared to draw his next card…

----------

**_neomage:_** The rematch between Jan and Kyo is about to come down to the last leg of the duel! What will happen next?

UPDATED 09/04/2006: Replaced the Monster Reborn card used in this chapter. It had been used in the previous chapter, and I couldn't account for it reappearing in this chapter again. Sorry about that, everyone…


	109. Chapter 109

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: The mighty Takahashi-sama is the rightful owner of everything that is Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**CHAPTER 109**

PHARAOH'S LAIR

Jenna walked about the hallway, looking around. Then she spotted Miki and Miriam, coming down from upstairs on the roof. "Have either of you seen Honey?" she asked them.

"Oh…" Miki's face was thoughtful. "Last I saw of her, she was in one of the other rooms, where we moved Raven and Wade."

Jenna sighed. "I see. Well, thanks."

The gang had been placed in six separate rooms when they first arrived at the Pharaoh's Lair, and one of those rooms was the one now holding the unconscious JUDAS lackeys. Jenna headed to another of the six rooms, across the hall from the first, and paused. _Should I go in?_

For a moment she deliberated with herself. Then her curiosity overcame her earlier apprehension, and she knocked.

"Come in," she heard Honey's voice say.

Jenna pushed the door open…and a very melancholic scene appeared before her eyes. On two of the three beds in the room, Wade and Raven had been placed. Sitting by Raven's bedside was Honey. She was just sitting there, looking down at her brother's face.

Jenna looked very sadly at Honey. "I'm sorry…"

Honey didn't look up or even turn around. When she spoke, though, it was with some strain. "No, Jenna, don't apologize. You have nothing to apologize for…nor do any of the others. No…it's those damn people in JUDAS…they're the ones who owe me an apology…me and everyone else who they've made suffer because of their stupid ambitions."

In the darkness of the room, Jenna could only partially see Honey's face; and on her face was absolutely no expression of emotion. She didn't even seem to have any tears in her eyes. Jenna ventured to ask, "So, um…you've been here ever since we got back?"

"Yep. Marcus was the one who showed me where they'd moved Raven and Wade." Again Honey's voice sounded strained, though her face didn't show this at all. "I wonder, though, Jenna…what the hell can possess a bunch of people so much that they can cause suffering to others without batting an eye? And even more than that…what can cause a bunch of people to take advantage of the suffering of even those within their ranks? For even the lackeys aren't to blame for what they do…I know that much. No…it's the higher-ups in the gang who're responsible…they need to be taught a lesson."

Jenna didn't say anything, just waited for the other girl to continue.

"This Keisuke Odachi person…what kind of sick bastard can he be, to manipulate people the way he does without remorse?" Honey spoke on, her voice becoming razor-edged. "To take people's souls…for what purpose? I don't know…but I know this much. I'm going to take revenge for every single person he's made suffer because of his selfish ways. When I see him…" and here she turned her face to Jenna, her eyes like blazing coals. "…I'm going to peel his face off and hang him by his own vocal cords. Count on it."

But looking in Honey's eyes, Jenna could see the truth lingering there. She crossed over to her friend and gently embraced her, pulling the other girl's head to her. "It's all right, Honey," she whispered softly. "It's all right…we'll save Raven, and Wade, and Jillian, and everybody else…we'll do it, you'll see."

Honey seemed unresponsive for a moment. Then, after a very long minute, she began to sob, tightly wrapping her arms around Jenna's waist. "I want him back…I want my brother back…give him back…" she whimpered weakly.

"Shhh, shhh, shhh…it'll be okay, Honey…we'll save him…we'll save all of them…" Jenna whispered in reply, gently rubbing Honey's head in sympathy.

----------

A CHURCH IN CAIRO

Meanwhile, back on the roof of the church, Kyo now held on with 100 life points, while Jan still had 800. Kyo had no cards left in his hand; Jan still had one. On the field Jan had Mazera DeVille in Attack Mode; Kyo had Archlord Zerato ready to do battle, while the Sanctuary in the Sky illuminated the entire field.

Jan quickly drew another card. His eyes lit up when he saw what it was. _Perfect! I know just how I can use this card! But…_ "I'll end my turn for now."

Kyo raised an eyebrow as he drew his next card. "Hmmm…this is rather interesting. All right – I end my turn for now."

Jan chuckled as he drew another card, giving him three in all. "Now, then…I activate my magic card, Giant Trunade! This will return every Magic and trap card on the field to their respective owners' hand…and the only magic card on the field is the Sanctuary in the Sky, it'll be sent back to your hand!"

Kyo flinched as the giant hurricane suddenly appeared and blew away the Sanctuary, and he took the card back into his hand so he now had two in all. "And that served…what purpose, exactly? Even without the Sanctuary in the Sky, my Archlord Zerato is strong enough to stand up to your Mazera DeVille!"

Jan smirked. "But how long will YOU stand before ME?"

Kyo frowned even more deeply than before. _All right…something about his face just now…I don't trust it. So…_

But Jan wasn't done. "And to ensure that you don't replay the Sanctuary in the Sky, I'll activate another magic card, Card Destruction! This will force both of us to discard our entire hands and draw cards equal to the same number we discarded!"

Kyo scowled as he discarded his two cards and drew two more; and Jan merely smiled as he discarded his last remaining card and drew another. Then Jan, looking at the card he'd drawn, smiled even more widely.

"And now…I'll kindly remove three Fiend-type monsters in my Graveyard from play to Special Summon something extremely terrible to the field!" Jan announced. "Come forth, my Dark Necrofear (ATK 2200, DEF 2800) – in Attack mode!"

Suddenly, as Terrorking Archfiend, Infernalqueen Archfiend and Maju Garzett were removed from play, there appeared on the field in a cloud of black smoke a blue-skinned woman holding what appeared to be a baby in her arms. Kyo's eyes widened in astonishment when he saw her. "Huh? I've never seen this monster before!"

"You wouldn't have – I never used it in our previous duel," Jan admitted. "But why don't you just try attacking her, if you think you're bad? Come on – I dare you!"

_Hmmm…this does present an opportunity to bring down his life points some more, but…_ Kyo contemplated as he drew another card. _Just to be safe…_ "I'll activate this magic card, Swords of Revealing Light, to stop your monsters for your next three turns!"

Three swords of light shot down from the sky and embedded themselves on Jan's side of the field. "And this serves no purpose, as far as I'm concerned," Jan said boredly. "But…well, whatever."

Kyo's mouth was set in a grim line. "And now…time to make more of an impression on your life points! Archlord Zerato, destroy Dark Necrofear!"

Archlord Zerato unsheathed his sword and cut Dark Necrofear cleanly in two…and Jan's life points went down to 200. But instead of being fazed, he merely smirked wider. "And now…everything is set."

Kyo's eyes widened at this. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"You'll see," said Jan mysteriously.

Kyo furrowed his eyebrows. "All right…now I end my turn."

Suddenly, a sinister black shadow emerged form the ground behind Archlord Zerato – and to Kyo's shock, Dark Necrofear reappeared, grabbing the Archlord around the neck and dragging him to Jan's side of the field! "Hey! What in the world gives!" Kyo demanded loudly.

"It's Dark Necrofear's effect, little brother," said Jan, pleased. "When she is destroyed in battle, during the End Phase of that same turn she is treated as an Equip Magic card, and equipped to one of my opponent's monsters. And…as long as that monster is equipped with Dark Necrofear, I control that monster!"

Kyo cursed himself mentally. "You really WANTED me to attack Dark Necrofear, to the point where you were willing to give up life points in order to fulfill your goal!" he stormed.

"Quite right!" said Jan. "Just like back in our childhood…I always used to string you around, remember? And then, just when you thought you were going to win, I came in for the kill. This time, it's no different."

Now Jan drew another card. "Since the Swords of Revealing Light prevent me from attacking you, I can only end my turn now," he sighed. "But please understand this, Kyo…you will fall." And then one of the Swords disappeared.

Kyo shook his head. "No…I can't lose. Not here, not to you."

Then he drew his next card, giving him a total of three once again – and his eyes widened in astonishment when he saw what it was. _Whoa! It's THAT card! But I need the other one to make it work now…_ "I'll end my turn."

Jan drew his next card, so now he had two in his hand. "All right…I'll set this card facedown, and end my turn."

The second sword of light disappeared, and Kyo gritted his teeth. _Only one turn left till the last Sword of Revealing Light disappears…I need to get that card I need to complete this combo, or else…_

Silently he placed his hand over his deck. _The heart of the cards…that helped Yugo out so many times before…can it work now, for an unworthy one such as me…? Heart of the cards, please give me strength!_

Then he drew his card. And as he looked at it, he chuckled. "Well, bro…looks like this is the end of the duel now."

"And how do you know that?" queried Jan, puzzled.

"Just watch me! Now, I summoned Winged Kuriboh (ATK 300, DEF 200) to the field!" And he summoned a Kuriboh with angel wings and a halo.

Jan took one look and burst out laughing. "WAH, HA, HA, HA, HA! THAT is your salvation? PLEASE!"

"But I'm not done yet," continued Kyo. "Now, I'll set one more card facedown, and end my turn."

Jan drew another card. "Well, let's see how you like this – the moment when I crush you with your own Archlord Zerato!" he snapped. "First, I'll use my magic card, Mystical Space Typhoon, to destroy your Swords of Revealing Light and free my monsters!"

A mighty whirlwind destroyed the last remaining sword of light; Kyo had to put up his arms to block against the force of the whirlwind. Then Jan continued, "Now, I activate my facedown trap card, Rising Energy! By discarding one card from my hand, I can increase the ATK of one monster on my side of the field by 1500 till the end of the turn…and this will be the last turn for you! Now, Rising Energy, increase the ATK of the Archlord Zerato!"

Then, even as Dark Necrofear held on tightly t Archlord Zerato, the mighty angel's ATK rose sharply to 4300! "Now, see just how loyal your angel really is! Destroy Kyo and put an end to this fight!" Jan ordered.

But as Archlord Zerato raised his sword and prepared to strike – "NOT SO FAST, ASSHOLE!" Kyo exploded. "I activate my facedown Quick-Play magic card, Transcendent Wings! Now, I can send my Winged Kuriboh on the field and these two cards in my hand to the Graveyard to Special Summon from my deck a little secret weapon – Winged Kuriboh Lv. 10 (ATK 300, DEF 200)!"

Suddenly, as Kyo discarded the two remaining cards from his hand, Winged Kuriboh began to glow a bright white, so bright that all the monsters on Jan's side of the field shielded themselves from its brightness. "What in the heck is going on?" Jan cried, bewildered, as he put up his arms to shield his eyes from the brightness.

Then, by and by, the light subsided. Jan managed to peek up…and he stared in utter awe. "No way…"

Over on Kyo's side of the field was a creature with massive white wings. It had a half-feathery, half-leathery body, and a very long tail. Its chest appeared to resemble the Winged Kuriboh that it was previously. From its entire being shone great light, but now it wasn't so bright that one couldn't look at it. "This," said Kyo calmly, "was a little present from Dad before I came to Cairo. And this is the monster that will seal your defeat."

But Jan looked at the new creature's stats and shook his head. "You must've lost your sanity along with your life points in this duel," he remarked. "All right – I'll put you out of your misery now! Archlord Zerato, finish him now!"

Suddenly, Winged Kuriboh Lv. 10 began to glow an even brighter light than before. "During your Battle Phase," Kyo's voice came through to Jan, "I can tribute Winged Kuriboh Lv. 10 to destroy every single Attack Mode monster on your side of the field and inflict damage equal to those monsters' combined original ATK."

Jan's triumphant smirk disappeared instantaneously – and his face was white. "Oh, holy friggin' shit…!"

"Now, my creature – do it now!" Kyo cried. And Winged Kuriboh Lv. 10 suddenly exploded in a shower of burning sparks – sparks that incinerated everything on Jan's side of the field, and even Jan himself. He screamed as the sparks poured all over his body, and the heat was so intense that he was flung back as his life points dropped to 0.

Kyo looked at his Archlord Zerato, consumed by the fire. "Forgive me," he whispered…and Archlord Zerato responded by bowing respectfully to his master before disappearing altogether.

"Oh, damn – HELP ME!"

Kyo's attention came back to reality even as the holograms disappeared. "Jan?"

"HELP!"

At once Kyo realized where the screams were coming from – the edge of the roof! "Jan, hang on!" he cried as he dashed to the edge and peered over.

Hanging from the edge, literally by his fingertips, was Jan. "Brother…help me, I beg you!" he called out.

Instinctively Kyo bent down to stretch forth his hand – and suddenly stopped. "How do I know you won't pull me over the edge instead?" he asked suspiciously.

"What the hell kind of good would that do me? If I did that, both of us would be dead instead of just me if you don't HELP ME NOW!" Jan yelled indignantly.

Kyo frowned – and made his decision. Swiftly reaching his arm forth, he grabbed Jan's collar, roughly dragging him back up and over the edge to safety. "Come on up!" he grunted as he pulled Jan up.

Both brothers lay there, panting heavily from the adrenaline that had just rushed through them in those split seconds. "Shit…right there, I swear I saw my entire life flash before my eyes," Jan breathed.

Kyo panted from the exertion of pulling Jan's heavier weight out of danger. "How…did you know I wasn't going to drop you?" he asked.

Jan shook his head. "I didn't," he admitted. "I had to place all my trust in you in that one moment."

They didn't say anything for a long moment. Then Kyo, still on his back, looked across at Jan. "But, my God…I never thought that the Winged Kuriboh's potential could be so deadly," he confessed.

"You didn't know?" Jan looked at him, surprised. "Because of that tiny thing, I nearly lost my life here!"

"Yeah…" Kyo shuddered inwardly at the thought that, inadvertently, he'd almost killed his own brother.

Again a moment of silence passed. Then Kyo suddenly remembered something. "Jan…"

"What now?"

"When I came here…the priest told me that you were downstairs, praying at the altar. Just what did you say to God?"

Jan chuckled. "You really want to know that?"

"Why else would I ask?"

Jan sighed. "Well…all right. I said to God that, considering the stuff I've done since joining JUDAS, my sins are way too big to be forgiven…but…if He could prove me wrong, I said, then perhaps He could show me a miracle or something…I'd almost forgotten what a miracle really is when I was praying…" He closed his eyes. "And I also said…that if I won this duel, that He could punish me in any way He wished in His own time…but if I lost…maybe, He could redeem me…bring me back on the straight and narrow…or at least show me the path…"

Kyo smiled. "I see."

Again another moment of silence passed. Then Jan sighed a heavy sigh. "Kid…I know it's late for apologies, but…I'm sorry I made you guys worry about me so much when I left."

"Forget it," Kyo sighed. "What's done is done, and can't be undone."

"But at least I can make amends for it," said Jan, sitting up. "By telling you a little something about the leader of JUDAS."

Kyo's ears perked up at that. "First tell me. Is his name Keisuke Odachi?"

Jan looked a little surprised. Then he smirked. "I myself don't really know his real name – we lesser lackeys were never allowed to address him as anything but 'Master.' But I will tell you this: The one time I've seen him put on a Duel-Disk…that was probably the one time I was ever afraid of anybody. Because…he's packing some really crazy power in his deck. Something ancient…legendary…something I doubt anybody in this lifetime's ever seen before. Anybody who duels that guy is bound to lose, as long as he's got that power on him."

"Yes, the Master does have great power."

Both boys started at the new voice. Jan's eyes widened in amazement. "Miss Judith!"

Standing a few feet away was Judith Skye, in her yellow robe, the Millennium Necklace around her neck shining brightly. "I was observing your duel from a distance," she said. "You put on a good show, Jan, but you lost. And you know the Master will not forgive failure."

Kyo gritted his teeth. With a sudden rush of energy, he stood up and positioned himself between Jan and Judith. **_"NO!"_** he roared. "I won't let you take his soul! You'll have to go through me first!"

Judith gave him a long look. "Who said I was going to take his soul?"

Kyo stared blankly at her. "Huh? But – that's what you guys do!"

Judith shrugged. "No doubt, you have seen the work of my colleagues," she remarked. "But I have no intention of taking anybody's soul now, nor do I have the interest anyway. I am here, though, to give you a warning."

"A warning? What're you talking about?" Kyo asked.

The Millennium Necklace flashed again. "Three of my colleagues are presently at the Pharaoh's Lair Hotel, ready to strike," said Judith calmly. "If you would save your friends, then I would strongly recommend you head back to them now."

Kyo narrowed his eyes. "How do I know what you say is true?"

"Don't doubt her, Kyo," Jan spoke up. "When her Millennium Necklace gives her a prediction, it's nearly always correct. Your friends may very well be in grave danger – I'd hurry back if I were you." He chuckled. "Don't worry about me…I'll be all right."

Kyo looked at him and nodded. "Yeah…all right." Then he gave Judith a wary glance as he headed for the doorway to go back inside.

Judith watched as Kyo left. "Hopefully he will make it in time," she said softly. Then she looked at Jan. "Can you stand?"

"I'm fine, Miss Judith," said Jan, slowly standing up. "But even I am curious. Why would you help the enemy?"

"I'm not helping the enemy, per se," replied Judith. "I'm merely doing what I believe is the right thing. Now, you come with me…for we have some business to attend to."

----------

**_neomage:_** WTF? Why on earth did Judith, a high-ranking member of JUDAS and a bearer of a Millennium Item, actually help Kyo just now? And what about the others back at the Pharaoh's Lair – what's gonna happen? Keep reading, everyone!


	110. Chapter 110

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: For the hundredth and tenth time, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! I wish I did, though…)

**CHAPTER 110**

PHARAOH'S LAIR

Jenna emerged from one hotel room, yawning loudly. "Geez, I'm so tired," she sighed.

Then she became aware of Marcus leaning on the wall, arms folded, a grim look on his face. "Oh, hey, you," she greeted him. "Where's everybody?"

"Malachi and his crew already went to bed, and so did Shigeo and Blaze," reported Marcus. "Shouldn't you be sleeping, as well?"

"Yeah…I suppose I should…Miki and Honey have already turned in…" Jenna nodded. "Honey's really taking it badly, you know…the fact that Raven's soul has been stolen…even though she won't really say anything. She wants to be strong, but I'm scared for her…she might crack under the pressure if she's bent too much."

"Well, don't worry too much about it," said Marcus. "You just go to bed. I'll stay up and keep watch, in case those little piss-heads try anything."

"What time is it, by the way? I know Kyo went out earlier, but shouldn't he be back by now?" Jenna wondered.

"It's 8:50 now," said Marcus, looking at his watch. "He can handle himself. Just go to sleep, that's all you should do. Let me do the worrying for now."

"All right." Jenna turned to go; then she paused. "Hey, Marcus…"

"What?"

Jenna looked back briefly. "You don't need to worry. We'll save Flora, for sure." And she went back inside her room. Marcus merely shrugged and continued his sentry duty.

----------

MARIK ISHTAR'S HOUSE, TEN MINUTES LATER

"Hey. Wake up, you."

Seta nudged Yugo with his boot; but the blond-haired boy didn't move so much as an inch. Seta sighed and tried another tactic. "Look, is that a Burger King truck I see passing?" he asked, pantomiming that he was really seeing said truck.

That did the trick – Yugo jumped up, instantly awake. "WHAT? WHERE?" he screamed, looking about expectantly.

Seta could barely hide his grin. "Looks like I was right – food is definitely your alarm to wake you up."

Yugo turned slowly and glared at Seta. "I…am gonna rip your ears off!" he raged. "How dare you use such a cheap trick!"

"It woke you up, didn't it?" Seta cracked, laughing openly now.

"Gentlemen, at attention!" Mr. Ishtar's voice came through to them. "It's time for the second test to begin!"

Seta and Yugo instantly became attentive. "All right…what does the second test entail, sir?" asked Yugo.

Mr. Ishtar walked up to them and handed them two new decks, wrapped in plastic like in the first test. "The second test, boys," he said to them, "will force you to bring out your thinking-on-your-feet potential, by placing you in a very awkward situation. These decks, you see, have a very special quirk about them – all of the cards in them are Normal Monster cards. No Magic cards, no Trap cards – not even any Effect monsters. Just pure, plain, simple Normal monsters."

Seta and Yugo stared at him. "You're kidding, right?" asked Seta.

"No, I'm not." Mr. Ishtar was grave. "Back in the days of Egypt 3000 years ago, long before the technology of today was available, the duelists of back then commanded the power of real monsters, and with these they did battle. You will be placed in almost the same situation, except you will actually be able to gauge your monsters' respective attack power and defensive capabilities with their ATK and DEF points."

Yugo frowned. "So, this test will teach us how to understand and work with our monsters' different strengths and weaknesses with raw offense and defense," he said thoughtfully.

"Yes," said Mr. Ishtar. "And now, step up to the dueling platform so we may begin!"

Seta and Yugo went back to their earlier places on the duelist platform stations. At once Mr. Ishtar activated the Black and Gray Holograms again. "Ready yourselves and…begin!" he cried.

----------

DUEL 1: Seta vs. Black Hologram

"Welcome back, Seta Kaiba," said Black Hologram, setting its deck in the slot on the platform. "Prepare to duel!"

Seta smirked. "Let's do this!"

The holographic coin was flipped. "I call heads!" Seta cried.

But when the coin landed…it was tails. "I shall go first," said Black Hologram, much to Seta's annoyance.

Both drew their first five cards; then Black Hologram drew its sixth. "I shall set one monster in Defense Mode, one card facedown, and end my turn," it spoke up, playing its cards.

Seta cast a troubled glance at his cards as he drew from his deck. _Shit…it's just as Uncle Marik said – all of these cards are monster cards – and NORMAL monster cards at that! The only good thing is, I've got monsters of all different levels and types in my hand, and possibly in my deck, too. So…let's do this!_

"I'll set one monster facedown…" said Seta, placing the card facedown.

"Wait!" said Black Hologram. "I activate my trap card, Shadow of Eyes! When you Set a monster in Defense Mode, this card automatically flips it face-up in Attack Mode…and if the monster has a flip effect, that effect is not applied."

"Crap!" Seta grunted as his monster was forcefully flipped into face-up Attack Mode and revealed to be the Mystical Elf (ATK 800, DEF 2000), a blue-skinned spellcaster in a beautiful gown. "Well…fine. I'll end my turn, then."

Black Hologram drew another card. "Now, I shall flip summon my facedown monster," and it flipped the card up, revealing a basket with a venomous snake hissing out of its opening at Seta. "This is my Cobra Jar (ATK 600, DEF 300)…when flipped face-up, its effect allows me to Special Summon one Poisonous Snake Token (ATK 1200, DEF 1200) to the field."

A token with a snake insignia on its face appeared on Black Hologram's side of the field. Seta shook his head when he saw it. "Whoop-de-do, good for you," he muttered sarcastically.

But then Black Hologram held up another card. "And now, I offer Cobra Jar and the Poisonous Snake Token to summon my powerful Mechanical Hound (ATK 2800, DEF 1500)!" And as both the monster and the token disappeared, in their place stood a cybernetic dog that snarled with real menace!

"You're kidding!" Seta cried.

At Black Hologram's command, Mechanical Hound rushed up and sank its canines into Mystical Elf's neck, sending blood spurting everywhere and reducing Seta's life points to 6000 in the process. "And now, I end my turn," said Black Hologram casually.

_This is utterly bogus! _Seta's mind screamed. _How am I supposed to win this duel if the only cards I have are monsters that don't even have any effects?_

Then in the next instant he closed his eyes and hung his head, locked in concentration. _Calm down, Seta…calm down…think! There must be a way for you to get through this…you just have to look for the opportunity!_

He drew his next card, so now he had six in his hand again. _Right now, the only thing I can do is keep setting monsters in Defense Mode, and keep waiting for that opportunity…_ "I'll set another monster in Defense Mode, and end my turn."

Black Hologram drew its next card, so it held five in hand. "I shall also set one monster facedown, and one more card facedown," it spoke up. "Then, I shall equip the Mechanical Hound with the magic card 7 Completed, and increase its ATK by 700 points!" And suddenly Mechanical Hound's ATK shot up to 3500! "Now, destroy the facedown monster!"

Mechanical Hound's teeth ripped into the facedown monster, revealed to be the Elemental Hero Avian (ATK 1000, DEF 1000). "Now, I shall end my turn," Black Hologram stated simply.

Seta drew yet another card; then he eyed the facedown monster on Black Hologram's side of the field. _Should I take a chance and see what that card is? The worst thing that could happen is that I lose life points…_ "I summon Gagagigo (ATK 1850, DEF 1000) in Attack Mode!" And he summoned a lizard fighter to the field. "Attack and reveal that facedown monster!"

Gagagigo rushed forward, using its tail to flip over the facedown monster – but to Seta's chagrin, it turned out to be the Ceremonial Bell (ATK 0, DEF 1850), a massive bell in a makeshift bell-tower; and because the bell's DEF was the same as the lizard's ATK, it wasn't destroyed. "You have revealed my Ceremonial Bell," observed Black Hologram. "As long as it remains face-up on the field, both players must show their respective hands."

Seta flinched on hearing this. "Careless, careless, careless!" he muttered as he showed his five cards in hand to his holographic opponent – Charcoal Inpachi (ATK 100, DEF 2100), Soitsu (ATK 0, DEF 0), Jerry Beans Man (ATK 1750, DEF 0), Twin-Headed Fire Dragon (ATK 2200, DEF 1700), and Seiyaryu (ATK 2500, DEF 2300). Black Hologram, on the other hand, had the trap card Mirror Wall and the monster card Cyber Jar (ATK 900, DEF 900).

Now Black Hologram took its turn again. "I activate the magic card, Exchange! Now, we will look at each other's hands, select one card from each other's hands, and exchange them with each other. When those cards are sent to the Graveyard, they go to the Graveyard of the original owner."

Scowling massively, Seta held up his cards, as did Black Hologram with an emotionless expression – and suddenly, looking at his opponent's hand, Seta's brain clicked. _Wait…THAT'S IT!_

"I will take your Cyber Jar!"

Black Hologram didn't express any surprise. "And I shall take your Twin-Headed Fire Dragon," it replied. With that said, Seta walked up to his holographic opponent, and the two exchanged cards. Then Seta walked back to his side of the field.

"Now, I shall offer the Ceremonial Bell as a tribute to summon the Twin-Headed Fire Dragon to the field!" And as the giant bell disappeared, a giant red dragon with two heads, breathing fire and smoke, appeared on the field – and because the Ceremonial Bell was now gone, both players hid their hands again.

"Then, I shall set this card facedown," went on Black Hologram, setting its last card facedown, "and activate my trap card, Fire Darts! I could activate this card only when I had no cards in hand…and now, I shall roll a die three times, and inflict damage to your life points equal to the total result of the die rolls times 100 points!"

"Oh, holy crap!" Seta hissed.

Suddenly, as the card was flipped face-up, three dice appeared on Black Hologram's side of the field and were rolled. Then, they landed…and their results were 5, 3 and 4. "The total result is 12…multiplied by 100, that equals 1200 points of damage to you!" announced Black Hologram – and just at that moment fiery darts shot out of the trap card and hit Seta, damaging him and reducing him to 4800!

"And now, time to attack!" announced Black Hologram. "Twin-Headed Fire Dragon, burn Gagagigo!" And the Twin-Headed Fire Dragon did just that – blowing a wave of flame at the lizard, roasting it to a crisp and reducing Seta's life points to 4450. Then – "Mechanical Hound, attack directly!" And the Mechanical Hound lunged forward with a very painful bite to Seta's arm that sharply lowered him to 950 life points!

"OUCH!" Seta screamed, clutching his now bleeding arm. "Damn…this sucks royally!"

"And now, I end my turn," said Black Hologram casually.

Grimacing in pain, Seta drew another card. "All right…time for payback!" he raged. "I'll set this monster in Defense Mode, and that's all for now!"

Again Black Hologram drew its card. "Now, I shall bring an end to this duel!" it said. "Mechanical Hound, attack that facedown monster and end it!"

Mechanical Hound sank its teeth into the facedown monster – but when it was flipped, it turned out to be the Cyber Jar! "When flipped face-up," said Seta, smirking in spite of his pain, "its flip effect destroys every monster on the field…and then, we both get to pick up cards from the top of our respective decks and show them to each other. If they are Level 4 or lower monsters, they're Special Summoned to the field in face-up Attack Mode or facedown Defense Mode…and any other cards are added to our hands. So, let's do this!"

With a flourish, they both drew their respective cards. Black Hologram drew the trap card Magical Explosion, the monster card Elemental Hero Bladedge (ATK 2600, DEF 1800), the magic cards Pot of Avarice and Armed Changer, and the monster card Mind on Air (ATK 1000, DEF 1600); all of these cards were added to its hand. The cards Seta drew were all monster cards, of course – Dark Blade (ATK 1800, DEF 1500), Elemental Hero Sparkman (ATK 1600, DEF 1400), Blade Skater (ATK 1400, DEF 1500), V-Tiger Jet (ATK 1600, DEF 1800), and – to Seta's utter surprise – Blue-Eyes White Dragon (ATK 3000, DEF 2500); and the first four cards were all Special Summoned in Attack Mode to his side of the field.

Black Hologram's expression still remained emotionless. "I end my turn."

Now Seta drew his next card, and smiled broadly. "And now, time to end this!" he announced. "For I'll summon another monster – Harpie's Brother (ATK 1800, DEF 600) in Attack Mode!"

A moment later a hawk-man creature with red wings emerged on the field. But suddenly Black Hologram called out, "I activate the trap card, Mirror Wall! This card halves the ATK of all your attacking monsters as long as it stays on the field." And suddenly a mirror-like barrier appeared on Black Hologram's side of the field!

"Oh, for heaven's sake!" Seta cried out. "I won't let you win! Go, my monsters – attack!"

Mirror Wall's effect halved the ATK of all of Seta's monsters, but they charged, anyway. Dark Blade and Blade Skater both slashed at Black Hologram; Elemental Hero Sparkman shot a blast of lightning at the opponent; V-Tiger Jet fired missiles; and Harpie's Brother lashed out with his massive wing. But because their ATK points were all halved, the total damage the Black Hologram got was only 4100, leaving it with 3900 life points.

"Damn…if it wasn't for that damn Mirror Wall…I'd have won already…" Seta cursed.

Black Hologram drew another card, giving it a total of seven – and suddenly its life points went down to 1900! "Mirror Wall requires a cost of 2000 life points to maintain it during each of my Standby Phases," it explained. "If I cannot pay the cost, Mirror Wall will be destroyed."

Seta's eyes narrowed as he absorbed this information. "Hmmm…"

"Now," continued Black Hologram, "I shall set one monster in Defense Mode, and end my turn."

Seta frowned some more. _Can't risk attacking…especially with my life points as low as they are now…if that thing turns out to have a high DEF, I'm done for if I attack – especially since that Mirror Wall's halving all of my monster's ATK! But…_

Then he drew his next card – and he smiled immensely when he saw what it was. "Okay…I'll offer Elemental Hero Sparkman as a tribute to set one monster in Defense Mode…then, I'll shift my other monsters into Defense Mode…and that's all for the time being."

Again Black Hologram drew its card – and because it didn't have enough life points to pay for the Mirror Wall, the barrier disappeared. "Now…I'll offer my monster as a tribute to summon Inferno Hammer (ATK 2400, DEF 0)!" And then it brought forth a fiend wielding a big hammer, with a large red body and a skull for a head. "Destroy his facedown monster!"

But as Inferno Hammer raised his huge weapon and brought it crashing down – suddenly a massive backlash sent it flying back, and Black Hologram lost 600 life points, leaving it with 1300!

The facedown monster was revealed – it was actually the Millennium Shield (ATK 0, DEF 3000), a mighty shield with a curious eye design in the middle. "Very powerful defense, if I do say so myself," said Seta, smirking.

"Very well. I end my turn," said Black Hologram.

Then Seta drew yet another card. "And now, time to win this!" he announced. "I'll shift Dark Blade back into Attack Mode, then I'll offer Blade Skater and Harpie's Brother to summon my mighty Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

A moment later the legendary dragon appeared, roaring its fury. "Now, destroy Inferno Hammer! White Lightning Attack!" Seta ordered…and the Blue-Eyes complied, firing a blast that decimated Inferno Hammer and reduced Black Hologram's life points to 700. Then – "Dark Blade, finish it now!" And Dark Blade attacked directly, slashing downward with his swords and bringing Black Hologram to 0.

"Well done, Seta Kaiba. You have passed the second test," Black Hologram, and then it disappeared.

"Whew…" Seta sighed. "Wonder how Yugo's doing? I guess he's just about done, too…maybe…"

----------

_**neomage:**_ Hmmm…yes…how IS Yugo doing in his part of the second test? Well, you'll just have to wait and read the next chapter to find out!


	111. Chapter 111

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh in any way except for this story and the new characters.)

**CHAPTER 111**

MARIK ISHTAR'S HOUSE, DUEL 2: Yugo vs. Gray Hologram

While Seta and the Black Hologram had been dueling, Yugo was also preparing to duel against the Gray Hologram. "Let's do this!" he said eagerly.

The holographic coin was tossed. "Tails!" Yugo declared.

The coin landed…and indeed it was tails. "So I'll go first, then!" Yugo acknowledged as he and Gray Hologram both drew five cards. Then Yugo drew his sixth, and frowned at his hand.

_How in the hell am I gonna do this with only Normal Monsters? Well, I have to try something, at least!_

"All right! I'll set one monster in Defense Mode, and that'll end my turn for now." And Yugo played his card, looking expectantly at his holographic opponent.

Gray Hologram drew its first card. "Now," it spoke up, "I summon Dark Elf (ATK 2000, DEF 800) in Attack Mode!" And he summoned a brown-skinned spellcaster with black robes. "Attack his facedown monster!"

Suddenly, Gray Hologram's life points went down to 7000. "Dark Elf requires a tribute of 1000 life points to attack," it explained. "Now, my Elf, resume the attack!"

Dark Elf charged up a ball of mythic energy in her hands and shot it at Yugo's facedown monster. Flipped face-up, it was revealed to be Queen's Knight (ATK 1500, DEF 1600) and was destroyed. "Then," said Gray Hologram, "I will set one card facedown, and end my turn."

Yugo drew his next card. _I think I've found something that could at least give me an edge in this duel…_ "I'll set another monster in Defense Mode, and end my turn."

Gray Hologram drew another card, and then suddenly declared, "I will now activate my facedown trap card, Light of Intervention! As long as this card remains on the field, monsters cannot be set, and those that are placed in Defense Mode are considered summoned."

Yugo flinched. "But that means…now you'll be able to see what cards I'm playing in Defense Mode!"

Gray Hologram then announced, "I will now summon Vorse Raider (ATK 1900, DEF 1200) in Attack Mode!" And then it summoned a horrible-looking beast-warrior with an axe that dripped blood. Yugo shivered at the sight of it.

"Go, Vorse Raider! Destroy his facedown monster!" Gray Hologram cried. And Vorse Raider flung its axe at the facedown monster – but suddenly a backlash caused the axe to be sent flying back, the handle hitting its owner square in the face!

Yugo couldn't help but chuckle. "This is Inpachi (ATK 1600, DEF 1900), and his DEF is the same as your monster's ATK; so I don't lose my monster, and you don't lose life points." And as the card was completely flipped face-up, it revealed a giant log with arms and legs.

Gray Hologram wasn't fazed. "Dark Elf, destroy that Inpachi!" And as the hologram's life points went down to 6000 for its monster's effect, Dark Elf used her magic to blast Inpachi into dust.

"And now, I end my turn," said Gray Hologram. "But what will you do?"

Yugo looked at his hand and frowned. This would have to depend on the next draw. He reached for his deck, drew his card – and smiled broadly. "All right! Now I summon the Giant Soldier of Stone (ATK 1300, DEF 2000), in Defense Mode!" And then the massive stone soldier emerged in a crouching position, forced to do so by the power of the Light of Intervention. "And I'll end my turn…but then again, it's not like I can do anything else, anyway."

Gray Hologram drew its next card, so it now held five again. "I offer Vorse Raider as a tribute to summon Catapult Turtle (ATK 1000, DEF 2000) in Defense Mode!" Then, moments later there appeared in Vorse Raider's place a giant turtle with a catapult launcher on its back.

Then, as Yugo looked on, suddenly Gray Hologram discarded one card from its hand. "I activate the effect of Thunder Dragon (ATK 1600, DEF 1500)! By discarding it from my hand during the Main Phase, I can add up to two more Thunder Dragon cards from my deck to my hand." And, searching its deck, it found the two cards it needed. Then it held up another card from its hand.

"And now," said Gray Hologram, "I activate the magic of Polymerization, to fuse together the two Thunder Dragons in my hand to summon the mighty Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon (ATK 2800, DEF 2100)!"

"OH, NO!" Yugo cried.

Suddenly a blast of lightning shot down from the sky as a reddish beast with two dangerous mouths appeared. "Now, Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon, destroy his Giant Soldier of Stone!" commanded Gray Hologram. And the newly-summoned monster blasted a ball of lightning from both of its mouths, smashing the Giant Soldier of Stone to pieces!

"Dark Elf, it's your turn! Attack directly!" And, as Gray Hologram's life points went down further to 5000, Dark Elf fired a blast of energy that hit Yugo in the stomach, knocking him off his feet and reducing him to 6000 life points.

"Ouchie…that's gonna leave a mark in the morning," groaned Yugo, getting back up.

"And now," continued Gray Hologram, "I will activate Catapult Turtle's effect! By offering one monster on my side of the field as a tribute, I can inflict damage to your life points equal to half of the tributed monster's ATK."

"Crap…!" Yugo gulped.

"First, I'll offer Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon as a tribute!" And then, to Yugo's utter amazement, the Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon was loaded onto the Catapult Turtle's back – and launched toward him at full speed! He got hit square in the chest, grunting in pain as his life points shot down to 4600!

"Next, I'll offer Dark Elf as a tribute!" And this time, Dark Elf was loaded onto the turtle's back and fired off, hitting Yugo again and reducing him even further to 3600.

"And now, I shall end my turn," announced Gray Hologram, fiddling with the two cards left in its hand.

Painfully, Yugo rose to his feet. _Oh, hell…that hurt…that hurt a lot…_

Then he looked up at the Gray Hologram. _But that hologram…it just did something I don't understand…sacrificing those monsters for Catapult Turtle's effect…even the powerful Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon…why would it waste a good monster like that?_

Then suddenly Yugo froze as realization gripped him. _Wait a friggin' minute…did I just say WASTE?_

His thoughts instantly went back…back to when he was first learning Duel Monsters from his father…to something his father had told him. "Yugo," he seemed to hear Mr. Muto telling him, "the duelist who needlessly, wantonly sends cards to the Graveyard, whether from the field or his hand, is a duelist who shows little regard for the value that each card possesses. Whether it's a monster card, a magic card, or a trap card…every card is important in its own way. When a person tributes or discards any such card without so much as a second thought may seem to have a strategy working on, but…in reality, that person is showing little to no regard for the spirit of his cards. Such a person's deck will eventually lose respect for its owner, and that person will lose, no matter how good his strategy may seem, if he doesn't respect his cards."

_Respect for the cards…it's just like Dad said – if you don't respect your cards, you don't respect anything. And…_ Yugo held his head down, and instantly an image of the duelists he'd faced in the past flashed through his mind. Flora Green…Blaze Redman…Kyo Bakura…Seta Kaiba…Luke Jericho…Miriam Jordan…Jenna Wheeler…Malachi Jordan…and, most recently, Jude Lassiter…

_Flora…Blaze…Kyo…Seta…Jenna…all of them love their cards dearly, and play their duels with the greatest care and finesse. And Luke…he fought with a sense of honor, and he treated his monsters with respect. And Miriam…she discarded cards, but she discarded only when necessary and as part of a card effect…otherwise she didn't unless she absolutely had to. And Malachi…as warped as he was when I battled him, at least he had some sense of decency toward his cards._

Then Yugo's thoughts turned to Lassiter. _But that Lassiter…he was all too willing to let his monsters be sacrificed, for the sake of pure victory…and on top of that, he used his cards to inflict harm on others…including Dad…_

Now Yugo's eyes squeezed tightly shut as he tried to force the tears back. _Dad…these people in JUDAS…they're spitting on everything you ever taught me about respect for the cards…they're throwing scorn on those of us duelists who genuinely love our cards…and Lord knows how many more of such people there are…_

----------

By this time Seta had already completed his duel, and was just leaving his dueling station. Mr. Ishtar accosted him. "Found it challenging, did you?" he asked. "But you did pass, right?"

"Yeah…I did, but it was sure hard," admitted Seta. "Still, as well as the holographic opponent was playing, I managed to find a hole in his strategy…and I played on that."

"As a good duelist does," remarked Mr. Ishtar. "Now, what about Yugo? Shouldn't he also be done by…" Suddenly he paused and stiffened.

Seta regarded his uncle worriedly. "What's the matter, Uncle Marik?"

"Seta…don't you feel that?" asked Mr. Ishtar, in a whisper. "It's almost like…the power of a thousand armies combined into one…"

Seta paused and looked around…and then, just as his uncle had, he felt something, too – something MASSIVE. _What the hell is this? I can feel…determination…rage…a desire for justice…all combined into one! Could this be…?_

The two of them simultaneously turned to the platform. Where Seta had been dueling was separated from where Yugo was by a sheet of metal, so to see anything meant they had to walk around to the other side. "What in the world could this be, Uncle Marik?" Seta asked as they started to walk to the other end.

"Right question, wrong person," replied Mr. Ishtar.

Presently they reached the other side of the platform, where Yugo's dueling station was – and both stopped short, staring open-mouthed at the sight before them. "What the bloody hell…!" Mr. Ishtar gasped.

Seta couldn't say a single word, he was too shocked. _Yugo…!_

Right where Yugo was, a massive wave of bright orange energy was emanating from his body. That energy seemed to cover his entire body, wrapping all around him like a symbiotic flame!

Seta stared at Yugo in total surprise. _Hold on…I seem to recall something like this happening before…_

----------

THE LONDON INTERCONTINENTALS, SOMETIME EARLIER

_Suddenly, to the utter awe of all, a blast of energy exploded right from where Yugo was standing, giving the impression that flames were coating his entire being. As Malachi stared in horror, he could see Yugo's body in the fire. Yugo appeared to be completely coated in shadow, except for his eyes…which glowed a brilliant white._

----------

MARIK ISHTAR'S HOUSE, BACK IN THE PRESENT

_Yeah…that's right…it happened during his duel with Malachi in the final round of the Intercontinentals…_ Seta blinked as the memory came home to him. _That moment back then…it was a really emotionally charged and extremely tense moment for everybody, but especially him…could he be responding to something similar, somehow…?_

The stats of the duel showed themselves clearly: Yugo had 3600 life points, while the Gray Hologram was in the lead with 5000. Gray Hologram had two cards in hand, while Yugo had five. On the field Yugo had absolutely nothing left; Gray Hologram still had its Light of Intervention trap card active, plus it had Catapult Turtle in Defense Mode.

Yugo spoke up – and his voice sounded more mature, wiser, and a lot more pissed. "Now…you will not win this duel. As long as my cards and I work together, we will persevere."

Then, with a grand flourish, he drew his next card from his deck. "I summon Humanoid Slime (ATK 800, DEF 2000) in Defense Mode!" And he summoned a human-shaped wad of slime, colored blue and yellow. "Then I'll end my turn for now."

Gray Hologram drew another card. "I summon Regenerating Mummy (ATK 1800, DEF 1500) in Attack Mode!" Then it called forth a partially reconstructed mummy.

Yugo didn't bat an eye. "So?"

"So, now I will sacrifice it for Catapult Turtle's effect!" And Regenerating Mummy was loaded onto the catapult and fired at Yugo, who got hit for 900 points' worth of damage, reducing him to 2700. "Then I will end my turn," finished Gray Hologram.

But strangely enough, getting hit by Catapult Turtle's effect didn't seem to make Yugo budge – in fact, one could have said it hadn't hit him at all. "Oh, is that right?" he said coolly. "Then have a dose of this!"

As the mysterious fiery energy swirled around him, Yugo drew another card. "I offer Humanoid Slime as a tribute to summon my mighty Summoned Skull (ATK 2500, DEF 1200)!" And he called forth a giant skeletal fiend with a menacing look on its face. "Now, smash that Catapult Turtle into pieces!"

Summoned Skull complied, raising one clawed hand and bringing it down on Catapult Turtle's back, breaking the shell and the turtle altogether. "Oh, hell…would you look at that…" Seta whispered.

Mr. Ishtar didn't reply. _Could this be…the duelist's power manifested in physical form? Or…is it something else altogether?_

Unfazed by the loss of its turtle, Gray Hologram drew another card – and now it had three in its hand. "I activate the magic card, Mask of the Accursed! The monster equipped with this card cannot attack, and the controller of that monster loses 500 life points during each of my Standby Phases." And as it spoke, suddenly a massive mask clamped onto Summoned Skull's face.

Then Gray Hologram held up another of its two remaining cards. "Next, I summon Sealmaster Meisei (ATK 1100, DEF 900) in Defense Mode!" And it summoned a spellcaster wielding a cane and wearing a wide red robe. "And then I will end my turn."

"Do you think that's going to stop me?" Yugo declared venomously. "I'll never give up!" And with that he drew his next card. "Now…I summon the Dark Witch (ATK 1800, DEF 1700), offering Summoned Skull as a tribute!" And as Summoned Skull and the Mask of the Accursed disappeared, in its place was a young mage-woman riding a broom. "Destroy Sealmaster Meisei!"

Dark Witch instantly cast a spell that blasted Sealmaster Meisei to pieces. "I end my turn now," said Yugo, his eyes flashing with steely determination. "What now?"

Gray Hologram drew another card. It studied the two cards it now held for a long moment…and then declared, "I end my turn."

"Hmph." Yugo drew another card. "I summon Mad Dog of Darkness (ATK 1900, DEF 1400)!" And to the field emerged a savage dog drooling all over the place. "Now, my two beasts, attack directly!"

Mad Dog of Darkness dashed forward and tore a piece out of the Gray Hologram – which instantly grew back – but the opponent's life points went down to 3100. Then, Dark Witch cast a spell again, hitting Gray Hologram and reducing its life points further to 1300. "Had enough?" asked Yugo.

Once more Gray Hologram drew a card, so now it held three. Again it studied the cards in its hand…and then it laid a hand over its deck. "Your courage and determination cannot be measured on any duelist scale. I surrender."

"WHAT?" Mr. Ishtar was stunned. Dashing up to where Gray Hologram was, he glanced at its cards…and shook his head. "My word…this is astonishing…"

In Gray Hologram's hands were the trap cards Dark Deal and Spirit Barrier, and the magic card Mind Control. "Wow…these really wouldn't have helped the hologram at all…" Mr. Ishtar breathed. "But I have to say…in all the time I've had this training system here, this is the first time any of the holograms has lost a duel by submission. Your determination is truly something to marvel at, Yugo."

"I'll say," agreed Seta. "And even if the hologram hadn't given up, Yugo would've won, anyway. Have that."

The energy that had been surrounding Yugo's body slowly vanished; he faltered and slumped over the edge of the dueling station. Seta instantly rushed up to where Yugo was and grabbed him to support him. "Easy, Yugo; take it easy," he urged.

Yugo put a palm over his face. "Whoa…what the hell…just happened to me?" he asked them. "I felt…something…rushing over me, like a warm breeze…but I don't know what it was…just that all of a sudden, I felt braver, more confident…like I was definitely going to win."

Mr. Ishtar shook his head. "I don't know myself," he admitted, "but I think I have a pretty good idea. Why don't you take a rest for a little while? In that time, I believe I may have a proper theory formulated about what just happened to you. Seta, please ensure that he's comfortable – and ensure that you rest, yourself. The next test will be a very difficult one, too."

"Yeah, I got you." Seta nodded at his uncle, then turned all his attention to Yugo. "All right, you; let's get you out of this dueling station and get you more comfortable, whatcha say?"

Yugo managed a smile. "I think that's a pretty good idea."

----------

**_neomage:_** O-kaaaaay…remember back in Chapter 69, when a big blast of energy erupted from Yugo? Well, something really, really similar's happened here, once again! But what exactly does it mean? Let's go to the next chapter and find out, shall we?


	112. Chapter 112

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: The original stuff isn't mine.)

**CHAPTER 112**

MARIK ISHTAR'S HOUSE, A FEW MINUTES LATER

Moments later Yugo was leaning against the dueling platform, seated on the ground. "Whew…I feel tired, but at the same time I feel as though I've got some weird energy inside of me," he remarked with wonder. "I definitely feel good."

Seta's face was more thoughtful. "But, Yugo…what could have caused you to tap into whatever sort of energy that was just now? And…do you remember that it also happened during your duel with Malachi in the Intercontinentals?"

"Well…truthfully…" Yugo rubbed the back of his neck. "I seem to recall something like that happening near the end of that duel, but I was so focused on beating Malachi that I barely paid any attention to it. I guess I must've freaked everybody else out, though…"

"That's no small assumption, that's for sure," agreed Seta.

Just then Mr. Ishtar happened by. "How do you feel, Yugo?" he queried.

"Fine, Mr. Ishtar, really," said Yugo.

Mr. Ishtar stooped down so he could be on face-level with Yugo. "Tell me, Yugo…that burst of energy that popped up during your duel against the hologram just a while ago…can you remember what triggered it? Have you any idea?"

Now Yugo frowned. "Well…I don't remember exactly, but…I think it must've had something to do with the way I was so upset at JUDAS…upset at them for showing such disrespect for the game of Duel Monsters…and seeing the hologram doing something almost similar, it just kinda set me off, I guess…"

Mr. Ishtar looked at Seta. "He must be referring to his duel against Jude Lassiter," Seta explained, and he briefly told the story as it had happened.

"Hmmm…yes, Yugo did tell me about that Lassiter person and his possession of the Millennium Rod," acknowledged Mr. Ishtar. "Still…if a person can show such disrespect for his cards, then who can say if he'd show any respect for other human beings?"

Yugo held his head down; his hair overshadowed his eyes completely. "I…I just want to save Grandma, that's all. And…for somebody to treat others like trash…it really pisses me off bad…"

Mr. Ishtar looked at him sympathetically. "You needn't worry anymore, Yugo. By the time this training session is done, you'll have the strength necessary to kick ass, take names, and retrieve your grandmother from their clutches. Until then, can you have a little more patience?"

Yugo looked up at the older man respectfully. "Yes, sir."

"Good." Mr. Ishtar turned and cast an eye at the day-glass; the sand was beginning to collect in the bottom half of the glass. Then he looked at his own watch. "By my watch, it's now 9:30. The third test will be at 11:00; so my advice to you two is to get some rest until then. I will wake you when it's time to do the test. Good?"

Yugo and Seta nodded.

"Good." And Mr. Ishtar turned and started to walk away.

"Hey, wait!" Seta cried suddenly. "You haven't said what you think that mysterious energy was!"

"Oh, yes. About that," said Mr. Ishtar, briefly pausing. "What I think it is…I believe it is the physical form of your duelist courage and determination, and your love and respect for the cards you are required to use at any time. It may, perhaps, only manifest itself in physical form when you are placed under severe emotional pressure during a duel. Hmmm…should we give it a name? Oh, I know – how about 'Duel Force'? That's about as good a name as I can come up with, anyway."

"Well, for lack of a better name, it'll have to do," shrugged Seta.

"All right. Well, get some rest, bys. We can discuss this in further detail later on tonight." And Mr. Ishtar walked off.

"Yeah…" Yugo leaned further back and closed his eyes.

Seta watched as his friend slowly slipped into the Land of Nod. Taking off his own jacket, he spread it across the ground as a makeshift sleeping mat, and lay himself down. But sleep was a little while in coming for him. _Duel Force…Yugo was able to tap into it, and gained incredible power…am I also capable of it, too?_

----------

CAIRO, AT THAT VERY MOMENT

Kyo was running along the street as fast as he could, breathing heavily. "Shit…it didn't seem so far to that church from the hotel, but who would've thought the return trip would be so unforgiving?" he complained between gasps.

Nevertheless, he continued running. "Dear Lord, let them all still be all right," he whispered.

----------

On the rooftops not very far away, Michael, Lassiter and Maxell were still patiently waiting. Then Maxell's Millennium Eye flashed. "Hmmm…I sense that only one of them remains awake now. This could very well be the perfect time to strike."

"Indeed it is," said Lassiter, and the mystic eye glowed in his forehead as the Millennium Rod's eye design shone on its own. "Now, here's what I have planned. While I create havoc with my Millennium Rod, you two go to that hotel and pick them out, one by one, and steal their souls…and as for the one who holds our comrade Bernard's Millennium Scale, rip off that person's head. Don't even bother with taking that person's soul this time – just kill them and retrieve the Scale."

"Minimal work on our part," commented Maxell smugly. "I really like your generosity, Lassiter, that's for sure."

All this time Michael hadn't said anything. Now, to the surprise of the others, his Millennium Ring started to shine brightly. "Hey, boy, what's up with your Millennium Item all of a sudden?" questioned Lassiter curiously.

"I…I don't know," admitted Michael. "But…" He looked away, his gaze suddenly becoming distant. "But for the past couple of minutes, I've been feeling…something…so familiar…and it's as if the Millennium Ring's calling me to confront this force. Sorry, guys, but my involvement will have to be postponed for a little while. I'll get rid of this thing nagging at the Ring's powers, whatever it is, and rejoin you at the hotel."

"That's just your way of backing out of working," Lassiter complained.

"Well, I don't care one way or another," Maxell shrugged it off. "Even if I have to do the up-close-and-personal shit myself, I think I'll get a kick out of it…because there's one particular person at the hotel who I'm dying to tear to pieces…"

Michael stood up and walked in another direction. "Well…later, you two. I'm going to take care of this other problem."

"Geez…well, forget about that little dip-shit," grumbled Lassiter. "Maxell, you go ahead. I'll start doing my thing."

"Gotcha, comrade." And with that, Maxell dashed to the edge and made a massive jump to the next rooftop. As he watched Maxell go, Lassiter stooped down, and the Millennium Rod began to glow with a very sinister light…

----------

PHARAOH'S LAIR, TWO MINUTES LATER

Marcus was pacing up and down in the hallway, letting out a massive yawn. "I really should get more rest," he lamented. "I just hope Kyo gets back here soon…and with a little good news, too…"

A door opening behind him caused him to turn. "Who…?"

David popped his head out apologetically. "Sorry about that, mate," he spoke up. "Just need to go to the john, that's all. The one in our room's clogged up, so I have to go elsewhere."

Marcus sniffed. "Well, whatever, man. Don't scare me like that again."

"I'll make sure not to," David promised, and with that he made his way up the corridor in the opposite direction.

Marcus just shrugged and turned his back, continuing his pacing to keep himself awake. But as soon as David was around the corner – suddenly he grinned evilly. "Oh, for sure…you won't be scared like _that,_ you'd best believe it…" And as a massive golden eye popped up in his forehead, he unveiled a knife hidden under his pajama sleeve, and with a grand flourish he turned and headed for one of the hotel rooms…

----------

ELSEWHERE IN CAIRO, AT THAT VERY MOMENT

Kyo was only a little distance from the Pharaoh's Lair – well, three massive city blocks away, to be exact. "Shit…should've done more track and field in gym class," he grumbled.

"Going somewhere?"

Kyo halted. That voice…it sounded so familiar…but who…? "Show yourself!" he demanded, looking around him wildly.

The voice chuckled – and this time Kyo was more certain of its direction; it seemed to come from behind him. "Oh, poor little four-eyes…don't tell me you've forgotten about me already," its owner spoke up. Then suddenly, as Kyo turned to look – to his utter astonishment Michael Bronte seemed to materialize from out of the ground, violet robe, Millennium Ring and all.

Instantly Kyo jumped a step back, on his guard. "It's you…you're that bastard who beat Raven in that duel…!"

Michael chuckled with utter superiority. "At least you haven't forgotten the outcome of that encounter," he commented. "But you know, one thing about that duel still leaves a very, VERY sour taste in my mouth – that you, somehow, were able to break free of my Millennium Ring's binding power. I don't know how the hell you, who holds no Millennium Item, were able to influence the Ring to free you – and quite frankly, I don't care at this point. Now, I'm going to clean up the trash that is you."

"Sorry, but I don't have time to screw with you," said Kyo. "I actually have somewhere to go to, so if you'll excuse me…"

With that, he turned – and was met with a horrific sight. Out of nowhere, dark shadows had started to form around them! Glancing back momentarily, he saw that the Millennium Ring was shining malevolently!

"NO!" Kyo shouted, turning and dashing into the fog…but to his utter astonishment, the moment he dashed into the fog, he ended up running right back, in Michael's direction. "What…!"

Michael laughed loudly. "Hmph…so, your escape from my Millennium Ring last time was merely a fluke, after all," he remarked. "And now, the fun begins!"

"What kind of fun are you talking about?" demanded Kyo indignantly.

Michael snapped his fingers – and suddenly, all around them appeared massive iron stakes! "Here's how it'll go," he explained, a sneer on his face. "For every 1000 life points lost, two of these stakes will be fired out from random directions and pierce us in differently targeted places. At the end of this duel, the winner's wounds will be healed as though they'd never been there, but the loser…well, I think you can figure it out."

Kyo narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth. "You psychotic shit!"

"Is that all?" Michael mocked him. "Well, guess what, little punk? I have some plans for myself once I've disposed of your trashy body and submitted your soul to Master…see, I know all about your little group of friends. I know about each of them individually. And that girl in particular…that one with the long brown hair and the innocence about her…mmm, mmm, mmm…" He licked his lips. "Can't wait to sample that one…"

Kyo's eye twitched. "…what…the hell…did you say…?"

"Oh, you should know who I'm talking about, idiot," Michael sneered, licking his lips again. "I can guess easily that you haven't taken care of her business like a real man should. So…naturally…another man will take care of it for you. It's only simple logic. And…that's always been something I love…taking other guys' opportunities away from them, proving their dim-wittedness to them…oh, it sends shivers up my spine, thinking of all the things I'm gonna do to that girl…"

As Michael was talking, he failed to see Kyo slowly and quietly taking off his glasses…and letting the glasses drop to the ground. Until, that is, he heard the _tinkle_ of the frame as it hit the concrete – followed a second later by a massive **crunching** sound as Kyo's foot stamped down hard on the glasses, sending glass fragments and shattered pieces of the frame flying every which where!

"What in the…" Michael stared, completely bemused by what had just happened.

Kyo now glared steadily at him; his face was a picture of enormous rage. "Nobody…nobody…_nobody_…**NOBODY** talks about Miki like that!" he blasted at Michael. Pointing a finger at his opponent, he went on, "You, you puny little prick, have a very nasty tongue…and before I leave this spot, I AM GOING TO **_RIP IT OUT!"_**

Michael's surprise disappeared…and on his face was a nasty leer. "Oh, I see…you ARE convincing when you're pissed," he remarked. "Well, I'm not afraid of you, you little bastard, and why should I be?" He pulled out his Duel-Disk, strapped it on, and activated it. "Let's do this, then!"

----------

PHARAOH'S LAIR, IN THE MEANTIME

The door to the room opened, very quietly, very carefully. David slipped inside, the eye still glowing in his forehead, the knife in his hand. And in his head, a sinister voice kept saying the same thing. _Kill them…kill them…kill them…_

The room he was in happened to be the one where Miki, Jenna and Blaze were now sleeping. All three were in their respective beds, looking very peaceful as they dozed. The knife twiddling in his hand, David looked down at Miki, the one whose bed was closest to the door. The eye shone brighter in his forehead, and the crazy grin plastered across his face got even more insane.

Slowly he raised the knife in both hands, the blade pointed downward as he readied himself to strike! _Kill them! Kill them! KILL THEM!_

He wasn't prepared for the rough hand that suddenly grabbed him by his hair, forcefully pulling him back and flinging him through the door to slam against the wall outside in the hallway. "OUCH!" he cried, the knife jerked out of his hand by the force of the impact and scuttling across the floor.

Right before him stood Luke, a mixture of shock and outrage on his face. "David…_what the bloody hell do you think you're doing?"_ he roared.

David slowly stood up. Just at that moment Luke took one look at his face – and involuntarily stepped back as he saw the golden eye in his brother's forehead. "Oh, Lord, have mercy…it can't be true…"

"Sorry, you little piss-head, but this kid is under my control now," David spoke up – but in a different voice. The insane look returned to his face. "And he's not the only one, either…"

Behind Luke, Miki and Jenna came running out of their room. "What's going on out here?" Jenna cried. "Is everything all right?"

"Stay back!" Luke snapped, holding up his arm to stop the girls' advance. "Something's seriously wrong with David!"

Jenna saw David only then – and a hand flew to her mouth as her eyes widened in utter horror. "Oh, shit…it can't be…" The image of Yugo's grandmother under the Millennium Rod's control flashed in her mind.

"Uh, guys…" Miki's worried voice called out to them. "You might wanna take a look at this…!"

The other two turned briefly – and were even more horrified. Blaze was up and advancing toward them – but like David, she had a crazed look on her face and a glowing eye on her forehead. "Kill…I must…kill…you all…" she rasped.

----------

Malachi sat up in his bed. Something was very, very, very wrong. "David? Luke? Where the hell are you two blockheads?" he called out.

Then suddenly something in the room caught his eye. Looking up, though, he wasn't prepared for what he saw – his sister was standing in the shadows by the doorway, a glowing eye in her forehead! "Oh…my…freaking…god…" His eyes widened in horror.

"Oh, dear brother," Miriam spoke, and her voice sounded distorted. "Come here…let me show you the beauty of eternal sleep!"

----------

Honey awoke in her bed all of a sudden. "Uhhh…geez…I just had the worst nightmare ever," she muttered as she sat up. "I really need to stop eating Gummi Bears before going to bed…"

As she rubbed her eyes, she gradually became aware that Miriam's bed, across from hers, was empty. "Hmmm? Where'd she go, I wonder?" she asked aloud. Then she looked across the room. "Hmmm…doesn't look like she went to the bathroom…"

_But…what is this weird vibe I'm feeling, like something isn't right?_ That thought pounded in Honey's head relentlessly. _Maybe I should go check it out…_ And with that she got up, slipped into her slippers and headed for the door.

As she stuck her head out into the hallway, she took one look to her left – and gasped. Luke, Jenna and Miki were huddling back-to-back, apparently facing off against Blaze and David! "What in the world are you guys up to over there?" she called.

"Honey, get back inside!" Jenna shrieked – and Honey heard at once the urgency in the other girl's voice. "They're being controlled by those JUDAS freaks!"

Honey's eyes widened in sudden understanding and shock. _No…!_

----------

Some distance away from the others' rooms, Marcus had walked further up the corridor when suddenly Jenna's shriek caught his attention. On hearing it, he snapped fully awake. _Shit – they've already made a move!_

But as he turned to run back the rooms – suddenly he found himself being enveloped in an inky blackness. "Hee, hee, hee…so, we meet again," he heard a familiar voice say.

He turned – and his face took a look of revulsion. "It's _you…_Jonathan Maxell!"

Indeed, standing at the extreme end of that corridor was Maxell, his Millennium Eye flashing malevolently as a smirk played itself on his lips. "And hello to you, too, Flora Green's boyfriend," he replied.

----------

**_neomage:_** BWA HA HA HA! And now, Kyo is about to duel against Michael, Marcus is having a confrontation with Maxell, and Lassiter's causing mayhem, chaos and utter havoc with the power of the Millennium Rod! Can it possibly get any better than this? Stay tuned!


	113. Chapter 113

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: MUCH CHAOS ENSUETH! And I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!)

**CHAPTER 113**

PHARAOH'S LAIR

Shigeo was still sleeping soundly in his room…but suddenly a massive light shone near his face, causing him to stir. "Shit…which frigging moron left the light on?" he muttered savagely, shielding his eyes from the light.

Sitting up, he saw something startling: The Millennium Scale, standing on the night-stand near his bed, was glowing fiercely, its balancing cups dangling up and down. "What in the world?" he exclaimed as he reached forward and grabbed it. "Hey, you, how do I turn you off?"

Suddenly he tensed. Something was so not kosher. He glanced around him, seeing that only he was in the room – evidently Kyo hadn't come back yet, and Marcus was still doing his patrol of the hallway, for both their beds were undisturbed. "I'm starting to feel really, really creeped out right about now," he whispered.

"Hello there, little boy," a strange voice suddenly sounded in his mind. "How amusing…to see a kid like you with one of our Millennium Items…it makes me laugh."

Shigeo looked around wildly. "Hey, where are you?" he cried. "Who's there?"

"Poor novice," the voice laughed. "All right. Close your eyes and hold the Millennium Scale…and then you will see me."

Frowning, Shigeo did as bidden. As he concentrated, he was only faintly aware that the Millennium Scale's shine became brighter than before…and then, in his mind's eye, he saw himself standing on a very narrow walkway, with no walls or railings on either side. Glancing down, he saw that he was actually standing several hundred feet above ground level! "Oh, _shiiiiiiit…"_

"So, we meet at last," the strange voice spoke again – but this time it appeared to be coming from directly in front of him. Looking up, Shigeo saw a bald-headed older man in a blue robe, holding what appeared to be a Millennium Item in one hand and a definite smirk on his lips.

"Who are you?" Shigeo demanded.

"I am Jude Lassiter, a member of JUDAS," the man introduced himself. "And this," holding up his Millennium Item for Shigeo to see, "is my powerful Millennium Rod. Its power allows me to speak to you via your mind."

"What do you want?" asked Shigeo, holding up the Millennium Scale warily.

"I am currently following the orders of my master," explained Lassiter. "I and another of my colleagues are, at present, making a raid on your friends. It was actually easy for us to do our infiltration."

"You lie!" Shigeo shouted.

"Do I?" Lassiter returned calmly. "I don't think so. You see, little man, my Millennium Rod allows me more than just the power of telepathy…its primary power is mind control. All I had to do was search amongst your group for the ones with the weakest mental resistance to my power, and from there it was as simple as doing a TV dinner in the microwave. As I speak, your friends are probably tearing each other's stomachs out."

"Stop it now!" Shigeo cried.

"Not happening," Lassiter answered. "Of course, I _might_ reconsider, if you can defeat me in a Shadow Game right here and now."

"A Shadow Game…just like with Bernard…" Shigeo breathed.

"No, no, no, nothing like that," corrected Lassiter. "This Shadow Game that I have in mind is a little different. How, you ask? Well, this won't require the use of a Duel-Disk or even any Duel Monster cards. This Shadow Game of mine is designed to prove whether or not you really are worthy of the Millennium Scale which you now hold. Personally, though, I doubt you are. It takes experience to be able to wield an artifact of such mighty power as any of the Millennium Items. That is the difference between you and Bernard – it took him years to master the Scale's power after he first joined the master's crusade. You, on the other, got your hands on the Scale only very recently…so that makes you too inexperienced with it, even if he DID tell you how it works."

Shigeo stood his ground. "One, I learn quickly, and two, yes, he did tell me how it works," and here he held up the Millennium Scale. "I have one question to ask you, though, since you're one of the higher-ranking members."

"Not yet," said Lassiter, holding up the Millennium Rod in response. "First, the Shadow Game. If you can defeat me, then I will answer your question, and also free your friends from my control. Oh, by the way, on that score…my voluntarily freeing them is the only way they'll be free. Of, course, they COULD try breaking out of my control themselves, but they'd have to have a really strong force of will to do that – and from what I've seen, they don't."

"Fine, fine, then," said Shigeo seriously. "Now…what's this Shadow Game that you propose?"

Chuckling, Lassiter held up the Millennium Rod as he would a weapon. At once a massive light shone from the Rod, forming into the shape of a katana blade. "A physical battle between the two of us, on this walkway with no barriers or boundaries. Whosoever can land three hits on his opponent, or can knock his opponent off this walkway, will win this Shadow Game. Now, ready yourself! You call yourself a ninja…let's see if you're really deserving of that title!"

Shigeo held up the Scale in a similar fashion; a moment later light shone from the Scale and formed in the shape of a short-bladed sword, a kodachi. "Come on."

----------

THE SHADOW REALM 1, IN THE MEANTIME

The holographic coin was flipped even as Kyo strapped on his Duel-Disk. "I call tails!" Michael laughed.

Then the coin landed and stopped spinning…and indeed it was tails. "All right…I'll go first." Michael drew his first five cards and snickered. "Your pal wasn't able to even touch my life points last time…this duel won't be any different."

"Well, since you don't know, I'll tell you," Kyo said darkly as he drew his five cards. "Once you've pissed me off, you're destined to lose this duel."

"Hmph. Funny." Michael then drew a sixth card to start off. "Now, I'll set two cards facedown, set one monster in Defense Mode, and end my turn."

Kyo drew his card and shook his head. "Whatever. I'll also set one monster in Defense Mode; then I'll set one card facedown, and end my turn."

As Michael drew another card, his smirk got even bigger. "Now, time to make things more interesting! I'll flip over my facedown monster, and reveal my Trap Master (ATK 500, DEF 1100)!"

A moment later his monster card flipped up in Attack Mode, and his tool-wielding monster appeared. "When flipped face-up, Trap Master's power destroys one Trap card on the field – and if the targeted card is facedown, I get to flip it face-up and see what it is!" said Michael. "And now, let's see what that facedown card in your magic/trap slot is!"

But when Trap Master floated over to Kyo's side of the field and flipped the card face-up – to Michael's shock it wasn't a Trap card at all, but the magic card Fairy Meteor Crush! "You should also remember the other part of Trap Master's effect," said Kyo. "If the targeted card isn't a Trap card, it is merely returned to its facedown position."

Michael scowled as the Fairy Meteor Crush card was returned facedown and Trap Master came back to his side of the field, disappointed. "You remembered that I had that monster," he said acidly.

"How could I not?" said Kyo.

But then the scowl disappeared from Michael's face. "Well, so much for that," he remarked. "Now, time for me to get more serious! I'll offer Trap Master as a tribute to summon my mighty Dark Scorpion – Gorg the Strong (ATK 1800, DEF 1500)!"

Trap Master disappeared from the field, and in his place stood a hulking behemoth of a man with a mighty mace in both hands and the symbol for the Dark Scorpions on his arm. "Now, Gorg the Strong, smash his facedown monster to pieces!"

Gorg raised his mace and brought it crashing down on the facedown monster – but to Michael's shock, the monster in question blocked the attack and forced Gorg back! "What!" Michael yelled.

"Say hello to my monster, Kelbek (ATK 1500, DEF 1800)," said Kyo. "When he's attacked, the monster that attacked him is returned to its owner's hand."

"Aw, crud!" Michael groaned, taking back Gorg the Strong into his hand. "But I won't let it end just like that! I'll activate my trap card, Needle Wall!"

Suddenly, from both sides of the field appeared two rows of spikes. "Remember what this does?" said Michael. "During each of my Standby Phases, I get to roll a die; then I treat your Monster card zones as numbers 1 to 5, counting from my right. Then, I destroy the monster that's in the same zone as the die result…and if the result I get is 6, I roll again."

"And I'm still pissed at you," Kyo shot back.

"Whatever. Now, I end my turn," said Michael.

Kyo drew his next card. "Hmmm…now this looks kinda promising. I offer Kelbek as a tribute to summon my mighty Airknight Parshath (ATK 1900, DEF 1500)!"

Kelbek disappeared from the field, and a moment later AirKnight Parshath appeared, ready to do battle. "And now, Airknight Parshath, attack!" Kyo commanded.

The fairy flew forward and sent a powerful kick to Michael's face, reducing his life points to 6100. At the same time, two massive spikes shot out of the darkness and impaled Michael in the leg! "AARGH!" he bawled out in agony.

"Too bad," Kyo answered coldly. "Plus, when Airknight Parshath does Battle Damage to my opponent, I draw one card from my deck." And this he did. "Now, I'll set one card facedown, and end my turn."

Standing gingerly on his now-injured leg, nevertheless Michael sneered wickedly at him. "Good one, kid," he congratulated Kyo. "But trust me – your fortune hasn't changed even with one lucky move! Now, I draw!"

So, he drew his next card – and suddenly the Needle Wall trap activated itself. Rolling a die, Michael watched it rather anxiously…and the result he got was 1! "Ha! Your Airknight Parshath is in Zone number 1, so…bye-bye!"

"Cripes!" But there was little Kyo could do as the spiked walls crashed together, crushing Airknight Parshath completely.

Then suddenly Michael's other facedown card activated! "Now, I activate the trap card, Reckless Greed! This allows me to draw two more cards from my deck, but it also means I must skip my next two Draw Phases!" Michael explained.

"Moron," Kyo grunted.

"Oh, it's all part of my strategy, believe me," remarked Michael as he drew his two cards, giving him seven in all. "And now…I'll set one card facedown, and summon Don Zaloog (ATK 1400, DEF 1500) to the field in Attack Mode!"

A moment later the leader of the Dark Scorpions emerged on the field. But suddenly Kyo called out, "Hold it! I activate my own trap card, Tower of Babel!"

Suddenly the massive tower erupted from the ground behind Kyo, stretching up to the sky above. "Now, each time one of us activates a Magic card, one Magic counter goes on this tower," explained Kyo. "And, when it gets four counters, the tower is destroyed and 3000 points of damage is inflicted to the player who activated the Magic card at that time."

Michael frowned. "Hmmm…this makes things a tad bit risky…" Then he grinned. "But it'll be worth it for sure!"

Then he held up one of his five remaining cards. "Now, I'll activate the magic card, Mustering of the Dark Scorpions! I could only activate this once I had Don Zaloog on the field…but now, I can Special Summon any cards from my hand that have 'Dark Scorpion' in their name, or are named Cliff the Trap Remover (ATK 1200, DEF 1000), as long as no two of those cards are named exactly the same." He smirked. "And it just so happens that I have two Dark Scorpion cards in my hand ready to do battle!"

Then, as the activation of the card put a counter on the Tower of Babel, from Michael's hand appeared two Dark Scorpions – Cliff the Trap Remover and Gorg the Strong, which had been on the field previously. Kyo took this in at a glance. "Damn it…!"

"You're right to feel afraid, twit," said Michael evilly. "And now…this is the beginning of the end for you!"

----------

THE SHADOW REALM 2, AT THE SAME TIME

"You…" Marcus snarled. "You've got some nerve showing your face before me!"

Maxell scoffed. "Such a bold front you're putting on, Marcus Ironside," he said casually. Then his Millennium Eye flashed. "But do you know what I see when I look at you? I see a very scared little man who's just about ready to wet his pants, except for the tremendous amount of self-control he's got."

Marcus's own eyes flashed with a dangerous light. "For what you did to Flora…I'll castrate you!"

"Hmph. Bold words, coming from a punk. But let's see you back them up, huh?" Maxell smirked…and then the Millennium Eye flashed again.

Suddenly, all around them appeared cards with their faces blank. "What're you up to?" Marcus demanded.

"Remember I told you last time, that if I saw you again I'd do you a favor and kill you?" Maxell reminded him. "Well, I've decided to let your death take the form of a Shadow Game…with a very interesting set of rules." He chuckled. "My Millennium Eye can not only read people's minds; it also gives me the ability to trap a person's soul inside anything I like, especially cards. For this Shadow Game, both our souls will be on the line – HOWEVER, there will also be much more than that at stake!"

"How do you mean?" asked Marcus warily.

"Well…" Maxell fingered his chin. "Each person on this planet has memories that are somewhat like pictures in a photo album. Take the pictures out of that album, and the book becomes blank." He smiled. "So, the rules for this Shadow Game will go like this: Each monster we play will each carry with it its owner's memories of one person in the owner's life. So, for each of your monsters that I destroy, the memories you have of one person you've known or met will disappear, until at last your mind becomes as blank as an empty album. Then…" He pointed to the blank cards surrounding them. "Each time you lose your memories of someone, those memories will be collected on one card, and then the card will be flipped facedown. Now, now, don't look so dismayed; the same thing applies to me, too…although I think it'll be far more painful for you than it will be for me." He shook his head. "And there's more…the loser of this duel will lose his soul to one of these cards, as well; and that soul-card, together with the loser's memory cards, will all be gathered into one deck – and BURNED!"

Marcus flinched. _In other words, I can't afford to lose to this bastard!_

Maxell then pulled out his Duel-Disk and put it on, slotting his deck of cards into it in the process. "Now, prepare to duel!"

Marcus's face was now set in a grim expression as he readied his own Duel-Disk. "Bring it on, you goddamn jerk-off."

Then the holographic coin appeared on the field. "I call tails!" Marcus cried.

But when the coin landed…it was heads. "Damn it!" Marcus cursed himself.

"Looks like I go first," said Maxell, and both of them drew their first five cards. Then Maxell drew his sixth – and grinned as his Millennium Eye flashed.

Seeing the Eye flash, Marcus winced. _Shit – he's gonna read my mind!_

"Yes, that's right; in fact, I AM reading your mind now, like a storybook," grinned Maxell. "But let's stick to the relevant stuff. You are currently holding two magic cards – Pot of Greed and Monster Reborn; a monster card – V-Tiger Jet (ATK 1600, DEF 1800); and two trap cards – Time Machine and Metalmorph. Your plan is to set V-Tiger Jet in Defense Mode, use Pot of Greed to draw two more cards from your deck, and set Time Machine and Metalmorph in order to use their respective effects later."

Marcus was boiling mad. "I swear, I am SO gonna tear that Millennium Eye out of its socket!" he stormed.

"Wishful thinking, kid," replied Maxell. Then he studied his own hand. "Hmm, hmm, hmm, how very extraordinary…all right, then. I'll simply set one card facedown, and end my turn."

Frowning, Marcus drew his next card. _His life points are wide open for a direct attack…but…I can't know for certain what that facedown card of his could be…so I'd better play it safe. _So he selected one of the cards from his hand and played it on the field. "Okay…I'll activate Pot of Greed to draw—"

"Not so fast!" Maxell interrupted him. "Now I activate MY trap card, Dark Deal! By paying 1000 life points when you activate a Normal Magic card, I can change the text on that Magic card to say: 'Your opponent discards one random card from their hand'!" And almost as he finished talking, his life points dropped to 7000!

"Say WHAT!" Marcus cried. But as he stared at his Pot of Greed card, to his astonishment the text on the card was changing to what Maxell said it would be! "Ugh…fine…so, you discard one random card from your hand, then."

Maxell had a very big grin on his face as he discarded a card to the Graveyard. Then suddenly he announced, "And now, you've really fallen for my trap! For now I activate the effect of Siliva, Warlord of Dark World (ATK 2300, DEF 1400)! Be Special Summoned to the field, my mighty fiend!"

The ground began to quake – and then a moment later Siliva emerged, its giant sword at the ready as it bared its fangs at Marcus. "As you remember from my duel with your lady friend last time," said Maxell, "when Siliva is sent from my hand to the Graveyard by a card effect, it is Special Summoned to my side of the field. And, in addition…if that card effect that sent Siliva from my hand o the Graveyard was my opponent's, when Siliva is Special Summoned by its first effect you must select two cards from your hand and return them to the bottom of your deck in any order!"

Marcus cringed visibly. "Damn you…"

"Now, choose!" Maxell ordered.

Marcus looked at the cards in his hand. "Geez…this is bad…fine! I'll return Metalmorph and the card I just drew, Reflect Bounder (ATK 1700, DEF 1000) to the bottom of my deck – in the order I named them!" And he stuffed the two cards back at the bottom of his deck.

"So, what'll you do? It _is_ still your turn," Maxell reminded him.

Marcus groaned as he looked at the three cards he held in his hand. "I'll set one card facedown, set this monster in Defense Mode, and end my turn."

"Poor choice, boy," chuckled Maxell as he drew another card. "And I'll soon show you why! For now I summon Brron, Mad King of Dark World (ATK 1800, DEF 400)!"

A moment later, beside Siliva appeared a crazy-looking fiend in kingly robes, its hair a mess and its body partially sealed by chains. "And now," continued Maxell, holding up another card, "I activate the magic of Dark World Lightning! This card's power selects one facedown card on the field and destroys it, after which I must select one card from my hand and discard it to the Graveyard! And I choose the facedown card in your magic/trap slot – your facedown Time Machine!"

"Aw, hell no!" Marcus wailed. "Can this possibly get any worse!"

But suddenly a massive bolt of lightning shot down and utterly destroyed the facedown Time Machine. Maxell then discarded a card from his hand. "And now, I activate the effect of my monster card, Beiige, Vanguard of Dark World (ATK 1600, DEF 1300)! When sent from my hand to the Graveyard by a card effect, this monster is Special Summoned to my side of the field!" And a moment later a spear-wielding fiend reappeared from Maxell's Graveyard.

"Shit…!" Marcus gasped.

Maxell fiddled with the two cards left in his hand. "And now, time to say goodbye to a portion of your memory! Siliva, Warlord of Dark World…destroy his facedown monster now!"

Siliva slashed at Marcus's facedown monster – the V-Tiger Jet monster – and as Marcus watched its destruction, he could feel something tugging at his mind. To his horror, he saw part of his memory – embodied in the persona of Blaze Redman – taken into one of the blank cards, after which that card was swiftly flipped facedown!

_Dammit…! This guy just robbed me of some of my memory!_ Marcus gritted his teeth in frustration. _I know I just suddenly forgot someone…someone important…but who was it? Shit, I can't even remember what that person looks like!_

"Go, my monsters! Attack directly!" Maxell ordered.

Beiige ran forward and thrust its spear into Marcus's stomach, causing him to gag and cough blood as his life points swiftly went down to 6400 Then, Brron jumped forward and planted one heavy foot into the top of Marcus's head, lowering his life points even lower to 4600. "And, Maxell spoke up, "when Brron, Mad King of Dark World, does Battle Damage to my opponent, I can discard one card in my hand to the Graveyard!"

So saying, Maxell discarded a card from his hand…but a moment later a hulking gold form appeared beside his other monsters! "The monster I discarded was Goldd, Wu-Lord of Dark World (ATK 2300, DEF 1400)…and when he's discarded from my hand to the Graveyard by a card effect, I get to Special Summon him to my side of the field!" And Maxell laughed tauntingly and triumphantly.

"Oh…no…" Marcus whispered.

"Now, Goldd, attack!" Maxell commanded. And Goldd flung its massive axe at Marcus, embedding it in his shoulder and further reducing him to 2300! Marcus howled in pain as blood flew everywhere!

"No worries," smirked Maxell. "Soon…you and your memories will be dead!"

----------

**_neomage:_** Uh-oh…can we say TROUBLE? Well, on to the next chapter!


	114. Chapter 114

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Verily, verily, I say unto thee…Yu-Gi-Oh doth not belong to me.)

**CHAPTER 114**

THE SHADOW REALM 1

Kyo had an untouched 8000 life points so far, while Michael's stood at 6100. Kyo had on the field his active Tower of Babel trap card with one Magic counter on it, and a facedown card which both players knew already was the Fairy Meteor Crush magic card. Meanwhile, Michael had his Needle Wall trap card active on the field, one other card facedown, and he had Don Zaloog, Cliff the Trap Remover and Dark Scorpion – Gorg the Strong, all in Attack Mode. Kyo had four cards in his hand; Michael had two. And now, Michael's monsters were ready to attack!

"Don Zaloog, attack him directly!" commanded Michael. And Don Zaloog did so, slashing at Kyo's chest with his sword and with such malevolent force that Kyo's jacket actually ripped as his life points went down to 6600. At the same time, two spikes shot out from the side and hit Kyo in the arm!

"Well, when Don Zaloog does Battle Damage to your life points," said Michael, "I can either select one card randomly from your hand and discard it to the Graveyard, or I can send two cards from the top of your deck to the Graveyard. Ah, what the hell – I'll send one card from your hand to the Graveyard! Discard the card on my extreme left!"

Flinching from his injury, Kyo discarded the card as directed. Then Michael continued, "Now, Cliff the Trap Remover, attack!" And Cliff dashed forward, stabbing Kyo in the same injured arm and causing him to cry out in pain, his life points reduced to 5400 – and another set of spikes shot out, this time grazing his thigh!

"When Cliff the Trap Remover does damage to you," said Michael, now very smugly, "I can either have him destroy one Magic or Trap card on the field, or I can send two cards from the top of your deck to the Graveyard. And I'll have him use his effect to destroy your Tower of Babel!"

Cliff rushed to the base of the tower and chipped away at its foundation at super-speed. A moment later the entire tower wavered, then fell to the side, landing to the ground with a crash!

"And finally, Gorg the Strong, attack!" Michael called out. And Gorg dashed forward and slammed into Kyo with his mace, reducing him further still to 3600 – and this time, from four different directions shot four spikes! One speared Kyo through the shoulder, two hit him in the lower right leg, and one tore at the skin on his neck!

"Ungh…" Kyo slumped to one knee.

"And now, there's Gorg's effect to resolve," said Michael. "When he does Battle Damage to my opponent, I can either have one monster on your side returned to the top of your deck, or I can send one card from the top of your deck to the Graveyard – and I'll force you to discard one card from the top of your deck to the Graveyard!"

Grimacing, Kyo took the top card from his deck and sent it to the Graveyard. "Man, you are SUCH a bastard," he growled.

"Well…now I end my turn," said Michael. "I'll admit you did do better than your pal Raven did against me by damaging my life points, but in the end the result will still be the same – my victory over you!"

With great difficulty because of his wounds, Kyo drew his next card so he had four cards in his hand yet again. "All right…I'll activate the magic card Pot of Greed, and draw two more cards!" And he activated the card, drawing two more cards so now he held five.

But then Michael snapped, "I activate my trap card, Trap Dustshoot! When you have four or more cards in your hand, I can look at your hand, then select one monster card and return it to your deck, after which you shuffle your deck!"

Kyo winced again. "All right, fine," he muttered as he held up his cards for Michael to see. He was holding Archlord Zerato (ATK 2800, DEF 2300), the magic cards Transcendent Wings and Silver Bow and Arrow, and the trap cards Bad Reaction to Simochi and Fairy Box. "Okaaaay…return your stupid Archlord to your deck and shuffle it!" Michael ordered.

Kyo silently took back Archlord Zerato into his deck and shuffled it. "Feeling pretty disadvantaged now, don't you, little shit?" Michael taunted him. "Well, just wait till I have my Dark Scorpions rip you to shreds!"

"I'll set one card facedown, and end my turn," said Kyo. "But my promise still stands – I'm going to rip your tongue out."

Because of the effect of his previous Reckless Greed trap card, Michael couldn't draw any card from his deck; nevertheless, he didn't seem fazed. As Needle Wall stayed dormant because Kyo didn't have any monsters on the field, Michael twiddled the two cards in his hand, then he announced, "Now, I'll set one card facedown, and summon my Dark Scorpion – Chick the Yellow (ATK 1000, DEF 1000)!" And then he summoned his little Dark Scorpion, hammer at the ready. "Attack him now!"

But suddenly Kyo cried, "Hold it! I activate my trap card, Fairy Box!" And then – to the Dark Scorpions' astonishment – a giant box appeared on the field, protecting Kyo!

"What in the world – what is THAT thing supposed to be?" asked a muddled Michael.

"Hee, hee…when one of your monsters is going to attack, I get to flip a coin and call it…and if I call it right, that monster's ATK is reduced completely to 0 before the Damage Step." Kyo smirked. "Feeling lucky, punk?"

Michael snarled. "Damn it…a game of chance, is it? Then, I have no choice if I want to finish you…"

Suddenly, as Kyo watched in amazement, the Millennium Ring began to shine again…and this time, Michael's physical features suddenly began to alter! His purple-dyed hair began to sprout two massive spikes at the top, like horns, and his eyes' pupils shrank inward, revealing a deep yellow iris in each!

"Surprised?" asked Michael, his voice sounding like frozen Antarctica. "Every single one of us who possess Millennium Items have this ability, but usually we only use it as a last-ditch resort…although, I must say, our dueling prowess becomes far better than normal when we use this ability!"

Kyo scoffed in disgust. "I don't care what you want to do," he grated. "My first statement still stands – I'll rip your tongue out."

"Are you STILL going on about that?" Michael asked, his smirk disappearing completely. "All right, it's come down to one of two alternatives: either I shut you up now, or I go insane from listening to you. Chick the Yellow, attack him now!"

Chick raised his hammer and rushed at Kyo – and suddenly a coin appeared and was flipped. "Tails!" Kyo called – and when the coin came down, it was tails…and Chick's hammer disappeared momentarily, surprising him completely!

"Grrr…Michael ground his teeth together. "Fine! Let's see how you like this combo! Don Zaloog, Cliff the Trap Remover and Gorg the Strong, go get him NOW!"

One by one, the other Dark Scorpions attacked – and for each one, Kyo flipped a coin for Fairy Box's effect. Don Zaloog attacked first – Kyo flipped the coin and called heads, getting it right. Then Cliff attacked – and again Kyo called heads for the coin toss, getting it right again. Then, Gorg attacked – but this time, when Kyo flipped the coin and called tails, it came back down as heads!

"Shit…!" Kyo gasped.

Gorg's mace crashed down on the ground, creating a gigantic shockwave that ripped through Kyo, sending him flying as his life points went down to 1800. "Oh, for the love of…" he rasped as he slowly got back up – and then he cried out as two stakes shot into his back, causing him to topple over!

"And now, time to utilize Gorg the Strong's second effect, since he's done battle damage to you," said Michael cruelly. "Discard one card from the top of your deck to the Graveyard!"

Kyo did so, wincing as he then pulled out the two stakes in his back. "Man…"

"Now, I end my turn," finished Michael. "Now, are _you_ feeling lucky, jerk-ass?"

The score had changed rather drastically: Kyo was now holding on with 1800 life points, while Michael now led with 6100. Michael had no cards left in his hand, but on the field he had his active Needle Wall trap and one facedown card, plus Don Zaloog, Cliff the Trap Remover, Dark Scorpion – Gorg the Strong, and Dark Scorpion – Chick the Yellow, all in Attack Mode. Kyo had only his Fairy Box trap card on the field and his facedown Fairy Meteor Crush card, but he had three cards in hand.

Now Kyo took his turn and drew a card…and he noted that his breathing had become very shallow. _Damn…my wounds are far too serious for me to even continue dueling…but I can't lose – not to this asshole!_

Then, quite suddenly, the Fairy Box card disappeared from the field. "Usually…usually, Fairy Box requires that I pay 500 life points during each of my Standby Phases to keep it on the field," Kyo whispered. "But if I don't pay, it's destroyed. And…right about now…I can't afford to lose any more life points than I have, even to pay a cost for something."

"Making it all the easier for me to crush you," said Michael.

Kyo then looked at the card he'd drawn. _Oh…you…I'll have to bet everything on you now…_ "I'll set this monster in Defense Mode, and end my turn."

"Weak tactic at this point, kid," grunted Michael, refraining from drawing another card because Reckless Greed's earlier effect still stood. "Well, it seems I can't draw again…but I'll take care of that!"

Needle Wall activated itself, rolling a die…but it came up as a 2, and Kyo's facedown monster was in the Number 1 zone slot. But Michael didn't seem bothered. "Activate my facedown trap card, a second Reckless Greed!"

A moment later he drew two cards. "This means I'll have to skip my next two Draw Phases once again – but who says I need to even draw again, considering what I've got in my hand?" he chuckled. "Now, I'll set one card facedown, and summon Dark Scorpion – Meanae the Thorn (ATK 1000, DEF 1800)!"

Soon Meanae was on the field beside her fellow Dark Scorpions, her thorny whip at the ready. "Now, before I attack…any last requests?" Michael chuckled.

Kyo glared up at him. "Just one," he growled. "Tell me…what in the name of all that is good and holy could cause a sick bastard like you to join JUDAS? Who could possibly have betrayed you?"

Michael sneered at his opponent. "Well…I suppose I COULD tell you a thing or two, but that won't change my outcome for this battle," he answered. "Nevertheless, I'm a nice enough guy to grant you your last wish…not that it'll do you any good later, anyway."

----------

THE SHADOW REALM 2, AT THE EXACT SAME TIME

Maxell's life points were at 7000, but Marcus's were low at 2300. On the field Maxell had Brron, Mad King of Dark World; Siliva, Warlord of Dark World; Goldd, Wu-Lord of Dark World; and Beiige, Vanguard of Dark World – all in Attack Mode, having just assaulted Marcus badly. By sharp contrast, Marcus had nothing whatsoever on the field. Marcus had only one card left in his hand, his Monster Reborn magic card; Maxell also had only one.

"So, how do you like my Millennium Eye's power, buddy?" Maxell teased Marcus. "Does it frighten you? Make you wet yourself out of fear? Confuse you for the simple fact that I can see everything you think and conceive in that puny brain of yours?"

Marcus rubbed at his now aching temples. _This son-of-a-bitch is getting really annoying…and the fact that he's just robbed me of my memory of someone really, really pisses me off!_

"You may as well voice your thoughts, boy. It makes no sense to think your insults instead of just saying them," said Maxell.

Marcus looked at his deck, one hand hesitating over it as he prepared to draw – and he closed his eyes. "All right…I have an idea of how to defeat your stupid Eye, you punk. It's only experimentation, but it's worth a shot. I haven't got much left to lose, anyway."

"What are you talking about? NOBODY can escape the power of my Millennium Eye – NOBODY, YOU HEAR ME!" Maxell exploded.

Then Marcus drew – still with his eyes closed.

Maxell smirked again "Idiot," he grunted. "If you close your eyes, how can you see what kind of card it is?" And his Millennium Eye flashed yet again.

Marcus smirked. "Okay…I'll set this card facedown, and end my turn," said he, placing the card he'd just drawn facedown in the magic/trap slot. Then he opened his eyes. "So, what's the matter, short-minded freak? Your Millennium Eye having a short-circuit or something?"

Maxell growled angrily as he drew another card. _How could he just place the card he just drew on the field without even looking at it? He's really asking for trouble! _"Don't you dare mock my power, you little shit!" he shouted. "Go, my monsters – crush him and put an end to his backtalk!"

But as all of Maxell's monsters charged at Marcus – the latter smirked with his usual arrogance. "I activate my trap card, Mirror Force!"

Maxell's face turned white. "WHAT!"

Suddenly, just as Siliva's sword came down toward Marcus's head – a massive force-field emerged out of nowhere, blocking the assault and creating such a massive backlash that every single monster on Maxell's side was destroyed! And as Maxell stared on, his own memory pieces – embodied in the forms of Michael Bronte, Bernard Stone, Jude Lassiter and Jan Shimizu – disappeared into the blank cards! "No! This is impossible!" Maxell shrieked.

"I don't think so, actually," said Marcus.

Maxell was shaking with rage. _Impossible…how the hell could HE, a kid with no special powers like me, be able to avoid the power of my Millennium Eye like THAT? To be able to hide what his card was…to play that type of card without even looking at it or knowing what the hell it was…oh, if only I'd known what it was, I could've been able to do something about it and thus I could've protected my own memory from being affected! _Aloud he demanded. "How? How were you…?"

"It was simple logic, actually," said Marcus. "If your Millennium Eye allows you to read minds, then only one thing will actually work: blanking my mind of all thought. And, if your power lets you see the cards in my hand, then the best solution is to just trust my cards and let my instincts take over, to the point where I don't have to look at them."

"…instincts…? That's just a load of utter crap!" Maxell exploded.

"Oh, but I beg to differ," said Marcus. "True, I've modified my deck time and again, but…many of the cards that originally came with it are still there. Sentimentally speaking, this deck was given to me by my mother when I was just a kid…and I believe now that her spirit is with me, in my cards. That explains for the most part how I was able to tell what that card I drew was without looking."

"Bullshit!" snarled Maxell.

Marcus looked him dead in the eye. "Listen…because I'll only say it once. Do not EVER insult anything to do with my mother…because she was one of two people in my entire lifetime who ever loved me. And now…"

As Maxell watched in consternation, Marcus drew another card. "Well, well, well…just the card I was hoping to get! All right – I summon W-Wing Catapult (ATK 1300, DEF 1500)!" And then he summoned a blue fighter jet with rocket launch-pads.

Maxell's Millennium Eye flashed…and he started to sweat. "You're not seriously thinking…!"

"Oh, yes, I am!" said Marcus. "I now activate my Monster Reborn magic card, to revive my fallen V-Tiger Jet from the Graveyard!"

Soon V-Tiger Jet was back on the field. Then Marcus chuckled. "Now, watch this! I'll remove these two monsters from play and fuse them together!"

With that said, V-Tiger Jet rose up and settled itself on top of W-Wing Catapult, so that the two formed one monster. "I don't need the Polymerization card to fuse these two monsters together," chuckled Marcus, "I just need to remove the two cards involved in the fusion from play. And now, say hello to my VW-Tiger Catapult (ATK 2000, DEF 2100)! Go, my monster – Rocket Barrage!"

The newly-formed VW-Tiger Catapult shot missile after missile at Maxell, severely damaging him and reducing his life points to 5000. "Take that!" Marcus crowed victoriously.

Maxell just stood there for a moment, still taking in what had just happened. Then suddenly he began to laugh…and the Millennium Eye shone far brighter than previously. "You foolish moron," he growled low in his throat, "now you've gone and done it! Now, I'll no longer hold back – and you will pay the ultimate price for your resistance of me!"

----------

THE SHADOW REALM 3, IN THE MEANTIME

While Kyo and Marcus had been fighting their respective duels against Michael and Maxell in the Shadow Realm, elsewhere Shigeo and Lassiter were involved in a completely different type of Shadow Game – one that was pitting them against each other in physical combat, their Millennium Items in the shape of light-based weapons. Both had been fighting for a decent amount of time by this. And neither of these two was going to give an inch.

Lassiter charged at Shigeo, swinging his katana of light with wild abandon. Shigeo jumped back time and again, blocking with his kodachi of light as best he could manage. "Whoa!" he cried out as, on one landing, he very nearly stepped over the edge of the walkway and into space.

Lassiter laughed. "You seem good at defending," he taunted, "and you're pretty good to have avoided getting hit by me so far; but you should remember that you haven't hit me either! Your little butter-knife of a weapon is no match for me – you probably should've used your Item's power to form a better weapon than that!"

Shigeo shook his head. "There's a reason why I chose the kodachi over any other weapon," he remarked. "Allow me to show you now!"

With that, and to Lassiter's amazement, Shigeo gripped the handle of his light-blade and rushed at the JUDAS member. But as the ninja-boy lunged forward with his offensive arm, Lassiter dodged to the side – and raised his katana in the process. "Now, prepare to die!" he yelled as he swung downward…

…and then his katana blade was caught by the kodachi. "WHAT!" Lassiter sputtered, furious – but then a solid foot-sweep from Shigeo caused him to fall, landing hard on his back. As he fell, Shigeo took the initiative and flipped over, causing his heel to fall hard into Lassiter's stomach.

Shigeo jumped up and away from Lassiter for caution's sake, and regarded his downed foe. "That's one hit for you, one point for me," he spoke up calmly. "How was I able to block your attack and then attack you simultaneously? The kodachi blade, in length, is shorter than the katana blade by several inches, and the kodachi itself is quite lightweight; so, my reaction time and swing speed is rather faster than yours. In olden times, warriors who fought with kodachis would use those swords as shields, and then use the rest of their own bodies for physical assault."

Lassiter stood up and laughed. "Well done," he remarked. "You certainly know your swords, young man. But even though you've managed to hit me…now that I know the advantage you have, I won't make the same mistake again!" Then he held up his weapon. "Now, come on!"

Shigeo readied himself. "If you really think you're going to win this, then why don't _you_ attack _me?"_ he quizzed.

_Hmph…trying to goad me into attacking him…he's smart, but evidently not smart enough!_ Lassiter's grip on his sword tightened. _Well, I'll show him a few things!_

Raising the blade, Lassiter dashed at Shigeo again. Shigeo readied himself, expecting Lassiter to swing the blade in a downward arc – but he got the shock of his life when, with one hand, the JUDAS member suddenly swung the weapon in an underarm arc, coming up at him! As he wasn't in a physical position to react with his own weapon in time, Shigeo dodged to the side, the blade narrowly missing him by inches – and then he got a solid punch to the face, sending him flying face-first to the ground!

"One point for me," Lassiter spoke casually, flexing his left hand's fingers with ease. "Now, we're tied. I'd say it's safe to assume we're evenly matched, wouldn't you?"

Shigeo slowly got up, wiping the blood from his mouth…and on his lips was a smirk. "Heh…now THIS is proving to be quite interesting. You're quite the character, Jude Lassiter…I know I'm going to enjoy this!" And he readied himself once again.

"That sentiment is only one guy's opinion," said Lassiter, readying his own blade. "For me, this isn't child's play. This is serious business…and, again, only one of us will leave here the victor!"

----------

**_neomage:_** I had a few problems readying this chapter, to be certain, but now the battle's split into three main segments: Shadow Realm 1, where Kyo and Michael are dueling; Shadow Realm 2, where Marcus and Maxell are having their duel; and Shadow Realm 3, where Shigeo and Lassiter are literally going all-out against each other in physical combat! But don't think I've forgotten about the others in the Pharaoh's Lair and what Lassiter's doing to some of them – I'm definitely gonna address that in the next chapter! So, stick around and read on, friends!

UPDATED 31/05/2006: Small typo in this chapter where I accidentally called Michael, Marcus. I made the correction as those of you who noticed this error will see.


	115. Chapter 115

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: _No es mio, no es mio, no es mio, no es mio…_)

**CHAPTER 115**

THE SHADOW REALM 1

Michael snickered and ran a hand through his altered hair. "So, you want to know why I joined JUDAS…so be it. I will tell you, but listen up, because I won't be repeating myself."

Kyo waited.

"When I was a kid, nothing ever went right for me," said Michael, his eyes becoming somewhat reflective. "My dad walked out on Mom and me when I was only two years old…going to school, I was constantly picked on by the other kids…and then, of all the things to happen, Mom got married again – to a man who had the balls to call himself a FATHER! But you know what? He was anything to the contrary!

"You know what that man did? Every opportunity he had, when he got upset about something, he'd take it out on me. Anything he had on hand or that was close by, he'd use it on me…whether it was a belt, a baseball bat, or whatever…and Mom kept telling me to respect him because he was my father!" Michael was practically shouting now. "What the hell kind of right did she have to tell me that? That—that—ASSHOLE—was not my father in any way, shape or form, not by the longest stretch of the imagination! And then, as if home life wasn't bad enough, at school the jerk-offs kept picking me as an easy target, just because I didn't play sports so often, or because I had a bad case of acne, or something! And those goddamn teachers – every time I complained, they'd tell me, 'Oh, Michael, it's just a phase; you'll get over it. Just remember: sticks and stone may break your bones, but words can never hurt you.' WHAT THE HELL DID THEY KNOW?"

Kyo gave him a dark look. "And just because you had it rough…you think you're the only one?"

Michael shot him a look. "Shouldn't I? Nobody ever helped me – nobody ever came to my rescue!" he snarled. "So why should I bother looking out for anybody but myself?" He chuckled. "JUDAS, though…JUDAS gives me the freedom to do whatever I want…and the master gave me the power to avenge all those years of abuse! And I did, too…killed that shithead of a stepfather for hitting me…killed those teachers and classmates of mine for making my life a misery…" His grin turned crazy. "…killed my mother for neglecting me…"

Kyo recoiled on hearing that. "You bastard…you murdered…your own mother…?"

"Why not? She had it coming to her!" Michael raged.

Kyo narrowed his eyes, and he snarled, "All right, you little shit…now I'm more determined than ever to kill your psychotic ass! No more people are going to die because of you!"

Michael just chuckled. "Bring it, loser!"

As far as the duel's stats were concerned – Kyo now had 1800 life points, while in contrast Michael had 6100. Kyo had three cards in his hand; Michael had none. On the field Kyo had his facedown Fairy Meteor Crush magic card and one monster facedown in Defense Mode; Michael had his active Needle Wall trap card and one other card facedown, plus he had Don Zaloog, Cliff the Trap Remover, Dark Scorpion – Gorg the Strong, Dark Scorpion – Chick the Yellow, and Dark Scorpion – Meanae the Thorn, all in Attack Mode. And it was still Michael's turn, and his monsters were ready to attack!

"Now, Gorg the Strong, attack and destroy his facedown monster!" Michael laughed. And Gorg slammed his mace into the monster's head, revealing that it was the Winged Kuriboh (ATK 300, DEF 200).

"So much for your pathetic wimp of a monster," sneered Michael. "Now, my other Dark Scorpions, finish him now and put an end to it!"

The other Dark Scorpions dashed forward – Don Zaloog burying his sword up to the hilt into Kyo's stomach; Cliff the Trap Remover shoving his knife into Kyo's shoulder; Chick the Yellow smashing Kyo's face with the mallet; and Meanae the Thorn slashing Kyo's arm with her thorny whip…but then Michael noticed something. "What the hell? Why aren't your life points decreasing!"

Kyo was now bleeding very badly; his shirt and jacket were torn open from the assault just delivered to him; and more blood was oozing from his earlier wounds – but he was smirking. "When Winged Kuriboh is sent to the Graveyard, during the rest of the turn any Battle Damage I get becomes zero. So, you've just been played."

Michael had steam hissing out of his ears. "Why, you persistent little…don't worry – next turn, I'll get you yet!"

Very weakly now, Kyo drew his next card. "Oh…how nice…just what the doctor ordered…" His breathing was now even shallower than before. "I'll…activate Monster Reborn…and bring back Winged Kuriboh in Attack Mode."

Moments later Winged Kuriboh reappeared from the Graveyard. "And now…" Kyo faltered and nearly fell forward, but with a mighty pull of effort remained standing. "I activate the magic of Transcendent Wings…by sending to the Graveyard my Winged Kuriboh on the field and two cards from my hand, I can Special Summon a new monster from my deck…Winged Kuriboh Lv. 10 (ATK 300, DEF 200)!"

As Kyo discarded the last two cards in his hand to the Graveyard, Winged Kuriboh began to shine with a brilliant light…transforming a moment later into the same creature he'd utilized in his duel with Jan. Michael was understandably amazed at its magnificence…but then he looked at its stats and laughed again. "Sorry, but its stats don't impress me," he announced. "My Dark Scorpions will crush that with ease…and then again, maybe they won't even have to."

Kyo eyed him warily. "What do you mean by that?"

"You'll see!"

Because of the Reckless Greed trap card Michael had activated moments ago, he couldn't draw a card; nevertheless, Needle Wall activated itself, and the die was rolled…and it rolled…a 4! "Shoot…can't destroy that pesky winged furball…but never mind!" said Michael. "Now, I'll activate this! Be flipped, my trap card – Dark Scorpion Combination!"

As this trap card was flipped face-up, all five of the Dark Scorpions readied themselves to attack. "I could only activate this card once I had all five of these Dark Scorpions face-up on my side of the field," explained Michael with a wicked sneer. "During the turn this card is activated, any of these five cards can attack my opponent's life points directly, even when there's a monster on my opponent's field…in that case, the damage done to your life points by whichever Dark Scorpion attacks directly with this effect becomes 400. And when all five of these attack you directly, that'll be it for you!"

Kyo hung his head; his hair overshadowed his eyes. "Not."

Suddenly – much to Michael's astonishment – the Millennium Ring began to glow again! "Ring, what the hell is up with you all of a sudden? I didn't give you any command – knock it off!" Michael snapped.

But still the Ring shone brightly…and then all of its five pointers stood to attention, all pointing in Kyo's direction. Stunned, Michael looked up – and what he saw shocked him to the core. "No…it…can't…be…possible…!"

Right there in front of Michael's eyes, light was pouring from the Millennium Ring to Kyo. The latter's wounds were, to Michael's surprise, closing up and sealing shut as though they hadn't been inflicted – and even his torn clothes seemed to be mending! "What the hell…is going on here…?" Michael croaked. "You can't be controlling the Ring's power – you CAN'T!"

Kyo chuckled – and it sounded stronger than before. "Hmm, hmm, hmm…it seems the Millennium Ring favors me over you," he commented. "Maybe, just maybe, it never wanted to be with you from Day 1 because of your selfishness and evil nature…"

"Y-y-you shut your mouth! I am in control of the Millennium Ring – NOT YOU!" Michael exploded, in a real panic. "Dark Scorpions, bypass his monster and finish him now!"

But just as the Dark Scorpions were about to obey, Winged Kuriboh Lv. 10 began to shine. "During my opponent's Battle Phase, I can tribute this monster to destroy every Attack Mode monster on your side of the field…and inflict damage to your life points equal to the combined original ATK points of all your Attack Mode monsters, too." Kyo smiled widely now. "Now…face judgment for your sins!"

The Winged Kuriboh Lv. 10 exploded into a million burning sparks, all hitting the Dark Scorpions and blasting them to pieces. Michael screamed in terror as he was bombarded by the sparks, flinging him back as his life points swiftly shot down to 0! "HOLY SHIIIIIIIIIIT!" he screamed, the Millennium Ring flying off his neck as he tumbled backward – and as suddenly stakes flew from every which where, ripping at his robe and inflicting serious damage to him.

Kyo walked up and gently picked up the Millennium Ring, carefully placing its suspending string around his neck. At once the Ring began to shine with pure light; Michael, bleeding and on his back not too far away, had to shield his eyes with an arm. "But…how…? How can that thing choose you over me?" he asked, bewildered.

"Hey. **_You."_**

Flinching at the ominous-sounding voice, Michael glanced up…and his eyes widened in growing horror. Kyo was standing over him; but his face was partially hidden in shadow, except for his eyes – with glowed with a very sinister blue. "The Millennium Ring has the ability to seal others' souls inside inanimate objects, to bring Duel Monsters to life, and to locate the other Millennium Items. Surprised that I know this?"

Michael's eyes widened more. "But how did you—" His face turned pale. "Oh, **shit**…"

"Yes. I am the child of the man who once wielded this particular Millennium Item. That is why it accepts me instead of you." Kyo's eyes burned into Michael's as the glow from them became brighter. "Now…I said I was going to tear that nasty tongue out of that filthy mouth of yours for speaking about _my woman_ the way you were…" And as he held up a card, the Millennium Ring shone for one moment – and then Mudora (ATK 1500, DEF 1800) appeared, his knife at the ready!

"W-w-w-w-w-w-w-wait! D-d-d-don't be so hasty!" Michael shrieked.

Kyo's voice was like granite. "Too late…your time to repent has long gone past. Now, die."

And as Mudora reached forward with one hand and the knife blade shone in the other, Michael began to scream…

----------

PHARAOH'S LAIR, AT THE EXACT SAME TIME

"Oh, man, this is just not my night…Miriam, stop it now! Snap out of it!" Malachi shouted as he threw the side-table at his sister. To his astonishment she shoved a fist through it, smashing it into pieces, and came after him again!

"Oy, boss! We need some help, pronto!" Luke's frantic voice shouted from outside. Distracted for a moment, Malachi turned his head—and Miriam caught him, locking her arms around his neck in a stranglehold.

"I'm—a little—busy—right now!" Malachi managed to choke out, struggling to keep Miriam from breaking his neck.

Outside, Luke, Jenna and Miki were engaged in a desperate struggle against the mind-controlled David and Blaze. Over and over David kept throwing punches at his brother, and every time Luke would dodge or block and attempt to rush in to grab him – only to have to jump back and repeat the process. At the same time, Blaze was lunging at Jenna and Miki simultaneously, throwing missed kicks and punches here and there. "Oh, why the hell did I skip so many karate lessons at gym class?" Jenna lamented as she ducked to avoid yet another attack.

Just then a door burst open – and Malachi came rolling out of the room, just seconds before a chair flew out after him and crashed into the wall. "This sucks ass!" he retorted.

"Dammit…Blaze, David and Miriam are possessed or gone insane or something, Honey's run off, Kyo's still not back – and where are Marcus and Shigeo, anyway?" Miki asked in frustration.

"Maybe they're tied up, too, with something like this," Luke theorized. "But at any rate, we gotta fend them off!"

"Knock them out is more like it," said Malachi – and dodged Miriam's oncoming punch. "For the love of God, sis, DO NOT make me hit you!"

By and by Miki, Jenna, Luke and Malachi ended up back-to-back. On one extreme side David and Blaze stood, and on the other was Miriam – and all three had glowing eyes in the middle of their foreheads. "Can this possibly get any worse?" groaned Jenna.

"WHITE LIGHTNING! Look out below!"

Malachi glanced up the corridor – and saw a ball of light barraging toward them. "Oh, holy crap – hit the floor!" and he dived for the ground. Jenna, Miki and Luke swiftly did likewise, just as the ball of light slammed into the wall, the shockwave blasting the three attackers back!

At the other extreme end of the hall was Honey, her Duel-Disk on her arm and her trusty Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon (ATK 3000, DEF 2500) beside her. "I didn't exactly 'run off,' Miki," she informed the other girl. "Just had to get myself prepped, that's all."

David, Blaze and Miriam slowly stood up; on seeing Honey, they grinned maliciously. "Kill…kill…kill the duelist…" And they sprinted forward.

"Honey, get away! They're coming for you!" Jenna screamed.

But Honey didn't budge – in fact, she stood right where she was, her arms folded in a superior stance. "What the hell is that girl thinking?" Luke wondered aloud.

Then Honey looked up – out of eyes that spoke of cold intensity. "Blaze Redman, Miriam Jordan, David Jericho – GET HIM OUT OF YOUR MINDS RIGHT NOW!"

And just like that, the three stopped, as if uncertain. "Uh…okay…" Miki whispered.

Growling, the trio stepped forward again…but Honey spoke up once more. "He hasn't taken complete control of you…but he's about to smash your duelist's pride. What will that make you look like, if you allow him to win? Force him out now!"

Snarling, David attacked Honey—and she dived to the side, allowing him to plow right into the wall. "Honey, it's no use! They're completely out of it!" Jenna called out.

"Guys…remember what happened to Yugo's grandmother," Honey spoke up. "Remember what you told us happened, Jenna – how she got possessed or brainwashed by those JUDAS jerks! I'm thinking that our friends here CAN be snapped out of it – but it depends on their own willpower and strength of mind!"

"Easy for you to say – considering she tried to kill us a while ago," muttered Malachi.

Pulling himself out of the wall, David turned and growled at Honey. Right behind him, Blaze and Miriam bared their teeth. "Wouldn't it make more sense to just knock them out?" Luke wondered.

"If you want a guilty conscience later, you could do that," replied Honey. "But this is the better way as far as I'm concerned, although it may be harder…"

Honey glanced up at that moment just in time to see the three brainwashed duelists dashing at her at top speed. Immediately she held up a card and slapped it down on her Duel-Disk – and the next thing, a Mirror Force shield popped up, repelling Blaze's incoming fist and knocking her back into David and Miriam. "Yep, definitely harder!" she affirmed.

"So, what should we do?" Miki asked.

Honey chuckled as the Mirror Force dissipated. "Here's my suggestion," she replied. "At least one of us that still have self-awareness has some sort of special connection to one of these three. We just have to do something or say something to help them break out of their trance. I think I've already done it by bringing up their duelists' pride…now it's up to you guys to think of something that only they would see as impacting, and bring it up!"

"Like what?" Luke argued.

Malachi frowned…and closed his eyes. "I think I have an idea of where to start. Hey, toon-lover, is it possible we can split them up?"

"Sounds like a good idea to me," said Honey. "So, who's taking whom?"

Malachi's eyes flashed. "I'm taking my sister."

Luke looked extremely grave. "I'll take my little bro."

Honey nodded. "That just leaves Blaze. Jenna, Miki, which of you has a bigger connection to her? Because I know for sure I don't."

"Don't worry—I'll take her!" Jenna stood up eagerly—but then a hand crossed in front of her. "Miki…?"

Miki's hair was overshadowing her brow. "Please, cousin…leave this one to me. I owe Blaze so much in my life…so much more than I'd ever be able to pay back."

Jenna didn't know what to say. "Miki…"

Honey looked at the three fallen assailants, just getting back up. "You three…remember what I said. Do not forget your duelist's pride. Whoever the asshole is trying to make you what you're not, don't allow him to tarnish the pride you have."

The three stared at her…and then Miriam began to shake her head, holding her face in utter confusion. Blaze growled at Honey as the eye in her forehead shone brighter than ever. David cracked his knuckles.

"Oy, Miriam, David, over here!" Luke shouted loudly.

Those two glanced over in Luke and Malachi's direction and started after them. Blaze turned to go with them, but— "Blaze! Don't look that way! Your opponent is me!" And Miki was standing there, arms akimbo. Blaze stared at her for a long moment, then slowly started to stalk toward her menacingly.

Very carefully, Honey crept past Blaze, leaning on the wall for support, until she reached Jenna. "Let's leave it to them. There's not much you or I can do from here."

----------

THE SHADOW REALM 3

Shigeo and Lassiter were still duking it out with their light-weapons. But just as Lassiter slashed downward and forced Shigeo to jump back, in the same motion he halted and stiffened. "What in the…? Do I sense those three…trying to break free from my mind control? Impossible – they don't have the force of will necessary for such a feat!"

Shigeo, not far away, chuckled when he saw Lassiter's reaction. "Heh…it seems they're starting to break free of your control, huh, Lassiter?"

"NO!" Lassiter's face took on an ugly expression. "Nobody has the power to break free from my mind control on their own! Nobody, you hear me?"

"We'll just have to see about that, won't we?" remarked Shigeo. "For now, we still have a fight to finish!"

"Yes, I believe we do," said Lassiter. "Now, let's continue, shall we?"

----------

**_neomage:_** Now…one duel is done…one is left…plus a sword fight is left to finish up…and now the battle's turned psychological! Keep reading!


	116. Chapter 116

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: How many times do I need to say it? Yu-Gi-Oh isn't mine.)

**CHAPTER 116**

THE SHADOW REALM 2

While the others were back in the real world fighting off their own mind-controlled comrades, elsewhere in the Shadow Realm Marcus and Maxell were still squaring off…but something sinister was happening right before Marcus's eyes. "This is…pretty scary…"

As the Millennium Eye shone brightly, Maxell's physical features began to alter: his hair grew several inches longer and wilder, and the color of his single organic eye changed from blue to dark yellow. In addition, the shape of his eye became more animal-like, and his mouth and chin turned more dog-like. "Now…" his voice was far deeper. "It's time for you to die."

Marcus shook his head. "Shit…and I thought you were ugly before."

The stats of their duel were as follows: Marcus now had 2300 life points, and Maxell had 5000. Marcus had no cards in his hand; Maxell had two. On the field Marcus had the VW-Tiger Catapult in Attack Mode, but Maxell had nothing at all. And now, it was Maxell's turn.

Maxell drew a card, so now he held three. "And now, I'll activate the magic card, Gateway to Dark World! This allows me to Special Summon one monster from my Graveyard that includes 'Dark World' in its card name – and I choose to Special Summon my mighty Siliva, Warlord of Dark World from the Graveyard!"

A massive portal opened from above, and Siliva came flying down, sword back in hand. "And now, I'll set this card facedown," continued Maxell, setting the card in the magic/trap slot. "Now, Siliva, attack and destroy that mechanical crap!"

Siliva jumped forward and diced VW-Tiger Catapult into pieces, reducing Marcus to 2000 life points. As this happened, to Marcus's horror another ghostly image of his memory got sucked into one of the cards – this one being his memory of Jenna! "And now…I end my turn, punk," Maxell grinned. "Do you believe in God? Then I suggest you start praying!"

Marcus gritted his teeth. _Oh, man…this is very, very bad! If I don't get something decent on my next draw, he'll finish me off in his next turn! And then my memories and I will perish together!_

He placed his hand over his deck. _Mother…you gave me this deck…please help me!_ And he drew.

"Well? Get anything worthless, as I expected?" snickered Maxell.

But now it was Marcus's turn to chuckle. "Not exactly. I activate the magic card Graceful Charity to draw three cards, after which I must discard two!"

Then, very swiftly, Marcus played the card, drawing three more cards and discarding two of them. Then, looking at the card left in his hand, he smiled. "And now, freak, time for a comeback! I'll activate Premature Burial, paying 800 life points to Special Summon a monster from my own Graveyard – and I choose Fusilier Dragon, the Dual-Mode Beast (ATK 2800, DEF 2000)!"

Moments later, as Marcus's life points dropped down to 1200, the massive dragon-machine emerged, its body extended to its full height and length as smoke poured from its mouth. "Now, Fusilier Dragon, destroy Siliva once and for all!" Marcus commanded. And the monster did just that – blasting Siliva to ashes with its fiery breath and reducing Maxell's life points to 4500 in the process. And, another piece of Maxell's memory got sucked into one of the cards – this one being his memory of Vlad Draxton.

"So…anything else, punk?" Marcus asked.

"Grrr…you may have destroyed my monster and destroyed part of my memory, but I still have my trap card!" exploded Maxell. "I activate the trap, The Forces of Darkness! This allows me to return from my Graveyard to my hand two monsters that include 'Dark World' in their names!" And very swiftly, he searched his Graveyard, found two monsters, and added them to his hand. "And the two monsters I'm returning from the Graveyard to my hand are Brron, Mad King of Dark World, and Beiige, Vanguard of Dark World!"

Marcus spat to the side. "May I just say this? You're disgusting!"

"Disgusting, you say? Pretty big talk, coming from somebody whose life points are lower than mine and who's going to lose this duel eventually!" retorted Maxell.

Marcus fixed him a piercing stare. "You know, you talk a pretty big game, but you know what? I highly doubt you'd be worth two cents without that blasted Millennium Eye in your thick skull. And what I said before still stands – I'll rip it out of your eye-socket before I'm done with you!"

"Try!" Maxell angrily replied.

Now the score stood at Marcus with 1200 life points, and Maxell with 4500. Marcus, yet again, had no cards in hand; Maxell had three. On the field Marcus had Fusilier Dragon powered by the Premature Burial card; Maxell had nothing at all on his side.

Now Maxell drew another card, so he held four. "Hmm…I believe I can work with this!" he announced. "Now, I activate the Ritual magic card, Contract with the Dark Master! Now, all I need to do is offer monsters from my hand whose Level stars equal 8 or more to bring forth this creature of mine…and I'll send Brron, Mad King of Dark World, and Beiige, Vanguard of Dark World, from my hand to pay for the cost of this card!"

Swiftly he sent the two cards to the Graveyard – and because sending the two cards to the Graveyard was a cost for the Contract with the Dark Master, Beiige's effect didn't activate. Then Maxell held up the very last card left in his hand. "And now, be summoned to the field, my mighty Dark Master – Zorc (ATK 2700, DEF 1500)!"

The shadows became even darker than ever as a silhouetted form appeared. Then, right before Marcus's suddenly frightened eyes, there appeared a red-winged fiend with a massive sword at the ready. "What…in the world…is that…?" Marcus breathed.

"This is the end of you, that's what!" declared Maxell huffily. "Now, here's his effect: Dark Master – Zorc's power allows me to roll one die during my turn. If the result I get is 1 or 2, every monster on my opponent's side of the field is destroyed. If the result is 3, 4, or 5, only one monster on my opponent's side gets destroyed. And if the result is 6…then every monster on MY side is destroyed. But the chances of that happening are very slim at this point, wouldn't you say? And the odds are heavily in my favor!"

Marcus sucked in his breath. "This bites."

Suddenly a ghoulish-looking die appeared on the field. "Go, die roll!" Maxell commanded, and the die began to roll all over the field. It rolled past the Fusilier Dragon…it rolled past the Dark Master – Zorc…it rolled past Marcus…it rolled past Maxell.

And both men stared at it, Marcus anxiously, Maxell with a confident smirk.

At present the die slowed down…and finally stopped rolling. And when its result was displayed – it was 6!

"WHAT THE HELL?" Maxell's eye widened in extreme astonishment and disbelief. "THIS IS UNREAL! THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING!"

Dark Master – Zorc raised his sword…and a massive blast of lightning from above tore through him and incinerated him. And then, to Maxell's utter shock, his memory of Judith Skye was stripped from his mind and stuffed into another of the cards surrounding them! "NO!" he screamed.

"Looks like you're finished, ass-wipe," chuckled Marcus. "It was one chance in a hundred…and that one stuck with me. Now, I draw!"

Swiftly he drew his next card. Then a devilish grin came over his face. "And now, say hello to my X-Head Cannon (ATK 1800, DEF 1500)!" And he summoned his yellow machine monster to the field, its cannons at the ready. "Heh, heh…I've got enough firepower here to tear you to pieces."

"N-no! Wait! Hold on!" cried Maxell – but in vain.

"Now, Fusilier Dragon, blast that sucker!" Marcus commanded. Fusilier Dragon responded by blowing fire from its mouth, scalding Maxell badly and reducing his life points to 1700.

"And now…" Marcus's eyes narrowed into slits. "This is for Flora! X-Head Cannon – rip that Millennium Eye out of his ugly face!"

"ACK!" Maxell cried, backing up. But as he did so, he tripped and fell back on his ass. "No, please, don't…! Have mercy!"

"Uh, let's see…how about **_no?"_** replied Marcus.

In an instant X-Head Cannon zoomed forward toward Maxell – and one of its clawed hands reached forward and grabbed Maxell's face. He screamed in agony as, in one swift motion, the robot ripped the Millennium Eye out of its socket, spurting blood everywhere even as his life points swiftly shot down to 0!

Then X-Head Cannon threw its arm backward, tossing the Eye to Marcus, who caught it skillfully with one hand. "Hmph…looks like this one's mine," he announced – and suddenly, the Eye began to glow brightly!

Holding his very injured and bleeding face, Maxell stared with his one remaining eye. "Impossible…how can the Millennium Eye be responding to you?"

"Maybe because I'll take far more responsible care of it than you ever did," said Marcus frostily. "And whaddaya know – it appears I don't have to stick out one of my own eyes and replace it with this Millennium Eye for me to use its power."

He chuckled. "Hey, you. I look at you with this Millennium Eye's power…" He held up the Eye in the palm of his hand. "…and you know what I see before me? I see a very scared little man who's just about ready to wet his pants, and he's got absolutely no self-control whatsoever."

Shivering, Maxell stared down at himself…and indeed, the front of his robe had a dark spot on it. "How embarrassing…"

"And you know what else I see?" went on Marcus, the humor gone from his tone. "I see the faces of all the victims you helped slaughter…and the agony they felt…and you did nothing to help them!" His tone became harsher. "And I see Flora's face…the agony she went through…and everything you put her through, and…what's this? Oh, I see…so that _is_ your boss's name, huh? Keisuke Odachi…thanks, asshole. Now you can die."

The Millennium Eye shone yet again. To Maxell's horror, he found himself being dragged into one of the blank cards that still existed there. "No! No! No! NOOOO!" he screamed, clawing his way forward even as more blood shot from his injured eye socket.

Marcus sucked in his breath. "Yes…my memories are returning to me now…" he whispered, even as the ghostly bodies representing his memories came out of the cards storing them and returned to his mind. "Can't say the same for you, though. Now…bye-bye."

As a screaming Maxell got sucked into the blank card, Marcus turned his back and walked off into the suddenly re-emerging corridor of the Pharaoh's Lair, twirling the bloody Millennium Eye in the palm of his hand…paying no mind to the stack of blank cards that all gathered in a single pile behind him…or to the sudden explosion that blew up the cards into one blazing heap…

----------

PHARAOH'S LAIR

Blaze, the golden eye shining in her forehead, growled at Miki. But the younger girl didn't back down. "Blaze…listen to me," she whispered softly. "I know you're still in there somewhere. That person hasn't won this fight yet – you've still got the strength to beat him. You just have to find the strength within you to do it."

Blaze snarled even more…but her advance paused. Seeing this, Miki went on, "Please, Blaze. Ever since we first met…I've thought of you as the big sister I've always wanted. Because of you, I was able to find the courage to compete in my first tournament…the Kaibacorp Challenge Cup…" She held her head down. "And…"

Again Blaze began to advance toward Miki; but still the younger girl wouldn't back down. "Blaze…I know you're in love with someone close to you…but wouldn't it make him sad to see you like this? Please…don't let him see you like this…he ought to see only the independent woman that I know you are. Be the brave woman, the stubborn woman, the determined woman he deserves to be with…"

Blaze took another step…and suddenly an image flashed before her eyes – an image of a man with his back turned toward her, but he was slowly turning to face her. And in her mind's eye, she was slowly reaching out to him…and in the real world, she bent forward, her hands going to her temples. "Aaaarrrrgh…no…get out…leave me alone…NOOOO!"

----------

THE SHADOW REALM 3

Shigeo blocked another slash attack from Lassiter. The two struggled against each other for a long moment – but then Lassiter, with a mighty effort, pushed Shigeo back. Then suddenly the older man paused. "Wha…what is this? No…it cannot be!"

Shigeo looked up and smirked. "Somebody breaking free of your control, eh?"

"No! It's not happening!" Lassiter held up the Millennium Rod, glowing brightly. "That person stays under my control!"

_He's distracted!_ Shigeo realized. _It's now or never!_

Raising his weapon, the ninja charged at Lassiter – who blocked his attack. "Ha! I'm still concentrating on this battle, boy – and even THAT little incident won't break my concentration!"

The next thing Shigeo knew, he got a solid kick to his gut that sent him flying back, landing face-first on the ground. "Damn…you…" he growled, getting up quickly. "Two points…for you…already…?"

"Hmph. Two to one. One more, and I win!" And Lassiter raised his weapon in glee.

----------

CAIRO

Lassiter stayed in that same squatting position, holding the Millennium Rod tightly in his hand as it continued to glow. "Good thing I got my practice with all my victims over the last ten years or so…being able to keep my attention focused on two different tasks at once is rather troublesome and tiring," he sighed to himself. "Maintaining my control over those three kids, while at the same time concentrating on my long-distance Shadow Game with the ninja brat…this is so bothersome."

Suddenly he tilted his head up. Someone else was here – someone with a Millennium Item. And this Millennium Item felt quite familiar, too. "Heh…about time you came back, Michael," he grunted, turning to face the other—

—and just as suddenly his face turned pale. "What in the hell…? You're not Michael!"

Standing there before him, the Millennium Ring suspended from his neck, was Kyo Bakura! "Took me long enough to find you, old man," he spoke harshly. "Luckily, this nice little trinket I'm wearing gave me the ability to find your Millennium Item. Two of these pointers pointing in the direction of the Pharaoh's Lair, a third pointing elsewhere…it wasn't that hard to locate you."

Lassiter chuckled. "I see…so Michael DID sense some anomaly of the sort…guess his instinct wasn't false, after all. Too bad he lost to you, though."

Kyo growled softly, even as the Millennium Ring began to glow. "You, sir, are going down. You and everybody else in JUDAS. We're gonna make certain of that, count on it."

"You kids? Geez…suddenly you all think you're super-heroes or something, don't you?" said Lassiter. "Well, I'll just inform you. Surely you can sense that I'm currently engaged in a Shadow Duel against your ninja friend, while controlling three minds at the same time, right? It's stressful to keep my attention on those, while talking to you here in the real world at the same time."

"Stressful, eh?" Kyo narrowed his eyes. "I like how you use that word, old man…especially considering you used to be a lawyer. And a malevolent one at that."

Lassiter looked at Kyo for a long moment. Then suddenly he laughed. "Ah, yes…how _could_ I forget your face? You…you're the kid whose parents once settled with a client of mine out of court, after you nearby broke his son's face open…"

Kyo didn't bat an eye. "He asked for it. He had it coming. It's just that simple."

"So you say. But then again, that's only one person's point of view." Lassiter smirked. "I must say, though, the only one who really benefited from that case was me. I got paid a little more than my regular charge, even though I did sympathize with my client…"

"You should sympathize with your skull, after I bash it open," said Kyo darkly.

"So, you'd attack me, even though I'm already engaged in a fight against one of your friends?" remarked Lassiter, impressed.

"I'll do what I have to, in order to save my friends from gutter-trash like you," said Kyo, and the Millennium Ring flashed again. "But…I can sense that you ARE in a Shadow Game with Shigeo, though it's from a distance, so I'll leave your defeat to him. Right now, I have somewhere to be." And he turned and walked off into the darkness, leaving Lassiter alone again.

Lassiter watched him go…and smirked. "Hmph."

----------

THE SHADOW REALM 3

In the meantime, while Lassiter was being confronted by Kyo, his mind was still waging battle against Shigeo. Their weapons continued to clash against each other, in a seemingly endless dance. "You seem distracted, man," said Shigeo keenly.

"Not!" replied Lassiter, and he came in for a downward stroke with his sword. But as he swung, Shigeo jumped back a little so that when the tip of the sword touched the ground, it was only inches away from his foot. "Damn!" Lassiter grunted.

Shigeo took his chance. To Lassiter's surprise, he ran up the length of the older man's blade, placed a foot on Lassiter's shoulder and jumped up and behind him – and in the process sent a backward kick to the back of Lassiter's head, sending him staggering forward. Landing, Shigeo readied his weapon, turned, and raced forward again. Getting his bearings back, Lassiter turned in time to see the ninja almost on top of him. He swung his sword upward just as Shigeo swung downward—

—and there was a loud _clank_ of metal and a flash of light as their swords collided with each other…and a moment later, they were standing on the narrow pathway, their swords held in different poses, their backs to each other.

They didn't move for a moment. Then Lassiter chuckled. "Indeed…you ARE deserving of the title of 'ninja,' kid," he announced…seconds before the light from his weapon dissipated and returned to the form of the Millennium Rod.

Shigeo chuckled back, even as his weapon's light shrank and returned to the form of the Millennium Scale. "You're not half-bad yourself, old man," he replied. "That we could 'break' each other's weapons…that was kinda unexpected."

"If I recall…" Lassiter seemed almost to be speaking to himself. "You kicked me in the head a while ago. That was one point to you. So, up to this moment, we both had two points…and now…with our weapons broken, I guess…this constitutes a draw."

"So, that means…you get away scot-free," sighed Shigeo, and sat down.

"Not exactly," said Lassiter. "I'm a fair man, so I'll keep my end of the agreement. As promised, I'll release your friends from my mind control…and answer whatever question you have to ask."

"Well, here's my question," said Shigeo. "The name of your leader…is it Keisuke Odachi?"

Lassiter smirked. "Yes. His name is indeed Keisuke Odachi, and he has a history with the Muto family…but what that history is, he hasn't told any one of us. Even I don't know, and I'm his second-in-command. The best person to ask about that would be Odachi himself."

Lassiter then sighed. "Even though you can't see it from here, kid, your friend Kyo is standing right in front of me in the real world…and like you, he's got a Millennium Item at his disposal now. And I don't know what the status for my other colleague is right now, but I'd hazard a guess that he's failed in his mission, as well. You kids…being able to use the Millennium Items like you can…it's almost unbelievable. The Master must hear about this at once. Well, till next time…" And he slowly vanished into thin air.

Shigeo sighed and closed his eyes, even as the Millennium Scale shone…and then when he opened his eyes again, he was back in his room, as though nothing had happened. "Wow…that was some massive use of power back there…"

----------

**_neomage:_** Hmmm…so, finally the three Shadow Duels are at an end…but what about the group that was mind-controlled – has Lassiter really kept his word?

Well, that's all for now. Keep reading!


	117. Chapter 117

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Again, Yu-Gi-Oh isn't mine.)

**CHAPTER 117**

PHARAOH'S LAIR

Shigeo flopped down in his bed, breathing heavily. "Whew…" he mumbled. "Who would've thought a Shadow Duel could be so diverse…or so tiring?"

"Hey, ninja. Get your ass up."

Bolting up in bed with a start, Shigeo found Marcus Ironside standing at the doorway. In one hand, Marcus held the Millennium Eye. "Looks like you had a bit of a rough time, too, or else you'd be far more energetic than this," he remarked.

Shigeo looked at the Millennium Eye. "I guess it's safe to say you won your encounter with JUDAS, huh?"

Marcus lowered his eyes so that his hair overshadowed them. "Yeah…but even one victory won't bring our friends back, will it?"

Before Shigeo could reply, a cry from the hallway interrupted them. "Guys…Marcus? Shigeo? Where are you?"

The two immediately headed out…and found Miki, Jenna and Honey kneeling on the floor, an unconscious Blaze in between them. "Oh, thank God you finally showed up…but you've missed everything!" complained Miki.

"Let's just say we had our own brand of excitement to deal with, so we weren't exactly left out," said Shigeo.

From elsewhere Luke and Malachi emerged. Malachi was carrying Miriam in his arms; Luke had David slung over his shoulder. "Finally, they've calmed down," Luke muttered.

"True, true," and Malachi nodded. "One minute they were attacking us…the next, they looked confused as though they didn't remember who they were…the next, they held their heads and then collapsed."

Shigeo sighed. "So, it's true…he did keep his end of the bargain." He then saw the others give him some very confused looks. "Er…long story. Trust me."

"Well, I'm glad to see everybody's all right now."

Miki looked up at the sound of the voice. "Kyo!"

Indeed, at the end of the hall was Kyo, walking toward the group, the Millennium Ring hanging from his neck and shining brightly. "Sorry I'm late, guys," he apologized. "Had a bit of trouble on my way back."

"Yes, we can see that," said Malachi, eyeing the Millennium Ring.

Kyo then saw Marcus holding the Millennium Eye. "And you beat one of their high-ranking members, too, huh?" he remarked. "So…now, that gives us a total of three Millennium Items."

"And that means four of their members are left," said Marcus gravely. "We had better be more on our guard from here on out."

"Let's just get these guys back to bed," said Malachi, indicating their unconscious friends. "They'll probably be able to sleep it off till tomorrow. I'm just astonished that all the noise we were making down here didn't wake anybody else."

"Or if it did, they'll probably think we just had the TV on too loud or something," surmised Honey. "But, honestly…I'm tired and I need my rest. Can we please go back to bed now?"

"No objections here, that's for sure," said Jenna, yawning. "Miki, help me carry Blaze in, would you?"

----------

SOMEWHERE, IN THE MEANTIME

While the other JUDAS members had been fighting against the kids at the Pharaoh's Lair, Jan and Judith had safely made it back to their hidden lair. Now, deep in the darkness, he was waiting patiently while she worked in solitude.

_Whatever is she DOING?_ Jan wondered to himself fretfully.

Presently Judith emerged from the darkness. "Jan…would you like to see what I've been working on since we got back?"

"Uh, sure…if it's all right."

"Of course. Please, come this way."

The two walked along for a few minutes; then presently they came upon an illuminated room. In the middle of the room was a single glass case, the top uncovered. "Take a good look, but don't get too close," Judith warned.

Jan carefully stepped forward and peered into the case – from a good three feet away. His eyes widened in shock. "It…can't be!"

"It is," said Judith quietly. "You saw Master Odachi duel once, did you not? You thought that was the full extent of his power? Well, I must inform you that it was not. In fact…it was only one-third of his complete strength he was using that day…"

Jan was speechless for a moment. Then he cleared his throat. "So…if he has _these…_then his power will be…"

"Beyond the sky's limit."

Jan stared at the case for a long moment before he spoke again. "So…exactly what HAVE you been doing with these, Miss Judith?"

Judith chuckled a little. "These cards…were excavated from the same place as the remains of the Millennium Items. They were buried underneath so much rubble and were extensively damaged…yet, when the Millennium Items were reconstructed with the Great One's direction, so were these cards. In fact, when they were repaired with the Great One's power, their power was ten times what it had been previously.

"However…since the Great One had to conserve the bulk of his energy for the resurrection, that power that was used could only be used to repair these cards one by one. That's why I said Master Odachi was only using one-third of his full strength – the other cards were still under repair, considering the power they'd held before. But now…now all of them are finally back to full power."

"So, now what?" wondered Jan.

"Now, for the past several hours," Judith went on, "I have been appointed to create a deck that'll be compatible with all of these cards. The deck Master Odachi used last time could only support the one card that had been completed…but with all of them finally back at full strength, it's only natural that he should have the privilege of controlling all of them. For that reason, he asked me to come up with a suitable deck for him with all of these cards in there. In addition, he entrusted me with the cards' safety till they should go into the completed deck, lest any unscrupulous persons try to steal them…"

Then her eyes narrowed. "Like Abel Drake, for example. Drake, come out of there now."

From the shadows behind them, Drake emerged, a false smile on his lips. "What a pleasure to see you, too, Judith, and you, Jan," he remarked. "But what kind of statement is that for you to make? Why would you think I would stoop so low as to steal these cards, these cards that have been expressedly reserved for Master?"

Judith fixed him with a piercing stare. "Because you're very, very capable of stealing these cards."

Drake shrugged. "Well, whatever. Just remember, it WAS my archaeological team that dug out the remains of the Millennium Items and these cards. At least give a guy some credit."

"And it was the Great One who gave you the directions to find all of them, don't forget _that,"_ Judith returned coldly. "Master Odachi only chose you to join JUDAS because it was the Great One's command. If it was up to Master, you'd have been dead a million times by now."

The two glared at each other for a long moment. Then Drake shrugged again and stepped back. "Well, whatever. I'm going out…maybe I'll be lucky and grab myself a soul or two to give to Master Odachi." And he left them alone again.

Judith sighed. "That Drake…so flipping arrogant, it's no longer just a nuisance."

Jan regarded her. "What will you do now, Miss Judith?"

As he watched, Judith turned to the case and reverently took out the special cards. Reaching into her robe, she took out a Duel Monsters deck and carefully slipped the cards into it; then she shuffled the deck very, very carefully. "The base of the deck was already completed a little while earlier," she revealed. "And now, the Master's secret weapons have been added to the deck. He will be pleased with my work."

Then she turned to one side, went down on one knee, and held out the deck with both hands. "Master Odachi, please accept this, my humble work."

To Jan's utter shock, Odachi himself appeared from the darkness, the tattoo over his eye giving a dark silhouette over his face! "Well done, Judith," he said quietly. "You have done well to protect these cards."

"Master." Judith lowered her head respectfully.

Odachi then beheld Jan. "You wonder how long I've been standing here. I have been here ever since you and Judith got back. I overheard everything Drake said. And he will get his due in due time. As for now…" He swiftly went through the cards in the deck he'd just gotten. "They're all here, you're sure, Judith?"

"Yes, Master. The deck will work with all of them."

"Very well." Odachi chuckled, then waved a hand. "You are both dismissed."

Judith stood up and left the room, followed close behind by Jan. Odachi chuckled as he looked at the deck in his hands. "Yes…" he whispered. "At first it was only Osiris the Sky Dragon…and now, Obelisk the Tormentor and the Winged Dragon of Ra are here in my hand, as well…at long last, the power of the three Egyptian God cards is mine to command!" And as the Millennium Puzzle shone brightly, he threw his head back and laughed a sinister laugh.

----------

Judith and Jan continued to walk along for a few minutes. Then Judith abruptly stopped. "Jan…"

"Yes, Miss Judith?" asked Jan, standing at attention.

She turned to face him. "Tell me the truth. Could we all have been wrong?"

Now he looked astonished. "Whatever do you mean?"

She sighed and lowered her eyes. "The great majority of us who joined JUDAS…I know we joined because we sincerely desired righteous justice or revenge. The Rex brothers, Rodney and Reggie…Vlad Draxton…Samantha Redman…Bernard Stone…even you and I…but now, I can't help but wonder: Could there have been another way, after all…?"

Jan looked confused. "What are you saying?"

Judith gave him a look. "Listen to me. You're the best of all the lower-ranking soldiers in this army…and yet, you've never soiled your hands with the blood of others, even of those you considered worthy enough to die for their transgressions. Even in your duel against your brother earlier…against the very person who took the bulk of your parents' affection…you could have saved yourself from the edge of that rooftop easily, and pitched him to his death instead. And yet, you didn't."

Jan's eyes narrowed. "I see…so you saw that, eh?"

"Jan, listen to me." Judith looked at him, almost pleadingly. "For God's sake…don't make the same mistakes so many of us in JUDAS have made. Some of those mistakes are just too big for you to simply say you can atone for them. Take my advice…get out of JUDAS now. There's still time."

Jan's eyes widened in shock when he heard this. "Miss Judith…!"

"No. Don't speak. Just listen." Judith's tone was extremely firm. "True, you have killed in the name of JUDAS…but I know better – I know you killed those people that you did only because you had no other choice. You didn't kill to satisfy vengeance, only to protect yourself and your life. And, too, I have seen where, at times, you have actually let your victims escape out of mercy. You will one day have to go to prison for the crimes you've committed for JUDAS, I know…but as I said, some sins can never be forgiven by just sitting in a cell. Please take it from me…get out now, while you still can. Don't stick around any longer. I beg you."

Jan looked at her for a very long moment. "Miss Judith…"

"Don't worry about the Master, or the others that are left – I'll deal with them, in my own way, in my own time," said Judith. "And, very soon, too, I feel that the time for me to atone for my own sins will be here. For now…for your sake…go."

Jan sighed…and bowed to her. "Miss Judith…I will not forget this. Thank you."

And with that, he turned and dashed into the shadows. Judith watched him go; then, silently, she reached into her robe and pulled out a Duel-Disk and a deck of cards. "It's time…that I stepped into this next act in this tragic comedy…" she whispered, as a tear trickled down her face.

----------

MARIK ISHTAR'S HOUSE

The time that had passed since Yugo and Seta finished the second test, and in the space of time that their friends had fended off JUDAS, totaled almost an hour. Now, as Seta looked at his watch again, it read 10:29 going on 10:30. "Just another half-hour…till the third test starts…" Seta grunted to himself.

He was sitting on the ground near the dueling platform, having just woken up from his nap. Just a few feet away, Yugo was also leaning on the dueling platform, still fast asleep. "How the hell can one guy sleep so much?" Seta grumbled as he watched the other boy.

Just at that very moment Yugo snorted, blinked, and looked up. "Oh, hey, Seta," he mumbled. "What's for breakfast?"

The next thing he knew, Seta clouted him hard in the top of his head. "WAKE UP, DUMBASS!" Seta exploded indignantly. "Sheesh…you're so friggin' lazy, it's not funny!"

"Ow…have some pity on the tired…" Yugo pleaded, rubbing the bruise on his head.

"Glad to see you two boys are awake," Mr. Ishtar's voice came through to them. "I was coming to tell you a little more about the Millennium Items, if you were awake enough to listen, that is."

"Lay it on us!" said Yugo, instantly attentive.

"Uh…right…" Seta blinked in disbelief.

Mr. Ishtar coughed, and then went on. "Now, I'm gonna tell you two about the Millennium Eye. 3000 years ago, historically, its power was wielded by the priest Akunadin, brother to Pharaoh Atem's father and father to one of the other priests," he told the boys. "Its power allowed the bearer to read others' minds, and also to trap others' souls. When your parents were younger, Maximillion Pegasus wielded the Eye, and used its power to defeat his opponents in Duel Monsters. He also used it to trap people's souls inside Duel Monster cards. However…using the Eye's power required that one of the bearer's eyes be sacrificed – in short, it replaced an organic eye."

"Ouchie…" and Yugo flinched.

"Yes," said Mr. Ishtar quietly. "To date, I haven't heard of any record of anybody effectively using the Millennium Eye without having to sacrifice one of their eyes in order to use it."

"Hmph…pretty risky thing to use, then," muttered Seta.

"Ah, yes – let me also give you two a rare card each for successfully passing the last test." Mr. Ishtar pulled out two cards and gave one to each boy.

Seta examined his card carefully. "Hmmm…Rapid-Fire Magician (ATK 1600, DEF 1200)…nice effect, too, I guess. Okay, Uncle Marik…I'll try to work with this."

Yugo frowned as he examined his card. "Flame Swordsman (ATK 1800, DEF 1600)…sir, begging your pardon, but what the hell am I gonna do with this? I don't even have the necessary monsters to summon this!" For Flame Swordsman was a Fusion Monster card.

"Never fear, Yugo…you'll eventually get the means by which you can summon your new monster," said Mr. Ishtar with a mysterious smile. "For now, just take it and be thankful."

"Yeah, sure…I guess." Yugo shrugged.

"Now, in the next half-hour the third test will begin," Mr. Ishtar reminded them. "So, prepare yourselves mentally and physically. This next test will definitely push you to your very limits. Understand?"

"Yes, sir," both boys replied simultaneously.

"All right. I'll be back in a moment." And Mr. Ishtar turned and walked off, leaving Yugo and Seta to themselves once again.

"Interesting…so Mr. Pegasus was one of those people who had a Millennium Item, too," Yugo said, greatly interested. "First, your mom…now, Mr. Pegasus…I wonder who Mr. Ishtar's gonna surprise us with next?"

Seta shrugged. "What I'm more concerned with right now is how our friends are doing out there…could those bastards in JUDAS be giving them a hard time?"

"Probably not. They've got a hard fight on their hands, those JUDAS guys, if they think they can take our friends just like that," Yugo laughed. "Well, what say we get ourselves ready for the next test, eh?"

Seta smirked. "Sure thing."

----------

**_neomage:_** Oh, if only Yugo and Seta knew for sure what was going on…and I won't hide and talk: yes, Keisuke Odachi has a deck that revolves around the legendary Egyptian God cards! What chaos and madness will ensue? Read on and find out, faithful readers!

Oh, and by the way, something I should have said several reviews back: to all reviewers, as much as I enjoy the accolades, please do not do as one reviewer (who shall remain nameless) did and say that you "worship" the ground I walk on, or anything else of that nature. Personally, I take offense to it, because only One Higher Power should get that kind of praise. Then again, that's just my belief.

Well, enough of that! On to the next chapter!


	118. Chapter 118

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: All I own are my computer, this story, and a hunger for being owner of every single Yu-Gi-Oh card in existence. I want the God Cards, too!)

**CHAPTER 118**

MARIK ISHTAR'S HOUSE

Back inside the main part of Mr. Ishtar's house, Odion was sitting in the living room, reading a mystery novel. Just then Mr. Ishtar walked in, letting out a massive yawn. "You're still up, Odion?" he queried.

"To be honest, Master, I cannot sleep," confessed Odion as he turned another page in the novel. "The evil energy that has abounded in Cairo of late…it's becoming far stronger with every passing hour. Even when I picked up Mariska from her tutor today…the tutor told me she feels it, too."

"Then we must hurry and bring out Yugo and Seta's full potential if we are to have any chance of survival against JUDAS," mused Mr. Ishtar. "How's Mariska, by the way?"

"Sound asleep by this time, sir," Odion reported. "I don't know if she senses anything that is going on…and I personally hope she doesn't."

"I agree." Mr. Ishtar sighed. "Well, it'll soon be time to go and ready the boys for Test Number 3."

"If I may, Master Marik…why ten tests? Why not less?" wondered Odion.

Mr. Ishtar didn't answer immediately, but went over to the window. "Two reasons, old friend, and both reasons apply to both boys. The first is, they both possess great potential that must be tapped, and once tapped, they must learn how to control it effectively. It seems Yugo was able to tap into his hidden powers during the Intercontinental tournament just gone by; Seta still has yet to do so. Now, I want to bring out their full power, and then help them to learn how to control it. It would take time for that, naturally, so I gave them more than enough to be able to harness their power. We started the training several hours earlier, at 7:00; by that same hour tomorrow night, they should be ready and able to use their full power to their fullest capability."

"And the second reason?" asked Odion.

Mr. Ishtar nodded. "The second reason…they're both the sons of two famous and legendary duelists. Both Yugo and Seta want to surpass the legacies that their fathers left for them. They both want everyone to recognize them as true duelists in their own right, and not merely as the sons of Yugi Muto and Seto Kaiba. I want to help them make that dream possible…by giving them something neither Yugi nor Kaiba ever possessed: the ability to harness their dueling prowess in physical form…to manipulate it to their own liking…to make true believers in themselves out of themselves."

Odion chuckled. "In other words…you want to build up their self-esteem to higher heights."

"Yes." Mr. Ishtar nodded.

Odion regarded his master. "Master Marik…are you sure you won't take a little rest, even for an hour or so? I could continue their training for you…"

"Thanks, but that will not be necessary. For the first time…for the first time, I feel vitalized, Odion. As though…I can take on the world." Mr. Ishtar nodded. "Yes…I feel a lot of energy now."

----------

HALF AN HOUR LATER

"Well, it's about time," mused Seta, glancing at his watch. "11:00…and where IS he?"

Not far away, Yugo was doing a few stretches. "Hey, don't rush it, dude," he admonished his friend. "He'll show up when he's good and ready. All we can do is continue to wait…"

Footsteps a distance away interrupted their discourse; and, sure enough, Mr. Ishtar came back. "Now, are you two ready for the third test?"

"Yes!" both boys cried simultaneously.

"Good." Mr. Ishtar then reached into his pocket and pulled out two new decks. "I really hope you are ready, for this next test is going to be a very intense one…"

Seta eyed his uncle suspiciously. "You're giving us decks with little quirks again, aren't you?"

"You could say that." Mr. Ishtar chuckled. "This time…the decks you'll be using are decks that contain ONLY Magic and Trap cards. Nothing else."

Seta and Yugo looked at each other. "Hmmm…only Magic and Trap cards, huh? I guess that's not as difficult as the last test, where all we had were Normal Monster cards to work with…this test will at least test our proficiency with magic and trap cards…" Yugo said thoughtfully.

Mr. Ishtar said nothing to that; he just smiled to himself. _We'll soon see about that…it won't be as simple as that, you'd better believe it!_

Whereupon the boys got up on the dueling platform and into their respective places. Instantaneously their holographic opponents popped up, ready to battle.

"Begin!" Mr. Ishtar commanded.

----------

DUEL 1: Yugo vs. Gray Hologram

"Welcome back, Yugo Muto," said Gray Hologram as it readied its deck. "Prepare to duel!"

"Back at ya!" Yugo replied.

The holographic coin was flipped. "Heads!" Yugo shouted.

Then the coin landed…and it was indeed heads. "Good! So I'll go first!" Yugo said with glee as both drew their first five cards.

But as Yugo drew his sixth card, he took a look at his hand – and nearly swore. _What the hell is this – some of the Magic cards I'm holding are Equip cards! But…what good are they to me, if I don't have monsters in my deck to equip them to? Geez…I should've listened to Mr. Ishtar! This IS going to get a tad bit difficult, for real…_

"All right. I will set two cards facedown, and end my turn."

Gray Hologram drew its card. "Now, then! I activate the magic card, Card of Sanctity! In exchange for removing all cards in my hand and on my side of the field from play, I can draw until I have two cards in my hand!"

As it sent the five remaining cards in its hand out of play, Gray Hologram then drew two cards from its deck. "Now, I summon Abyss Soldier (ATK 1800, DEF 1300)!" And then a cross between a manta ray and a dolphin appeared, with arms and legs, wielding a spear.

"Not so fast!" snapped Yugo. "I activate the trap card, Trap Hole! When you summon a monster with an ATK of 1000 or more, that monster is destroyed!"

Unfazed, Gray Hologram removed its just-summoned monster from the field and sent it to the Graveyard. "I end my turn."

Yugo looked at his hand as he drew his next card, a little frustrated. "Hmmm…hey, what's this?"

In his hand was a magic card he remembered fairly well—the card, Wave-Motion Cannon. Immediately memories of the Intercontinental championships poured into his mind. _Miriam Jordan…she used this card…maybe I can use it, too…_

So he played the card. "I activate the magic card, Wave-Motion Cannon! During any of my following Main Phases, I can discard this card from the field to the Graveyard to inflict damage to you equal to 1000 times the number of Standby Phases this card was on the field for after activation!" In the next moment a large cannon appeared beside Yugo, and began to charge up with energy.

Then, quite suddenly, Yugo's other facedown card flipped face-up. "And next," he went on, "I activate the trap card, Curse of Darkness! As long as this card stays face-up on the field, each time a Magic card is activated the controller of that Magic card takes 1000 points of damage!"

Gray Hologram didn't show any expression, as usual.

_What – did Mr. Ishtar purposely design this hologram to not have any emotion?_ Yugo wondered in irritation. Aloud, he announced, "And now, I end my turn."

Gray Hologram merely drew another card, so now it held two. "I activate the magic card, Dimension Fusion! By paying 2000 of my life points, both players can Special Summon as many monsters as possible that have been removed from play! And I have one monster that was removed from play when I played my Card of Sanctity last turn—Dark Elf (ATK 2000, DEF 800)!"

As the Dimension Fusion card was activated, Curse of Darkness sapped Gray Hologram of 1000 life points. Then, Dimension Fusion sapped the holographic opponent of another 2000 life points. Altogether, when the Dark Elf reappeared from a dimensional rift on Gray Hologram's side of the field, the hologram had 5000 life points.

"Then," continued Gray Hologram, "I will activate the magic card, Megamorph! Since my life points are lower than yours, my Dark Elf's ATK will double to 4000!"

"SHIT!" exclaimed Yugo.

But it was just as Gray Hologram said – even as Curse of Darkness caused Megamorph's activation to drain Gray Hologram of another 1000 life points to leave it with 4000, Dark Elf's ATK shot up sharply to 4000 points! "Dark Elf…attack!" the opponent commanded.

And then, in that instant, Dark Elf's effect drained Gray Hologram of yet another 1000 life points, leaving it with 3000. But in response to its controller's command, Dark Elf blasted a massive spell ball at Yugo, hitting him in the chest and knocking him down – and bringing his life points to 4000 in the process!

"Ouchie…" Yugo winced as he got back up. "I seriously can't take another hit like that!"

"And now, I end my turn," said Gray Hologram.

Shaking off the stinging pain, Yugo drew his next card – and as his Standby Phase passed, Wave-Motion Cannon's power began to grow. He observed this thoughtfully. _Hmmm…too weak to decisively finish off the opponent, but…_ He looked at the card he'd just drawn. _Maybe THIS will help!_

Aloud he announced, "All right! I'll set one card facedown, and end my turn."

Gray Hologram drew another card. "Poor choice…for now I activate Heavy Storm, to destroy all magic and trap cards!"

But suddenly Yugo exploded, "Not so fast, bub! I activate my trap card now – Judgment of Anubis! By discarding one card from my hand, I can negate and destroy any Magic card that destroys Magic and Trap cards!"

Suddenly a huge sphinx-like statue with a jackal's head appeared on Yugo's side of the field and blew fiery breath at the Heavy Storm magic card, destroying it. "Impressive," observed Gray Hologram.

"But that's not all the Judgment of Anubis does," said Yugo, a smirk on his face. "After that, I can destroy one monster on your side of the field, and damage equal to the destroyed monster's ATK will be inflicted to your life points!"

Again the jackal sphinx blasted a ball of fire toward Gray Hologram's side of the field – this time destroying Dark Elf, blasting her to smithereens and reducing the hologram's life points to 0.

"Well done, Yugo Muto," said Gray Hologram. "You win this duel." And then it disappeared in a flash of light.

"Whew…" Yugo couldn't help but chuckle. "That was a bit too close. Wonder how Seta's doing…?"

----------

DUEL 2: Seta vs. Black Hologram

While Yugo had been dueling against the Gray Hologram, Seta was preparing to face off against the Black Hologram. "Let's do this!" he declared.

"Welcome back, Seta Kaiba," Black Hologram said coolly. "Let us begin. Heads or tails?"

The holographic coin appeared and was spun. "Heads!" Seta replied.

The coin landed – and it was heads. "Whee! I go first!" Seta crowed jubilantly.

Both drew their first five cards; then Seta drew his sixth and frowned. "Hmmm…just like Uncle Marik said…no monsters, only magic and traps…I guess I can work with this." He looked up. "To start off, I'll set two cards facedown, and end my turn."

Black Hologram drew its card. "I summon Thunder Nyan Nyan (ATK 1900, DEF 800) to the field!" And it brought forth a young girl dressed in tiger stripes, sitting at a drum set. "Attack directly!"

Thunder Nyan Nyan raised a drumstick and hit one of the cymbals – HARD. As Seta winced from the resounding crash, all at once a massive blast of lightning shot down from the sky and hit him directly! He screamed and flew to the ground as his life points sharply dropped to 6100!

"And now, I will end my turn," said Black Hologram casually.

"Okay…that did more than sting…" Seta winced as he checked himself getting back up. "Now, then! I draw!"

He drew his card…and frowned. "Geez…fine. I'll end my turn."

Again Black Hologram drew a card, so now it held six once more. "I activate the magic card, Cost Down! By discarding one card from my hand, I can downgrade the Levels of all monsters in my hand by 2 until the end of the turn." And it discarded a card for Cost Down's effect, so it was now left with four cards.

_Okaaaay…this could get very ugly,_ Seta mused.

But the Black Hologram surprised him. "I activate the magic of a second Cost Down! Again, I must discard one card from my hand to further downgrade the Levels of all monsters in my hand by 2 till the end of the turn." And again it discarded another card, so at the end it was left with two.

_What in the world is this hologram up to?_ Seta wanted to know now.

Then Black Hologram selected one of the two cards left in its hand. "And now…I summon Seiyaryu (ATK 2500, DEF 2300)!" And in the next moment it summoned a massive dragon of light to the field with ease!

"Crap…!" Seta exhaled sharply.

"And now, Seiyaryu, attack directly!" Black Hologram commanded. In response, Seiyaryu blasted a wave of light from its mouth at Seta, hitting him and reducing him to 3600. Then, Thunder Nyan Nyan blasted another wave of lightning from her drum at Seta, knocking him further back and reducing him to a mere 1700 life points!

"Damn it…damn it…damn it…" Seta growled, getting back up and wincing form his injuries.

"And I will now set one card facedown, and end my turn," said Black Hologram.

Seta glared at his holographic opponent. "No…I won't lose…I won't lose to you…and not to Yugo, either," he hissed. "I won't fail this test while he advances…no way!"

In his mind several past events flashed: his first duel against Yugo; their rematch in the Kaibacorp Challenge Cup; his own defeat to Malachi in the Intercontinental tournament; Yugo's subsequent victory over Malachi in the very next match. He remembered the drive to win that had pushed him to his very limits in times past…the drive to defeat Yugo…to prove himself worthy of his title as the World Champion. And yet…though Seta refused to admit it even to himself sometimes, he felt insecure. Afraid. Uncertain as to what was to happen next.

And he hated being insecure. He hated the idea of feeling left behind…of being robbed. Of course, he felt no antipathy toward Yugo, but even so…Seta couldn't help feeling jealous. Yugo firsted him in Duel Monsters…in defeating the Intercontinental champion…and now, just a few short hours ago, in acquiring a strange power…

_No, Yugo! I'm sorry…but I don't want to have to be second-best, even to you! I won't lose! I won't! I WON'T!_

A faint blue flame began to creep from Seta's body. "Yugo…watch me…" he hissed. "I'll win! I won't fall behind! I'll prove myself worthy! Just watch!"

Black Hologram noted this sudden change. "Hmmm?"

With a grand flourish, Seta drew his next card so now he held six. "All right…time for PAYBACK!" he exploded – and as he emphasized the word, the blue flame swirling around his body exploded into a massive burst!

"Now! I'll activate the magic card Change of Heart, and take control of your Seiyaryu!" Seta played the card from his hand, forcing the dragon over to his side of the field. "And then…"

He picked another card from his hand. "Now, I'll activate the Equip magic card, Nitro Unit…and equip it to your Thunder Nyan Nyan!" And all of a sudden, Thunder Nyan Nyan found herself surrounded by what appeared to be explosive tanks! "Now, Seiyaryu, destroy her!"

Seiyaryu blasted Thunder Nyan Nyan into pieces with its wave of light; Black Hologram's life points went down to 7400 – but then the Nitro Unit exploded, further reducing the hologram to 5500 inexplicably! "I could only equip Nitro Unit to one of your monsters," explained Seta, breathing heavily. "When the equipped monster was then destroyed in battle, Nitro Unit would deal damage to your life points equal to the equipped monster's ATK."

But evidently Black Hologram wasn't about to give up. "I activate Ring of Destruction, to destroy Seiyaryu and inflict damage equal to its ATK to both of our life points!"

But as the flaming collar appeared on the field and locked around Seiyaryu's neck, Seta shouted, "Not a chance! I activate my trap card, Barrel Behind the Door, to take the damage I would've sustained and inflict it on your life points instead!"

Suddenly one of Seta's cards flipped face-up, and a gun barrel fired at the Ring of Destruction. The result – Seiyaryu got blown to pieces, and Black Hologram got both its own damage and Seta's damage al;so, sharply reducing it to 500 life points!

"Take that!" Seta shouted.

Black Hologram shook its head as it drew another card. "I activate the magic card, Stray Lambs, to Special Summon two Lamb Tokens (ATK 0, DEF 0) in Defense Mode on my side of the field!"

But as two little lambs appeared, Seta yelled, "I activate my other trap card, Token Festevil! When tokens are Special Summoned, this card destroys those tokens and 300 points of damage are done to my opponent for each destroyed token!"

Almost as soon as the two Lamb Tokens appeared – they got speared through by stakes that emerged from apparently nowhere…and Black Hologram's life points dropped to 0. "Well done, Seta Kaiba. You have passed," it said, bowing as it disappeared.

Seta was breathing heavily now, the energy around him disappearing. Only then did he become aware that Yugo and Mr. Ishtar were calling to him. "Seta! Hey, Seta! You all right?" Yugo asked worriedly.

"Yeah…I'm fine…I think…" Seta whispered – moments before he stumbled and collapsed into unconsciousness.

----------

SOMEWHERE

Odachi carefully strapped a Duel-Disk onto his arm, and slotted his deck into the appropriate place. "This foolishness has gone on long enough," he rasped. "It's time I stepped into this game. I will take care of these persistent pests myself!"

----------

_**neomage:**_ Uh-oh…looks like Odachi's about to go on a rampage! And it looks like Seta's managed to tap into his own "Duel Force" as well! And now…what's gonna happen to Yugo and Seta, now that they've managed to unlock their powers? And what will happen to their friends, now that Odachi has the Egyptian God Cards and is making ready to make his move? All that and more, next!

UPDATED 13/07/2007: Changed the trap card Yugo used for Abyss Soldier's summon from a Bottomless Trap Hole to a plain old regular Trap Hole. Boy, do I hate having to correct dueling plot holes AFTER the end of the story…but it's part of my life as a fanfiction author.


	119. Chapter 119

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Yu-Gi-Oh isn't mine by any stretch of the imagination.)

**CHAPTER 119**

MARIK ISHTAR'S HOUSE

Seta's eyes opened slowly; his blurred vision came back into focus. "Wha…? Where…where am I…?"

Hovering above were Yugo and Mr. Ishtar's worried faces. Mr. Ishtar, on seeing Seta regain consciousness, breathed a heavy sigh of relief. "Whew…glad to see you're back with us, Seta," he remarked. "I was getting really worried about you for a minute there."

"Same here, man," agreed Yugo. "You all right, Seta?"

Seta sat up, holding a hand over his face. "I guess…I'll be all right in a minute or so," he assured them. "But…what happened…?"

Mr. Ishtar chuckled. "It seems, young man, you were able to tap into your Duel Force, just like Yugo did."

"I…did…?" Seta could hardly believe it. "Wow…I can't fathom it…I really did it…!"

"Congrats, Seta. You did it, for real." Yugo nodded. "Now you and I are definitely in the same boat."

Seta sighed. "Yeah…we sure are."

"Are you sure you're fine, Seta?" Mr. Ishtar asked.

"Yeah, yeah," Seta insisted. And to prove it, he stood up on his own, brushing off his jacket with an air of importance.

"Oh, well. If you say so." Mr. Ishtar nodded. "Now, then. As your reward for passing the third test, boys, I'll again give each of you a card…and also additional information on the Millennium Items."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out two cards, handing them to the boys. Seta raised an eyebrow when he saw his. "Hmmm…Versago the Destroyer (ATK 1100, DEF 900)…hey, I think I like this card. All right!"

Yugo carefully examined the card he'd gotten. "Magical Hats…interesting…"

"And now, additional info on the Millennium Items, boys," said Mr. Ishtar. "Listen up." And with that, the two looked at him expectantly.

Mr. Ishtar cleared his throat. "The Item of which I will speak is the Millennium Ring. Historically, this one was borne by the priest Mahado, but was then stolen by the great Thief King of Egypt. When your parents were children, the Ring was owned by Ryou Bakura, and it had several abilities attached to it: It had the power to locate other Millennium Items…it could seal people's souls inside inanimate objects…and it could also bring the monsters on Duel Monster cards to life. And, incidentally, two things…Bakura was also the name of that great Thief King, and, it is said that the soul of Priest Mahado is the same soul that resides in the body of the Dark Magician. His apprentice, Mana, lives on as the Dark Magician Girl."

Yugo was well and truly astonished. "Wow…all of that is quite a mouthful…especially considering that one of my friends is Mr. Bakura's son."

"No ill will to your friend or his family, of course," Mr. Ishtar hastened to reassure him. "I'm just telling you the history as I know it. To cut a long story short, when all the Millennium Items, including the Ring, were returned to the stone tablet from which they'd been taken, all the spirits inhabiting the Items were restored in the world of the dead."

"Interesting," said Seta. "So now, we've heard about three of these Millennium Items. That leaves four."

"Yes, that is very true," nodded Mr. Ishtar. Then he glanced sideways at the giant sand-glass; its sands were making considerable progress. Then he glanced at his own watch. "Well, the time is now 11:20. I will allow you boys a few hours' rest until 3:00 in the morning when we shall resume with the fourth test. And, on an honest note, I could use some sleep myself." And, as if to prove his point, he yawned.

"So, we'll get some shut-eye and be ready when the time comes to wake up," said Yugo.

"I will synchronize the dueling platform's holograms to act as alarms to wake you at 3:00 sharp," said Mr. Ishtar. "In the meantime, get some rest. These three tests so far have only been a walk in the park – from here on out, the other tests will be far more severe than ever."

Seta thought back to how he'd come so close to defeat only moments ago. "Sure thing, Uncle Marik."

"Good. Well, later." And Mr. Ishtar walked off, leaving the two boys alone again.

"Shut-eye?" Yugo suggested.

Seta nodded. "Shut-eye."

And with that, they took off their respective jackets and set them out like sleeping mats on the ground. A few minutes later, having made themselves comfortable, they drifted off to sleep.

----------

CAIRO, FORTY MINUTES LATER, AT A FEW MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT

Jan sat at a table in an all-night diner, sporting his maroon trench-coat, waiting patiently for his order to return to him. By and by, the waitress returned with a steaming mug on a tray. "Your coffee, sir," she said smilingly as she placed the mug before him.

"Thank you," he said, somewhat absently, as he reached into a pocket and pulled out some coins. "Here you go."

The waitress took the money and walked off with the tray. Jan carefully picked up the mug and sipped at the coffee; as he did, his mind went back to the conversation he'd had with Judith more than an hour earlier.

_Get out of JUDAS now._

Judith's warning played over and over in his head. "Man, this blows," he groaned. "Who knew a reformed intent could damn your conscience so much…"

"If you feel so guilt-ridden, let me put you at ease."

Jan jerked as the cold words sent a shiver down his spine. Almost afraid to look up, he did anyway—and then wished he hadn't. "Master…Odachi…!"

Standing over Jan, indeed, was Keisuke Odachi, albeit minus his familiar red robe. Now, he sported a very vicious biker look, complete with spikes on his jacket collar and a chain serving as a belt. His tattoo over his eye seemed to shine menacingly, as did the Millennium Puzzle's eye design on its front. "Did you actually believe, for one moment, that you could just run away? Tsk, tsk, tsk…you held such great promise in my eyes, Jan, only to prove to be nothing short of cowardly after all. Just look at you—you look like a frightened little boy."

Jan felt the fear melting into anger. "We all make our own choices. We all feel our own guilt. Mine just took a while to catch up to me, that's all."

"Is it?" Odachi's voice was like granite. "Or maybe you were just too soft-hearted from the beginning. I thought the time you spent with us would have cured you of that…but I guess I was wrong." His eyes narrowed. "In any case, do you really believe you can just walk away from JUDAS after everything you've seen?"

"And…" Jan slowly stood up. "Who's going to stop me? You?"

Odachi smirked. "Feisty words, coming from a feisty child. All right – I'll give you one chance to earn your freedom from JUDAS. Duel me right now. If you win, you get to go. If you lose…I shall take your soul, the way Judith failed to do after you lost to your brother."

Jan started. "You know about that!"

"She wasn't the only one observing your battle," Odachi informed him. "Drake was there, too, though he was hidden in the shadows. He saw everything and reported it to me." His eyes narrowed further. "Sure, Drake has his bad ways, but in the end he IS loyal to me. Judith…her loyalty was always questionable, even when she did what I asked without a murmur. And now, you…you are the proof that she may very well betray us all."

Jan hissed. "Very well, then. Let's duel."

Odachi turned and headed for the front door of the diner. "Follow me. I know a place where we can duel undisturbed."

----------

A few minutes later, the two were in the middle of a very lonely street. Both had their Duel-Disks on and activated. "Jan…you're making a serious mistake, defying me like this. You know you cannot defeat me. You have seen it for yourself," said Odachi.

Jan breathed in hard. "Maybe I can't win…but at least I'll go down fighting!"

"Your death wish." Odachi shrugged.

The holographic coin appeared on the field. "I'll call it. Tails!" said Jan.

Then the coin landed…and indeed it was tails. "Good! I'll go first, then!" said Jan, a faint glimmer of hope in his eyes.

They both drew their first five cards; then Jan drew his sixth. "Oh, good! I'll activate the field magic of Pandemonium to start off!" And with a grand flourish, he played the card onto the field.

All around them appeared numerous sacrificial altars as menacing clouds appeared over their heads. "Next…I'll summon Warrior of Zera (ATK 1600, DEF 1600)!" Moments later Jan summoned the sojourning warrior to the field.

Odachi took this in with something of a bored eye. "And?"

"And…now I'll offer my Warrior of Zera as a tribute to Special Summon my ultimate beast: Mazera DeVille (ATK 2800, DEF 2300)!" Jan slapped the card onto the Duel-Disk. "Prepare yourself!"

Moments later the Warrior of Zera grew his wings, claws and muscles, until at last his transformation was complete. "And now, his effect activates!" Jan declared. "When Mazera DeVille is Special Summoned while Pandemonium is on the field, you must discard three random cards from your hand!"

Odachi promptly discarded three cards from his hand, and now he was left with two. "Is that all?" he asked.

Jan frowned at Odachi's seemingly bored manner. "Yeah…since this IS the first turn, and I can't attack you during the very first turn. So, yes…I end my turn."

Odachi drew his next card. "Very well. Now, I will use Monster Reborn, to revive from my Graveyard one of the cards I discarded – Jinzo #7 (ATK 500, DEF 400)!"

In a moment a purple and white cyborg emerged on the field. Then Odachi held up one of the two cards he had left. "Next, I will activate the magic card, Machine Duplication! By selecting one Machine-type monster on my side of the field with an ATK of 500 or less, I can activate this card's effect…and this card allows me to Special Summon two cards with the same name as the selected monster from my deck."

Moments later, to Jan's consternation, Jinzo #7 appeared to shift and split into three different beings. Then Odachi looked at the very last card left in his hand. "And now, little traitor…prepare to say your prayers!"

Jan glared at him suspiciously. _Do I ever have a bad feeling…_

Suddenly the Millennium Puzzle began to shine with incredible light as Odachi prepared to play the card. "First, I'll activate Pot of Greed and draw two more cards from my deck!" And this he did. "And now…I will offer all three of my Jinzo #7 monsters as tributes to summon one of my three deadly creatures – The Winged Dragon of Ra (ATK ? DEF ?)!"

Jan reared up in alarm when he heard this. _Oh, holy shit – it's one of THOSE cards! Oh, for the love of God – there's no WAY I can beat something like that!_

Suddenly, all three of Odachi's monsters were caught together in a bright ball of yellow light that shot up into the night sky. Upon impacting with the atmosphere, there was a flash of light as likened to lightning…and then something happened. Something that made Jan stare in horror and astonishment.

Floating down from the clouds was what appeared to be a round golden ball. But as it came closer and closer to the ground, that ball opened up to reveal a winged monster that, somehow, looked like a combination between a dragon, an eagle, and a mechanical object. "Say hello to the Winged Dragon of Ra, the most powerful of the legendary God Cards," said Odachi calmly, even as Jan quivered in real fear.

"This…can't be…" Jan whispered.

The monster's ATK and DEF were both shown as four question marks – and then suddenly, both changed to 1500 ATK and 1200 DEF! "This is one of the Winged Dragon of Ra's effects," said Odachi patiently. "Its ATK and DEF are each increased by the ATK and DEF of the three monsters sacrificed to summon it. So, my three Jinzo #7 monsters each had an ATK of 500 and a DEF of 400. 500 times 3 equals 1500, and 400 times 3 equals 1200. Weak, right now…but that's about to change."

Suddenly, as Jan watched in disbelief, Odachi's life points suddenly dropped all the way from 8000 to 1500! "This is another of this creature's abilities," Odachi spoke. "I can tribute as many of my life points as possible, right down to the next-to-last digit if I prefer, and increase the ATK and DEF of the Winged Dragon of Ra by an amount equal to what I've tributed. So, I've tributed 6500 life points…which will give this magnificent beast a grand total of 8000 ATK and 7700 DEF! Even your Mazera DeVille can't possibly stand up to something like that!"

"Goddamn…" was all Jan could say.

Then suddenly, Odachi's life points shot down further to 500! "Another power of the Winged Dragon of Ra," he announced. "By paying 1000 life points, I can have my beast destroy any monster on the field – and I've got my eyes on your pathetic Mazera DeVille! Destroy that thing now, Winged Dragon of Ra!"

The Winged Dragon of Ra blasted a massive wave of fire from its mouth, completely incinerating Mazera DeVille into ashes! "Oh…no…" Jan whispered, realizing his life points were completely open.

"THIS…is my One Turn Kill," Odachi said in a cold voice. "Now, Winged Dragon of Ra, finish this traitor! Phoenix Armageddon!"

Astonishing Jan even further, the Winged Dragon of Ra suddenly burst into flame, transforming into a fiery phoenix and screaming in a shrill voice as it did so. The temperature around the two duelists rose to unbearable heights; only Odachi didn't seem affected – in fact, he just stood there, calmly watching as the dragon-phoenix shot down toward Jan, who started screaming…

----------

Elsewhere in Cairo, Judith was sitting on the edge of a rooftop, contemplating what she should do next. "Should I make this attempt now?" she wondered to herself.

Suddenly her Millennium Necklace began to glow. She appeared to space out for a moment…but her eyes were now wide open with horror. "Oh, my God…" she whispered. "He didn't…!"

----------

Stalking the shadows of the city, Drake suddenly glanced down as his Millennium Key began to glow. "What…?"

----------

And elsewhere in the city, Lassiter looked curiously at his Millennium Rod as it glowed with alarming intensity. "What in the world…"

----------

PHARAOH'S LAIR

Marcus was seated in a chair by the door, peacefully dozing, when suddenly his pocket began to glow with light. The light seemed prickly, and that woke him up. "Huh…? What on earth…?" he wondered as he, very carefully, pulled the Millennium Eye out of his pocket.

Not far away, Shigeo and Kyo were stirring in their beds. "What's going on?" Shigeo asked, very confused, as he held up the Millennium Scale, glowing with a very bright light.

Kyo felt a prickle on his chest, and revealed the Millennium Ring – it, too, was glowing madly, and its five pointers were flailing about wildly. "Has something…happened?" he wondered.

----------

CAIRO

Jan lay prostrate on the ground, his Duel-Disk nearly completely decimated even as his life points were drained from 8000 right down to 0. "Shit…such power…" he whimpered in agony, the smoke from the Winged Dragon of Ra's attack pouring off his scalded clothing.

Odachi walked over to where Jan lay, switching off his Duel-Disk in the process. "You have tasted first-hand the might of an Egyptian God Card. And now…time to surrender your soul." He pulled out a soul-orb even as his Millennium Puzzle shone with ominous intent.

Jan saw this and knew what would happen next. _No…!_

"To your credit, Jan…you were a very useful tool to JUDAS. But now, I'm afraid your expiry date has come. Now…your soul belongs to me!" And Odachi laughed cruelly as the orb began to suck Jan's screaming soul out of its host's body…

----------

PHARAOH'S LAIR, AT THAT VERY MOMENT

A shot of fear suddenly passed through Kyo. _Whoa…what the hell was that just now? So strange…_ Then an image of his brother passed before his eyes, and he shivered. _Jan…what happened…?_

"Yo, Kyo. You cool? You look like you've seen a ghost or something."

Kyo looked into Marcus's inquiring face. "Ah – it's all right. It's nothing."

But in his heart he knew something was seriously wrong. _I've never felt something so evil in my life…what on earth could it possibly have been?_

----------

**_neomage:_** Well, folks, we already know that Odachi has the power of the three Egyptian God Monsters – and now we see him using the might of the strongest of the three, ending the duel with Jan in only one turn! Yowza! So, what's gonna happen now, now that we've seen what Odachi is capable of? Stay tuned and find out what happens!


	120. Chapter 120

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Don't call any lawyers on my ass, please, because Yu-Gi-Oh isn't mine.)

**CHAPTER 120**

MARIK ISHTAR'S HOUSE, APPROXIMATELY THREE HOURS LATER

The old grandfather clock in Mr. Ishtar's living room chimed out the hour of 3:00; and since he was sleeping on the couch not very far away, the chiming woke Mr. Ishtar up. "Wow…I needed that sleep real bad…" he grumbled to himself, sitting up. "Guess I'd better go see how they're doing."

----------

The two holograms emerged from the dueling platform and rang two massive bells. "3:00! Time to wake up, wake up, wake up!" Black Hologram announced in a loud voice, rousing both Yugo and Seta from their slumber.

"Yawn…seems like just a few minutes since we went to sleep…" Yugo muttered drowsily. "Glad I'm not doing this kind of thing on a regular basis, or else I'd have to be at boot camp…"

He looked over at Seta, who had just turned over and partially pulled his jacket over his head in response to the wake-up call. Yugo chuckled. He had a fairly good idea of what **_would_** get Seta up, no problem.

So, carefully, Yugo crept over to the still-dozing blue-haired boy and put his mouth as close to one ear as he dared. "Is that Honey over there, dancing the hula-hula in a grass skirt and a see-through top?" he whispered.

That did it. Seta shot up, staring around wildly. "Huh? Where?"

Then he became aware of Yugo, rolling over the ground and laughing hysterically. "Man, wait'll Honey hears about this! She's gonna be so pissed!" Yugo was screaming in laughter.

Now Seta was well and truly pissed off. "Why you…!"

"AT ATTENTION!"

Both looked up to see Mr. Ishtar striding toward them. "Glad to see you're both finally awake," he remarked. "Are you ready to take the fourth test now?"

"Of course!" Seta nodded. "Let's do this!"

"Sure thing!" agreed Yugo.

Mr. Ishtar nodded. "Then, let us begin."

Seta and Yugo looked at each other momentarily. "Just like that? Aren't you going to give us any new decks to play with this time?" asked Yugo, somewhat confused.

"No." Mr. Ishtar's tone was flat. "Now, clean out your ears and listen, because I have absolutely no intention of repeating myself for anybody, even myself."

Yugo and Seta, sensing that this was important, leaned forward expectantly.

"Let's, first of all, do a quick review of the three tests you've had to complete so far," said Mr. Ishtar. "For the first test, I gave you both decks with monsters that were only Level 3 or lower. In the second test, you got decks containing only Normal monster cards. And in the test you just completed a few hours ago, you utilized decks containing only Magic and Trap cards." His eyes narrowed. "Can you tell me the purpose of those three tests…Yugo?"

Yugo thought about this. "As I can understand it, sir…the first test was to teach us not to rely only on powerful monsters. The second test was to teach us to spot any and all flaws in our opponents' strategies, and to utilize those flaws to our advantage. And, the third test was to teach us not to rely on attacking with monsters alone."

"Right…and _wrong!"_

Both boys jerked at that. "HUH?"

Mr. Ishtar's eyes bore into their faces. "What you have said is true, so far," he assured them. "But are those the only reasons?" He turned to Seta. "Can you think of any others?"

Seta's face looked completely clueless. "Well…actually, I can't think of anything other than what Yugo just said."

"Hmph. Then have you forgotten what it was that triggered your Duel Force?"

Yugo and Seta were now truly surprised. "The Duel Force?" questioned Seta.

"That's right. From the observations I've made, your Duel Force was triggered by intense emotion. Yugo, yours was triggered by the sense of injustice you felt that there are duelists out there who mistreat their cards as they do. Seta, as far as I was able to observe, yours was triggered by a certain inner fear of yours – the fear of being left in the shadow of another…evidently, in this case, Yugo. Isn't that right?"

Yugo glanced sideways at Seta, who hung his head. "Well…yeah…I guess."

Mr. Ishtar looked knowingly at them. "Then here's what I want you two to do. You will need to learn how to control and master your Duel Force, but I can tell that you two both have doubts and fears that MUST be exorcised if we are to proceed. Those doubts and fears will make even the most seasoned duelist do very foolish things – at the one extreme, he will be afraid to even touch a Duel-Disk out of fear of hurting others, whether physically, psychologically, or otherwise; at the other extreme, he will become callous even toward his cards. What I want you to do is to strike a balance somewhere in between those two extremities, where you will be able to relate to your cards and strategies – and yourselves – on a personal level of respect. Your minds must be clear of all distractions to the point that you will be able to answer my earlier question not only analytically, but also on a bonding level."

"…bonding level…?" Yugo looked very confused.

"That is all I will say on that." Mr. Ishtar's tone was final. "Now, this is what you will both do. You will each bring out the monster that is at the center of your strategy – and then you will have those two monsters battle it out. No life point damage will be calculated in this fight…and you will both go on and on until you have both exhausted all fear and doubt, all uncertainty and anxiety, that you carry inside you." He nodded with grim finality. "Now, both of you, step up to the dueling platform and face off against each other!"

And with that, both of the boys turned and headed for the platform. But now Yugo had a worried frown on his face. _Seta…_

----------

A moment later found the two boys facing off against each other, carefully going through their decks. "Seta…" Yugo began.

"What is it?"

Yugo sighed. "Well…do you really think this is really necessary?"

Seta shrugged. "Well, we have to do what we have to do. That's all there is to it." Then suddenly he found the card he was looking for. "Okay, Yugo, I've found my primary monster, and now I'll summon him to the field – Blue-Eyes White Dragon (ATK 3000, DEF 2500)!"

In an eye-blink the legendary white dragon appeared on the field, growling with rage. "Now…summon your trademark monster, Yugo!" Seta commanded.

"All right. I'm coming." Yugo then found the card he was looking for. "Now, I'll bring forth my mighty Dark Magician (ATK 2500, DEF 2100)!" And then the purple mage emerged, his green staff in hand as he prepared to do battle.

The two monsters stared at each other for a long moment. The Dark Magician tensed, readying his staff. The Blue-Eyes White Dragon growled more as it leaned its head forward. Both Yugo and Seta stared at the field expectantly.

Then Mr. Ishtar, on the sidelines, spoke up. "Begin now!"

At once Yugo called out, "Dark Magician, do it now! Dark Magic Attack!"

At the same time Seta hollered, "Blue-Eyes White Dragon, fight! White Lightning Attack!"

The Dark Magician blasted a ball of mystic energy from his cane, leaping out of the way of the White Lightning Attack in the nick of time. At the very same moment, as it blasted its White Lightning, the Blue-Eyes flew upward out of the way of the Dark Magic Attack. Then the mage fired another blast at the dragon, who retaliated by blasting another burst of lightning at its opponent, both flying about the field all the while.

"Seta…!" Yugo called to the other boy. "Is what he really said true – a little while ago? About your motivation?"

"Yeah. It is," replied Seta.

The Dark Magician flipped over the Blue-Eyes, floating to the ground in the process, and fired another blast from his staff. Again the dragon flew out of harm's way and fired another lightning blast at the mage. In that moment Yugo asked, "But, Seta, it's just a game…isn't it?"

"I always thought so, too, Yugo," said Seta…but now, for the first time, a bitter note came into his voice. "But look at me. I have a reputation to protect. I'm the World Champion, for heaven's sake. I'm the World Champion…and yet…" His tone became angrier. "I've been defeated three times now. _Three times!_ Twice by you, the third time by Malachi Jordan in the Intercontinentals. What does that say about me, Yugo? What do those who expect so much from me think of me after failures like that?"

Yugo looked at Seta. "Seta…"

"All my life, Yugo…all my life, my dream was to surpass my father's dueling prowess. You know that already. But…there's more than that." Seta was glaring daggers at Yugo. "I was only a little kid when my mother died…but…when I was at her funeral, standing before that open grave, I made a vow…"

----------

TWELVE YEARS AGO, IN SETA'S MEMORY

_The crowd of mourners and well-wishers sat near the dug-out graves as the minister continued to drone on and on with the formal and somber proceedings. It was an arranged double-funeral, to mourn the passing of Ishizu Ishtar, a.k.a. Mrs. Seto Kaiba, and Mokuba Kaiba, the brother of the Kaibacorp CEO. The crowd was a huge one, and all its members were dressed in black. Most of the men wore hats; nearly all of the women wore dark veils._

_"Let them be remembered as two persons who made a difference in the lives of everyone they came in contact with," the minister was saying. An old friend of the Kaiba family, he was, and he was here officiating at the service as a personal favor to Seto Kaiba. "Ishizu was a successful businesswoman, an industrious archaeologist, a loving wife and a dutiful mother. Mokuba was a loyal brother and uncle. Both were just, honest and fair in all their dealings, whether professional or private…"_

_Seta was seated near the front with his father. He himself couldn't pay much attention to what the minister was droning on about, partly because he was very young, and partly because he had a deep sadness in his heart at having lost two of the people he loved the most._

_The speech seemed to end all too quickly, and very soon the gravediggers were carefully shoveling the dirt back into the holes, where the two caskets lay. Seta just stood there, watching as the dirt fell, covering the enclosed bodies of his mother and uncle._

_"GODDAMN IT! WHY? WHY'D YOU HAVE TO TAKE THEM FROM ME!"_

_Seta looked up in total surprise. The outburst had come from – of all people – his father. Having been seemingly composed throughout most of the ceremony so far, now Kaiba had finally broken. Several other mourners, too, were stunned at this display._

_Falling down before the gravesites, Kaiba went on in a loud voice, "If you're as big a God as everybody says, and if you're so damn powerful, then give them back to me RIGHT NOW! RIGHT THIS INSTANT!"_

_Several of the pallbearers came over to Kaiba. "Mr. Kaiba, sir, please!" one of them urged. "Control yourself!"_

_"Don't you goddamn tell me to CONTROL myself!" Kaiba exploded, flailing an arm out in an attempt to hit the man. "That's my WIFE they're burying – and my BROTHER! Are they YOUR relatives, huh? Huh? Are they? Don't you tell me to control myself, you little…!"_

_The other pallbearers stepped forward and grabbed Kaiba by his arms and around his torso. "No! Let me go, damn you!" Kaiba hollered, kicking and screaming even as the tears continued to stream down his face. But even as he continued to howl obscenities and blasphemous demands and threats, nevertheless the pallbearers managed to wrestle him all the way to his limousine._

_Little Seta, however, wasn't even paying any attention to them. He just stood there quietly and watched while the diggers continued shoveling dirt into the graves. And all around him, he was only vaguely aware of the passing comments._

_"That was some display of emotion just now, don'tcha think?"_

_"If you think Kaiba's affected by this – how do you think the little boy must feel?"_

_"Poor child! And at such a tender age, too!"_

_"I bet you anything this'll scar the kid for the rest of his life – losing mother and uncle just like that!"_

_"And now, his father's the only family he has left…I feel it for the boy, trust me."_

_And, as he continued to watch the diggers finishing their burial work, tears were silently streaming down Seta's face. And, looking down at the growing mounds of dirt covering his loved ones, his lips moved quietly. To a casual observer, it would seem that he was praying._

_"Mommy…Uncle Mokuba…I promise…I'll take care of Daddy for you guys…and I'll make sure I get strong, too…stronger than Daddy…so I can be tough and never have to cry again…and protect everybody from evil…I promise…"_

_A hand on his shoulder caused him to look up, into Roland's solemn face. "Come, young master…there's nothing more anybody can do for them now. Let's go."_

_"Okay." Seta nodded and walked back to the limousine with the Kaibacorp retainer._

----------

THE PRESENT

Seta's head was hung real low so the hair completely overshadowed his eyes. "Yeah…my decision was made at a real early age, it was. And even now…I still carry the burden of that promise made at their graves…that I would become stronger than my father…that I would surpass him no matter what…"

Yugo looked on sadly. "You…"

"And now…to experience defeat…for me, it's not really a learning experience," Seta said darkly. "It's a stumbling block to me keeping my promise to them…" He sniffed. "I never wanted to say anything…because I respected you too much. You, the first person to ever defeat me…"

"But…Seta…I always thought that a championship title was just that—a title—that the important thing is that you have fun…" said Yugo.

"You think I don't know any of that?" Seta cut him off. "Of course I know that! I know all of that—that winning isn't everything to life! But…just knowing that makes it harder for me…and add that to the constant comparisons to my father, it was always hard for me…to the point where I…"

Yugo stared at him. "Where you what?"

Seta ran a hand through his hair. "When I was growing up, everybody kept saying how I was the splitting image of Seto Kaiba. I was sick to death of it…but because he was my dad, I couldn't come right out and say it. I was too scared to do so. So, I did the next best thing…" And he plucked a hair from his brow with two fingers. "I changed my hair's natural color. I dyed it. What, did you actually think my hair was naturally blue?"

Yugo just looked at him.

"Even so, though…even with me trying to change my physical appearance, I still had a heavy responsibility on my shoulders – so I believed," went on Seta. "In the early days, I heard Dad talking about this guy named Yugi Muto…the one duelist he could never defeat…so I began to train, every day…so that I could one day beat this Muto character of whom Dad kept speaking…only to learn later that he'd retired from Duel Monsters." Again Seta hung his head.

"After that, I just said, piss on it. Let Dad's rivalry with Yugi Muto stay in the past – that's what I said. And ever since then, I've spent the bulk of my energy trying to get out of my father's shadow…but will that never happen? Will I never have this massive burden removed from me…?" Seta began to tremble; a tear stole its way down his face. "Can I never get relief, Yugo?"

The whole time Seta had been talking, the Dark Magician and the Blue-Eyes White Dragon had been continuously firing missed blasts at each other. Now both monsters were pausing for a breather, both panting heavily from the exertion. And even then, both were still keeping a wary eye on each other.

Yugo let out a heavy sigh. "So, that's it, eh? That's how you've really felt all this time…feeling envy for me, yet not saying anything out of the respect you felt for me…feeling resentment for your father, yet not saying anything out of the respect you felt for him…it must feel relieving to have that off your back, huh?"

Seta shook his head. "No…somehow, now I feel worse than before. As if…I shouldn't have said anything…why…why do I feel so terrible…" He sank to his knees in despair.

Now Yugo's hair overshadowed his eyes. "Seta…there's something I must confess, also," he said quietly. "You know that I lost my mother years ago, too, when I was still little. You know that I've always longed to surpass my father, too…and yet, there's so much that I've kept secret, as well." He looked up. "I knew it…you and I are far more alike than even I would care to admit."

Seta looked at him. "Talk to me."

Yugo nodded, and took a deep breath…

----------

**_neomage:_** Hmmm…this chap's a bit iffy, in my opinion. What do you guys think? Anyway, let me know what you think! Now, on to the next chapter!


	121. Chapter 121

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: It's a landmark, everybody! I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!)

**CHAPTER 121**

MARIK ISHTAR'S HOUSE

While the Dark Magician and the Blue-Eyes White Dragon continued to pant from their exertion, Seta was waiting to hear what it was Yugo wanted to say. "What is it…?"

Yugo ran a hand over his face. "I remember something…something that Dad once told me, when I was little," he whispered. "It was a riddle of sorts…a riddle he'd devised with his friends when he was a kid. He kept it up with Mom, right to the day before she died…and he shared it with me years afterward."

He held his head down. _"What can be seen, but not seen?"_

Seta looked at him, dumbfounded. "Huh?"

"Yeah…I know…that was the exact same thing I said when I first heard it…" Yugo chuckled. "But you know what? I thought about it for a long time, and I came up with one answer to that riddle…" He held his head down. "What can be seen, but not seen? The answer? Me."

"You?" Seta didn't quite understand.

"Yes. Me." Yugo nodded. "For everybody saw me, and yet…they didn't see _me._ What they saw instead was my father…the next bearer of Yugi Muto's legacy, fame, and honor…nobody saw me for me. Nobody acknowledged me as just Yugo. Because of that…I figured that if everybody would see only the son of the Legendary Duelist, maybe I should just make myself invisible…"

----------

SEVEN YEARS EARLIER, IN YUGO'S MEMORY

_The teacher was quizzing her class in Geography at Domino City Prep School. "Okay, children, what's the capitol of England?"_

_"London!"_

_"Very good! And the capitol of Australia?"_

_"Canberra!"_

_"Very good!"_

_Just then the school bell rang. "Oops, I guess that's all the time we have for our Geography class today," said the teacher. "Okay, children, remember – draw a map of Japan for the next class, and read page 17 in your books as a guide! And I'll see you later, okay?"_

_"Yes, ma'am!" the students chorused as they left the room, each bowing respectfully to the teacher as they exited._

_"All right! Lunchtime!" one of the boys bellowed, and a stampede started as the children fought to get to the front of the line in the cafeteria._

_"They've got macaroni and cheese today!"_

_"Mac and cheese? MY FAVORITE!"_

_"What else they got?"_

_"Fried chicken, I think."_

_Soon the cafeteria was packed with excited children making a scramble to get places in line. Grabbing trays from the tray-holder at one end of the food counter, they all looked around impatiently as, one by one, the servers packed tray after tray with a serving of each food item and placed a box of milk or juice on each tray._

_Eventually every child was served, and all were seated at the cafeteria tables. "Man, I tell you, the mac and cheese is SOOOO good on Wednesdays!" one boy gushed, stuffing his mouth._

_His friend, sipping from his milk box, chuckled. "Careful, dude. You'll choke yourself if you do that."_

_Suddenly the first boy, chewing his food vigorously, looked up and past his friend and paused in mid-chew. "Hey…" said he, with his mouth still full. "Look at that kid over there."_

_Puzzled, the second boy turned and looked over his shoulder. "Who? The boy with the spiky yellow hair?"_

_"Yeah, him." The first boy finally swallowed the food in his mouth. "Isn't that the Muto kid?"_

_A few tables away, seated all by himself, was Yugo. "Oh, yeah…it IS him, isn't it?" remarked the second boy. "I hear his dad used to be a really great duelist or something…"_

_A third boy, passing by their table at that moment, spoke up. "Yep, that's him all right. But I don't think that kid can play Duel Monsters properly…and yet he's the son of a legend!"_

_The comment was loud enough for everybody in the cafeteria to hear; a few snickers from all around resounded. Eating his lunch in peace until that moment, Yugo flinched, but pretended he hadn't heard. But evidently his three self-appointed tormentors weren't about to let up._

_"Why don't we go over and see if that's really the son of a legend, or just a wussy-wuss-wuss?" the first boy suggested._

_"Not a bad idea," said the second boy. "Today's been rather boring, anyway. This should be fun."_

_"Okay, let's do it!" agreed the third boy, setting down the tray he'd been carrying. And in a body, all three walked over to Yugo's table even as the snickers around them grew louder._

_Seeing them approach, Yugo looked away and kept his eyes steadfastly on his lunch; but very soon the three were hovering over him. "Hey there, Mr. Legend's Son," the first boy said in a jeering voice._

_Yugo said nothing. The second boy took up the pace. "Your dad's a really great duelist, isn't he? So that means you should be a real natural, too, right?"_

_"Why don't we duel right now and find out?" suggested the third boy. "I've got a Duel-Disk and cards right here. C'mon, kid, put 'em on and show us your talent!"_

_Yugo gritted his teeth. "Leave me alone," he scowled._

_"What's that?" the first boy acted offended. "Hey, we said for you to duel, not to talk back!"_

_"Hey, I know – maybe he really doesn't KNOW how to play!" said the second boy. "But that's not logical! If his dad's a champion duelist, then shouldn't he be a good duelist, too?"_

_"That certainly makes sense," agreed the third boy. "Hey, c'mon, man, show us your kickass moves – if you've got any!"_

_Now nearly everybody else in the cafeteria was calling for action. "Yeah, kid! Let's see if you're as good as your pops!" several other children cried._

_Now Yugo started to feel frantic. "Cut it out! Leave me alone!" he cried._

_"Bwak-buk-buk-buk-ba-caw! Look at the little chicken!" the first boy teased, pushing his hands under his armpits and flapping his elbows like wings._

_"Yeah…a real pansy!" the second boy added._

_"Run along home to your Daddy, the greatest duelist of all!" the third boy shouted jeeringly, and more laughter followed from the rest of the cafeteria._

_Yugo could stand no more. "SHUT UP!" he screamed, tears now rolling down his cheeks as he covered his ears with both hands and ran out of the cafeteria, a chorus of scornful laughter trailing behind him…_

----------

THE PRESENT

"I had to endure that…for so many years…" Yugo's hair overshadowed his eyes yet again. "Because of people like that…who jeered me for not living up to Dad's image, or not being as good a duelist as he…I…I almost started…to hate Duel Monsters and anything associated with it altogether…"

Seta looked astonished at that. "You? Hate Duel Monsters?"

"Yeah, I know—it sounds ludicrous, coming from me, but…yeah. That's how it was." Yugo nodded gravely. "And, too…there was the jealousy I felt every day, watching the other kids…when they got the chance to hug their mothers…I always used to wonder, why can't I hug my mother, too? Doesn't she love me? Why isn't she here, like all the other mothers?" His tone took on a very furious pitch. "WHY DID SHE HAVE TO DIE? That's the question I kept asking myself, day after day, every time I saw kids and their mothers together – WHY?"

Seta was speechless. _Yugo…_

By this time the Dark Magician and Blue-Eyes White Dragon had regained their breath and were going at it again, this time trying physical assaults. The dragon would try to bite the mage or hit him with one of its massive wings or its tail; the mage would block or dodge and whack the dragon's tough hide repeatedly with his staff. And as the two monsters continued to fight…Yugo let out a long, sad sigh. "That was my biggest burden…but not my biggest secret. You want to know my biggest secret?" His voice dropped to a barely audible whisper.

"…what…?" Seta asked. Something about the way Yugo said it just now…it made him fear what he was going to hear next.

Yugo's tone was like the grave. "I wanted to die."

Seta recoiled when he heard that. Even he, in his own past moments of grief, hadn't given up on life or living. But to hear this from a guy who, to him, always seemed so hyperactive, so energetic, such a pain in the backside…it was very, very paradoxical…and very, very tragic, too. "You…contemplated suicide? At such a young age?"

"Yeah." Yugo nodded. "My mom was dead…my dad was hardly ever home…and the only other family I had was my grandma, and I couldn't tell her a lot of the things I was thinking because I didn't want to scare her, or to earn any reproof as I was sure she'd have given me. I was all alone…friendless…I had no-one to turn to, to talk to, to confide in."

Then a tear crept out of one eye and slid down his cheek. "Until…"

----------

TWO YEARS EARLIER, IN YUGO'S MEMORY

_Yugo was now in his first year at Domino City High School…but as he stepped into the building that first morning, he could feel every eye upon him. The hope he'd held that here, at high school, he could enjoy some form of anonymity…that hope was now dashed as he saw everybody staring at him. And then the whispers began._

_"Check out that kid…doesn't he remind you of somebody?"_

_"Yeah, isn't he the son of Yugi Muto, the Legendary Duelist?"_

_"That's him, all right!"_

_Yugo scowled a massive scowl and stared straight ahead in defiance, walking past the other students until he came to the bulletin board at the hallway intersection. On this board was posted a list of all the freshmen's names, and the classes they would be assigned to, as well as the locations of those classes. He paused and glanced at the bulletin board, looking for his name. "Room 5-C…wonder where that is…" he grunted, looking at the board for directions to that room._

_"Er…excuse me…"_

_"Huh?" Yugo was startled out of his grim demeanor by the innocent-sounding voice behind him. He turned. "Who…?"_

_Standing before him was a young girl, dressed in the school's uniform established for the girls. "Um…are you a freshman, too? This is my first day, and I'm kinda nervous."_

_"Yeah…well…it's natural," he replied. "Being in a new place, not knowing anybody – it sucks, doesn't it?"_

_"Yeah," the girl answered. "So, what room are you assigned to? Do you know?"_

_"Yeah," said Yugo, and he pointed out the bulletin board. "I'm in 5-C. Look for your name here."_

_The girl scanned the list of names. "What do you know – I'm in 5-C, too! Well, looks like we'll be classmates for this year, then…oh, how rude of me! I forgot to introduce myself!" She held out a hand. "I'm Jenna Wheeler."_

_Yugo hesitantly shook her hand. "Yugo Muto."_

_At that she gave him a quizzical look. "Muto…? Oh…I get it…you're the one I've heard everybody else whispering about, aren't you? The son of Yugi Muto?"_

_Yugo narrowed his eyes. _Damn it…what the hell was I thinking?

_Then Jenna giggled. "Hey, it's cool with me if you really are Yugi Muto's son. Even if you weren't…I think you're a pretty cool guy."_

_That caught Yugo slightly off-guard. "Huh?"_

_She lightly rapped his shoulder with her knuckles. "I'm saying, dummy, I don't care if you are the son of the Legendary Duelist or not. I'd just like to make a friend, that's all." She smiled at him. "So…wanna be my friend, Yugo?"_

_Yugo stared at her…then, for the first time, he smiled back. "Sure. I'd really like that."_

----------

THE PRESENT

"Jenna…she was the first person who ever saw me as me…the very first person I could call a friend…" Yugo sniffed and wiped his eyes with the back of his sleeve. "And then…I met Kyo later that same day, and he became another friend to me because he accepted me as me. But even so…Jenna has had more of an impact on me than anybody else I've encountered since then. That's why she's so important to me now…that's why all of my friends are important to me."

All this time Seta had still been on his knees; now he slowly picked himself up. "Yugo…I haven't forgotten our first duel…" he whispered. "That moment…when you acknowledged me and my skill…it was the first time anybody had ever acknowledged me without comparing me to my father. Because you knew how much it hurt…you understood my pain, my anger, better than anybody else ever could. And now…once again, you prove to be the one person who understands my wishes and feelings better than anybody else. Because you've been THERE."

Yugo just looked at him out of eyes that shone with tears. "Seta…"

Seta stood there for a long moment. The silence that would have been there at that moment was broken only by the sounds of the Dark Magician and the Blue-Eyes White Dragon's continuing conflict. Then he spoke up. "Do you want to know what I think the answer to your father's riddle should be…?"

Yugo started. "What do you mean?"

"Just listen." Seta nodded with determination. "I think…that that riddle has more than one answer." His eyes blazed. "A sense of purpose. Hope. Courage. Friendship. The will to push on against all odds. All of these things, you can't see them because they're not tangible…and yet, you **_can_** see them when they're acted upon. We, you and I, have experienced and acted upon these in different ways at different times…to achieve what we have wanted most. And we have managed to succeed. As you said, Jenna was first to acknowledge you…and in turn, you were first to acknowledge me. That was all we wanted, wasn't it?" Then he smirked. "I think those are the answers to the riddle that your father would want to hear."

Yugo's hair overshadowed his eyes once more…but now, as his mysterious Duel Force energy began to seep out of him, a smile graced his lips. "Now…now I understand what Mr. Ishtar was trying to tell us."

Seta's Duel Force began to escape from him, too, and he smiled. "So do I."

Then, simultaneously, they looked to the field, where the Dark Magician and Blue-Eyes White Dragon were making ready to deal one last blow. "Dark Magician!" Yugo called.

"Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" Seta yelled.

"Dark…"

"White…"

"Magic…"

"Lightning…"

And as both monsters charged up their trademark moves – "ATTACK!" both boys cried at exactly the same time.

The two monsters blasted each other – resulting in a massive, explosive **BANG** that created major shockwaves in the middle of the dueling platform. And at the same time, Yugo and Seta's respective Duel Force flared up to massive proportions!

Watching everything from the sidelines, Mr. Ishtar sucked on his cigarette thoughtfully…and smiled.

----------

BACK IN JAPAN, AT DOMINO CITY HOSPITAL

Mrs. Bakura sat at Mr. Muto's bedside, looking down at him sadly. Since the last time the kids had made contact from Egypt, he still hadn't come out of his unconscious state. "Yugi…will you never wake up…?" she whispered.

Mr. Taylor and Mr. Wheeler came in at that moment. "Still no change, Teá?" asked Mr. Wheeler.

She shook her head. "Still no change."

"Oh, man, this utterly sucks ass real bad, man," Mr. Taylor groaned.

"You guys, we can't give up on Yugi now…we have to keep believing and praying," Mr. Wheeler admonished. "He'll come around – I know he will! I just know it!"

Hardly any of the three seemed to notice, right at that moment, that Mr. Muto's eyelids were twitching and that his lips were parting. Until they heard a moan. "Uhhh…wha…?"

At that all three jerked their heads to look at him, in major disbelief. "Yu…gi…?" Mr. Wheeler breathed.

Mr. Muto's eyes slowly opened. "Joey…? Teá…? Tristan…? You guys…you're all here…"

"Yugi!" Mrs. Bakura threw her arms around his neck. "You've woken up! You've woken up at last!"

"Easy, Teá, take it easy or you'll knock him back unconscious!" Mr. Wheeler admonished – but with a relieved grin on his face.

"I gotta go tell the others! I'll be right back!" And M. Taylor was out the door.

Mr. Muto looked at Mr. Wheeler and Mrs. Bakura. "What…did I miss?"

Mr. Wheeler chuckled. "Long story, Yug," he assured his old friend. "And in a little while, you'll hear all about it."

----------

MARIK ISHTAR'S HOUSE, CAIRO, EGYPT

As the smoke cleared, Mr. Ishtar finished off the last of his cigarette and crushed the butt under his foot, patiently waiting all the while for Seta and Yugo to step down from the dueling platform. Then he beheld two figures in the smoke – with flaming auras covering their bodies. "Well…?"

Yugo's voice came out of the smoke. "The first test was intended to teach us that even when the opposition is stronger than we are, we can still turn the tide of battle in our favor if we at least decide never to back down even once."

Then Seta's voice came through. "The second test was intended to teach us that even when we have tried again and again and failed over and over, if we keep persevering for only a little farther, we will reach our goal and succeed."

Then both boys emerged fully from the smoke, their respective auras flashing around them, and they spoke with one voice. "And the third test was intended to teach us that even when we don't seem to have the desired solution to a problem, there are always alternate solutions we can use to get the desired effects we want – we just have to be patient and look for them."

Mr. Ishtar smiled more broadly. "You got it."

----------

**_neomage:_** WOO-HOO! At last, Yugo and Seta complete the fourth step of their training – and at last, Mr. Yugi Muto awakens from his coma! But, on a much darker note, let us not forget that Keisuke Odachi is out on a serious rampage now! Let's see what happens next, shall we?

UPDATED 15/08/2006: Canberra is the capitol of Australia, not Sydney as I'd mistakenly thought. Many apologies to the Australian readers of this fic for that error…


	122. Chapter 122

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: **(playing the Jaws theme)** Yu-Gi-Oh belongs only to Kazuki Takahashi!)

**CHAPTER 122**

MARIK ISHTAR'S HOUSE

As Seta and Yugo stood before Mr. Ishtar, gradually their Duel Force died down. "So…you two have gotten your innermost fears and taboo emotions out into the open at long last, and have dealt with them," said Mr. Ishtar. "Does either of you feel any fear now?"

"No, sir!" they both answered.

Mr. Ishtar nodded. "Good."

Then he glanced over at the now rapidly-filling sand-glass; the bottom half was almost halfway full. "Hmmm…" He glanced at his own watch. "3:40…this took a little while, but it was certainly worth it. You two have definitely earned your next set of new cards and more information on the Millennium Items."

Yugo and Seta looked at each other and nodded. "So, please tell us, Uncle Marik," said Seta. "Tell us more about the Millennium Items."

Mr. Ishtar nodded. "Then be attentive."

The two boys listened as he continued to speak. "Now, I will tell you about the power of the Millennium Scale. This was a pair of balancing scales that were used to determine if a person's heart was good or evil, or if a person spoke truth or falsehood. That person's heart was weighed against a feather from the goddess Ma'at. If the heart was heavier than the feather, then the mystic monster of the abyss, Ammit, would devour the victim. Ammit had body parts of a hippo, a crocodile, and a lion. Ah…try not to imagine it."

"We can't, and we won't," Yugo assured him.

"Now, then," continued Mr. Ishtar. "Historically, the Scale was wielded by the priest Karim; more than twenty years ago in our modern times, the Scale was kept by a man named Shadi, appointed as guardian of the Millennium Items. It was he who guided your father, Yugo, to collect the Millennium Items and return them to their sacred resting place so that Pharaoh Atem could regain his memories and be returned to the world of the dead."

As he spoke, Mr. Ishtar took out two cards. "And now, your rewards."

The two boys took the cards from him. Yugo frowned when he saw what his card was. "Pot of Generosity? This looks like a hard card to use…"

"That's the point." Mr. Ishtar nodded knowingly. "But when you use that card in the right scenario, good things can happen."

Seta looked at his card. "Null and Void…hmmm…this card could come in handy someday, I think."

"That, my nephew, is entirely up to you." Mr. Ishtar stretched. "I imagine tapping into your Duel Force like this has tired you two out, so I suggest you take a rest for a while. I will return here at 5:00, where we will have the fifth step of the training. Understood?"

"Understood," said the boys.

"Good." Mr. Ishtar then turned on his heel and walked out of the training area, leaving them alone again. Nodding to each other, Yugo and Seta spread out their jackets like sleeping blankets again, and in a few minutes they were comfortable and sound asleep.

----------

TWENTY MINUTES LATER, IN CAIRO

Still clad in his biker attire, Odachi walked along the streets of Cairo, keeping his eyes focused straight ahead. As there was now no traffic on the road at this hour of the morning, he was walking right in the middle of the road, stepping with grim determination. Suspended from his neck by its chain, the Millennium Puzzle shone with dark intent.

A voice called out to him from behind, in Egyptian. **_(Hey, tough guy!)_**

Odachi, hearing the voice behind him, stopped in his tracks but didn't even do so much as look over his shoulder. _(What?)_ he replied, also in Egyptian.

Behind him, four punks emerged from a dark alleyway he'd just passed. One of them, the speaker, replied, **_(You know that this is our turf, right? Well, you can't just walk through it like you own it! You gotta pay the toll before you can go through!)_**

Odachi didn't bat an eyelash, and he still didn't turn to face the thugs. _(I don't need to pay you shit.)_

**_(What was that?)_** one of the other thugs asked threateningly.

_(You dickheads…acting as though everything in this world belongs to you…)_ Odachi spat to the side with utter contempt. _(Well, if this really is YOUR turf as you claim, why don't you prove it?)_ Here he held up his Duel-Disk. _(Can any of you duel?)_

The four punks looked at each other and grinned. **_(Sure, I can!)_** The thug who had spoken first stepped forward. **_(Whatcha proposing?)_**

_(Well, of course, we have a duel…and if you win, I pay whatever you ask. But…)_ Odachi narrowed his eyes with ominous warning as he continued to speak. _(If I win…I get to choose all your fates.)_

The four looked at him and burst out laughing. **_(Choose our fates? Now that's a rich one!)_** laughed the second thug. **_(All right, asshole! We accept!)_**

Odachi smirked to himself. "Fools…" he muttered, in English.

Suddenly, his Millennium Puzzle seemed to dance on its chain…and then, inexplicably, the darkness of that street seemed to close in on them. But the thugs didn't seem to notice it as the dueling punk took out a Duel-Disk and cards and readied them. **_(Prepare to lose, little bastard!)_** the punk announced.

The holographic coin appeared and was flipped. _(I'll call it. Heads!)_ Odachi announced, speaking in Egyptian once again.

A flash of light shot out from the Millennium Puzzle at that moment…and when the coin landed again, it showed heads. _(I will go first, then!)_ Odachi announced.

He drew six cards to start off…and then closely examined his hand. _(I activate the magic card, Card Destruction! Now, we will both discard our entire hands and draw cards equal to the number we discarded!)_

Both promptly discarded their respective hands and drew new cards. Then Odachi chuckled as he saw the five new cards he held. _(Now, I'll use Monster Reborn to revive a monster from my Graveyard…and I'll revive T.A.D.P.O.L.E. _(ATK 0, DEF 0) _in Defense Mode!)_ And moments later he had a black tadpole on his side of the field.

The punk took one look and burst out laughing. **_(Man, what on earth is THAT?)_**

_(I'm not done yet,)_ Odachi told him. _(Next, I'll offer T.A.D.P.O.L.E. as a tribute to summon Des Frog _(ATK 1900, DEF 0)_ to the field!)_ And as the black tadpole disappeared, in its place stood a big green frog. _(And there's more…when Des Frog is successfully Tribute Summoned, I can Special Summon any number of Des Frog cards from my hand or deck equal to the number of T.A.D.P.O.L.E. cards in my Graveyard – and since there are two of those cards in the Graveyard now, I'll Special Summon two Des Frogs from my deck!)_

Immediately two more Des Frogs appeared on the field, so now Odachi had three amphibians croaking before him. Then he fingered the three cards left in his hand. _(And now…the end begins for you!)_

**_(What're you talking about, moron?)_** asked the dueling punk.

Odachi held up one of the cards high in the air. _(Observe! Now, I'll offer all three of my Des Frogs to summon a beast of such terror, it will swallow you whole!)_

As the thugs stared in wonder, suddenly the three Des Frogs got caught up in a red ball of light that shot up toward the sky. Reaching past the clouds, the ball of light exploded into a million sparks…and suddenly a howl could be heard as the shadow of something massive flew across the sky.

The thugs looked around, suddenly nervous as they heard the howl again. Odachi simply stood there, arms folded, and chuckled.

Then suddenly, a terrible sight unveiled itself: swooshing down from the heavens, the body of a massive red dragon coiled downward as it hovered just above Odachi's head. It had massive wings, forearms with very sharp claws, and what appeared to be two mouths, one above the other, both with several rows of sharp fangs. _(Boys…)_ Odachi chuckled. _(Say hello to Osiris the Sky Dragon_ (ATK X000, DEF X000)_ – the bearer of your deaths!)_

The dragon's ATK and DEF were both registered as a massive X followed by three zeroes…but those stats suddenly changed, giving the monster an ATK and DEF of 2000 each! _(The ATK and DEF of Osiris are each calculated by 1000 times the number of cards I'm holding in my hand,)_ Odachi explained. _(And right now, I'm holding two cards, so his ATK and DEF are both 2000. Want to try stopping that?)_

Swallowing very nervously, the thug drew a card. **_(I…I'll summon Panther Warrior _**(ATK 2000, DEF 1600) **_in Attack Mode!)_** And he brought forward a panther beast dressed up like a knight and wielding a large curved sword.

_(Is that supposed to impress me?)_ Odachi demanded. _(Osiris, show them why nobody should stand up to you!)_

To the punks' amazement, one of Osiris's mouths, the one on the top, opened up – and a blast of lightning shot out, hitting Panther Warrior. Its ATK was reduced to 0 – and then Panther Warrior itself was destroyed. _(Osiris's power is so great,)_ said Odachi, _(that whenever a monster is summoned in Attack Mode, its ATK is reduced by 2000…or, if it's summoned face-up in Defense Mode, its DEF is reduced by 2000…and in either scenario, if the ATK or DEF are reduced to zero by this ability of my dragon's, the opponent's monster is destroyed.)_ He smirked. _(Well? I'm still waiting to lose…)_

But now the thug and his cronies were shaking in morbid fear, shocked that the Panther Warrior could have been so easily dispatched. Shaking his head, Odachi drew another card – and as he did, Osiris's ATK and DEF both went up to 3000!

_(Hee, hee, hee…Now I'll activate Pot of Greed and draw two more cards!)_ As Odachi activated the card, Osiris's ATK and DEF went back down to 2000. But then he drew two more cards, giving him four in all – and the dragon's ATK and DEF shot up to a whopping 4000!

Now the thugs were really frightened when they saw the monster's stats. **_(No…please…have mercy on us!)_** the dueling thug begged.

_(Whatever are you talking about? This duel isn't over yet!)_ Odachi then turned his attention to the red dragon. _(Now, Osiris, attack with your God of Thunder Blast!)_

Osiris's lower mouth opened wide as a massive ball of lightning charged up from in its throat. Then suddenly it let it all out in a massive blast of energy, tearing up the gravel and knocking the frightened thugs down – and the dueling punk's life points were sharply reduced to 4000 in the process!

_(And now, to finish this turn, I'll set one card facedown,)_ announced Odachi, and as he did so his monsters stats went back down to 3000 ATK and 3000 DEF.

Shakily standing back up, the punk drew his card. At once his eyes lit up when he saw what it was. **_(I'll set this card facedown, and end my turn!)_**

_(Is that hope I see in your face? Well, I will extinguish it at once!)_ Odachi declared as he drew another card, increasing Osiris's ATK and DEF to 4000 yet again. _(Go, Osiris! Finish these fools now!)_

**_(Not so fast, asshole!)_** the thug snapped. **_(I activate the trap card, Mirror Force! Now this will cause your monster to be destroyed!)_**

But then Odachi's own facedown card flipped face-up. _(And I'll counter that with my own trap card, Seven Tools of the Bandit! By paying 1000 life points, I can negate the activation of your trap card and destroy it!)_ And as his life points went down to 7000, a massive jackknife shot out of his own trap card and sliced the thug's Mirror Force in two!

**_(…no…!)_** the thug whispered, his eyes now showing real terror.

_(Now, Osiris, finish them!)_ Odachi ordered. And Osiris complied, firing another God of Thunder Blast at the punks, incinerating them and reducing the dueling thug's life points completely to 0.

Odachi presently switched off his Duel-Disk, and Osiris disappeared into thin air. Then he beheld the four punks, writhing in pain on the ground, their clothes badly burned from the mighty dragon's attack. _(So you see, fools, that you were stupid to challenge someone with the power of the Egyptian God cards at his disposal,)_ he spoke to them. _(I said earlier that if I won, I would decide your fates. Now, your fates will be…to lose your souls and your lives!)_

And as the Millennium Puzzle shone with malicious intent, the four punks simply looked up at Odachi, too injured even to scream…

----------

BACK IN JAPAN, AT DOMINO CITY HOSPITAL

"Yugi, are you sure you're okay?" Mr. Bakura asked.

"Yeah, Bakura, I'm sure. I feel perfectly fine now," Mr. Muto replied, rubbing the back of his neck.

The others were standing around his hospital bed. "Yugi, you deserve to be punished," said Mrs. Wheeler. "You gave all of us a major scare."

"I'm sorry about that," sighed Mr. Muto. "But…I still can't believe it…everything that's happened since I lost consciousness…"

Mrs. Taylor nodded knowingly. "Teá told you, right? That Yugo and the others have gone off to Egypt?"

"Yes, she did." Mr. Muto looked down at his bed-sheets. "So…JUDAS…they have my mother in captivity, and Yugo went off to rescue her…and all the others went off after him. Well, since there's little I can do at this point, all I can say is, God be with them all."

Mr. Taylor presently re-entered the room. "I just got off the phone," he announced. "I had to pass the message on to Duke and Pegasus. They're relieved to know you're conscious again, and they send you their best wishes."

"Everybody was worried about you, you see," said Mrs. Bakura. "We all did what we could to make sure that Yugo'll eventually come home to us."

"True, Yugi," said Mr. Wheeler. "But no need to worry now – everything will be fine. You just gotta trust the kids to get the job done properly."

Footsteps interrupted their talk; looking up, the group saw Kaiba standing at the doorway, arms folded, his usual smirk on his face. "So, you finally decided to wake up from your nap, eh, Yugi?" he asked.

"You could put it more politely than that, you know," Mr. Wheeler reprimanded Kaiba.

"Never mind, Joey – you know that's how Kaiba is." Mr. Muto then addressed Kaiba. "Hey, Kaiba…thanks for doing your part. The guys have already told me what happened."

Kaiba nodded. "Think nothing of it," he assured the other man. "It's the sort of thing you would have done, anyway."

He chuckled. "I'm just surprised at one thing – that my brother-in-law would be training Yugo and Seta, to fight against these JUDAS punks."

"Yeah, we were all really surprised when Joey told us," said Mr. Bakura. "It was when Jenna called earlier. She said that Marik was training those two."

"Well, they certainly have a good teacher in Marik," Mr. Muto acknowledged. "He knows his cards, and he knows his history. If anybody can prepare Yugo and Seta for the threat that these JUDAS people pose, it's him."

Mr. Wheeler then frowned. "Hey, hold on…I feel as though I'm forgetting something…"

"Like what, your intelligence?" Kaiba needled him.

Mr. Wheeler steadfastly ignored Kaiba's comment and walked over to the other side of the room even as the others looked quizzically at him. Then it hit him. "Oh, yes! I remember now – something else Jenna asked! Yugi, I was really counting on you waking up so I could tell you about this!"

Mr. Muto looked at his friend, puzzled. "Tell me about what, Joey?"

"Well…while Jenna and I were talking on the phone, she mentioned that they'd gotten a lead as to the identity of JUDAS's leader," Mr. Wheeler revealed.

Everybody stared at him. "All right—THAT was one thing you didn't tell us, Joey," said Mrs. Wheeler, giving her husband an accusing look.

"Hey, hey, calm down now," said Mr. Wheeler. "I just wanted to wait till Yugi regained consciousness before I said anything about that. I wanted all of us to be here, to hear about this."

"Well, I suppose we can forgive you for withholding the info, when you put your explanation like that," said Mrs. Bakura. "So, what is it?"

Mr. Wheeler nodded. "Well…according to Jenna, Shigeo Tatsunoko – the ninja duelist – managed to defeat one of the higher-ups in JUDAS, and that guy said that Yugi might know something about the leader…and what it is that motivates him."

"His name, Wheeler – did they get his name?" Kaiba asked impatiently.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm getting to that." Mr. Wheeler then looked at Mr. Muto. "Yugi…from what they were able to learn…they think the leader's name might be Keisuke Odachi."

Mr. Muto started. His eyes went wide, and his face turned pale. _Keisuke…!_

Mrs. Taylor noticed his change in color. "Uh, Yugi…are you all right?"

Everybody turned to look at Mr. Muto. "Hey, yeah…you do look a little pale all of a sudden…" Mr. Taylor said thoughtfully.

Kaiba eyed Mr. Muto. "You know who he is, don't you?"

Mr. Muto held his head down; his hair now overshadowed his eyes. "Yes…I know Keisuke Odachi…I know him well…"

Mrs. Bakura took in Mr. Muto's discomfort at a glance. "Um…maybe we shouldn't have brought it up, so soon after he just woke up," she suggested.

"No!" Mr. Muto cried, startling them all. Then he shook his head. "No…it's all right…I just never thought I'd be hearing that name again…after all these years…"

"Do you think you can tell us about him?" Mrs. Wheeler asked gently.

Mr. Muto nodded. "I'll tell you…everything about him…"

----------

**_neomage:_** Now, then, be attentive! We're gonna go into a bit of a history lesson – and our subject for today: Keisuke Odachi! So, turn to the next chapter in this story, and let's prepare to read!


	123. Chapter 123

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: One, two, three, let's go! neomage doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh!)

**CHAPTER 123**

DOMINO CITY HOSPITAL

"So…who is Keisuke Odachi, Yugi?" Mr. Wheeler asked eagerly.

Mr. Muto took a deep breath. "To tell you about him, I have to go back to the very beginning," he said quietly. "It all started…that year…when I got transferred from Tokyo University to Oxford in London. I had just completed my first year at Tokyo-U, but I wanted to take my studies elsewhere, and so off to England I went. You all remember that, don't you?"

"Of course we remember," said Mrs. Bakura. "We were all going our separate ways back then. Joey was going off to Tokyo-U; Mai was still traveling the world; I was heading off to California to fulfill my dream of becoming a professional dancer; Tristan and Duke were going into their business partnership together, and Serenity was going with them; Ryou was working in archaeology as an assistant to his father; and Kaiba – well, he was still here, managing Kaibacorp."

They all nodded knowingly. They all remembered too well that day when all of them had shared tearful farewells at the airport – all except Kaiba, of course; he merely shook their hands and wished them all luck that day, doing his best to withhold his own emotion.

"So, it all happened after you got to Oxford, huh?" said Mr. Bakura.

"Yes," said Mr. Muto. "That was the year 2004, in September…"

----------

FOURTEEN YEARS EARLIER, 2004, OXFORD UNIVERSITY, ENGLAND

_Yugi Muto looked around him in awe. The Oxford University campus was far bigger than he'd imagined it would be, and for a minute he'd been afraid that he would get lost. But by asking directions to various places on campus, he'd been able to manage pretty well…so far. Now he had no idea where to go._

_"Yugi? Is that really you, Yugi? Oh, how wonderful!"_

_Yugi turned, and was amazed. "Rebecca? Whoa! Now, isn't this a lovely surprise!"_

_Standing before him was an old friend, Rebecca Hawkins, though she looked far different from how he remembered her. Where long ago she'd been nothing but a spoiled brat with long, wavy hair, big glasses and an I.Q. to put Einstein to shame, now she sported a shoulder-length haircut and was minus the glasses. She also looked far more mature now than he'd ever seen her. "Wow…Rebecca…you look really great!" Yugi exclaimed._

_"Really? Thank you!" she replied, blushing a little. "But what brings you to Oxford?"_

_"What else? I came to study here!" Yugi replied. "I transferred here from Tokyo University. Now, officially, I'm in my second year of college."_

_"Same here – though I've been here at Oxford since last year," Rebecca revealed. "But believe me, you'll really like it here. So, what's your major?"_

_"Well, I'm majoring in History right now," Yugi confessed. "And you?"_

_"Exactly the same thing!" Rebecca beamed. "So that means we share the same department!"_

_"Oh, wow – it's surely a small world, isn't it?" a male voice asked, causing them to turn. "I wonder just how many more people I'm gonna run into who do History."_

_"Oh – hey there, Keisuke," said Rebecca. "Let me introduce you, Yugi. This is Keisuke Odachi, and he's a History major, plus he's pursuing his Associate Degree. Keisuke, this is Yugi Muto, the guy I always told you about."_

_Keisuke was about as tall as Yugi, with long black hair that was tied back in a single ponytail. He wore glasses and had a friendly face. "Pleased to make your acquaintance," he said, and shook the other guy's hand. "Yeah, Rebecca's told me she knows you personally. And everybody knows about the great King of Games."_

_"Oh? So, you play Duel Monsters, too?" Yugi asked Keisuke._

_"Well, I don't really play it myself," said Keisuke, "but I do understand the rules a little. What I'm interested in is the history of the game. Rebecca and I have been researching that for a while now, and I'm very impressed by her findings so far."_

_"Really, now? That sure is something, isn't it?" Yugi marveled._

_"Sure is," Keisuke laughed. "I may be two years ahead of Rebecca, but she certainly knows her history. A lot of that research is based on things her grandfather used to research…and may Heaven rest his soul."_

_Yugi looked at Rebecca. "I see…so Professor Hawkins passed on, did he?"_

_"Yeah. About the same time your grandfather did, I think." Rebecca had a small smile on her face. "But I think they'd both be proud to see how far their grandchildren have come, don't you?"_

_"Oh, definitely," and Yugi nodded sympathetically._

_"Well, what say we head to the department now, you two? I'd like to see what sort of new news they'll have on the bulletin board in there," said Keisuke._

_"Sure thing! Let's go!" said Rebecca. And with that, the three of them headed off for the History department._

----------

THE PRESENT

"Yes…Keisuke Odachi…he was certainly a great guy to be around, back then," said Mr. Muto. "We worked well together, all three of us, and we became close friends. But…later on, something began to happen…"

----------

FOURTEEN YEARS EARLIER, OXFORD UNIVERSITY, ENGLAND

_Yugi and Rebecca were in the study hall together, going over notes from their most recent history lecture. "Hmmm…did you see Keisuke at all today? It's not like him to miss any lectures," Rebecca said thoughtfully._

_"I know where he's at," said Yugi. "Since this is his first year as an Associate Degree student, the head of the History department wanted to see all students pursuing those degrees in History for a meeting."_

_"Hey, guys; sorry for not showing up to class today," Keisuke's voice sounded behind them. Yugi and Rebecca turned – and both were extremely astonished, as were several of the other students in the hall._

_Keisuke certainly did not look like his normal self. His black hair, usually tied back in a pony-tail, was today standing on edge with various spikes sticking out; at the front there were several bangs dyed white, some sticking up with the rest of the hair, some hanging down over his face. In short, he looked like Yugi with different-colored hair._

_"My…word…" Rebecca covered her mouth, trying to suppress a giggle._

_"Uh, Keisuke…exactly what possessed you to do your hair almost like mine?" asked Yugi, very perplexed._

_"Well, I've had a couple of people tell me that if I did my hair like yours, we could easily pass as twins!" Keisuke replied, grinning. "And lots of people on campus have been commenting about you, Yugi, saying how your hair looks so cool and all that." He then lowered his voice. "And besides, too…didn't the Pharaoh of Egypt, Atem, have his hair like this?"_

_Yugi looked at him, astonished. "You know about that?"_

_"Don't worry – Rebecca's told me about it," Keisuke chuckled. "I don't think you guys are nuts, believing in magic and reincarnation and all that. Those beliefs were quite prevalent in various places in the world 3000 years ago."_

_"And who do you consider yourself a reincarnation of, pray tell?" Yugi asked._

_"You, maybe?" Keisuke joked, and he laughed._

_"Yeah, sure, whatever," Yugi shrugged._

_Then Keisuke became more serious. "Rebecca, could I talk to you for a little bit…in private?"_

_Rebecca looked a little startled; then she turned to Yugi. "Oh, it's all right," he spoke up. "I was just getting ready to leave, anyway. I have a Biology class in another fifteen minutes."_

_"We'll see you later then," said Keisuke._

_Yugi got up, and Keisuke took his place at the table. "By the way, Keisuke," Yugi remarked, "personally speaking, I think you should keep the new hairdo. It really suits you!"_

_"Yeah, I think so too," and now Rebecca laughed openly._

_Keisuke chuckled. "Well, if you guys really think so…then I guess I will!"_

_Yugi nodded, then walked off, leaving Keisuke and Rebecca to themselves._

_----------_

TWO HOURS LATER, STILL IN THE PAST

_Yugi was now at a small restaurant just one block away from the campus. It was a multi-cultural restaurant, complete with all sorts of delicious food, both Japanese and European, along with other dishes from America and other such countries. "Well…a little taste of home won't be so bad," he mused as he opted for rice balls and tofu in tomato sauce._

_"Hi, Yugi."_

_Yugi turned, somewhat startled. "Oh, hey, Rebecca. How's it going?"_

_Her face was very grave. "May I join you for a little? There's something I need to talk to you about."_

_"Sure."_

_Yugi took his food tray, and together they went to a table and sat down. "So, would you like to eat, too?" asked Yugi, shifting his tray a little._

_"No, no; I'm good." Rebecca smiled; then her smile vanished altogether. "Yugi…"_

_"What?" he asked, picking up a rice ball and popping it into his mouth._

_She sighed. "It's about Keisuke."_

_"Oh? What about him?" Yugi asked casually, popping another rice ball into his mouth and chewing._

_Now Rebecca blushed. "Well…it happened after you left study hall earlier. We chatted a little bit, about nothing important – and then – then Keisuke looked me straight in the face and told me he had feelings for me."_

_Yugi nearly choked on the rice ball. "Huh?"_

_"Yeah…that's exactly what I said when he said that," she answered. "At first I thought he must be joking, but…the way he looked at me…I realized he was as serious as anybody could ever be. And…I honestly didn't know what to say to him…"_

_Yugi quickly gulped down some water. "Well…Rebecca…" said he, after he got his bearings back. "I think that's really cool of Keisuke to say something like that to you. And why shouldn't he? I mean, you're a really pretty girl. It shouldn't surprise you that somebody would have a crush on you."_

_"I know." Rebecca said this in a very quiet voice. "But…Yugi…as much as I hated having to disappoint him…I had to tell him to give me time to think about things. I mean, it happened so suddenly…"_

_"Yeah…I guess that was to be expected…" said Yugi thoughtfully._

_Rebecca held her head further down. "But…he was so sincere in his confession, that I…I couldn't bear to tell him the real reason for my putting him off…"_

_"Huh?" Yugi stared at her, bewildered. "Whatever are you talking about, Rebecca?"_

_Now she looked at him. "The truth is, Yugi…there's someone else that I love…someone I've been waiting all this time for…" She was now whispering her words. "Yugi…you know who I'm talking about, don't you…?"_

_Yugi blinked. "Wait a minute, Rebecca; you don't mean—"_

_"Yes. Then you do know." She fixed him with a piercing stare._

_Yugi looked back at her for what seemed an eternity. "Rebecca…I always thought that that was just a crush…that you would've grown out of that by…"_

_She cut him off before he could complete the statement. "No, Yugi! That was no crush, believe me!" Her voice grew harder. "I…all this time, even when I was here…day after day, all I could think about…" Then her voice dropped to a whisper. "All I could think about…was you."_

_Yugi didn't know what to say. "Rebecca…"_

_Suddenly she flushed red with terrible embarrassment. "Oh, my God…what was I thinking? I shouldn't have said anything…I should've known better…I'm sorry, Yugi!" And before he could reply, she jumped up and dashed out the restaurant door._

_Yugi stared after her as she took flight, his lunch forgotten. "Rebecca…"_

_----------_

LATER THAT DAY

_Rebecca was in her dorm room, frantically looking over several dozen papers and books spread out across her study desk. She had several tests and term papers to be handed in that week and early next week, too, and she had to finish them on time if she were to have time for anything else._

_As she was looking over one of her World Literature papers, there was a knock at her door. "Just a minute!" she cried, setting down her papers on the desk and hurrying to the door._

_When she opened the door, she stared in surprise. Standing before her was Yugi, holding a bag with something very flavorful inside. "Uh…can I come in?" he asked._

_Rebecca could feel herself turning red with embarrassment, but she nodded. "Uh, yeah, yeah." She stepped aside and allowed him to enter the room. "You, uh…you got permission from the dean to be here?"_

_"The dean wasn't at the front desk. But I had a little word with her assistant, so here I am." Yugi paused and surveyed the room. In spite of the mess Rebecca's desk was, what with all her books and papers, the rest of the room was neat and tidy. "So, uh…about today…"_

_Rebecca shook her head. "No, Yugi. There isn't anything to talk about. What happened today was a mistake on my part."_

_Now Yugi was completely astonished. "A mistake?"_

_"Yeah…I was a real fool…for all my intelligence, I'm so stupid." Rebecca sniffed._

_"No, Rebecca, don't say that, please!" Yugi answered, frantic. "Please…I thought about what you said, and…"_

_"Stop." Rebecca held up a hand in front of his face. "Yugi…I have work to do. You should probably go." Her hair was covering both her eyes._

_Yugi sighed. "Well…uh…" He indicated the bag in his hand. "Well, I just wanted to bring you some fish and chips anyway. I'll just leave it on your desk." And, turning, he put the bag on the desk next to her books and started for the door…_

_…and suddenly felt a grip on his arm. "Huh?" He turned – and there was Rebecca, her hair still overshadowing her eyes…but as he looked closer, he noticed tears streaming down her face._

_"Yugi…I'm just…so confused…" she whispered weakly. "I don't know what to do…what do I do…?"_

_He looked intently into her face. "You know, Rebecca…you're a terrible liar."_

_"I know." She nodded slowly. "But…I really don't know what to do, or say…I just don't know, for real."_

_Yugi smiled. "You'll figure it out."_

_Rebecca then looked up and fixed her gaze at the bag Yugi had put down. "You said…you brought fish and chips for me…?"_

_He nodded. "Yep."_

_Her grip on his arm tightened. "Will you…eat them with me…please?" And now she was looking straight into his eyes._

_Yugi raised his free hand…and gently wiped the tears away from Rebecca's cheeks as best as he could. "Sure. I'd like that."_

----------

THE PRESENT

Mr. Muto chuckled. "Yes," he whispered, as the others listened in interested awe. "Yes…that night was the start of something truly beautiful. That night…we were able to confess what we'd always felt years before then."

"Wow…such a beautiful story," said Mrs. Taylor.

"I guess so," said Mr. Muto. "And that would probably have been the happy ending right there, except…I didn't realize then that that night would be the beginning of a lot of suffering…"

----------

**_neomage:_** Readers, the history lesson ain't finished yet – it continues next chapter! And for those of you who love the duels, I'm sorry if this digresses from the action too much for you, but not to worry – when this history lesson ends, the action resumes! Now, on to the next chapter!


	124. Chapter 124

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Let's take a trip down Memory Lane, shall we? neomage doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh!)

**CHAPTER 124**

DOMINO CITY HOSPITAL

"So…what happened after that, Yugi?" quizzed Mrs. Wheeler.

Mr. Muto took a deep breath. "The beginning of pain, that's what…"

----------

FOURTEEN YEARS AGO, 2004, OXFORD UNIVERSITY, ENGLAND

_"Yugi! Hey, Yugi, over here!"_

_Yugi turned as he heard his name being called. Keisuke Odachi came running up to him – and even one month after he'd done his hair like Yugi's, he still hadn't altered it since. "Hey, Keisuke…I see you still wear your hair like mine," Yugi remarked._

_"Well, why not?" Keisuke grinned._

_The two walked along for a moment. Then Keisuke's face became reflective. "Hey, Yugi…it's almost the last week for classes this semester, and then we're off on holidays! Ahhh…can't you smell that ocean breeze? Because I know I'll be relaxing on a beach somewhere back home, all day, every day!"_

_"Well, good luck to you with that," chuckled Yugi. "This summer, I'll be competing in the Duel Monsters World Championships in the United States."_

_"Oh…hoping to get good competition then?" Keisuke asked, interested._

_"Maybe…" Yugi smirked._

_They continued walking a little further. Then Keisuke turned to Yugi. "Hey, man, there's something I need to confide in you…can you keep a secret?"_

_"Sure." Yugi looked at Keisuke, curious._

_Keisuke sighed. "It's about Rebecca. I…I think I like her, man. I mean, really like her, you know? So much so that…I think I want to marry her."_

_Yugi looked at Keisuke in total surprise. "Uh, Keisuke…first of all, she's roughly two years younger than you – she's 16!"_

_"Yeah, I know about that," said Keisuke quietly. "Everybody knows she's a child genius – entering university at the age of 12 or 13, thereabouts. But it was no different with me – I started my program of study when I was 13, here at Oxford. And, you, too, right? You're still relatively young, and yet you're in your second year of college. So, age isn't necessarily a factor. And if it's the law you're worried about, no worries there either – normally you need permission from parents or guardians if you want to marry but you're not yet 18…but she hasn't got anybody now, and neither do I. And it shouldn't be too difficult to find a counselor and a minister who'll agree to marry a young couple…"_

_Yugi shook his head. "But, Keisuke, even with all of that, what about Rebecca? Do you really know if she'll say yes, assuming you do propose?"_

_"Yugi…" said Keisuke. "When you transferred here from Tokyo-U last year, I was keeping tabs on all the best places where a guy in my field can get jobs – as a professor of history, or a museum curator, or even…an archaeologist! And that last one – archaeology – it pays rather big these days, and you get a lot of props, especially if you're studying Egyptian history like Rebecca and I have been doing! Once I graduate, I'll be solidly placed in a good-paying job, since I'll have both my Bachelor's Degree and Associate Degree to back me up! Supporting her won't be a problem at all!"_

_"Keisuke…listen to me for a minute," said Yugi, now very sternly. "I have no doubt that, with your qualifications and experience, you'd be able to get a job good enough to support you and any family you decide to start. And it's not so much the idea of your marrying so young that concerns me…but you have to take Rebecca's feelings into consideration."_

_"All right, now you're not making ANY sense," Keisuke remarked. "Whatever are you talking about, Yugi?"_

_Yugi looked him dead in the eye. "Keisuke…I don't doubt that your feelings for Rebecca are sincere, but – who's to say she feels the same way about you? From what she once told me, she sees you as a big brother…and she doesn't want to compromise anything." His voice dropped to a whisper. "Besides, too…suppose there's someone else she has her heart set on? Keisuke, take it from me – don't put all your eggs into one basket. If you keep declaring love for Rebecca and she repeatedly turns you down, you'll likely do something crazy. Love makes us all do stupid things sometimes, things we regret years down the road."_

_Keisuke's brow furrowed. "Well, I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I can't take your advice on this one. Even if Rebecca does turn me down once, that doesn't mean I'm gonna just give up. She's the girl for me, Yugi, make no mistake about that. And, in any case…" His face looked hopeful. "The first time I brought up any kind of romantic talk to her, she merely said she needed time to think things through. That's not necessarily a sign of rejection – it just means the door is still open and that, when the time is right, I can step through it."_

_And with that, Keisuke turned and walked off before Yugi could reply. Yugi looked on after him, and a sad look came over his face. "Keisuke…if you knew what's happened…but I can't ever tell you, because it would crush you…" he said softly._

_----------_

THREE DAYS LATER

_Classes were over at last, and the students were all gearing up to return home. Yugi himself was in his dorm room, packing his suitcase. He was going to be returning to Japan via plane, and he'd booked a seat on the evening flight. "Can't wait to see the others again…wonder how they're all doing," he mused._

_A knock at the door interrupted his train of thought. "Come in!" he called._

_The door swung inward – and standing there was Rebecca, a very calm look on her face. "Hey, Yugi. How's everything?"_

_"Cool," he replied. "I'm just getting my stuff together to make the 5:00 flight to Japan today."_

_"I see. Well, I think I'll be coming to Domino City myself for the holidays," said Rebecca. "I'd really like to have some time with you, if it's all right."_

_"Sure thing! And I know the others will be glad to see you, too," said Yugi._

_Then he noticed that Rebecca's face had maintained its calm look – a little too long. "Hey, Rebecca…is something up?"_

_She nodded, closing the door. "Yugi…can you sit down for a minute? There's something I need to tell you."_

_A little worried, Yugi sat down and momentarily closed his suitcase. "What's the matter, Rebecca?"_

_She still had the calm look on her face. "Yugi…I'm expecting."_

_"Huh?" He stared blankly at her. "Expecting? Expecting what?"_

_"Just what I said. I'm expecting."_

_Yugi was still confused. Then he noticed her left hand, unconsciously patting her abdomen…and then it clicked. "Oh, my…are you serious?"_

_She nodded. "I've missed my period for the second time in a row…so, yesterday I went to a clinic just a little ways from school and got myself tested…and it's as I suspected." Now a small smile crept over her face. "I've got a little one…inside me."_

_"Second time in a row…" Yugi's memory slowly returned to him. "Holy…that night, when I came to your room with the fish and chips – that's when we – I get it now."_

_Rebecca nodded. "I know I'm still young, but…can you believe it, Yugi? I'm going to be a mother!"_

_"And I'm going to be…" Yugi gulped._

_Rebecca could see the anxiety in his eyes. "Yugi…there's no need to fret. I can take care of this baby…my Grandpa left me a major fortune in his will, a fortune he'd gotten from all his excavations and archaeological discoveries. I may only be 16, but…this baby's going to get all the love and care it deserves. Even if I have to do it on my own, I'll manage."_

_Yugi turned at that. "No, way, Rebecca! Like hell I'm gonna let you carry this burden alone!"_

_Rebecca was astonished. "Yugi…what're you saying?"_

_He looked her deep in the eyes. "My grandfather taught me never to run away from responsibility. And now…this baby…it's as much my responsibility as it is yours. So I won't run away. In fact…"_

_As Rebecca watched in amazement, Yugi stood up, then knelt down on one knee. "I know I don't have the right tools, nor am I doing it in the right setting," he whispered. "But…as soon as I'm able, Rebecca…I want to get you an engagement ring…because if I'm going to help you with…our child…that means our child has to have both mother and father. And I want to make sure it's done right." He looked her square in the eye again. "But for now…Rebecca…as scrappy as it is gonna sound right this minute…"_

_He felt a finger press on his lips before he could finish. Looking up, he saw Rebecca's face. She was wearing a smile of relief and thankfulness; a tear slowly crept down her cheek. "Yes, Yugi. You'll definitely get the answer you want…when you ask that question." And with that she threw her arms around his neck, peppering his face with kisses._

_"Yeah…yeah." Yugi smiled. "Don't worry, Rebecca…it'll all work out. My mother will gladly help us…to raise her grandchild…" Then his face looked sheepish. "As much as she'll cuss me out for making myself a father at my age…but she'll definitely help out, anyway."_

_"Yeah…" Rebecca finally stopped kissing Yugi and smiled down at him. "Can you see it, Yugi? You…me…" And here she reached a hand down and patted her abdomen again. "…and our baby…"_

_"…baby…?"_

_Startled by the new voice, both Yugi and Rebecca looked up – and both turned ashen. Standing there at the open door was Keisuke, holding a bouquet of flowers in one hand. But now he was trembling as though he had pneumonia; the flowers slipped out of his grasp and fell to the floor. "What…is this…?" he quavered._

_"Oh, God…Keisuke…" Yugi's face took on a pained expression._

_"Keisuke…I can explain, please," said Rebecca._

_Keisuke slowly shook his head from side to side. "Rebecca…after I told you that I loved you…" His gaze shifted to Yugi. "Yugi…after I told you how I felt about her…this is how you treat me?"_

_"Keisuke, c'mon, don't be like this!" Yugi started – but a solid fist to his face sent him flying over the edge of his bed._

_"KEISUKE, NO!" Rebecca screamed._

_Keisuke's hair overshadowed his eyes. The fist was still hanging in the air. "I trusted you…I believed in you…in both of you…" His voice was sounding strangled. "Rebecca…I had such intense feelings for you…I gave you time to consider your reply when you told me you needed time to think on what I said…and THIS is how you answer me now? You go and get pregnant – for my own FRIEND?"_

_"Keisuke…I had always had feelings for Yugi, even before you met either of us," Rebecca said quietly. "Please…try to understand—"_

_"NO! I don't understand! I CAN'T understand!" Keisuke bellowed. "How could you guys do this to me? How could you? How!"_

_Then he turned and dashed through the door – crushing the flowers dropped by the door under his heel in the process – and sped off down the corridor. "Keisuke!" Rebecca cried, but it was too late – he was already gone._

_Gingerly Yugi got up from where he'd fallen, wincing as he touched his swollen jaw. Keisuke had punched him so hard, blood was leaking from the corner of his mouth. "Keisuke…" he whispered._

_Then he became aware of Rebecca standing at the door, cupping her face in her hands and sobbing. Quietly, he crossed over to her and took her in an embrace. That was all he could do right then – words were useless._

----------

THE PRESENT

Mr. Muto was now shivering, trying hard to fight off the sobs that threatened to break him down. The others looked at him in utmost sympathy. "My word…so that's what happened," Mr. Bakura said softly.

"Yugi…what happened afterwards?" Mr. Taylor wanted to know.

"I think we already know," said Mr. Wheeler. "Yugi and Rebecca got married in a quiet ceremony right here in Domino City, remember? All of us were there as witnesses."

"Yes," said Mrs. Wheeler. "And then, a couple of months later, Yugo was born…"

There was silence as they thought about this. "He was born…roughly three months before the due date," said Mr. Muto, smiling slightly. "But overall, the pregnancy was okay. Rebecca was fine…and she gave birth to a healthy baby boy." He chuckled.

"I remember that – the baby shower we held, and the celebrations at your house after the birth," said Mrs. Bakura. "It was wonderful."

"And then, two years later, Yugo turned two." Kaiba couldn't help but chuckle. "Rebecca was out of college by then, quickly gaining a great reputation as one of the youngest and most brilliant archaeologists…and that was the time you decided to retire from Duel Monsters to concentrate on your family, Yugi."

"And even then, as much as your mother used to clock you with anything she could grab for making Rebecca a mother at such a young age, she was still willing to help you out," said Mrs. Taylor, and she giggled.

"But…what about Keisuke Odachi?" Mr. Taylor asked.

"Well…the same year when I retired from Duel Monsters, he went back to Oxford to continue pursuing his Associate Degree. That was about the last I'd heard from him…so I thought." Mr. Muto sighed sadly. "Until…that day…"

----------

TWELVE YEARS AGO, 2006, CAIRO, EGYPT

_"Mr. Muto, sir! We finished cleaning off those new artifacts we dug up two days ago. They'll be ready for exhibition tomorrow!"_

_"Thank you very much."_

_The helper nodded and left Yugi in his tent. Though he was still rather young, Yugi had fast developed a reputation as an adept researcher and archaeologist, just as his grandfather had been so long ago. "Grandpa…I wonder what you'd be thinking if you could see me now?" he mused to himself._

_He looked out at the sky through his tent flap. The sun was already starting to set. "I guess I'd do good with some shuteye, for a few minutes," he sighed. "I've been at it all day, after all." With that in mind, he went for his sleeping bag, and a few minutes later had dozed off._

_----------_

_"H…huh?"_

_Yugi squeezed his eyes tightly shut. "Damn…did somebody leave the lights on or something?" he groaned._

_Sitting up, he tried to get his eyes used to the glare – but what he did manage to see shocked him. Standing there, in the entryway of the tent, was a man with a hairstyle that, somehow, reminded Yugi of his own. From his chest shone a magnificent light. "Wha…? Who…who are you?" Yugi gasped out._

_When the man spoke, however, his voice was rough and full of menace. "Yugi Muto…you will pay…for your sin…"_

_Yugi started – the voice sounded extremely familiar. "Do I know you…?"_

_The man spoke again. "Turn on your television…and then you will know who I am."_

_There was a TV on a nearby table, which had been set up so Yugi could watch the news in the evening after the work hours were done. Puzzled by the stranger's words, he got up and switched the TV on. "Whatever are you talking about?" he asked._

_When the TV came on – the words of a news anchor broadcasting chilled Yugi to the bone. "Our newsroom has just received a tragic report," she was saying. "A jet plane en route to the States from Cairo, Egypt, has crashed."_

_Yugi stared at the screen. _Wait a second – wasn't Rebecca supposed to be on a flight? Oh, please don't let it be her plane…

_The anchor continued. "The report we have received has confirmed that there were fifty passengers on board the jet; and now, of the fifty, all are dead, along with the pilots. And…we have received confirmation of the identities of at least four of the victims. Colin and Yvette DaCosta…Ishizu Ishtar…and Rebecca Hawkins-Muto."_

_Yugi stared at the screen for a long moment. Then, very slowly, he fell to his knees. "No…not my Rebecca…it can't be! NOOOO!" he threw his head back and screamed._

_The stranger's voice came home to him again. "Now you should know who I am. This is what you get for your betrayal. And, one more thing…if you ever tell anybody of my identity, especially your mother OR your son…I will kill both of them, as well, and you will be left all by yourself to blame nobody except yourself. Now suffer…as the betrayed one suffered."_

_Yugi spun around to face the stranger – but the man had already mysteriously disappeared. He then turned his face to the ground, weeping, still on hands and knees. "Keisuke…Odachi…"_

----------

THE PRESENT

"Oh…my…God…" Mrs. Taylor was too shocked to say anything else.

Kaiba gritted his teeth in anger. "So…this Odachi…he killed your wife…and also killed MY wife – and my brother!" he snarled. "That son-of-a-bitch! How dare he!"

Mr. Muto exhaled through his teeth. "All along…it was his intention…to make me suffer for his perceived betrayal of him by Rebecca and me all those years ago," he whispered. "That's why…that's why I've never told Mother or Yugo, or anybody else, about Keisuke until now." He covered his face with one hand. "All my fault…Rebecca's death…and the deaths of all those innocent people…JUDAS did those, but…it's all my fault…"

With that, he finally broke down and started sobbing. And his friends just looked on, none of them knowing what to say.

----------

**_neomage:_** Hmmm…I had a bit of a chronological conflict when I was writing this chapter. My issue was making Rebecca pregnant at a young age…and with the time that I had posted, that would've made her _far too young_ by legal standards. So, I went back and bumped up the time period by two years, roughly. To that end, several past chapters have been re-edited, most notable Chapters 01, 02, 25, 37, and 51. You'll see those changes when you read the story over again. Mathematical and chronological geniuses out there, please let me know after reading the updated chapters if there are any additional changes that need to be made. Thanks for your continued support, and keep reading and enjoying this story, everyone!


	125. Chapter 125

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: The trip down Memory Lane is finally over…and as before, neomage doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh!)

**CHAPTER 125**

PHARAOH'S LAIR, 4:25 a.m.

"Oh, man…" David's eyes fluttered open as he let loose with a mighty yawn. Then suddenly a searing pain shot through his head. "Ow – oh, shit, my head's killin' me!"

Nearby, Luke was also stirring. "Oooh…I don't feel like I slept at all," he mumbled.

Then he became aware of his brother, waking up. "Eh? Oh, so you're awake, too, David?"

"Luke…which freight train ran me over?" David asked woozily, shaking his head dizzily.

Luke looked long and hard at his brother. "Uh, David…you mean you really don't remember anything that happened?"

"What d'you mean?" David asked, puzzled. "All I remember is I was having one really crazy dream…that I was trying to kill all of you for some reason or another…and I kept hearing some freaky voice in my head, saying, kill, kill, kill…"

Then he paused and noticed how Luke was looking at him. "Um, Luke…it _was_ just a dream…wasn't it?" he asked, very fearfully.

Luke shook his head sadly. "Sorry, bro…it really happened. You, Miriam, that Blaze chick…all of you were brainwashed and tried to murder the rest of us."

David stared at Luke for a long moment. Then, very carefully, he turned his eyes down so he was looking at his hands. "I…tried to kill you…?" he asked, in a very weak voice.

"Hey, don't worry too much about it now," Luke attempted to console him. "We know you wouldn't try to hurt us intentionally. You just weren't yourselves, that's all…"

But David wouldn't be easily assured. "No…" He shook his head violently. "Even if I _was_ under somebody's control…I'd have your blood on my hands…on my hands…!"

Luke had a pained expression on his face as he observed his brother's panicky reaction. "David…" he whispered.

From the other side of the room, Malachi's voice suddenly sounded. "David…Luke…maybe you two had better get a breath of fresh air for a little."

Luke looked over to where Malachi still lay on his bed, his back turned to the two of them. "Uh…sure, boss. Sure thing." Then he turned to David. "C'mon, David, let's take a walk up on the roof. Maybe a little fresh air WILL do you some good."

Shakily, David nodded. Together, he and Luke went out the door, leaving Malachi alone in the room. Malachi watched out of the corner of his eye as they left; then he sighed heavily. _If David's reaction to the news was like this…I'd hate to see Miriam's face when she finds out what almost happened here…_

----------

Moments later the brothers were on the rooftop together, taking in the night sky. Since it was the early hours of the morning, far in the distance the first signs of sunrise could be seen, though faintly. David stared at it from where he stood, only a few feet away from the edge of the roof. Luke was right next to him, sucking in lungful after lungful of air into his system.

David broke the silence. "Luke…back when the Lightbearers were still alive…every day that I saw some of them, they looked as though they were in a daze…as though they weren't themselves. And…that guy…he'd make them do all manner of horrible things." He covered his face with one hand. "And now…to relive that nightmare all over again…I don't know…am I gonna go crazy, like Malachi did…?"

Luke shook his head. Only on extremely rare occasions had he ever seen his brother so serious. "Hey…Davie…" he said softly, using the pet name he hadn't used since they were children. "It's gonna be all right, believe me. We'll win against these people…and we'll get back at that guy, too. And then the nightmare will be over."

David swallowed uneasily. "Man…I just…I don't want to lose it completely, you know?" he said sadly. "All those years of torture…all those nights, not being able to sleep in peace…we never did have normal lives, did we?"

"No…I guess not." Luke shook his head. "But you listen to me, man. We are not gonna let our past destroy us. Sure, we had it rough, but everybody has things rough at least once in a lifetime. All we can do is face up to what's happened, and then move on. We can't dwell on the past forever – it'll make us old and sick before our time." He looked intently at David. "You hear me, bro?"

David stared at the sky's horizon for a moment. Then he nodded. "Yeah. I hear ya."

"Good." Luke patted David on the back. "C'mon now, let's head back inside. It's starting to freeze my nuts off out here."

David chuckled. "Like you ever had any."

"HEY! I resent that!" Luke snapped. But deep inside, he was beaming with new happiness. _Good…his old stupid humor's back…I rather prefer you this way, when you're being a complete wiseass, David. Any other way and you're not the brother I nurtured…_

_----------_

CAIRO

Half a mile away from the Pharaoh's Lair, Drake lurked in the shadows, his Millennium Key shining with immense menace. "Good…good…so that's where you all are…" he whispered softly. "Come sunrise, the beginning of the end will be here for each and every last one of you."

----------

MARIK ISHTAR'S HOUSE, HALF AN HOUR LATER

Mr. Ishtar shifted and mumbled something incoherent as, very loudly, the telephone by the couch rang loudly. Sleepily, he reached over and picked up the receiver. "Hello…I'm sorry, but this isn't Pizza Hut, call back later," he announced drowsily.

"Marik. Wake your ass up now."

That one command, in such a familiar voice, did wake Mr. Ishtar somewhat. "Whaaa? Man, who is this? You know what time it is? It's almost 5:00 in the fricking morning!" he retorted, still sleepily.

The voice on the other end chuckled haughtily. "I'll give you three clues. One: CEO of Kaibacorp. Two: the guy your sister married. Three: your nephew's father."

"Huh…?" Slowly it came home to Mr. Ishtar. "Oh, Seto Kaiba…how's everything? It's been a while since you and I last spoke to each other, hasn't it?"

"True, true."

"Yeah, well…" Now fully awake, Mr. Ishtar sat up on the couch. "So tell me, Kaiba, to what do I owe the pleasure of this phone call – granted that it HAS come at some very ungodly hours?"

Now Kaiba's voice was grim on the other end of the line. "I just received some disturbing information from Yugi. About the leader of JUDAS."

"Ah – so Yugi's finally regained consciousness, has he?" exclaimed Mr. Ishtar cheerfully. "Well, I know Yugo's going to be happy to hear this!"

"But YOU aren't going to be happy when you hear what I'm about to tell you – I know for a fact I wasn't." Kaiba's voice was still grim. "Now listen very, very carefully."

----------

Seta groaned as he stirred awake from his sleep. "Oh, boy, now that is so good!" he mumbled as he stretched.

Sitting up, he looked around. As his vision came clearly into focus, he caught sight of Yugo, sitting in a cross-legged position, his hands cupped in front of him on his lap, his eyes closed. All around Yugo flashed his Duel Force energy. "Whoa…" Seta whispered as he observed this.

Presently Yugo opened his eyes. "Hey, Seta," he said quietly. "Just here getting used to my Duel Force. If I'm gonna learn how to control it properly, I should keep it constantly focused."

Seta nodded as he absorbed the truth of Yugo's words. "That's right…isn't it…"

"Gentlemen, at attention!"

On hearing Mr. Ishtar's voice, the two of them swiftly stood up. "Time to train some more, yes?" said Seta. "Well, we're ready!"

Mr. Ishtar approached them, a very grave look on his face. "Boys, it's time to resume the training…but now, from here on out, it's going to be stepped up to a more intense level," he informed them. "Due to my acquisition of some critical information just moments ago, your training _must_ be intensified, if you are to succeed in this ugly campaign against JUDAS."

"What sort of information is that, Mr. Ishtar?" wondered Yugo.

Mr. Ishtar narrowed his eyes. "That, I cannot tell you just now. I will reveal all in good time; just know, for now, that the sooner you master the principles of what I will show you next, the better off you will be when you face off against JUDAS. Now, listen keenly."

Yugo and Seta looked at each other, then at Mr. Ishtar. Satisfied that he had their attention, he cleared his throat and went on. "Now…I have told you about the abilities of four of the Millennium Items so far. Now, pass this fifth test, and you will hear about yet another of the Millennium Items."

"And the fifth test is…?" Seta asked.

Mr. Ishtar chuckled. "You will go up against the holograms in another duel, but with two twists: First, instead of 8000 life points, the holograms will be set to start off with double that amount."

Yugo and Seta stared in utmost astonishment. "You mean they'll start with 16,000 life points? That's highly unfair!" Yugo exclaimed.

"Most duels hardly ever are," said Mr. Ishtar. "That's one twist. The second is…you boys will start off with only 4000 life points!"

Seta shook his head in disbelief. "How wonderful," he muttered sarcastically.

"So, you two have to defeat your opponents, bring their life points to zero…before they defeat you!" Mr. Ishtar's tone then took on a serious note. "And, boys, one more thing…if either of you fails this test…then you will BOTH be required to start all the previous tests over again – from scratch!"

Yugo and Seta slowly turned to look at each other. "Oh, damn…" they muttered.

Mr. Ishtar walked over to the dueling platform. "And now, you two, step up and prepare for the fifth test!"

Reluctantly, Yugo and Seta stepped up to their respective places on the platform. At once they were greeted by their respective opponents, Gray Hologram and Black Hologram. "Welcome back, duelists," both of them chirped in their robotic voices.

"Uh…okay…so, could you give us our decks that we'll be using for this duel, Uncle Marik?" Seta requested.

"But of course!" Mr. Ishtar pulled out a deck wrapped in plastic and tossed it to Seta. Then, walking round to the other side of the dueling platform where Yugo was, he tossed the other boy a second deck. "Well, fellows, have fun!"

"Hooo boy," Yugo groaned as he unwrapped his deck and placed it on the dueling slot.

"BEGIN!" Mr. Ishtar commanded.

----------

CAIRO, MEANWHILE

While Yugo and Seta had been preparing for their fifth test in their training, a certain JUDAS leader was still stalking the city of Cairo…

Odachi, still clad in his biker outfit, was walking along the avenues, hardly paying any attention to the stray dogs in nearby alleyways fighting for scraps of leftover food; he barely noticed the cold morning air that hit him in the face; he paid no mind to the odd car or two that started to zip past him – for he was still walking right in the middle of the street…

_(There he is! Yeah, that's the punk, all right!)_

Odachi heard the angry yelling coming from somewhere behind him. Stopping, he turned his head slightly to see several menacing thugs swiftly surrounding him, all armed with chains, knives and broken bottles! _(So, you're the little turd that killed our friends! We're gonna pay you back for that a hundred times over!)_ one of them angrily shouted in Egyptian.

Odachi looked around him at the gathering thugs. **_(I don't know what you're talking about,)_** he replied coolly, in Egyptian.

_(Oh, don't you?)_ said another thug. _(Some of us saw that duel you did against those guys a while back! They were our friends! And you—you did SOMETHING to them! And now, because of you, they're all dead!)_

Now Odachi chuckled. **_(Oh, those four…they were your friends?)_** The smirk left his face. **_(Well, for the life of me…I myself don't even know why I bothered with them. Usually, the most I'd do is just steal their souls…hmmm…but those four…they were being a real nuisance, so I had to get rid of them. I couldn't even be bothered with stealing their souls – it would've been far more economical just to kill them.)_**

_(Don't bullshit me!)_ the thug who'd spoken first snapped. _(We're gonna string you up and carve you to ribbons!)_

**_(String me up and carve me to ribbons? You?)_** Odachi wagged a disputing finger. **_(No…it is YOU who will soon be strung up and carved to ribbons if you don't go away.)_**

_(Enough of this! Get him!)_ the gangsters all yelled. And in a body, the whole lot of them rushed Odachi, screaming numerous obscenities.

He closed his eyes. "Bunch of fools."

Suddenly, the Millennium Puzzle began to glow and tremble with violent intent. Then, from its frontal eye design, a massive blast of light shot out in a wide arc, a blast so forceful it knocked all the attackers right off their feet and back several hundred feet away from Odachi's person!

Momentarily the light subsided; Odachi looked around at the fallen gangsters. "To think, they actually believed they could bring me down. Amateurs." And he cupped the Millennium Puzzle in one hand as he stepped over some of the bodies and continued on his way.

----------

ELSEWHERE IN CAIRO

Judith sat on the edge of a rooftop, looking out at the sky as the rays of the distant sun slowly rose up. Then she tensed. "Lassiter."

Behind her, the blue-robed man smirked as his Millennium Rod flashed. "Judith…you know you're playing with your life, don't you?"

She did not turn to face him. "What do you want from me?"

"Hmmm…not much, really." Lassiter then became serious. "All I ask is that you remember why you joined our ranks in the first place. If you're really having a change of heart after so long, it kind of complicates things, don't you agree?"

Judith's eyes narrowed, but still she did not move. "I would rather forget about those times. You know that. You have heard me say it before."

"And yet, in spite of your constant trying to forget, you can't, can you?" Lassiter asked her gently. "Besides, Judith…it's the remembering that drives us…the constant dwelling on past wrongs done to us that gives us our strength. The wrongs done to you should be no different – for you, they should serve as fuel for the fire that burns deep within your soul."

"Lassiter…leave me alone." Judith said this slowly, ominously.

Lassiter shrugged. "Well…it's no business of mine. I don't care. BUT – I find it fit to warn you, Master Odachi will certainly not see it the same way. You'll be lucky if he lets you live at all, after what you've begun to do." And he turned and walked away.

Judith sighed and closed her eyes. "I don't care anymore," she whispered quietly. "These twelve years I've lived since that time…has just been torture…so I don't care if I live or die now. If I were to die…I'd welcome it with open arms."

As she spoke to herself, a small tear escaped her eye. "Just for the chance to be with them…"

----------

**_neomage:_** Hmmm…exactly what is it that drives Judith? And now, Yugo and Seta resume training! I don't know if the training session is becoming cumbersome to you fans out there, but not to worry – the next half of the boys' training isn't going to be nearly as long after the fifth test is done! So, stay tuned!


	126. Chapter 126

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Yu-Gi-Oh is the sole property of Takahashi.)

**CHAPTER 126**

MARIK ISHTAR'S HOUSE

As Yugo and Seta began their duels against the two holographic opponents, Mr. Ishtar stood to one side, his arms folded. _Half of the time is almost gone,_ he thought grimly to himself. _If they pass this test, then I'll have to teach them those secret techniques…and teach them how to become one in spirit with their respective dueling partners of their decks…and, too…_ His frown became even greater. _With what I've learned from Kaiba, it may be that I'll have to speed up the process somewhat…_

----------

DUEL 1: Yugo vs. Gray Hologram

Both Yugo and the Gray Hologram drew five cards; then the holographic coin was tossed. "Tails!" Yugo affirmed.

Then the coin landed – but it showed heads. "Ugh…all right, fine. You go first." Yugo shrugged in defeat at the coin toss result. Then he cast a look at the life points stats – true to Mr. Ishtar's declaration, Gray Hologram's were set at 16,000, while Yugo's were at 4000. _I have to win this one, or else…I can't afford to have to start all over from scratch! Not after coming so far!_

Gray Hologram drew its card. "To start off, I will set one monster in Defense Mode. And that will be all." And it set a monster card facedown.

Yugo drew his card – and only then did he look at the cards in his hand. As he did, he gasped in utter surprise. _Whoa – am I dreaming? These cards…they're the same cards as the ones in my regular deck! This is too good to be true! Well – here goes!_

"Okay! I'll set two cards facedown, and end my turn!"

Gray Hologram drew its next card. "I summon Doitsu (ATK 100, DEF 200) in Attack Mode!" And it summoned a yellow being riding on a paper airplane.

Yugo stared in utter disbelief. "Oh, come on – what is this, a joke?"

But then Gray Hologram announced, "Now, I'll flip over Soitsu (ATK 0, DEF 0) in Attack Mode!" And it flipped over its facedown monster card, revealing a green being, also riding on a paper airplane. "And next…I will activate Doitsu's Union effect, equipping him to Soitsu and increasing Soitsu's ATK by 2500 points!"

"WHAT!" Yugo exclaimed.

But Doitsu jumped off its airplane and onto Soitsu's…and both monsters immediately fused together into a strange mixture of green and yellow…and at the same time, Soitsu's ATK shot to 2500! "Now, attack directly!" Gray Hologram commanded.

Soitsu responded to its master's call by firing small putty bullets at Yugo – all of them hitting hard and reducing his life points to 1500! "Ungh!" he grunted as he got pushed back by the attack.

"And now, I shall end my turn," said Gray Hologram.

_Not good! Another attack like that, and I'm done!_ Yugo gritted his teeth. _But I can't lose now!_

He drew another card. "All right…I'll activate the trap card, Pitch-Black Power Stone!" And at once one of his facedown cards flipped face-up, revealing the Power Stone with its three Magic counters swiftly springing up.

Yugo then looked at the five cards in his hand. "And now…I'll activate the magic card Polymerization, to fuse together the Dark Magician (ATK 2500, DEF 2100) and Buster Blader (ATK 2600, DEF 2300) to form my mighty Dark Paladin (ATK 2900, DEF 2400)!"

As he sent the two monster cards in question to the Graveyard, a moment later the mighty Dark Paladin appeared, his massive weapon at the ready. Then Yugo announced, "Next, I'll activate the trap card, Miracle Restoring! This will allow me to remove two Magic counters from my side of the field to Special Summon either my Dark Magician or my Buster Blader from my Graveyard – and I choose to revive my Dark Magician in Attack Mode!"

Moments later the Dark Magician was revived, right next to the Dark Paladin, even as the Pitch-Black Power Stone lost two of its three Magic counters. Yugo then closely examined the two cards he had left. "Next…I'll activate Pot of Greed, and draw two more cards!"

A moment later he had three cards in his hand. "Now, I'll activate the magic card, Brain Control! By paying 800 life points, I can take control of one face-up monster on your side of the field till the end of this turn – and I've a mind to control your Soitsu!"

As Yugo's life points went down to 700, Soitsu's paper airplane flew over to his side of the field. "And now…I'll offer Soitsu as a tribute to summon my mighty red dragon – Kiryu (ATK 2000, DEF 1500)!"

As Soitsu disappeared, together with the Doitsu card in Gray Hologram's magic/trap slot, the red dragon appeared on the field, snarling angrily. At the same moment, Dark Paladin's ATK shot up to 3400! "Dark Paladin's ATK goes up by 500 for every dragon on the field and in either player's Graveyard," explained Yugo. "And finally, I'll activate the magic card Monster Reborn, to revive my Buster Blader from the Graveyard!"

Buster Blader emerged from the ground moments later, his armor shining and his sword ready for blood. "And now, my monsters…all of you, attack directly!" Yugo commanded.

Dark Paladin started the assault, slashing forward with his scimitar and reducing Gray Hologram's life points to 12,600. Then, Kiryu blasted a wave of flame at Gray Hologram, further reducing it to 10,600. Next, Buster Blader rushed forward with a wicked cross-slash that brought the holographic opponent further to 8000. Finally, one massive blast from the Dark Magician's staff reduced Gray Hologram to 5500.

"And now…I end my turn," said Yugo, breathing deeply.

Yugo was now at a very low 700 life points, with no cards in his hand; but on the field he had Dark Paladin, Dark Magician, Kiryu, and Buster Blader, together with the Pitch-Black Power Stone trap card and its one remaining Magic counter. Gray Hologram had 5500 life points, no cards on the field, and five cards in hand.

Unfazed, Gray Hologram drew its next card, so now it held six. "I shall set one card facedown…and then activate the Ritual Magic card, Doriado's Blessing! By offering monsters whose total levels equal 3 or more from my hand or my side of the field, I can Special Summon my great Elemental Mistress Doriado (ATK 1200, DEF 1400) to the field…and I'll sacrifice a monster from my hand in order to do this ritual!"

As Gray Hologram discarded a card to the Graveyard for the effect of Doriado's Blessing, all at once an extremely beautiful maiden appeared on the field, looking calmly at Yugo's army of monsters. "And that is all for now," said Gray Hologram, shuffling the two cards left in its hand.

_This thing's a little too cool-headed…something isn't right…_ Yugo drew his next card. _Hmmm…_ "I'll set this card facedown…"

"And now, I will activate my trap card, Fuh-Rin-Ka-Zan!" Gray Hologram announced suddenly. "I could only activate this trap card when I had at least one monster each of Earth, Water, Wind and Fire attributes face-up on the field – and Elemental Mistress Doriado's effect, even though she's a Light monster, allows me to also treat her as an Earth, Water, Wind and Fire attribute monster, which makes the activation of my trap card legal!"

"Uh-oh…" Yugo grunted.

"And now, to Fuh-Rin-Ka-Zan's effect!" continued Gray Hologram, even as the card in question began to glow blue, red, yellow and green all at the same time. "It allows me to resolve one of four effects: I can draw two cards, destroy all Magic and Trap cards on your side of the field, randomly discard two cards from your hand, or destroy all monsters on your side of the field – and I will use that last effect and destroy all of your monsters!"

Elemental Mistress Doriado clasped her hands and began to chant, even as Fuh-Rin-Ka-Zan began to glow bright red. Looking on in confusion, suddenly all of Yugo's monsters spontaneously combusted, sending showers of sparks flying all over!

"Damn…" Yugo flinched. "Okay, then. I'll end my turn."

Again Gray Hologram drew a card, so it held three. "I will now activate the Ritual magic card, Curse of the Masked Beast! By offering from my hand or side of the field a monster or monsters whose total level stars equal 8 or more, I can summon my fearsome creature, The Masked Beast (ATK 3200, DEF 1800)!"

As Gray Hologram discarded one card from its hand for the Ritual card's effect, all at once a horrid-looking monster with a metal mask over its face appeared, wielding what seemed to be a spear. "And now, Masked Beast, attack!" commanded Gray Hologram.

The Masked Beast charged up purple electricity in the tip of its spear, then fired it in one gigantic blast at Yugo. But suddenly the boy cried out, "Not a chance! I activate my trap card, Magic Cylinder, to reverse the attack right onto your own life points!"

A moment later the two trick cylinders emerged on Yugo's side of the field, the Masked Beast's attack disappearing into one and shooting out of the other at Gray Hologram! The holographic opponent took that attack right in the chest, reducing its life points all the way to 2300!

"Well done," Gray Hologram congratulated him. "I end my turn."

Yugo made ready to draw his next card, looking at his deck as he did so – and only then noticed his fingertips. To his amazement, they appeared to shine…with his own Duel Force energy!

_What in the…_ Yugo could hardly believe his eyes. _My Duel Force…it's manifesting itself somehow, in my drawing technique! Could it be…that it's somehow manipulating my cards, so that I always draw the one I need when I need it…?_

He frowned as he considered it some more. _Or…could it be…that with my Duel Force on…the power of the Heart of the Cards is amplified? Yeah, that MUST be it…how else would I have gotten so many good cards on my first draw? Well…Heart of the Cards…if this is really your doing…then give me a good card that I can use, I implore you!_

Then he drew – and as he did, his hand seemed to glow with mystic light. "All right!" he cried. "I'll set this monster in Defense Mode, and end my turn!"

Gray Hologram drew its next card. "Masked Beast, destroy that facedown monster!" it commanded. And the Masked Beast did just that – charging up energy in its spear again and firing it off, obliterating the facedown monster instantly!

But Yugo now smiled. "That…was my Magician of Faith (ATK 300, DEF 400)…and when flipped face-up, her effect allows me to take back one Magic card from my Graveyard into my hand – and I choose to take back Monster Reborn from the Graveyard!"

With that said, the Monster Reborn card popped out of the Graveyard slot, and Yugo took it back into his hand. Gray Hologram's expression still didn't change. "I end my turn."

The Duel Force on Yugo's fingers grew even larger as he drew yet again. Then he looked at the card he'd gotten, and his eyes widened in realization. "Now, this is what I call fate!" he announced. "I activate Monster Reborn, to revive Dark Magician to the field!"

Dark Magician reappeared a moment later. Yugo then held up the card he'd just drawn. "And now…I activate the magic of Thousand Knives! When Dark Magician is on the field and this card is activated, Thousand Knives will destroy one of my opponent's monsters! Go, Dark Magician – use your magic now!"

Dark Magician raised two fingers, then pointed them at Gray Hologram. Immediately, from out of nowhere a shower of knives flashed forward and skewered the Masked Beast to pieces!

"And now…it ends!" declared Yugo. "Dark Magic Attack!"

Dark Magician raised his staff and fired a massive blast at Gray Hologram, reducing its life points all the way to 0. "YES! That's it! I win!" Yugo cheered.

"Well done, Yugo Muto," said Gray Hologram. "You have passed the fifth test."

----------

DUEL 2: Seta vs. Black Hologram

In the same space of time that Yugo and the Gray Hologram had been dueling, Seta and the Black Hologram had been dueling, as well. "Heads or tails, Seta Kaiba?" asked Black Hologram, even as the holographic coin was flipped.

"Heads!" declared Seta.

Then the coin landed…but it was tails. "Damn it!" Seta muttered under his breath.

Both drew their first five cards; then Black Hologram drew its sixth. "To begin this duel," it said, "I will activate the magic of Polymerization, to fuse together the three Cyber Dragons (ATK 2100, DEF 1600 each) in my hand to form the ultimate beast – Cyber End Dragon (ATK 4000, DEF 2800)!"

Seta jerked up at that. "WHAT!"

Suddenly, as the silhouetted spirits of the three monsters were combined, there appeared a fearsome beast: three mechanical heads, one long, massive tail, and two gigantic wings that somehow resembled jet wings. "And…I end my turn," said Black Hologram.

Seta stared at the Cyber End Dragon in speechless awe. _Holy moly…what kind of creature is this…?_ Then he shook his head. _Never mind – I have to beat it, somehow!_

Then he looked at his cards…and then scrutinized them carefully. "Can it be…? Are these…my own cards…?" he whispered. "If they really are, then…"

He drew his card – and as he held it up, he was surprised to see his own Duel Force emanating from his fingers, just as surprised as Yugo had been when he made the discovery. _Is this…my Duel Force? Is it actually helping me? If so…then all the better!_

"Now, then! I summon Lord of Dragons (ATK 1200, DEF 1100)!" And Seta summoned the master dragon-controller, his cape billowing about him. "And then…"

He held up another card. "I activate the Flute of Summoning Dragon! This will allow me to Special Summon up to two Dragon-type monsters from my hand, while Lord of Dragons is on the field! And I will summon one of my most famous beasts – the Blue-Eyes White Dragon (ATK 3000, DEF 2500)!"

Seconds later the legendary dragon emerged beside the Lord of Dragons, howling in rage. Then Seta played another card. "Next, I activate the magic card, Burst Stream of Destruction! When I activate this card with a Blue-Eyes on my side of the field, all monsters on your side are destroyed, at a cost of me not being able to attack with any Blue-Eyes in the same turn!"

The Blue-Eyes White Dragon charged up energy in its mouth, then fired it off in one massive blast. It smashed through Cyber End Dragon's chest, tearing the mechanical dragon into pieces in the process!

"But that's not all!" Seta held up the two remaining cards in his hand. "Next, I'll activate the magic card Pot of Greed, to draw two more cards!" And this he did. Looking at what he'd drawn, he smirked even wider. "Hmph…"

Black Hologram just looked at him.

"And now…I'll activate the magic card Polymerization, to fuse the Blue-Eyes on the field and the two in my hand to summon my ultimate beast – Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon (ATK 4500, DEF 3800)!" Seta declared, playing the cards as he did so.

Moments later, the massive three-headed dragon appeared beside the Lord of Dragons, snarling at Black Hologram. Seta then eyed the life point counter; as in Yugo's duel with Gray Hologram, Black Hologram's were set at 16,000, while Seta's were set at 4000. "Eat this!" Seta bellowed. "Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, use your Neutron Blast!"

The Ultimate Dragon charged up colorful energy in its three mouths, firing it all off in a direct attack at Black Hologram, reducing it severely to 11,500. Then: "Do it, Lord of Dragons! Enchantment Claw!" And, as one of his gauntlets suddenly sported energy claws, Lord of Dragons dashed forward and slashed, further reducing the holographic opponent to 10,300.

"Well done," said Black Hologram. "But this is only the beginning!"

It promptly drew another card, so now it held three. "I summon Hayabusa Knight, in Attack Mode!" And it brought forth a bird-headed swordsman in shining armor. "But that is not all…"

Seta cocked a suspicious eyebrow.

"Next, I will activate Enemy Controller!" As Black Hologram played the card, a large game controller appeared on his side of the field. "And now, input the command, B-B-Right-Left-X-Down-Left-A! By offering one monster on my side of the field as a tribute, I can take control of one face-up monster on your side of the field till the end of this turn! And I choose…your Lord of Dragons!"

"ACK! NO!" Seta cried.

But, as he watched in horror, the Lord of Dragons was forcibly dragged to Black Hologram's side of the field. Then Black Hologram held up the last card left in its hand. "And now, I activate the magic card, Share the Pain! By offering one monster on my side of the field as a Tribute, I can force you to select one monster on your side of the field and offer it as a tribute!"

The Lord of Dragons disappeared from the field; cringing, Seta reluctantly selected the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, and watched as it disappeared from the field. "And now…I end my turn," said Black Hologram.

Fuming, Seta drew another card. Holding the card in his hand, he examined it for a long moment. "All right…I will summon Flash Assailant (ATK 2000, DEF 2000) in Attack Mode!" And he summoned his knife-wielding monster a moment later. "Attack directly!"

Flash Assailant rushed forward and stabbed Black Hologram in the chest, reducing its life points to 8300. But Black Hologram didn't flinch in pain; it just stood there. "Well done, Seta Kaiba," it remarked. "Now…it's my turn!"

It drew its next card. "Hmmm…I cannot use this now. I shall end my turn."

Having calmed down a little, Seta drew his next card – and Flash Assailant's ATK and DEF both decreased by 400. "I summon Gray Wing (ATK 1300, DEF 700) in Attack Mode!" And he summoned his gray dragon, screeching as it readied itself to attack. At the same time, Flash Assailant's ATK and DEF went back to their respective original 2000. "Now, my monsters, attack directly!"

Flash Assailant dashed forward again and stabbed Black Hologram once more, reducing it to 6300 life points. At the same time, Gray Wing flew forward and bit Black Hologram on the neck, reducing it further to 5000 life points "Had enough?" asked Seta.

Black Hologram merely drew its next card. "I activate the magic card, Autonomous Action Unit! By paying 1500 life points, I can Special Summon one monster from your Graveyard to my side of the field, and equip it with this card! And I choose…your Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!"

Seta flinched when he heard this. "Shit…"

But as Black Hologram's life points went down to 3500, moments later Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon appeared on the opponent's side, equipped with the Autonomous Action Unit card. "Now, Blue-Eyes…Neutron Blast! Destroy the Gray Wing!" commanded Black Hologram.

Whereupon the three-headed dragon blasted energy from its three mouths, incinerating Gray Wing and severely reducing Seta's life points to 800. "And I end my turn," said Black Hologram, even as smoke poured from Seta's side of the field.

_He's got me pinned down real bad…I HAVE to get a good card this turn, or else…I can say goodbye to all my chances!_ Seta looked imploringly at his deck. _C'mon, deck…help me out here, I beg you!_

He carefully drew his next card… and stared at it for a long moment. Then, as the Duel Force on his fingers became more evident, he started laughing. "ALL RIGHT! I activate the magic card Change of Heart, to take control of the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon till the end of this turn! But this will be the last turn for you! Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, return to my side of the field!"

The Ultimate Dragon then flew over to Seta. "And now, attack directly and end it!" cried Seta. "Neutron Blast!"

And the dragon did just that – charging up a massive blast of energy in its three mouths again, it fired it all off at Black Hologram, reducing the opponent's life points right down to 0. "Boo-ya! I win that one for sure!" Seta crowed.

Black Hologram nodded. "Well done, Seta Kaiba. You have passed the fifth test." And with that, it disintegrated.

"Yugo!" Seta called. "You did it too, didn't you?"

"Definitely!" Yugo's voice could be heard on the other side.

Seta hopped down from his dueling station and went over to where Yugo stood. Yugo had a big grin on his face. "Halfway done, half of the tests still to finish!" he affirmed.

The sound of steady clapping interrupted their celebration. Turning, they saw Mr. Ishtar approach them. "Well done, both of you," he smirked. "You proved yourselves worthy of pulling through in your duels, as handicapped as you both were. And, it seems you were able to utilize your Duel Force to its fullest potential, too. Again, well done."

Yugo and Seta nodded.

Mr. Ishtar smiled. "You have both proven yourselves very well, indeed," he nodded. "So, from here on out, the other tests will not consist of duels, per se. Instead…you will both learn some very – ahem – interesting techniques to help you in your battle against JUDAS."

The two boys looked a bit surprised. "Techniques?" they asked with one voice.

Mr. Ishtar's eyes shone with an enigmatic light…

----------

**_neomage:_** Techniques, Marik says…what sort of techniques is he talking about? Well, at long last, the first five of the ten tests are out of the way…but what is next in store? Continue reading to find out, boys and girls!


	127. Chapter 127

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Yu-Gi-Oh is owned only by Kazuki Takashi and nobody else.)

**CHAPTER 127**

MARIK ISHTAR'S HOUSE

Yugo and Seta looked surprised at Mr. Ishtar's proclamation. "Techniques?" they asked with one voice.

Mr. Ishtar's eyes flashed with a mysterious light. "Yes, fellows, techniques. Techniques that, if used at the right time and in the way, could very well make you both the most unstoppable duelists on the planet. These techniques, combined with your natural dueling ability and your Duel Force…will make you even more legendary duelists than your fathers were in their prime."

Yugo and Seta slowly turned to look at each other in wonder. "No…no kidding?" Seta whispered.

"Somehow, I don't think he is," Yugo replied.

Mr. Ishtar nodded knowingly. "Well, time for another history lesson. I have told you about four of the Millennium Items so far – the Necklace, Eye, Scale and Ring. Now, I will tell you about the fifth Millennium Item – the Millennium Key. Are you ready to hear?"

"Yes, sir!" both boys answered.

Mr. Ishtar nodded, then spoke again. "The Millennium Key was always a very enigmatic Item, to be sure. It was historically held by the priest Shada in ancient Egypt, then held in modern times by Shadi, the same man who bore the Millennium Scale. The Key gave its bearer the ability to unlock the memories of any person, as well as alter any person's personality as the user wished."

"Sounds like a dangerous thing to toy with," remarked Seta.

"Sure, it was," agreed Mr. Ishtar. "Well, that is all on Millennium Items for now. Now, let me give you two your prizes for passing this fifth step of the training." And he reached into a pocket and pulled out two cards, holding one out to each boy.

Seta took his card and examined it. "De-Fusion…hmmm…"

And Yugo was looking at his card, a bit puzzled. "Mystic Plasma Zone…this is a Field Magic card, and it seems it could work with my deck strategy somewhat. Thank you, Mr. Ishtar."

"Certainly," replied Mr. Ishtar. "But listen now, and listen well, both of you. What I am about to tell you is to be taken very, very seriously."

The two looked at Mr. Ishtar, puzzled.

"All the cards I have given to you up to this moment," continued Mr. Ishtar, "have been given to you for a reason. I want you to promise me something…that these cards, and the other cards that I will give you after the next five tests, will be used by you in your respective decks, especially when you go to duel against JUDAS. Promise me that."

There was a small tremor in Mr. Ishtar's voice; if Yugo and Seta noticed it, they showed no sign out of respect for him. "Of course, sir. We promise," said Yugo.

"Good. Now, take all the cards you've been given up to now as your rewards, and use them in reconfiguring your respective decks, which I have returned to you and which you have just finished using," said Mr. Ishtar. "It is now 5:45…you have half an hour to complete and perfect your decks. Begin, now."

With that, Mr. Ishtar turned his back on them and walked off. Nodding to each other, Yugo and Seta turned away from each other, squatted, and began to go through their decks, reconfiguring them with the new cards as best they could.

----------

PHARAOH'S LAIR, IN THE MEANTIME

Miriam stirred in her bed. "Uhhh…"

As her eyes opened, she gradually became aware of her brother sitting over her, by her side. "Hey, sis," Malachi said gently. "How d'you feel?"

Miriam looked at him. Slowly a pained expression came into her eyes. "Malachi…oh, Malachi…forgive me…" she whimpered.

"Hey, hey, hey…you don't have to apologize for anything. It wasn't your fault," Malachi reassured her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

She sat up, holding her head down. "Brother…I…I couldn't help myself…I couldn't control my own movements, or my own speech…it was as if I was watching somebody else try to hurt you and the others, while using my body…" She looked up at him, her eyes filled with tears. "Malachi…will the nightmare never end…?"

Malachi stared back into her eyes, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. Then, uncharacteristic for him, he pulled her into an embrace. "Never mind, Miriam," he whispered. "They won't ever hurt you, or us, ever again. I swear it."

Surprised by Malachi's unusual action, Miriam rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. "Big brother…" she whispered.

And in Malachi's eyes was a blazing flame of rage. _JUDAS_…_you conniving little shits…you've made my little sister cry…for that…I will KILL YOU ALL!_

----------

At that very moment Blaze was stirring. "Damn…my head…"

"Look, you guys, she's coming to," she heard someone's voice say. Then, as her vision slowly came into focus, she saw Jenna, Miki and Honey looking at her. Their faces, filled with concern, suddenly glowed with relief as she looked at them.

"Hey…how do you feel?" Honey asked gently.

"Like my head got flattened by a steamroller," Blaze admitted. "I feel so weird…"

Then suddenly she paused. "Oh…my…god…did it…really happen…?"

The other three girls looked at each other. "Blaze…what do you remember?" asked Jenna.

Blaze was now pale. "I…I tried to kill you…I tried to kill all of you…" She shook her head. "But…no…I couldn't have…I couldn't have!"

She felt gentle palms on her face; looking up, she saw Miki's kind eyes looking into her own. "Blaze…we know you wouldn't hurt us on purpose," said Miki. "It's all their fault…it's all the fault of JUDAS. But don't worry – we're gonna get them back for what they did to you. We're gonna do it together."

Blaze trembled. "You…you guys…" And then she closed her eyes and gritted her teeth. At once the other three girls surrounded her in a group hug.

"It's okay…it's all right…" said Jenna quietly.

"Let it out…it's all right now," said Honey.

And Blaze did let it out – quiet sobs and tears of penance – even as the other girls' hugs got tighter in understanding and forgiveness.

----------

Kyo yawned and stretched. "Man, I needed that nap," he muttered as he reached for his glasses, putting it back on.

"Glad to see you're finally awake," Shigeo's voice came through to him. Sitting up, Kyo saw the ninja boy standing near the window, Millennium Scale in hand. Nearby, Marcus was fondling the Millennium Eye in one hand.

"Morning," Kyo sighed, unconsciously feeling the Millennium Ring hanging from his neck. "Everybody else up already?"

"I guess so," said Marcus. "And those two brothers, David and Luke, went out a while ago. Said they were gonna do some early-morning jogging or something."

"But evidently they weren't about to take any chances," added Shigeo. "They both left with their Duel-Disks and decks. They're pretty prepared for trouble especially after…last night."

Kyo nodded gravely. "That definitely makes sense, for sure."

----------

CAIRO, IN THE MEANTIME

As the early-morning rays of the sun rose over Cairo, David and Luke jogged along the street at a fair pace. "Man, I can't tell when last I was able to do this," said David good-naturedly. "Jogging always makes me feel better after something bad happens…"

"Definitely," agreed Luke.

They jogged on in silence for a moment. Then David looked over at Luke. "Hey, bro…Do you suppose…if we were to meet up on _him…_would we be able to, y'know, beat him?"

Luke's face was now thoughtful. "To be honest, David, I don't know. But I'll tell you this much – if it came down to the point where we'd HAVE to duel against him, then I'd definitely fight, right down to my last breath."

"Then why don't you try backing that big talk up?"

Both brothers froze at the loud, and extremely familiar voice sounding behind them. "Ulp…Luke…please, for God's sake, I beg of you, tell me that was only my imagination," David whispered, his eyes as wide as saucers, so suddenly frightened was he.

"Oh, God…you heard it, too?" Luke whispered back, the fear equally evident on his face.

With one motion, they both slowly turned to face the speaker…and their paled faces turned even paler. "…you…!"

Standing a few feet away, a superior smirk on his face, was Abel Drake. His Millennium Key shone with menace as he smirked. "David and Luke Jericho," he greeted them. "So good to see you again, after all these years. My, how fast you've grown up!"

"Drake…" Luke spoke up. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"First, that's MASTER Drake to you, cretin," said Drake. "And second, I'm here to collect my due – namely, your souls. You had balls to turn against me when Malachi killed the Lightbearer members all those years ago…but now, it's time for me to take back what is rightfully mine – your lives!"

"If you plan on killin' us, you're gonna have to duel us to do it!" David shouted, pulling out his Duel-Disk and activating it. "C'mon, Luke! Let's show this screwball not to mess with the Jericho brothers!"

"Way ahead of you!" Luke answered, his Duel-Disk already active.

Suddenly a loud voice interrupted the moment, causing all three to look up in amazement. "Hold it, Drake – I want these two."

Drake was amazed at who it was. "Master Odachi!"

On a rooftop right above them stood Keisuke Odachi, once again wearing his familiar red robe and his Millennium Puzzle shining maliciously. He jumped down and landed neatly on his feet, in between the opposing sides. "Stand back, Drake. I will handle these two pests; in the meantime, I have another task for you to do."

To Luke and David's shock, Drake went down on one knee respectfully. "As you wish, Master. What would you have me do?"

"It's Judith," said Odachi. "I do not know what she has planned, but it is certain that she intends to betray us. Find her and stop her before she can accomplish that goal. As for me…" He chuckled. "I could use the exercise. So, I will deal with these two pests. Now, get going."

"Yes, Master." Drake nodded, then got up and dashed away in another direction.

Odachi looked intently at the Jericho brothers. "You two…do you honestly believe that you can defeat me? Well, then, you are sadly mistaken, for the leader of JUDAS cannot and will not be toppled!"

Luke's eyes narrowed. "Leader of JUDAS…so, you're him, huh? In that case, grinding your face into the pavement will be a pleasure."

Odachi's eyes narrowed in turn; the kanji tattoo over his eye seemed to glow. "You? Grind my face into the pavement? With your low level of skill?" He clicked his tongue in obvious annoyance. "Know your place, insect."

"You've got some nerve, insulting us like this!" David exploded. "You and your snotty pals in JUDAS have caused us nothing but grief since we've come here to Egypt! No, scratch that – ever since Drake formed the Lightbearer cult and drafted so many of us into it! And **_you_**…you're the root of all our sufferings! Now…we're gonna take our revenge!"

"Damn right!" Luke added his voice. "And after we're done with you, we're going to find that bastard Drake and cut his throat! Of course, first we're gonna slit yours!"

Odachi just stood there for a moment, eyes closed, seemingly unresponsive to the boys' threats. Then, quite suddenly, a small chuckle escaped his throat. That chuckle continued, growing louder each moment…until at last he was laughing uproariously. "HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA! Now, THAT has got to be the funniest joke I've heard in years! You two should become stand-up comedians or something!"

David and Luke stared at Odachi in complete and utter disbelief as he continued to laugh. "Is it my imagination, bro, or is this nut-job mocking us?" David demanded, his temper rising considerably.

"Either that, or he's trying to be serious and doing a poor job of it," Luke answered coolly.

Finally Odachi stopped laughing out loud, but continued to snicker softly. "Well, well, well…I haven't had a good laugh like that in a long time. I really needed that. I have to thank you two – your wit is so good! You actually believe you're bold enough to threaten _me_ with death – and sincerely believe it's going to happen!"

Then his grin disappeared and his eyes narrowed as his face contorted into a vicious scowl. "But do you want to know why it's NOT going to happen, you pathetic little clowns?"

He held up three fingers and counted them off as he continued to talk. "I'll give you three reasons. One: I have the power of a Millennium Item at my disposal," and here he pointed to his Millennium Puzzle. "And this particular one, the Millennium Puzzle, is the most powerful of them all. Since I've acquired it, I have not lost a duel even once; this challenge that you present to me will not even be worthy of being classified as a walk in the park, the way it's going to be so simple to beat you.

"Two: I have in my deck three of the most dangerous beasts anyone could ever witness in action. Even one of these summoned means immediate death for my opponent and anyone else who tries to stop me. They are capable of reducing even a mighty city such as this one to dust, never mind rubble…just as they did in Egypt 3000 years ago. Oh, I see the skepticism on your faces, but the power of these beasts is very much real and very much terrible, regardless.

"And finally, three: Even without the Millennium Puzzle or these three great beasts in my deck, I still have far more experience with the game of Duel Monsters than both of you put together could ever hope to acquire in a lifetime. I have been schooled in all kinds of Duel Monsters strategies – strengths, weaknesses, and how to defeat them. Even without my ultimate weapons, my deck is still mighty enough by itself to render you and your silly deck strategies, whatever they may be, useless.

"So, there you have it," Odachi finished. "With that said, you two brats only have two choices now. You can try to run away, or you can beg my forgiveness for your rudeness just now and swear allegiance to me. With one choice, you just _might_ have a chance of escaping with your lives; with the other choice, I may probably consider giving you places of honor in JUDAS. So…what will it be?"

Luke and David looked at each other and nodded. "How about our third choice, mate – we tell you to go screw yourself!" said David, showing Odachi his two middle fingers.

"Is that your final decision? You would rather fight me, even though it is hopeless?" Odachi shook his head in wonder. "All right, then. Allow me to show you two just how hopeless your situation really is!" And he whipped out his Duel-Disk, strapping it to his arm.

Luke readied his own Duel-Disk, and David did likewise with his. "C'mon, then, you asshole! Let's do this!" Luke cried.

"You're gonna regret ever meeting us!" David added.

Odachi smirked. _No, imbeciles…it is YOU who will be having regrets…though you won't live long enough to endure them…_

----------

OUTSIDE PHARAOH'S LAIR, AT THAT VERY MOMENT

Judith stood outside the Pharaoh's Lair Hotel, looking up. "Yes…the one I must fight…the one I have to see…is up there," she whispered to herself. She then patted her Duel-Disk, ready on her arm. "Let's just hope…that this person can stop me…"

----------

**_neomage:_** Just what sort of "techniques" will Yugo and Seta learn? Will Luke and David be able to pull through in this duel against Odachi? And who is it that Judith has her sights set on – and why? More to come, so keep reading!

And, of course, thanks go to all reviewers for being so faithful and sticking with this story, no matter what! I thank you all from the bottom of my heart, and as we go through 2006, may you all continue to enjoy reading this epic tale! (And may I be able to finish it completely before the year is over…**_(shudders)_**…)


	128. Chapter 128

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Yu-Gi-Oh not the property of neomage.)

**CHAPTER 128**

CAIRO

"So, how do you wish to do this?" queried Odachi. "Would you like me to take you down one at a time? Or would you rather that I fight both of you at the same time?"

"Cocky bitch, that's what you are," said Luke darkly. "All right, fine! We won't take any chances – we'll both take you on!"

"If that is so…then here's how it'll go," said Odachi. "How about you take turns to play cards during each of your turns? One of you, then me, then the other of you, then me again, and so on. And, since it's two on one, I'll start with 8000 life points, while you each start with 4000. Sound decent?"

"Whatever, man! Just get ready!" And David held up his Duel-Disk.

The holographic coin was tossed. "I call tails!" said Odachi.

But when the coin landed, it was heads. Odachi merely shrugged it off, however. "Doesn't matter to me," he remarked.

Luke and David looked at each other. "Who'll go first?" wondered David.

"Let me go ahead," said Luke. "I want to see just what he's going to do when I set up my strategy for him."

Then all three drew five cards each; Luke drew a sixth card. "I'll set one card facedown, and then I'll summon Destroyer Golem (ATK 1500, DEF 1000) in Attack Mode!" And he brought forth a massive creature with an arm made of bricks. "And then I'll end my turn!"

Odachi shrugged and drew his card. "I summon Alpha the Magnet Warrior (ATK 1400, DEF 1700) in Attack Mode!" And he brought forth a metallic being wielding a sword.

"Hold it!" Luke interrupted. "Now, I'll activate my trap card, Pitch-Black Power Stone!" Then, as his trap card was flipped face-up, it revealed the famous black stone with its three flaming Magic counters.

Clearly Odachi wasn't impressed. "Ahem. Then I'll set one card facedown, and end my turn."

Now David took his turn. "I summon Exarion Universe (ATK 1800, DEF 1900)!" He then summoned a centaur warrior with a shield on one arm, a spear in hand, and powerful armor on its upper body. "Destroy Alpha the Magnet Warrior!"

"Not so fast!" Odachi declared suddenly. "I activate my trap card – Magical Hats!"

All at once three semi-transparent black hats hovered over Odachi's side of the field. "Heh, heh…I could only activate this card during your Battle Phase," he remarked. "This nifty little card allows me to select two non-Monster cards from my deck and one monster on my side of the field; then, I shuffle my deck. After that, I shuffle the three selected cards and treat them all as Monster cards, setting them facedown in Defense Mode on the field. The two non-Monster cards I select are treated as having an ATK of 0 and a DEF of 0, and if they're not attacked, they're both destroyed at the end of this Battle Phase. And now…"

He took his deck and thumbed through it, selecting two cards and adding them momentarily to his hand. Then, replacing his deck into the Duel-Disk slot, he picked up the Alpha the Magnet Warrior card, and then shuffled all three cards, setting them facedown in the Monster Zone on the field. All of this took only a few seconds; when Odachi was done, the three hats covered the three cards. "Now…want to try your luck, boy?" he taunted David. "If you can find my Alpha the Magnet Warrior, he will be revealed to you."

"Don't mock me, you…!" David snorted angrily. "Go, Exarion Universe! Attack the middle hat!"

Exarion Universe dashed forward and slashed the hat in two, in the process flipping the card underneath face-up – but to both David's and Luke's shock, that card wasn't Alpha at all, but the magic card, Card Destruction! "Damn!" they swore together.

"Well? Want to try again?" Odachi needled them.

David looked at the Destroyer Golem. "Damn…if Alpha the Magnet Warrior's in Defense Mode now, his DEF is gonna be higher than this guy's ATK. I can't take that risk. I'll end my turn."

Odachi smirked, even as the remaining hats vanished and one of the facedown cards – revealed to be the trap card Mirror Force – was destroyed and sent to the Graveyard. "And now…it's my turn once again," he smirked.

The stats of the duel were shown as thus: Odachi had an intact 8000 life points, four cards in his hand, and his Alpha the Magnet Warrior in facedown Defense Mode on the field. David and Luke had a combined 8000 life points also; Luke had four cards in his hand, while David had five; and on their side of the field were Luke's Destroyer Golem and Pitch-Black Power Stone trap card with three Magic counters, and David's Exarion Universe.

Odachi promptly drew another card. "How very interesting…I'll set one card facedown, and summon Maha Vailo (ATK 1550, DEF 1400) to the field!" And he brought forth a mage in a blue robe.

Odachi then looked through the three cards left in his hand. "And now, I'll equip Maha Vailo with the Black Pendant magic card, to increase her ATK by 500 points!"

Moments later Maha Vailo sported a large pendant around her neck. But suddenly, as her ATK went up to 2050, suddenly it shot up further to 2550! "I forgot to mention – when Maha Vailo is equipped with an equip card, her ATK is increased by 500 points for every card equipped to her. Now, then…Maha Vailo, destroy Exarion Universe with Lightning Spell!"

Maha Vailo charged up electricity in her hands and fired it off, burning Exarion Universe to a crisp. At the same time, David grunted as he felt his share of life points go down to 3250. "Boy, does this ever suck," he grumbled.

"And now, I end my turn," said Odachi, smirking again. "What's the matter, boys? Aren't you going to fight back or something?"

Peeved, Luke took his turn once again. "I summon Armor Exe (ATK 2400, DEF 1400) in Attack Mode!" He brought forth a rock monster with a cape that seemed to somehow be made of stone and cement. "Unfortunately, I can't attack with Armor Exe the same turn it's summoned…but I'll make up for that in just a moment!"

He held up another card. "I activate the field magic of Wasteland! This card increases the ATK and DEF of all Dinosaur, Zombie and Rock-type monsters by 200 points!" And then, as he played the card, the scenery around them changed to resemble a dusty, empty wasteland. Armor Exe's ATK and DEF quickly shot to 2600 and 1600, while Destroyer Golem's stats shot up to 1700 ATK and 1200 DEF!

"Finally, I'll set one card facedown, and end my turn," finished Luke, setting a card facedown so he had two cards left in his hand.

Odachi shrugged and drew another card – and suddenly one of the counters on Luke's Pitch-Black Power Stone disappeared. "Uh…during each of my own and my opponent's Standby Phases, as long as Armor Exe is to exist on the field, I must remove one Magic counter from my side of the field," explained Luke. "If I can't, Armor Exe is destroyed."

"Like I really care," said Odachi. "Now, Maha Vailo, attack Destroyer Golem!"

"Not so fast!" snapped Luke. "I activate my trap card, Negate Attack! This will stop your monster's advance and bring this battle to an end!"

As Negate Attack was activated, Maha Vailo disappeared into a vortex – and reappeared on Odachi's side of the field, somewhat confused. "So? That doesn't impress me at all. I've seen better," said Odachi. "Fine, then. I end my turn."

Luke looked at David. "Hope you've got some good cards, bro. We have to bring him down now."

"As a matter of fact, I do," said David. "But I'm gonna need your monsters to pull it off."

Luke nodded. "Do what you're gonna do."

David drew his card – and a second Magic counter disappeared from the Pitch-Black Power Stone for Armor Exe's effect. "All right…I'll tribute both Armor Exe and Destroyer Golem to summon my mighty beast – Mystical Knight of Jackal (ATK 2700, DEF 1200)!"

As the two stone beasts disappeared, in their place appeared a massive jackal-headed monster with a dagger-like weapon. "And, since he's a Beast-Warrior-type monster," continued David, "I'll equip him with this Equip magic card, Mystical Moon, to increase his ATK and DEF by 300!"

As David played the card, a large full moon appeared in the sky above the field, shining down on Mystical Knight of Jackal. The monster's stats swiftly shot up to 3000 ATK and 1500 DEF! "Now, attack!" David commanded. "Destroy his facedown monster!"

But as Mystical Knight of Jackal dashed forward, intent on ripping Odachi's facedown Alpha the Magnet Warrior to shreds – suddenly Odachi cried, "Hold it right there! I activate my facedown Quick-play magic card, Magical Dimension!"

Odachi's facedown card flipped upward, at that moment, and a large coffin-like chamber appeared behind his monsters. "This card could only be activated if I had a face-up Spellcaster on my side of the field, namely my Maha Vailo," he explained. "By tributing one monster on my side of the field, I can Special Summon one Spellcaster-type monster from my hand. And I choose to tribute my facedown Alpha the Magnet Warrior to summon my faithful servant…_Dark Magician_ (ATK 2500, DEF 2100)_!"_

Luke and David had shock on their faces when they heard that. "IMPOSSIBLE!" they exclaimed with one voice.

But as Odachi's facedown monster disappeared into the coffin…that coffin spun once…and then reopened, revealing the Dark Magician! Only, this monster seemed different from the one the brothers had seen Yugo play in the Intercontinentals, in that his robes were dark red instead of purple, his hair was white, and on his face was a wicked sneer. "Luke…what in the world is goin' on here? Isn't that Yugo's monster?" David demanded.

"No…it's not the same…" Luke replied. "Just look at it…it's too different…"

"And yet, it _is_ a Dark Magician – having been granted more power, that is!" said Odachi scornfully. "And, lest I forget, I should resolve Magical Dimension's last effect – after I Special Summon my Spellcaster with this card, I can then use Magical Dimension's power to destroy one monster on the field…and I choose your worthless Mystical Knight of Jackal!"

"NO!" David cried. "Not him!"

But the red Dark Magician raised his staff and, powered by the now-fading Magical Dimension, fired a massive crimson blast that tore through the Mystical Knight of Jackal's chest, utterly destroying him! "Crap…we're defenseless now…" David whispered. "Sorry, bro…I sacrificed your monsters for nothing…"

"Never mind, bro…let's just hope we can ride this out," said Luke.

Now the score stood at Odachi with a still-intact 8000 life points, Luke with 4000 and David with 3250. Odachi had two cards in his hand; Luke held two cards and David had four. On the field Odachi had Maha Vailo equipped with the Black Pendant, and his oddly-dressed Dark Magician; on their side, Luke and David had only Luke's Wasteland field magic card and the Pitch-Black Power Stone trap card with only one Magic counter on it.

Now Odachi took his turn once again, drawing his card. All at once, his Millennium Puzzle began to shine. "Hee, hee, hee…if this isn't a treat, I don't know what is!" he announced. "I now activate Pot of Greed, to draw two cards!"

Luke and David watched with growing uneasiness as Odachi drew two cards from his deck, so now he had four in his hand. "I have a bad feeling," Luke whispered.

Then Odachi chuckled. "Now, then…next, I'll activate Monster Reborn, to revive my Alpha the Magnet Warrior to the field!" And a moment later Alpha the Magnet Warrior returned to stand beside the Dark Magician and Maha Vailo.

"And now…" Odachi ominously held up the three cards left in his hand. "I will send three cards to the Graveyard – Alpha the Magnet Warrior on the field, and Beta the Magnet Warrior (ATK 1700, DEF 1600) and Gamma the Magnet Warrior (ATK 1500, DEF 1800) from my hand – in order to Special Summon a mighty monster of great power…come forth, Valkyrion the Magna Warrior (ATK 3500, DEF 3850)!"

As Odachi swiftly discarded two cards from his hand, and as Alpha the Magnet Warrior disappeared from the field yet again, suddenly the spirits of three robotic monsters emerged together on Odachi's side. Beta, a yellow monster with magnets over its body, and Gamma, a pinkish monster of said design, merged as one with Alpha…to form something truly monstrous: a monster with a giant sword, large metallic wings, and a hulking physique!

"Damn it…we can't possibly beat something like THAT…" David gulped. "Not like this…"

"Now, it's time for me to dish out some punishment to you pipsqueaks!" Odachi bellowed. "Dark Magician, Maha Vailo – crush the enemy now!"

The evil Dark Magician raised his palm – and fired an invisible ball of energy into David's stomach, knocking him off his feet and reducing his life points severely to 750. Then Maha Vailo charged up energy in her energy and fired it at Luke, frying him and causing him to scream out in pain as his life points went down to 1450 – now the two had a combined total of 2200!

"Argh…" Luke grimaced in pain as he sagged to his knees. "This…this is impossible…"

"What…can we do…?" David asked weakly.

Before them, Odachi stood there, arms folded, looking very unimpressed. "Well…we all know I could have finished both of you with Valkyrion the Magna Warrior – but you want to know why I didn't?" he asked. "It's because I wish to give you one last chance to make a comeback, at the very least. At least then you can't say you never got an opportunity to protect your pride."

David looked over at Luke, who was just starting to get back up. "Bro…please…beat him…"

"Somehow, David; somehow," Luke answered as he drew his card.

Then Luke's eyes widened with sudden hope as he observed his card. "Now…this is a MIRACLE!" he shouted. "Okay, you monster – time for payback! But first, let me check my Graveyard…"

He touched the button on his Duel-Disk, and a moment later his Graveyard information popped up. "Ok-aaaay…now I'm certain of what I can do with this!" he declared. "First things first! I'll remove an Earth monster in my Graveyard from play to Special Summon the Rock Spirit (ATK 1700, DEF 1000) in Defense Mode!"

As Luke's Destroyer Golem was removed from play, moments later an iron-clad rock knight appeared, crouching in Defense Mode even as Wasteland increased its ATK and DEF to 1900 and 1200 respectively. Then Luke held up another card. "Now…I'll offer the Rock Spirit as a tribute to summon Granmarg the Rock Monarch (ATK 2400, DEF 1000) in Attack Mode!"

Then the Rock Spirit disappeared, and in its place stood the mighty stone golem, its broad fists ready to smash the opposition as Wasteland furthered its ATK and DEF to 2600 and 1200. "When Granmarg is Tribute Summoned, I can destroy one facedown card on the field – but unfortunately, there aren't any cards like that here," acknowledged Luke. "But still, I have this card! Now that I have two Rock-types in my Graveyard – Armor Exe and the Rock Spirit – I'll remove them both from play to Special Summon my mighty Megarock Dragon – in Defense Mode!"

Just then a massive rock dragon emerged beside Granmarg, with an ATK and DEF of 1400 each, even as Armor Exe and the Rock Spirit were removed from play. "Megarock Dragon's ATK and DEF are increased by the number of Rock-type monsters I removed from play to summon him, times 700 points," revealed Luke. "It's too bad I didn't have any more Rock monsters to remove from play – but this'll do! Now, Granmarg, smash that Dark Magician!"

Granmarg raised its arms and then slammed its fists into the ground. The result was a mighty shockwave that cruised to Odachi's side of the field, slicing the Dark Magician in two and reducing Odachi's life points to 7900. "Have that!"

Odachi glared at him. "This is no cause for celebration, kid," he stated flatly. "And I'm about to prove it!"

Then he took his turn and drew a card. "I activate the magic card, Card of Safe Return! As long as this card stays on the field, every time monsters are Special Summoned to the field from my Graveyard, I get to draw one card from my deck! And I'm about to do some summoning of my own now…by offering Valkyrion the Magna Warrior as a tribute to Special Summon my three Magnet Warriors from my Graveyard!"

Suddenly, to David and Luke's surprise, Valkyrion disappeared from Odachi's side of the field – and in its place stood the three Magnet Warriors, Alpha, Beta and Gamma. Then, for Card of Safe Return's effect, Odachi drew one card from his deck. "And now," he continued, "I shall activate Premature Burial, paying 800 life points to bring back my slain Dark Magician from the Graveyard!"

As Odachi's life points went down to 7100, his Dark Magician soon reappeared on the field, equipped with the Premature Burial card…and Odachi drew one more card from his deck. Then – Odachi paused. He looked at the card in his hand. Then he chuckled…then started to laugh.

David looked at Luke. "I got a bad feeling, bro…"

"Now…witness the beginning of your demise!" roared Odachi. "For now I sacrifice Alpha the Magnet Warrior, Beta the Magnet Warrior and Gamma the Magnet Warrior to summon one of my three legendary beasts – OBELISK THE TORMENTOR (ATK 4000, DEF 4000)!"

Suddenly, as the three Magnet Warriors vanished from the field, a massive hole suddenly burst open in between the Dark Magician and Maha Vailo. From it emerged something fearful: a gigantic blue behemoth with glowing red eyes! "Oh…what the hell is that thing?" Luke cried in utter shock.

"This is one of the three mighty God monsters, Obelisk the Tormentor," said Odachi. "And now, let me show you his effect! By offering two monsters on my side of the field as tributes, when Obelisk attacks he'll destroy every monster on your side of the field – and inflict 4000 points of damage to your life points in the process!" Then he looked up. "See here, Obelisk, my two sacrifices for you – take them and vanquish your foes with Fist of Fury!"

Suddenly, Maha Vailo and Dark Magician both disappeared and their essences soared into Obelisk – and with Maha Vailo gone, the Black Pendant's effect hit David, reducing his life points further to 250. "Oh, no! We're not gonna survive this, Luke!" David screamed.

Then Obelisk raised his mighty fist, charged with white energy…and smashed it into the ground. Three gigantic shockwaves suddenly rushed toward the boys, tearing up the ground in the process, and wiped out Granmarg the Rock Monarch and Megarock Dragon at the same time! David and Luke screamed out in untold agony as the shockwaves hit both of them, sending them flying several feet back!

"Pfft…pathetic. I win." Odachi shook his head and walked up to the two boys. "You couldn't stand up to me, even when I held back at the very last minute. But you did have spunk, I'll grant you that. For this…consider it an honor that you'll be added to my collection of souls to revive the Great One completely."

And with that, his Millennium Puzzle suddenly began to glow…

----------

PHARAOH'S LAIR

"Hmmm…6:00…and the lounge won't be open for another hour…" Honey grumbled to herself. "Damn it…I really wanna get some breakfast. I'm practically starving here!"

She looked at her watch again and sighed. "This is the price I pay for waking up too early, I suppose…"

She was standing in front of the grilled gate separating the guests' apartments from the downstairs lounge. Now she shrugged and walked away, heading back upstairs to her room. "Hope Blaze has gotten over what happened by now," she mused. "I really don't want to have to endure her crying again. It just doesn't suit her."

Presently she approached the top of that flight of stairs – and stopped cold. Straight ahead in the corridor, only seven or so meters away, stood a woman in a yellow robe, wearing a golden necklace. "What…you're one of them…!" she gasped.

The woman looked at her; her eyes were devoid of emotion. "Yes, girl…I am Judith Skye, and I am indeed one of JUDAS's members…" she said softly. "And you…you're just the person I was hoping I'd see…"

----------

**_neomage:_** Another chapter is done! Odachi has unleashed Obelisk the Tormentor, and now has two more souls! And Judith confronts Honey! What happens next? Stay tuned, everybody!


	129. Chapter 129

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: THIS IS NOT MINE!)

**CHAPTER 129**

PHARAOH'S LAIR

Honey felt the initial surprise melting toward anger as she stared at the woman standing before her. "You…you have some nerve…to show your face before me after what you people have done!" she spat out. "Pitting my friends against me…stealing my brother's soul…dammit, how many people have to suffer before you guys are satisfied?"

Judith just looked at her; her expression was completely emotionless. "For you to show such anger, in order to seek justice…not many people have that luxury anymore," she remarked. "And indeed, Honey Pegasus, you have been grievously wronged – you and your brother; yes, you have been."

Honey glared at her. "Oh, look; a JUDAS freak comprehends me," she said scornfully.

"Say what you will; believe what you will." Judith touched her Millennium Necklace with her fingertips. "But know this. No matter how much suffering you may have gone through in your life, there will always be others whose suffering is far greater."

She lowered her eyes. "Yes…I have seen much suffering…much pain…I have experienced so much anguish…with this necklace…this Millennium Necklace that allows me to see the past and the future…" Her voice dropped to a whisper. "I cannot, therefore, expect forgiveness from any of JUDAS's victims, or the families of those victims, for what I have done and helped my comrades do. All I deserve…is punishment."

Perhaps it was the empty, glassy look in her eyes, or perhaps it was the way she structured her sentences, or perhaps it was the way her voice suddenly sounded strained…but whatever it was about Judith, it slowly erased Honey's vindictive look. "Okay…now this is a real brain-teaser," she remarked, scratching the back of her head. "I haven't bumped into any JUDAS member who actually _wanted_ to be beaten."

"Believe me…were it my own decision, I would rather not fight you. For I have no personal quarrel with you." Judith nodded decisively. "However, the Millennium Necklace has shown me that…in order to be free of this curse that has followed me for the last twelve years…I must be defeated in a duel. And I must be defeated by someone with a close tie to the Millennium Items, yet who is not currently in possession of one." She looked up. "Like you."

"What? Me?" Honey shook her head. "Lady, are you nutty or something? What would I do with something like that?"

"You would certainly be able to put it to better use than I ever could," Judith told her. "Ever since I came into JUDAS, all I've used the Necklace's power for is the destruction of many lives, both guilty and innocent…all in the name of revenge…revenge that, at best, was utterly pointless. Now…all I want is to be free of this pointless life and way of living…but the only way I can do that is if someone can defeat me in a duel. And…to date, not one person has been able to do so."

She looked imploringly at Honey. "Please, I beg of you! Fight me in a duel now – free me from these shackles that have bound me for so long!"

Honey's eyes narrowed again. "How do I know this isn't a trick?"

Judith returned the gaze steadily, even as her Millennium Necklace flashed again. "Let me show you…let us look at events in the recent past together, and perhaps then you will be convinced that my motives are sincere." And she held out a hand.

Honey faltered, still suspicious; then, slowly, she walked forward and gripped Judith's hand in her own. At once the Millennium Necklace's glow became even brighter than before!

The next thing Honey knew, the two were together on a street – at night? "But – it's morning now! How'd it get so dark all of a sudden?" Honey asked, very bewildered.

"This is a moment in the past, my dear," Judith reminded her. "In fact, this event you are about to witness took place last night. We cannot change the events of the past, so the people you are about to see will neither see us nor hear us."

Then, as Honey watched in amazement, from a nearby restaurant stepped two figures – one in a maroon trench-coat, the other in a biker outfit with a hairstyle that, eerily, reminded her of Yugo. "Who…are those people?"

"The one in the maroon coat is Jan Shimizu – or should I say, Jan Bakura, Kyo Bakura's older brother, and one of JUDAS's strongest soldiers," explained Judith. "The other one is JUDAS's leader, Keisuke Odachi. Now, watch what happens next."

Moments later Honey was watching in shock as Odachi summoned the Winged Dragon of Ra, wiping out Jan – and then stealing his soul afterward. "But…it doesn't make any sense…what in the world WAS that monster just now? And why would that guy steal his own subordinate's soul like that?"

"Because, dear…I convinced Jan to betray JUDAS," Judith revealed. "It's a rule – once you join JUDAS, you are in for life. To seek to leave is to invite severe punishment upon oneself. Therefore, my former comrades are now seeking me out to take my life and to take back the Millennium Necklace from me."

The scene before them shifted; they were now in a very dark place, where Honey could see another version of Judith talking to Jan. "This is from before that duel you just saw," Judith spoke beside her. "I advised Jan – pleaded with him, in fact – to leave JUDAS before something terrible happened. But, as you just saw, it didn't work out for him after all…"

Presently the scene shifted again, so the two were back in the hotel corridor. Honey gulped. "My god…such pictures as I've just seen…" she whispered.

"It seems you are convinced," said Judith quietly. "Now will you duel me – and defeat me?"

Honey held her head down so her hair overshadowed her eyes. "If I do this…will you return my brother's soul and the souls of our friends?" she whispered.

"I myself cannot do that," said Judith. "However, the Millennium Necklace will show you the way by which you can accomplish that goal. All you need to do is beat me, and then I will give the Necklace to you." She pulled up her sleeve, revealing her Duel-Disk and cards. "I will be waiting for you on the rooftop of this hotel. Fetch your necessary tools, and then come and face me." And with that, she turned and walked away.

Honey watched as Judith left her on her own. "That woman…" Then she shook her head and hurried to her room to fetch her equipment.

----------

A few minutes later Honey was pushing open the door leading to the rooftop, and she stepped outside. As she did this, she beheld the sun still rising, and shivered a little at the cool morning air. And, not far away, Judith stood there with her Duel-Disk at the ready.

"You came," said Judith, with nary an expression on her face. "Very well. Now we can begin this duel."

The Millennium Necklace glowed slightly; a faint gray mist surrounded the two. "What…is this…?" Honey asked, instantly wary.

"This, my girl, is the Shadow Realm," said Judith. "I am still a member of JUDAS until I can get rid of the Millennium Necklace, so I have to instigate a Shadow Duel with every person I face."

"Hmph…I guess I should've expected something like this," Honey muttered.

"My preference for Shadow Games allows players a choice of losing one or another of something," said Judith. "What do I mean? I mean that, at the close of the duel, the loser is offered a choice of what he – or she – wants to give up. Those choices vary…from one's memory…to one's life. And the choice is always a difficult one to make – six of one and half a dozen of the other, so to speak."

"So…if I lose, I have to choose between two things I treasure, and give up one?" Honey asked incredulously.

"That is correct." Judith nodded.

Honey looked at the ground for a long moment, contemplating her decision. "Very well. I accept your terms, on one condition. To make this duel a fair one…you must not use that Millennium Necklace's power to do anything else." She looked at Judith, square in the eye, as she said this.

"All right." Judith nodded assent. "I do not need the Necklace's future-reading power to defeat you, anyway. I am skilled enough as it is."

The two women drew their cards; then the holographic coin appeared on the field. "Heads!" Judith cried.

The coin was tossed…and came down as tails. "Humph. So I lost that one. Big deal." Judith seemed rather stiff as she said this. "Go ahead."

Both drew their first five cards; then Honey drew a sixth. "I'll set one monster facedown in Defense Mode, and end my turn for now," she announced.

Judith took her turn and drew her card. "My dear…I'm afraid that things are about to become very, very bad for you!" she declared icily. "For now I summon Harpie Lady (ATK 1300, DEF 1400) to the field!"

In a moment she'd brought forth a winged creature in the form of a beautiful woman with sharp talons and wings on her arms. "But that's not all," Judith went on, "for next I will activate the magic card, Elegant Egotist! When I have one or more Harpie Lady cards on the field, this card allows me to summon from my hand or deck another Harpie Lady, or…the Harpie Lady Sisters (ATK 1950, DEF 2100)!"

Honey's eyes widened at this. "Oh, dear…"

"Now, come to the field from my deck, Harpie Lady Sisters, in Attack Mode!" cried Judith shrilly as she activated the Elegant Egotist card. Then – and Honey watched in amazement as it occurred – three figures of colored light shone from the Harpie Lady on the field, and those three figures materialized into three new Harpie Ladies standing together!

"Next," said Judith, fiddling with the four cards left in her hand, "I'll activate a second Elegant Egotist card, to Special Summon another Harpie Lady Sisters card from my deck!" And again three figures of light shone from the original Harpie Lady, morphing into three more Harpies.

"Harpies, Harpies everywhere…" Honey shook her head as she watched the bird creatures multiplying on her opponent's side of the field.

"Moving on, I'll activate the magic card Malevolent Nuzzler, and equip it to Harpie Lady to increase her ATK by 700 points!" Judith played the card, and a moment later a green spirit hovered over Harpie Lady even as her ATK shot up to 2000!

"And finally, I'll activate the magic card, Triangle Ecstasy Spark!" announced Judith, playing one of the two cards remaining in her hand. "Until the end of this turn, the ATK of all Harpie Lady Sister cards on my field becomes 2700, and if you had any trap cards on your side of the field they couldn't be activated, or they'd be negated if face-up!"

Honey went white – she only had one face-down monster on her side of the field! "Damn it…!" she hissed as she watched the two sets of Harpie Lady Sisters' ATK points become 2700 respectively!

"Go, Harpie Lady – attack that facedown monster!" Judith commanded. Harpie Lady responded by flying to where the facedown monster lay, slashing at it with her talons – and revealing it to be the Dark Rabbit (ATK 1100, DEF 1500), which disintegrated into pieces from the attack.

"And now, my two sets of Harpie Lady Sisters, attack directly!" commanded Judith. One set of triplets responded by flying forward at Mach 3 speed, slashing at Honey and causing her to scream out in pain as her life points went down to 5300. Then the other set of triplets flew forward and slashed at Honey in turn, tearing at her flesh and lowering her life points even further to 2600!

"Only my first turn, and already I've brought your life points down well beyond half," observed Judith. "Your start was a poor one, child."

Holding her bleeding wounds, Honey looked up defiantly. "I'm not out of this yet – I still have life points!" she declared. "And now, time for me to strike back in my own way!"

"Fine. Show me what you can do. I end my turn," said Judith – and the ATK for the two sets of Harpie Lady Sisters went back down to their respective original 1950.

Gingerly, because of the sting of her injuries, Honey drew her card. "I activate the magic card, Toon Table of Contents! This allows me to search my deck for any card with the word 'Toon' in its name and add it to my hand!" Then she searched her deck for a card, found one, and added it to her hand.

"Toons..." Judith whispered softly.

"All right…now I activate the magic card, Spell Economics!" went on Honey, playing her card on the Duel-Disk. "As long as this card stays on the field, I don't have to pay any life points to activate a Magic card's effect! And that'll work well with this other Magic card – Toon World!"

Before Honey, the familiar book opened up to reveal the toon castle. "Normally, I'd have to pay 1000 life points to activate Toon World, but because of my Spell Economics card I don't have to," Honey explained. "I can't afford to, anyway – not with my life points where they are at present. Nevertheless…now you're about to see the real power of my deck!"

She held up the four remaining cards in her hand. "Now, since Toon World is on the field, I can Special Summon my loyal Toon Mermaid (ATK 1400, DEF 1500)!" And as she played her card, a moment later a massive clam appeared on the field, housing her female archer within.

Honey then held up the three cards left in her hand. "Next, I'll Special Summon another Toon Mermaid to the field!" And this she did, so she had two clams on the field with archers hiding inside them. Then: "Now, I'll _Normal_ summon my Toon Goblin Attack Force (ATK 2300, DEF 0)!" And she brought out a cute-and-cuddly band of goblin soldiers, ready to march forward.

Judith looked apprehensively at the toons. "Hmmm…"

"But you're fortunate for now," said Honey. "My Toon monsters cannot attack the same turn they're summoned. So, I'll set one card facedown, and end my turn."

The duel's stats looked like this: Judith had a full 8000 life points, while Honey had only 2600. Judith had one card in her hand; Honey's hand was empty. On the field Judith had Harpie Lady equipped with the Malevolent Nuzzler magic card, and two Harpie Lady Sisters cards, all in Attack Mode; Honey had her two Toon Mermaids and the Toon Goblin Attack Force, all receiving power from her Toon World card, plus she also had Spell Economics active, and she had one other card facedown.

Judith stared at Honey's monsters for what seemed a long moment. "Toons…" For the first time, a small smile seemed to grace her lips. "It's been so long…since I saw any of those…"

Honey looked up, startled. "What?"

Judith's face appeared reflective. "Yeah…it's been so long…too long…since I saw anyone use Toon monsters as a dueling strategy…" Now her hair overshadowed one eye. "The last ones I saw with that kind of strategy…were my children…"

Honey's brow furrowed. "What…are you saying?"

Judith swallowed audibly, and with difficulty. "Do you recall what I told you…just moments ago? That some have experienced pain and difficulty more intensely than others?" Here she looked up. "Well…you may not believe me because I work for JUDAS…yet…I do understand suffering and pain better than most people my age should."

All at once something stabbed at Honey's heart – and memory of her own loss of her parents flashed through her mind. Almost not realizing it, she clasped her hands over her heart. "Your children…did something happen…?" she asked softly.

Judith nodded. "Plenty happened. Plenty." Her Millennium Necklace flashed again. "If you want proof…I will show you."

----------

On a distant rooftop, Abel Drake was watching the duel with great interest. "Hmmm…it seems that Judith has lapsed into her past memories again," he chuckled. "That could prove worrisome…"

He shifted a little. "Wouldn't you agree, Lassiter?"

Behind him, Lassiter stood with the Millennium Rod in his hand. "That was always Judith's weakness – she always had too much of a damn conscience."

"Well, not to worry…we'll soon take her out," said Drake. "Right now, however, I want to see how this duel will end. Will Judith triumph, or will the other girl surprise us?"

"Here's what I know will happen," said Lassiter ominously, as he twisted the bottom part of the Rod's handle. "Regardless of which of them wins, both of them will die." And presently the handle separated into two parts – revealing a wicked-looking dagger, previously hidden within the handle!

"Ahhh…" Drake's eyes shone when he saw the dagger. "It's been far too long since I last saw you use _that._ That the Rod will taste blood once again…oohhh…it sends shivers up my spine just thinking how you'll use it."

"Putting it simply, Drake, Judith is going to pay for her betrayal," said Lassiter without humor. "And that girl will die as well – Judith may have shown her too much with the Millennium Necklace."

"Yes, quite so," said Drake. "In the meantime, though, let's just watch."

"All right. Now all I need is some popcorn and potato chips…" muttered Lassiter as he sat down beside Drake to watch the rest of the duel.

----------

**_neomage:_** Well, so far schoolwork's kept me quite busy…but here ya go folks, another chapter! Well, we've gotten a bit of insight into Judith's past – and for all you folks that were secretly yearning for a Harpie Lady themed deck, here you go! Well, next chapter the duel continues, so don't you go anywhere!


	130. Chapter 130

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Once more, I don't Yu-Gi-Oh. But if I did, believe me when I say I'd never _butcher_ it! MWA HA HA HA!)

**(WARNING! A potentially dark and above T-rated scenario to be presented in this chapter!)**

**CHAPTER 130**

THE SHADOW REALM

Jillian's Millennium Necklace flashed with a bright light as Honey looked on, wondering what the other woman was going to show her. "What are you doing?" she asked, quite warily.

Judith did not answer, but the Millennium Necklace continued to glow. Then, suddenly, the two were in an empty black space…overlooking a small yard where a family was in the process of doing up a barbecue.

"Welcome…to the story of my life before JUDAS," said Judith. "See that family down there? That family was mine."

Honey stared down in surprise. "Your family?"

"That's right. Those children…were my beloved son and daughter, and that gentleman was my husband," said Judith. "We were just an average, middle-income family living in a quiet suburban area, and we didn't have a lot of material things, but…we were happy together, and that was all that mattered. We weren't the perfect family, mind you, for we had our squabbles and our troubling times, but for the most part it was all good. Until…"

She slowly clasped her hands over her chest. "One night…my husband and I went out together, and the children were left with the babysitter…but…an hour before we were to return, some _creep_ got into the house…and he…" Suddenly overcome, she turned away, unable to look down at the scene any longer.

Raising an eyebrow, Honey looked down – and what she saw caused her eyes to fly open in shock. In the vision, she saw the babysitter answering a knock at the door – and getting violently shoved aside as a bulky person dashed in, grabbed the two startled kids, and flew back out the door like the wind! "Oh my God…how terrible…"

Judith slowly crumpled to her knees, covering her face as she began to sob; but the Millennium Necklace continued to glow wildly, and the vision continued. Honey saw Judith's past self and her husband coming home to find the babysitter unconscious on the floor and the children missing. "What…happened…? Were the kids…ever found…?" She swallowed hard, hoping not to hear an answer she wouldn't like.

Judith swallowed, too. "Y-yes…they found them…in shallow graves."

Honey's eyes widened further as she absorbed this information, but Judith wasn't done. "That monster…treated them as playthings…did such terrible things to them…they were only KIDS!" she cried. "Why couldn't they see that? Why?"

"Huh?" Honey looked up. "They who?"

At once the vision changed to show the inside of a courtroom. "They…eventually found the bastard…" Judith spoke softly, even as Honey watched the court proceedings. "But everything that happened next…because my kids had been buried for so long before they were found, they couldn't find any evidence to say that he'd – molested – them in any way. All of this, _even though the babysitter positively identified him._ So what did they do? They let him walk – on a **TECHNICALITY!"** She practically spat out the last word.

Honey then watched as the scene changed to show the outside of the courtroom, where the criminal was walking away a free man, even smiling for the cameras like a celebrity. "Wasn't he ever retried?"

"No." Now Judith's voice was hard, cold and intensely bitter. "As it turned out, the guy did have a rap sheet – but it was just for petty burglaries and the like, nothing more serious. And why didn't they take the babysitter's testimony? Just because she'd been pushed aside so hard she hit her head, so the defense attorney convinced the court that maybe she'd gotten mixed up or something – that the description she'd given to the police could've matched anybody. And what did that criminal get as punishment? Nothing – not even a few hours of community service! He got off, scot-free!"

The scene changed yet again; this time Honey saw Judith on her hands and knees, crying, as her husband walked away from her. "That time…had such a terrible impact on me…and eventually, on my marriage and my life," said Judith. "I was a mother who'd been wronged – I KNEW I had been wronged…but nobody else seemed to buy it. Even my husband…because I talked so much about getting the case retried and suing the district attorney's office for gross negligence…he finally got tired of it all and left me. Even my parents were telling me to let bygones be bygones – that the law had done all it could. Even my friends began to stay away from me, because I couldn't stay away from what had happened."

In the vision, Honey saw groups of people slowly drifting away from a grieving Judith. "Oh…so you were left all alone in the world…" she whispered, and her lip trembled as she spoke.

"I…I wrote so many letters to the Governor's office, begging them to retry the case…but they didn't even do so much as open those letters," Judith went on. "In fact, the Governor himself eventually wrote me a letter saying that if I didn't stop, I'd be locked up for harassment and creating public mischief. Lock up ME? ME, a woman whose children had been so brutally violated and butchered?"

Judith held her head down as she slowly stood to her feet. "Then…late one night…I sat in my living room…and I just got fed up. The law had failed me…the people I thought had loved me had instead turned their backs on me…my babies were gone, and I'd never be able to hold them close to me again…I couldn't go on living…" She was sobbing again. "So I went to the kitchen…took up the first butcher knife I could find…and then went back to the living room, figuring I should at least write a note to everyone to apologize…for doing what I had to do…"

"Kill yourself?" Honey interrupted.

"What else could I have done? I was powerless – powerless to avenge my children – to get justice for them! I didn't deserve to live…" Judith's hair overshadowed her eyes as she spoke. "So…I went to the living room, intent on writing that suicide note…and that's when I saw **_him…"_**

"Who?" asked Honey.

Judith smiled a little. "Master Odachi, that's who." She looked back up. "Of course, I wondered how he'd gotten in – but before I could ask, he spoke to me…he told me that I could have the power to avenge my children's molester and murderer, and to take revenge on everyone who'd betrayed my trust. In exchange for that power, however, I had to cut all ties to my past life, including links with family and friends." She laughed bitterly. "Of course, THEY had already turned their backs on me, so that condition wasn't hard to meet.

"Then Master Odachi gave me the Millennium Necklace…showed me how to use it…told me what it was capable of…and so, I used its power for the very first time…to show me where that monster lived…and I marched over there…and I gave him his just punishment…the way only a mother whose children have been snatched, violated and killed can deliver punishment to the man responsible."

Honey shuddered, and felt sick as she watched the next part of the vision – the criminal screaming in pain and terror as Judith's past self stabbed at him repeatedly, relentlessly. She heard the man begging for mercy; then Judith's past self roared, "How many times did **_they_** beg you for mercy before you slaughtered them, you little piece of…!"

Judith's present-day voice caught Honey's attention. "And all my so-called 'friends'…before I left that place, I left them a few little things that would ensure they knew the same suffering as I…including taking loved ones from them…and every time, Master Odachi was there…watching…and laughing…"

"Eye for an eye…" Honey winced, remembering Raven's own frequent ranting about getting revenge on the Kaiba family. "Then what caused the change of heart?"

Judith chuckled now. "It was a dream I had late one night, not long ago…I saw my children, being whisked away to heaven, but I was being left behind…and when I cried for them to wait for me, they looked at me in terror – and my son even said he didn't know me! His own mother!"

She closed her eyes. "When I awoke…I realized…that what I had done, even for justice, was still wrong – everything I've done up to this point has been nothing but wrong. Ever since, I've been carrying around a burden of guilt so heavy, it makes even my robe feel like a hundred tons. So…that is why I wish to be defeated in this duel…so that I may be free of this guilt at last…and at the same time receive my just punishment for my sins."

The vision finally disappeared, and all that was there was the fog once again. Honey sighed. "Even your being defeated in this duel won't be enough to pay for what you've done, you know."

"I know." Judith nodded. "But at the very least, it's a step." She looked imploringly at the younger girl. "Give me the defeat I want!"

"As you wish." Honey readied her Duel-Disk once again.

The stats of the duel had not changed since their pause. Judith had 8000 life points, while Honey's stood at 2600. Judith had one card in her hand; Honey had none. On the field Judith had Harpie Lady equipped with the Malevolent Nuzzler magic card, and two Harpie Lady Sisters cards, all in Attack Mode; Honey had her two Toon Mermaids and the Toon Goblin Attack Force, all powered by her Toon World card, plus she also had the Spell Economics magic card active, and she had one other card facedown. And now, it was Judith's turn once again.

Judith drew a card, and chuckled a little. "All right. Now I'll activate the field magic of Rising Air Current!"

Suddenly a massive gust of wind blew about the field, causing Honey to involuntarily shield herself with her arms; but the monsters on Judith's side didn't seem much bothered by it. "This card increases the ATK of all Wind monsters on my side of the field by 500, in exchange for decreasing their DEF by 400," Judith explained. And, as if to prove her point, Harpie Lady's ATK went up further to 2500, even as her DEF went down to 1000; and the two Harpie Lady Sisters cards' ATK each went up to 2450 as their DEF went down to 1600!

"Damn it…now you've got so much power on your side of the field…!" Honey grunted.

"Yes…but things are about to get even worse for you now!" Judith held up the very last card in her hand. "And I'll show you why! I sacrifice both of my Harpie Lady Sister cards to summon my ultimate Harpie's Pet Dragon (ATK 2000, DEF 2500)!"

As the two groups of Harpie Lady Sisters disappeared from the field, suddenly a massive red dragon with a tiara on its head and a chain around its neck emerged. The Rising Air Current card quickly lowered the dragon's DEF to 2100, but its ATK shot up to 2500 in compensation. "Oh, dear…this is trouble," Honey muttered.

"It's about to get worse! For Harpie's Pet Dragon increases its ATK by 300 points for every single Harpie Lady on my side of the field!" Judith informed her – and as if to emphasize the point, suddenly the ATK of Harpie's Pet Dragon went up further to 2800! "And now…I hope your monsters are prepared for death! Harpie's Pet Dragon, attack one of the Toon Mermaids!"

Harpie Lady raised her hand; the Pet Dragon raised its head in return and fired a blast of fire at one of the now-cringing Toon Mermaids. But Honey shouted, "Not on your life! I activate my trap card, Mirror Force, to return the attack on your monsters and destroy them!"

As her facedown card finally flipped face-up, a powerful shield appeared and blocked against the fireball in time. The flame was, in turn, fired back upon Harpie Lady and her dragon, destroying both of them simultaneously!

Judith applauded. "Well done. You managed to defend against my attack…only, what will you do in this next turn?"

_Hmmm…she's right…_ Honey cast a worried look at her deck. _I haven't got a single card in my hand right now…I need to draw a good card if I'm to have any chance of winning, especially with my life points as low as they are! So…here goes!_

She drew her card. Then she looked at it. "YES!" she cried. "I activate Pot of Greed to draw two more cards!" And this she did. Then she looked at the cards in her hand, and her smile got a little wider. "Okay, lady, this duel ends now!"

"Really?" said Judith. "My life points may be wide open for a direct attack, but you haven't enough monsters to do the job justice, do you?"

"In a moment I will!" said Honey. "First, I'll summon Toon Cannon Soldier (ATK 1400, DEF 1300) in Attack Mode!" And she summoned a purple cartoon robot with two gun turrets on its shoulders.

"Next, I'll activate the magic card Premature Burial, paying 800 life points to bring back my Dark Rabbit from the Graveyard!" Honey played her second card form her hand, and as her life points went down to 1800 the Premature Burial card powered the Dark Rabbit, who popped up from the ground as if nothing had happened. "Now, my Toon Cannon Soldier can't attack in the same turn he's summoned – but all my other monsters can! Do it now, my creatures!"

The two Toon Mermaids fired their arrows, one after another, hitting Judith and reducing her life points to 5200 – but then Honey's life points went down to 800! "I have to pay 500 life points each time one of my Toon monsters attacks," explained Honey. "I still have enough! Toon Goblin Attack Force, strike now!"

As Honey's life points went further to 300, the Toon Goblin Attack Force dashed forward, clobbering Judith with their clubs and reducing her life points further to 2900. Finally, Dark Rabbit bounded forward and slapped Judith silly, bringing her life points to 1800. "Got ya!" Honey cried.

Judith slowly got up, rubbing her bruised cheek. As she did, the Millennium Necklace began to shine, and her features changed somewhat – now her hair seemed to resemble eagle's feathers, and her fingernails grew longer till they resembled talons! "Nice," she acknowledged, "but now what will you do? I do still have life points left!"

"Not for long, you don't." Honey said this with great assurance. "I'll show you what I mean. I end my Battle Phase."

As she said this, all the members of the Toon Goblin Attack Force went into a crouching position. "My Toon Goblin Attack Force is shifted to Defense Mode at the end of the Battle Phase if it attacks during this turn," explained Honey. "And now…even though my Toon Cannon Soldier couldn't attack, nevertheless he is still useful – for his effect allows me to tribute one monster on my side of the field to inflict 500 points of damage to my opponent! And, I have a total of four other monsters I can tribute for this!"

Judith's eyes widened. Then she chuckled. "I see. Truly, I underestimated your skill. You play a good game." She lowered her eyes. "Do what you will."

"You wanted to be defeated…so that's what you'll get!" Honey turned to her Toon Cannon Soldier. "Now, my toon – let's do this! I offer up Toon Goblin Attack Force!"

As the comical soldier group disappeared, they turned into mist that settled into the Toon Cannon Soldier's turrets. It then fired a blast at Judith, hitting her in the shoulder and reducing her life points to 1300. Then: "Now I offer Dark Rabbit!" And Dark Rabbit, along with the Premature Burial card, got turned into misty ammunition for the Toon Cannon Soldier, who fired another shot that hit Judith in the leg and reduced her to 800. Then: "Next, I'll offer my first Toon Mermaid!" And as that monster disappeared, again Judith got shot, this time in the side, bringing her to 300. And then: "Finally, my other Toon Mermaid!" And again Judith got shot in the arm, and this time her life points went down to 0.

Judith sagged to one knee, holding her injured arm. "Yes…I am defeated…for the first time…and it somehow feels so good." She looked up at Honey. "Now, according to the rules of the Shadow Game, you have to give me a choice of two things I want to give up."

Honey nodded solemnly. "Then, in that case…which do you want to give up? Your guilt…or your sadness?"

Judith looked at Honey for a long moment. Then she sighed. "I choose…my sadness." She smirked. "Guilt cannot be given up just like that. Even if I never did feel any guilt, the sins that I committed would still be there. So, yes…I give up my sorrow."

Immediately the fog cleared away and the two of them could see their surroundings again – they were out of the Shadow Realm. And…for the first time, a real smile of relief was on Judith's face. "Kid…thank you," she whispered.

Suddenly, to both their amazement, the Millennium Necklace began to shine again. "What is this…? I didn't activate the Necklace's power!" exclaimed Judith, very surprised.

Honey, bemused, watched as the Millennium Necklace's light shone. Then, gradually, the light diminished, and on Judith's face was a look of comprehension. "I see…I understand," she whispered.

Then she looked up at Honey. "It seems, my dear, that the Necklace understands it's about to change owners…so it has given me one final vision. One that, I believe, I shall leave with you to decipher."

Honey was puzzled. "What could that be?"

Judith smirked. "Listen, and listen well. This vision is actually more of a prophecy…you may not understand what it means now, but when the time comes, you will. Will you lend me your ears?"

Honey nodded. She leaned forward as Judith spoke:

**_"From the ashes of death, the strongest will be revived…and from the shielding cocoon, the mightiest will be reborn…and these will clash in a blaze of power and light…and only one shall remain."_**

Judith nodded. "That is the prophecy. Never forget it. And now…" She reached behind her neck, unclasping the Millennium Necklace. "Take this. I no longer need it. Just be careful how you use it – if you try to foretell the future too many times, there's a good chance your predictions will be wrong, for the future can be bent and shaped according to our actions. But that prophecy I have just given you – it will happen, without a doubt. Look out for it."

"I'm sorry, but no prophecy will be fulfilled here – because you're both going to die!" a voice shouted. Turning, both women were stunned to see Jude Lassiter and Abel Drake not very far away, the dagger from Lassiter's Millennium Rod shining with a menacing light!

----------

**_neomage:_** MWAH! Here's a cliffie for all of you! Just what is going to happen next? And…just what is the meaning of that prophecy that Judith has given to Honey? Keep reading to find out!

And now, poll time! Of all the JUDAS members that I have shown (both lower-ranking and higher-ranking) up to now, which three do you like best – and which one do you hate most? Send in your replies, folks, and keep reading!


	131. Chapter 131

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Kazuki-san owns Yu-Gi-Oh, not me or anybody else!)

**CHAPTER 131**

PHARAOH'S LAIR

Judith's eyes narrowed as she recognized the two standing not far away. "Drake…Lassiter…how long have you been here?" she demanded.

"Long enough," Lassiter said menacingly, taking a step forward. "Since you lost to this little girl, you intend to give her your Millennium Necklace. Well, sorry, but that's not gonna happen. We're taking the Necklace back and returning it to Master Odachi. And both of you will die – her for her interference, you for your betrayal."

Honey snarled as she recognized Drake. "You…you took Jillian's soul! I'll never forgive you!"

"It was simply business, my dear girl," Drake replied in an amused voice. "She and I dueled; she lost; I took her soul. It's as simple as that, when you're a member of JUDAS."

"Enough of this crap! The child dies first!" Lassiter snapped, rushing forward with his Millennium Rod's dagger in hand.

"NO!" Judith cried, jumping in front of Honey – and just at that moment the blade sank into her stomach!

Honey gaped in shock. "No…! How could you – !"

Judith's face showed her agony at that moment; she coughed and spat out a mouthful of blood. "Girl…listen to me…don't forget that prophecy…and…don't let these dogs fulfill their ambitions," she wheezed. "And…don't ever fall into the same path I ended up walking. If you do…you will definitely never enter heaven." And as she spoke, she passed the Millennium Necklace, still in her hand, behind her to Honey.

Honey took the Necklace, tears forming in her eyes. "You…"

Violently, Lassiter pulled the dagger out and knocked Judith to one side. Instantly Honey jumped back, immediately putting on the Necklace. "BASTARD!" she exploded.

"Hmph." Lassiter callously flashed the blood off the dagger's blade. "Well, that takes care of one problem. Now…" His eyes narrowed with hate. "It's time to get rid of this meddlesome troublemaker – and then her friends are next!"

"Not so fast, baldy!" a voice exploded behind Honey. "You're gonna have to go through us first!"

Honey turned to look – and her face was full of relief. "You guys…!"

Coming up to her were Kyo, Marcus and Shigeo, their respective Millennium Items glowing fiercely. Behind them, at the entrance to the rooftop, stood Jenna, Blaze, Miki, Malachi and Miriam. "We realized you were missing, and then we heard the commotion up here," said Kyo. "And it looks as if we made it just in time, too."

Malachi then saw Drake – and the look on his face turned to pure venom. _"Drake…"_

Drake appeared startled for a minute upon seeing Malachi. Then he relaxed and smiled. "Why, hello there, my boy," he greeted him. "It's been so long since we last spoke, hasn't it? My, my, my, how much you and your little sister have grown!"

Miriam involuntarily shrunk away; she reached behind her to feel her burn-scar on her back. "You wicked abomination, you…" she hissed.

"Save the reunion for later – we're taking these chumps down now!" snapped Lassiter.

"Oh, but I beg to differ," said Kyo, walking up to stand beside Honey. "By my count there are nine of us here, and only two of you. And three of us have Millennium Items at our disposal…" He then noticed the Millennium Necklace around Honey's neck. "Uh, make that four of us. Face it – you're outnumbered."

"I hate to state the obvious, but the boy does have a point, Lassiter," said Drake. "Even at full strength, we can't possibly take all of them on right now."

"Grrr…" Lassiter clutched the Millennium Rod tightly in his hand. Then he gave in. "Fine. Let's go. And you troublemakers…this isn't over yet! Not by a long shot! Count on that!"

Then Lassiter and Drake turned and jumped off to another rooftop close by, and sped off. "Should we go after them?" wondered Marcus.

"Nah, forget about them," said Kyo warmly. "Right now, we should be checking out Honey's status…Honey?"

Not far away, to their surprise, Honey was kneeling beside Judith's body. "Hey…it's over…they're gone…" she whispered softly.

Judith had been bleeding quite badly from where Lassiter had stabbed her, and blood was leaking from her lips. Now her eyes slowly opened, and she looked up at Honey. "Hey…" she whispered weakly. "I have to say…you really are a great duelist…if…if we had met under other circumstances…do you think…maybe…we could've been friends?"

Honey nodded sincerely. "Yeah," she answered. "Don't try to talk now. Save your strength."

But now Judith was looking up, past Honey, up at the sky. "My…my kids…I can see them…" Her eyes lit up hopefully and she feebly raised an arm. "They…they're calling out to me…oh, my babies…I'm coming…Mommy's coming…"

They her arm went limp and fell back to the ground, and her head lolled to one side.

Honey's breath now came in short, sharp gasps. Quietly, she reached out and covered Judith's vacant eyes with her palm, closing them. "Goodbye," she whispered. "May you find the peace over on the other side that you had lost in this life."

Then, completely breaking down, she hunched over and started to sob. All the others just stood there, looking at her, not knowing what to say. "Honey…" Miki whispered sadly.

Malachi scoffed and turned to leave. "Well, whatever. Don't expect me to shed any tears for that asshole Drake when the time comes to fight him." And he walked off.

"This is not turning out very well, is it?" Miriam whispered.

"Not at all," Jenna answered, all the while shooting Honey a sympathetic look.

----------

MARIK ISHTAR'S HOUSE, IN THE MEANTIME

It was now 6:15, and Yugo and Seta were still working on their decks. "Almost finished, Seta?" Yugo asked.

"Pretty much so, actually!" Seta declared triumphantly. "I'm really starting to think that these new cards will work real well with my deck strategy – and with the other cards we're gonna get by the end of this training session!"

Yugo chuckled as he held up his own finished deck. "Now, all that remains is for Mr. Ishtar to show up again and teach us these new techniques he was talking about earlier."

"Ah, ever so eager, aren't we?" a familiar voice asked. Turning, the boys saw Mr. Ishtar walking toward them. "Well, now it's time for the sixth part of the training – stand up, both of you!"

The boys stood up and watched as Mr. Ishtar approached them. His expression was now grave. "Give me a moment."

Then Mr. Ishtar turned and walked toward the dueling platform. One after the other, he went onto the rising platforms where the holographic opponents would have been; he then inserted a small disk in some hidden compartment on each side. Satisfied, he came back down and rejoined the boys.

"What did you do?" queried Seta.

"I inserted disks for the holographic systems," explained Mr. Ishtar, "into the dueling platform's onboard computer. Those disks contain holographic simulations of the techniques I wish to teach you; and I expect that you two will soon grasp those techniques once you have been shown how they work. Now, Seta, Yugo, go up and ready yourselves to face your holographic opponents once again!"

Yugo and Seta looked at each other and nodded. Together they went onto their respective places on the platform, even as Mr. Ishtar stood back and watched with arms crossed.

----------

CAIRO, AT THAT VERY MOMENT

"I'm going to keep asking you till it makes sense to me – why in the hell did we have to retreat just now? We could've taken them!" Lassiter stormed at Drake.

The two were hiding in an alleyway, trying to catch their breath after having run far from the Pharaoh's Lair for the past couple of minutes. Drake growled in exasperation. "Let me tell you once again, you thick-headed fool. It was only the two of us, against nine of them – and four of them now possess Millennium Items after having defeated our colleagues. Even with our combined power, I highly doubt we'd have been able to take on every single one of them at once."

"You're just a coward, is all you are," Lassiter muttered darkly.

Drake's eyes flashed. "I will have you know, Jude Lassiter," he growled, his voice dripping with venom, "that were you not a fellow member of JUDAS, and a high-ranking one at that, I would use my Millennium Key's power to tear you limb from limb just for that statement. Nobody – NOBODY – calls Abel Drake a coward for any reason! Got it?"

"Whatever." Lassiter didn't flinch at Drake's threat.

"I'm sorry – am I interrupting a bonding session or something?" a voice asked. Turning, the two men saw Keisuke Odachi standing at the alley's entrance, holding two bodies, one in each hand!

"Master Odachi!" and immediately they knelt down on one knee.

"Stand up." Odachi casually tossed the two bodies he was holding to the ground. "We have work to do."

Drake looked at the two bodies and chuckled – they were the bodies of Luke and David Jericho! "I assume you enjoyed your workout, Master?" he quipped.

Odachi scoffed. "Workout? Whatever, Drake." His eyes narrowed. "I have assignments for both of you, and they must be done very soon."

"And they are, Master?" queried Lassiter.

Odachi was still not smiling. "Lassiter…I want you to head back in the direction you were just coming from."

"And steal those kids' souls? Perfect…" Lassiter grinned maliciously, and his Millennium Rod flashed.

"No."

Lassiter jerked at that. "What?"

Odachi fixed him with a stern glance. "You will not be stealing any souls, Lassiter. Instead, you will give those kids – preferably the ones who now possess Millennium Items – directions to _that place."_

Both Drake and Lassiter looked at Odachi in surprise. "Master…you mean…?" asked Drake.

"Yes. I mean _that place."_ Odachi nodded. "In addition to the required number of souls, all of the Items must be brought together in _that place_ in order to reawaken the Great One. And, at the same time…" He smirked. "It will be a perfect opportunity to steal a few extra souls right in the very place where they will be needed, to further power up the Great One."

"Ah…now I see what you are saying, Master." Again Lassiter grinned. "Very well. Consider it done." And he turned and rushed off.

"Master…begging your pardon, but was it wise to let Lassiter go off by himself? Especially considering he'll be outnumbered," Drake commented.

"Never mind about him – he didn't get this far without learning a few tricks to sustain himself," said Odachi. "As for you, Drake…this is what I want you to do."

"Yes, Master?" Drake asked expectantly.

Odachi's eyes flashed with a dangerous light. "I want you to go and capture a particularly powerful soul – a soul belonging to an old friend of Yugi Muto's."

Drake grinned. "Who, Master? Tell me, and I will go at once."

Odachi's face was full of loathing as he spoke the name. "Marik Ishtar."

Drake nodded assent. "At once, Master." And he rushed past Odachi, leaving.

Odachi watched as his subordinate left. Then he sighed. "Yugi…one by one…your friends and family will fall…and you will continue to suffer…"

----------

Lassiter kept to the back-streets as he headed back for the Pharaoh's Lair. "If that is what Master wishes, I will do it," he smirked. "But it never hurts to have a bit of a backup plan to go with it…"

He then looked to one side. "Isn't that right, my little puppet? You've been a good puppet since I kept you hidden, haven't you?"

Then, from one of the alley's darkest shadows emerged a figure with a glowing eye in the middle of her forehead – Grandma Muto!

----------

MARIK ISHTAR'S HOUSE

"Welcome back, Yugo Muto," Gray Hologram spoke up as it materialized into being. "Master Marik Ishtar has just installed a program that will allow me to teach you dueling techniques consistent with your own deck strategy. Are you ready?"

"Yes!" Yugo said eagerly. "Let's do it, then!"

Gray Hologram nodded. "Then watch this."

The hologram picked up a deck and shuffled through it a moment. Then it selected eight cards at rapid speed and, setting all the rest aside, set seven of the chosen eight in the deck slot, and the remaining one in the Fusion deck slot. Then it drew five cards. "Observe, Yugo Muto," it instructed. "This first technique is called the Dark Counter Combo. It requires the use of eight cards in two turns, and those cards must be used in a specific way. Watch."

It drew one more card from its rather small deck, so it now held six. "This is the first turn. For the first part of the technique, I shall set two trap cards, Miracle Restoring and Pitch-Black Power Stone."

A moment later the images of two facedown cards emerged in the magic/trap slot. "Hmmm…" Yugo watched carefully.

"Now, I take my second turn!" Gray Hologram drew another card, so now it held five. "For the second part of the technique," it spoke up, "I will activate the magic card Polymerization, to fuse the Dark Magician (ATK 2500, DEF 2100) and the Buster Blader (ATK 2600, DEF 2300) in my hand to summon Dark Paladin (ATK 2900, DEF 2400)!"

With lightning speed, the hologram played Polymerization, discarding two cards to the Graveyard. A moment later – to Yugo's amazement – Dark Paladin appeared on the field in all his glory. "Wow," he whispered.

"And now, I will activate Pitch-Black Power Stone and Miracle Restoring!" And Gray Hologram flipped the two traps face-up. "And next – for Miracle Restoring's effect, I shall remove two of Pitch-Black Power Stone's counters to Special Summon the Dark Magician from the Graveyard!"

As the two counters were removed, Dark Magician appeared beside Dark Paladin. "Now, Yugo Muto, I have two cards left in my hand, and none left in my deck. But now, watch your life point meter."

Yugo looked at his life points – at a full 8000. "He's gonna attack me directly," he whispered.

"Dark Magician, use Dark Magic Attack!" Gray Hologram commanded. And Dark Magician fired a blast from his staff – just barely missing Yugo by several inches, but nevertheless reducing his life points to 5500!

"Now, observe!" said Gray Hologram. "I activate the magic card, Dedication through Light and Darkness, to offer Dark Magician as a tribute in order to Special Summon Dark Magician of Chaos (ATK 2800, DEF 2600) from my hand!"

Dark Magician disappeared in a flash of light – and in his place stood the Dark Magician of Chaos. "Now, Dark Magician of Chaos and Dark Paladin, attack directly!" said Gray Hologram. And Dark Paladin slashed downward with his scimitar – barely grazing Yugo – and Dark Magician of Chaos fired an energy blast – right over Yugo's head – and his life points shot down to 0!

Yugo stood there, wide-eyed – not so much by the close shaves as at the power and simplicity of the combo. "Wow…"

"Practice this until you have memorized the necessary steps for it," said Gray Hologram. "Now, find the necessary cards for the Dark Counter Combo in your deck, and begin practicing!"

----------

Meanwhile, Seta was watching on his platform as Black Hologram shuffled through its deck and drew six cards. "The technique you will learn Seta Kaiba, involves only six cards," said Black Hologram. "All six must be in your hand at the same time, and if you use all six correctly, then you can win your duel in one turn. This technique…is called the Kaibaman Combo."

"Kaibaman…Combo…?" Seta's eyebrow twitched at the odd-sounding name.

"Observe!" Black Hologram began its play. "Now, I summon Kaibaman (ATK 200, DEF 700) to the field!"

Moments later Kaibaman appeared. "And now…I will offer Kaibaman as a tribute to Special Summon one Blue-Eyes White Dragon (ATK 3000, DEF 2500) from my hand!"

Suddenly, as Kaibaman began to glow with a majestic light, there was a howl as the legendary dragon appeared on the field. Seta smirked as he saw it. "Cool."

"But that's not all! Now I activate Monster Reborn to revive Kaibaman to the field!" And Black Hologram played the card.

As Kaibaman reappeared, Seta's eyebrows raised in realization. "You're gonna tribute him to summon another Blue-Eyes!"

"Quite correct! Now, I shall do so!" And again Kaibaman was tributed, and a second Blue-Eyes appeared on the field.

"But I am still not done! For now I will activate the magic card Premature Burial, paying 800 life points to revive Kaibaman yet again!" And as Black Hologram played this card, its life points went down to 7200 even as Kaibaman emerged for a third time.

"I see…so that's why you call it the Kaibaman Combo," and now Seta chuckled.

Again Black Hologram tributed Kaibaman, and the third Blue-Eyes emerged beside its siblings. "And now, I attack!" said Black Hologram. "All three of my Blue-Eyes White Dragons together – White Lightning Attack!"

The three Blue-Eyes charged up their respective blasts, firing their attacks at Seta – and missing him. Even so, his life points went from 8000 all the way to 0!

"Taking out the opponent in one shot," remarked Black Hologram. "Now, practice with this technique until you have mastered it!"

----------

On the sidelines, Mr. Ishtar watched with a grin. "Glad I studied up on Yugi and Kaiba's techniques for so long," he mumbled. "But will their children be able to use those techniques – and the others that they will learn – effectively?"

----------

**_neomage:_** Now it's official, folks – Honey has the Millennium Necklace! Grandma Muto reappears! And Yugo and Seta are learning their first techniques! And…I know some folks are gonna flame me for Judith's death, but…I believe it was necessary to move the story along, and to bring closure to the character as well. Well, next chapter there's gonna be more excitement, so stay tuned!


	132. Chapter 132

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: My rabid cats are gonna go wild if you think Yu-Gi-Oh belongs to me. -)

**CHAPTER 132**

MARIK ISHTAR'S HOUSE, FIFTEEN MINUTES LATER

"Whew…" Yugo was panting rather heavily. "Who would've thought that practicing this technique would be so difficult?"

"I'll say," Seta's voice came through to him. "And this is just with the necessary cards right at hand. What kind of trouble might we be in when we have to pull off these techniques while using fully-loaded decks?"

On the sidelines, Mr. Ishtar looked across at the sands in the day-glass – they were still falling. Then he looked at his own watch to confirm the time – it was now 6:35. "You boys have been working hard at learning these techniques," he commended them. "I actually lost count of how many times you repeated the motions that the holograms demonstrated. For your efforts, it's time I gave you your respective rewards."

Eagerly the boys hopped down from their respective platforms and went over to Mr. Ishtar, who promptly pulled out two cards. "Here's for you…" handing one card to Yugo. "And here's yours," giving the other card to Seta.

Yugo examined his card. "Sage's Stone…cool!"

And Seta chuckled as he examined his card. "Cyber-Stein (ATK 700, DEF 500)…now, this is a nasty card with a two-edged effect…but if used correctly…"

"Now, I will tell you about the sixth Millennium Item," Mr. Ishtar spoke up. "Pay attention."

Yugo and Seta listened expectantly.

"Now…the Item of which I will now tell you is the Millennium Rod." Mr. Ishtar's voice was grave. "In ancient Egypt, the Rod was wielded by High Priest Seto, cousin to the Pharaoh – and the ancestor of your family, Seta. The Rod had the power of mind control, but a person could break free of its control if his willpower was stronger than that of the Rod's bearer. Also, the Rod had a hidden dagger inside its handle, which was used for sacrificial purposes."

Seta's eyes narrowed at this information. "I see."

Mr. Ishtar held his head down. "The Millennium Rod was one of the Items guarded by the family of tomb-keepers for the Pharaoh when he should return to this world. However, I stole the Rod for myself and used it to amass my collection of Rare Hunters. During the Battle City tournament, I wielded the Millennium Rod against your father, Yugo…but eventually I lost, and then I gave the Rod to him as I ought to have done in the first place."

Seta held his head down, too, so that his hair overshadowed his eyes. "The family history…not a pretty story to hear, if you're prejudiced."

But Yugo shook his head. "Whatever happened in the past is in the past. You should concentrate on the here and now, and on the future. That's all."

Mr. Ishtar managed a small smile. "How kind of you, young friend," he remarked. "Well…all right. Shall we continue then, with the seventh step in the training?"

"Already?" Seta looked up in surprise.

"Time _is_ of the essence, if you guys are to become strong enough to defeat JUDAS," said Mr. Ishtar firmly. "I doubt they'll wait for you to finish training at the deadline hour of 7:00 tonight."

"Good point," said Yugo. "Well…I'm ready to continue, if you are."

"So am I," nodded Seta. "Let's do it, then!"

Mr. Ishtar nodded. "Then get back on the platforms and watch the holograms again."

Yugo and Seta went and took up their respective places on the dueling station once again. Mr. Ishtar nodded as he watched them go, a grave look in his eye.

----------

"Welcome back once again, Yugo Muto," Gray Hologram greeted him as it emerged opposite him. "Step Seven of the training session will now commence."

_I wonder what will happen this time?_ Yugo wondered.

He watched as Gray Hologram went through its cards, then selected seven of them. "This is the Sorcerer's Darkness Combo," said the hologram. "Observe how it is done."

It set one card in the deck slot and held the remaining six in its hand. "First, I shall summon one monster – for this monster, the monster will be Dark Blade (ATK 1800, DEF 1500)!" And a moment later the dark-armored knight emerged. "Then I shall set one card facedown. This ends the first turn."

"Yes…?" said Yugo.

Then Gray Hologram drew the card from the deck slot – now it held five in its hand. "I tribute Dark Blade to summon Dark Magician Girl (ATK 2000, DEF 1700)!" And as Dark Blade disappeared, the Dark Magician Girl emerged in his place.

Then Gray Hologram held up another card. "Now, I activate the magic of Sage's Stone! When the Dark Magician Girl is on my side of the field and this card is played, I can Special Summon the Dark Magician (ATK 2500, DEF 2100) from my hand or deck – now come forth, Dark Magician!"

A purple stone appeared in front of the Dark Magician Girl and glowed brightly – and a moment later Dark Magician appeared beside his apprentice. "Next," continued Gray Hologram, shuffling the two cards left in its hand, "I will offer both Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl as tributes to Special Summon the mighty Sorcerer of Dark Magic (ATK 3200, DEF 2800)!"

In a flash of lightning, both Dark Magician Girl and Dark Magician disappeared – and then in their place stood the mighty black-robed spellcaster, his staff at the ready. "And now," continued Gray Hologram, "I will activate the magic card Monster Reborn, to revive my Dark Magician Girl from the Graveyard!"

Dark Magician Girl soon rose up to stand beside the Sorcerer of Dark Magic – and because Dark Magician was still in the Graveyard, her ATK rose to 2300. "Now, my monsters, attack!" Gray Hologram commanded.

Both spellcasters blasted at Yugo with their staves – missing him, but still reducing his life points to 2500! "Whoa!" he exclaimed.

"And now, I activate the trap card, Call of the Haunted, to revive Dark Magician from death!" And as Gray Hologram's card flipped face-up, Dark Magician rose up from among tombstones. "Use your Dark Magic Attack!" And the Dark Magician blasted at Yugo, reducing his life points to 0.

"Whoa…pretty hot…" Yugo whispered.

"Now, practice this new combo until you have memorized it!" Gray Hologram advised, and then vanished.

----------

Meanwhile, Black Hologram was preparing to tutor Seta once again. "So, what kind of technique will you show me now?" Seta asked, smirking confidently.

Black Hologram took six cards from its deck, setting one in the Fusion deck slot and holding the remaining five in its hand. "This is called the Dragon Fusion Combo," it stated. "And now, observe how it works! I activate the magic card Polymerization, to fuse together my three Blue-Eyes White Dragon (ATK 3000, DEF 2500) cards in my hand to bring forth – Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon (ATK 4500, DEF 3800)!"

Moments later a triple roar could be heard as the massive beast emerged on the field. "Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, attack!" Black Hologram commanded. And the dragon responded with three sharp blasts of energy from its three mouths – all missing Seta by mere inches, but nevertheless reducing his life points sharply to 3500!

"And next, I will activate the magic card, De-Fusion! This will allow me to return one Fusion monster on my side of the field to the Fusion deck – and, if all the monsters that were used to Fusion summon that monster are in the Graveyard, all of them will be revived on the field!" said Black Hologram – and then, as if to prove the point, the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon split into the three Blue-Eyes White Dragons! "Now, dragons, attack directly!"

All three dragons charged up their White Lightning attacks; then fired them all in a consecutive burst of energy at Seta – also missing him, but causing his life points to drop all the way to 0!

Seta was ecstatic when he saw the result. "WA-HOO! Now THAT is something spectacular!"

"For double the damage, you can add the magic card Megamorph to this combo," advised Black Hologram. "But that tactic should only be used when the opponent has a powerful defense, or when his life points are exceptionally high and Megamorph's power is the only way to bring him down. Clear?"

Seta nodded sincerely. "Clear."

"Then begin practicing this technique until you are familiar with it – with and without the use of the Megamorph card!" And Black Hologram disappeared. Nodding, Seta went through his deck to search for the cards needed for this new combo.

----------

CAIRO, AT THAT VERY MOMENT

Drake was walking through the city streets. No longer sporting his green robe, now he was clad in a smart-looking business suit and tie; his Millennium Key was nowhere in sight. "Ahhh…nothing like a leisurely walk, even when I'm carrying out a mission," he chuckled.

Presently he stopped and looked up at the front of the building he was standing before: Ishtar Enterprises. "Perfect," and an evil grin spread across his face. "Now, let's head inside and get a little info, shall we?"

He walked up the steps and approached the only guard standing on duty. "Excuse me, sir," he spoke up politely, "I was wondering if Mr. Ishtar was here? I have an appointment with him today."

"Sorry, sir, Mr. Ishtar is not here," the guard answered. "In fact, we're not expecting him to come in for now. Would you care to return later?"

Drake appeared crestfallen. "Oh, dear…oh well. Thank you, anyway." He turned as if to leave—and then halted. "Oh, by the way…"

"Yes?" the guard inquired.

As Drake turned to face the guard, suddenly a massive light shone from his chest as the Millennium Key materialized, hanging from his neck! Grabbing the Key, he held it up and declared, "Now, mate, open your memories to me!"

The guard gasped in astonishment – and suddenly a flood of memory spread out before Drake's eyes. He looked at the memories in turn; slowly a smile spread across his face as he analyzed one in particular. "Hee, hee, hee…you've got Marik Ishtar's home phone number stored deep in your brain, don't you?" he needled. "But then, every employee of Ishtar Enterprises knows that number. It's standard protocol that that fool set up in case of any emergencies…especially considering that he's under modified house arrest for his past crimes. Well, thanks, bitch."

The Millennium Key's light subsided, and the guard slumped to the ground. "You'll wake up thinking it was all a dream," Drake chuckled, "and you'll be lucky if your immediate supervisor doesn't fire you for – ahem – sleeping at your post. Ha, ha!" Then he turned and walked off.

"Hmmm…now what?" Drake looked around – and spied a telephone booth. A bigger smile crossed his face when he saw it. "Oh, how convenient," he chuckled as he went over to it.

Feeling in his pocket for a quarter, he picked up the receiver and popped the money into the slot. "Operator, is it possible I could get the home address for a certain number?" he asked, putting on as suave and polite a front as he could.

"Certainly, sir," the cute-sounding female voice on the other end answered cheerily. "What is the number?"

Drake rattled off the number he'd memorized from the guard's memory. "One moment, please," the operator replied.

Drake crossed one leg in front of the other and leaned on the booth, humming patiently. Then the operator came back on the line. "I have the address for you, sir," and she gave the address to him.

_Hmmm…this address…just outside of Cairo – and not far from where I intercepted the brats last time!_ "OK, thank you very much," Drake said aloud, and hung up.

A very evil smirk crossed his face now. "Of course, I'm gonna need to get a car or something to get there – it'll be too much trouble to use my Millennium Key's power to transport me," he chuckled. "If I did that, by the time I got there using that method I wouldn't have any power left in my own body to handle the Key's magic. So, best to conserve my own strength and drive there…" He started to laugh. "And where else to go for a car than at the local taxi service?"

----------

PHARAOH'S LAIR, AT THAT MOMENT

Everybody was in a somber mood. Kyo took off his glasses, polishing and re-polishing the lens over and over. Miki just sat and watched him, unsure what she should say. Blaze stood by herself in a corner, arms folded, her hair overshadowing her eyes. Shigeo casually poked at the Millennium Scale's balancing cups with one finger. Jenna sat by a window, looking out blankly. Malachi stood off by himself, leaning on the wall, hands in his pockets.

It was Miki who finally broke the silence. "I'm worried about them…shouldn't they be back by now?"

"Don't rush them," Kyo admonished her. "They've taken that woman's body to give it a proper send-off. Naturally, it'll take them a little while…"

Then Jenna exclaimed, "Here they come now!"

"Let's go meet them, then," and Shigeo stood up.

----------

A moment later the group stood outside the Pharaoh's Lair as Marcus, Honey and Miriam walked up to them. "How…did it go?" asked Jenna softly.

"We…we couldn't decide what to do with Judith's body at first," Honey answered quietly. "In the end, we settled on cremation."

"Cremation…" Malachi whispered.

"Yeah. It was the only way we could get rid of the body without having to raise suspicions," Miriam nodded. "I feel so bad, though…that we had to do this…" She held her head down.

"We did what we had to do," Marcus spoke up. "But…if it makes you feel any better…" He held up the Millennium Eye, and it immediately began to glow.

"Do you…see something, Marcus?" asked Honey hopefully.

A small smile crossed Marcus's face. "Yeah…that woman…she's laughing and playing with two kids…in a field of flowers…"

"Her children…" Honey smiled and sniffled. "At long last…she's at peace…"

Suddenly her Millennium Necklace began to glow. "Huh? What's going on?" asked a confused Blaze.

Honey touched the Millennium Necklace with her fingertips – and her eyes widened. "Guys…you'll never believe who's coming this way right now," she whispered. "She'll be here in about, five, four, three, two, one…"

"Children!"

Everyone turned at the sound of the voice. Then Miki and Jenna's faces lit up in recognition. "Grandma Muto!"

Coming from around a building corner and walking toward them was Grandma Muto, her upper body wrapped in a shawl. "Kids, are you all okay?" she queried.

"Grandma Muto! Oh, what a relief to see you again!" Miki started forward – but a hand grabbed her arm. "Huh…!"

"Miki…don't go near her." Kyo's eyes were narrowed into slits; the Millennium Ring glowed menacingly as a golden eye appeared in his forehead. "That's not Grandma Muto – at least, not the one we know."

"Yeah, he's right," said Shigeo. "The Millennium Scale senses a severe imbalance here…" And the Scale shined violently.

"Who are you?" Marcus demanded, the Millennium Eye glowing fiercely in his hand.

To the others' astonishment, Grandma chuckled – in a man's voice. "Impressive that you should see it was a trick," the voice spoke up.

Kyo bared his teeth. "Lassiter!"

"Aye, it is me, boy," and here Grandma's head was raised to reveal the golden eye in her forehead. "But relax – I'm here merely to relay a message to you from my master."

Malachi's brow furrowed. "And the message is…?"

Lassiter's voice came through, more hollow than before. "Those of you who possess Millennium Items…my master invites you to come and face him at the legendary Valley of Kings. It is located near the great pyramids and the sphinx, but it is very cleverly hidden. Not to worry, however – I shall give you a map that details how to get there."

Grandma's hand then reached into her shawl and pulled out a tightly-wrapped scroll. Tossing it to the kids, she spoke on in Lassiter's voice. "The souls of your friends that we have captured so far…including your two friends, Malachi Jordan…if you ever want to get them back, come to us!"

"David…Luke…" Malachi seethed. "So you guys took their souls, too?"

Miriam's eyes widened a little; then slowly she slumped to the ground. "Luke…David…not you, too…"

"As I said, you can get them back – if you guys come to the Valley of Kings!" Lassiter went on. "Those of you brats with Millennium Items…come to us! Do not delay – or else you'll never see your friends again! Ha, ha, ha!"

Kyo looked sideways at Marcus. "Can you read her mind? Maybe Lassiter's mind is intertwined with hers…"

But Marcus shook his head. "That Lassiter guy…his mind isn't anywhere close to hers." The Millennium Eye flashed briefly. "All I can see in her mind are her own memories…mostly of her family…"

"Then, if we accept Lassiter's invitation, we'll be walking blind into a trap, no doubt," remarked Shigeo. "But if we want to save the others, we've got no choice, do we?"

"Then it's settled – we'll go there!" And Kyo pocketed the scroll. "Now hand Grandma back to us!"

"Nothing doing," countered Lassiter. "Of course, I might reconsider, if…"

"If?" Marcus prompted.

Lassiter-controlled Grandma began to laugh. "If you can fight her and defeat her in a duel, of course!"

Miki's eyes widened in shock. "No way! We can't do that!"

"You coward…can't you fight your own battles directly for once?" Jenna snarled.

Lassiter chuckled. "It's not like you have any choice in the matter. Refuse, and I'll reduce her mind to pulp!"

Kyo snarled. "Why, you…"

----------

**_neomage:_** I don't know…am I losing my touch? This chapter seems a little iffy to me – what do you guys think? Anyway, keep reading – things are about to progress!


	133. Chapter 133

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: My rabid cats are gonna go wild if you think Yu-Gi-Oh belongs to me. -)

**CHAPTER 133**

PHARAOH'S LAIR

Lassiter-controlled Grandma reached behind her, pulling out a Duel-Disk and strapping it on. "Well? Do I get a duel with one of you – or do I crush her mind till she becomes a useless sack of bones?" Lassiter's voice taunted.

"Guys…what do we do?" Miki asked worriedly.

Just then the Millennium Necklace shone again. Honey touched it with her fingertips – and her eyes grew wide with horror. "The bastards…!"

"What is it?" asked Kyo.

"They…they've sent one of their henchmen…to go find Mr. Ishtar – as in Marik Ishtar!" exclaimed Honey. "They're planning to steal his soul – and who knows what'll happen if they find Yugo and Seta there!"

Malachi's eyes narrowed. "I have a pretty good idea who that 'henchman' might be," he said darkly. "Which of you have been to this Ishtar person's place? We'll need directions!"

"Oh-ho-ho…so you've figured out our plan," Lassiter's voice came though, laughing cruelly. "But no matter what you plan to do, it's hopeless. You cannot defeat us at this stage! No way!"

The group looked at each other. "We're in serious trouble," said Marcus. "We have to go help Yugo and Seta – but we can't refuse to duel right now, can we? Or else the old lady'll get it from that bastard!"

Blaze looked at Grandma for a long moment. Then she nodded with decision. "Guys…those of you who have Millennium Items, go ahead to this Valley of Kings place. Jenna, you've been to Ishtar's house – lead the others there. I'll stay and take care of the old lady."

"I'm staying too," Miki spoke up. "I can't allow you to deal with Grandma's case by yourself, Blaze. It's only right that I should help to save her, too."

"Fine, fine," said Kyo. "Marcus, Honey, Shigeo and I will go to the Valley of Kings. Miki, you and Blaze stay here and duel Lassiter. The rest of you, get to Mr. Ishtar's place before that henchman does!"

"Consider us gone," said Miriam. "C'mon, bro, let's hurry!"

"Let's go, then," said Malachi. "Knight-user, fire-wielder…don't screw up." And he went off after his sister.

Jenna started to follow them – but Honey's voice stopped her. "Wait, Jenna," and here Honey reached into a pocket. "I knew this might come in handy soon. This is the card for that taxi driver, Rashid. Find him – he's the only chance you'll have of getting to Mr. Ishtar before that JUDAS person does."

Jenna accepted the card. "Thanks." Then she turned and dashed off.

"Okay, you big creep, you've got your challenge! Me and Blaze versus you!" Miki shouted. "Bring it on!"

"Ooohh, two young ladies at once? This should be interesting…" and Lassiter chuckled.

Kyo looked at Miki. "We're counting on you guys," he said softly. "Do your best, you hear?"

"Gotcha!" Miki nodded.

"You don't need to tell me that," and Blaze readied her own Duel-Disk.

"Let's head out, then," said Marcus. And with that he, Shigeo, Kyo and Honey ran off in another direction.

"Foolish little children," Lassiter mocked. "Do you really believe you can defeat my strategy? Not in this lifetime, you won't!"

Miki's eyes narrowed. "Jenna told me how you dueled Yugo last time," she said sourly. "Well, guess what? We're gonna beat you down before you can summon Exodia!"

"Ah, so you do know about that," said Lassiter. "Then you should know that no matter what deck strategies you have, against the might of Exodia you'll be trying to block a cannonball with paper!"

"Talk is wasted on this asshole," said Blaze. "Let's just get rid of him, exorcise him out of the old lady, and get this over with."

"I second that!" and with that Miki readied herself. "Now, let's go!"

"Okay," and Lassiter made Grandma ready the Duel-Disk. "Only thing is, how about you each start with 4000 life points, since it's two against one?"

"Grrr…fine, whatever," said Blaze. "Now, let's duel!"

The holographic coin appeared on the field. "Tails!" Lassiter called it. Then, as the coin was spun, it flipped through the air…landed on the ground…and it was tails!

"Good…very, very good." Lassiter chuckled evilly, making Grandma draw six cards. "Well, first turn goes to me, so I will set one monster facedown, and end my turn."

Blaze looked at Miki. "You want to go first, or should I go first and let you go on the next turn?"

"Let me go first," said Miki. "I've got a nice little combo in my hand right about now that'll put this guy in his place."

"Okay – I only hope you're right," and Blaze yielded.

Whereupon Miki drew her card. "I summon Gearfried the Iron Knight (ATK 1800, DEF 1600) to the field!" And a moment later her iron-clad knight emerged, ready to fight.

Then Miki held up another card. "And now, I activate Release Restraint, to make Gearfried shed his armor and become – Gearfried the Swordmaster (ATK 2600, DEF 2200)! Come forth from my deck, my new monster!"

Suddenly Gearfried's armor flew off in a burst of light; moments later the Swordmaster stood in all his muscle-bound glory, ready to do battle. Then Miki held up another card. "And now, I'll activate the magic of the Axe of Despair, equipping it to Gearfried!"

Holding his sword of pure light in one hand, a moment later Gearfried held the mighty axe in his other hand as his ATK shot up to 3600. "And, when Gearfried the Swordmaster is equipped with an Equip card, his effect destroys one monster on the opponent's side of the field!" Miki added.

Lassiter-controlled Grandma's face contorted into a look of disbelief. "No way!" his voice exclaimed.

Gearfried raised his sword of light, sending it point-first at Lassiter's facedown monster and destroying it entirely. "And now, Gearfried, attack!" Miki commanded. And in a swift movement, Gearfried lunged forward with both sword and axe, slicing at Grandma's dress and reducing her life points to 4400.

"Nice play," Lassiter congratulated Miki. "But I have one even better for you!"

He made Grandma draw another card. "Now, I will set two cards facedown, and activate the magic card Pot of Greed to draw two cards!" And this Grandma did.

"Be careful, kid," Blaze warned. "This guy's bound to fight dirty."

Miki nodded. "I figured."

Lassiter-controlled Grandma fingered the five cards in hand. "Just to let you girls know, I have one piece of Exodia in my hand at present…and I'll have the other four in my hand before you know it!"

"We'll stop you before that happens, punk!" Blaze snapped.

"We'll see." Lassiter chuckled. "Now, I'll set another monster facedown, and end my turn."

"It's my turn!" Blaze drew her card. "I summon Flame Ruler (ATK 1500, DEF 1600) in Attack Mode!" And she brought forth her fiery monster, his jacket swirling with flames. "Attack his facedown monster!"

Flame ruler blasted fire from both palms at the facedown monster, flipping it face-up to reveal a red-skinned monster with eyes all over its body. But Lassiter only smiled. "That was the Big Eye (ATK 1200, DEF 1000)…and when flipped face-up, his effect allows me to pick up the top five cards on top of my deck, arrange them in any order I want, and then put them back on top of the deck."

As the girls watched, Grandma's hands picked up the top five cards on Lassiter's deck and rearranged them. Then, as the cards were replaced, Lassiter sneered at them, "Soon, very soon, you will fall!"

"Not if we take you out first!" Blaze snapped. "Gearfried the Swordmaster, attack directly!"

Gearfried charged forward with his weapons ready. But suddenly Lassiter announced, "Not if I can help it! I activate my trap card, Mirror Force, to destroy every monster on your side of the field!"

A mighty barrier appeared in front of Lassiter, just as Gearfried struck. The barrier flung the warrior back with mighty force, causing him to collide with the Flame Ruler and destroying both of them in the process!

"Damn!" Blaze cursed. "Sorry for destroying your monster, Miki…"

Miki shook her head. "YOU didn't destroy Gearfried, Blaze – he did," and she cast a disdainful look at Lassiter-controlled Grandma.

"Well, at least let me make up for it," said Blaze. "I'll set two cards facedown, and end my turn."

Lassiter-controlled Grandma was holding four cards in hand; on the field she had one facedown card, and her life points were at 4400. By contrast, Miki held three cards, while Blaze also had three; the only things on their side of the field were Blaze's two facedown cards; and as for life points, they both still had 4000, giving them a total of 8000.

Now Lassiter made Grandma draw a card again, so now she held five. "Heh-heh-heh…now I've got two pieces of Exodia in my hand," Lassiter crooned. "And it's going to be a simple matter to get the remaining pieces into my hand in no time at all!"

"Geez, what a braggart," grumbled Blaze.

Then Lassiter-controlled Grandma held up a card and announced, "Now, I will activate the magic card, Painful Choice! I select five cards from my deck, show them to you, and you select one card to remain in my hand – the others will be sent to the Graveyard." Then Lassiter selected five cards from the deck. "Now, choose!"

The cards Lassiter held up were Premature Burial, Sangan (ATK 1000, DEF 600), Cannon Soldier (ATK 1400, DEF 1300), Left Leg of the Forbidden One (ATK 200, DEF 300), and Right Arm of the Forbidden One (ATK 200, DEF 300). "He's kidding, right?" Blaze marveled.

Miki scrutinized the cards. "All right…I choose Premature Burial to stay in your hand!"

Lassiter chuckled evilly. "Premature Burial it is," and the other four cards were sent to the Graveyard. "And now…just a few more turns till I win."

"…a few more turns…?" Blaze asked suspiciously.

"But wait – this turn isn't done yet! For now I will activate my facedown trap card, Backup Soldier!"

Lassiter's facedown card flipped face-up. "I could only activate this card when I had five or more monsters in my Graveyard," he explained. "Now, this card will allow me to take back up to three Normal monsters from my Graveyard to my hand. And there are only two I need - the Left Leg and Right Arm of the Forbidden One!"

As the girls watched in consternation, the two monster cards were swiftly returned from the Graveyard to Lassiter's hand. Then: "I now activate the Premature Burial card, paying 800 life points to revive Cannon Soldier to the field!"

As Lassiter's life points went down to 3600, Premature Burial revived Cannon Soldier to the field. "And lastly, I'll set one card facedown," and Lassiter did so. "Now, Cannon Soldier, attack directly! And go for…the brown-haired brat!"

Cannon Soldier blasted shots from its gun turrets; the attack hit Miki square in the stomach and sent her flying back, reducing her share of life points to 2600! "Miki!" Blaze yelled in a panic.

"I…I'm fine," Miki answered shakily, struggling to get back up.

"I'll now end my turn," said Lassiter smugly. "Hey, kid, wanna try making a comeback or something?"

Her face contorting into a look of real anger, Miki drew her card – and just then Lassiter announced, "Now, then! I'll activate my facedown trap card – Reckless Greed!"

Immediately his facedown card was flipped face-up. "This card allows me to draw two cards from my deck, in exchange for forfeiting my next two Draw Phases," Lassiter explained. "But these two cards I've drawn will be more than enough to deal with you two correctly!"

Shaking her head, Miki examined the four cards she now held. "Okay…I will set two cards facedown, and summon Marauding Captain (ATK 1200, DEF 400)!"

Moments later her Marauding Captain appeared, both swords at the ready. "And there's more," said Miki. "When he's Normal Summoned successfully, Marauding Captain allows me to Special Summon one Level 4 or lower monster from my hand. And I choose Blade Knight (ATK 1600, DEF 1000) in Attack Mode!"

In an instant her white-armored warrior arrived on the field, sword and shield at the ready; and, because she had no cards left in her hand, his ATK shot up to 2000. "And I end my turn," said Miki. "Now…it's time for revenge."

"Ha! And what can you, puny little child, do?" said Lassiter scornfully. "True, I may not be able to draw now or on my next turn because of my Reckless Greed trap card from before – but there's always more than one way to bring my last piece of Exodia to my hand!"

Miki's hair overshadowed one of her eyes. "Then I guess you need to be taught a lesson in reality checking!"

"Bah! What is that supposed to mean?" Lassiter asked. "Well, whatever. I will set one monster facedown, and one card facedown. And now – Cannon Soldier, destroy her Marauding Captain!"

"As if!" Miki shot back. "I activate my trap card, Sakuretsu Armor, to destroy your attacking monster!"

A large suit of spiky armor appeared to deflect Cannon Soldier's blasts, right back at Cannon Soldier itself! "Damn it!" Lassiter snapped as he witnessed his monster's destruction.

"And…before you get any bright ideas…" Miki smirked. "I activate my trap card, Conscription! This will allow me to pick up the top card on your deck, and if it's a monster that can be Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon it to my side of the field – otherwise, it'll be added to your hand!"

"Huh?" Lassiter's voice suddenly sounded alarmed. "Oh, SHIT!"

"Heh…is it just me, or does he sound suddenly pathetic?" asked Miki. "Now, let's find out what that card is, eh?"

Reluctantly, Lassiter made Grandma pick up the card and show it to the girls – and it was Exodia the Forbidden One (ATK 1000, DEF 1000)! "Why, you little…" he seethed.

"My suspicions have been confirmed – one of your facedown cards must have an effect that would allow you to draw one more card, which would've given you all five pieces of Exodia," said Miki, even as Exodia's head came over to her side of the field. "But now, that plan's been completely shot down!"

"Nice thinking, Miki," said Blaze. "And right about now, I don't think he can do anything else."

"You are going to pay for this!" Lassiter roared.

"Not quite likely, I think," said Blaze dryly as she took her turn and drew a card. "Okay…Miki, may I borrow your monsters for a bit?"

"Suit yourself," said Miki.

Whereupon Blaze held up a card and announced, "First, I'm going to offer Exodia the Forbidden One and Marauding Captain as tributes to summon my mighty beast – Infernal Flame Emperor (ATK 2700, DEF 1600)!"

The two aforementioned monsters disappeared in a sudden burst of flame – and then, right before everyone's eyes, there appeared a lion creature based completely on flame. "When I Tribute Summon this guy successfully," said Blaze, "I can remove up to five Fire monsters in my Graveyard from play…and for every one that I remove from play, I can destroy one Magic or Trap card on the field!"

Lassiter's eyes widened in further shock. "No…!"

"And, since I only have one Fire monster in my Graveyard, I'll remove that one from play to destroy your facedown card in your magic/trap slot!" Blaze exploded. "Do it, Infernal Flame Emperor!"

The monster raised a hand and flung a ball of fire at Lassiter's facedown card, incinerating it completely. But Blaze still wasn't done. "And now…I'll activate the field magic of Molten Destruction, to decrease the DEF of all Fire monsters by 400 in exchange for increasing their ATK by 500!"

A massive volcano appeared on the field, and while the Infernal Flame Emperor's DEF went down to 1200, his ATK rose sharply to 3200! But evidently Blaze was still not finished. "And finally…I'll equip my flaming monster with the magic card Salamandra, to increase his ATK by 700 points!"

Moments later the Flame Emperor was wielding a massive sword even as his ATK shot up to 3900. Okay…now, it's time for you to die!" announced Blaze hotly. "I activate my trap card, Ring of Destruction, to destroy the Infernal Flame Emperor and inflict damage equal to his ATK to both sets of life points!"

Miki stared at Blaze. "ARE YOU CRAZY?" she yelled.

"Not really." Blaze smirked. "Because now I activate my other trap card, Barrel Behind the Door, to transfer whatever Effect Damage we would've gotten to HIS life points instead!"

A large flaming collar swiftly locked around Blaze's monster's neck, and then there was a loud BLAM – but the explosion took place on Lassiter's side of the field, leaving nothing but a blackened field as Lassiter's life points dropped to 0! "How **_dare_** you!" he bellowed.

"Heh…ingenious." Now Miki smiled. "Okay, you freak, the duel's won. Hand Grandma Muto over, NOW."

Lassiter didn't say anything for a moment or two. Then he chuckled. "As you wish. I'm not one to back down from my end of a bargain…and she's served her purpose, anyway. But know this: Even with this victory over me, you still won't be able to defeat JUDAS! Mark my words!"

Then suddenly a bright light flashed out from Grandma's face, so bright Blaze and Miki had to shield their eyes. But when the looked up again, Grandma had both hands over her face, looking very confused.

"…Grandma Muto…?" Miki asked warily.

"Ohhh…what…what is this place? Where am I?" Grandma asked, in a daze. "Last thing I remember, I was looking about lunch in the kitchen, and then, everything just…went black…"

Suddenly she wobbled and fell forward – and Miki rushed up to her and caught her. "Easy Grandma, take it easy," she urged. "You're OK now, that's all that matters."

Blaze ground her teeth in anger. "That bastard…he'll pay for this!"

"Forget him for now," Miki said firmly. "Just help me get her inside."

----------

On a rooftop not far away, Lassiter shook his head as the Millennium Rod glowed. "Well, so much for using that old lady for my plans," he grumbled. "Right now, though, I'd better head back…before those kids get to Master Odachi!" And with a flourish, he got up and headed off.

----------

**_neomage:_** ALL RIGHT! At last Grandma Muto's been rescued! But the fight is still not over yet, people – and while Yugo and Seta continue training, Drake is leisurely making his way to their place of abode! Keep reading to see what happens!


	134. Chapter 134

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Uh…ummm…I thought I said it enough already…)

**CHAPTER 134**

MARIK ISHTAR'S HOUSE

Yugo and Seta were lying on the ground, flat on their backs. "Repetition of moves…tiring…" Seta breathed.

"Tell me about it," Yugo panted.

"Taking a break, are we?"

Looking up, the boys saw Mr. Ishtar approaching them. He was carrying a tray with a rather large cover. "While you boys were practicing, I took the liberty of getting some sandwiches for all of us," and here he pulled off the cover to reveal several impressive-looking sandwiches, along with two big bottles of milk.

"Cheese…mayo…chicken…!" Yugo sat up, eyes wide and mouth watering as his nose twitched.

"Beef…smothered in Tabasco sauce…" Seta's eyes were wide, as well.

Mr. Ishtar laughed and set the tray on the ground. "Help yourselves, fellows. There's plenty to go around." And he picked up a sandwich himself and bit into it.

Yugo and Seta eagerly grabbed sandwiches and began to eat. "What time is it?" asked Seta between bites.

"6:55…you guys have been practicing for a little while, I dare say," said Mr. Ishtar. "I'm amazed at your development, I have to confess. You guys learn quickly memorize things at a rapid pace, and best of all, you're ever ready to learn something new. Who could ask for better trainees than you guys?"

"Aw, you're just sayin' that," said Yugo.

"Nope, I mean it." Mr. Ishtar chuckled. Then his expression became a little more serious. "By the way, since we're here, I should now tell you about the final Millennium Item…and this one deserves special mention."

Yugo paused in mid-bite. "The Millennium Puzzle, right? Mr. Kaiba told us about that…how my dad used to wield it back when he was a kid."

"Well, in that case, let me add to whatever he may have told you," said Mr. Ishtar. "You see, boys…the Millennium Puzzle, wielded by the famous Pharaoh Atem 3000 years ago, had the greatest power of all the seven Millennium Items. It had the ability to grant its user luck in random circumstances, especially in games…and it was said to be able to restore stolen souls to their bodies, as long as the location of both soul and body were known and in close proximity."

Seta smirked. "Sounds like something anybody would want to have," he commented.

"But that's not all," Mr. Ishtar went on. "Long ago…Pharaoh Atem was engaged in a deadly battle against a powerful and evil force, a battle in which both the Millennium Items and the Egyptian God monsters played a critical role. This entity was called Zork Necrophades, and proved to be extremely difficult to beat – even the Egyptian God monsters were swatted away with relative ease. Only through a combination of the Millennium Puzzle's power and a fusion of the God monsters' powers was Atem able to destroy Zork Necrophades."

Yugo and Seta slowly turned to stare at each other. "And Dad was walking around with that kind of power? Awesome!" exclaimed Yugo.

"So, exactly what did the Millennium Puzzle look like, Uncle Marik?" asked Seta.

"Hmmm…what's the best way to describe it…" Mr. Ishtar looked thoughtful. Basically, it was an upside-down pyramid. It was called a Puzzle because, like a jigsaw puzzle, it was split into numerous pieces. When you father first got it, Yugo, it took him several years to finish it completely and properly. I believe this was meant as a fail-safe to keep evil people from acquiring the Puzzle's powers. And, there is more…on the Puzzle pieces were several hieroglyphs, which translated to say something like this: 'The one who solves me will acquire ultimate knowledge…' Yeah, something to that effect."

Yugo then looked down. "Mr. Ishtar…earlier you said that that Millennium Puzzle influenced luck, right?"

"Yes…why?"

"I'm just wondering…" Now Yugo's hair overshadowed his eyes. "The reason Dad was such a famous duelist…was it because of…that?"

Seta and Mr. Ishtar looked at him. "Yugo…" said Seta.

Mr. Ishtar shook his head. "Don't think of it like that. Your father was indeed a talented duelist…but there were times when he had to duel without the Puzzle's power, and even then he still did a marvelous job. The ability to duel doesn't reside in the Millennium Items, young friend…it's in how well you understand the game and how often you train. Never forget that."

"Yeah…okay." Yugo smiled now.

"Well…it's time for me to give you your rewards for working hard in the seventh step of the training." Mr. Ishtar pulled out two cards. "Here you go, fellows."

Yugo took his card and examined it closely. "Dark Flare Knight (ATK 2200, DEF 800)…"

And Seta looked at his card. "The Light – Hex-Sealed Fusion (ATK 1000, DEF 1600)…how interesting…"

"Now, let us finish eating, shall we?" suggested Mr. Ishtar. "And then, once you're done, the eighth step of the training will commence!"

----------

CAIRO, 7:00, FIVE MINUTES LATER

Drake stood in front of the local taxi company, a massive smirk on his face. "Perfect," he chuckled. "This will do nicely."

As he walked up to the front entrance, however, the guard accosted him. _(I am sorry, sir,)_ the guard spoke in Egyptian, _(but we are not open for another fifteen minutes. And anyway, if you work here, you need to show me some ID.)_

Drake turned to glare at the man. **_(Get out of my way, puny worm!)_**

Sensing the obvious hostility, the guard reached for the baton hanging from his belt – and Drake retaliated with a solid punch to the throat, one that had the other man gasping and coughing as blood spewed from his mouth!

"Stupid imbecile," Drake muttered, stepping over the choking guard as he continued inside.

The parking area was only moments away; several cabbies were lounging around their cars lazily, eating breakfast and sharing random gossip. Drake's eyes narrowed as he observed all of this; he didn't have time for this crap.

**_(Gentlemen!)_** he shouted loudly, grabbing everyone's attention. **_(I need to charter a taxi to get somewhere on the double! Which of you is willing to help me?)_**

_(Forget it, man,)_ one of the cabbies replied icily. _(We don't start our routes for another couple of minutes. And anyway, where could you want to go in such a hurry – and so early at that?)_ And some of his friends nodded in agreement.

Drake's eyes narrowed at the refusal. **_(Okay…I asked you nicely…now let's see if your answer's the same once I do THIS!)_**

Suddenly, before anyone could react, Drake pulled out his Duel-Disk and activated it, at the same time summoning a monster. **_(Come forth, Spirit Reaper _**(ATK 300, DEF 200)**_ – show these fools not to mess with your master!)_**

In an instant a purple-robed skeletal figure emerged, wielding a giant scythe! The cabbies were now extremely frightened. _(Run for your lives!)_ several of them screamed – but before they could get very far, Spirit Reaper flew forward and sliced at them, narrowly missing them and slicing the tops off their cars in the process!

"Cowards…" Drake muttered. In Egyptian he addressed them again. **_(All right – if nobody wants to chauffer me, then how about one of you gives up your car keys…or do I have to tell my monster to attack again?)_**

One of the frightened drivers promptly flung his keys at Drake, who caught them skillfully with one hand. **_(Very smart,)_** he said snidely as he hopped into the driver's car. The engine came to life as he started it up, and a moment later the taxi was speeding out of the parking lot.

----------

ELSEWHERE IN CAIRO, AT THAT VERY MOMENT

"Okay…now where to?" Shigeo asked helplessly.

He and the others were on the outskirts of Cairo, looking at the map Kyo had gotten from Lassiter. "According to the map, we should be in the Giza region," Kyo said thoughtfully. "It actually wasn't much distance from the Pharaoh's Lair, I think."

"Well, the map says that west of here is plenty of desert, and beyond that lay the pyramids," said Honey.

Marcus shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I'm not about to go walking around in some flipping desert!"

"Hmmm…seems we won't have to," said Kyo. "There's a little note on the map here, and it says that there should be an underground passage somewhere here in Giza."

"Then it's just a matter of finding it," said Honey cheerfully. "So, what do we look for?"

"Hmmm…" Now Kyo frowned. "I don't really know…"

Suddenly, one of the points on his Millennium Ring began to shine, tugging him in a direction. "H-hey!" he exclaimed, holding on to the Millennium Ring as it pulled him away from the others.

"What gives? Wait up!" Shigeo exclaimed, and they all started to run after him.

"It's not me," Kyo explained. "It's the Ring itself…seems it can locate other Millennium Items."

"Then it must be leading us to the place where JUDAS's leader awaits," said Marcus. "So, lead the way!"

"Why me?" Kyo lamented, as waterfalls poured from his eyes.

The foursome ran around for several minutes, occasionally drawing curious and amused looks from others they passed by. Then presently they stopped outside a store, and the point on the Millennium Ring pointed straight inside. "This is it?" Shigeo asked, puzzled.

"Seems like it," said Kyo. "Let's head in, eh?"

Pushing the door in, the group was amazed at what they saw. It was a bookstore, with several tall shelves stacked with books, newspapers and magazines of various kinds. "They actually carry TIME Magazine in this place? Unbelievable!" Shigeo exclaimed, running his fingers over some of the magazines as he walked in.

"Can I help you?"

They looked up at the sound of the voice and came face-to-face with a short, stocky figure with glasses. "I am the manager of this bookstore," he spoke up in a pleasant-sounding accent. "Do you see anything here to your liking so far…?"

Then he noticed the Millennium Items that the four were holding. Immediately his countenance showed fear. "Hold on…you are…!"

"Relax, buddy," Marcus said coolly. "We were instructed to go to the Valley of Kings, and we were directed here by THAT." Here he pointed to Kyo's Millennium Ring. "Can you help us?"

The man gulped. "If the masters said you should go to that place, then I should help you," he said gravely. "Come with me."

Looking at each other, the group followed the manager into a back room, filled with trunks and stacks of outdated newspapers. Walking into the middle of the room, the manager pulled away two boxes to reveal a trap door in the floor. Opening it, he informed the group, "This is an underground passageway that the masters often use to go from here to the Valley of Kings. It will be much more comfortable than going through the desert."

"Thank you," said Kyo.

"Don't thank me, young man," said the manager. "Just…whatever you do…be wary of Master Odachi. He is a genuine psychopath." Then he looked around, as though afraid of eavesdroppers. "But you didn't hear it from me."

"Hear what from who?" and Honey winked.

One by one, the four jumped down into the trap door, and the manager shut it after them. "May Heaven help those children…" he muttered.

----------

ELSEWHERE IN CAIRO, IN THE MEANTIME

"So, exactly how far is this place supposed to be?" Miriam asked. She was walking behind Jenna as they made their way through Cairo's streets, and Malachi wasn't far behind them.

"Well, I don't really know myself," admitted Jenna. "If I could find a telephone booth or something, I could just call the place and…"

"It would do you no good," Malachi broke in. "It's only 7:10 now; business generally don't start for at least another hour, if I am correct. It would have to be dumb luck for us to find this specific taxi driver…"

Suddenly a loud honking from the other side of the street caused all three to turn. "Oy there, my friend! Remember me?" a familiar voice called cheerfully.

Jenna's face lit up. "Rashid!"

Indeed, it was the crazy Egyptian taxi driver, leaning against his car, a wide smile on his face. "Ah, Jenna, was it? I never forget a face! Oh, and I see you brought more friends!"

Miriam looked at Malachi. "Dumb luck, you were saying?"

Malachi rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

They all walked over to Rashid. "Great to see you again, Rashid," said Jenna. We were just looking for your taxi company, so we could find you."

"Well, unlike some of my co-workers, I prefer early starts," Rashid admitted. "7:00 in the morning is the time when traffic is lightest – and you know I like fast driving!"

"I haven't forgotten about that." Jenna's face became grave. "But there's a reason we were looking for you. We need your help."

"Anything for Yugo Muto's friends!" Rashid said cheerfully. "Where can I take you?"

"We need to get to Marik Ishtar's house," Miriam spoke up. "And we have to get there before a certain character does. You say you drive fast – you think you can drive fast enough to get us there in time?"

"Marik Ishtar?" Rashid appeared amazed. "What kind of business would you have with such a powerful man as that?"

"Never mind that right now," Malachi said sternly. "The point is, do you think you can get us to his house?"

"Well…admittedly, I don't know exactly where Mr. Ishtar's residence is," Rashid confessed. "I have never been anywhere near there before…"

"I have – and I'll guide you!" said Jenna. "The important thing is that we get there before that person does!"

"Okey-dokey, then! Hop in, everybody!" said Rashid cheerfully, jumping behind the wheel of his car and starting the engine. Nodding to each other, the three teens got into the car as well.

"I recommend you put on your seatbelts right now, you guys," Jenna warned.

"Say what? You serious?" Miriam asked – and suddenly the car shot down the street! "HEY, WAIDAMINNIT! TOO FAST, TOO FAAAAAAAAST!"

Watching his sister's panic at the sudden velocity, Malachi shook his head. "And she always said I was dangerous," he remarked to Rashid, who merely grinned in reply.

----------

MARIK ISHTAR'S HOUSE, 7:15

Yugo and Seta had long since finished their sandwiches, and were back on the dueling platform again. "Full of energy now, are we?" Mr. Ishtar remarked as he watched them. "Well, Step Eight of the training shall now commence, with your permission."

"Definitely!" Seta agreed.

"Let's do this then!" Yugo nodded in approval.

----------

**_neomage:_** Things are moving along at a good pace, it seems! Jenna, Malachi and Miriam continue chasing after Drake…Kyo, Shigeo, Marcus and Honey have found the secret passageway leading to JUDAS's hideout…and Yugo and Seta are almost done with their training! Keep reading, everyone, and send in those reviews!


	135. Chapter 135

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: NOT MINE!)

**CHAPTER 135**

MARIK ISHTAR'S HOUSE

The holographic system activated as Yugo's platform rose up…and then Gray Hologram emerged. "Welcome back, Yugo Muto," it greeted him. "Are you ready for Lesson 8?"

"Anytime! Bring it on!" Yugo declared.

Nodding, Gray Hologram selected nine cards from its deck, setting four of those in the deck slot and holding the remaining five in its hand. Then it drew one card, now holding six in hand. "This technique is named the Dark Royal Flush. Observe how it works. First, I shall set one card facedown, and summon a monster…for this exercise, I will use the Illusory Gentleman (ATK 1500, DEF 1600)!"

The Illusory Gentleman appeared on the field moments later; Yugo nodded as he took this in. Then Gray Hologram drew another card, leaving two in the deck slot. "And now, watch this! I summon Dark Magician Girl (ATK 2000, DEF 1700), offering the Illusory Gentleman as a tribute!"

Moments later the female mage appeared. "Then, I will activate the magic of Sage's Stone! Since I have Dark Magician Girl on the field, I can Special Summon one Dark Magician (ATK 2500, DEF 2100) from my hand or deck using this card – and he's coming from my deck this time around!" said Gray Hologram.

A moment later Dark Magician stood beside his apprentice. "Hmmm…this is just like the Dark Counter Combo," Yugo mused.

"But here is where it becomes different! Now…" Gray Hologram twiddled the three cards left in its hand. "I activate Knight's Title, offering Dark Magician as a tribute to summon Dark Magician Knight (ATK 2500, DEF 2100) from my deck!"

Dark Magician's robes transformed into armor, and his staff into a sword. "And as an added bonus, when Dark Magician Knight is summoned successfully, you can select one card on the field and destroy it – but for the purpose of this exercise, that effect will temporarily be negated," added Gray Hologram. "Now, I activate my facedown trap card, Call of the Haunted, to revive Dark Magician to the field!"

Dark Magician soon returned amidst a pile of gravestones. "Now, Dark Magician and Dark Magician Knight, attack!" commanded Gray Hologram

Both monsters lunged forward at Yugo – but their weapons stopped just inches from his face. Nevertheless, his life points went down to 3000. "…holy…!" Yugo breathed.

"Next, I'll activate the magic of Dedication through Light and Darkness, to Special Summon from my hand the mighty Dark Magician of Chaos (ATK 2800, DEF 2600)!" And as Gray Hologram played the card, Dark Magician got replaced again, this time by his stronger form. At the same time, Dark Magician Girl's ATK rose to 2300 since Dark Magician was in the Graveyard again.

"Now, Dark Magician Girl and Dark Magician of Chaos, end it!" commanded Gray Hologram. And both mages blasted at Yugo directly – missing him by a mile – but still his life points went down to 0!

"Nice…" Yugo shivered.

"Now you have seen the technique. Practice it until you have memorized it." Gray Hologram nodded, and then disappeared.

----------

Meanwhile, Black Hologram was shuffling through its deck as Seta waited patiently. "Observe this well, Seta Kaiba," said the hologram. "This is the Instant Dragon Victory combo." Then it set one card in the Fusion card zone, and held two cards in its hand. "It is very simple and very easy to pull off."

"Show me." Seta's face was full of determination.

Whereupon Black Hologram held up one of the cards in its hand. "I summon Cyber-Stein (ATK 700, DEF 500)!" And it brought forth a hulking machine monster that reminded Seta of the Frankenstein monster.

"Okay," said Seta. "But that poses no threat to me."

"But THIS will! Now I activate Cyber-Stein's effect, offering 5000 life points to Special Summon a Fusion monster from my Fusion deck – and the monster I choose…" Here Black Hologram paused for sinister dramatic effect as its life point counter went down to 3000. "The monster I choose…"

"Yes?" Seta was becoming impatient – and then it hit him. "Hey, wait a minute…"

"The monster I choose is the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon (ATK 4500, DEF 3800)!"

Suddenly there was a terrible howl as the massive monster appeared on the field. But evidently Black Hologram wasn't finished. "And now, I will activate the magic card Megamorph, to double the ATK of my monster!"

Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon's ATK skyrocketed all the way to 9000! "And now…with this, a direct attack will finish the opponent! Go, my Blue-Eyes – Neutron Blast!" commanded Black Hologram.

The dragon fired three massive blasts – and all three went right past Seto, with him standing in the middle of them as they exploded several feet behind him! "Oh…my…god…" Seta gulped as his life points went down to 0 in a rush. "Am I glad this is only a training exercise…!"

"Practice this technique until you have mastered it, Seta Kaiba," admonished Black Hologram. "I shall see you again." And with that, the hologram vanished.

----------

ON THE WAY TO MARIK ISHTAR'S HOUSE, AT THAT MOMENT

The taxi sped through the city streets as Drake made his way on his mission. "Piss off, jerk-wads!" he yelled at protesting pedestrians and people waiting for a cab as he zoomed past them, narrowly missing several innocent civilians in the process.

He shook his head as he continued to drive. "It would be so much simpler if that asshole Marik lived _within_ city limits," he grumbled. "Oh, well, we can't have everything we want, I suppose…"

----------

AT THE SAME TIME

"WHOOOOOAAAA!" Miriam screamed her head off as Rashid's taxi swerved around a corner, almost crashing into a lamppost in the process. "Jesus! Where the hell did you learn to drive, man?"

"I never went to any depot – I just went to the tax office and got my license!" Rashid replied, as coolly as if nothing was wrong.

"Look at the bright side of it, Miriam," Jenna cried. "For one, we'll be at Mr. Ishtar's place very soon! And, besides, when you don't stop to think of the danger, it's actually much more fun than a rollercoaster ride!"

Even Malachi couldn't suppress his grin now. "C'mon, Miriam, don't be so upset – this is actually kinda fun, to be going at these high speeds with a 50-50 chance of life or death!" he declared.

"OH, YOU ARE **_SUCH_** COMFORTERS, BOTH OF YOU!" Miriam yelled at both of them hysterically as the cab shot around another corner, almost hitting a parked car in the process.

----------

SOMEWHERE UNDERNEATH CAIRO

The group of four was now walking along the underground passageway. "Geez…they could've at least done some redecorating," Honey said disgustedly as she beheld the mold on the walls.

"Better suck it up," Marcus admonished her. "There are more important things to worry about right now than mere mold."

"He's right," said Shigeo. "Hey, Kyo, how much further do you think we have?"

"Believe me – the less said about that, the better it'll be for everybody's health," Kyo said ominously. "Let's just keep our Millennium Items held high, so at least we'll have some light in this damn place." For all four of their Millennium Items were glowing brightly.

"Agreed, agreed," sighed Honey.

----------

PHARAOH'S LAIR

Blaze exited the hotel room, and chanced upon Miki still waiting outside in the corridor. "How is Grandma Muto?" Miki inquired.

"Definitely exhausted from her ordeal," said Blaze. "Right now, she's sleeping like a baby."

"Good," said Miki. "She needs her rest."

Blaze regarded the younger girl. "And how are YOU doing?"

"Me? I'm fine, quite fine," Miki nodded. "I just wish…I just wish I could help the others somehow."

"But you _have_ done so much so far, Miki," Blaze reminded her. "You were the one who first suggested this trip, after all. And, just a while ago, you helped me to beat that Lassiter dude and to free the old lady from his mind control…I doubt I could've beaten him if it had been me alone."

"You're being too kind." Miki said this rather shyly, with a blush on her face.

"Hey…" Blaze laid a gentle hand on Miki's shoulder. "Whatever happens, we'll see it through to the end. For now, we just have to trust those guys to get the job done. Right?"

Miki giggled and nodded. "Right!"

"Okay. Now, how about we go down to the dining lounge and see if they have any burgers down there?"

Miki grinned impishly. "You're buying!"

----------

MARIK ISHTAR'S HOUSE, SOMETIME LATER

Mariska was in her room, slipping on her shoes, when there was a knock at the door. "It is I, Mariska," Odion's voice came through. "May I enter?"

"Yes!" she answered.

In a moment Odion's massive frame towered over the little girl. "Will you be ready to go soon?" he queried. "It is almost 7:20 now…and you still need to get downstairs and eat breakfast before I take you to the tutor."

"Okay!" Mariska said cheerfully. And with that she skipped out of the room and headed downstairs.

Odion didn't leave the room just yet, however. _All morning…I have been getting a funny feeling…as if something is going to happen soon,_ he thought to himself. _Only, what is it…?_

----------

Meanwhile, in the training room, Yugo and Seta were once again taking another break. "You two look ready to faint," Mr. Ishtar observed. "Are you sure you don't want to stop a while and rest?"

"No way, Mr. Ishtar!" said Yugo. "Too much is at stake right now! We need to continue practicing our techniques until we can execute them flawlessly!"

"But, my boy, you HAVE been executing them flawlessly," Mr. Ishtar told him. "You've learned the techniques in very short time, I must say, and I am very impressed with you both. And, by the way, I have your card rewards here for you…"

He pulled out two more cards and gave them to the boys. Seta smiled a wide smile when he saw his card. "Kaiser Glider (ATK 2400, DEF 2200)! Awesome!"

Yugo raised an eyebrow when he saw his card. "Magical Scientist (ATK 300, DEF 300)…" He raised an eyebrow thoughtfully. "Now I think I'm beginning to understand a few things…"

"Let me ask you both one question. Are you absolutely sure you don't want to take a break now?" asked Mr. Ishtar. "Because if you don't, then from here on out it will be treated as a test of endurance…and considering that we really are falling back on time…"

"We don't mind! Let's do the ninth test right now!" said Seta.

Mr. Ishtar's eyes flashed. "As you wish. Get back on the platform, both of you."

----------

ON THE WAY TO MARIK ISHTAR'S HOUSE

Drake was almost out of the city now. "Now, let me see if I can remember what I saw in that idiot guard's memory back at the corporate building," he grumbled, his fists tightening on the steering wheel. "Ah, yes…if I keep on this particular route…then from there it'll only take me half an hour until I arrive…hee hee hee…"

----------

MARIK ISHTAR'S HOUSE, 7:25 a.m.

The holographic system started up again, and Gray Hologram emerged before Yugo yet again. "Welcome back, Yugo Muto," it greeted him. "Are you ready to begin the ninth step of your training?"

"Of course! Let's do it!" Yugo said eagerly.

Gray Hologram promptly took nine cards from its deck, setting two in the Fusion deck slot and holding the remaining seven in its hand. "Then, observe," it announced. "This technique is called the Darkfire Illusion. This is how it works."

It held up one of the six cards in its hand. "I activate the field magic of Mystic Plasma Zone! This will increase the ATK of all Dark monsters on the field by 500 points in exchange for decreasing their DEF by 400!"

Then it held up another card, even as the field turned dark with the occasional flash of lightning. "Next, I summon the Magical Scientist (ATK 300, DEF 300)!" And it brought forth a bald old man in a scientist's coat, with an amulet around his neck.

"Next, I activate the effect of Magical Scientist! By paying 1000 life points, I can call forth one Fusion Monster from my Fusion deck! And I choose to summon…Flame Swordsman (ATK 1800, DEF 1600)!"

As Gray Hologram's life points went down to 7000, suddenly a majestic warrior appeared, wielding a massive orange broadsword that burned with living flame. "And now," continued Gray Hologram, "I activate Polymerization to fuse together Flame Swordsman and the Dark Magician (ATK 2500, DEF 2100) in my hand, in order to summon Dark Flare Knight (ATK 2200, DEF 800)!"

Dark Magician's ghostly form appeared momentarily on the field and combined with Flame Swordsman in a mysterious vortex; then, a moment later, a black-robed warrior with a massive shield and a flaming sword appeared. But Gray Hologram still wasn't done. "Next, I activate Monster Reborn to revive Dark Magician!"

Dark Magician arrived on the field moments later. "Next," continued Gray Hologram, "I activate Dedication through Light and Darkness, offering Dark Magician as a tribute to Special Summon the Dark Magician of Chaos (ATK 2800, DEF 2600) from my hand!"

As Dark Magician disappeared from the field, the Dark Chaos Mage emerged to take his place. "And, when Dark Magician of Chaos is summoned successfully, I can take back one Magic card from my Graveyard and add it to my hand – and I choose Monster Reborn, which I will then use to revive Dark Magician from the Graveyard once again!"

As it took back the Monster Reborn card via Dark Magician of Chaos's effect, the card was activated once again, reviving Dark Magician to the field. "And, since Mystic Plasma Zone increases all Dark monsters' ATK by 500 in exchange for lowering their DEF by 400," said Gray Hologram, "well…look at the stats…"

Yugo looked – and what he saw astounded him considerably. Because of the Mystic Plasma Zone card, Magical Scientist's DEF was now 0, but his ATK was 800…Dark Flare Knight's DEF was 400, but his ATK was 2700…Dark Magician's DEF was 1700, but his ATK was 3000…and Dark Magician of Chaos's DEF was 2200, but his ATK was now 3300! "Whoa…!" and he gulped.

"Go, my monsters – attack at once!" commanded Gray Hologram. And all of them rushed at Yugo – and went past him – but still his life points went down to 0!

"Okaaaayyy…" Yugo nodded respectfully.

"Practice this technique until you have mastered it, Yugo Muto," said Gray Hologram. "I hope to see you again soon." And it bowed slightly before disappearing.

----------

Meanwhile, Black Hologram had already selected seven cards from its deck, putting one in the Fusion deck slot and holding the remaining six in its hand as Seta watched and waited. "Observe, Seta Kaiba," said the hologram. "This technique is the Dragon King Combo. Watch and see how it is done."

It held up a card. "I summon Lord of Dragons (ATK 1200, DEF 1100)!" And a moment later the dragon spellcaster arrived on the field. Then: "Next, I activate the Flute of Summoning Dragon! While the Lord of Dragons is on my side of the field, this card allows me to Special Summon up to two Dragons from my hand – and I will summon two Blue-Eyes White Dragons (ATK 3000, DEF 2500 each)!"

Then, before Seta's startled eyes emerged two ferocious-looking Blue-Eyes! But evidently Black Hologram still wasn't done. "Next, I activate Polymerization, to fuse together Lord of Dragons and the Divine Dragon Ragnarok (ATK 1500, DEF 1000) in my hand to form – King Dragun (ATK 2400, DEF 1200)!"

Lord of Dragons and a silhouetted Ragnarok got sucked into a vortex together…and re-emerged moments later as the mighty King Dragun! "And now, King Dragun and my two Blue-Eyes White Dragons, attack!" Black Hologram commanded.

And then, just like that, all three dragons charged up their respective attacks and blasted at Seta – missing him by a hair – but still sharply reducing his life points to 0!

"Geez…" Seta whistled appreciatively. "Nice one!"

"Practice this technique, along with the others you have learned," said Black Hologram. "I hope to see you again soon…" And with that, the hologram vanished.

----------

Nearby, Mr. Ishtar smirked as he watched the boys. Then he nodded his head, his decision made. "Well, they've certainly come far," he declared. "I'll give them fifteen minutes, and then it'll be time to administer the final test…"

----------

**_neomage:_** WHEW! Only one more test for Yugo and Seta…plus, Drake is still on his way! What'll happen in the next chapter? Read on and find out, folks!


	136. Chapter 136

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: AHEM…Yu-Gi-Oh doesn't belong to me. It is originally owned by its creator, Kazuki Takahashi, and also by Kids WB and Cartoon Network.)

**CHAPTER 136**

SOMEWHERE

Odachi sat in the darkness, his eyes closed in contemplation. Then, ever so slowly, he opened his eyes. "Yessss…" he hissed. "They are all coming…yes, that's right, fools…come to me…and come to your ultimate fates…sweet, blissful death!" And he laughed a hoarse, callous laugh, one that echoed in the chamber where he now sat.

----------

SOMEWHERE UNDERNEATH CAIRO, EN ROUTE TO THE VALLEY OF KINGS

"Hmmm…" Kyo frowned as he watched his Millennium Ring, one of its five pointers glowing and pointing forward. "I wonder…"

"What do you wonder about, Kyo?" inquired Shigeo.

"Well…with everything that's happened so far, I can't help but wonder, somehow…" Kyo turned to face his companions. "These Millennium Items…each of us wields one, after having defeated a high-ranking member of JUDAS…only, why ARE we able to use their powers at all?"

"What do you mean?" asked Marcus.

"Well…" Kyo adjusted his glasses. "My father used to be the one who bore the power of this Millennium Ring. He told me that the Items were destroyed, soon after Yugo's father brought all of them together and fulfilled the conditions he was supposed to meet. And now, these Items have resurfaced, and JUDAS is stealing souls…the question I have to ask is, _why?_ Why do these particular Items – copies of their originals – exist? And why is JUDAS using them to steal souls? For what real purpose?"

"That, we can't answer just now," said Honey. "We'll only be able to uncover the answers once we arrive at the Valley of Kings."

"Can't you just use your Millennium Necklace to look back into the past and find out the truth, Honey?" suggested Shigeo.

"I COULD try that, but…that woman, Judith…her warning about using the Necklace's power sparingly is still fresh in my mind," admitted Honey. "I don't really want to have to use it unless absolutely necessary, therefore."

"Sounds like a wise choice," said Marcus. "Yes. I say let's press on and get to this Valley of Kings place, and then all will be fully revealed."

"Okay, I can go with that for now," said Shigeo. "You, Kyo?"

Kyo nodded. "Sure. Let's keep moving, then." And with that, the group of four continued onward.

----------

EN ROUTE TO MARIK ISHTAR'S HOUSE

"Wheee! This is really WICKED!" Jenna squealed. "Like, I'm not scared of this speed anymore!"

Malachi was as calm as ever, but had a smirk on his face. "As long as a good driver knows how to control his car, speed isn't an issue, or at least it ought not to be," he remarked.

Only Miriam, still quite frightened by Rashid's very evident recklessness, wasn't convinced. "You guys…!" she snapped at them. "I REALLY don't like going so fast, unlike the two of you! And – now that I think about it, it might have been far safer to take the damn helicopter instead of taking a crazy taxi driver like this one!"

For the Blue-Eyes White Chopper was still parked on the roof of the Pharaoh's Lair. "Oh, yeah – I guess I was so in a hurry to get to Mr. Ishtar's again, I forgot about GINA and the chopper," Jenna admitted sheepishly.

"Never mind," said Malachi. "It'll save gas for the helicopter if we restrict its usage. And, in any case, your friends back at the hotel may need some form of transportation of their own. Besides, that thing has its own on-board autopilot…" referring to GINA. "…and they'll need it to help them, should they ever need to use the helicopter to fly out anywhere."

"That makes sense," said Jenna.

Meanwhile, Rashid was still manning the taxi and cheerfully whistling as he overtook traffic. "Still not used to my driving, girl?" he asked Miriam.

"Trust me, I've seen crazy drivers in my time, but you – you really take the cake!" Miriam exploded.

"Never mind – we'll be there soon!" Rashid answered good-naturedly. And with that he stepped even harder on the gas and shot further down the road, Miriam silently praying in the meantime.

----------

In the meantime, Drake was still driving along, getting closer and closer to his destination with every mile. "Yes…" he chuckled. "Not much further from now…" And his Millennium Key shone brightly.

----------

SOMEWHERE, A FEW MINUTES LATER

Odachi still sat all alone, in meditation. Then he looked up. "Lassiter…took you long enough."

Lassiter entered the room, his Millennium Rod in his belt. "I must apologize, Master Odachi," and he went down on one knee. "Those kids…they managed to snap Yugo Muto's grandmother out of my mind control."

"No matter. She has served her purpose by now." Odachi nodded. "And in any case…the Great One has been given almost the complete required number of souls necessary for the resurrection."

"Then…it will soon be time?" Lassiter asked hopefully.

"That's right. Once the Great One is completely revived, then everything we have worked so hard for will come to fruition…we will have our revenge, and the Great One will rule supreme."

Lassiter nodded. "What will you have me do, Master?"

Odachi chuckled; his tattoo over his eye seemed to shine. "Simply hold your station until I call you again. And be assured that the next time I summon you…it will be to shed blood."

"Understood, sir." His eyes shining with a malevolent light, Lassiter got up and walked off into the darkness, leaving Odachi alone again.

----------

MARIK ISHTAR'S HOUSE, 7:45 a.m.

Yugo wiped the sweat off his brow. "Whew…practicing all these new techniques we've been shown is truly hard work!"

"Look on the bright side of it, Yugo," said Seta cheerfully. "We only have one more test to finish – and we have gotten this far long before the deadline. Speaking of which, where's Uncle Marik gone to?"

"Over here, nephew," Mr. Ishtar's voice called. Turning, the boys saw him coming toward them. "Come down here, guys…I have your card rewards for making it this far. Come and receive them."

The boys climbed down from the dueling platform and walked over to Mr. Ishtar, who was holding two cards in hand. "Here you go," he said, handing a card to each boy.

Yugo looked at his card and smiled. "Versago the Destroyer (ATK 1100, DEF 900)…this'll make things a bit more simple and interesting, I dare say."

And Seta smiled as he examined his card. "Dragon's Rage – such a nice card, this is…"

"Boys, lend me your ears."

Hearing the serious tone in Mr. Ishtar's voice, they looked up at him. His face was extremely stern now. "True, you have both come a long way in my training program in a short time. But now…now comes the most difficult of all the ten tests. If you can pass this test, then not only will you both get special cards that will work extremely well with your respective strategies, but you will also prove to me that you're both worthy of being referred to as duelists."

The boys looked at each other. "Sure thing, sir," said Yugo. "Only, what is the final test going to be?"

Now Mr. Ishtar smirked. "You will both have to duel – and defeat – ME!"

Seta's jaw dropped. "Huh? Duel you, Uncle Marik? Are you serious?"

"Yes." Mr. Ishtar's eyes narrowed. "I may not have dueled in a long time, I know; but I am most certainly not rusty. I am still quite aware of how cards work, and I am very much up-to-date with all the new cards that have been coming out. So…"

All this time he had had one arm behind his back; now he brought it forward to reveal a Duel-Disk strapped to it. "So, fellows, come on! Fight me, at the same time, both of you – and defeat me! Do this, and your training will then be complete!"

"And…if we lose…?" Yugo asked hesitantly.

Mr. Ishtar didn't bat an eye as he answered. "Then you will both have to go through all the previous nine tests again – from scratch!"

Seta nodded decisively. "Then that simply means we can't afford to lose."

"And THAT means we simply won't!" added Yugo. "Okay, Mr. Ishtar! We'll take the challenge!"

Mr. Ishtar nodded with approval. "As I knew you would."

Nodding to each other, Yugo and Seta took out their Duel-Disks, put them on and activated them. They then stepped back so that there was enough distance between them and Mr. Ishtar. "Ready, sir?" Yugo called.

"Of course!" Mr. Ishtar reached into a pocket and pulled out a deck, which he slotted into his Duel-Disk. "Now, boys, since it's two against one, I will fight with 8000 life points, but both of you will only have 4000 life points each. If I happen to defeat only one of you, don't worry – your losing conditions will only apply if I can beat _both_ of you. This," and here he paused for some emphasis, "will be done to avoid any ill feelings arising between the two of you later."

Yugo and Seta nodded in understanding.

"Now, since you understand, let's do this!" announced Mr. Ishtar.

"Time to duel!" shouted Yugo.

"C'mon, let's fight!" Seta added his voice.

The familiar holographic coin appeared between them. "How about you call it, Uncle Marik?" suggested Seta.

"How considerate of you," replied Mr. Ishtar. "Then I shall call tails!"

The coin eventually landed – and it was indeed tails. "Good! So I will go first!" said Mr. Ishtar.

As Yugo and Seta's life point gauges each went up to 4000 and Mr. Ishtar's to 8000, all three each drew five cards. Then Mr. Ishtar drew a sixth, and appeared quite pleased at his hand. "Good…very good," he murmured. "To begin, I will set two cards facedown, and summon Newdoria (ATK 1200, DEF 800) in Attack Mode!"

He summoned a bizarre-looking monster with a spiked restraint wrapped around its head. "And that's all I'll do for now," he announced.

"I'll take this turn," said Seta. "You can take the turn afterwards."

"All right, do what you feel's best," agreed Yugo.

Whereupon Seta drew his card. "Okay! I'll summon Rapid-Fire Magician (ATK 1600, DEF 1200), in Attack Mode!" And he summoned his newly-acquired magician monster.

"Hold it!" said Mr. Ishtar. "I activate my trap card, Bottomless Trap Hole! When you summon a monster with 1500 ATK or more, that monster is destroyed and removed from play!"

A massive pit opened underneath Rapid-Fire Magician's feet, and he disappeared into it, never to return. "Damn…" Seta growled as he removed the monster card from play.

"But that's not all! Now, I'll activate my other trap card, Mask of Restrict!" announced Mr. Ishtar, flipping his other card face-up. A massive mask hovered over the field as he performed this action. "Now, as long as this card remains on the field, nobody can offer any monster as a tribute, no matter what the situation!"

"Damn it…" Yugo flinched as he looked at his cards. "This isn't good…not by a long shot!"

"Tell me about it!" exclaimed Seta, looking at his own hand in dismay. "Well…I'll set one card facedown, and end my turn."

Mr. Ishtar drew another card, and smiled. "How extremely convenient for me, I dare say!" he said smugly. "All right – now I summon Etoile Cyber (ATK 1200, DEF 1600) in Attack Mode!" And he brought forth a red-clothed woman with blue ribbons wrapped around both arms.

"But that's not all! Now I activate the power of the magic card, Banner of Courage!" And then, as Mr. Ishtar played the card, to Yugo and Seta's complete and utter surprise numerous flags appeared on the older man's side of the field!

"As long as this card remains on my side of the field, during each of my Battle Phases only, the ATK of my monsters will be increased by 200 points," explained Mr. Ishtar. "Watch!" And as he gestured toward his monsters, Banner of Courage's flags flowed in the breeze, increasing Newdoria's ATK to 1400 and Etoile Cyber's ATK to 1400 also!

"And now…Newdoria, attack Yugo directly!" commanded Mr. Ishtar. Newdoria dashed forward with a headbutt to Yugo's stomach, knocking him back and sharply reducing his share of life points to 2600. Then: "Etoile Cyber, it's your turn! Attack Seta directly!" And Etoile Cyber danced forward toward Seta, her ribbons swirling around her hands – but suddenly her ATK shot up to 1900!

"What in the …" was all Seta could manage before he suddenly felt the ribbons slashing at his torso, reducing his share of life points to 2100!

"Oops, looks like I forgot to mention Etoile Cyber's effect," said Mr. Ishtar, chuckling as said monster returned to his side of the field. "If she attacks my opponent's life points directly, her ATK is increased by 500 points only during the Damage Step of that attack."

"How convenient…that you should remember that only now," grumbled Seta darkly, gingerly feeling his injuries.

"Well, I end my turn now. Do what you need to do, fellows." And Mr. Ishtar chuckled, even as his monsters' ATK returned to normal.

Seta looked across at Yugo. "Hope you got a good plan, Yugo…"

Yugo drew his card…then considered the six cards he now held for a moment. "It appears, Seta, that I just might…"

"Well, then let's see it!" Seta urged.

"Okay." Yugo held up one of his cards. "First…I'll activate my magic card, Pot of Generosity! This will allow me to choose two cards from my hand and return them to my deck, after which I must shuffle my deck!"

Seta glared at Yugo. "THAT is your brilliant plan?" he complained.

Yugo said nothing, but simply returned two cards to his deck, leaving him with three in his hand; he then shuffled his deck. Mr. Ishtar watched him with a critical eye. "Hmmm…"

Then Yugo straightened up again. "And now, I activate another Magic card, Dark Magic Curtain! This card allows me to, at a cost of half my life points, Special Summon one Dark Magician (ATK 2500, DEF 2100) from my deck to the field!"

Suddenly, to the others' amazement, a massive curtain of energy opened up before Yugo – and from that stepped the Dark Magician! "Nifty way of summoning a particularly powerful monster without needing to tribute any monsters," said Yugo slyly. "Of course, once I use Dark Magic Curtain, I can't summon any other monsters in the same turn…" And his life points dropped to 1300 for Dark Magic Curtain's effect.

Now Seta was smiling. "Nice going, Yugo!" he praised his friend. "Sorry I doubted you just now."

Mr. Ishtar merely smiled.

"And lastly, I'll set these two cards facedown," and Yugo set the last two cards in his hand in the magic/trap slot. "Now, time to attack! Dark Magician, blast Etoile Cyber into oblivion!"

Dark Magician raised his cane and blasted a large ball of purple energy at Etoile Cyber. She got incinerated in flames, and Mr. Ishtar's life points went down to 6700.

"And _that_ is only the beginning, sir," and Yugo chuckled at Mr. Ishtar. "You'd better watch out – because we're gonna win this duel in no time at all!"

----------

**_neomage:_** (WARNING: Very Long Rant Ahead!)

Okay. Now, it's things like this that really, _truly_ piss me off. On February 14, 2006, Valentine's Day, I found five reviews in my inbox, all coming from an anonymous reviewer. And what did I see? Nothing but utter criticism and name-calling. Names like "elitist ass," "dub hater," and "friendless bastard." Criticism of how I do my disclaimers. Expressing a hope that I will die. Saying I don't belong on this earth. Hurling an accusation that I'm pretending to be cool so everyone will like me.

Well…you know what I say? I am not asking you to like me, my story, or my writing style. But if you are going to send me reviews with nothing but criticism and threats, with no suggestions as to how I can improve…**_THEN JUST DON'T READ MY STORY IN THE FIRST PLACE!_** Any time I get reviews of such a volatile nature, I will simply DELETE them without giving them a second glance! And for anybody who wants to call me names simply because they don't like the way I have written any of my stories…it's attitudes like that that prove that YOU are the ones this planet could do well without!

And for all my fellow fanfic writers, any time you get similar hate mail in your reviews list, just do as I did and delete them if all they have are threats and flames with no hint of constructive criticism or encouragement. Frankly, they're not worth your time or your health.

(P.S. To anybody who ever reads some of these Yu-Gi-Oh fics and accuses us writers of being dub-haters…obviously you never heard of the original Japanese version, which had lots of adult themes…because the show itself wasn't originally aimed at kids. It became so when 4Kids Entertainment got the rights to the show in English and decided to cut out a lot of stuff in order to make it kid-friendly. While I'm not stopping you from watching this softer version of Yu-Gi-Oh, **_PLEASE, FOR GOD'S SAKE, REMEMBER THAT THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE WHO LIKE THE ORIGINAL UNCUT VERSION TOO!_**)

(end rant) Whew! Now I feel a whole lot better! And to my loyal fans…please continue reading and enjoying this story as it progresses! The next chapter awaits you!

UPDATED 17/12/2006: The card Seta gets from Marik in this chapter…it was originally the trap card D. Tribe, but I decided to change it to the trap card Dragon's Rage. I couldn't figure out any good situation where D. Tribe would be properly applicable…


	137. Chapter 137

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Whoo-hoo! I AM BACK! And I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!)

**CHAPTER 137**

MARIK ISHTAR'S HOUSE

As the tenth and final test continued, the stats of the exam duel were shown: Yugo had 1300 life points, and Seta had 2100, giving them a combined total of 3400; Yugo held no cards in his hand, while Seta had five; and on their side of the field they had Yugo's Dark Magician in Attack Mode, and three facedown cards. On the other side of the field, Mr. Ishtar had 6700 life points, two cards in his hand, and on the field he had Newdoria in Attack Mode, plus his Banner of Courage magic card and Mask of Restrict trap card were still very much active.

Now Mr. Ishtar took his turn and drew another card. "It's good to see so much fire coming from you," he remarked, "but don't start getting too pumped up just because you destroyed one of my monsters! I am still ahead of both of you – and it's going to be a difficult game if you truly intend to beat me!"

"Then show us what you've got!" said Seta.

"That I will." Mr. Ishtar nodded with decision. "Now, then. I'll set one card facedown, and also set one monster facedown. That will end my turn."

Seta took his turn again, drawing one card. "Now, I summon Kaiser Sea Horse (ATK 1700, DEF 1650) in Attack Mode!" And he brought forth his seahorse fighter, spear in hand. "Go, Kaiser Sea Horse – attack his facedown monster!"

But as Kaiser Sea Horse dashed forward, Mr. Ishtar shook his head. "Impulsive, now, aren't we?" he quipped. "I activate my trap card, Dark Spirit of the Silent! This card will negate one monster's attack and force another monster on your side of the field to attack instead!"

Kaiser Sea Horse suddenly stopped in his tracks, and a ghastly spirit rose up from Mr. Ishtar's trap card. The spirit flew forward and collided with Dark Magician – and possessed him! "Oh, no! Dark Magician!" Yugo cried out.

"Heh, heh…" Mr. Ishtar smirked even wider now. "Now, the duel's going in my favor!"

Even as he struggled against the spirit now controlling his actions, Dark Magician nevertheless raised his staff and fired an energy blast at the facedown monster. But as the card was flipped face-up – to Yugo and Seta's mutual astonishment a red robotic sphere with claw-like legs leaped forward and wrapped its legs around the magician's body!

"That is my Blast Sphere (ATK 1400, DEF 1400)," said Mr. Ishtar. "When it is attacked while facedown, it's treated as an Equip Magic card and equipped to the monster that attacked it. Then, on my opponent's next Standby Phase…both the Blast Sphere and the monster it's equipped to will be destroyed, and my opponent will take damage equal to the equipped monster's ATK!"

Seta paled. "…no…I've doomed us both…"

Yugo shook his head. "Not yet – this duel isn't over till we win! C'mon, Seta, think – isn't there any way we can get rid of that thing quickly, before it blows us both to kingdom come?"

Seta examined the field. "This bites…I've got good monsters in my hand, but…as long as that Mask of Restrict is on the field, I can't summon them!"

Yugo looked steadily at him. "Yet, there must be a way! Come on, dude – THINK!"

Seta frowned as he looked at the field. Then he looked at his hand. "Hmmm…I wonder…could this actually work? Yes…maybe…just maybe…"

Mr. Ishtar regarded him curiously. "You on to something there, rocket scientist?"

Seta chuckled now. "Well, _dear_ uncle, let's find out if this is rocket science or real skill, why don't we?" he queried. "Okay – now I activate the magic of one card from my hand – POLYMERIZATION!"

Mr. Ishtar's superior grin disappeared almost immediately. "Uh-oh…"

"The Mask of Restrict, apparently, doesn't include monsters that are summoned by Fusion Summon," said Seta. "Monsters that are on the field and used in a Fusion aren't tributed – they're merely sent from the field to the Graveyard. And now…" His eyes twinkled. "I'll combine the Dark Magician with Versago the Destroyer (ATK 1100, DEF 900) from my hand to form…Dark Flare Knight (ATK 2200, DEF 800)!"

A ghostly silhouette of Versago the Destroyer appeared on the field and merged with the Dark Magician…then, just as suddenly, Blast Sphere released its hold on the mage and tumbled away, exploding out of harm's way. "And now…watch this transformation! Versago's effect states that he can be used as a substitute for any one Fusion-material monster!" said Seta. "And right now, he's acting as a substitute for the Flame Swordsman (ATK 1800, DEF 1600), in order to fuse together with Dark Magician and summon the Dark Flare Knight!"

Suddenly a blast of black flame erupted on the boys' side of the field…and then, from that stepped the Dark Flare Knight, wielding his sword and shield with malevolence. "And now…I end my turn," chuckled Seta. "Whatcha got for us now?"

"Still plenty, believe me," said Mr. Ishtar ominously.

The older man then drew his card, so now he held two. "Hmmm…now, THIS is something quite intriguing," he remarked. "But not just yet. For now, I'll shift Newdoria into Defense Mode, and end my turn."

Yugo took his side's turn once again, drawing a card to replenish his empty hand. "That Mask of Restrict is becoming one major eyesore," he announced. "It's time to bring a little combo of mine into play!"

"Just what are you thinking of doing?" asked Seta.

"Watch and see!" Yugo then pointed to the field. "I'll flip over one of my trap cards, Pitch-Black Power Stone!"

At once the Power Stone emerged on the field, sprouting its three Magic counters. "Then I'll activate my other trap card, Miracle Restoring!" added Yugo, even as the other trap activated. "I'll remove two of my Magic counters from the field to summon Dark Magician from the Graveyard!"

Two of the Power Stone's counters vanished – and a moment later Dark Magician reappeared in a ball of light. "And now…" Yugo held up the card he'd just drawn. "I activate the magic card, Dark Magic Attack! This'll use Dark Magician's power to destroy every Magic and Trap card on your side of the field!"

Dark Magician raised his staff – of his own volition this time – and fired a massive blast of energy at Mr. Ishtar's magic/trap slots, destroying all the cards there. "Now, we're free to tribute monsters again!" he crowed jubilantly.

Mr. Ishtar regarded the boys. "So, then…why don't you attack and destroy my Newdoria? Up to now you've had a few chances to do so, but you haven't."

"We're not dumb, Uncle Marik," said Seta sagely. "We're well aware of Newdoria's effect – when destroyed as a result of battle, it allows you to select and destroy any one monster on the field."

"That's right," nodded Yugo. "So, I'll end my turn. Make your move, sir."

The score now looked like this: Seta still had 2100 life points, and Yugo still had 1300, giving them a combined total of 3400; once again, Yugo had no cards in his hand, while Seta now had three; and on their side of the field they had Seta's Kaiser Sea Horse and Yugo's Dark Magician and Dark Flare Knight, as well as one facedown card. Mr. Ishtar, on the other hand, still had 6700 life points, he had two cards in his hand, and on the field he had Newdoria in Defense Mode.

Mr. Ishtar quickly drew a card. "Ha! This is truly wonderful!" he chuckled. "All right, boys – prepare to experience the biggest shock of your lives!"

"Huh?" Yugo and Seta looked at him, puzzled.

Mr. Ishtar then held up the card he'd just drawn. "I activate the Ritual magic card, Black Illusion Ritual! This allows me to offer one Level 1 or higher monster from the field or my hand as a tribute to summon the powerful Relinquished (ATK 0, DEF 0)! And…I'll offer my Newdoria as the sacrifice for this ritual!"

A massive sacrificial altar emerged on the field, and Newdoria was caught up by some invisible force and placed on the altar. As Yugo and Seta watched, the monster disappeared in a massive billow of smoke; and then – to their utter surprise – a blue monster emerged from the altar, with no head but with a massive eye protruding from what seemed to be its neck. It had no legs, but appeared to levitate by its own power. "Say hello to my mighty monster, boys," said Mr. Ishtar triumphantly.

Seta looked at the monster's stats. "And this is supposed to frighten us, because…why?"

"Just observe," said Mr. Ishtar.

Suddenly, Relinquished's eye began to glow. Then the next thing the boys knew, Dark Magician began to float toward Mr. Ishtar's side of the field! "Hey, what is this? Come back here, Dark Magician!" cried Yugo.

"Sorry, boy, but he is under MY control now," Mr. Ishtar informed him. "For you see, that is the effect of Relinquished: It can take on the ATK and DEF of any monster on your side of the field, though it can only take on the power of one monster at a time." And just then, the ATK and DEF of his monster shot to 2500 and 2100, even as – much to Yugo's disgust – Dark Magician appeared to be sucked into Relinquished! "And, the monster is treated as an Equip card and equipped to Relinquished when it uses its effect like this."

"Hooo boy…this is bad!" Yugo exclaimed. "At this rate, he'll practically destroy us with our own monsters!"

Seta's eyes narrowed. "We'll see."

"Sorry to insult you, Yugo, but your very own monster is going to be the very thing that destroys you!" cried Mr. Ishtar. "And now, Relinquished, take out that Kaiser Sea Horse!"

Relinquished's eye began to glow again – and this time it fired a bright blast of energy toward Kaiser Sea Horse…but suddenly Seta shouted, "You forgot I had a facedown card on the field, didn't you? I activate the trap card, Sakuretsu Armor!"

Kaiser Sea Horse's body suddenly became covered in spiky armor that deflected the lethal attack; the beam went straight through Relinquished's chest, destroying both it and its captive Dark Magician! "Damn it!" Mr. Ishtar swore.

"Aw, c'mon, Uncle; surely you didn't really expect we'd just roll over and take the ten tests all over again, did you?" Seta quipped.

"Well, congratulations on countering my attack there," said Mr. Ishtar, "but even if you summon any monster now, it still won't mean a thing – because I still have more life points than both of you!"

Seta's eyes twinkled. "Then I guess I should take this opportunity and do something about that, shouldn't I?" he asked.

Whereupon he drew his next card, and now he held four. "Okay! Now…I summon Kaibaman (ATK 200, DEF 700)!" And a moment later the trench-coat-wearing, dragon-helmeted warrior emerged, smirking.

Mr. Ishtar's eyes narrowed. "Then, if you've summoned that monster…"

"Yep!" Seta nodded decisively. "That means I can offer him as a tribute to Special Summon my mighty Blue-Eyes White Dragon (ATK 3000, DEF 2500)!" And he played another card from his hand.

Immediately Kaibaman began to transform in a blur of light…until a massive howl could be heard as Seta's trademark dragon appeared on the field. "And now," Seta announced, "with my Blue-Eyes White Dragon present alongside the Dark Flare Knight and the Kaiser Sea Horse, and with absolutely nothing on your side of the field to protect you – this is the end of the duel!"

Yugo chuckled. "Yes…with but one command, we can have all three of our monsters wipe you out, sir. This duel is done."

Mr. Ishtar stood there, looking at the boys for the longest moment. Then slowly a smile spread over his face. "Seta…if it hadn't been for your Sakuretsu Armor trap card protecting you, I would've been able to win this duel. Truly, your natural caution has proven itself here. And you, Yugo…your diversity and quick adaptability shows, too. Both of you have definitely earned a few traits from your fathers…and have even surpassed them in potential." He nodded with decision. "It is settled. You two are worthy of my final two gifts to make your decks even stronger than they were previously."

And with that he placed a hand over his deck, and surrendered the duel.

The holograms on the field disappeared slowly; Yugo and Seta deactivated their Duel-Disks. "We…we did it! We've completed the training!" Yugo whispered.

"WHOO-HOO!" Seta cried victoriously, pumping one fist into the air. "Who's the badass now?"

Mr. Ishtar chuckled and reached into a pocket. "And now, boys, here are your rewards," and he pulled out two cards. He handed one to Yugo, and the other to Seta. "Only by defeating me could you prove yourselves truly worthy of bearing these cards. Use them well, and may they bring you the necessary strength to bring JUDAS to its knees."

Seta examined his card. "Tyrant Dragon (ATK 2900, DEF 2500)…"

Mr. Ishtar noticed the thoughtful expression creeping up on his nephew's face. "Something troubles you, Seta?" he asked.

"Well…not really…it's just…" Seta looked slightly out of the corner of his eye at Yugo; the other boy was engrossed in examining the card he'd gotten. Then, in a whisper, he went on, "Before I came here to Egypt, Dad gave me something…something far more powerful than this or even the Blue-Eyes White Dragon…"

Mr. Ishtar's eyes widened. "Do you mean…the card he sealed…?"

Seta nodded gravely. "The card that he sealed away, after Mom died."

Mr. Ishtar sighed. "I see…so he saw it necessary to unseal the card after all." Then he looked at Seta with narrowed eyes. "And I expect he told you not to use that card unless it became absolutely necessary?"

"He did."

"Then I will give you the same word of advice as he has done. Refrain from using that card unless you understand it to be absolutely necessary." Mr. Ishtar nodded. "When your father retired from Duel Monsters, that card became his wedding gift to your mother. It was his own unique way of telling her that he was offering his own heart to her always…a heart of genuine purity…and as far as I can recall, she always had that card with her, up until the last week of her life." He looked intensely at Seta. "That card is the bond that connects you, your father and your mother together…unless absolutely necessary, do not use it, whatever you do. Ensure that nothing happens to it, come what may."

"I understand, Uncle Marik." Seta nodded with determination.

Then Mr. Ishtar walked over to Yugo. "So, how do you like your new card, Yugo?" he inquired.

Yugo smiled and held it up – it was Mirage Knight (ATK 2800, DEF 2000). "The other half of Dark Flare Knight's power," he whispered softly. "I remember…my father used to tell me about this card…how it was the strongest of all his Dark Magician-themed monsters…"

"And also the most unique, in that it's a Warrior-type instead of the usual Spellcaster-type," said Mr. Ishtar. "Its power is something magnificent, let me assure you. Use it wisely, and it will serve you well."

Yugo nodded solemnly. "Yeah."

----------

At that very moment the clock in the hall was saying 7:54. "Hurry up, Mariska!" Odion called impatiently as he stood at the doorway, waiting for Mariska to come outside.

"Okay, coming!" Mariska cried from inside. "Just…need…to finish eating!"

Odion shook his head, but couldn't help smiling. "That child…always loves to dawdle with her food till the last minute…"

He walked down the steps from the doorway and walked toward the limousine, parked right there at the front. Not far away, leaning on the wall of the house, was Master Seta's Blue-Eyes White Motorbike. "Hmmm…how soon will their training with Master Marik be done, I wonder?" Odion asked aloud.

Presently a footfall arrested his attention; looking around, he saw Mariska, her books in hand. "Ready!" she announced.

Odion sighed. "We are going to be a few moments late," he reprimanded her. "You should learn to eat your breakfast promptly, instead of playing with it. Food is not like toys, you know."

"I know," said Mariska, giving him a completely innocent look.

_Do I ever hate when she gives me that sad puppy-eyed innocent look…how can I scold her when she looks like that?_ Aloud Odion announced, "Well, into the car with you!"

Mariska took two steps down the front steps – and then paused. "Odion, look!" she said excitedly, pointing in the direction of the front gate.

Puzzled, Odion turned to look – and his eyes widened in astonishment. A car was rushing toward the closed gate at what appeared to be breakneck speed!

"Oh, holy Ra!" Odion started – right before the car slammed into the gate and snapped it off its secured hinges. But the car didn't stop even then – it continued right up the driveway, right toward the front steps!

"Mariska! Run now!" Odion cried, and Mariska complied immediately…getting safely through the front door only moments before the car slammed into the limousine, Odion himself diving narrowly out of harm's way.

----------

The loud noise of something crashing outside caught the three's attention. "What on earth is going on?" asked Yugo, bewildered.

Mr. Ishtar's eyes widened in realization. "Odion! Mariska!" And he turned and made a wild dash for the exit. Yugo and Seta followed right behind him.

The trio rushed all the way up the several flights of stairs leading back to the outside. Throwing the door open, Mr. Ishtar stepped out – and stood stunned at what he saw. "Oh, my Lord…"

"Papa!" Mariska came running from the front door, crying, into Mr. Ishtar's arms. "Oh, Papa!"

"Master Marik!" Odion's voice called from behind a clump of bushes not far away, as he emerged unscathed. "Look at what this scoundrel's done!"

The limousine's side was completely smashed in, emphasized by the odd-looking taxi-cab now attached to it. The force of the taxi's impact had pushed the much bigger limo some considerable distance, into the orchid patch Odion had always tended to, crushing those flowers completely. "Not the orchids…" Odion whispered weakly, falling to his knees as he observed his handiwork's total destruction. "Miss Ishizu's orchids…"

"What happened here, Odion?" demanded Mr. Ishtar. "Who was driving this taxi?"

Suddenly, as if for answer, the taxi's front door was kicked outward – and then, emerging from within, very unscathed, was a man in a green robe with a wicked smirk on his face. Suspended from his neck was a golden ankh-key, glowing brightly! "I must apologize for my entrance, everyone, but there was no other way to get past your security gate," he said sarcastically.

"Who…are…you?" Mr. Ishtar spoke very slowly, very angrily.

"Oh, forgive me, Mr. Marik Ishtar," said the figure. "My name is Abel Drake…and I am here to steal all your souls for JUDAS!"

----------

**_neomage:_** Oh, dear – just as Seta and Yugo have completed their training, Drake decides to show up! Well, keep reading this, everybody – it's about to get sizzling HOT!


	138. Chapter 138

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: BWA HA HA HA! Yu-Gi-Oh isn't mine at all!

**CHAPTER 138**

EN ROUTE TO THE VALLEY OF KINGS

As the group of four walked along in the underground cavern, Honey suddenly stopped. "Guys…"

"What's wrong?" asked Kyo, turning to look at her.

"I feel…as if something's happening…" Honey glanced behind her. "Right where Seta is…"

"Well, whatever it is, Seta must be capable of handling it," said Marcus patiently. "Right?"

"Definitely," agreed Shigeo. "He's not Seta Kaiba for nothing."

Honey nodded, a small smile on her lips. "True. Thanks, you guys."

"Then let's keep going," said Kyo. And with that the group continued onward.

----------

MARIK ISHTAR'S HOUSE

"Abel…Drake…" Yugo said the man's name slowly. "Then you're the one Malachi kept talking about!"

"Ah, you must be Yugo," Drake addressed him. "Malachi has told you about me, has he? I'm honored. But all that aside, I'm here on a mission…and that is to steal Marik Ishtar's soul for JUDAS!"

"Steal my soul?" Mr. Ishtar said icily.

"Yes, yes," Drake nodded. "My master had commanded me to capture your soul, sir, as it will be quite a booster in fulfilling our plans. But…" He licked his lips and grinned. "Who would've thought that Yugo Muto and Seta Kaiba would be here, as well? I just KNOW the Master will reward me handsomely when I return with your souls as well!" He then glanced at Odion, and then at Mariska. "Of course, witnesses can't be left either…so your souls are forfeited as well!"

Mariska clutched tightly to her father. "Papa…" she whimpered fearfully.

Odion's face, however, was undisguised rage. "Honor-less slime!"

Drake grinned more widely. "Thank you. I try."

Suddenly the sound of another vehicle caused them all to look up. "What now?" moaned Seta.

The next thing they knew, another taxi was tearing up the driveway toward them – and then it braked to a stop only a few feet away from where they stood. "Sorry we are late, everybody," a jovial-sounding voice rang out, "but here we are!"

Yugo's face lit up. "Rashid!"

The doors to Rashid's taxi flew open, and out came Jenna, Miriam and Malachi. "Guys! Did we get here in time?" Jenna asked worriedly.

"Hey there, Jenna," Seta greeted her. "Been a little while."

"You're just in time, Jenna," said Yugo. "We could really use the backup right about now."

Then both boys glanced behind Jenna – and did a double-take. "HUH?"

"Yes, guys, it's us," said Miriam coolly. "Me and my brother Malachi."

"Whoa – What're THEY doing here, Jenna?" Seta demanded, his eyes as big as saucers.

"Well, they came here to help us," Jenna answered. "And they've done so much so far, too."

An exasperated Seta walked up to Jenna, grabbed her by the shoulders, and started shaking her. "ARE YOU NUTS? THAT'S MALACHI JORDAN STANDING RIGHT THERE, THE GUY WHO WENT PSYCHO ON ALL OF US DURING THE INTERCONTINENTALS! P-S-Y-C-H-O, PSY-CHO! AND YOU'RE SAYING HE'S _HELPING_ US?"

"Seta…please…getting dizzy…" Jenna protested, her eyes now in swirls.

Rushing up, Yugo managed to separate the two. "Hey, Seta, don't be shaking Jenna like this!" he scolded. Then he turned to Jenna. "But…are you sure he IS on our side?"

"Relax yourselves, both of you," Malachi himself spoke up. "We may have been enemies in that tournament, but for today, we're sharing a common foe. And in this case…" Here he looked up and gave Drake a spiteful eye. "My share…is standing right over there."

By this time Odion had relocated so he was standing next to Mr. Ishtar. "Master, that young man…who is he?" he whispered.

"Don't you remember the Intercontinentals?" Mr. Ishtar asked with some surprise. "That young man is Malachi Jordan, the fellow Yugo defeated to claim the championship. And, I gather, that young woman with him is his younger sister Miriam."

Drake, meanwhile, was looking at the whole proceedings with amusement. "Oh, how lovely…the stagehands are here to offer up more props in this play's act," he sniggered.

Malachi turned to his sister. "Oy, sis…stay by the car. This guy is mine."

Miriam nodded. "Be careful, bro."

Nodding, Malachi walked slowly over to where Drake stood even as the others watched in wonder. "Hmmm…this is gonna be one serious confrontation, what with the bad blood between these two," Yugo whispered.

"Yeah, I kinda agree," said Jenna, having completely recovered from Seta's shaking.

Seta's eyes narrowed as he watched Malachi. "Well…let's just hope he doesn't go psycho on us this time."

Now Malachi stood a couple of feet away from Drake. "I thought I'd never see your face again," he declared. "But I guess I was wrong. Now…I'm gonna take great pleasure in smashing your face into the ground."

"Pffft…is that any way to talk to your benefactor? I took you and your sister in, clothed you, fed you, brought you up…" Drake started.

"BROUGHT US UP?" Malachi retorted. "You piece of scum…all you did was manipulate us – manipulate _me!_ We all lived in terror of you…and for a little while I went insane because of your doing!"

"If that's true, then why aren't you ranting and raving and foaming at the mouth like the mongrel you are?" Drake asked scornfully.

Malachi closed his eyes momentarily. "Because…I happened to meet a certain somebody…who not only didn't fear me as so many others had, but who actually understood my loneliness and my anguish. That someone could relate to me, in his own little way. He did a lot for me…and now, I'm gonna repay that debt."

Yugo didn't know what to say. _Malachi…_

"Hmph." Drake spat to the side. "The only debt you'll be paying, runt, is the one you owe me. I brought you up so you'd serve a great purpose in our scheme of things…now, I guess I'll just have to kill you."

"Funny – that should be my line," replied Malachi. "Wait right there."

As Drake crossed his arms and looked on, Malachi turned and headed back for Rashid's taxi. Opening the back door, he pulled out his Duel-Disk and strapped it on. "Let's do this!" he cried.

Drake smirked. "As you wish…but may I remind you, I was the one who first taught you how to play Duel Monsters. It seems now that you still have a few lessons left to learn!" And he revealed his own Duel-Disk.

"Come on." Malachi's tone was determined.

The two walked onto the lawn not far away from the front steps. Drake then activated his Duel-Disk and chuckled. "Boy…you will regret ever challenging me!" he announced.

"Do your worst." Malachi's eyes narrowed as he braced himself.

Suddenly, the Millennium Key began to glow with massive power. The next thing Malachi knew, they were being surrounded by numerous shadows! "This place…all over again…" he whispered.

----------

Watching from his cab, Rashid was amazed to see something resembling a large cloud of smoke surrounding Malachi and Drake. "My word, what on earth is going on?" he wondered.

But Miriam's eyes widened in sudden horror. "No…not that…not again…!" she choked.

"Huh?" Seta turned to look at her. "You know what this is?"

"…horrible…" Miriam whispered.

Yugo stared at the black mass. "Damn…I can't see anything past that fog…"

Suddenly, almost as in reply, his Duel Force slowly leaked out and surrounded his eyes. Jenna, seeing this, was astonished. "Uh…what's going on, Yugo? What's happening with your eyes?" she asked warily.

"Never mind that right now, Jenna," said Seta – and looking at him, Jenna saw that some strange energy was surrounding _his_ eyes, too. "I'll explain later. Right now…I can see what's happening…"

----------

THE SHADOW REALM

"How about I let you go first this time…for old times' sake?" Drake asked jeeringly.

"Whatever. I intend to destroy you here and now, one way or the other." Malachi didn't flinch even for a bit.

"Then if that's your intention, how about we raise the stakes a little?" said Drake. "Here, in this Shadow Game, each time one of us loses life points, flames of darkness will emerge to burn us. If you lose, you will be burned to ashes…and if I lose, well…"

"Whatever, man. Let's just get this over with," growled Malachi.

"Then let's duel!" said Drake.

They both drew five cards; then, taking Drake's offer, Malachi went first and drew a sixth card. "Okay! To start off I'll set one monster facedown in Defense Mode, and also I'll set one card facedown. That will end my turn for now."

"Nothing you can do will be able to stop me, boy! Absolutely nothing!" Drake bragged as he drew a card. "Now, then…I will set one monster facedown, and also I'll set three cards facedown. And I end my turn."

Malachi's eyes narrowed some more as he took this in. "Hmmm…playing as cautiously as ever, aren't you?"

"I see no reason not to," replied Drake.

Malachi drew again. "All right. In that case…I will summon Gravekeeper's Assailant (ATK 1500, DEF 1500) in Attack Mode!" And he brought forth his masked Gravekeeper, knife in hand. "Destroy that facedown monster!"

The Assailant rushed forward and stabbed at the facedown monster. But when the card was flipped face-up, it revealed a turtle with a pyramid for a shell – much to Malachi's sudden shock. "No…!"

"I see you remember my Pyramid Turtle (ATK 1200, DEF 1400)," said Drake sneeringly. "When it's destroyed and sent to the Graveyard via battle, I can Special Summon one Zombie-type monster with a DEF of 2000 or less from my deck in face-up Attack or Defense Mode. And the monster I'll choose is…Vampire Lord (ATK 2000, DEF 1500)!"

Suddenly a massive coffin emerged from the ground in front of Drake; from that coffin emerged a pale-skinned, blue-haired monster wearing a tuxedo and bat-like wings as a cape. "But that's not all I aim to do," Drake informed Malachi. "Now, I'll activate the trap card, Robbin' Zombie!"

Then, from Drake's magic/trap slot emerged a bulky zombie wielding a spirit sword and holding a bag in one hand. "Now…every time one monster on my side of the field inflicts Battle Damage to your life points, you must send one card from the top of your deck to the Graveyard!" Drake announced with triumph.

Malachi growled. "I won't let you! I activate my trap card, Nightmare Wheel, to trap the Vampire Lord!"

As the giant wheel with teeth emerged, it rolled toward the Vampire Lord. But suddenly Drake bellowed, "NOT! I activate my trap card, Tutan Mask!"

As the second of Drake's facedown cards flipped up, a mighty Aztec-like mask emerged and blocked the Nightmare Wheel, causing it to smash to pieces upon impact! "What…!" Malachi could hardly believe his eyes.

"The Tutan Mask could only be activated when you activated the effect of a Magic or Trap card that specifically targeted one face-up Zombie-type monster," revealed Drake. "Then, the Tutan Mask would negate that card's effect and destroy it. Your plan has failed."

"Damn you…!" Malachi seethed.

"Just like in the past," Drake chuckled. "All the time, I'd string you along and force your defeat down your throat. Now, it will be no different."

"Grrr…I end my turn…" Malachi grumbled.

Smirking cruelly, Drake drew another card. "All right…now I summon Nightmare Horse (ATK 500, DEF 400) in Attack Mode!" And he brought forth a horse that appeared to be made of blue flame, partially wrapped by brown bandages. "And now…Vampire Lord, destroy his Gravekeeper's Assailant!"

Wrapping his wings around him, Vampire Lord seemed to disappear into thin air – then suddenly reappeared behind Gravekeeper's Assailant, sinking his fangs into the enemy's neck. Gasping only once, the Assailant twitched as the vampire sucked his blood; then, he fell limp, before disappearing from the field. At the same time, Malachi's life points shot down to 7500 – and black flames shot out from the shadows around them and hit Malachi in the back, sending him staggering!

"Good! Now, Robbin' Zombie, do it!" Drake pointed to his face-up trap card and laughed. Immediately the Robbin' Zombie rushed forward and slashed at Malachi's Duel-Disk, effectively sending the top card on his deck to the Graveyard.

"And there's more," said Drake evilly. "Each time Vampire Lord inflicts Battle Damage to your life points, I can declare one card type – Monster, Magic or Trap. Then, you select one card of the type I choose, and discard it to the Graveyard. And now I choose…Magic cards!"

Flinching, Malachi went through his deck and selected a Magic card, the Smashing Ground card, and sent it to the Graveyard. "You…are a real bastard…"

"But I'm not done just yet! Nightmare Horse, it's your turn – attack directly!" Drake instructed.

"WHAT?" Malachi started, and with good reason – he still had his facedown monster on the field, yet Drake had instructed the Nightmare Horse to attack directly.

"Oh, believe me, he's able to do that," said Drake. "Nightmare Horse's effect allows him to attack directly even if there is a monster on your side of the field. Go now, Nightmare Horse – fight!"

Galloping past the facedown monster card, Nightmare Horse swiftly turned its backside to Malachi, hoisting itself forward on its front legs and delivering a massive kick with its hind legs to Malachi's chest. Pushed back by this attack as his life points went down to 7000, Malachi cried out as another blast of flame hit him in the leg, causing him to stumble!

"Argh…" Malachi was still hurting from the burn injury to his back, and now he had to contend with a burn to his leg. "Why, you…" But before he could finish his statement, Drake's Robbin' Zombie trap card activated again; the zombie in question slashed at his Duel-Disk again, and again the top card on his deck got sent to the Graveyard.

"Useless twit! Do you really think for a moment that you have any hope left?" Drake taunted. "Well…you're just a weakling…just like my fellow researchers, back when I was still in the field…they all laughed at my suggestions that the legends of the ancient Pharaoh defeating an evil force 3000 years ago were actual fact, but…in the end, I crushed every single one of them between my fingers…and I'll soon do the same to you!"

Just then Malachi began to chuckle. "And what, may I ask, could be so goddamn funny?" Drake asked, annoyed.

"Heh…just like before…you always had to be in control of things…and even back at that time…you were still hated…" Malachi slowly stood up, wincing at the pain in his leg as he did so. "Ever wonder why? I've thought about it for years now…and I think I've hit upon an answer. You were always a sadistic, evil prick…always spouting off about how your fellow researchers ridiculed your findings…but you know what I think? Maybe it wasn't that they treated you like trash, and that caused you to become the wicked man that you are…maybe they treated you like trash _because_ you were a wicked man from the beginning – only you would never admit to it!"

Drake's eye twitched. "You…know…nothing."

"If that's the case…" Malachi's grin became more malicious. "…then why is your eye twitching – which it only ever did whenever you got upset about something?"

Now Drake was livid. "Shut your mouth, boy!" he yelled. "Mark my words…you were troublesome back when I headed the Lightbearers cult…and you're still troublesome, even now! Know this – before I am done with you, I'm going to tear your heart out, roast it on a spit, and EAT it!"

Malachi shook his head. "You'll have to beat me first…old prick."

----------

**_neomage:_** Another chapter's out of the way! Yay!

Well, well, well…just when I'm finished recovering from a wave of pointless flaming, I go to my inbox and find a rather long one. So, this time, in accordance with the rules of I will address it as civilly as possible, while utilizing the power of the Millennium Keyboard to do the necessary justice:

Quoting the latest, ahem, attempt at a review, complete with spelling errors and all: "I want to have the bigest rewiew!This is the most mest up pile of shit of a story that has ever been sent onto this fucked website for gays!" Followed by "THIS SUCKS!" repeated in ALL CAPS about over 200 times, and ending with "HARD." You know what this review and any other one like it tells me? It tells me that there really are people out there who lack an eye for creativity and originality, and that are seemingly low on politeness and intelligence. Sadly, the person who wrote it seems to be one of them. So, they mustn't expect to be able to review any more of my stories from now on if they plan on being this rude, not only to me, but also to EVERY person who submits stories to and, by extension, to the people in charge of else – thanks for your reviews, comments, criticism (constructive ones that is) and suggestions! And yes, I am officially dubbing my humble keyboard an honorary Millennium Item (maybe I'm the first to do this to my keyboard! -) Keep reading, everyone!


	139. Chapter 139

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: neomage is the owner of this story. Kazuki Takahashi is the owner of Yu-Gi-Oh. Utter boredom is the owner of pointless flames.)

**CHAPTER 139**

MARIK ISHTAR'S HOUSE

"This is extremely scary, my friends," Rashid remarked, looking at the swirling black mass on Mr. Ishtar's front lawn. "Like one of the horror films."

Miriam looked woefully at the black mass. "Malachi…"

Not far away, Jenna was still quite confused. "I don't get it…how come I can't see what's going on past that black mass, but you guys can?" she protested of Yugo and Seta.

"Allow me to explain, dear," said Mr. Ishtar. "Since the time you were here, those two have been training…and learning to harness a powerful and mystical force that, it seems, has been sleeping within them for a long time. We've decided to call it their 'Duel Force,' since we don't know its true origins right now and we can't think of any better name for it, anyway."

"Duel Force…?" Jenna asked in wonder.

"That's right. From what I've seen, this Duel Force allows those two a mental link with their respective decks and, consequently, with their monsters," said Mr. Ishtar. "Think about it. Do you have a Duel Monster that you feel most comfortable around when you summon it, or that you feel provides you the greatest protection?"

Jenna nodded slowly. "The Red-Eyes Black Dragon (ATK 2400, DEF 2000)…"

"That is how it is for them," said Mr. Ishtar, turning to look at Seta and Yugo, "only, in their case, it is far more advanced. They're able to learn and master certain dueling strategies quite rapidly, and the Duel Force also – to an extent, I'm guessing – allows them to draw just the right card when they need it most. Unfortunately, that's about all I know."

"Well, from the looks of things…it's also letting them see things nobody else can see," Jenna noted thoughtfully. "Guys, what do you see?"

Yugo's tone was grim when he answered. "It's not good, Jenna. Not good at all."

----------

THE SHADOW REALM

Malachi's life points were at 7000, while Drake's stood at an untouched 8000. Malachi had four cards in his hand, and on his side of the field he had only one facedown monster in Defense Mode. Drake held two cards in hand, while on the field he had Vampire Lord and Nightmare Horse in Attack Mode, the Robbin' Zombie trap card active on the field, and he also had one other card facedown. And now, it was Malachi's turn once again.

Drawing his next card, Malachi examined the situation before him. If he lost any more life points, very likely he'd be burned to a crisp. And already he'd lost some cards directly from his deck – he couldn't afford to lose any more. "Okay," he announced, "now I know what I'm going to do."

"And, pray tell, what could that be?" asked Drake, still miffed at Malachi's earlier attempt at psychoanalysis.

"I'll Flip Summon my Gravekeeper's Spy (ATK 1200, DEF 2000)!" And Malachi's facedown monster was flipped face-up, revealing one of his trusty Gravekeepers. "When flipped face-up, his effect allows me to Special Summon a Gravekeeper from my deck that has 1500 ATK or less, after which I must shuffle my deck. And I choose…Gravekeeper's Curse (ATK 800, DEF 800)!"

His deck began to shine with a bright light; a moment later he pulled out a card and summoned his now-glowing Gravekeeper's Curse to the field. "And, when Gravekeeper's Curse is summoned, he inflicts 500 points of damage to your life points!" Malachi told Drake – and as if to reinforce the point, Gravekeeper's Curse blasted a ball of fire at Drake, hitting him in the chest and reducing his life points to 7500!

"Ungh!" Drake winced from the attack's severity – and then cringed as the Shadow Realm's blast of black flame hit him on the side!

"Take that, Drake!" Malachi chuckled. "Now it's my turn to have you running like the scared little man you are!"

"I would highly advise you to be very, very careful with your choice of words, BOY," said Drake acidly. "I'm not done with you yet – not by a long shot!"

"Hmph. You don't scare me – not anymore. I'm not the frightened little boy you used to be able to intimidate," said Malachi. "And now, I'll prove it. I'll set two cards facedown, and now…Gravekeeper's Spy, destroy the Nightmare Horse!"

Gravekeeper's Spy slid forward, as smoothly as a shadow, and re-emerged behind the Nightmare Horse, blasting it from behind with a magic spell. Then, as Drake's life points went down to 6800, black flames shot out from the surrounding shadows, scalding him again. "You…little…dog…" Drake growled menacingly.

"Woof, woof," Malachi taunted.

Drake drew another card – and his mood brightened considerably. "Ah, now THIS is something useful!" he exulted. "Now, observe, you brat! I activate the magic card Heavy Storm, to destroy your facedown cards as well as all cards in my magic/trap slot!"

A massive hurricane-force wind began to blow, heading right for Malachi's magic/trap slot. But Malachi shook his head. "I don't think so, Drake! I activate the trap card, Judgment of Anubis!" And he discarded a card from his hand.

Suddenly a large black sphinx with a jackal's head emerged on Malachi's side of the field. From the mouth of this sphinx, a strong blast of air was blown that somehow dispelled the Heavy Storm's effect. At the same time, that blast of air hit Vampire Lord square in the chest, instantly dismembering him and causing him to vanish – and Drake howled as the air cut into his skin, reducing his life points to 4800! Then, as if that weren't bad enough, more black flames shot out, burning Drake some more!

"Why…how…what the hell happened?" Drake demanded to know.

"That was the effect of my Judgment of Anubis trap card," explained Malachi. "By discarding one card from my hand when you activated a Magic card that could destroy Magic or Trap cards, I was able to negate your card's effect…and at the same time, I selected one of your face-up monsters and inflicted damage to your life points equal to that monster's ATK."

"You…think you've got it all figured out, do you?" asked Drake.

"Put it this way," replied Malachi. "If you hit me, I WILL fight back – with twice the viciousness."

Drake merely scoffed. "Fight back? You've got balls, talking like that…but I'll put you in your place very soon, or my name isn't Abel Drake!"

With that he looked at the two cards remaining in his hand. "Now, then! I'll set one monster in Defense Mode…" And this he did. "…and activate the magic card, Swords of Concealing Light!"

Suddenly, three shadowy swords shot down from above and hit Gravekeeper's Spy and Gravekeeper's Curse – and to Malachi's amazement, both crawled back underneath their representing holographic cards, and the cards were turned facedown! "What the hell is this?" Malachi demanded.

"It's the effect of my Swords of Concealing Light," explained Drake. "When it's activated, it changes all monsters on your side of the field to facedown Defense Mode…and as long as this card stays on the field, your monsters can't change their battle positions. Don't worry, though – this card will disappear in my next two Standby Phases – but by then it'll be all over for you!"

"Are you done?" said Malachi.

"Pretty much, yeah," admitted Drake. "Only, what can _you_ possibly do now?"

Malachi quickly drew another card, then examined the three he now had in his hand. "Okay, then…I'll play my magic card Pot of Greed and draw two cards from the deck!" And this he did. "And now, I activate my trap card – Pyramid of Light!"

As his so-far-dormant card was flipped face-up, suddenly the light outline for the Pyramid of Light emerged and formed all around them – and both were encased in a massive light that, for a moment, illuminated the darkness of the Shadow Realm.

"Your very own flashlight," Drake muttered. "Brilliant."

"Now…I'll invoke the Pyramid of Light's power, and pay 500 life points to Special Summon my mighty Andro Sphinx (ATK 3000, DEF 2500) in Attack Mode, straight from my hand!" Malachi announced…and then his life points went down to 6500.

Almost immediately the Pyramid of Light shone momentarily as its light formed into the shape of the Andro Sphinx – and a moment later it appeared in full form, growling menacingly at Drake. "Seems my monster wants to eat you," remarked Malachi. "Unfortunately, I can't attack with Andro Sphinx the same turn I summon him. _But_ I can summon another monster – Gravekeeper's Cannonholder (ATK 1400, DEF 1200)!"

Moments later the bazooka-wielding Gravekeeper emerged on the field. "Now…blast that facedown monster straight to Hell!" Malachi commanded. And Gravekeeper's Cannonholder readied himself, firing a blast of energy at Drake's facedown monster. But as that monster was flipped face-up – to Malachi's immense shock he felt a severe backlash as his life points went down to 6400 – and more pain as a dark flame from the shadows hit him again! "Ouch! What on earth…?"

"I believe you're already familiar with this monster of mine…the Soul-Absorbing Bone Tower (ATK 400, DEF 1500)," Drake answered calmly, even as the massive tower of bones shot up into the sky, right to the very top of the Pyramid of Light's point. "And, since his successfully defending against your puny attack did damage to your life points, Robbin' Zombie is activated once again." And as if on cue, the offending zombie slashed at Malachi's Duel-Disk once again, forcing the top card on his deck to go to the Graveyard.

"I must say, thank you for helping me get this monster face-up. Now…" Drake grinned evilly. "Now the fun can really begin. All you need to do is say that you end your turn…since you can't do much else, anyway."

Swallowing with some difficulty now, Malachi reluctantly said it. "Yes. I end my turn." But in his mind he was raging, _You bastard…you've played me for a fool!_

The score now stood at Malachi with 6400 life points, and Drake with 4800. Malachi had two cards in his hand; Drake held none. On the field Malachi now had his face-up Gravekeeper's Cannonholder, his Andro Sphinx powered by his Pyramid of Light trap card, and his Gravekeeper's Spy and Gravekeeper's Curse forced into facedown Defense Mode by Drake's Swords of Concealing Light; Drake, on the other hand, had his Robbin' Zombie trap card still active, not to mention his Swords of Concealing Light magic card, plus he still had one other facedown card he hadn't activated up to now, and he had the Soul-Absorbing Bone Tower in Defense Mode.

Drake then drew another card…and when he looked at it, he smiled. "And now…it begins."

Suddenly – and Malachi's jaw dropped when he saw it – a massive coffin emerged from the ground…and from it emerged none other than Vampire Lord! "But – I destroyed that thing!" Malachi protested.

"Allow me to explain," said Drake coolly. "If at any time Vampire Lord is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard by a card effect, such as what you pulled off with your Judgment of Anubis trap card earlier, then Vampire Lord is Special Summoned to my side of the field during my next Standby Phase. And, there's more too…each time a Zombie-type monster is Special Summoned successfully as long as the Soul-Absorbing Bone Tower remains on my side of the field, I get to send two cards from the top of your deck to the Graveyard!"

Suddenly, from the very top of the tower, a skeletal bat flew down and scratched at a startled Malachi. It knocked off the two cards on top of his deck and sent them to the Graveyard! "Damn it!" Malachi cried out.

"And there's more," said Drake. "As long as another Zombie-type monster remains on my side of the field, the Soul-Absorbing Bone Tower cannot be chosen as an attack target. How nice for things to turn out this way for me!"

"You little…" Malachi seethed.

"Now, end of Standby Phase…what should I do…?" Drake then looked at the card he'd drawn, and got an idea. "Heh, heh, heh…Oh, kiddo, have I got some bad news for you!"

"What? What are you babbling about now?" demanded Malachi.

"I'm about to make the greatest nightmare of all come to life!" explained Drake. "Now, first things first. I activate the magic card Pot of Greed, which lets me draw two cards!" And, playing the card from his hand, he quickly drew two more.

"Now, watch this, boy!" Drake then held out a hand to the facedown magic/trap card he'd had for so long. "I activate my facedown magic card, Tribute to the Doomed! By discarding one card from my hand, I can select one monster on the field and destroy it – and I choose your insufferable Andro Sphinx!"

His magic card finally flipped face-up as he discarded a card to the Graveyard. Suddenly, below Andro Sphinx's feet emerged a large ring of light, sucking the monster into it. Malachi watched in horror as Andro Sphinx let out one feeble growl before a sudden blast of energy from below decimated the creature! "DAMN YOU!" Malachi exploded when he saw this.

"And, as I recall, Andro Sphinx cannot be Special Summoned from the Graveyard," Drake noted thoughtfully. "Hee, hee, hee…now the fun truly begins."

Malachi gritted his teeth. _What on earth is he planning to do?_

Then Drake held up the last remaining card in his hand. "And now…I'm going to summon a beast of great power…a beast that will have you bowing in terror before me, just as you did all those years ago!" he declared. "See the Vampire Lord over here? I'm going to remove him from play to summon my deck's lord and master – Vampire Genesis (ATK 3000, DEF 2100)!"

Vampire Lord's eyes began to glow bright red as muscles all over his body began to strain at his clothes. Then, here, there and everywhere, those muscles tore at his clothing, and he began to grow far taller than he had before. His wings spread out much further than before, and his fangs became even bigger and longer as his face turned far less humanlike and far more beast-like. Malachi could only stand there and stare in astonishment as the creature before him experienced a frightening metamorphosis. "Holy…"

"Now, my Vampire Genesis is here," sneered Drake. "And, let's not forget…his summon was a Special Summon, so the Soul-Absorbing Bone Tower's effect forces you to discard two cards from the top of your deck to the Graveyard once again!"

Again a skeletal bat flew down from the top of the tower and attacked Malachi, and again he lost the top two cards on his deck to the Graveyard. "Not again…" he groaned.

"Okay – time to show you what my new beast can really do!" said Drake, feeling very proud of himself. "Vampire Genesis, attack and destroy that pathetic Gravekeeper's Cannonholder!"

Vampire Genesis raised an arm, slashing downward with its claws and cutting the Cannonholder into several pieces with one strike – and Malachi's life points consequently went down to 4800, tying him with Drake. Then Drake's Robbin' Zombie trap card activated again, and Malachi lost the top card on his deck to the Graveyard. "Okay…now we've got equal life points," Malachi noted.

"But the other stats of this duel aren't exactly equal, don't you realize that?" Drake demanded. "I've taken down one of your strongest monsters…several of your other monsters have been neutralized by my Swords of Concealing Light…and, as I recall, I've been able to send several of your cards straight from your deck to the Graveyard. I have the upper hand over you, boy…just as I always have!"

Malachi cast a glance at his Graveyard pile. _I hate to admit it, but he's right…by my count right now, my deck's gone down to about half or so…and I've lost some of my best cards because of his card effects…if I don't get a good card on my next turn, chances are good he could finish me off altogether! And then…_

Drake crossed his arms and smirked. "Look at you now," he taunted. "What happened to the smart-mouth attitude you had just moments ago, eh? Or is it that you're just realizing your inferiority?"

"Shut your face," Malachi hissed. "You may have trained me, but you know next to nothing about me!"

"Don't I?" countered Drake. "Well, little Malachi, permit me to tell you something…something I've always purposely kept from you, so you could never turn against me – although you ended up doing so, anyway." His eyes glowed with a sinister light. "It concerns your mother."

Malachi reared up at that. "What? Stop talking crap!" he shouted. "You never met my mother!"

"Goes to show you just how much you know," said Drake scornfully. "But you'd better shut up and listen. Firstly, when you and your sister came under my wing, I altered your memories with this…" And he fondled his Millennium Key. "…so that you'd remember only what I **_wanted_** you to remember. According to what you think you know, your mother abandoned the two of you when you were very young…correct?"

Malachi stared hard at Drake. "What are you saying?"

Drake chuckled. "I'm saying, she never abandoned you in the first place." His voice dropped almost to a whisper. "She was killed."

Malachi started at that; he flinched as though he'd been hit. "YOU LIE!"

"No, I'm not lying," Drake replied. "In fact, if you don't believe my word, then how about this? I'll put your memories back in their proper order…just the way they were before I tampered with them…and then you will see for yourself." And he held the Millennium Key, pointing it straight at Malachi, as it started to glow with a sinister light.

----------

_Suddenly a flood of memory rushed past Malachi's eyes. He saw himself, six years old once again, cradling in a corner with a whimpering Miriam holding him tightly. Not far away, he could hear a woman's voice – and it sounded so familiar – from an adjoining room begging something of someone. "Please…why are you doing this? Leave us alone! We have no money!" he heard the woman pleading._

_Then a voice he knew all too well replied to the woman's pleas. "Woman, we're not here for money," Drake's voice replied coldly. "We have come for something far more valuable…your souls."_

_"Our…souls? What are you talking about?" cried the woman, obviously confused._

_Drake spoke again, this time with a leer in his voice. "Souls of the innocent…of those who die, not knowing why they die or why they suffer…these are the souls necessary for our purpose," he said. "You don't need to know why you're going to die. Just know that it is for a great cause."_

_Then Malachi could hear muffled screams as the sounds of a razor reverberated throughout the place. "Mommy…?" he heard his six-year-old self saying fearfully, leaving Miriam behind and heading for the door, pushing it open slightly so he could peek out._

_A horrific scene greeted him: a familiar-looking woman was sprawled out on a table, a knife shoved deep into her abdomen as she bled all over the place. Standing over her, in his green robe, with two brown-robed people watching behind him, Drake held an orb in one hand as – to Malachi's shock – something resembling mist seeped out of the woman's body and into the orb!_

_"MOMMY!" little Malachi screamed, throwing the door open and rushing at Drake. One of the brown-robed men rushed forward and grabbed the little boy, however, holding him firmly even as he kicked and screamed._

_"Here's one of the kids, boss," the brown-robed man said. Then he looked into the room where Malachi had barged in from. "And I see the other one, too. Shall I take their souls now?"_

_Drake looked Malachi square in the eye. Slowly a grin crept over his face. "No…spare the children," he replied. "It seems they just might be useful to us, after all. They just need the right nurturing…" And he stepped forward toward Malachi, the strange ankh-key hanging from his neck glowing brightly…_

----------

Drake nodded triumphantly. "So, now you know the truth," he declared to Malachi. "That's right, boy…I killed your mother, and I took her soul…and at the last moment I decided to let you and your sister live, so you two would become my guinea pigs."

Malachi just stood there, his eyes wide but vacant, taking in what he'd just seen. Slowly he reached a hand to his face, as his hair overshadowed his eyes. "My mother…never abandoned us…?"

"Nope. I killed her." Drake sounded smug.

Malachi's hand fell limp at his side. "All this time…all this time I kept nurturing a secret hope…that one day…I could see her again…only to find out now…that that will never happen…" He let out a sob. "Mother…oh, god, Mother…"

Suddenly the Millennium Key began to shine with a blinding light. "Huh?" Drake was caught off-guard. "What on earth—! I didn't invoke the Key's power! What's going on?" Then…ever so slowly, he looked up at Malachi. "Oh, dear…don't tell me he's…!"

A bright colorful aura was surrounding Malachi's being, even as the darkness of the Shadow Realm twisted and turned and the Pyramid of Light's energy crackled like lightning. His hair was being tossed and turned wildly; a massive wind was blowing here and there, so strong that Drake himself had to brace his footing.

Then Malachi slowly looked up – and what Drake saw unnerved him. Malachi's eyes, normally green, now flashed amber. **_"Drake,"_** he spoke up, and his voice leaked pure poison. **_"I'm. Going. To. Kill. You."_**

----------

**_neomage:_** Hee, hee, hee…Malachi is PISSED now, folks! What will happen in this deadly Shadow Game? Keep reading to find out, everyone!

UPDATED 23/06/2006: Edited for the reason I outlined in Chapter 58. Go check it out for details.


	140. Chapter 140

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: I only own this story and some cards.)

**CHAPTER 140**

MARIK ISHTAR'S HOUSE

Watching the duel with his Duel Force enhancing his vision, Yugo flinched. "Oh, man…"

"You see it, too?" whispered Seta.

"What? What's going on?" asked Jenna.

"That Drake…he just got Malachi seriously upset," replied Yugo. "Things are about to get real ugly…"

Not far away, Miriam shivered. "Malachi…"

----------

THE SHADOW REALM

Drake was truly startled. "What…what the hell IS this…?"

Malachi glared at him out of altered eyes. "I'm gonna finish this duel shortly…and when I do, you will BURN."

The stats of the duel were as follows: Malachi and Drake were tied at 4800 life points. Malachi had two cards in his hand, while Drake now held none. On the field Drake had his Robbin' Zombie trap card and Swords of Concealing Light magic card active, plus he had the Soul-Absorbing Bone Tower in Defense Mode and Vampire Genesis in Attack Mode. By contrast, Malachi had his Pyramid of Light trap card still active, and his Gravekeeper's Spy and Gravekeeper's Curse were still forcefully facedown in Defense Mode because of Drake's Swords of Concealing Light.

Malachi drew his card, very slowly and deliberately. "Now…your Swords of Concealing Light will vanish on your next Standby Phase," he reminded Drake. "But even before then…I'm going to start making the little time you have left a living hell. And when I'm through, you will understand that being dead in Hell will be better for your health than being alive in this world with me around."

"Talk, talk, talk – is that all you can do?" Drake asked, irritated.

Malachi's eyes flashed. "No. But soon, YOU won't be able to any longer…when I tear your lying tongue out of your head."

Then he looked at the three cards in his hand. "Now…I will set one monster in Defense Mode, and set one card facedown. And now…I'll offer another 500 of my life points to invoke the Pyramid of Light's power…and Special Summon my Sphinx Teleia (ATK 2500, DEF 3000) from my hand – in Defense Mode!"

The Pyramid's borders shone brightly, and so did his deck – and very soon Sphinx Teleia was kneeling in front of her master, even as his life points went down to 4300. "And I end my turn," Malachi declared.

Drake took his turn and drew his card – and just at that moment his Swords of Concealing Light finally vanished. "Well, well…who would've thought I'd get so lucky so soon?" he remarked. "All right. I will set this card facedown." And that he did. Then he straightened up and examined the three facedown monsters on Malachi's side of the field. "Well, I already know what two of those are – and I won't take a chance to find out what that other one is! So, Vampire Genesis, destroy Malachi's facedown Gravekeeper's Spy!"

Vampire Genesis slashed downward with one massive set of claws, destroying the indicated Gravekeeper. "And, of course, I haven't forgotten his flip effect – you get to Special Summon a Gravekeeper from your deck as long as it's got 1500 ATK points or less," said Drake. "So, go ahead – choose!"

"Don't rush me, you old weasel!" Malachi snapped, going through his deck. "Okay – I choose Gravekeeper's Watcher (ATK 1000, DEF 1000) to be Special Summoned in Defense Mode!"

A moment later Gravekeeper's Watcher arrived on the field, in a crouching position. "That's pretty much all you can do right now," scoffed Drake. "Against the might of Vampire Genesis, you are NOTHING!"

"Pffft. You're a senile old fool, is what you are," Malachi shot back.

"Senile? No, no, no…just watch me and see what I plan to do! I'm going to tear you apart piece by feeble piece – that is, if the Shadow Realm's fires don't claim you first!" Drake retorted. "And now…I end my turn. What else can you possibly do, brat?"

Malachi drew his next card with a grim face. "Here's something I can do! I activate my trap card, Dust Tornado!"

Suddenly, as his card was flipped face-up, a massive tornado began to blow. "This card allows me to destroy one Magic or Trap card on your side of the field!" said Malachi triumphantly. "And, since I can't risk losing any more cards in case I lose life points – I'm targeting your Robbin' Zombie!"

Drake hissed in anger, but there was little he could do as the tornado rushed straight at his trap card, destroying it. "Afterwards, Dust Tornado's effect says I can set one Magic or Trap card from my hand," said Malachi, smirking. "But I won't do that right now, because now…"

"What?" Drake asked suspiciously.

"I'll shift Sphinx Teleia to Attack Mode!" Malachi declared, shifting his lioness monster as he spoke. "And then…" Grinning wickedly, he held up the last card in his hand. "I activate the Magic card, Riryoku! This allows me to decrease the ATK of one monster by half and increase the ATK of another monster by the same amount till the end of this turn! And…I think you have an idea who I'm gonna target with this…"

Realization dawned on Drake's face. "You wouldn't!" he yelled.

"Watch me!" Malachi played the card. "Now…I'll decrease the ATK of Vampire Genesis by half – and increase Sphinx Teleia's ATK by an equal amount!"

As Drake watched in horror, Vampire Genesis faltered…then hunched over…then was on hands and knees as its ATK drained down to 1500. In the same instant Sphinx Teleia became more feral, snarling and baring vicious fangs as her ATK went up to 4000! "This is not possible!" Drake shouted.

"And now…" The energy around Malachi's body flashed brighter. "Sphinx Teleia…it's time to play! Wipe out Vampire Genesis!"

Flapping her wings, Teleia flew forward and grabbed a weakened Vampire Genesis with one paw, hoisting the monster into the air. Vampire Genesis tried to fight back, but was no match as it was eventually torn to shreds by Teleia…and in the next instant, massive balls of flame shot out from everywhere and slammed into Drake with ruthless force as his life points shot down to 2300!

"Feel that, Drake? It's called pain…and you'd better get used to, because where you're going, that's all you'll feel," Malachi said coldly.

Drake had fallen to the ground after being hit by the flames; now he stood up again, smoking, but with a grin on his face. "Is that all you got, boy?"

"You really should know when to stay down. Then again…you always were the stubborn kind," and Malachi shook his head.

"Well, permit me to give you a bit of a revelation," chuckled Drake. "Remember the facedown card I set last turn?" and he indicated the facedown card in his magic/trap slot. "Well…THAT is the card you should have destroyed with your Dust Tornado just now! True, you may have defeated my Vampire Genesis – but I've got something far worse!"

"You're babbling again," said Malachi, in disgust. "Just say what you mean."

"I mean…this!" said Drake. "I activate my facedown trap card, Destiny Board!"

Suddenly, as Drake's card was flipped face-up, a sinister ghost emerged, bearing on its body the translucent letter "F." It hovered way above Drake's head, over his magic/trap slot. "What the hell is that?" Malachi wondered.

"I'm glad you asked," said Drake, smiling broadly. "As long as this card remains on my side of the field, each time you end your turn from now on, one Spirit Letter will appear on my side of the field, so that there will be a total of five letters including the letter F that you see here. And, when they are all together in their proper order to spell the word…I will automatically win the duel, and you will be banished to the shadows to rot for eternity!"

Malachi's eyes narrowed as he absorbed what Drake had said. "Great…so a bunch of ghosts will escort me across if I fail to kick your ass," he muttered. "Okay, fine. I end my turn." And as he said this, Sphinx Teleia's ATK went back to its regular 2500.

As Malachi said that, suddenly a light shone from Drake's deck…and then a moment later, another ghost appeared, bearing the letter "I." This took its place beside its brother ghost, as Drake chuckled. "You were a fool to challenge me, boy," he declared. "And now…I'll show you my real power!"

Without warning, the Millennium Key began to glow. As Malachi took this in with some amazement, Drake's features began to change: His hair began to grow longer than before, his eyes' irises disappeared until all that could be seen were the whites, and the top half of his robe tore outward and spread out from his back like bat's wings. His skin turned ghastly pale, almost making him resemble a zombie!

"Oh, Malachi…" Drake spoke, and his voice was hollow. "Time…for you…to die!"

Malachi's face turned stone-cold. "Bite me."

The stats of the duel had changed quite significantly. Drake's life points were now at 2300, while Malachi's were at 4300. On the field Malachi now had Sphinx Teleia in Attack Mode, Gravekeeper's Curse in facedown Defense Mode and Gravekeeper's Watcher in face-up Defense Mode, plus one other unknown monster facedown in Defense Mode, and in addition he had his active Pyramid of Light trap card. By contrast, Drake had only his Soul-Absorbing Bone Tower in Defense Mode, plus his Destiny Board was active with two letters, "F" and "I" on the field. Neither of them had any cards left in hand at present.

Drake took his turn and drew his card. "Aha! How incredible!" he chuckled in triumph. "All right, then. I activate the magic of Dark Hole, to destroy every monster on the field!"

Malachi started in horror. "You can't - !"

"I can, and I will, little prick!" Drake snapped back as he activated the card. "Now, all monsters, begone!"

A massive black hole emerged on the field at that moment, sucking in every monster on the field. "This blows!" Malachi cried, instinctively shielding himself with both arms.

"Hee, hee, hee…now, it's become a waiting game," said Drake. "Which of us can get a monster on the field first, huh? Let's find out!"

"You are twisted by far," growled Malachi. "Then again, you always were."

"Hmph. Bold words, coming from a guy who should know his place," said Drake. "Know this, though – your mother died screaming…and so will you, very soon."

Malachi's eyes went wide with rage. "Don't you dare speak of my mother!" he exploded. "You – YOU – have no right!"

"Well…now I end my turn," and Drake sighed contentedly, pleased with himself. "Only, what can you possibly do against me? Just like in times past – nothing!"

Malachi drew his next card, scowling fiercely. _Damn it…even if I get a monster on the field, if I can't bring down his life points completely before he completes that word on his Destiny Board, I'm screwed!_

Then suddenly he looked at the card he'd drawn – and his hopes brightened. _What…? I have THIS card in my hand? I guess all is not lost yet!_

"All right, Drake…I'll set this card facedown, and end my turn."

Drake's deck shone again, and another letter popped up to be added to the Destiny Board, this one being the letter "N." Drake laughed. "It's useless, kid! Absolutely nothing you do can stop me now!" he hollered.

With a grand flourish, he drew another card. "Ahhh…I summon Master Kyonshee (ATK 1750, DEF 1000) in Attack Mode!" And he brought forth a blue-skinned monster wearing a scroll-mask that completely concealed its face, dressed in Chinese kung fu clothes. "Attack directly, my beast!"

Master Kyonshee did a cartwheel forward, flipping and kicking Malachi in the stomach and reducing his life points to 2550. Malachi gagged as he absorbed the force of the kick – then screamed in agony as a blast of black flame shot out from the surrounding shadows and hit him square in the back, flooring him!

"Damn…" Malachi grimaced as the pain of the fire told on his body. "Well…have a dose of this! I activate the trap card, The First Sarcophagus!"

The card he'd set moments ago now flipped face-up, revealing the sarcophagus. Drake narrowed his eyes when he saw it. "That coffin," he muttered. "I haven't forgotten it…you used that to summon that infernal creature, that day when you turned against me and killed everyone in the Lightbearer cult…"

"Then you should remember this card's exact effect," Malachi chuckled, in spite of his pain. "During each of your End Phases, I can bring forth the Second Sarcophagus, and then the Third Sarcophagus…and once I have all three Sarcophagus cards on the field…well, you remember, right? And you're so intelligent…you don't need me to tell you what'll happen next…"

Drake frowned. _I see…so it's become a race…a race to decide who will finish whom first…_ "All right. I end my turn."

Suddenly the First Sarcophagus opened up, revealing the Second Sarcophagus hidden within. The second coffin then floated out and was laid down in another magic/trap slot before Malachi. "These coffins will soon be the ones that you're buried in," Malachi declared darkly.

"When pigs fly, you impudent little skunk!" Drake answered.

Then Malachi drew his next card – and did a double-take when he saw what it was. _I see…but I have to wait until…_ "All right! I end my turn!"

As Malachi said this, Drake's deck shone yet again – and a fourth ghost emerged, this time bearing the letter "A." This one took its place beside its fellow ghosts. "Just one more turn, boy…just one more turn…" Drake sounded confident. "Even if you do summon that monster, nevertheless I'll have you and your worthless deck bowing before me!"

Malachi fixed Drake with a piercing stare. "Let's get one thing clear. I may have been your whipping boy back then, but I'm not anymore. And I'll prove the point by ripping your head off when I'm done here."

"Presumptuous…and to think, back when I knew you, you were nothing but a little chicken-shit who could only blindly obey my orders like a dog," said Drake coldly. "But you can never defeat me and my Destiny Board! Just watch and you'll see for yourself!"

Malachi spat to the side. "You're so full of yourself…I always hated that about you, even when I was under your control," he remarked. "But I swore a long time ago, after I escaped your clutches, that I'd pay you back tenfold for all the suffering you forced me to undergo…all the pain you put me and my sister through…and now, now that I know you murdered my mother and messed with my memories…" His eyes blazed with a dangerous light. "That just gives me more incentive to rip you apart."

Drake scoffed. "What I did, I did for a cause—a worthy one, I must add," he replied. "And even if you defeat me—which you won't, mark you—you'll still have my superiors in JUDAS to deal with…and even then, you won't be able to stop our grand master plan!"

"It won't be me alone, though…" Malachi shook his head. "Eh, whatever. Words are wasted on a maggot like you. Let's just finish this."

Now Malachi's life points were at 2550, while Drake's were at 2300. On the field Drake had four letters of the Destiny Board – "F," "I," "N," and "A" – plus he also had Master Kyonshee in Attack Mode, and he had no cards in his hand once again. Malachi, on the other hand, had The First Sarcophagus and The Second Sarcophagus on the field, plus his Pyramid of Light trap card was still active, and he still had one card in his hand.

Now Drake took his turn once again – and when he drew his card and saw what it was, his eyes widened considerably. Then he smiled a very evil smile. "Oh, Malachi…have I got something that'll spell the end for you! Now, I'll set this card facedown…and now, Master Kyonshee, attack him again!"

Master Kyonshee pulled off a few kung fu stances – but this time, instead of attacking bare-handed, out of thin air it pulled a massive curved sword and then rushed forward, slashing at Malachi. The young man winced as his shirt was sliced open and his life points shot down to 800…and yet another burst of black flame came out of nowhere and hit him on the side, severely scorching him!

Malachi went down on one knee, flinching from the pain of his injuries. "Drake…you'll get yours for this…" he vowed. "Just wait!"

Drake shook his head. "Whatever, little man."

In his mind, though, Drake was gloating. _Heh…thanks to my little trap card that I just set, the next turn will definitely be the last turn for him. Even if he does succeed in summoning that despicable creature of his, once I activate my trap that is IT! His own cards will be the death of him…and then the Shadow Realm will claim him forever!_

----------

**_neomage:_** The confrontation between Malachi and Drake is about to come to an end…but what does Drake have in store for Malachi? Stay tuned and find out in the next chapter!

Well, readers, continue reading!

UPDATED 23/06/2006: Edited for the reason I outlined in Chapter 58. Go check it out for details.


	141. Chapter 141

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Yu-Gi-Oh is jointly owned by Shonen Jump and Kids WB, and was originally created by Kazuki Takahashi.)

**CHAPTER 141**

THE SHADOW REALM

"So…are you gonna end your turn, or what?" Malachi demanded.

Drake shrugged. "Go right ahead. It doesn't matter to me – your fate is sealed, anyway."

As he said this, the Second Sarcophagus opened, revealing the Third Sarcophagus within. This coffin floated out and came to rest beside the other two. "The Third Sarcophagus is on the field…" Malachi breathed. "Now…time to offer all three Sarcophagus cards in order to Special Summon my ultimate creature…Spirit of the Pharaoh (ATK 2500, DEF 2000)!"

The Third Sarcophagus opened…and then all three shone with a bright light and disappeared. Momentarily, a ghost rose up from the ground, bearing the royal robes of a mighty king – the Spirit of the Pharaoh had at last been summoned!

"And…when he is Special Summoned successfully, I can Special Summon up to four Level 2 or lower Zombie-type monsters from my Graveyard," said Malachi triumphantly. "And it so happens that I have one monster in my Graveyard that falls into that category, that was sent directly from my deck by your card effects earlier…come to the field, Pharaoh's Servant (ATK 900, DEF 0)!"

From the ground arose a mummified soldier, standing ready at his master's beck and call. ""And now…the final turn begins," said Malachi confidently.

Drake merely smirked. "Oh, yes, this IS the final turn, you speck," he whispered.

Malachi then took his turn and drew his card, so now he had two in hand. "All right…I'll offer the Pharaoh's Servant as a tribute to summon my mighty Gravekeeper's Chief (ATK 1900, DEF 1200) in Attack Mode!" And as the zombie solder disappeared form the field, in its place stood the master of the Gravekeepers, ready to do battle.

But suddenly Drake began to laugh. "Malachi!" he called out. "You said this was the final turn – but unfortunately for you, it is I who will emerge victorious! And my facedown card will see to that!"

He held out his hand to his facedown card. "I activate my trap card – Cemetery Bomb!"

Drake's facedown card finally flipped face-up – and a bright blue ball of energy began to charge itself up, startling Malachi considerably. "What on earth…?" he wondered.

"This card," said Drake, "will inflict 100 points of damage to your life points for every card you have in your Graveyard! And now…say goodbye to the rest of your life points and to your life!"

But Malachi merely chuckled. "Really…is that the best you can do, old moron? I activate my Quick-play Magic card from my hand – Ring of Defense!"

Suddenly, to Drake's utter astonishment, Malachi swiftly played his last card onto the field – and from it emerged a ring with four green designs sticking out from its edge. The contraption began to spin rapidly, creating a green semi-shield –and just in time, too, for suddenly the Cemetery Bomb exploded, rocking even the stable Pyramid of Light with its devastating force!

The explosion created a massive wind, so strong that Drake had to brace himself lest he lose his footing. Then, he peered into the smoke from the explosion – and his jaw dropped in shock. "It…isn't…possible…!" he croaked weakly.

Malachi was still standing on his side of the field; his life points hadn't decreased a bit! "My Ring of Defense card," he said softly, "could only be activated in response to the activation of a Trap card whose effect would inflict damage…and then it would make that damage zero." He chuckled. "Honestly, Drake, I've never forgotten that trick – you used it on me so many times when I was training with you…and so, I got that little Quick-play card as a counter for when I should face you again. And now…it's served its purpose."

His eyes narrowed and his voice stung when he spoke again. "And now…time for you to die."

Still in shock that his Cemetery Bomb trap card had failed him, Drake suddenly began to panic. "H-hold on now, Malachi! Don't do anything rash!"

"Shut it." Malachi would hear no further argument. "Gravekeeper's Chief, Spirit of the Pharaoh…finish him now!"

Gravekeeper's Chief charged up energy in his staff, then blasted it at Master Kyonshee, destroying the zombie and bringing Drake's life points to 2150. Then the Spirit of the Pharaoh held up its staff, and a bright orange glow emanated from it. "And now…this is for my mother!" Malachi exploded. "Spirit of the Pharaoh…obliterate him with Ancient Spell of the Pharaoh!"

In response, Spirit of the Pharaoh's staff glowed even brighter than ever – and then it fired one massive blast at Drake's side of the field. The Destiny Board and its letters were all destroyed; Malachi thought he glimpsed one more letter, the letter "L" shining as it went from Drake's deck to the Graveyard. Drake himself screamed in terror as the blast consumed him, taking his life points to 0 – and then the black flames from the Shadow Realm shot down upon him, burning him to a cinder instantaneously!

Malachi hung his head. "Mother…" he whispered softly, with a hint of sadness in his voice. "I've avenged you."

And as he said this, the shadows around him began to dissolve and disappear altogether.

----------

"Look…that shadow-stuff is disappearing…" Rashid pointed out, wide-eyed.

The others watched with bated breath. Miriam clasped her hands over her heart. _Malachi…did you…?_

Then they saw him. He was just standing there, his back turned to them. "Malachi Jordan…?" Mr. Ishtar spoke up.

He looked up in response to his name. "Yeah. It's me."

Miriam's face shone with relief. "Big brother!" she cried, running toward him and throwing her arms around his neck. "You survived! Oh, I'm so glad!"

Malachi gently patted his sister's back. "Sis…it's over now…"

Yugo and Seta walked up to him. "Looks like you beat him, Jordan," Seta remarked. "Nice job."

Malachi looked at him. "Yeah. I did."

Yugo then looked past them. "Say, what's that?"

Everyone's gaze followed Yugo's pointed finger. There on the grass, where Drake had been standing before the Shadow Realm enclosed them, lay the Millennium Key. "That is…" Miriam gulped.

"The Millennium Key," said Mr. Ishtar knowingly. "One of the Millennium Items…tainted by the evil hearts of JUDAS. But I expect, with Drake's demise, it should be relatively safe now."

"You think so, Uncle Marik?" Seta asked skeptically.

Malachi stared at the Key for a long moment. _Altering people's memories…_

Slowly, he walked over to where the Key lay. Standing over it, he looked at it with some apprehension. Then, ever so slowly, he bent down and picked it up. As he did this, to his surprise it began to glow, though faintly. "What…?"

Mr. Ishtar nodded. "It seems, young friend, that the Key has chosen you as its next bearer," he remarked.

Malachi looked at the Key as it continued to shine in his hand. Then, ever so slowly, he turned to Miriam. "Miriam…" And he held up the Millennium Item in his hand.

Miriam was instantly apprehensive. "Malachi…what are you doing…?"

"Don't be afraid," he whispered, pressing the tip of the Key to her forehead. "Drake hid something terrible from us…used this thing to mess with our memories so we wouldn't remember that terrible thing that happened to us…but now, I'm gonna set the record straight…for both of us."

"…terrible thing…?" Miriam asked, trembling visibly.

"Shh, shh, shh…don't be afraid…trust me." Malachi then turned the Millennium Key in his hand.

The others looked on as Miriam's eyes widened at whatever vision she was seeing. Then a tear formed in her eye. "Mother…no…Mother…oh, god, why…"

She fell to her knees and covered her face, and began to sob. Malachi knelt down beside her and took her in his arms. "I'm sorry, sis," he whispered apologetically. "I'm sorry you've had to find out this way. But I wouldn't lie to you…I'd never lie to you."

"I know…I know," Miriam whimpered, and leaned her head on his shoulder, weeping some more.

Yugo and Seta looked at Mr. Ishtar, uncertain what to do. "Maybe we should give them some space right now," he counseled.

The three walked away from Malachi and Miriam, right over to where Jenna, Odion and Mariska had been standing. "Will they be okay?" Jenna asked, concerned.

"I hope so," replied Yugo.

"Well…on a brighter note, that now makes five of the high-ranking members of JUDAS down for the count," said Jenna, a bit more cheerfully. "That only leaves two…and they're headed for the Valley of Kings, wherever that is…"

Odion and Mr. Ishtar turned to stare at her, their eyes wide with alarm. "Did you say…the Valley of Kings?" Odion demanded.

"Uh, yeah," said Jenna. "Do you know about it?"

Mr. Ishtar nodded gravely. "That is the place…where the great Pharaoh's spirit rests," he informed them. "That they would desecrate such a place with their presence…it's unforgivable!" There was a definite note of anger in his tone.

"Where is it, sir? Maybe we can go there and beat the remaining members of JUDAS before they do anything rash," Yugo suggested.

"Will that be necessary? I mean, Kyo and the others are already on their way there," Jenna told them.

"So, your friends are already seeking this place out?" said Mr. Ishtar.

"Yes, sir, that's right," replied Jenna.

Mr. Ishtar coughed. "It'll be far more difficult than that, believe me," he told them. "Especially if JUDAS's leader is still alive after all that's happened so far. My guess is, he'll be the one with the most powerful of all the Millennium Items…and he won't willingly hand himself over to us. If you're going to go there, you'll need the guidance of someone who's been there in the past."

Odion gave his master a look. "Master Marik…you're going with them?"

"Of course, Odion. Someone has to make sure these young people are fully prepared to go up against this foe." Mr. Ishtar nodded at his faithful servant. "I'm entrusting you with Mariska's safety, Odion."

"Of course, Master."

Mr. Ishtar then bent down so he could talk to his daughter. "Mariska…I have to go away for a little while," he said softly. "Be a good girl till I come back, okay?"

Mariska nodded understanding. "Okay, Daddy. I love you." And she walked forward and wrapped her arms around his neck. Mr. Ishtar smiled and returned the hug affectionately.

"Well…I suppose this is going to be a long journey, so…" Seta turned and walked toward his Blue-Eyes White Motorbike, still standing some distance away.

Mr. Ishtar finally released himself from Mariska's hug and turned to Rashid, who was still sitting inside his cab. "Driver," he spoke up. "I hope I won't be putting you out of your way, but could you help us out?"

"Okey-dokey, Mr. Ishtar, sir!" Rashid replied, saluting and grinning. "And no worries – this is becoming the most interesting day I've had in all my life! Just hop in and say where you want to go, and Rashid will take care of the rest!"

"May we come with you guys?"

Turning, the group saw Miriam and Malachi walking toward them. "Are you sure?" Yugo asked with concern.

"Trust me, Yugo Muto…as long as this JUDAS group still exists, my vengeance is not fully complete. And, besides…" Malachi held up the Millennium Key. "I have a feeling that this is going to become handy to you guys on this little adventure. Believe me…you guys are going to need my help." And then he pulled the Key's suspending string over his neck, and the Item glowed brighter than ever.

"Yeah, what Bro said," said Miriam, cracking her knuckles.

"Well, the more the merrier!" Jenna replied cheerfully.

"Then it's decided," Seta's voice spoke up, and the Blue-Eyes White Motorbike revved its engine as he pulled up to the group. "Uncle Marik, wanna hop on?"

"Thanks," and Mr. Ishtar climbed on behind his nephew.

"We'll need more firepower to take down these guys," said Jenna. "The Blue-Eyes White Chopper is still at the Pharaoh's Lair Hotel, and hopefully Miki and Blaze have pulled through on their end." She smiled at Yugo. "If all has gone well, then your Grandma should be safe and sound now, Yugo."

Yugo smiled and chuckled. "Jenna…you guys are really my friends."

"I'll call them right now, and tell them to come on after us," and Jenna pulled out a cell-phone. "Let's just hope the service is good…"

"Hop in, everybody!" Rashid cried. "Let's have an adventure!"

"Then follow after us," said Mr. Ishtar. "Seta, I'll direct you to the site. Ready to go?"

"For sure!" Seta grinned. "Only, are you sure you can take the speed of this thing?"

"We'll just have to find out!" Mr. Ishtar nodded at him.

Miriam, Malachi and Jenna clambered into the back of Rashid's taxi, while Yugo got into the front seat. "Rashid…it's great to see you again," he remarked.

"Great to see you too, Yugo!" said Rashid. "And great that I can help you and your friends on such a big adventure! Oh, wait till the other cabbies back in the city hear about this!"

With that the Blue-Eyes White Motorbike was revved, and Seta and Mr. Ishtar sped off down the driveway and toward the main road. Rashid's taxi reversed on the lawn, then went off after the bike. Odion and Mariska were left behind, waving after the group. "Come back safe, everyone," Mariska whispered.

----------

PHARAOH'S LAIR

"Ohhhh…never eating that many burgers again…" Miki groaned.

"Your own fault," Blaze scolded.

The two girls were sitting in one of the group's rooms, where Grandma Muto still lay fast asleep on a bed. "You think she'll wake up anytime soon?" Miki asked. "I mean, she hasn't woken up for a little while now, since she passed out…"

"Don't fret too much about it," said Blaze quietly. "My guess is, she'll wake up when all this madness is finally over."

Just then Miki's cell-phone rang, and she answered it. "I'm amazed it still gets good service, even outside Japan," she remarked. "Hello?"

Jenna's voice sounded on the other end. "Miki! You and Blaze better get the chopper and fly out here! We've got Yugo and Seta, and we're on our way to find Kyo and the others!"

"Really? Wonderful!" Miki exclaimed. "Just tell me where you guys are."

"Have GINA contact Seta on his motorbike," Jenna instructed. "You'll get further instructions from there. See you soon!"

Miki hung up and looked excitedly at Blaze. "Come on! We're taking the chopper to meet the others!"

"Are you sure we should just leave the old lady here?" Blaze asked somewhat worriedly, glancing at Grandma Muto.

"Hey, it's like you said, right? She'll probably wake up once this whole thing blows over…and right now, she shouldn't be in any further danger! So let's go!" Miki nodded and dashed out the door, rushing upstairs with Blaze following close behind her.

A moment later the two were on the rooftop, and Miki ran for the Blue-Eyes White Chopper. "GINA!" she cried.

GINA's holographic form emerged. "Hello, Miki," she greeted her. "How may I be of service?"

"Get a lock on Seta's bike coordinates, and fly us there!" said Miki.

"Understood." GINA glowed slightly, then turned and sat in the pilot's seat, grasping the controls. "Buckle yourselves in, please."

"I still can't get over this sight…a sentient holographic computer that can do anything…" Blaze chuckled as she strapped herself into her seat.

"And here we go!" GINA announced. The Blue-Eyes White Chopper's rotors began to spin, and moments later the helicopter was flying off into the sky.

----------

**_neomage:_** Yes, yes, yes, yes, YES! The duel between Drake and Malachi is finally complete! And now, our heroes are all heading off for the legendary Valley of Kings – and let's not forget, Kyo and his group are already on their way there! But what dangers await the group at their destination? The next chapter will let us all know!

UPDATED 23/06/2006: Edited for the reason I outlined in Chapter 58. Go check it out for details.


	142. Chapter 142

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Real action begins now! I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!)

**CHAPTER 142**

EN ROUTE TO THE VALLEY OF KINGS, UNDERGROUND

"How much longer?" Shigeo whined.

"I gotta say…for a ninja, you sure complain a lot," and Marcus grunted in disgust.

"Well, we still have a hell of a lot of walking to do," said Kyo thoughtfully. "According to the map, the pyramids and the sphinx are approximately eight kilometers from Giza, into the desert."

There was a collective groan from the others. "Eight KILOMETERS?" Honey exploded indignantly. "My feet won't be able to last walking that long! I hope one of you boys is willing to carry me!" And her eyes blazed red and her mouth was filled with fangs, so intensely upset was she.

"Actually, it's quite manageable. It's only five miles, give or take—it's really not so far," Marcus pointed out. "Unless some of you aren't physically fit…?"

The next thing he knew, Honey had her arms around his neck in a stranglehold, and Shigeo had his arm twisted behind his back. "DON'T YOU DARE!" they both screamed.

Kyo stood to one side, a large sweat-drop coming over his face. "Geez…"

"Guys…lemme go already!" Marcus protested.

"Having to walk five miles…just ridiculous!" Honey grumbled, finally releasing Marcus and straightening herself up again.

"Take this into consideration: We've been walking for a good length of time by now – I'd say we've covered a mile and a half at the most," said Kyo. "And we've still got a lot of walking to do…"

Suddenly Shigeo looked up and exclaimed, "Hey, what's that?"

The others looked in the direction of his pointing finger. Right ahead of them was something that appeared to be a railroad track! "Whoa…a train…underground…in Cairo? Do wonders never cease…" Marcus chuckled.

The group walked a little further ahead, and came upon an amazing site. On the track were two slate wagons, slightly redesigned to accommodate human seating. Each, it appeared, could seat four adult beings. "How do you like that? This certainly beats walking!" Honey exclaimed, a massive grin on her face.

Kyo walked to the front wagon and inspected it. "We'll have to give this one a push-start if we plan to use it," he informed them. "Anybody care to give me a hand?"

The others stepped forward. "How long will we need to push it for?" asked Marcus, gripping one corner of the wagon.

"Till it goes fast enough!" replied Kyo, gripping another corner himself.

Shigeo and Honey held onto the wagon's sides. "Well, in that case, what're we waiting for? Let's get to it!" said Honey.

"One…two…threeeeeee!" Shigeo cried.

With a combined effort, the four pushed the wagon forward. It moved slowly at first, but they continued pushing and applying more strength, until eventually it was going along at a decent pace. "It'll pick up speed as it keep on, hopefully," said Kyo. "Now, everyone, hop in!"

With that he jumped in first. Marcus followed afterward, and Honey jumped up on the side, aided in by Shigeo. The ninja boy himself was last to get in, grinning as he did. "Definite time-saver, this!" he exulted.

"Let's go get 'em!" Kyo shoved a fist into the air in victory as the slate wagon began to head slightly downhill, picking up speed in the process.

----------

EN ROUTE TO THE VALLEY OF KINGS, ABOVE GROUND

The Blue-Eyes White Motorbike zipped through the city streets, heading in the direction of the pyramids, with Rashid's taxi not very far behind. "The Valley of Kings is only a short distance east of Giza," Mr. Ishtar told his nephew. "We should be there in good time."

"Let's hope so," replied Seta, and revved the motorcycle some more to pick up speed.

Just then, right above their heads came the noise of a helicopter. Mr. Ishtar looked up. "Looks like the rest of your friends are here," he observed.

Jenna, looking up out of her window in the taxi, smiled brightly. "They're here now…"

Yugo chuckled, leaning his elbow out of his passenger window. "Now things are gonna get real interesting."

Above the ground travelers, in the Blue-Eyes White Chopper, GINA was skillfully piloting the craft. "They appear to be heading in the direction of the pyramids," she observed. "We will follow them."

"I wonder if Kyo and the others made it there already?" asked Miki.

"If they did, then we'll meet up on them," commented Blaze.

And with that, the three vehicles continued onward – Seta and Mr. Ishtar on the motorcycle; Yugo, Jenna, Miriam and Malachi in Rashid's taxi; and Miki and Blaze in the helicopter with GINA as the pilot.

----------

THE VALLEY OF KINGS

Odachi was seated on his throne, his eyes narrowed into slits. "Lassiter!" he called.

Moments later Lassiter emerged from the shadows. "Yes, Master?"

Odachi looked at him. "In but a few moments, we will have guests. Entertain them."

Lassiter chuckled and pulled out the Millennium Rod. "I understand, Master," he replied. "They will all forfeit their souls and their lives for coming here to challenge you."

And with that, Lassiter left the room. Odachi's scowl became darker as the golden eye suddenly appeared in his forehead…

----------

ENTRANCE TO THE PYRAMIDS, TWENTY MINUTES LATER

Beyond Giza, out in the desert, the pyramids stood in their entire splendor. Not far away, the mighty Sphinx sat, its immortalized eyes staring lifelessly out across the sands. But had those eyes been able to see, they would have seen three distant vehicles, two on the ground and one in the air, heading in its general direction.

"Okay, Uncle Marik, where to from here?" queried Seta, the rear wheel of the Blue-Eyes White Motorbike kicking up much sand.

"The Valley of Kings," explained Mr. Ishtar, "is not an easily-found location. Its entrance is actually west of the Nile, near the city of Luxor, approximately 415 miles from Cairo heading south."

"THAT far?" wailed Seta. "Man, I hardly doubt the bike has enough gas for this!"

"Don't fret, my boy," said Mr. Ishtar warmly. "What's this bike's top speed?"

Seta thought about that for a moment…then slowly a grin crossed his face. "350 miles an hour…okay, this should be interesting, to push my bike to its very limits…"

"Quite so," said Mr. Ishtar. Then he glanced behind him at Rashid's taxi. "And if what Yugo told me before is true, that taxi driver should be one hell of a fast driver…it should be no trouble for him to keep up with us. And that chopper should be able to keep good time, too."

By this time they were closing in on the Sphinx. Miriam, seated by a window in Rashid's car, was staring aimlessly out the window. Malachi, next to her, looked at her somewhat sadly. _Sister…to think I've put you through so much…and now, to put you through even further pain with the truth just now…it burns me up, thinking of what JUDAS has forced us to undergo! I'll NEVER forgive them, ever!_

Suddenly Miriam reared up. "Hey, you guys, check it out!"

Everyone in the taxi looked in the direction she indicated. "What is it?" Yugo queried.

"It looks like…a slate wagon…" Jenna breathed.

The Millennium Key began to shine. Malachi noted it with interest. "It must be the others," he announced. "Hey, cabbie, head that way."

"Okey-dokey!" Rashid nodded, and turned the wheel in the specified direction.

Above them, Miki looked down as the taxi shifted direction. "Why is that car going that way?" she wondered.

Blaze looked out…and then chuckled. "I think I see why. GINA, head after them."

"Understood," and GINA turned the chopper's controls in the same direction.

And back at the front, Mr. Ishtar observed the others heading elsewhere. "What's going on?" he wondered. "Seta, head after them and see what's going on."

"Yeah, sure," and Seta turned the motorcycle after their comrades.

----------

Not far away, Kyo and company were waiting. They had traveled for quite some time on the slate wagon, until at last the track led them back above ground, only a short distance away from the pyramids. Now the four of them were resting together under a palm tree that had conveniently been placed there. "Such a bumpy ride," groaned Honey, rubbing her rump.

"But at least we've made it," said Shigeo. "Except, now where to?"

"Hmmm…" Kyo brought out the map and examined it closely. "Well…"

Suddenly Marcus held up a hand for silence. "Listen. What's that?"

They all paused and listened. "It sounds like…a helicopter…" Kyo looked up to the sky. "Well, what do you know! It's Seta's helicopter!"

"We'd better try to get their attention, or else they won't see us," said Shigeo.

"Leave that to me," said Kyo, and he pulled out his Duel-Disk and his deck. Then he selected a card from the deck and slapped it down on the monster card slot. "Do it, Archlord Zerato (ATK 2800, DEF 2300)!"

In a moment the king of the Archlords emerged and flew up to the sky. "Signal to them!" Kyo commanded, and Zerato drew his sword. Immediately the sword began to shine with a massive light, though not bright enough to be blinding.

"Hey, look! They've seen us!" cried Honey.

And indeed, the helicopter was beginning to descend close to them. Then it landed completely, though the rotors continued to spin.

"Oh, what the hell – look!" Marcus looked up and pointed. "The others are still coming!"

And indeed, they saw Seta on board his Blue-Eyes White Motorbike, heading toward them, and not far behind was a taxi. "Heh, heh, heh…it's gonna be a full house, for sure," Kyo chuckled as he deactivated his Duel-Disk and Archlord Zerato disappeared.

Presently the Blue-Eyes White Motorbike pulled up to a stop, and Seta climbed off. "Guys!" he greeted them. "It's real good to see you all. How are you doing?"

"Never better, for sure!" Kyo replied.

Then the chopper's door opened, and out stepped Blaze and Miki. "Hey there, Seta!" Miki said cheerfully. "How've you been?"

"Good, good," he replied good-naturedly.

The taxi had by this time pulled up and parked; now Yugo, Jenna, Miriam and Malachi alighted from the car. "What's up, everybody?" Yugo greeted them all. "Kinda funny that we should be meeting again like this, but hey – makes things more diverse!"

Marcus then looked up and noticed Mr. Ishtar. "And you are…?"

"Oh, yeah," said Honey. "That's Marik Ishtar, the man who's been training Yugo and Seta up to now, so they could be prepared to face JUDAS."

Malachi smirked. _Training…_

"Yes, that's me," said Mr. Ishtar modestly. "But the credit has to go to them, really—without their effort, they wouldn't have been able to complete their training at all." And as he said this, Yugo and Seta shuddered, remembering the trials they had had to go through.

Then Yugo looked around. "Say…I think we're missing a few faces here. If you guys are here, where are Raven, Wade and Flora?" He turned to Malachi. "And your two lackeys?"

Suddenly everyone began to look uncomfortable. Marcus scowled viciously; Honey looked away as a sad expression came over her face. Blaze closed her eyes, flinching. Malachi's eyes narrowed, and Miriam sighed a melancholic sigh.

Yugo and Seta looked around, confused. "Uh…are we missing something here?" Seta asked worriedly.

Jenna ran a hand through her hair. "Oh, yes…I forgot you haven't been told about it," she said quietly. "All of them…they had their souls stolen by JUDAS. Jillian, too."

The two boys stared at her in disbelief. "…what…? Jillian's soul was taken from her…by JUDAS?" Seta asked incredulously. "And those guys…even Raven…?"

"Yes. All of them. JUDAS's people dueled them, beat them, and stripped them of their souls." Jenna closed her eyes. "All of their bodies are back at the Pharaoh's Lair, waiting for us to retrieve their souls."

Slowly, almost without him realizing it, Yugo's hands clenched into fists. His hair overshadowed his eyes. "Damn it…" he hissed, his voice sounding strangled. "What the hell is JUDAS's problem? How many people do they have to make suffer…how many souls do they have to steal…before they're satisfied?"

Everyone turned to look at him. He went on, unmindful of them, "Just wait…just wait till I find their leader…I swear to God, when I see that guy, I am so gonna KICK HIS ASS!"

Seta just looked at him. "Yugo…"

Mr. Ishtar took command of the situation. "Ahem—that'll have to wait till we actually confront JUDAS's leader. Right now, we have to concentrate on actually getting the Valley of Kings…which is still a long ways from here."

_"WHAT?"_ Kyo exploded. "You mean it's not here? But—the map!" And he brought out the map and showed it to Mr. Ishtar.

The older man examined the map carefully, then smiled a grim smile. "Sorry, my boy, but it seems you were all tricked. Yes, this map is real, and the locations on it are real, but the overall destination as this particular map points it out isn't. The Valley of Kings is nowhere here."

Kyo, Marcus, Shigeo and Honey fell over in exasperation and disappointment. "So we made this whole trip for nothing!" Marcus stormed.

"Um…not exactly…" Miki spoke up. "I mean, we did all manage to meet up here, right?"

"She's got a good point," said Malachi.

Suddenly, without warning, the Millennium Key began to shine. Everybody turned to look at it. "Um…is that another of those Millennium Item things?" asked Blaze. "When did he get one?"

"When he defeated one of their crazier higher-ups at my house, that's when," said Mr. Ishtar. "What is it, boy?"

Malachi reached into a pocket and pulled out his deck. Shuffling through it, he selected the Ominous Fortunetelling trap card; next, he grasped the Key and touched its tip to the card. "I'm not exactly sure why I'm doing this," he admitted. "It's just…a feeling I have…telling me I should do this…"

Mr. Ishtar raised an eyebrow. _Hmmm…could this be…?_

Suddenly, to everyone's amazement, a large crystal ball emerged before Malachi's face. He stared intently at it for a moment; then he nodded with resolution. When he looked up again, to everyone's amazement he had a golden eye in the middle of his forehead. "Guys…I know the fastest way to get us to our destination from here. From what I just saw in this crystal ball, it's the same method these JUDAS folks used to transport themselves to the Valley of Kings from here."

"And that was what, exactly?" queried Marcus.

Malachi turned and pointed to the Sphinx, some distance away. "If we go right in front of the Sphinx, and face the direction he's facing, and then we activate the combined power of the Millennium Items…" And he reached into his deck and pulled out another card, his Dust Tornado trap card. "Then we activate a card with an equivalent of this one, and…moments later we're at the entrance to the Valley of Kings."

Honey felt a warm glow on her neck, she reached up to touch her Millennium Necklace. "Well, what he says is true," she reported. "I just saw something…a vision…that told me that's how they've been doing it for the last decade or so. They'd utilize the power of the Millennium Items, using the residual energy of this specific area to better channel their power."

"That makes sense," Mr. Ishtar said thoughtfully. "3000 years ago…back when the Shadow Magic was most prevalent in the world…Egypt was the main source of all the conflict. Even now…with the re-emergence of these Millennium Items…it doesn't surprise me that mystic energy would flow freely in Egypt once again."

"Well, in that case…" Seta crossed over to the Blue-Eyes White Chopper and looked in. "GINA? You here, too?"

GINA materialized and emerged before him. "Master Seta…"

"Take care of the chopper and my motorcycle…and Yugo's grandmother, also," Seta said softly. "I'm going to take care of some business. I will return soon. All right?"

GINA nodded. "Understood, sir. Take care."

Seta nodded. Then, walking over to his motorcycle, he pushed it up to the chopper and loaded it in. "All right. You take care, too."

GINA nodded and went over to the pilot's seat. Seta shut the door and stepped back as the chopper's rotors began to spin again. Then, as the rotors spun faster and faster, the chopper rose up into the air. It rose higher and higher, then turned around and headed back for Cairo.

Mr. Ishtar, meanwhile, went over to Rashid's taxi and pulled out some money. "Here you are, for your trouble," he said. "And thank you for your assistance."

"But of course, sir! Just let me know if you ever need my services again!" Rashid replied, grinning. Then, as they all watched, he started the car, reversed, and then zoomed off back toward the city.

"Well…no turning back from here," remarked Shigeo, pulling out the Millennium Scale. "Shall we do this?"

"Yes, let's," replied Kyo, and the Millennium Ring shone in agreement.

The collective group walked toward the front of the Sphinx, only a couple hundred feet away from where they'd been standing. "All right…" Malachi held up the Dust Tornado card in one hand and the Millennium Key in the other. "All of you…prepare for a very bumpy ride." And as they all watched with some apprehension, he touched the tip of the Key to the card's picture.

Suddenly the Key began to glow with bright energy. Then the next thing they knew, a VERY dusty tornado swept them all up, rising into the sky before blowing southward, away from the pyramids and the Sphinx…

----------

**_neomage:_** Okaaaaaay…it was seriously a mistake on my part in the exact placement of the Valley of King's location. As I've come to understand it, for the show they based the Valley's location on the actual location of the real-life Valley of Kings. But hey…funny how I was able to take a simple mistake and turn it into a plot device, huh?

And now…ladies and gentlemen…I introduce to you, my five alter-egos, who will be helping me manage reviews, chapter structure and rude flamers from now on: kRiZ, krizrampage, kriztrigun, rampagerkriz, and yamikriz!

kRiZ: That's right, people.

krizrampage: Pleased to meet you all!

kriztrigun: You guys got any food? I'm starved!

rampagerkriz: Grrr! Where are those flamers? Lemme at 'em!

yamikriz: Just so you know from now…me and kRiZ are in now way the same person, okay?

neomage: Heh heh heh…-;; Well, look out for the next chapter, folks! More action cometh thy way!


	143. Chapter 143

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Not mine.)

**CHAPTER 143**

ENTRANCE TO THE VALLEY OF KINGS, ONLY MOMENTS LATER

The entrance to the forbidden Valley of Kings was practically empty; an eerie atmosphere surrounded it. Statues depicting long-dead pharaohs stood at the very entrance. Beyond those statues, the pathway led into a deep gorge that gradually ran underground; along the way, there were several walls depicting various hieroglyphs, all telling the stories of various important kings and their conquests. It was because the Valley of Kings lay partially underground that the crypt had been for the most part undisturbed for more than three millennia. True, excavations were being conducted here, but these were done in out-of-the-way spots, far from any place where the Valley may have been open to the public

Now, at the entrance to one of these undisturbed areas, a gentle breeze began to blow. It then blew stronger and stronger, carrying with it more dust and sand the harder it blew. After a moment, that wind seemed to take the form of a sand-filled tornado…then gradually it subsided…and when it did, a group of people could be seen standing at the crypt's entrance!

"Whew…it's been so long since I last came here," Mr. Ishtar remarked, looking into the underground place. "I never thought I'd have to come here again after all these years."

Seta straightened his jacket collar. "Well, Uncle Marik, lead the way. You know this place better than any of us."

Mr. Ishtar nodded. "Follow me, everyone."

With that he strolled into the crypt's entrance, and all the teens followed after him. "Gosh, Kyo…it's really creepy here…" Miki shuddered and huddled closer to Kyo.

"Don't worry, Miki; it'll be okay. Just stay close to me, is all you do," he counseled her.

And as Mr. Ishtar led them in, thoughts of his own were currently occupying his mind. _To think that such powerful energy surrounds these kids, so soon after acquiring these Millennium Items…hmmm…could it be that, somehow, the ancient spirits of the Items are reviving, in their own way…?_

----------

Five minutes later, the group had walked further down into the tomb. The walls, ceiling and floor of the place were littered with hieroglyphs. "Can you read any of this stuff, Mr. Ishtar?" Jenna inquired.

"Of course," said Mr. Ishtar. "These depict mainly records of battles that were won during the reign of this tomb's resident pharaoh, Atem, 3000 years ago. Those were battles that were won using Shadow magic, as well as Duel Monsters."

"It's a bit far-fetched, if you ask me," commented a skeptical Blaze.

"So, Blaze…you've witnessed the power of the Millennium Items, but you can't believe that Duel Monsters existed for real 3000 years ago?" Yugo teased.

"I didn't say that!" Blaze sputtered.

Suddenly, without warning, the Millennium Ring began to shine brightly. Kyo promptly held up a hand to stop the others. "Guys…something's here," he said warningly.

"What is it?" asked Seta.

"I'm not sure," said Kyo. He looked down at the Millennium Ring; all five of its pointers were facing forward. "But from all indications…it's something with immense power…"

"Or someone…" returned Marcus, holding the Millennium Eye in one hand even as it shined immensely.

Honey, Shigeo and Malachi stepped forward. "Whoever or whatever it is, we're ready for it," said Malachi darkly, even as the Millennium Key shone intensely. "Let 'em bring it."

"I'll fight to my last breath, if I must," and Shigeo held up the Millennium Scale to affirm his decision.

Honey touched her Millennium Necklace with her fingertips; it began to glow, too. "After all we've had to go through…we come across more opposition," she said crossly.

They all waited expectantly, peering into the darkness ahead. Then—footsteps could be heard, coming toward them, slowly but surely. A faint tuneless whistle echoed in the crypt…followed by deep, hollow laughter.

"I know that laughter…" Yugo's voice and face were grim. "Jude Lassiter!"

"Welcome, one and all," Lassiter's voice reached them. Then, from the shadows he fully emerged, blue robe, bald head and all. "So glad you could make it here…and I must say, a special welcome to you, former Tomb-keeper, Marik Ishtar!"

Mr. Ishtar's eyes narrowed. "You dare desecrate the tomb of the mighty Pharaoh Atem? You should be skinned and de-boned for your trouble!"

"Heh…well, I'm sorry, but you are not the one I'm concerning myself with right now, even if you do command some respect around Egypt nowadays." Lassiter then looked at the group members bearing Millennium Items. "And let's see here…five of you, bearing Millennium Items…when previously it was four…that must mean that that idiot Drake perished. Oh, well, whatever."

Marcus took one step forward. "Get out of our way."

In response, Lassiter reached behind him, into his belt, and pulled out the Millennium Rod. "Not happening. I have been charged by the Master to destroy all of you and to steal all your souls, to further power the Great One's resurrection."

"Great One…who on earth are you talking about, man?" demanded Honey.

"Hmph…would it make any difference if I told you?" asked Lassiter. "All that matters is, I'm going to steal all your souls…and those of you who have Millennium Items, you will relinquish them to me. My master is most displeased that brats like you have them in your possession, and naturally I have been appointed to retrieve them from you."

"You'll have to rip them from our dead hands!" Shigeo retorted.

Lassiter shrugged. "Been there, done that."

He held up the Millennium Rod, and its eye design began to shine brightly. In response, Kyo, Marcus, Honey, Shigeo and Malachi held up their respective Millennium Items as well, and all five began to glow. "Will you really face off against five of us, all by yourself?" asked Marcus. "You're a bigger idiot than you look."

"It is YOU who is the idiot, if you think I would just come down here by myself without good reason," Lassiter answered. "I was the second member of JUDAS recruited by the Great One, after my master. Therefore, I possess enough power to hold my own against five different opponents if I have to, Millennium Items or not. And, in any case, compared to the lot of you I've had enough time to master my Item's powers and still have a few years to spare until this moment…and you all got yours only recently, and are only just learning how to use them. Who's got the advantage here?"

Suddenly, to the others' surprise, Yugo stepped forward. "Guys…you'd better stand down," he advised. "I have a bone to pick with this guy—and he owes me a rematch!"

"Oh-ho-ho, still ticked off about how I used your own dear grandmother against you – and BEAT your ass, I hasten to add?" Lassiter laughed. "Even when I wasn't dueling you in person, I still owned that match. What makes you think this time will be any different?"

Yugo scowled at him. "True, you did defeat me back then," he acknowledged. "But the fact still remains, you're a parasite that needs to be wiped out – by me!"

"Not by you."

Yugo started at that, and turned around. "Seta? What are you saying?"

Seta slowly stepped forward; his hair overshadowed one of his eyes. "Yugo…all you wanted was to rescue your grandma, right?" he said quietly. "Well, that's been done—she's no longer under his control, so you don't need to worry about revenge anymore. And besides, too, there's still this guy's boss to deal with. That, I will leave to you, on one condition—I insist that this battle be mine."

Yugo looked at Seta's face and saw steely determination there. "Seta…"

Honey gently placed a hand on Seta's shoulder. "Seta…are you sure?"

"Very." He nodded to her. "Don't worry about me. You guys just go ahead and find JUDAS's leader. I'll catch up shortly."

Mr. Ishtar nodded. "Okay then, Seta. Just don't let us down, please."

"Not a chance. Not for this fatass in front of us." And Seta turned a burning gaze upon Lassiter.

"Fine, then. Just kick his butt, that's all you do," said Miriam. "See you later."

"Yeah, right…what she said," sighed Malachi.

"Let's not waste any more time, then. Come on, kids," said Mr. Ishtar. And with that he walked forward, followed by his young charges and leaving Seta behind.

Lassiter watched, amused, as the group walked right past him and headed further down into the crypt. Then he turned to look squarely at Seta. "You realize you just made the dumbest mistake of your life, right? Had they stayed, you would at least have had some form of backup!"

"Now, Lassiter, why would you want an audience to observe me shaming you royally?" Seta quipped.

Lassiter's grin faded. "Seriously…there's a hidden motive behind your staying, isn't there?"

"How perceptive you are, even in your old age," Seta chuckled. Then the smirk on his lips disappeared and he, too, was deadly serious. "Yes, Jude Lassiter. There are actually two reasons why I wanted to face you."

"And what are they?"

"One: you were Kaibacorp's representing lawyer, but then you went ahead and tried to betray our family. I'm here to pay you back for that—Dad firing you wasn't powerful enough a message for you. And two…" Seta's eyes narrowed further and his voice took on a bitter overtone. "I know you tried to take revenge for your being sacked by Kaibacorp…by killing my mother and my uncle."

"Hee, hee, hee…revenge…such a sweet motive," replied Lassiter. "Tell me, how DID you know I was involved in their deaths?"

Seta glared daggers at him. "That day…at the funeral…"

----------

TWELVE YEARS AGO, IN SETA'S MEMORY

_Roland led little Seta by the hand, away from the gravesites and back toward the limousine. Seta's father sat in the backseat, arms folded, his face contorted into a vicious scowl…but there was no trouble identifying the tears that fell down his face. "Daddy…" Seta whispered._

_Roland's suddenly hardening voice arrested his attention. "What are YOU doing here?"_

_Looking up in surprise—for he knew that, although Roland had an authoritative voice, it was never this angry-sounding—Seta saw a big bald-headed man in a black suit. "Well, Roland, I just thought I'd come and express my condolences," he spoke to the Kaibacorp retainer in a calm and polite voice. "Even though I'm now an ex-employee of Kaibacorp, it's still proper for me to come and pay my respects, wouldn't you agree?"_

_"Jude Lassiter…you really have some balls to even hint at your presence here," Roland said softly, coldly, "especially after you tried to blackmail the Kaiba family. Master Kaiba was right to drive you from his presence, for certain."_

_"Roland, Roland, Roland…I'm not one to hold a grudge, especially at such a somber time as this, and neither should you be," answered Lassiter, still coolly. "True, I made a mistake in doing what I did, but I've paid for my mistake. I consider myself lucky that I still have some finances intact after Kaibacorp brought that lawsuit down on me."_

_"Even so, you are not welcome here," said Roland. "I'd advise you to get out of here right now, before I call security on you."_

_"As you wish. The service is almost over now, anyway," and Lassiter shrugged._

_Roland then opened the car door and beckoned to Seta to climb in. "Come, Master Seta; we're leaving," he announced._

_"Yes, Roland," Seta nodded._

_Then Seta glanced up at Lassiter—and what he saw chilled him. Roland's back was turned to Lassiter, so obviously he couldn't see it; but Seta saw a cruel smirk on Lassiter's mouth and a sinister twinkle in his eye. Lassiter's lips then moved as he mouthed to the young boy, "You'll be next one of these days, brat…"_

----------

THE PRESENT

"Yeah…I may have been really young at that time…but in all these years, I've never forgotten that look on your face…or those words you whispered to me." Seta's face held a vicious look. "In that instant I knew…I knew that you had a hand in their deaths – yet I never told Dad, because I knew he was still grieving for Mom and Uncle Mokuba, and telling him would only have added further stress and strain on his shoulders. So…I bore that knowledge, that burden, all on my own for years. And all that time…I grieved…sorrowed…that I'd never be able to really know my mother or my uncle, really get to know them…"

Suddenly, to Lassiter's amazement, Seta's Duel Force began to leak out of the young man's body. "Jude Lassiter…I'm going to kill you right here, right now…so that the Kaiba family's honor will be restored," Seta vowed. He pulled out his Duel-Disk and readied it and his cards. "Get ready to die!"

Lassiter smirked. "Spunky," he commented. "I don't know what this energy is that's surrounding you right now…but it doesn't matter. I'll just take your soul after this duel is over, and use it to further power the Great One's revival. And then your foolish, pathetic excuse for a father will have one more reason to feel sorry for himself…and one more reason to regret ever firing me with such disgrace."

As Lassiter held up the Millennium Rod, suddenly all around them emerged dark shadows. Above their heads appeared a massive clock. "See the clock above us? This is the key focus for this Shadow Game," explained Lassiter. "We will duel as normal; however, there will be a time limit of twenty minutes. If, in that time, you cannot defeat me or at least have more life points than me, then your soul will be forfeited. And, personally, once your body becomes useless I'll skin it and use the skin as my own personal throw-rug." He snickered as he said this.

"Psycho," Seta growled. "Fine. Let's do this, then!"

"Foolish boy," Lassiter answered. "You won't even last five minutes against me, much less twenty. Not with my deck strategy, anyway. And boy, have I got some nasty surprises waiting for you…!"

----------

Further down in the crypt, the group pressed onward. Suddenly Mr. Ishtar paused. _A Shadow Game…so it's begun…Seta, hang in there!_

"Hmmm?" Miki looked at Mr. Ishtar. "Anything wrong, sir?"

"Ah—no, no, my dear. It's all right. Let's just keep moving," said Mr. Ishtar, somewhat apologetically.

Marcus and Malachi eyed him, but let it pass.

"So…what's the Millennium Ring sayin', Kyo?" asked Yugo.

"Well…" Kyo looked at the Ring; its five pointers were all facing forward. "Looks like the big boss is still up ahead. We'd all better be careful if we're gonna continue on."

"Well, Kyo, we haven't come this far for nothing," remarked Jenna. "Let's just keep on."

"I agree—we really don't have all day to dilly-dally," and Miriam nodded her head. With that, the group continued onward.

----------

Odachi sat on his throne, the golden eye shining brightly in his forehead as the Millennium Puzzle danced wildly on its chain. "Fools…the whole lot of them…" he growled. "They think they can just come and crash MY party? Well, they've got another think coming!"

The Millennium Puzzle shone brighter than ever; then suddenly, from out of nowhere, blue energy flowed into the room. That energy slowly took on numerous forms and shapes – until at last they materialized into – of all things – Duel Monsters!

Odachi looked at the creatures before him with a critical eye. Standing up, he raised his arm, then waved it outward. On cue, the monsters turned and hurried out of the room. "Now let's see how you like them apples," he murmured as he watched their exit.

----------

**_neomage:_** Uh-oh…Odachi's stirring up even more trouble! And now, Seta and Lassiter are about to begin their destined match of revenge! What's next, folks?

rampagerkriz: What's next is, you're gonna go get food to eat, all for yourself.

kRiZ: A greedy chap, if I do say so myself.

neomage: Hey! Stop accusing me of greed! I do too share!

kriztrigun: Yeah, only when it'll benefit you.

neomage: Aw, go screw yourselves. You're all no fun.

krizrampage: (whips out chainsaw) You sure you wanna say that?

(neomage types upon the Millennium Keyboard; a second later he's holding the chainsaw in hand)

neomage: Exactly what were you planning to do with this?

Chainsaw: VRRRM VRRRM!

krizrampage: …ulp…

neomage: Hey, everyone, review soon, please!


	144. Chapter 144

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: It's time to declare…that I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!)

**CHAPTER 144**

THE SHADOW REALM

Seta and Lassiter swiftly drew their respective cards as both their life points went to 8000 each; then the holographic coin appeared on the field. "I call tails!" Lassiter announced. Then the coin was flipped…and fell to the ground…and indeed it was tails.

"Whatever," grumbled Seta.

Lassiter chuckled and then raised his hand. "And now…let the game begin!" And he snapped his fingers—and almost instantly the clock above their heads began to count off time.

Then Lassiter drew his first card. "Heh, heh, heh…now, THIS is very interesting! Who would've thought I'd get such a card on my first draw!"

"You're wasting time…just get on with it!" Seta snapped.

"As you wish." Lassiter then held up the card he'd drawn. "Now, I activate the magic card, Painful Choice! This card will allow me to select five cards from my deck and then show them to you…after which you select one of those cards to remain in my hand, and the other four will go to the Graveyard!"

"And the five cards are…?" Seta asked a tad impatiently, mindful that time was still being counted right over his head.

Lassiter thumbed through his deck, going purposely slowly to torment Seta further. But eventually he found the five he was looking for, and held them all up with a triumphant smile. "The five cards are…" He paused.

"YES?" Seta asked.

Lassiter then held up the five cards for Seta to see. "They are the five pieces of Exodia!"

Seta's eyes went wide and his jaw dropped. Right there, in Lassiter's hand, were the cards for the Left Leg, Right Leg, Left Arm, Right Arm, and head of Exodia the Forbidden One! _What the HELL is this? This is…this is…this is just too unreal!_

But then he looked some more at the cards, and began to reason. _Wait a minute…if I can send four of those cards to the Graveyard, then he can't use Exodia against me! Although why he'd intentionally do something like this baffles me, but what the hey. Might as well take this opportunity!_

So, aloud, he announced, "I choose the Left Arm of the Forbidden One (ATK 200, DEF 300) to remain in your hand!"

Lassiter chuckled, adding the card to his existing hand so he now held six cards, and discarded the remaining parts of Exodia to the Graveyard. _If you only knew, you naïve fool…_ "And now, I'll set one monster facedown, and end my turn."

All of that had taken all of two minutes, and it showed on the minute hand of the Shadow Realm clock. Eyeing it with a worried frown, Seta drew his next card. "I summon the Blindly Loyal Goblin (ATK 1800, DEF 1500) in Attack Mode!"

A moment later his bald-headed goblin warrior emerged on the field, sword at the ready. "Go, my Goblin! Destroy that facedown monster!" Seta commanded.

Lassiter merely smiled.

The Blindly Loyal Goblin dashed forward, and with one stroke of his sword the facedown monster was destroyed – and revealed to be the Left Arm of the Forbidden One! Seta, of course, was stunned. "What…what the bloody hell are you up to, Lassiter?" he demanded. "I thought you needed to have the Exodia cards in your hand—and instead, you send them to the Graveyard! What are you up to, anyway?"

"Oh, you'll soon see, little man," and Lassiter chuckled.

"Grrr…okay, fine. I'll set one card facedown, and that's all for now." In his mind, though, Seta could sense that something was seriously wrong. _The only question is…what?_

Lassiter drew another card, and smirked. "Now, then…I summon the Mystic Tomato (ATK 1400, DEF 1100) in Attack Mode!" And he called forth a large tomato with a face and a huge set of fangs. "But that's not all I plan to do…"

"What on earth are you talking about?" asked Seta incredulously.

Whereupon Lassiter held up another card from his hand. "Thanks to you, I now have all the pieces I need to summon my ultimate creature!" he announced. "It's been so long since I last summoned him to battle…but now, that long wait will be worthwhile!"

Then he played the card he'd held up. "And now…I activate the magic card, Contract with Exodia! When I have all five pieces of Exodia in my Graveyard, this card makes it possible for me to Special Summon from my hand…the mighty and unstoppable Exodia Necross (ATK 1800, DEF 0)!"

Suddenly a swirl of shadow surrounded Lassiter's side of the field, gradually taking shape. When its form came into view, however, Seta recoiled in shock: standing before him was a massive black version of the standard Exodia! "What…is THIS?" he asked, feeling chilled to the bone as he stared at the ghastly beast.

"This is my powerful Exodia Necross, that's what this is," answered Lassiter. "So it is true, after all, that Exodia is the mightiest of all Duel Monsters…and in this form, he's even more invincible. Allow me to show you what I mean!"

Lassiter then raised his arm to the field. "Exodia Necross, go and fight that Blindly Loyal Goblin!"

Seta raised an eyebrow. _What's he thinking? Both of those monsters have the same ATK, so they'll just end up destroying each other!_

Exodia Necross raised one chained fist and sent it flying at the Blindly Loyal Goblin. The Goblin, in turn, raised his sword to block the attack – and there was a mighty CRASH as fist and sword connected. But then—much to Seta's stunned surprise—though Blindly Loyal Goblin was indeed destroyed, Exodia Necross remained intact!

"Allow me to explain," said Lassiter, pleased at the bemused expression on Seta's face. "Exodia Necross has several abilities…among them, he cannot be destroyed as a result of battle at any time. So, sure, toss your best monsters at him—he'll just bounce right back!" Then his smile became nasty. "And next, your life points are wide open! Mystic Tomato, attack directly!"

Mystic Tomato bounded forward and sank its teeth into Seta's leg. He flinched and cried out as his life points went down to 6600. "Damn it…" he groaned as he limped around a bit, noting the blood coming from his leg where he'd been bitten.

"And now, I'll set two cards facedown, and end my turn," and Lassiter did so smugly.

The score now stood at Seta with 6600 life points, and Lassiter with an untouched 8000. Seta had four cards in his hand; Lassiter had one. On the field Lassiter had his Exodia Necross and Mystic Tomato, both in Attack Mode, plus he had two cards facedown; Seta only had one facedown card on his side.

Now six minutes had elapsed on the clock; Seta drew his next card while watching the clock carefully. "All right, since that's the way you wanna play it…I summon the Lord of Dragons (ATK 1200, DEF 1100) to the field!"

Moments later his dragon spellcaster appeared on the field. But suddenly Lassiter barked, "Not a chance! I know the kind of combos that are available with that monster – but I won't let you pull off a one! So…I activate my trap card, Torrential Tribute, to destroy all monsters on the field!"

All at once, just as the Lord of Dragons was finished materializing on Seta's side, large geysers of water spewed out from the ground, consuming every monster on the field. Except…when the water died down, Exodia Necross was still standing! "What is the meaning of this? He should've been destroyed, too!" Seta yelled.

"Another of Exodia Necross's effects," replied Lassiter. "He cannot be destroyed at any time by the effects of Magic or Trap cards."

Now Seta's eyes widened in utter disbelief. _This is unreal! I'm facing a monster that can't be destroyed in battle or by the effects of Magic or Trap cards! What kind of crap is this, anyway?_

"And next," Lassiter went on, "I'll activate my other trap card, Secret Barrel! This will inflict damage to your life points equal to the number of cards in your hand and on your side of the field times 200 points – and since you've got four cards in your hand now, that'll be 800 points of damage done to you!"

As Lassiter's trap card flipped face-up, a massive cannon barrel popped out of it and fired a shot at Seta. It hit him in the stomach, causing him to fly back as his life points sharply went down to 5800! "Take that!" Lassiter taunted.

Getting back up, Seta felt sick—and doubled over, coughing blood. "Shit…this isn't good…" he wheezed.

"Well? Is that all you've got, boy?" Lassiter prodded him. "Don't tell me that this is the power of the Kaiba family!"

Seta glared at him. "You'll pay for this, Lassiter…you'll pay dearly!" he swore.

"I think not." Lassiter pointed to the clock. "Take a look, Seta Kaiba. It's almost been eight minutes or so since we started, and you're nowhere near touching my life points. It's utterly hopeless for you, since you haven't got a lot of time left to squander!"

"Grrr…" Seta then looked at the cards in his hand. "Ugh…I can't do much with these right now. So, I end my turn."

Shrugging, Lassiter drew another card. His eyes lit up when he saw what it was. "Now, if this isn't good fortune, then someone tell me what is!" he exulted. "Have I got something that'll spell the end for you! But first…"

Suddenly, to Seta's shock, Exodia Necross's ATK increased to 2300! "During each of my Standby Phases, Exodia Necross increases his ATK by 500 points," said Lassiter. "Just about powerful enough to wipe you out of the duel, once I've played these other cards in my hand!"

"What're you babbling about, old man?" growled Seta menacingly.

"Watch and see!" Lassiter grinned. "Now…I activate the magic card, Delinquent Duo! By paying 1000 life points, I can select one card from your hand and make you discard it to the Graveyard…and then YOU must choose another card from your hand and discard it to the Graveyard!"

"Damn!" Seta groaned.

Lassiter chuckled as he surveyed the four cards that Seta held, even as his own life points went down to 7000. "Okay…discard the card on the far left!" he announced.

Seta complied, sending the designated card to the Graveyard; then he chose another card from his hand and discarded it also. "Two cards…how am I gonna win with just two cards?" he mumbled.

"That should be the least of your worries right now, little man!" Lassiter snorted. "For now I summon Theban Nightmare (ATK 1500, DEF 500)!"

Moments later a fiendish blue ghost appeared next to Exodia Necross. "And I've got even more bad news for you," said Lassiter. "As long as there are no cards in my hand or in my Magic/Trap slots, Theban Nightmare increases its ATK by 1500 points!" And, as if to confirm the statement, suddenly the ghost's ATK went up to 3000!

"This is utterly ludicrous!" Seta cried.

"And now…Exodia Necross, attack directly!" Lassiter shouted. Exodia Necross complied, sending its giant fist straight at Seta—and just barely missing him as he dived out of harm's way, but his life points still went down to 3500!

"And next…it's Theban Nightmare's turn! Go, my monster – take him out!" commanded Lassiter.

Theban Nightmare turned into a pillar of smoke and floated forward, intent on doing its murderous deed. The smoke surrounded Seta – and gave him a severe electrical shock, causing him to scream out in pain. But even as he collapsed to one knee from this action, Seta choked out, "You must've forgotten I had a card on the field, hadn't you? I activate the trap card, Nutrient Z!"

To Lassiter's amazement, Seta's life points shot up to 7500! "During your Damage Step…if I take Battle damage of 2000 or more, this card increases my life points by 4000 before the damage is subtracted from my life points," Seta panted…and then his life points went down to 4500!

"Nice tactic," and Lassiter applauded him. "But there's no way you'll be able to keep up this performance – not against me, anyway! Now, I end my turn…but what will you do, Seta?"

Now Seta had 4500 life points, while Lassiter had 7000. Lassiter had no cards left in his hand; Seta had two. On the field Seta had nothing whatsoever, while Lassiter had Exodia Necross and Theban Nightmare in Attack Mode. And now, on the Shadow Realm clock…ten minutes had elapsed.

Seta drew another card, and his face painted a grim picture. _Damn it all…how am I supposed to win against a monster like what he's got in Exodia Necross? Plus…that Theban Nightmare now has 3000 ATK…_ Then he took a look at the card he'd just drawn. _Hey, hold on a sec! Maybe I can use this card to my advantage!_

"All right, Lassiter!" Seta declared aloud. "I activate the magic card Pot of Greed, to draw two more cards!" And he quickly drew his two cards. Then his eyes widened when he saw what they were. "All right…now things are getting even better for me!"

"How so?" inquired Lassiter.

"Watch and see!" Then Seta held up one of the cards he'd drawn. "Now…I activate the magic card, Swords of Revealing Light! Now your monsters won't be able to attack me for your next three turns!"

Three massive swords of light fell from the sky and embedded themselves into the ground, forming a protective shield around Seta. Lassiter merely shrugged it off. "Bah! So what? I still have more powerful monsters than you do—and by the way, you haven't got anything else to defend your life points for you!"

"That won't last for long!" Seta then held up another card in his hand. "Behold, cretin! I'll now play the magic card, Premature Burial, paying 800 life points to Special Summon one monster from my Graveyard, one of those your forced me to discard with your Delinquent Duo card…my mighty Blue-Eyes White Dragon (ATK 3000, DEF 2500)!"

Suddenly, as Seta's life points went down to 3700, a terrifying howl could be heard as the Blue-Eyes White Dragon emerged on the field, snarling in its rage as it glared at Lassiter. "I see…so this was one of the cards you discarded a while back…" Lassiter mused in wonder.

But Seta wasn't done. "Next, I'll activate the magic of Megamorph! Since my life points are lower than yours, this will double my dragon's ATK points!" And as he played the card, suddenly the Blue-Eyes' ATK shot up to 6000!

Then Seta held up the last card in his hand. "And finally, I'll activate the magic of Raigeki! This will destroy every monster on your side of the field…" His eyes narrowed. "At least, it should…but your Exodia Necross won't be destroyed by it – even though your Theban Nightmare will!"

Lassiter frowned. "This is troublesome."

Suddenly a barrage of lightning bolts shot down from the sky, heading right for Lassiter's monsters. Exodia Necross merely shifted them with ease; but Theban Nightmare wasn't so lucky, getting fried by one of the stray bolts. "And now…Blue-Eyes, attack Exodia Necross! White Lightning!" Seta commanded.

Lightning surged in the dragon's mouth as it readied itself to fire it off. Then it blasted Lassiter's side of the field in a monstrous blast. Because of his effect, Exodia Necross survived – but Lassiter's life points went down sharply to 3300! "Ouch…that stings…" Lassiter grimaced, but managed to stay on his feet.

Then, because his life points were now higher than Lassiter's, Seta had to watch as Megamorph's effect swiftly halved his Blue-Eyes White Dragon's original ATK to 1500. "Well…that ends my turn now, I guess," sighed Seta.

Lassiter looked at his life point counter for a long moment. Then slowly he started to laugh; reaching behind him, he pulled out the Millennium Rod again. "Now you've gone and done it…now, my real power is shown!" And the Rod began to glow with sinister energy.

Then, before Seta's startled eyes, Lassiter's appearance began to alter: His eyes developed some queer black marks underneath them; spiky black hair began to sprout out of his formerly bald head and stretched down to his back; and his eyes turned ghastly white! "Once you've brought my life points to a certain amount, then my truest form shall be revealed!" he announced. "And, from here on out, Seta Kaiba…things are going to get extremely desperate for you!"

----------

Meanwhile, further down in the tomb, the group still continued walking. "Man, how much further is it?" complained Shigeo.

"Be patient, young one," Mr. Ishtar advised. "If my hunch is right, we should be arriving at the destination point in another few moments…"

By and by their walking brought them into a wide room, lit by torches. On the walls were numerous hieroglyphs. "More Egyptian writing…what's next, Duel Monsters putting on a show for us?" Malachi asked sarcastically.

As he said that, a sudden low growl caused them all to turn. Looking in the general direction of the noise, suddenly the gang came face-to-face with a horde of REAL Duel Monsters!

"You _had_ to ask…" Miriam muttered.

On impulse, Blaze pulled out her Duel-Disk and activated it, readying her cards in the same movement. "Looks like we're in for a fight, everyone!" she declared. "Go, Blast Magician (ATK 1400, DEF 1700)! Make a way out for us!"

The Blast Magician emerged and started to swat at numerous enemy monsters with his staff. Following Blaze's example, Miki readied her own cards. "All right, then! King's Knight (ATK 1600, DEF 1400), Queen's Knight (ATK 1500, DEF 1600) and Jack's Knight (ATK 1900, DEF 1400)—go get them!" And her three knights emerged and, swords drawn, began to charge into the thick of the battle.

Shigeo readied his Duel-Disk as well. "C'mon, Zaborg the Thunder Monarch (ATK 2400, DEF 1000)!" In a flash of lightning, Zaborg appeared, and immediately began to charge right into the middle of the fight.

Several ghostly spirits – the kind from the Dark Spirit of the Silent trap card – floated up from the ground and flew at the group. Kyo, turning, saw them approaching. "Oh, no, you don't! Be activated, Wall of Revealing Light!" And as he held up his trap card, the Millennium Ring trembled and shone – and suddenly a massive wall of light emerged out of thin air and blocked the ghosts' assault!

Malachi and Miriam, meanwhile, were wreaking havoc with their own cards. While Malachi's Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier (ATK 1500, DEF 1000) stabbed through one opposing monster after another, Miriam was calmly watching as several duplicates of the Robotic Knight (ATK 1600, DEF 1800) advanced upon her. "Not in this life," she muttered as she suddenly activated her magic cards, Mass Driver and Wave-Motion Cannon – and both blasted the robots into scrap!

Not far away, Marcus's XYZ-Dragon Cannon (ATK 2800, DEF 2600) was firing repeated bursts of laser fire at several hordes of blue skulls, the type from the Frozen Soul trap card. "This bites!" Marcus snapped. "Destroy one of these things, and it's as if twenty more take its place!"

"Only one thing to be done, then," remarked Honey, as her Toon monsters bashed into the enemy monsters' faces with giant fists. "Stop these monsters at the source!"

"Which would be JUDAS's leader, no doubt about that," said Yugo. "Only question is, which way from here?"

Mr. Ishtar looked around, then spied a doorway with a giant eye design on it. "Over there! That should take us further down into the tomb!" he exclaimed.

"Yugo! You and Mr. Ishtar go on ahead! We'll take care of things here!" said Jenna.

"Jenna…you sure?" Yugo asked, concerned.

"Yes." She nodded at him and smiled a little. "Yugo…remember the promise you and I made…that we'd go home together. I'm still holding you to that."

He smirked. "And I don't back down on my promises. You should know that."

"In that case…stand aside! I'll clear a path for you!" Jenna stepped forward, her Duel-Disk at the ready. She then pulled out a card and slapped it down on the Duel-Disk. "Come to the field, Red-Eyes Black Dragon (ATK 2400, DEF 2000)!"

The black dragon appeared on the field moments later; growling, it blasted a whole wave of enemy monsters with its trademark Inferno Fire Blast. "Let's go, Yugo, while the going's good!" shouted Mr. Ishtar, running for the door.

"Right!" Yugo nodded. "Wait for us, you guys—we'll be back soon!"

"Just go kick that guy's ass, is all you do!" Kyo told him.

Yugo nodded, then headed off after Mr. Ishtar. Together, the two of them slid through the mysterious door, even as their friends continued to fight the inhuman opposition with their own Duel Monsters.

----------

**_neomage:_** And so, dear readers, the battle royale is beginning now! Plus, Seta and Lassiter are gonna continue their fight in the next chapter – and who can say what'll happen next?

rampagerkriz: Ohhh…me so hungee…

neomage: um…exactly when was the last time he ate anything?

yamikriz: Not since yesterday afternoon, I'm guessing.

krizrampage: I tell you something, though—I'd do anything to have an ice-cream sandwich right now. (drools) Ohhh…chocolate wafers…vanilla ice cream filling…strawberry ice cream filling…I CAN'T STAND IT!

neomage: Great…two greedy-ass alter egos, and not another hour till dinnertime…


	145. Chapter 145

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Whee! Battle royale! And neomage doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh!)

**CHAPTER 145**

THE SHADOW REALM

Back at the duel between Seta and Lassiter, things were taking a serious turn for the worst. Lassiter's life points now stood at 3300, while Seta's were at 3700. Currently, neither player had any cards in hand. On the field Seta had his Swords of Revealing Light card active, plus his Blue-Eyes White Dragon powered by Premature Burial and its ATK halved by Megamorph's effect; Lassiter still had Exodia Necross in Attack Mode. The troublesome part was, thirteen minutes had passed on the Shadow Realm clock, and now the Millennium Rod had altered Lassiter's features considerably, meaning he now had even greater power at hand than previously!

Lassiter took his turn and drew his card…and as he did this, one of the Swords of Revealing Light vanished from Seta's side of the field. At the same moment Exodia Necross increased his ATK by 2800! "Heh…now only seven minutes remain in this duel," he chuckled. "And then it'll be all over."

"At least I've uncovered your monster's weakness, though," Seta taunted him. "Even if he isn't destroyed in battle, damage calculation is still done to your life points."

In his mind Seta added, _Now all I have to do is find a way to destroy his monster…there HAS to be SOME way!_

However, it _was_ still Lassiter's turn. "Now…I'll set one card facedown, and end my turn. Too bad I can't attack you right now, but…I'll be able to make up for that in but a moment."

"You're just wasting time, is all you're doing," growled Seta. "So let's get this over with."

He quickly drew another card. "All right…I'll set one card facedown, also, and end my turn."

The second Sword of Revealing Light disappeared as Lassiter took his turn again; and at the same time Exodia Necross increased his ATK to 3300! "Now, Exodia Necross is far more powerful than any monster you can think to bring against me – even a fully-powered Blue-Eyes White Dragon doesn't stand a chance!"

Then he grinned even more. "And now, I'll activate my trap card, Jar of Greed, to draw another card from my deck!" And that he did, so now he held two. "All right…I'll set another card facedown, and end my turn for now."

Seta took his turn again – and the minute hand on the Shadow Realm clock pointed to fifteen minutes. Seeing this, he realized, _This isn't good! If I can't end this duel in the next five minutes, then one way or the other I'm screwed!_

"I activate MY trap card, Jar of Greed, and so I can draw another card as well!" And this he did, so now he held two. "Then I'll set one monster facedown, and end my turn."

As Lassiter took his turn, the third Sword of Revealing Light slowly vanished. "Hmph…just one more turn till that one disappears completely…and then it's the end for you," he chuckled, even as Exodia Necross's ATK went up further to 3800. "Now, I activate my facedown trap, Reckless Greed! This will allow me to draw two cards in exchange for skipping my next two Draw Phases!"

Swiftly Lassiter drew his two cards, so now he held four in his hand. "So…I'll just set one card facedown, and end my turn!"

Seta calmly drew his next card…and the final Sword, having been fading already, finally disappeared. Inside, however, the teen was shaking. _Well…it's now or never! If I don't get some good cards with this combo, he'll finish me one way or the other!_

Then Seta looked down—and noticed something. His Duel Force was becoming active again, forming over his fingertips…and at the same time it seemed to caress his deck. _What…is this…? Can it be…?_

At the same moment Lassiter felt the Millennium Rod glowing in his belt. "Hmmm? What's the meaning of this, I wonder?"

"Hey, Lassiter, you freak! I've got a good feeling that this is the turn that'll end it all!" Seta announced. "Just watch me and you'll see!"

"Bah! And just what will you do that's so spectacular, pray tell?" Lassiter asked. To himself he added, _By any chance, might it have something to do with that strange energy that was flashing all around him earlier? If so…I have to be on my guard!_

Seta held up one card in his hand and prepared to play it. "Now…I'll activate the magic card Graceful Charity to draw three cards, after which I must discard two!"

Swiftly Seta used Graceful Charity's effect to draw his three cards, so now he held four. Then, studying the cards in his hand, his eye stopped on one of them – and his face lit up. _No WAY! I actually drew THIS CARD? Then I still have a chance!_

Making his choice, Seta discarded two of his cards for Graceful Charity's second effect. "Now…I'll set another monster facedown, shift my Blue-Eyes White Dragon into Defense Mode, and end my turn."

"You're running out of time, boy," Lassiter sneered as he pointed to the clock – seventeen minutes had passed by this time! "You only have three minutes left!"

Now, with only three minutes left in the Shadow Game, the stats looked like this: Seta was in the lead with 3700 life points, while Lassiter still had 3300. Seta had one card left in his hand; Lassiter had three. On the field Seta had Blue-Eyes White Dragon in Defense Mode, still powered by Premature Burial and its ATK still halved by Megamorph, plus he also had two monsters facedown in Defense Mode. Lassiter still had Exodia Necross in Attack Mode with an ATK of 3800, and he had one card facedown.

Since his earlier activation of Reckless Greed forbade him to draw, Lassiter went straight into his turn – and Exodia Necross's ATK shot up to 4300! "Now, Exodia Necross, smash that pathetic Blue-Eyes White Dragon into pieces!"

Exodia Necross complied, sending a rushing fist into the Blue-Eyes's chest and destroying it altogether. "It's hopeless now, kid!" Lassiter gloated. "Against my mighty Exodia Necross, you're nothing!"

Very grim-faced, Seta drew his next card. _This is it now…_ "Lassiter…it's time I showed you the flaw in your little strategy."

"Huh? What flaw are you talking about? My strategy is invincible!" Lassiter snapped.

"Allow me to show you," said Seta calmly. "I'll Flip Summon my mighty Summoner of Illusions (ATK 800, DEF 900)!"

Moments later his spellcaster emerged, chanting an incantation. "When Summoner of Illusions is flipped face-up," said Seta, "by offering another monster on my side of the field as a tribute, I can Special Summon one Fusion Monster from my Fusion deck to the field. And I choose…Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon (ATK 4500, DEF 3800)!"

Suddenly Seta's remaining facedown monster disappeared from the field as the Summoner of Illusions continued chanting. The next thing Lassiter knew, the three-headed white dragon emerged on the field, roaring in its wrath.

"Hold it!" Lassiter shouted. "Now I activate my trap card, Shadow Spell! This will trap your dragon so he can't attack, and his ATK will decrease by 700 points!" And as he spoke several hundred chains shot out of the trap card and wrapped around the Ultimate Dragon, lowering its ATK to 3800!

"Damn it…!" Seta swore.

"Too bad," chuckled Lassiter. "And, now that I'm seeing your pathetic Summoner of Illusions, I can tell you what else its effect states—at the end of this turn, your Fusion monster will be destroyed. And then…on my next turn, Exodia Necross's ATK will be powerful enough to wipe out your Summoner, and the rest of your life points as well!"

"There will be no next turn for you." Seta said this in a gritty voice. "And I'll show you why, right now. First…"

He paused and looked up at the clock. _Two minutes left to go…_ "Jude Lassiter…it's time for me to use a weapon of ultimate destruction…a weapon that's become the best-kept secret of the entire Kaiba family…the next evolution of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon's legacy!"

He then held up one of the two cards in his hand. "I offer my Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon as a tribute to summon my truly most ultimate beast of all…say hello to my **_Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon_** (ATK 3000, DEF 2500)!"

The Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon's skin began to crack, breaking apart into pieces. "What! What's going on…" but before Lassiter could finish, there was a blinding explosion as the Ultimate Dragon burst into pieces, destroying the Shadow Spell trap card in the process—and a massive light emanated from Seta's side of the field!

"What on earth is going on…?" Lassiter managed to get one eye open in spite of the bright glare – and what he saw stunned him to no end. "What the hell…"

On Seta's side of the field was a massive dragon – or rather, it appeared to be a robotic version of a dragon, for it certainly looked futuristic in appearance. True to its name as Seta had given it, it shone with great intensity. "This is the strongest of all my dragons, you see," Seta's voice came through. "For one thing, its ATK is increased by 300 points for every Dragon-type monster in my Graveyard. So, let's count…the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon I tributed to summon this big guy, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon you just destroyed, the Kaiser Glider (ATK 2400, DEF 2200) that I'd discarded earlier because of your Delinquent Duo card, the Paladin of White Dragon (ATK 1900, DEF 1200) and Cave Dragon (ATK 2000, DEF 100) that I discarded for my Graceful Charity's effect earlier, and the Dragon Dwelling in the Cave (ATK 1300, DEF 2000) that I just tributed for Summoner of Illusion's effect…that's six dragons, times 300, equals 1800…add that to the Shining Dragon's 3000 ATK…for a grand total of 4800 ATK!"

"Well, congratulations, but it won't be enough—" began Lassiter.

"I'm not done!" Seta snapped. He then held up the very last card left in his hand. "Next, I'll activate the magic card, Soul Release! This'll allow me to remove up to five cards in your Graveyard from play – and I choose the five pieces of Exodia!"

Lassiter's face suddenly paled. "Oh, no…!"

Seta played the card…and almost instantaneously, Exodia Necross's body disappeared! "I knew it…without those cards in your Graveyard, Exodia Necross couldn't survive," said Seta. "THIS is the flaw behind placing your trust in one monster – even I don't rely on my Blue-Eyes White Dragons that often!"

Lassiter just stood there, in a state of shock.

"And now—time to end it! Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon…attack with Shining Neutron Blast!" Seta ordered.

And as the dragon charged energy in its mouth and proceeded to fire it, the Shadow Realm clock ticked off the last few seconds for the duel: _Five…four…three…two…_

Then the blast hit a screaming Lassiter and flung him back, bringing his life points all the way to 0. And…just like that, the clock stopped, with only half a second to spare for Seta.

The young man looked across at his fallen enemy. "I win."

Lassiter slowly got up; his robe was scorched where the Shining Dragon's attack had hit him. "No…impossible…how could my mighty beast be taken down so quickly and so easily…?"

Suddenly, and without warning, the Shadow Realm's darkness surrounded Lassiter and began to consume him. "Beaten and humiliated…by the son of the very family that disgraced me all those times…" Lassiter kept lamenting, even as his body gradually disappeared into nothingness.

Seta watched as the darkness of the Shadow Realm disappeared, along with Lassiter's body. "So much for that asshole," he sighed. "Now, Mom and Uncle Mokuba have been avenged…but even so…the true mastermind behind their deaths is still there…I wonder if Yugo's reached him yet…?"

Then he looked at the floor. "Hmmm?"

Right where Lassiter had fallen after being attacked by the Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon, there lay the Millennium Rod. "Hmph…he dropped his toy," Seta chuckled.

Suddenly, to his surprise, his Duel Force began to seep out of him again—and headed in the Millennium Rod's direction. "What's happening…?" he wondered to himself as he found himself walking toward the Rod.

For one long moment he stood there, over the Rod, looking down at it. _Somehow…I feel this compulsion…telling me that I must pick up this thing…and somehow…it feels right that I should…_

Slowly, he reached down. And he looked at the Rod for another long moment. Then he reached forward and, very gently, grasped it.

_Now what?_

Suddenly, as Seta stood up again, the eye on the Millennium Rod's tip began to shine brightly. At the same time, his Duel Force exploded in a burst of energy, surrounding Seta's body and coursing around the Rod at rapid speed! "WHOA!" he cried out in astonishment.

And then all of a sudden— **_To be reunited with my Millennium Item again…I feel so much at home again._**

Understandably, Seta was extremely startled—for the voice was coming from his own mind! _What the…who's there? Who are you?_

**_Hmmm? I hear a voice…so familiar…are you the one who has carried my spirit through all this time?_**

Now Seta was feeling truly scared for the first time in his life. _Carried your spirit? Okay, you're really freaking me out, you, whoever you are._

The other voice chuckled. **_I see…well, why not close your eyes and concentrate on the Item you're holding…and perhaps then you will be able to see me._**

_I swear, if this is another trick of JUDAS…_ But Seta closed his eyes anyway, and his grip on the Rod tightened. And then…he felt a warm, gentle caress all over himself as both his Duel Force and the power of the Millennium Rod merged together as one…

----------

_Moments later, Seta found himself standing in a dark corridor. _Okay, this is NOT the Egyptian crypt we were all walking around in moments ago…where is this?

_**"This, child, is the inner depths of your mind."**_

_Seta spun around. "Who…?"_

_Standing before him was a man who, strangely enough, resembled Seta. He wore clothes similar to Seta's, yet his hair was deep brown instead of blue, his face seemed older and wiser, and his eyes were far more serious. This person, Seta immediately thought, was a younger version of his father, minus the beard._

_**"So…you are his child…for a moment I almost mistook you for him…"**_

_"Him? Who?" Seta raised an eyebrow. "You mean Seto Kaiba?"_

_**"Yes, I do recall that that was his name."** The figure before him chuckled. **"And you…you have kept my disembodied spirit within you for the longest time…what you call the 'Duel Force' has actually been my power, aiding you. Yes, even disembodied and in that form, I have heard and seen much…including the fact that you and your friends have come to stop the madman who tried to revive and manipulate our spirits."**_

_Seta looked at the man. "Okaaaaaay…so, what do I call you?"_

_The man smirked—just the same way Kaiba would. **"In life, I was known as High Priest Seto, loyal guardian to his Highness, Pharaoh Atem of the kingdom of Egypt. And…"** He paused, as if listening to something. **"Yes. Now your memories are connecting with mine. You are Seta Kaiba, heir to a powerful organization called Kaibacorp."**_

_"High Priest Seto…now I get it." Seta grinned. "My uncle told me about you. You're supposed to be my family's great ancestor, or something. But…" he frowned. "Wasn't your spirit supposed to be laid to rest, when the Millennium Items were returned to their resting place?"_

_**"That is so…and yet…the Millennium Items were restored for evil purposes. But so far, I sense that six of the Items, including the Rod you now possess, have been liberated, so…their guardian spirits will likely have been revived, like me." **High Priest Seto's eyes narrowed. **"I know not for what purpose my spirit was revived…but it would now seem that my work is not yet done. I sense a great evil…so familiar…yet I cannot yet identify it. But…perhaps, with your assistance, I can get to the bottom of this mystery and be reunited with my fellow priests…and my leader, the Pharaoh."**_

_He looked intently at Seta. **"Will you assist me, young descendant of mine?"**_

_Seta looked back at him, just as intently. "We've got a common enemy. It's only fair that we should help each other."_

_**"Then it is decided. Hold up the Millennium Rod…and you will receive my full power."**_

_Seta held up the Rod as instructed. High Priest Seto stepped forward and laid his hand on the Rod's round tip. Almost immediately, the whole corridor was flooded in light from the Rod itself…_

----------

Seta was standing alone once again, inside the ancient crypt, in the place where he'd fought Lassiter. He was holding the Millennium Rod tightly; the Rod itself was glowing brightly. And…Seta had had his head bowed slightly; now he lifted his face—and right there, in the middle of his forehead, was a glowing yellow eye.

"Now…I am Seta Kaiba, but not Seta Kaiba," he spoke, in a deeper and more confident voice. His whole appearance seemed somehow different—his hair had a few more bangs than usual hanging over his face, and his eyes sparked with definite determination. "He is me, and I am him. We are one."

Slowly, the glowing yellow eye vanished from his forehead. He looked down the passageway. "Now…we must go…and help them against the great evil…let us hurry, partner." And with that, he started to walk into the shadows of the crypt, the Millennium Rod still held tightly in one hand.

----------

Elsewhere in the catacomb, Yugo and Mr. Ishtar had been running down a long passageway. Now they stopped to catch their breath. "Man…am I glad I took up track for gym class," Yugo panted.

Mr. Ishtar presently stood up. "Well, Yugo, let's keep moving."

Yugo nodded agreement. Standing up again, he followed Mr. Ishtar as they made way further into the tomb. Then presently they came upon a massive double-door, ornately designed and complete with two eye designs on each door.

Mr. Ishtar frowned. "This wasn't here the last time I was in this place…these folks sure had enough time to redecorate."

"What is it, sir?" asked Yugo.

"This, my boy, is the entrance to the room where your father and Pharaoh Atem had their ceremonial duel all those years ago." Mr. Ishtar nodded as the memory returned to his mind. "Behind this door…awaits the one who's responsible for all of this."

"So, let's go in there and kick his ass!" Yugo took a step forward…but Mr. Ishtar stopped him.

"Wait, Yugo." Mr. Ishtar's face was grave, unusually so. "Before you go in there…there is something you must know."

Yugo looked at the older man, puzzled. "What're you talking about?"

Now Mr. Ishtar's hair overshadowed his eyes. "I…I must apologize to you, Yugo. I haven't been totally honest with you."

Yugo stared at him in surprise. "Not totally honest? Why do you say that?"

Mr. Ishtar looked at him. "During the time you and Seta were training…your father awoke from his coma. Kaiba called me early in the morning and told me about it…and also told me what your father told him…about the leader of JUDAS." He sighed. "I didn't say anything to you because I didn't want it to interfere with your training. So I held out for as long as I could…till now."

Yugo blinked. "Well…when you explain it like that, I guess I can understand," he said. "So…Dad's really awake?"

"He is."

Yugo held his head down, doing his best to keep his relieved tears back. "Oh, thank God for that…Dad's okay now…"

Then he looked up, puzzled. "But what exactly DID he say…about JUDAS's leader?"

Mr. Ishtar now looked intently at him. "Listen, and listen well…because what I am about to tell you may very well shock your senses…"

----------

**_neomage:_** OH HOLY COOLNESS! Now, can you see it, ladies and gents—Seta Kaiba's got the Millennium Rod! And even more than that—HE'S GOT HIS OWN YAMI! This is MY way of making up for them not giving Kaiba his due props in the old show! And now, on a more sober note…Yugo's about to learn of the tragic history between his old man and Odachi! Will this affect him significantly as the confrontation is about to take place?

rampagerkriz: Ahhh…now I'm not hungry anymore…

neomage: That's a relief…exactly what did you guys feed him?

yamikriz: _Un poco pollo y rico. Fúe muy bueno!_

krizrampage: For the non-Spanish speakers: A little chicken and rice. It was very good! (licks lips) Oh, that gravy…

kRiZ and kriztrigun: (storming into the room, eyes red and fangs in their mouths—and wielding flamethrowers and chainsaws) _WHERE'S OUR SHARE?_

Everyone else: SCATTER! (they all run like mad as the two crazy alter egos start causing utter chaos and mayhem over their lost share of food…scary…O-O;;;)


	146. Chapter 146

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: The only things I own are this story, the new characters, my alter egos and the Millennium Keyboard!)

**CHAPTER 146**

THE VALLEY OF KINGS

"AAARGH! How much longer is this gonna take?" Marcus screamed in frustration as his X-Head Cannon (ATK 1800, DEF 1500) blasted several Flash Assailants (ATK 2000, DEF 2000) into pieces.

"As long as it takes!" Miki cried back. "C'mon, Blade Knight (ATK 1600, DEF 1000) – go get those suckers!" And, in response, her knight emerged and dashed forward, sword flashing.

Meanwhile, the Wall of Revealing Light that Kyo had formed with the Millennium Ring's power was starting to wear down. "Guys…I don't really think we can hold out for much longer!" he cried. "There's just too many of these buggers!"

"Then we'll die fighting!" Malachi vowed, even as he brought forth his Gravekeeper's Spy (ATK 1200, DEF 2000) to do battle.

Jenna, running behind the Red-Eyes Black Dragon (ATK 2400, DEF 2000) as it continued to wreak havoc on the opposition, shook her head. _No…I promised Yugo…I promised him…we'd all go back home together…so I can't die here! Not now!_

Suddenly a loud, authoritative voice caused every head in the room to turn. "IN THE NAME OF THE GREAT PHARAOH ATEM, I COMMAND YOU FOUL BEINGS TO RETURN TO THE DARK WORLD FROM WHENCE YOU CAME! NOW…BEGONE!"

All the enemy Duel Monsters ceased their assault and turned to face the speaker. The gang, of course, was surprised at who it was. "Seta…!" Blaze whispered.

Seta was stalking into the area, clutching the Millennium Rod in one hand. All around him, bright blue energy shone. "Know your place!" he shouted. "For now I banish you back to where you belong!" With one movement, he waved the Rod – and the result was a massive backlash that caused all the enemy monsters to disintegrate into nothingness!

The others stared. "Whoa…freaky…" Malachi blinked in disbelief.

Honey approached Seta. "Um…are you…okay?" she asked.

"I'd say he is," said Kyo. "Seems he beat Lassiter, after all."

Everyone's attention was then drawn to what Seta was holding. "The Millennium Rod…" Miriam's eyes were wide with awe.

Marcus's Millennium Eye glowed; he held it up in his hand, puzzled. "Hmmm…I am seeing something strange," he remarked. "Hey, Seta…it's as if there are…two different personalities in one body…what's going on?"

Everybody looked at him. "Two personalities?" asked Shigeo.

"He is correct," Seta spoke up. "Right now, we'd better go find Yugo and Uncle Marik. I'll explain my case on the way."

----------

"…and that is what happened."

Yugo stared disbelievingly at Mr. Ishtar. "No…these bastards…killed my mom?" he whispered, his voice sounding choked.

"Yes. They did." Mr. Ishtar nodded solemnly. "I'm sorry, Yugo."

Yugo leaned on the wall for support, lest he should collapse. "All this time…and Dad never told me…"

"Please do not blame your father, Yugo," said Mr. Ishtar. "Had he told you the truth, your family would have been killed. It's a burden he's had to live with for as long as you've known him." His eyes sparkled knowingly. "Knowing who your loved one's murderer is…and not being able to do anything about it…it's something I feel I can relate to. After all, my sister…Seta's mother…died at the same time, in the same way, as your mother did. Think how hard it's been on me…on Odion…on Seta and his father. You're not the only one who has suffered from this…millions of others have, too."

"Yeah…" Yugo nodded, even as the tears finally came down. "JUDAS has killed so many…stolen so many souls…and this man, Keisuke Odachi…he's at the root of it all, just because of one bad experience…"

"Everyone is bound to mentally snap after something drastic has happened to them," Mr. Ishtar said. "In his case…I guess he over-exaggerated it and blew it out of proportion. But that cannot excuse all the atrocities he's committed against this world…against US."

Then he looked at the teenager. "Yugo…he was after you from the first…and now, you're about to meet him. But please, do me a favor. Do not allow vengeance to corrupt your judgment. If you do…then you'll be no better than he is. Trust me on this. I know what I'm talking about."

Yugo nodded assent, and wiped his tears away with his sleeve. "Yeah…okay."

"Good. Now…go ahead. I'll stay here and wait on the others to come. They'll need to know what's going on, too." Mr. Ishtar smiled. "And, don't forget—we'll all be rooting for you."

Yugo nodded. "Sure."

Then, as Mr. Ishtar watched, Yugo turned and pushed at the giant doors. They refused to budge at first; but, after a moment, they yielded and swung inward, allowing him entrance. Yugo hesitated a moment, then quickly stepped in…and the doors shut after him.

Mr. Ishtar nodded solemnly once again. _May Heaven go with you, Yugo Muto…_

----------

Yugo's eyes strained to get accustomed to the darkness. Looking around, he noted that he was in a large room. _This Odachi character…he's gotta be around here somewhere._

"Welcome, child."

Starting at the voice, Yugo looked around. "Where are you? Show yourself!" he cried.

"Now, now, don't be so impatient." Then suddenly, from one end of the room a light shone. "I'm over here."

Initially shielding his eyes against the unexpected glare, Yugo gradually lowered his arms. "So…Keisuke Odachi, is it? We meet at last."

"You know my name…then you were told about me." Odachi chuckled. He was clad in his red robe, the Millennium Puzzle hanging from his neck, and a Duel-Disk on his arm. "And you know that I am the man responsible for your mother's death."

"Not just her death…Seta's suffered, also…and Raven, and Honey, and the rest of them…and all the innocent victims of your schemes, worldwide." Yugo's eyebrows knitted together. "You're heartless."

"Heartless? No, no, my dear boy, I'm afraid I don't agree with you." Odachi shook his head. "I was dealt a cruel and unfair hand…so I'm simply making the world feel the pain and suffering I was forced to endure."

"By stealing souls?" Yugo demanded.

"Heh…well, that now…that's simply for the revival of the Great One, and not part of my revenge, per se," explained Odachi. "My revenge comes out of seeing the despair of the loved ones of those whose souls I steal…the same despair I've known for so many years."

"Cut the crap! You've got no sense of decency or honor!" exploded Yugo.

"Bah. What you think doesn't matter to me."

"Then why did you orchestrate my coming here to Egypt in the first place?" queried Yugo.

Now Odachi smiled a truly evil smile. "That one's simple. I had you come here…so that I could take the opportunity to take from Yugi Muto, as he took from me. You see, Yugo…you are living, breathing, walking proof that your father is as much a thief, a liar, a traitor and a backstabber now as he was then. He took my one true love from me…and so, in response, I'm gonna take the result of that act of procreation from him."

"No." Yugo's eyes narrowed into slits. "You're delusional and a psycho. And you won't be taking me down like that."

Odachi stopped smiling. "Well…in any case, you and your pathetic bunch of friends are too late to stop me. My plans to resurrect the Great One into this world will be realized, for over the last dozen years I have collected millions of souls…including the souls of your comrades who fell before the might of JUDAS. Now…I only need to take one more soul and add it to my collection for the Great One's revival. If you like, I can show you." He turned and walked toward a wall.

A suspicious look in his eye, Yugo followed. He watched as the Millennium Puzzle shone with bright intensity – then a moment later the wall shifted, revealing another room within. Odachi stepped in, and Yugo followed after him after only a moment's hesitation.

And what he saw in there nearly floored him.

The room was just one gigantic space, extremely long and extremely wide. All around the walls, ceiling, and even some sections of the floor were hundreds upon hundreds of bright blue orbs. "Souls…" Yugo shivered.

In the very middle of the room, several hundred feet from the hidden doorway, was a giant round space; at one end of that space was a massive Egyptian sarcophagus, its face chiseled off. Odachi walked up to it and patted it affectionately. "Yes…inside this coffin rests the Great One," he smirked. "With every soul JUDAS has been gathering, he has been growing in power…and now, to think that all that is needed is one more soul…"

"You sick bastard…" Yugo clenched his teeth and his fists. "My friends…their souls…give them back, RIGHT THIS INSTANT!"

"Sorry, but I can't do that," said Odachi sternly. "Oh, wait, forgive my misuse of words – I meant, I **won't** do that. At least consider your friends fortunate: many of these souls were gained by outright killing my victims; all of your friends lost their souls as a result of penalties in Shadow Games, and right now their bodies merely sleep as if in comas. So, they're not truly dead as they ought to be, but…hee, hee, hee…considering where their souls are going to next, they may as well be."

Then Odachi's face took on a puzzled expression. "Although, honestly, one thing still puzzles me…when I first started gathering souls for the Great One's revival, I tried to bring back seven particular souls that would have greatly increased his power and shortened his revival time…but…those seven souls all escaped me. How did they escape? Even now I still cannot fathom it…"

"Stop bullshitting! I won't let you keep these souls – and you certainly aren't gonna get mine to add to your sick collection!" Yugo readied his Duel-Disk. "I'll stop you before you do anything else!"

"I'd like to see you try." Odachi shook his head. "Nobody who ever faces me in a duel ever survives. And believe me, I've had quite a few opponents over the last couple of years. Of course, you're welcome to try, if you really think you have the balls."

"Then let's do this." Yugo's face was now grim.

The two positioned themselves so that they were standing on opposite ends of the giant round space on the floor. Odachi pulled out his cards—and started to walk toward Yugo. "How about we shuffle each other's decks, so that this duel will be a fair one and you can't accuse me of cheating later?" he suggested.

Yugo nodded in agreement. "Fine."

They approached each other and handed their decks to each other, holding them facedown. Yugo vigorously shuffled Odachi's cards…but Odachi merely looked at Yugo's deck in his hand before tapping it with the point of his finger. "Hmm…your deck is good as is."

Yugo cocked an eyebrow when he heard this. _What does he mean by that?_

They handed their decks back to each other and headed back to their respective sides of the pseudo-arena. Slotting their decks into the Duel-Disk slots, the disks were then fully activated. "How about we make this fight a little more interesting, young one?" queried Odachi.

"What now? What are you talking about?" asked Yugo, irritated.

Odachi gave him a long look and chuckled. "Haven't you noticed it, the last few times you engaged in a duel? How the monsters were somehow able to do real physical damage to people, even though they were holograms? Well…that was because of the influence of the Great One's existence. For you see, Duel Monsters were very much real back in ancient Egypt, and they will become extremely real in the modern world today once the Great One is completely revived. But for the purpose of this duel, why don't we speed up the process a little…?"

The Millennium Puzzle began to glow and tremble; the next thing Yugo knew, they were being surrounded by an eerie fog. "In this duel, our very lives will be on the line," said Odachi. "Every direct attack from a monster…every magic or trap effect…we will be able to really feel the effects, for they will actually be taking place. In this duel…you could easily die."

"You seem pretty confident, to be placing such high stakes on this battle," said Yugo.

"But of course! This is exactly how the Egyptians dueled 3000 years ago—with real monsters, real magic and real traps!" Odachi nodded knowingly, and his tattoo over his eye seemed to shine in agreement. "So it is only right that as duelists, we should face the same perils that they faced so long ago. The holographic Duel Monster system invented by Kaibacorp has softened the game altogether…but now, this game will change all of that. Our Duel-Disks will merely be mediums by which we do our summoning…everything else that happens will be as real as the clothes on our backs!"

Yugo looked around at the darkness that enclosed both of them. Then he looked directly at Odachi again. "Fine. I accept this condition. Because it doesn't change the fact that I'm going to defeat you…no matter what."

"Your determination…is very inspiring." Odachi nodded respectfully. "It's only too bad you're going to die today. Still, I expect a good performance from you, so…do not disappoint me!"

"No more talk now." Yugo held up his Duel-Disk. "Anything else I have to say to you, I'll say it with my Duel-Disk and my deck."

"Indeed. And I will respond with mine." Odachi held up his Duel-Disk as well.

----------

"So, let me get this straight…you're Seta, but you're not really Seta…? You're the spirit of some 3000-year-old high priest who happens to be Seta's ancestor…and you're one of seven spirits that JUDAS tried to revive for their plans?" Miki asked in a marveled voice.

"That is correct, in a nutshell." Seta, or rather his other self, still had altered features and was speaking in an obviously altered voice. The Millennium Rod was still being held in one hand.

"If that's true, then why don't the rest of us who have Millennium Items have 'spirits' as well?" Kyo asked, touching his Millennium Ring as he spoke.

"Well…" Yami Seta looked up at the ceiling. "True, these JUDAS people failed to fully contain our souls, but only I and another of us, as close as I can tell, were truly able to escape this place. The others…I can sense their presence here…perhaps if we hurry and reach the place where the revival was attempted, then they will reveal themselves."

"Question: Is Seta aware of anything that's going on right now?" Honey inquired.

"Oh, quite so," answered Yami Seta. "He's hearing everything that I hear, seeing everything that I see."

"Maybe so…so, then, what do we call you while you're impersonating him?" asked Marcus. "Because it'll feel too strange to call you 'High Priest' when you look like someone who definitely isn't a High Priest now."

"Here's how I see it," said Jenna thoughtfully. "He's the spirit of this Millennium Rod, inhabiting Seta's body, right? And from a visual perspective, he's Seta, but not really Seta. So…to save time and embarrassment from others, why don't we just call him Seta and be done with it? At least, by looking at him, we can know which Seta is which, right?"

"Thank you," murmured Yami Seta, chuckling a little.

The whole group had been walking together, right down the same path Yugo and Mr. Ishtar had taken to escape the Duel Monster battle. Now Shigeo looked up and exclaimed, "Hey, isn't that Mr. Ishtar?"

Yami Seta looked up. _Ishtar…_

Indeed, it was Mr. Ishtar, standing in front of a large dual-door. Now he turned and beheld the group. "Hey, guys; hope you didn't have a lot of trouble with those monsters."

Then he looked more carefully at Seta. "Um, nephew…you look different somehow…"

Yami Seta chuckled. "I see…so you are my vessel's uncle, as well as a Tomb-keeper…who would've thought that one of the descendants of the High Priest would marry one of the Tomb-keepers…"

_Vessel…? High Priest…?_ Mr. Ishtar's eyes widened in recognition. _Can it possibly be?_ Swiftly he went down on one knee. "High Priest Seto, is it really you?" he exclaimed.

"Okaaaaay…weird…" Malachi whispered.

"You're one to talk," Miriam whispered back, earning her a glare from her brother.

"Please, arise," Yami Seta indicated to Mr. Ishtar. "My title of High Priest is in the distant past. Now, I am your nephew's guardian spirit, who resides within the Millennium Rod."

Suddenly Blaze looked around. "Hey, where's Yugo? Wasn't he with you?"

Mr. Ishtar's face immediately turned serious. "Ah, yes…he's inside this door, confronting JUDAS's leader," he told the group. To Yami Seta he added, "JUDAS has committed terrible atrocities, including blatant use of reconstituted Millennium Items for evil. Sad to say, the Millennium Rod is one of those remade Items."

"Then we need to go in there and stop the madman," Yami Seta said knowingly. "This boy, Yugo…what chance does he have?"

Mr. Ishtar chuckled. "He is a descendant of the great Pharaoh Atem, and as such has inherited great power and great dueling skill. I believe he will pull through."

"Even so, he will need our help," said Yami Seta. "Let us enter."

"Yeah, what he said," agreed Blaze. "Let's do this!"

"Then I'll open the door," said Mr. Ishtar, and he turned to the door. Pushing it with all his strength, he finally got it to budge, and the door swung inward…

----------

**_neomage:_** Whatcha think? Yugo and Odachi begin their fated confrontation, and the duel itself starts next chapter…and Yami Seta takes a more active stance! Coolness continues next chapter!

(krizrampage is munching away at something)

neomage: Are you eating ice cream sandwiches?

krizrampage: (ice cream and chocolate fudge is on his face) Uh…no…

kRiZ: That was the dumbest lie ever.

rampagerkriz: I've got a problem, guys…

neomage: What is it?

rampagerkriz: Well…I wanna ask Kimiru out, but I don't know how…

kRiZ: You mean the alter ego for Miriku?

rampagerkriz: Yeah…

kRiZ: Dude, you just did.

rampagerkriz: O-O

krizrampage: And anyway, I doubt she'd go out with a greedy-ass like you.

rampagerkriz: Waaaaah! (runs out of the room)

neomage: That wasn't very nice, guys…


	147. Chapter 147

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: The Battle of the Millennium for Yu-Gi-Oh Forever begins now! And neomage doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh!)

**CHAPTER 147**

THE VALLEY OF KINGS

The door to Odachi's chamber swung inward, and the group entered. "Huh? There isn't anybody here…" Miriam looked around, bemused.

"Maybe they're in there," suggested Miki, pointing to the previously hidden doorway that Odachi had revealed only moments before. From that doorway, a blue light shone.

Suddenly the Millennium Key began to shine wildly. At the same time, Malachi's eyes widened – and then he let out a loud scream. "AAARGH!" he cried out, dropping to his knees even as his hands went to his temples.

Everyone turned to look at him. "Brother! Are you all right?" Miriam cried anxiously, stooping down to tend to him.

"Damn it…I can hear them…" Malachi whispered.

"Hear them…?" Suddenly Shigeo's Millennium Scale began to glow, too. "What in the—! I hear them too…the souls of all the people JUDAS has captured! They're crying…crying for freedom…crying for justice…"

A large golden eye popped up in Marcus's forehead. "Yeah…I can hear them, too…" and his face was contorted in pain. "They're all in suffering…suffering such inhumane agony…"

Yami Seta held up the Millennium Rod. "Yes…these innocent souls are all screaming in torture," he reported. "But that's not all…a Dark Game has begun in that room…"

Jenna looked toward the doorway frantically. "Yugo!" she cried, running forward.

"Jenna, no!" Kyo cried, jumping forward to grab her – but too late. Jenna was almost at the doorway – and suddenly got thrown back as if by some invisible force! "Ow!" she screamed as she skidded along the floor.

"Are you okay?" Honey asked, helping Jenna up.

"I…I think so," Jenna replied, but then she winced and held her arm. "Must've scraped my arm up, I think…"

Kyo stepped forward toward the doorway with caution; his Millennium Ring glowed. "It seems to be a barrier of sorts," he told the others. "High magic power's seeping from it…anything not remotely magical can't pass through it. That's why Jenna got pushed back."

"Maybe…maybe we could go through," said Honey thoughtfully. "Our Millennium Items have magic power, after all. Perhaps we could breach this barrier and pass through into that room."

"It's worth a shot," said Mr. Ishtar. "You guys go ahead, then. The rest of us will wait out here. Just be careful."

"Can you make it, Malachi?" Marcus asked.

"Y-yeah…I'll manage…" Malachi nodded and stood up, though shakily. "Let's go in there and free those souls, eh?"

"All right, then." Yami Seta stepped forward, the golden eye shining brightly in his forehead. "We'll be back soon, everyone."

"Be careful, you guys," said Blaze.

"Yes," added Miriam. "Please."

Then, as the others watched, the Millennium Item bearers walked toward the door. Tentatively, Yami Seta pushed a hand forward – and his hand appeared to pass through some transparent force, almost like going through a sheet of water! "Yes, we should be able to pass through," he nodded. "Follow me."

And as he went through into the room beyond, Marcus, Kyo, Shigeo, Honey and Malachi followed after him. Behind them, Blaze, Miriam, Jenna and Miki stood with Mr. Ishtar. "May the heavens go with you all," Mr. Ishtar whispered.

----------

The six soon found themselves in the soul-collecting room, surrounded by thousands of blue orbs. "These are…those JUDAS _ANIMALS_!" Yami Seta sputtered.

"And look at that ahead…" Honey pointed.

In the center of the room was a massive black cloud. "The Dark Game…" Kyo spoke softly. "What can we do?"

"Right now, unfortunately, nothing," sighed Yami Seta. "Once a Shadow Game has begun, no outside force can interrupt it till it's done."

"Then all we can do is wait…and hope…" Honey whispered.

----------

THE SHADOW REALM

Meanwhile, the holographic coin was now being spun. "I'll call it! Heads!" Odachi announced. Then the coin landed – and indeed it was heads.

"Great…you get to go first…" Yugo mumbled.

Both drew their first five cards; then Odachi drew a sixth to start off. "Heh…I know all about your successes in the Kaibacorp Challenge Cup and the Intercontinental tournament held by Maximillion Pegasus and Devlin & Taylor," he remarked. "So…I think I'll have a little fun with you before I destroy you altogether."

He looked at the cards in his hand. "All right…I will set one card facedown, one monster facedown in Defense Mode, and end my turn. Make your move, boy."

Yugo drew his card. _I don't know what kind of deck strategy Odachi uses…so I have to be doubly on my guard! If I slip up too much in this duel, it'll be the end of me!_ Aloud he declared. "All right…I'll also set one monster in Defense Mode, and set one card facedown. That will end my turn."

"A cautious player…very smart," Odachi smirked. "But even the utmost caution won't protect you from me! Now, I draw!"

He drew another card, and laughed out loud. "Now, I'll flip my monster face-up to reveal…Old Vindictive Magician (ATK 450, DEF 600)!"

Yugo's eyes widened in absolute astonishment upon hearing that. "No way!"

But as Odachi's facedown monster was flipped face-up, to Yugo's dismay it did turn out to be the elderly magician. The mage raised his staff and blasted Yugo's facedown monster into pieces! "Old Vindictive Magician's flip effect: he destroys one monster on the field, regardless of position," said Odachi with a triumphant smirk. "And now, time to capitalize on my advantage, now that your life points are wide open!"

He looked at the five cards in his hand. "Now, I summon Fiend Scorpion (ATK 900, DEF 200)!" And he brought forward a blue scorpion with a very rugged hide. "But don't let his weak stats fool you…for he's got far more potential than that!"

Whereupon Odachi pointed to his facedown card. "And now, I activate my trap card—The League of Uniform Nomenclature! By selecting one face-up Level 2 or lower Normal monster on my side of the field, I can Special Summon from my deck as many monsters as possible that have the same name as the monster I selected. And so…I'll bring forth two more Fiend Scorpions to my side of the field!"

In a moment he had a total of three blue scorpions on the field. "And now…all of my monsters, attack directly!" Odachi commanded. And in response, the three Fiend Scorpions swiftly crawled up to Yugo, stinging him and causing him plenty of pain as his life points were reduced to 5300. Then, Odachi's Old Vindictive Magician blasted Yugo with a spell from his staff, flinging the boy back and reducing him further to 4850 life points!

"Argh…damn it…" Yugo cursed, struggling to stand up. His skin was actually starting to break out in massive swelling where the Fiend Scorpions had stung him, and part of his jacket was blasted off from the Old Vindictive Magician's attack.

"And finally, I'll set two cards facedown, and end my turn," said Odachi. Then he chuckled. "Come on, kid, I figured you to be better than this! Show me your fighting spirit, already!"

"My…fighting spirit…oh, you'll see it, believe me," Yugo snarled. "Just you wait!"

While Odachi's life points were at a still-intact 8000, Yugo's were at 4850. Odachi now had two cards in his hand; Yugo had four. On the field Odachi had three Fiend Scorpions and one Old Vindictive Magician, all in Attack Mode, plus two cards facedown; Yugo had only one facedown card.

Now Yugo took his turn, shakily, and drew another card. "Hey…how cool! Just what the doctor ordered!" he chuckled. "All right…I summon Magician's Valkyrie (ATK 1600, DEF 1800) in Attack Mode!"

A moment later his female magician appeared on the field. "And now…Magician's Valkyrie, attack and destroy the Old Vindictive Magician!" cried Yugo. And Magician's Valkyrie responded by blasting the old mage with her Mystic Scepter Blast, frying him to ashes and bringing Odachi's life points to 6850.

"Fine, so you've brought down my life points a little," said Odachi. "But, consider this: I still have more life points than you!"

"It doesn't matter," returned Yugo. "A little goes a long way."

Odachi's eye-tattoo glowed. "Hmph…spunky brat. All right…it's time for me, then, to show you the full power of the magic I have at my disposal! Now, I shall not hold back on my true might any longer!"

All at once, the Millennium Puzzle began to tremble and shake as Odachi drew his next card. He looked at it for a long moment…and smirked when he saw what it was. "Now, then, little guy," he taunted Yugo, "it's time for me to summon the first of my three great and terrible beasts!"

He raised the card high in the air. "Now…I sacrifice all three of my Fiend Scorpion monsters to summon the great beast known as…Osiris the Sky Dragon (ATK X000, DEF X000)!"

Yugo reared up and his eyes widened in absolute disbelief. _Osiris…the Sky Dragon! Impossible!_

Suddenly, in the dark shadows all around them, lightning flashed as a great black shape formed around Odachi. Then the next thing Yugo knew, there slowly appeared a massive red dragon with an extremely long body and two mouths, one on top of the other. This creature looked right down at Yugo and unleashed a wrathful roar!

"Yes…stare into the face of destruction, Yugo," said Odachi. "Osiris the Sky Dragon, one of the three legendary creatures that nearly laid waste to Egypt 3000 years ago, has been brought back again! And now…see the full merit of his power!"

Suddenly, Osiris's stats changed to show him having 2000 ATK and 2000 DEF! "Osiris's ATK and DEF are equal to 1000 times the number of cards I'm holding in my hand," explained the JUDAS leader. "And now…Osiris, show that brat the full force of your great might! Use your God of Thunder Blast and obliterate his Magician's Valkyrie!"

Bright energy began to charge up in Osiris's lower mouth, even as the great dragon growled deep in its throat. Then suddenly, that energy was unleashed in a massive blast of power that tore along the ground and vaporized Magician's Valkyrie! Yugo himself had to shield his face with his arms lest he be blinded, but his life points went down to 4450!

"And that's only a small sample of his strength," Odachi declared haughtily. "Now…can you possibly throw anything against Osiris? I'd like to see you try! Ha, ha, ha!"

Gritting his teeth, Yugo drew another card, so now he held five. Then his eyes lit up when he saw what he had in his hand. _Oh, how incredible! I can use these in a nice little combo, and taint him but good!_

"Okay, Odachi!" Yugo announced out loud. "I'll set two cards facedown, and summon Skilled Dark Magician (ATK 1900, DEF 1700) in Attack Mode!" Then his black-robed spellcaster emerged on the field, cane at the ready.

But Odachi merely crossed his arms and smiled. "Dumb move."

Suddenly, Osiris's upper mouth opened wide, bright energy shining from it! "Huh?" Yugo exclaimed – but before he could utter another word, a blast of lightning shot down from Osiris's mouth, obliterating Skilled Dark Magician from the field altogether!

"That is Osiris's other effect," said Odachi. "When you summon a monster in Attack Mode, Osiris's power reduces the ATK of that monster by 2000 points…and if, in the process, the monster's ATK is reduced to zero, then the monster is destroyed. The same thing applies if the monster is summoned in Defense Mode and its DEF gets reduced to zero. Even if you manage to summon any powerful monsters, Osiris's great power will reduce them to kid-size…if not to dust! HA!"

"Oh, crap…" Yugo bit his lip in frustration and annoyance. "All right, fine. I'll end my turn."

Odachi drew another card – and since he now had three cards in his hand, Osiris's ATK and DEF each went up to 3000! "This may not be high enough to completely wipe you out," sneered Odachi, "but at least it'll take a hefty sum out of your life points…Go, Osiris! Blast him into eternity!"

This time both of Osiris's mouths opened as it prepared to fire its God of Thunder Blast. Then, it unleashed all of its power into one cannon-like blast at Yugo…

…who cried out, "I activate my trap card, Negate Attack, to stop the attack and end your Battle Phase!"

"What?" Odachi exclaimed in disbelief. But just then, right before Yugo appeared a swirling mass of energy that absorbed all of Osiris's attack!

"Sorry, man," Yugo snickered. "Looks like eternity's not ready to accept me yet."

"Why, you insufferable little brat!" Odachi growled. "Fine, then. I end my turn, but mark you…this duel won't be over till you're on your knees, begging me for mercy!"

"Empty threats will get you nowhere," answered Yugo. "You don't scare me, Odachi. In fact…all I feel for you is disgust."

Odachi's eyes narrowed. "You're in no position to be telling me you feel disgusted by me, boy," he snarled. "It is YOU who disgusts ME. After all…you're the by-product of a union that should never have come about in the first place. You are betrayal embodied…and now you will fall by my power!"

Yugo scowled. "All right…so you had the hots for Mom…and she turned you down for Dad. Anybody ever tell you to _get over it?"_

Odachi snarled, showing teeth. "Get over it? Insolent, ignorant bastard! Yes, that's right—that's what you are, boy—a _bastard!_ Those two traitors conceived you out of wedlock, after all…even if they did get married before you were born, you're still a bastard in my eyes!"

Yugo glared at Odachi. "Oh, is that right? Well, if I'm a bastard…then you're a second-rate prick!" He grinned nastily. "Why would Mom have wanted to settle for second-best, after all?"

Odachi's eye twitched—and his eye tattoo glowed brightly. "What…did you **_SAY?"_** he bellowed. "That's it—before this duel is over, I'll rip your insolent tongue out of your mouth!"

"Guess what—this duel's still on. So, bring it on!" Yugo declared.

----------

THE VALLEY OF KINGS

"Guys…can you feel that? I sense a hell of a lot of power being unleashed inside this Shadow Realm thingy," whispered Shigeo, as the Millennium Scale shone and its balancing cups trembled.

"Yeah…but I can't tell if Yugo's all right in there," said Honey worriedly.

Yami Seta walked right up to the black mass and frowned. "I have a strange feeling…I'm sensing something here…something so familiar…"

Malachi had walked up alongside him, and cocked his head as he looked at the black shadows. Then he happened to look past the edge of the shadows. "People…look at that over there…"

The others walked up and looked in the direction where he was pointing. At the very far end of the room, just out of the way of the Shadow Realm's black mass, was an enormous Egyptian sarcophagus sitting all by itself. "What could that be?" asked Marcus.

"The only way we're gonna find that out, is if we go a little closer," said Kyo.

Carefully stepping past the edge of the shadows, Kyo walked up to the coffin, and the others followed after him. They all studied the coffin carefully; its face was completely chiseled off. "What do you guys suppose is in here?" asked Honey.

Yami Seta frowned again. _This sensation…what can this possibly be?_

Stepping toward the front of the group, he slowly reached his hand out to the sarcophagus, until his fingertips were touching it—and suddenly an enormous look of fear came over his face. "Oh, for the love of Ra…it can't be…"

The others turned to look at him; he was deathly pale and looked about to collapse. Marcus immediately grabbed him. "Hey, man, get a hold of yourself! What's going on?"

Slowly Yami Seta's physical features changed…and then, when he spoke, his voice was that of normal Seta's once again. But on his face was pure terror. "Guys…I know who's in that sarcophagus," he whispered. "Uncle Marik told me and Yugo about him…"

"Him?" Honey asked worriedly. "Seta, who is he?"

Seta took a long moment to answer…but when he did, his voice was reduced to a hoarse whisper, so great was his terror.

"Zork Necrophades!"

----------

**_neomage:_** Heh, heh, heh…I know this one's gonna come as a shocker to everybody who knows advanced info on the Yu-Gi-Oh series. Yes, everybody…after 147 chapters of this story, the Great One, the puppet-master behind JUDAS, has been finally revealed: Zork Necrophades! And now…the duel between Yugo and Odachi continues next chapter! How will Yugo defend himself against Osiris the Sky Dragon?

(rampagerkriz walks in, looking as pleased as punch)

kRiZ: Date went well?

rampagerkriz: Yep! Me and Kimiru went to Disneyworld, the movies, Coney Island…and we even took in some sun and sand on the beaches of home sweet home, Jamaica!

krizrampage: Our and neomage's island home…hey, wait a minute. How did you manage to transport yourself and Kimiru from America to Jamaica in such short time?

rampagerkriz: With this! (holds up the Millennium Keyboard)

krizrampage and kRiZ: (look at each other, then at rampagerkriz) We don't know you.

(neomage suddenly enters, breathing fire)

neomage: RAMPAGERKRIZ! YOU DARE STEAL MY MILLENNIUM KEYBOARD? WAIT TILL I GET A HOLD OF YOU! (pulls out shotgun)

rampagerkriz: O.O RUN AWAY! (dashes off as neomage starts blasting)

kRiZ: By the way, to address a comment on the use of Contract with Exodia a few chapters back…in the real game, you don't need to pay any life points to play that card. It says so there on the card itself. And, a note – there's still at least one more story arc to write before this story can truly be finished.

krizrampage: Read the next chapter, please!


	148. Chapter 148

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: The Battle of the Millennium continues! I own not Yu-Gi-Oh!)

**CHAPTER 148**

THE VALLEY OF KINGS

"Zork Necrophades?" Kyo asked, looking puzzled.

Seta slowly nodded. "From what Uncle Marik told us," he whispered, his voice still constricted by his fear, "Zork Necrophades was an evil force that tried to destroy the world 3000 years ago. Only the Pharaoh Atem, whose tomb we're now in, was able to bring him down, and even then it was extremely difficult. But…3000 years…yet he's still got such power…"

"But if he was destroyed as you say, how can he be alive now?" Malachi demanded.

"That, I don't know…" Seta shook his head. "But…that power I felt just now…it's so fearsome, even the spirit of the Rod had to retreat and hide! It's just unbelievable!"

"We'd better go back and tell Mr. Ishtar what we've discovered," Kyo remarked. "He should be able to tell us what we can do next."

"You guys stay here, in case you can find a way to help Yugo—I'll go back. I'll return soon," said Honey. "Just make sure Yugo's okay!"

"We will," Shigeo nodded.

With that, Honey turned and headed back toward the doorway at the other end of the room, leaving the five boys behind. "So…this is why JUDAS was collecting souls all along…to strengthen this Zork Necrophades," said Marcus darkly.

"Heaven help us all if Yugo doesn't beat the leader now," said Kyo.

----------

THE SHADOW REALM

Meanwhile, in the darkness of the Shadow Realm, the stats of the duel were looking exceptionally grim. Yugo's life points were at 4450, while Odachi's stood at a higher 6850. On the field Odachi had two cards facedown in the magic/trap slot, and he also had Osiris the Sky Dragon in Attack Mode with an ATK and DEF of 3000 each, influenced by the three cards Odachi now held in hand; Yugo had only two cards facedown in his magic/trap slot and two cards in his hand.

It was now Yugo's turn, and he drew a card. _Man, am I ever in trouble…if Osiris's power allows him to reduce any monster's ATK or DEF to zero, depending on how I summon them…and that power can outright destroy my monsters if they're not resilient enough…I HAVE to do something!_

But then he looked at the card he'd just drawn…and a small flicker of hope seemed to appear on his face. "All right, Odachi. Now I'll set one monster in Defense Mode. Since I'm setting this card, even Osiris can't lower any of my monster's stats. And now, I end my turn."

"Did I just see hope on your face, boy?" said Odachi scornfully. "Well, Osiris will blast that hope into extinction! Against the might of an Egyptian God card, you have no hope for survival!"

He drew his card – and now that he held four cards, Osiris's ATK and DEF rose further to 4000 apiece! "And now…time for me to crush that last bit of hope you have!" he declared. "Osiris, smash that monster and bring his hopes to naught!"

Again Osiris charged up electrical energy in his two mouths, preparing to strike. But suddenly Yugo called out, "Not so fast, pal! I activate my trap card—Magical Hats!"

To Odachi's amazement, three hats appeared on Yugo's side of the field, obscuring the facedown monster. "During your Battle Phase, by selecting one monster on my side of the field, I can activate Magical Hats and its effect," said Yugo. "Now, I just take two non-Monster cards from my deck, shuffle them and my monster card, set them all facedown in Defense Mode on the field, and treat those two selected cards as having an ATK and DEF of 0. At the end of the Battle Phase, those two selected cards will be destroyed, but…" He smiled as he set the cards under each hat. "Whose side will luck be on now?"

Odachi frowned at Yugo. "Whatever, boy! Now, Osiris, resume the attack! And go for…" He looked at the three hats—and the Millennium Puzzle began to glow. "Attack the hat on my right!"

Osiris blasted energy from his mouth, right at the designated hat. But just as the energy blast was about to reach the hat…to Odachi's absolute astonishment, that hat popped up to reveal D.D. Warrior Lady (ATK 1500, DEF 1600), her sword at the ready! Swiftly she stood up, pulled her arm back, and with all her might flung her light-saber at Osiris, seconds before the energy blast vaporized her. The light-saber, in the meantime, soared upward – and embedded itself deep into Osiris's forehead!

"That monster you just destroyed…my D.D. Warrior Lady…when she engages in battle with another monster, after damage calculation I can use her effect to remove both her and that monster from play," said Yugo, smiling. "So…say goodbye to your Egyptian God monster!"

Almost immediately as Yugo stopped speaking, D.D. Warrior Lady's light-saber exploded, blasting Osiris's head off! The dragon's now-dead body lashed around violently for a moment, before falling to the ground with a crash right behind Odachi! Odachi's own face was a clear picture of rage. "You…my divine beast…slain? Impossible!" he roared.

"Guess your divine beast isn't as divine as you were making him out to be," scoffed Yugo, removing the D.D. Warrior Lady card from play and sending the two other cards he'd chosen for Magical Hats' effect – the magic cards Pot of Greed and Ring of Magnetism – to the Graveyard.

Odachi shook his head as he removed the Osiris the Sky Dragon from play, as well. "All right, fine then. I will end my turn."

Again Yugo drew a card. "Okay…now I summon Neo the Magic Swordsman (ATK 1700, DEF 1000) in Attack Mode!" And a moment later he'd brought forth his magical swordmaster, blade at the ready and mystic energy swirling around his arm. "But that's not all I'm planning to do…"

He looked at the two remaining cards in his hand, and chose one of them. "I'll now equip Neo with this magic card, Mage Power! For every Magic or Trap card on my side of the field, his ATK and DEF will be increased by 500 points…and since there'll be two cards of that nature on my side of the field, his ATK and DEF will be increased by 1000!"

Suddenly, Neo's body and sword began to shine with magical energy as his ATK rose to 2700 and his DEF to 2000! "Go on now, Neo! Attack his life points directly!" Yugo cried.

Neo raised his sword and charged forward, his energy trailing behind him—and just then Odachi announced, "I don't think so! I activate my trap card, Hallowed Life Barrier!" And just then a large barrier of light emerged in front of him even as Neo attacked, his sword slicing downward…but not inflicting damage at all!

"What's the meaning of this?" Yugo cried.

"Well, kid," said Odachi, very pleased with himself, "this is the power of my Hallowed Life Barrier trap card. By discarding one card from my hand, during this turn any damage I take from you becomes zero. So…your attack has failed."

Yugo swore silently between his teeth. "All right…at least I have a powerful enough monster on my side of the field to protect me. So, I'll end my turn for now."

Again Odachi drew a card, so now he had four in his hand once again. "Hmmm…such an interesting turn of events," he muttered. "Now…I'll activate the magic card Monster Reborn, to revive the monster I discarded for Hallowed Life Barrier's effect a while ago – my monster card, Rogue Doll (ATK 1600, DEF 1000)!"

A moment later a purple-robed doll wielding a staff and emitting mystic power appeared on the field. "And then," continued Odachi, "I'll set one monster facedown in Defense Mode. But that's not all I have up my sleeve right now!"

Yugo watched him carefully, suspiciously.

Odachi then held up one of the two cards he had left in his hand. "Finally…I'll activate this magic card, Mystic Box!"

Suddenly a strange green magician's box appeared on Yugo's side of the field and completely covered up Neo the Magic Swordsman. At the same time, another similar box appeared on Odachi's side and covered up the Rogue Doll. Then suddenly, a huge barrage of swords came out of nowhere and skewered Odachi's box!

"Huh?" Yugo was flabbergasted. "Why the hell would you slay your own monster, for crying out loud? And what's happened to Neo the Magic Swordsman?"

"Just watch," said Odachi.

Then the sword-skewered box on Odachi's side opened first—but much to Yugo's shock, inside was Neo the Magic Swordsman, completely stabbed through! Then the box on Yugo's side opened…and Rogue Doll emerged, completely unharmed. "Allow me to explain this to you," said Odachi. "The effect of Mystic Box let me select one monster on each of our sides of the field. Then, your monster that I selected would be destroyed…but in exchange, the monster on my side that I selected would be given over to your control."

"Geez…such a bittersweet transaction," said Yugo.

"Well, now I end my turn. Do with my monster what you feel is necessary." Odachi smiled to himself.

Odachi's life points were still at 6850, and Yugo's were still at 4450. Both were holding one card each in hand. On the field Yugo had Odachi's Rogue Doll monster, as well as one card facedown; Odachi had one facedown monster on his side, as well as one card facedown in his magic/trap slot.

Yugo took his turn, drawing his card. "I suppose I should thank you for your generosity in giving me a monster as compensation for killing mine," he said acidly. "And I would, too, if I weren't suspicious of your motives for doing so. So, here's what I'll do…"

He looked at the two cards in his hand. "I'll offer Rogue Doll as a tribute to summon my Dark Magician Girl (ATK 2000, DEF 1700) in Attack Mode!" And as the Rogue Doll disappeared in a flash of light…in its place stood the Dark Magician's famous apprentice.

"But that's not all I aim to do," continued Yugo. "Now, I'll activate this magic card…Sage's Stone!"

In a moment a bright purple crystal appeared beside the Dark Magician Girl, shining with energy. "When I activate this card while Dark Magician Girl is on my side of the field," explained Yugo, "it becomes possible for me to Special Summon my Dark Magician (ATK 2500, DEF 2100) from my hand or deck…and now he's coming to the field from my deck!"

Yugo's deck, almost as if on cue, began to shine brightly…and he shuffled through it, finding the card he was looking for. A moment later, Dark Magician appeared in his purple robes, standing beside his apprentice. "And now, it's time for me to attack you!" Yugo declared confidently. "Once I bring my Dark Magician strategy into play, there's no hope for you!"

Odachi's eyes narrowed as he took this scene in. _So, he uses the Dark Magician as well…hmm…_

"Now, Dark Magician Girl, blast his facedown monster with Dark Magic Spell!" Yugo cried. And Dark Magician Girl held up her staff as a bright ball of energy began to charge up on its tip…and then she let the blast be unleashed upon the facedown monster.

But Odachi merely smiled. "Fool."

Suddenly, as the blast connected with the card and flipped it face-up—suddenly the energy ball flew up high into the air, then came back down in an arc…toward Yugo's side of the field…aimed at the Dark Magician! Horrified, the purple mage managed to swat the attack away—but in the process redirected it at a very astonished Dark Magician Girl, incinerating her completely and bringing Yugo's life points down to 3950!

Yugo could only stare in speechless shock for a moment. "But…what…the hell…just happened?" he exclaimed.

"Let me explain it to you," said Odachi, even as his flipped monster was revealed: a genie's lamp with pointed golden legs at its base. "This monster of mine is the Ancient Lamp (ATK 900, DEF 1400). When it was attacked while facedown, its effect redirected your Dark Magician Girl's attack to another monster on your side of the field."

"Geez…what a waste of the Dark Magician Girl…" Yugo scowled. "But at least Dark Magician can still do battle! Go, Dark Magician – blast that Ancient Lamp to pieces!"

But as the now very pissed-off Dark Magician raised his staff to do the deed – suddenly Odachi announced, "Now, time for me to activate this trap! I activate Spellbinding Circle, to trap your useless Dark Magician and prevent him from being able to change his battle position or to attack!"

A large magical seal emerged underneath Dark Magician's feet even as Odachi's trap card finally flipped face-up; Dark Magician found himself paralyzed. "Shit…this is totally bogus!" Yugo groaned.

"You think you're in hot water now? Wait till I show you what other types of tricks I've got!" gloated Odachi.

Yugo glanced helplessly at the field, then at his deck. "Okay…okay…I'll end my turn now."

With a triumphant smirk, Odachi drew another card from his deck…and now he held two in hand. "Heh…I activate the magic card Pot of Greed, and so I can draw two cards!" And this he did, so when he was done he had three cards in his hand. Then he smiled broadly.

"What's so joyous?" Yugo demanded.

"Well, if you must know…" Odachi managed to stifle a superior chuckle. "First I'll summon my Mythical Beast Cerberus (ATK 1400, DEF 1400)!" And then he brought forward a majestic beast, glowing with power.

Then Odachi held up another card. "Observe Ancient Lamp's other effect – while it's face-up on my side of the field, I can Special Summon its dormant spirit from my hand…La Jinn the Mystical Genie of the Lamp (ATK 1800, DEF 1000)!"

Ancient Lamp began to emit green smoke from its nozzle…but then, as Yugo watched, that smoke took on a humanoid shape, until it turned into a green-skinned Oriental with a sinister smile on his face. "And with your Dark Magician trapped like a rat, there's absolutely nothing you can do against me. So, I'll end my turn for now."

Yugo narrowed his eyes as he drew his next card. He stared at it for a long moment, and shook his head. _Damn it…I can't use this card right now! Damn it…damn it…damn it!_ "I'll end my turn."

"Oh-ho-ho, have you finally conceded that your situation is totally and utterly hopeless?" Odachi jeered. "Well…soon I will grant you the privilege of sweet, blissful death!"

Then, he laid a hand on his deck, intent on drawing his next card—and suddenly the Millennium Puzzle shone with a bright light. Odachi appeared startled for a moment…then suddenly a fierce grin crept over his features. "Heh, heh…now it's really time for the end of you! For now I hold in my hand something that'll reduce you to less than dust!"

Yugo eyebrows knitted. _I've got a REALLY bad feeling…_

Odachi then held up the card he'd just drawn. "And now, Yugo Muto…I sacrifice Ancient Lamp, Mythical Beast Cerberus, and La Jinn the Mystical Genie of the Lamp to summon the second of my mighty God monsters – Obelisk the Tormentor (ATK 4000, DEF 4000)!"

Yugo flinched. "You've got to be kiddin' me!"

But true to Odachi's word, all three of his monsters disappeared from the field…then suddenly a large WHOOSH could be heard from above as the blue-skinned God monster came down from the dark shadows, landing on the ground with a heavy THUD. Obelisk towered way above the playing field; his eyes glowed red as he bared his teeth and clenched his fists. "He is here…Obelisk the Tormentor…view his frightful visage…feel his destructive power oozing from him…and stare into the face of defeat!" Odachi cried out, laughing triumphantly.

----------

THE VALLEY OF KINGS

While all of this had been going on, Mr. Ishtar, Blaze, Jenna, Miriam and Miki had relocated, going back to the room where the group had been forced to fight the Duel Monsters earlier. "Should we have left there at all?" Miki wondered as she sat down on the floor.

"I wonder about that myself," admitted Mr. Ishtar. "But I felt something back in that room…something evil, coming from the other hidden room…so I had to move you girls away to safety." Seeing Blaze's doubtful look, he continued, "Do not underestimate the power that resides in this tomb – or that the leader of JUDAS has on his hands. That power is enough to reduce the world to waste…and considering that that power is in the wrong hands right now, unless a miracle happens, that's very likely what could happen…"

"GUYS!"

The entire group looked up and saw Honey running toward them. "Honey! What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with the others?" Jenna wondered.

Honey leaned forward, hands on knees, panting heavily. "So…this is where you all disappeared to," she whispered. "When I came out and didn't see you, I got scared. Don't do that again."

"Sorry about that," said Blaze. "Mr. Ishtar here decided a change of rooms would be all right."

Mr. Ishtar noted Honey's anxious look. "What is it, girl? Has something happened?"

Honey nodded. "We…we found out…why JUDAS has been stealing souls," she answered. "They're trying to revive someone…"

"Revive someone?" asked Miki, standing back up. "Who?"

Honey gulped, then looked directly at Mr. Ishtar. "Someone named Zork Necrophades."

Mr. Ishtar's face turned white. "What! No…it cannot be!"

----------

**_neomage:_** Before anybody e-mails to ask me about it, let me address it right now. The effects of the God Cards as I have them in my story…I'm basing them on the translations of the texts on the real-life Japanese God Cards. Which means, yes, that some of their invulnerability will be diminished, as you will have noticed with Osiris's demise, but still…even without that invulnerability, you gotta admit that they're still tough to beat!

And again, I will say it so it cements in all of my readers' memories: I still have at least one more story arc to do before I can conclude this story! So do not fret!

Now, Osiris has been defeated…but now Odachi's summoned Obelisk! What's going to happen next?

Keep reading, everyone!

UPDATED 13/03/2006: Uh…I kinda forgot about Miriam. Oops. Added her back in this chapter, as well as in the chapters immediately following this. Sorry about that, everybody.


	149. Chapter 149

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Yu-Gi-Oh is originally owned by Kazuki Takahashi. I wish I could meet him to shake his hand!)

**CHAPTER 149**

THE VALLEY OF KINGS

The others saw the fear growing on Mr. Ishtar's face. "Sir…are you OK?" Miriam asked worriedly.

"No…" Mr. Ishtar shook his head. "None of us will be, if JUDAS isn't stopped right now!"

"I don't get it – just who is this Zork Necro…whatever he wants to be named?" asked Blaze.

"Zork Necrophades…is an evil spirit that almost destroyed the world, 3000 years ago," explained Mr. Ishtar. "But…history says that he was destroyed. How could he have been revived…unless…" A look of enlightenment showed in his eyes.

"Unless?" Jenna prompted.

Mr. Ishtar cleared his throat. "Perhaps…after that battle 3000 years ago…there was still a small piece of his power that existed…and so the ancient Egyptians sealed that away, knowing that even a little of it would be enough to revive him…and then…" He scowled. "JUDAS has had quite a lot of archaeological intellect in its ranks…they must've been able to find the place where Zork's last remaining fragments were sealed away…"

"…and they needed souls to revive him to full power," Jenna finished. "And for that…they've caused so much suffering…_over the last decade and longer?"_

"How horrible…" Miki gulped and shuddered.

"Where are the others?" Mr. Ishtar demanded of Honey.

"They're still in that room, where Yugo and JUDAS's leader are," she reported.

Mr. Ishtar nodded. "We're going back there," he declared.

"But—you can't pass through that magic barrier! Remember what it did to Jenna before?" said an astonished Honey.

"I haven't forgotten." Mr. Ishtar's tone was steely. "But as a former Tomb-keeper for Pharaoh Atem, I've had a close link to the Millennium Items. Perhaps that will be enough to allow me passage through that barrier. But one way or the other, believe me: my help will be needed."

He turned to the others. "Ladies…I need you to do me a favor. All of you, head back to the entrance of this crypt, and wait for us there. I guarantee, things are about to get extremely ugly from this point."

"What? But—we want to help, too!" Miriam argued.

"Do not argue." Mr. Ishtar's tone held no room for resistance. "There's not much more that any of you can do at this point."

Miki sighed. "He's right, girls," she acknowledged quietly. "We've already done all we can, up to this point. We'd better do as he says. He knows best, as the situation is so desperate right now."

Jenna nodded. "Please…just bring Yugo back safely. That's all I ask."

Mr. Ishtar nodded solemnly. "Definitely. Now, get going."

Miki took Blaze and Jenna by the hand and led them away, back toward the entrance of the crypt; Miriam followed close behind them. Nodding to each other, Honey and Mr. Ishtar turned and headed back to the room housing Zork Necrophades.

----------

THE SHADOW REALM

Back at the duel between Yugo and Odachi, the stats looked like this: Yugo's life points now stood at 3950, while Odachi's still stood at 6850. Once again, both players were each holding one card in hand. On the field Odachi had the newly-summoned Obelisk the Tormentor, as well as his active Spellbinding Circle trap card holding Yugo's Dark Magician captive; in addition to the Dark Magician, Yugo still had one facedown magic/trap card. And…it was still Odachi's turn.

Yugo glared at Obelisk, who glared back. _How wonderful…first I had to face one Egyptian God card…now I have to fight a second one in such short order! And…_ His eyes narrowed. _Now it's becoming obvious that he's got the other one – the Winged Dragon of Ra – in his deck, as well. I have to prevent him from summoning that one – if I can survive a fight with this one, that is!_

"Now, witness the might and fury of Obelisk unleashed!" Odachi bellowed. "Go, Obelisk! Smash his Dark Magician with your Fist of Fury!"

Obelisk raised one arm, bringing his fist crashing down to the ground where Dark Magician stood and completely crushing the spellcaster; the shockwave flung Yugo back head over heels even as his life points shot down to 2450! "Ungh!" he grunted as he landed on the ground.

Odachi crossed his arms and laughed. "Osiris may have failed," he declared crisply, "but Obelisk will certainly kill you where you stand!"

Yugo slowly got back up. "I'm not out of this game yet!" he announced. "It's gonna take a lot more than just one attack to keep me down!"

"Persistent little bugger, aren't you?" scoffed Odachi. "Well, fine, then. I will end my turn for now."

Shaking his head, Yugo drew another card. "Hmmm…this is about all I can do for now. I'll set one monster in Defense Mode, and end my turn."

Odachi frowned in deep suspicion. _Something bothers me about this…that facedown card in his magic/trap slot – he hasn't activated it up to now. Just what is that kid up to? Only one way to find out for certain…_

He drew another card – and he grinned when he saw what it was. "All right," he announced. "Now I play the magic card, Exchange! This will allow us to look at each other's hands and swap one card with each other; then, we can use those cards as our own, but when they're sent to the Graveyard, they go to their original owner's Graveyard. So…come and see what I've got for you!"

Flinching, Yugo walked up to Odachi and held up his single remaining card – the magic card Double Spell. Odachi, in turn, held up the only remaining card in his own hand – the trap card Gift of the Mystical Elf. Without batting an eye, they took the cards from each other and went back to their respective sides of the field.

As Yugo walked back to his side, he took a look at the card Odachi had just given him. _This card…it could prove pretty useful to me, if I use it correctly…_ "Now what?" he asked aloud.

"Now…I'll break your monster in half! Obelisk, attack that monster!"

Again Obelisk flung a fist forward, destroying what turned out to be the Magician of Faith (ATK 300, DEF 400) and knocking Yugo back again. "Damn…what power…" Yugo muttered as he got up yet again.

"Yes! You are right to acknowledge the mighty power of this monster!" Odachi sneered. "Play any monsters you want…I'll destroy them all, effects or no effects!"

"Well, in any case…you've activated Magician of Faith's effect by flipping her face-up," Yugo informed him. "Her flip effect lets me take back one magic card from my Graveyard and add it to my hand…and so I'll go for one of those cards I used for Magical Hats earlier…my Pot of Greed card!" And soon the card was added to his hand.

Odachi frowned. "Hmph. I end my turn."

Yugo scowled as he drew his next card, giving him three in hand once again. "All right now…I'll activate my Pot of Greed card, and draw two more cards!" And this he did, so now he held four. Then he looked at them carefully and made a decision. "And now…I'll set one card facedown, and end my turn."

Odachi's eyes narrowed a little. _That card he just set…could it be the Gift of the Mystical Elf that he got from me a while ago? Or…could it be something else? Damn it, how can I know what it is? How can I find out?_

Now the score looked like this: Yugo had 2450 life points, while Odachi still had 6850. Odachi held one card in his hand, Yugo's Double Spell card that he'd gotten via the effect of his Exchange magic card earlier; Yugo, on the other hand, held three cards in hand. On the field Odachi still had Obelisk the Tormentor, ready to fight again; Yugo had no monsters on his side, but he did have two cards facedown in his magic/trap slot. And right now, Odachi's question was whether the Gift of the Mystical Elf trap card that Yugo had acquired via Odachi's Exchange magic card was on the field, or still in his hand.

Odachi took his turn and drew a card…and just then Yugo exclaimed, "All right, Odachi! Now I'll activate both of my trap cards – Pitch-Black Power Stone and Miracle Restoring!"

One after the other, the two cards on Yugo's side flipped face-up – first, the Pitch-Black Power Stone appeared, forming its three Magic counters. Then the Miracle Restoring trap card activated. "When Miracle Restoring is activated," explained Yugo, "by removing two Magic counters from my side of the field, I can Special Summon either Dark Magician or Buster Blader (ATK 2600, DEF 2300) from my Graveyard…and I'll revive Dark Magician right now!"

In the blink of an eye, the Pitch-Black Power Stone lost two of its three Magic counters…and then Dark Magician reappeared from the Graveyard – looking EXTREMELY pissed off at Odachi. But even then Yugo still wasn't finished. "And now, I'll activate the effect of a Quick-play Magic card from my hand – Dedication through Light and Darkness, offering Dark Magician as a tribute to Special Summon one Dark Magician of Chaos (ATK 2800, DEF 2600) from my deck to the field, in Defense Mode!"

Dark Magician disappeared in a flash of light…and then in his place knelt his more powerful incarnation, arms crossed in front of him. "And, when Dark Magician of Chaos is Normal Summoned or Special Summoned," Yugo went on, "his effect allows me to take back one Magic card from my Graveyard and add it to my hand. And the card I'm going for is…Pot of Greed!" And as the magician glowed with bright red energy, the Pot of Greed card soon found its way back into Yugo's hand, so he held three cards once again.

"I see…so that's why you couldn't activate that card you had facedown for so long…it must have been your Miracle Restoring trap card…" Odachi's smirk became especially nasty. "But it still doesn't change facts! Obelisk will smash that magician into the ground, easy as one, two, three!"

"Bring it." Yugo's tone dripped venom.

"Be glad to! Obelisk…tear the Dark Magician of Chaos apart!" Odachi commanded. And Obelisk obliged, sending his fist straight through the magician's chest and obliterating him!

"And, when Dark Magician of Chaos is destroyed or removed from the field, it's removed from play." Odachi chuckled. "Face it: you're not getting that monster back by any stretch of the imagination."

Yugo exhaled sharply. "Damn you…"

"Well, I'll end my turn for now. But I dare say, even without Obelisk's real power, his ATK is enough to bring you down."

"Real power? What the hell are you talking about?" demanded Yugo.

Odachi laughed. "Since you're going to end up dead anyway, I'll let you have the privilege of this knowledge." His voice dropped to almost a whisper. "By sacrificing two monsters on my side of the field, Obelisk would be able to destroy every monster on my opponent's side of the field and inflict 4000 points of damage to the opponent's life points. I managed to pull it off against two of your friends earlier before you came here…but even though I can't do it against you, since I obviously don't have enough monsters to do the job, even then I'm more than a match for you!"

Yugo's eye twitched. "Two…of my friends…? You speak so casually about it…you're a real son-of-a-bitch!"

"And what're YOU going to do about it, huh?" asked Odachi. "My life points are way, way higher than yours by now, and I've got the advantage of having an Egyptian God monster under my control! You don't stand a chance against me, and you'd better realize it before it's too late!"

"Well, sorry to not reach your expectations…but I am far from beaten!" Yugo snapped defiantly as he drew another card, giving him four in all in his hand. "Now…! I will activate my own Monster Reborn magic card, to revive my Dark Magician yet again!"

Dark Magician soon returned to the field, still looking upset with Odachi. Yugo then held up a card in his hand. "And now…time for me to bring down Obelisk!"

"Bring down Obelisk? Boy, have you gone bonkers?" Odachi demanded incredulously.

"Not at all! Watch and see for yourself!" Yugo swiftly played the card from his hand. "I activate the power of the magic card, Thousand Knives! When I have Dark Magician active on my side of the field, Thousand Knives will skewer one monster on your side of the field to pieces! And, as far as I can see…you only have one monster on your end!"

Odachi's eyes widened in surprise. "WHAT!"

Dark Magician waved his staff around for a bit – then out of nowhere emerged hundreds upon hundreds of knives, all hovering in midair. At the mage's command, all of them shot forward and impaled a hapless Obelisk all over the body…and then he disappeared in a shower of sparks!

"Impossible!" Odachi yelled.

Yugo looked levelly at him. "There is no such thing as 'impossible' in my book," he replied frostily. "You're just a sore loser."

"You impudent little…" Odachi snarled.

"Oh, and let's not forget – Dark Magician's still looking for some payback for your forcing him to kill Dark Magician Girl earlier!" Yugo flamed out. "Go, Dark Magician – use Dark Magic Attack and attack directly!"

Dark Magician's staff charged up with mystic energy, which he fired in a beam at Odachi. The blast hit the JUDAS leader square in the chest and sent him flying back, reducing his life points to 4350! "AAAARGH!" he cried out in pain as the blast burned his skin as well as his robe.

"Had enough?" demanded Yugo.

"After one…lucky move…? I think not!" Odachi replied, slowly standing back up and holding his chest, which was smoldering where he'd gotten blasted. "I still have some moves left to perform!"

Yugo narrowed his eyes again. "Screw you."

Now Odachi's life points were at 4350, while Yugo's stood at 2450. Yugo held two cards in his hand; Odachi also held two. On the field Odachi now had nothing at all; Yugo had Dark Magician in Attack Mode, plus he also had the active Pitch-Black Power Stone trap card with only one Magic counter left on it.

As Odachi took his turn and drew his card, he chuckled evilly. _Okay…now I'm doubly sure of the two cards he's holding…without a doubt, they're his Pot of Greed and my Gift of the Mystical Elf trap card._ Then he looked at his hand…and frowned in disappointment. _I'm still holding his Double Spell card…but I'm in no position to activate it now. Oh, but if I could…!_

Aloud he announced, "Fine, then, kid. So you've got some skills, I'll grant you that much. But you're still not good enough to topple me. And I'll prove it, too…by setting one monster in Defense Mode. And that will end my turn for now."

Yugo swiftly drew another card. "Hmmm…I'll set two cards facedown…and now, Dark Magician, attack his facedown monster!"

Again Dark Magician blasted his Dark Magic Attack at Odachi's side of the field, right at the facedown monster – only, when it was flipped face-up, it turned out to be Cyber Jar (ATK 900, DEF 900)! "What the…! Oh, hell, no!" Yugo cried in dismay.

"Arrogant little punk…you fell into my trap," sneered Odachi. "When Cyber Jar's flipped face-up, every monster on the field is destroyed!"

Suddenly the field was engulfed in massive explosion from Cyber Jar, an explosion so great that both Odachi and Yugo were flung back, Yugo more so than his opponent. Odachi quickly regained his footing and continued, "And now…we both pick up five cards from the tops of our decks, show them to each other, and immediately Special Summon any Level 4 or lower monsters among those cards in face-up Attack Mode or facedown Defense Mode…and the rest of the cards will then be added to our hands. So, start picking up!"

Grudgingly, Yugo picked up five cards from the top of his deck, as did Odachi with his; and then they showed their respective cards to each other. The cards Yugo had gotten were Double Coston (ATK 1700, DEF 1650), Frozen Soul, Brain Control, Gemini Elf (ATK 1900, DEF 900) and Diffusion Wave-Motion; Odachi's cards were Mystical Elf (ATK 800, DEF 2000), Inpachi (ATK 1600, DEF 1900), Protector of the Sanctuary (ATK 1100, DEF 1900), Magical Dimension, and Card of Safe Return. Both of Yugo's monsters were immediately Special Summoned in Attack Mode; all of Odachi's monsters were set in Defense Mode. The rest of their cards were quickly added to their respective hands.

"Clever bastard," grumbled Yugo. "Setting yourself up to get even more monsters on the field to protect you."

"Oh, that's not all they're meant for, believe me," Odachi taunted him. "They're merely fodder…to feed my ultimate God-summoning strategy!"

Yugo's head jerked up at that; he winced. "Fodder? Is that all you think of your monsters as?" he exploded.

"You don't sound like you approve," Odachi remarked. "But then again, don't you do the same? Don't all duelists do it? Every duelist in the world who has a specific type of strategy does it…getting rid of monsters at one point or another, in all sorts of ways, in order to bring out even stronger monsters; or taking advantage of those monsters' powers for their own purposes. We humans take advantage of our Duel Monsters every time we duel; they are merely tools to be used to win battles and prove our power."

Yugo shook his head. "No…you're wrong!" he cried. "I don't see my monsters that way! I see them as…my partners!"

Odachi spat to the side. "Idealistic thinking. Bah. It won't get you anywhere. It's all about power, boy, and don't you ever forget it. 'The strong live, the weak die.' That is the natural law of this world. And…I will prove that I am among the strong, and superior to everyone in this world…including your father!"

"Well…guess what? You're not dueling my father right now. You're dueling me. So shut up and let's get on with it!" said Yugo harshly.

"As you like…even though your getting mad at me won't change this battle's outcome." Odachi smirked and shook his head. "Already I hold power that I doubt you could ever fathom…and now…"

He reached down to draw from his deck…and suddenly the Millennium Puzzle began to glow again. Odachi looked down at it, then smiled. "Heh, heh, heh…"

Yugo looked apprehensively at Odachi. _Oh, great…now what?_

Then Odachi drew his card. And stared at it for a long, long moment. And suddenly started to laugh. "Yugo!" he announced. "You may have taken down two Egyptian God monsters, but I still have something that's even more deadly…and that will mark your grave, right here in the blackness of the Shadow Realm!"

With that, Odachi played the card. "Now…I offer my three monsters as tributes to summon the most powerful of all the three Egyptian God monsters…say hello to the Winged Dragon of Ra (ATK ? DEF ?)!"

All three of Odachi's monsters disappeared from the field – and suddenly, from the blackness of the Shadow Realm, three glowing orbs appeared and combined into one. The newly-formed giant orb then glowed with a bright yellow light, so bright that Yugo shield his eyes with one arm. "Whoa!" he cried out.

Then, after a moment, the light subsided enough so Yugo could lower his arm…and what he saw astounded him. Floating beside Odachi was a massive golden winged creature that seemed to resemble an eagle, with fiery energy blowing off of it!

"Yes…the Winged Dragon of Ra is here at last…" Odachi gushed. "Now, then, Yugo! Witness the beginning of your demise as this beast tears you apart, slowly, piece by feeble piece! HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HAAAA!"

----------

**_neomage:_** Again, I repeat: I'm only using the effects that have been printed and translated on the real-life God cards, which don't include immunity to card effects (like trap or magic effects, for example). I had a little trouble reconciling how Obelisk's effect actually works, whether it's a triggered effect or whether it occurs when Obelisk actually attacks after offering two monsters as tributes…but never mind! Now, the Winged Dragon of Ra comes out to annihi—I mean, to _play_ with Yugo! Heh, heh, heh…

(rampagerkriz emerges in a silver tuxedo)

yamikriz: What is THAT?

rampagerkriz: It's what I'm gonna wear on my next date with Kimiru. I've made reservations at this extremely expensive hotel downtown in Montego Bay.

yamikriz: And you're gonna afford all this, how…?

rampagerkriz: (pulls out his pockets; crisp-looking dollar bills pour out in bundles)

yamikriz: …you used the Millennium Keyboard without neomage's permission again, didn't you?

rampagerkriz: (whistling innocently) What**_ever_** are you talking about?

yamikriz: -.-;; To be continued, people…

UPDATED 13/03/2006: Added Miriam back because I'd forgotten about her. Sheesh. It really is hard to keep track of people when you're working with a bunch of them at one time, but I try…


	150. Chapter 150

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Cue the Mortal Kombat theme for this chapter, folks! Yu-Gi-Oh belongs to Kazuki-sama…and Mortal Kombat belongs to Acclaim, Midway, or whatever company it is that owns the rights to it now!)

**CHAPTER 150**

THE VALLEY OF KINGS

"She's taking a while to come back…weren't they just outside, right there?" Marcus protested.

"Honey's coming right back—have a little faith in her," Kyo admonished him.

Seta looked worriedly at the black shadow before them. "Guys…I've been sensing some really freaky power in there, and just now…"

"You sensed it, too?" said Malachi. "I felt a tremendous burst of power, only a few seconds ago…"

Suddenly, from the other side of the room, they heard Honey's voice. "You guys still okay?" she cried.

"So far, WE are," replied Shigeo.

Then Honey emerged, with Mr. Ishtar right behind her. "So, this Shadow Game is still going on," Mr. Ishtar said gravely. "But right now, we can't worry about that. Honey told me that you guys have found a sarcophagus in here…?"

"Yes, Uncle Marik – right there," and Seta pointed to the end of the room, where the faceless sarcophagus stood by itself.

Mr. Ishtar walked up to it and looked up – it towered high above all of them. "I sense…tremendous evil…coming from this thing," he said softly.

"The spirit of the Millennium Rod says that it's Zork Necrophades that's inside there – even now, he won't come back out of the Rod," Seta reported.

"Is there any way we can keep this dude from coming out of this coffin?" Marcus asked.

"You mean, other than Yugo defeating the JUDAS leader and preventing his own soul from being stolen?" said Mr. Ishtar. "Well…you guys have Millennium Items. If you concentrate your energies, then the coffin's opening should be delayed for even a moment." He chuckled. "The freed spirits of the Millennium Items should still be wandering around somewhere here…if they sense that you're trying to keep Zork sealed, then maybe they will come to reclaim their abodes within the Items, and lend you their power. Of course, that's just a gamble…"

"We'd rather take a gamble than sit and do nothing," said Malachi firmly. "If what you say is true, and the supposed spirits of these Millennium Items are still around here, then it's the only chance we have. Let's do this, then!"

"Then here's what you should do…" said Mr. Ishtar, a knowing look in his eye.

----------

THE SHADOW REALM, AT THAT MOMENT

Yugo's life points were still at 2450; Odachi's were still at 4350. Odachi was holding four cards, including the Card of Safe Return, Magical Dimension, and Yugo's Double Spell magic cards; Yugo was also holding four cards, including the Frozen Soul trap card and the Brain Control and Diffusion Wave-Motion magic cards. On the field Yugo had his active Pitch-Black Power Stone trap card with one Magic counter on it, plus two other cards facedown, and Double Coston and Gemini Elf in Attack Mode; Odachi had the newly-summoned Winged Dragon of Ra on the field in Attack Mode, ready to fight.

As Yugo watched, suddenly Ra's ATK rose up to 3500 and its DEF to 5800! "Huh? But—what on earth…?" he asked in complete disbelief.

"The Winged Dragon of Ra increases its ATK and DEF by an amount equal to the combined total ATK and DEF of the monsters that were used to summon it," explained Odachi. "The three monsters I used were Mystical Elf, Inpachi and Protector of the Sanctuary. Mystical Elf had an ATK of 800 and DEF of 2000; Inpachi had 1600 ATK and 1900 DEF; and Protector of the Sanctuary had 1100 ATK and 1900 DEF. So, add their combined total ATK, and that becomes Ra's ATK…then add their DEF together, and that becomes its total DEF."

"Oh, geez…fine, you leave me no choice! I'll have to activate this, then!" Yugo pointed to one of his facedown cards. "I activate my—or rather, _your_ trap card, Gift of the Mystical Elf!"

An image of the Mystical Elf appeared, holding something shiny in her hands as she turned to Yugo. Immediately his life points went up to 3350! "Whew…some sustenance, at last," he sighed.

Odachi chuckled. "Gift of the Mystical Elf increases its user's life points by 300 for every monster on the field…and there are three monsters currently on the field, so you got 900 life points. Took you long enough to use the card. Now, if you would be so kind as to give it back…?"

Yugo took up the card and tossed it back to its rightful owner; Odachi effortlessly caught it between his two forefingers and placed it in his Graveyard. "And, let's not forget, I do still have your Double Spell card, also," he smirked. "Geez, sometimes I think that Exchange magic card of mine is too troublesome…but after some of what you've done in the last couple of turns, I'd say it would be worth it!"

"What are you planning?" Yugo asked, on his guard.

"This! I'll activate the Double Spell card!" Odachi promptly played the card. "By discarding one Magic card from my hand…" and here he discarded the Card of Safe Return. "I can use one Magic card in your Graveyard as my own. And I'm going for…your Monster Reborn!"

But suddenly Yugo shouted, "Not on your life, you piece of crap! Now, I'll activate my trap card – Magic Jammer!"

Suddenly a large seal appeared underneath Odachi's feet, and to his amazement the Double Spell card became ineffective. "By discarding one card from my hand…" and Yugo discarded the Brain Control card to the Graveyard. "I can negate the activation and effect of one Magic card, and destroy it. So, basically…you discarded your own Magic card for nothing. Now, would you be so _nice_ as to give me back my card now?"

Livid, Odachi took the Double Spell card and flung it back at Yugo; the boy caught it between thumb and forefinger. "I realized almost immediately what you were going to do," he commented. "You were going to use my Double Spell card to activate my Monster Reborn, in order to bring back one of your other Egyptian God cards. That would've been the end of me right there. But, guess what? It didn't work."

Odachi didn't say anything for a long moment. Then, very slowly, he started to chuckle. "So maybe my plan didn't work right there," he admitted, "but so what? My Winged Dragon of Ra is powerful enough on its own to take you down, to burn you and your side of the field to ashes! Let me give you a demonstration of what I mean!"

Suddenly, to Yugo's intense surprise, Odachi's life points dropped to 3350 – effectively tying the two of them. At that very moment, the Winged Dragon of Ra burst into flame, resembling a massive phoenix! "When this monster is on the field," said Odachi, a wicked leer on his face, "by paying 1000 life points, I can have its special powers destroy any monster on the field! And now…Winged Dragon of Ra, incinerate Gemini Elf!"

Pulling its head back for only a moment, Ra flew forward toward Gemini Elf, leaving a trail of fire behind its body. Seeing the massive monster approaching, the twin elves tried to shield themselves – futilely, it turned out, as the intense heat fried them even before Ra's body slammed into them!

"Oh, Goddammit!" Yugo cried out, literally knocked down by the intense heat of the pseudo-phoenix. He felt sure he'd gotten burnt just from the heat itself, too. "That…is too unreal!"

"Now, Ra…burn his Double Coston!" Odachi commanded. And Ra blasted more fire from its mouth, consuming the twin ghosts and reducing Yugo's life points all the way to 1550!

Odachi looked mockingly at Yugo. "How does it feel, Yugo? Do you feel despair? Loss of hope? I could easily have given up more of my life points, had Ra fricassee the Double Coston, and then made him attack you directly and ended it…or I could have utilized Ra's other effect and given up some of my life points to further power his ATK and DEF, enough to completely finish you…but…I want you to know the sense of hopelessness, the despair, the fear that I had to endure! Just as your father threw me into despair when he betrayed me, so will I make you feel despair!"

Yugo just looked at Odachi. Then, very slowly, he held his head down so his hair overshadowed his eyes. "Odachi…there's one thing I'm going to say to you…"

"And that is?" Odachi chuckled.

And then, just at that moment, something happened – Yugo's Duel Force began to seep out of him. The sight of this caught Odachi off-guard. _Huh? Wait a minute—what on earth is THIS all of a sudden?_ Then his eyes widened in seeming recognition. _No…could this be…?_

Then Yugo looked up again, even as the Duel Force flared all around his body – and what Odachi saw at that moment, for the first time, completely unnerved him. Yugo's eyes – they glowed bright amber!

And then Yugo spoke. **_"I – AM – NOT – MY – FATHER!"_**

And when he said that, the Duel Force blasted upward in a massive burst, even as he prepared to draw his card. Only then did his silent plea come through: _Heart of the cards…Duel Force…please help me!_

And then he drew.

Time seemed to stand still as Yugo kept his drawing hand stretched out to his side, his drawn card tightly in between his fingers. Then he brought the card to his face and looked at it.

And he smiled. "Odachi…as long as hope exists in my heart…I will not lose this duel!"

Then, as Odachi watched, Yugo played the card. "Now, I summon the Time Wizard (ATK 500, DEF 400) to the field, in Attack Mode!"

Immediately his time-keeping spellcaster appeared on the field. "Now…I will flip a coin and call it…and if I call it right, then your Winged Dragon of Ra will be obliterated!" Yugo said confidently

Odachi shook his head. "But if you call it wrong…then your Time Wizard will be destroyed…and half of his ATK will be taken from your life points!"

Yugo's voice was flat and final. "Because this Time Wizard was a gift from a very important person…the most important person to me…" And as he spoke, an image of Jenna briefly flashed through his mind. "…then that is a gamble I'm willing to take!"

He looked at Time Wizard. "Okay, Time Wizard…I'll flip the coin…and I will call tails!"

A holographic coin appeared on the field and was immediately flipped. Odachi glared at it…and instantly the Millennium Puzzle began to shine and tremble. But Yugo looked at the coin, too, and his Duel Force flared.

And then, even as the coin continued to spin, the energies of the Millennium Puzzle and Yugo's Duel Force clashed against each other, attacking, deflecting, avoiding each other. Some of the Puzzle's energy whooshed past Yugo, ripping his jacket and pants in several places; at the same time, his Duel Force was cutting into Odachi's robe. But neither player was paying any attention to his opponent; both just continued to stare at the coin as it descended to the ground.

Then the coin landed, and spun around. And then it fell flat…and stayed flat.

And on its face…it was blank.

"TAILS!" Yugo yelled victoriously.

Odachi paled. "No…!"

_"Time Magic!"_ Time Wizard announced as he began to glow with white energy, pointing his staff at the Winged Dragon of Ra.

Suddenly, right around them, a massive wind began to blow, as dark energy tore into the Winged Dragon of Ra; all around the field, numbers signifying years, decades, centuries, millennia, rushed past Yugo and Odachi. And, at the same time, something was happening to Ra, too: Its feathers began to crumble; its lustrous shine faded; in fact, on several parts of its body it appeared to decay visibly!

"No! My Winged Dragon of Ra!" Odachi screamed, as the dragon decayed and fell to pieces before his eyes.

"And now, time for me to retaliate!" Yugo shot at him. "Time Wizard…attack with Time Roulette!"

As Time Wizard spun his staff, a large roulette wheel appeared on the field, depicting castles and skulls. The arrow in the middle began to spin, very quickly…then it slowed in its spinning…then it slowed even further…and the arrow stopped…and it pointed at a skull! "What—" was all Odachi could manage before the roulette wheel itself fired a massive ball of light at him, the light slamming into his face and knocking him over as his life points fell to 2850!

Yugo breathed heavily, but triumphantly. "Wonderful…now, all three of the Egyptian God monsters have been defeated," he declared. "From here on out, Odachi, you're finished."

Odachi slowly got up from where he'd been knocked down. "Very impressive…very impressive, indeed," he said quietly. "You're the first person I've ever met who could actually stand up to all three of my Egyptian God cards, let alone defeat all three of them. HOWEVER…"

The Millennium Puzzle began to shine…and Odachi's features began to change. His skin darkened to a bronze color; his hair became even longer, the silver bangs at the front increasing in number and hanging further down his face. A large golden eye popped up in the middle of his forehead. "This duel is still going on," he declared, his voice becoming stronger and more agitated. "And this duel is not going to stop until one of us loses every single life point!"

"What makes you think you'll win now? I mean, I've beaten the three Egyptian God cards!" Yugo exclaimed angrily.

"True, true," said Odachi. "But there are two reasons why I have said what I have said. Take a moment to consider the two points as I shall give them to you."

He counted off on his fingers. "One: thanks largely to my Cyber Jar's effect a couple of turns back, I now know what the cards in your hand are. Granted, you also know what some of the cards I'm holding are, too, but still…I am in a position to counter any move you try to make from here on out. And two: haven't you noticed up to now, that many of the cards I have used are in some way similar to the ones you have used up to now?"

Yugo frowned a little as he considered. _He's right…both things are true. But…why is that?_

Now, as the duel was momentarily paused, the stats showed themselves clearly: Yugo had 1550 life points; Odachi's now stood at 2850. Odachi held two cards in his hand, his Magical Dimension magic card and one other as-yet unnamed card; Yugo held three cards, the Frozen Soul trap card, the Diffusion Wave-Motion magic card and one other unnamed card. On the field Yugo had his Time Wizard in Attack Mode, as well as the still-active Pitch-Black Power Stone with its single remaining Magic counter; Odachi had, once again, nothing at all on the field.

Odachi took his turn and drew his card. "Hmph…this card requires that I be generous with you," he announced. "I activate the magic card, Upstart Goblin! In exchange for increasing your life points by 1000, I get to draw one card from my deck!"

Yugo's life points swiftly shot up to 2550; Odachi promptly drew a card from his deck. "Heh…now, isn't this an interesting tidbit? I'll set this monster facedown in Defense Mode, set one card facedown, and end my turn for now." He smirked. "Want to try your luck with that Time Wizard again?"

Yugo narrowed his eyes. "No. Sorry, but I don't believe in taking unnecessary chances. I was fortunate once – I don't see why I should screw up needlessly."

With that said, Yugo drew another card from his deck. "Now…I summon Breaker the Magical Warrior (ATK 1600, DEF 1000) to the field!"

In a moment his armor-clad magician came onto the field; his effect immediately gave him a Magic counter, increasing his ATK by 300 points to 1900. But Odachi's facedown magic/trap card didn't activate. _Hmmm,_ Yugo thought to himself. _That card didn't get set off when I summoned Breaker just now…which means…_

"All right—I'll activate Breaker's effect! By removing his Magic counter from him, I can destroy one Magic or Trap card on the field – and I choose your facedown card!" Yugo declared loudly. "Do it now, Breaker!"

Breaker pointed his sword at Odachi's facedown card and fired a blast of magical energy at it. The card was utterly destroyed and vanished in a shower of sparks, even as Breaker's ATK went back down its normal 1600. "Damn…so that's useless now…" Odachi grumbled to himself.

"And now…" Yugo glanced at the Pitch-Black Power Stone. "Time to activate this card's effect! Once per turn, I can remove one Magic counter from the Power Stone and place it on another card that I can place it on – and Breaker can easily take another Magic counter to replace the one I just used!"

The Power Stone's last remaining Magic counter flew into Breaker, causing his body to glow and increasing his ATK to 1900 once again; at the same time, the Power Stone itself finally disappeared from the field. "Now, Breaker, destroy his facedown monster!" Yugo commanded.

Breaker readied his sword and dashed forward—but when he lunged forward in a slashing motion, a sudden force field blasted him back to Yugo's side of the field! "What!" Yugo exclaimed, as his life points went down to 2450.

The attacked monster turned out to be a second Mystical Elf (ATK 800, DEF 2000)! "Sorry, boy, but I DO make it a point to have high-DEF monsters in my arsenal," Odachi smirked. "And were you really thinking that I had only one Mystical Elf? Think again!"

"Okaaaay, that sucked," sighed Yugo. "Okay. I'll set one card facedown, and…I'll shift Time Wizard in Defense Mode. Then I'll end my turn."

"You had the opportunity to destroy my Mystical Elf with your Time Wizard's effect, and you didn't take it because you didn't want to, as you put it, 'screw up needlessly.'" Odachi chuckled. "Well…you will certainly regret that decision now!"

With that said, he drew his next card. His eyes widened when he saw what it was; and then he laughed out loud again. "Now, the fun will really begin!" he declared. "For now…I can show you the power of my truly greatest monster of all!"

That startled Yugo. "What? What are you talking about?"

But Odachi merely smirked and held up one of the two cards he now held. "Now, I can activate the magic card, Magical Dimension!"

A chained coffin appeared on the field, directly behind Odachi's Mystical Elf. "I could only activate this card when I had a Spellcaster on my side of the field," Odachi explained. "Now, by offering one monster as a tribute, I can Special Summon one Spellcaster-type monster from my hand."

Mystical Elf turned into mist and seeped into the edges of the coffin's lid. Then suddenly the whole coffin began to glow with light – and exploded outward! The shards of the coffin's remains nearly hit Yugo; he had to stoop and hold his head down to avoid being hit. "And now," he heard Odachi say, "my truly ultimate monster has arrived!"

Slowly Yugo looked up – and did a double-take. His eyes widened in disbelief. "NO WAY!"

Standing on Odachi's side of the field was the Dark Magician (ATK 2500, DEF 2100) – only, this one was clad in red robes, sported white hair, and had a feral grin on his face. "Yes…my number one servant is here at last," said Odachi. "And he's going to make mincemeat of you. But first, to resolve Magical Dimension's full effect…"

Suddenly the evil Dark Magician began to glow. "When I Special Summon a Spellcaster successfully using the Magical Dimension, I can then destroy one monster on the field," said Odachi. "And to prevent any future problems with your Time Wizard—he'll be the one to go!"

As Yugo watched in horror, the Dark Magician raised his staff and blasted Time Wizard into pieces. "And now, time for the beginning of the end!" Odachi laughed crazily. "Do it, Dark Magician! Attack and destroy Breaker the Magical Warrior!"

And then the Dark Magician raised his staff, glowing with power…

----------

**_neomage:_** Well…looks like next chapter, this duel will come to a close! Yugo and Odachi are battling it right down to the last leg of this fateful confrontation! I highly doubt that you'll want to miss what happens in the next chapter!

And now, it's time for me to address a request that's been made to. You see, I've been asked to write a Virtual World arc, or something similar, with characters like Gozaburo, Noah, and the Big 5. I considered it, and figured that _if_ I did write such a scenario, I would NOT be using those same characters (seeing as how they're all dead by now), but I could probably use a story similar to the Legendary Heroes saga that took place after Duelist Kingdom, and that this saga could take place before the one I've officially got planned…

My only question to you reviewers is, should I do it? Should I write this side-arc – or should I just skip ahead to the final arc? I need at least five reviews on this matter in order to make a decision…will you faithful reviewers help me? Thanks for cooperating, and please continue to the next chapter!

UPDATED 19/03/2006: Made a small error in this chapter that needed correcting.


	151. Chapter 151

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Utter chaos begins here! I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!)

**CHAPTER 151**

THE SHADOW REALM

The stats of the duel were shown very clearly: Odachi's life points still stood at 2850; Yugo's were now 2450. Yugo held two cards in his hand; Odachi held none. On the field Odachi had his red Dark Magician in Attack Mode; Yugo had Breaker the Magical Warrior in Attack Mode and with one Magic counter increasing his ATK to 1900, plus he had one facedown card. And Odachi's Dark Magician was getting ready to strike!

"Go, Dark Magician! Use Dark Magic Attack!" Odachi bellowed.

The Dark Magician fired a massive blast of energy at Breaker the Magical Warrior. But Yugo exclaimed, "Hold it! I activate my trap card, Magic Cylinder, to reverse the attack right back onto you!"

Just then, two massive cylinders appeared in front of Breaker. One absorbed the Dark Magic Attack – the other shot it right back at a shocked Odachi, causing it to slam into him and toppling him as his life points shot down sharply to 350!

"Ow ow ow owwww…" Odachi grunted as he got back up. His skin was severely burnt where the attack had hit him. "You obnoxious little brat – you are SO going to pay for that!"

"Says you," Yugo shot back.

"Hmph. Well, whatever to you. At least I know for certain what those two cards you're still holding are." Odachi smirked now. "Your Frozen Soul trap card and Diffusion Wave-Motion magic card. Yes, I do have a photographic memory. Well, now I will end my turn for now."

Yugo looked with frustration at his two cards. _I know what he's thinking, and he's right—there's no WAY I can use either of these cards right now! My life points are higher than his, so I can't use Frozen Soul…and I don't have a Level 7 Spellcaster on the field, so I can't use Diffusion Wave-Motion…what do I do?_

He drew his next card – and flinched. _Damn, damn, damn…I CAN'T use this now!_ "I'll shift Breaker into Defense Mode, and end my turn. Your move."

"Oh, is that all you can do now?" Odachi mocked him. "Well…keep it up, and I promise you I'll flatten you quickly!"

He drew his next card—and started for a second. Then he laughed. "HA! Talk about fortune being on my side! Yugo, I hold in my hand the key to your destruction!"

Yugo just looked at him.

"Not convinced? Well, allow me to show you!" Odachi held up the card. "Now…I offer my Dark Magician as a tribute to Special Summon his truest, most powerful form of all to the field…come forth, Dark Eradicator Warlock (ATK 2500, DEF 2100)!"

All at once a massive blast of energy surrounded the evil Dark Magician…and then that energy subsided. And what Yugo saw had him in awe. "Whoa…"

Standing there was the Dark Eradicator Warlock, a magician with maroon robes and a purple cape. In one hand he held a massive staff that glowed with purple energy. From his body emanated a force so strong it nearly pushed Yugo over.

"Now, watch as he lays waste to your defense before your very eyes!" Odachi declared. "Dark Eradicator Warlock…use Dark Annihilation!"

The Warlock replied by pointing the business end of his staff at Breaker—and firing numerous bolts of electricity at the defending monster. Breaker held up his shield to block, but instead the electricity cut his body into pieces! "Damn it…!" Yugo swore.

"And with that, I end my turn for now," Odachi said triumphantly. "But know this: This magician possesses incredible power, power you can't even hope to overcome! Ha!"

Yugo groaned softly. He had nothing left on the field, now; if he couldn't get a monster to at least defend him, Odachi would be able to wipe him out on the next turn. _Please give me a good card…please give me a good card…_ he was silently begging as he reached down to draw from his deck.

Then he drew. And he heaved a sigh of relief when he saw what the card he'd drawn was. "Okay…I'll set one card facedown, and end my turn for now."

"That won't make one bit of difference to me!" Odachi drew a card. "Go, Dark Eradicator Warlock…wipe out his life points!"

But Yugo shouted, "Oh, no, you don't! I'll activate my trap card – Spellbinding Circle!"

Immediately a huge seal appeared underneath the Warlock's feet, freezing him. "Remember you used this trap against me earlier?" Yugo quizzed. "Well, I've got one, too, and now it's stopping your Dark Eradicator Warlock from changing his battle position or attacking. My life points are safe."

"Are they?" scoffed Odachi. "I told you, this magician has power that you can't even begin to comprehend! I'll end my turn for now, but know this: Before I'm done with you, you'll wish you'd never crossed me!"

Yugo then drew another card. "Oh…just the thing I need! Okay…now I'll set another card facedown, and end my turn. You can't do much else right now."

Odachi shook his head. "I beg to differ. And I'll soon show you the real extent of my magician's power."

With that said, Odachi drew his card – and the Millennium Puzzle glowed as he did. Then he laughed, triumphantly. "Now, Yugo…allow me to demonstrate the full might of the Dark Eradicator Warlock! I now activate the magic card, Magical Blast!"

The Dark Eradicator Warlock raised his staff and fired a massive ball of lightning at Yugo. Unable to dodge it in time, Yugo screamed out as he felt his skin go numb! "AAAAAAAHHH!" And then he collapsed, his life points dropping to 2250.

"I could only activate that Magic card if I had a Spellcaster-type monster on my side of the field," explained Odachi. "Then, for every Spellcaster on my side of the field, you'd get 200 points of damage to your life points. And now, time for my Warlock's effect to come into play!"

Again the Warlock raised his staff – this time firing pure lightning from its tip at Yugo. Getting up from the earlier attack, Yugo glanced up – and felt a massive jolt of electricity tearing through his body! He grimaced in agony as the torture lasted a moment; then he sagged to the ground again as his life points dropped to 1250.

"THAT is the true power of the Dark Eradicator Warlock," said Odachi smugly. "Each time either player activates a Normal Magic card, the Warlock inflicts 1000 points of damage to my opponent's life points. And…" His smile became even more evil as the golden eye, still present in his forehead, flashed malevolently. "Now that the Magical Blast magic card is in my Graveyard, on my next turn I can choose to add it to my hand straight from the Graveyard instead of conducting my regular Draw Phase. So…next turn I'll be able to weaken you further…and after that, it'll be the end of you!"

Painfully, Yugo pulled himself to his feet. "I'm…not done…yet!" he hissed. "I…I still have life points left…!"

Then he placed his fingers on his deck…and in his mind he silently pleaded, _Heart of the cards…just one more time…one more time!_

With difficulty, he drew his next card. He looked at it for a long moment. "Heh…just the thing I needed."

Odachi cocked an eyebrow at him.

"All right, Odachi!" said Yugo. "First, I'll summon Versago the Destroyer (ATK 1100, DEF 900) to the field, in Attack Mode!"

Moments later he brought forth his purple-armed fiend. Odachi took one look and burst out laughing. "What on earth is THAT supposed to be, pray tell?"

"It's about to be instrumental in your downfall, that's what!" replied Yugo. "Next…I'll activate my trap card, Call of the Haunted, to revive my Dark Magician to the field!"

A moment later Dark Magician rose up from among a group of tombstones. "Okay, now I'm starting to get sick of seeing that magician," grumbled Odachi.

Yugo then held up the card he'd drawn a few turns back. "This is gonna hurt…I activate the magic card Polymerization! Versago the Destroyer's effect says he can be offered as a substitute for any one monster when I'm doing a Fusion summon…so right now he'll act as a substitute for the Flame Swordsman (ATK 1800, DEF 1600) as I fuse him and Dark Magician together to form…Dark Flare Knight (ATK 2200, DEF 800)!"

A vortex appeared behind the two monsters, sucking them in. As the vortex continued to spin, however, Dark Eradicator Warlock fired yet another blast of electricity from his staff, causing Yugo even more pain as his life points shot down to 250. "Pathetic wimp!" Odachi shouted.

Then Polymerization's vortex revealed something astonishing – from its center emerged the Dark Flare Knight, his robes coated in black flame, his sword shining bright orange and his shield at the ready. Yugo, again struggling to get back up, managed a smirk. "This…this is the monster…that will seal your demise," he announced.

"Ha! And just how is he going to do that? His ATK is far weaker than my Warlock's!" said Odachi scornfully.

Yugo's eyes flashed. "I'll show you…Dark Flare Knight, attack!"

Odachi's eyes widened in disbelief. "You can't be serious…!"

But Dark Flare Knight took one step forward – and a second later he was rushing seemingly on thin air at the Dark Eradicator Warlock, sword raised and ready to strike. The latter, on seeing his adversary approach, swiftly raised his staff and fired a ball of lightning from it, frying the Knight and reducing him to ashes!

"Pfft…too bad," Odachi smirked as he watched the remains of the Knight burning in smoke. "To attack me so recklessly…sacrificing your monster so needlessly…you really are no different from me…"

"GUESS AGAIN!"

"What?" Odachi looked up in surprise—and all at once a massive burst of light shone from Yugo's side of the field! "But wait a minute – you're supposed to be dead!"

"Not so, Odachi," Yugo's voice came through to him. "See, when Dark Flare Knight is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard as a result of battle, I suffer no damage…plus, when he's destroyed in that way, it becomes possible for his much stronger form to come to the field, either from my hand or my deck…and this time…"

Even through the glare of the light—which, at a glance, Odachi realized was coming from Yugo's deck—the JUDAS leader saw the boy searching through his deck for a card…and then finding it…and playing it on the field. "Now…" Yugo announced. "Be resurrected as the **_Mirage Knight_** (ATK 2800, DEF 2000)!"

Then the light subsided, so Odachi could have a better view of the field—and his jaw dropped. Right there, on Yugo's side of the field, stood a blue-haired warrior wearing a suit of pure white armor. In one hand he held a scythe, the blade of which was pure silver and beautifully decorated and forged. "What…what on earth…?" Odachi whispered.

"In layman's terms, Mirage Knight is Special Summoned when Dark Flare Knight is destroyed in a battle," said Yugo calmly. "And, there's more…when Mirage Knight does battle with a monster, his ATK is increased by an amount equal to that monster's original ATK." His eyes flashed. "You. Are. Finished."

Odachi's eyes widened in horror. "…no…!"

Yugo then pointed a finger toward the Dark Eradicator Warlock. "Go, Mirage Knight! Finish him off with Mirage Illusion!"

Mirage Knight seemed to shift slightly to the side, leaving shadowy images of himself as he did so…then, to Odachi's amazement, all those shadowy images swept around the Dark Eradicator Warlock, spinning rapidly. The Warlock raised his staff in several directions and fired lightning bolts – all passing through the images. Then, just as the Warlock turned his back to fire at another shadow…right behind him came a flash of silver…even as the Mirage Knight's ATK registered as 5300!

Odachi saw the blade coming down on his Warlock – and saw a bright energy shine along the edge of that blade. "OOOOOH, SHIIIIIIIIIIIT!"

----------

THE VALLEY OF KINGS

Meanwhile, outside of the black shadowy mass, Mr. Ishtar had instructed the six teens to stand around the area where the large sarcophagus was placed, and to stand as in a semi-circle around the coffin, with their respective Millennium Items at hand. "Keep them activated for as long as you can," he had warned. "And do not let up for an instant. There is a lot of energy being sent to Zork Necrophades via the souls around us; the longer you can keep your Items activated, and the better your concentration, the bigger our chances of keeping Zork's power from escaping. Hopefully, the spirits of the Items that haven't already come back to their respective abodes…will."

Now, moments later, the six were still standing in place, and all their Millennium Items were shining. "I seriously hope this works," Malachi mumbled as the Millennium Key glowed brightly.

"It has to—for all our sakes," Kyo replied, and the Millennium Ring's pointers danced as if in agreement.

"If we don't succeed, we can't rescue our friends," Honey reminded them, even as her Millennium Necklace shone brightly.

"We can't afford _not_ to succeed – too much has been lost already," agreed Marcus, holding the glowing Millennium Eye in one hand.

"I…I feel some energy resistance, coming from the sarcophagus," remarked Shigeo, even as the Millennium Scale's balancing cups danced wildly. "But we can't give in now. We have to keep on fighting."

Seta held the Millennium Rod tightly in his hand…and as it glowed, his features altered – he was Yami Seta again. "I sense my fellow priests," he whispered. "Their spirits…they're still in this place…they're in this room!"

Suddenly all six of their Millennium Items began to shine with extreme brightness, so bright that Mr. Ishtar, standing a distance away, had to shield himself. And all six of the teens' foreheads began to sport golden eyes!

Then Mr. Ishtar looked up, in the direction of the black shadow – and his eyes widened in surprise. "What in the…!" was all he could let out as a bright blade of light slashed through the shadowy dome, ripping it asunder!

Immediately Seta and the others looked around – still with glowing eyes in their foreheads. "What's going on there?" Seta demanded.

"I…I don't know," admitted Mr. Ishtar. "And…what was that light from the Millennium Items just now?"

Kyo fingered the Millennium Ring. "This…certainly feels more powerful than before," he whispered. "I sense a noble presence surrounding me…"

All the others nodded in agreement. "I feel the same way, myself," Malachi nodded.

"Forget about that right now – what about Yugo?" said Honey.

They all watched as the Shadow Realm's darkness gradually slipped away…and what they saw stunned them all. Both Yugo and Odachi were on the floor, their clothes torn in various places. Yugo was facedown, breathing heavily; Odachi was on his back, the upper half of his robe completely torn off – and a deep gash was in his shoulder, bleeding copiously. Not far away from him, the Millennium Puzzle was on the floor, its suspending chain sliced cleanly in two.

Honey's hand automatically went to her mouth. "Oh, my God…"

Seta rushed to Yugo's side. "Yugo! Yugo, for heaven's sake, talk to me!" he urged.

"Oh, damn…" Yugo winced, trying to sit up. "Damn…that was a hell of a lot of power right there…!"

Mr. Ishtar chuckled. "I guess it's safe to assume you won that duel, yes?"

"Uh-huh." Yugo nodded and grinned sheepishly. "I need to say, though, Mr. Ishtar…you sure you weren't smoking something stronger than cigarettes when you gave us those cards?"

Suddenly Odachi gasped and let out a groan. Immediately every eye was on him. "Is that…the JUDAS leader?" Marcus asked warily.

"Yeah," said Yugo. "Everyone, meet Keisuke Odachi, certified psycho."

Grasping his severely wounded shoulder, Odachi sat up. "Shit…I can't believe it…I lost to a pipsqueak like you," he groaned.

"Give it up, Odachi," said Mr. Ishtar sternly. "You've lost. You won't be giving any more souls to Zork Necrophades. Release the ones you've captured, right now."

Odachi chuckled…then laughed outright. "Man…I only said that Zork needs one more soul to be completely revived. I never said it had to be specifically his!" and he pointed a disdainful finger at Yugo.

Yugo's eyes widened. "What?"

Suddenly Odachi reached into a pocket and pulled out a knife. "If Zork needs one more soul to be completely revived," he declared, "then I'll gladly let him have that soul – EVEN IF IT IS MY OWN!"

"Dammit!" Seta and Mr. Ishtar cried in unison, both lunging forward – but too late. Already Odachi had stabbed himself through the heart, blood splattering everywhere!

Everyone's eyes widened in shock. "This…is…disturbing…" Shigeo managed to breathe.

Odachi coughed blood, but he had a smile on his face. "Now…for sure…Zork Necrophades will be revived," he announced. "And then…the world will feel my vengeance…and be cleansed!"

And then he collapsed to his side, his eyes seeing nothing more, his mouth forever frozen in a crazy grin. "…someone shoot me so I don't have to look at this…" Marcus muttered.

Mr. Ishtar looked at Odachi…then toward the coffin. "Kids…"

Yugo, still looking at Odachi's now-dead body, watched as an almost transparent mist rose from the corpse and floated toward the sarcophagus. "What can we do now?" he whispered.

Suddenly, as Odachi's soul got absorbed into the coffin, a deep, terrible laugh was heard. "Foolish mortals," it spoke. "Did you honestly believe you could stop my resurrection so easily? I was thwarted by Pharaoh Atem 3000 years ago…but now I have the opportunity to come back to this plane of existence once again…and all of you will DIE!"

Then, as the group watched, all of the soul orbs in the room glowed brightly – and then all of the souls trapped within floated rapidly and as one toward the sarcophagus. "YES! All these souls are MINE!" the voice spoke. "Strengthen me, gathered souls…that I may burn the world!"

"Damn it! He's being powered by the souls!" Mr. Ishtar yelled. "And they're all going in there too quickly…we can't stop them!"

It seemed like only a few seconds before the last soul got sucked into the sarcophagus. Then the coffin began to glow brightly…and the crypt began to shake violently, as if there was an earthquake!

"Guys…last one outta here's a sitting duck!" Shigeo turned and raced for the door. The others followed suit very quickly; Seta slung Yugo's arm over his own shoulder and helped him up, both of them quickly heading after the others. Mr. Ishtar was last to leave, scooping up the Millennium Puzzle as he ran off.

And even as the group ran out, the room began to crumble into pieces…and intense light shone from the coffin…

----------

**_neomage:_** MWAH! Yet another cliff-hanger! But not to worry – another chapter's coming up right after this!

(rampagerkriz walks in, grinning from ear to ear)

yamikriz: (reading the newspaper) How'd it go?

rampagerkriz: Oh, we had a lovely candlelight dinner, danced, went clubbin'…

yamikriz: Yeah, okay, sure. Nice.

rampagerkriz: You could at LEAST sound a little more sincere!

(neomage suddenly enters, wielding a bazooka)

neomage: Oh, rampagerkriz…SAY HELLO TO MY VERY BIG FRIEND!

rampagerkriz: O.O; Uh…mercy?

neomage: (readies bazooka)

rampagerkriz: RUN AWAY! (runs and dives out the window)

(neomage fires the bazooka; the rocket flies out the window and after rampagerkriz)

neomage: That guy doesn't know that that rocket is of the heat-seeker class…plus, it's been specially engineered to keep chasing **_him_** till it gets him.

yamikriz: …a little extreme, don't you think?

neomage: At least it'll teach him to use the Millennium Keyboard without permission.

yamikriz: OO;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; Hooo boy…


	152. Chapter 152

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: MORE UTTER CHAOS! I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!)

**CHAPTER 152**

THE VALLEY OF KINGS

Outside the entrance to the crypt, Jenna, Miriam, Miki and Blaze sat, patiently waiting. Or, at least, Jenna and Miki were patient; Blaze and Miriam were looking more and more irritated by the minute. Then finally Blaze jumped up. "Okay, this sucks!" she cried.

"What's the matter, Blaze?" asked Miki.

"What's the matter? Can't you tell? Ever since we got back outside, we've been waiting for, like, forever! I hate not being able to do anything!"

Her voice dropped, and she hung her head. "I wish there were something more I could do…"

Jenna stood up and walked up to Blaze. "You're still worried…about Wade, aren't you?"

Blaze looked up, startled. "H-huh? Well—I'm concerned about ALL of them!"

"Don't worry…they'll be all right," Jenna nodded. "Yugo and the others will save them. We just have to trust them to get the job done." She smiled. "We'll save the whole lot of them. Flora…Raven…and Wade, too…and all the others."

Blaze's lip trembled. "Jenna…"

Suddenly Miriam tensed and looked into the crypt entrance. "Guys—look who's coming now!"

As all of them turned to look, they saw Shigeo racing outside into the open. He was followed moments later by Marcus, Honey, Malachi and Kyo, in that order. Next came Seta with Yugo still leaning on him for support; and last was Mr. Ishtar. "All right! They made it!" Miki cheered.

But Jenna knew something was wrong. "What's the matter, guys? You look as though you've seen a ghost…"

Suddenly the ground began to quake. "H-h-hey! What on earth's going on?" Blaze cried in confusion, almost losing her footing.

"We…we failed…" Mr. Ishtar hung his head. "Everyone in JUDAS has been defeated, but…they still managed to pull off their goal…"

Suddenly, only a few yards behind them, the ground burst open as a massive, hulking black shadow rose up from below the crypt. Seta and Yugo took one look and paled. "He…got out of the coffin…" Yugo whispered.

Then, little by little, the black mass of shadow took shape…and what a frightful shape it took. It had horns growing out of the sides of its head, large and sharp canines, red eyes, a thick, muscular body, a skeletal head with a mouth where its stomach would be, and long, sharp claws. From its back protruded large wings, and it possessed a long, lizard-like tail. It was tall enough to easily overshadow the entire Valley of Kings. This…was Zork Necrophades, fully revived!

"Yes!" he exclaimed, and his voice boomed throughout the area. "After 3000 years, I am free once again to wreak havoc on the living world! And now…with the power of all these souls that have revived me, not even the Egyptian Gods themselves, separate or united, can stand against me!"

Kyo gritted his teeth. "I'll be damned if I let something as ugly as _that_ stomp all over us! I'm gonna show him who's boss!" And he charged forward, his Millennium Ring shining with a blinding light.

"Hold it! Don't think you're going into this one alone!" Marcus took off after him.

"Guys, wait for me!" Honey followed.

Malachi shook his head. "Dumbasses…as if they can defeat him by themselves…" And with that he trotted off after them.

"Wait up! You're going to need my help to bring down that evil scumbag!" Shigeo called after them, and he hurried off, too.

Seta hesitated, then turned to look at Mr. Ishtar. His uncle nodded. "Go, Seta," he advised him. "They will need the power that you control."

Seta smirked and nodded. "Okay, Yugo," he said, easing the other boy off his shoulder. "I'm gonna go fight a giant. Classic David and Goliath…only this time, Goliath's gonna have more than one David to contend with!" And with that he set off.

Blaze, Miki, Miriam and Jenna stared in horror at Zork Necrophades. "JUDAS…was stealing souls…for THAT?" Miki exclaimed.

Blaze felt her initial fright slowly turning to rage. "I'll never forgive them," she spat. "And I'll never forgive that—that—_THING_ for making them steal the souls of all our loved ones! I'm gonna rip that bastard's head off myself!" And she activated her Duel-Disk, rushing off.

"Blaze, come back here!" Jenna cried, running after her. Miki sighed in a woebegone fashion and followed, Miriam close behind her with activated Duel-Disk at the ready.

Now only Yugo and Mr. Ishtar were left. "Damn it…that fight with Odachi left me real tired and hurt…I don't know if I'd be of much help to them again Zork Necrophades…" Yugo whispered sadly.

"Actually, I believe you CAN help them, Yugo," said Mr. Ishtar, and here he pulled out the Millennium Puzzle.

Yugo stared in astonishment. "Isn't that…?"

"Yes. This is the Millennium Puzzle. I picked it up before we escaped from inside." Mr. Ishtar nodded. "Yugo…use it. I believe you have something within that will allow you to harness its full power completely."

Yugo looked at Mr. Ishtar, then at the Puzzle. "I…I don't know…"

"You have to try even a little," insisted Mr. Ishtar. "If you don't, then who will?" He gestured toward the rest of the gang. "They've all gone to fight Zork Necrophades…can't you give them even a little hope that he won't destroy our world? Yugo…think of all the innocent souls who have suffered…think of the pain _you_ have been forced to live with all your life! It was because of Zork Necrophades why you lost your mother…but you can make things right! Only you can do it!"

Yugo looked on at the rest of the gang, still running toward Zork. Then his eyes hardened with resolve. "Sir…gimme that thing."

Mr. Ishtar nodded and gave it to Yugo. "Use its power well."

Slowly, Yugo reached his hand out to accept the Puzzle. As he grasped it and took it from Mr. Ishtar's hand, he looked at it. _How do I even use this thing?_

And then all of a sudden, his Duel Force stretched forth from his fingers. As he looked on in surprise, the mysterious force seemed to meld the broken pieces of the Puzzle's suspending chain back together. And then…the Duel Force seemed to take control of Yugo's movements as he found himself slinging the chain over his head, the Puzzle now hanging in front of his chest. _What…what on earth…what's happening?_

And then, all of a sudden, the Puzzle began to glow and tremble, and all went black for Yugo…

----------

"Hey, you! You ugly bag of dog-meat, you!" Kyo yelled, standing a good enough distance so he could shout up at Zork Necrophades.

Zork looked down at Kyo. "Impudent human…you would dare stand against me?"

"Not just him, tub of lard," Marcus replied frostily. "We're all here to fight."

"Damn right," said Shigeo. "We're not going to let you do as you please with this planet! This is our home, and you have no rights to it!"

Malachi stepped forward, a sinister look in his eye. "Slime like you doesn't deserve a place in existence. You should be wiped out completely."

Honey was especially angry, too. "You…you've got my brother's soul inside of you, along with so many others," she hissed. "I'll make you spit them all back out!"

Blaze appeared behind them. "You damn monster…prepare to be burned by my anger!" she cried.

Jenna, Miriam and Miki were behind her, standing apprehensively. "You're the source of all our miseries up to this point," Miki declared. "Therefore, we gotta take care of you."

"That's right…for everyone's sakes," Jenna added.

"We'll purge you from this world!" said Miriam.

Seta stepped to the front of the pack. Holding up the Millennium Rod, he declared, "You, Zork Necrophades, are the reason so many of us have suffered over the last decade. For that, we will have our revenge. Prepare to die."

Zork laughed. "Amusing little insects," he spoke to them. "You actually think you can stand before me, insult me, and expect to live? I would like to see how that will work!" He straightened up and beckoned to them, flexing his claws toward himself in a come-here gesture. "Attack me, if you dare!"

All of the Millennium Items shone brightly. "Let's show him the real power of our Duel Monsters!" Marcus shouted.

"I couldn't agree more!" Kyo swiftly pulled out five cards and slapped them all on his Duel-Disk's monster slots. "Come to the battlefield, my Agents of heaven!"

Moments later all of them appeared: the Agent of Force – Mars (ATK 0, DEF 0), the Agent of Wisdom – Mercury (ATK 0, DEF 1700), the Agent of Creation – Venus (ATK 1600, DEF 0) and the Agent of Judgment – Saturn (ATK 2400, DEF 0), and at their head was Archlord Zerato (ATK 2800, DEF 2300). At once the five angels took flight, heading straight for Zork as they hit him head-on with their respective attacks.

"Oh, no, Kyo – you're not gonna have ALL the fun!" Marcus exploded, throwing five cards down on his Duel-Disk. "V-Tiger Jet (ATK 1600, DEF 1800), W-Wing Catapult (ATK 1300, DEF 1500), X-Head Cannon (ATK 1800, DEF 1500), Y-Dragon Head (ATK 1500, DEF 1600), Z-Metal Tank (ATK 1500, DEF 1300) – come out and fight!" And at his call, all five of those monsters emerged and immediately started firing their respective weapon artillery at Zork.

Malachi selected three cards. "Andro Sphinx (ATK 3000, DEF 2500), Sphinx Teleia (ATK 2500, DEF 3000), Theinen the Great Sphinx (ATK 3500, DEF 3000) – come out to play!" And immediately his three Sphinx monsters emerged and charged at Zork with brute force.

Jenna, Miriam and Miki looked at each other. "Looks like summoning conditions don't apply here," Jenna remarked.

"Because this isn't a duel – it's a real fight for life!" Miki promptly flipped out two of her own cards. "Gearfried the Swordmaster (ATK 2600, DEF 2200) and Orgoth the Relentless (ATK 2500, DEF 2450)!" Immediately her two monsters appeared on the field and went charging into the battle, their respective weapons drawn.

Jenna immediately placed a card on her own Duel-Disk. "Red-Eyes Black Dragon (ATK 2400, DEF 2000)!" And immediately her dragon appeared and flew off into the fray. At the same time, Miriam pulled out two magic cards – Wave-Motion Cannon and Mass Driver – and immediately her two cannons emerged beside her and opened fire on Zork.

Blaze, meanwhile, was doing some summoning of her own. "Lava Golem (ATK 3000, DEF 2500) and Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch (ATK 2400, DEF 1000)!" And as those two monsters appeared, immediately they began to blast fire-based attacks at Zork.

Shigeo ran to one side, summoning monsters as he went. "Strike Ninja (ATK 1700, DEF 1200), Zaborg the Thunder Monarch (ATK 2400, DEF 1000) and Gilford the Lightning (ATK 2800, DEF 1400)!" His three monsters appeared on the field and quickly began throwing shuriken and lightning at the enemy.

Honey readied her own cards. "Toon Summoned Skull (ATK 2500, DEF 1200) and Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon (ATK 3000, DEF 2500)!" And immediately her two Toons appeared and ran forward to fight, albeit in a cartoon-like manner.

Seta chuckled. "I only need to summon one monster to fight," he declared. "Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon (ATK 4500, DEF 3800)!"

A moment later the three-headed white dragon roared in anger as it glared with all of its eyes at Zork. The dark being, however, laughed at the attacks being thrown at him. "Bring it on, fools!" he shouted.

----------

_"Uhhh…where am I?"_

_Yugo's eyes slowly opened. As his vision came back into focus, he noted that he was in a dark corridor of some sort. "All right…I'm definitely not in Egypt anymore," he noted._

_"We are inside your mind."_

_"What?" Yugo spun around. "Who's there? And what do you mean, we're inside my mind?"_

_"Don't get so agitated, young one," the mysterious voice spoke again. "I shall reveal myself…and you probably know me already."_

_Then, right before Yugo's eyes appeared a man dressed in ancient Egyptian robes. He had tall, spiky hair of red and black, with yellow bangs on the front hanging over his face. On his face was a look of utter wisdom; it was a face that, for one moment, reminded Yugo of his father._

_Yugo gulped. "You are…him…aren't you?"_

_The mystery man chuckled. "Yes, you are right. I am he, Pharaoh Atem, who ruled Egypt 3000 years ago and placed my spirit in the Millennium Puzzle you now wear. I aided your father many times when he bore the Puzzle's power; and now, I am here to aid you in your battle against Zork Necrophades."_

_"But, Pharaoh…how do I defeat him? Even though I beat JUDAS, their leader was still able to bring Zork back to our world!" said Yugo._

_"That is true." Pharaoh Atem nodded. "This organization, JUDAS…they forcefully used the corrupted power of these newly-forged Millennium Items to revive my soul and the souls of my six most trusted priests, that we would become food for Zork Necrophades to speed up his revival. We all escaped, of course…and now, I sense that all the spirits have returned to their respective Millennium Items, and are even now aiding your friends against Zork. But you have to hurry, for unless you act soon, Zork will very likely kill them and destroy the world."_

_"Pharaoh…please help me." Yugo said this pleadingly._

_"But of course! And, in fact, I have been helping you from the beginning." Pharaoh Atem smirked. "The power you called the Duel Force…was actually my own magic power, augmenting your own natural talent. What you experienced with the Duel Force, however, was only a fraction of my power…now, you will feel the full force of this power."_

_Yugo nodded in understanding. "Okay."_

_"BUT…" Pharaoh Atem held up one finger. "Yugo, in exchange for my help to destroy Zork Necrophades…there is a favor that I must ask of you."_

----------

"GODDAMMIT!" Malachi exploded as he saw Zork's hand snap Sphinx Teleia's neck. "This is SO not going down well!"

"Tell me about it!" Kyo exclaimed. All four of his Agents had already been crushed under Zork's fist, and even now Archlord Zerato was flying around desperately, avoiding the bursts of black flame that Zork was spewing out of his mouth.

"Foolish ones!" Zork taunted them, effortlessly swatting Marcus's machine monsters away with one hand while blocking Miriam's Wave-Motion Cannon and Mass Driver assaults with the other. "Is this the best you can do against me?"

Seta gritted his teeth, even as the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon flew around while blasting at Zork here and there. "Don't let up, guys! Give him everything you've got!"

"Easy to say!" Miki replied, even as Gearfried the Swordmaster brought his sword down on the ground, creating a shockwave that momentarily upset Zork's footing. But Zork quickly righted himself and blasted Gearfried into oblivion with the black flames shot from his mouth.

Zork's tail swung around and caught Gilford the Lightning around his neck; seconds later the warrior's head got snapped off clean off his shoulders. Shigeo saw this and felt sick. "This can't be right…we're barely having any effect on him!"

"Wrong, ninja-boy," Marcus called to him, even as he summoned his Jinzo (ATK 2400, DEF 1500) to the battle. "We are affecting him, all right – we just need to keep pummeling him till we drive him into submission."

"Well, let's hurry and kill him before we get killed ourselves!" Honey cried, even as the ugly head on Zork's stomach blasted both Toon Summoned Skull and Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon with a wave of black fire.

The Red-Eyes Black Dragon was blasting fireball after fireball at Zork with seemingly little effect. Noting this, Jenna drew another card. "Time to up the odds in our favor," she muttered grimly. "Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon (ATK 2400, DEF 2000)!"

Immediately the Red-Eyes Black Dragon's features altered, giving it a much darker look. It swiftly resumed blasting Zork, just at the same time that Blaze's Lava Golem attempted to throw hot lava at the specter's feet.

But now Zork was getting tired of it. "You fools bore me," he declared. "So…ENOUGH!"

Suddenly a massive explosion burst out from where Zork stood, created by his dark energy. It caused all of the monsters to disintegrate, and at the same time all of the humans were flung far back, landing violently on the ground. "You have no chance against me! None!" Zork bellowed.

"Oh, really?" Seta grunted, managing to stand back up. His Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon's chest had been blasted straight through by the explosion, but it was still floating in the air, albeit weakly. "My dragon…can still fight!"

"Ha! Your dragon is useless!" Zork retorted.

All at once the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon's shell began to break apart…and then, split seconds later, it shattered altogether – and revealed the bright glory of the Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon (ATK 3000, DEF 2500) underneath! "The Blue-Eyes White Dragon has evolved," Seta explained, "for the purpose of fitting into our technologically driven world today. He will destroy you now."

Zork grinned a nasty feral grin. "Show me your power."

----------

**_neomage:_** I previously had a gigantic rant here where I and my helpful "other selves" told off a certain flamer who saw fit to annoy me to no end. Due to certain revelations made to me as of late, however, I have to remove it and grin and bear it for a while. As for all the other readers here at the site…don't be afraid to deal with flamers as you see fit to deal with them (regardless of your patience level)! And now, as for the story itself…it's Zork Necrophades vs. the Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon! Stay tuned!

UPDATED 13/03/2006: Once again, returned Miriam to the story and gave her some action. Miriam fans, be appeased.


	153. Chapter 153

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh…but I do own the concept for this upcoming clash of titans!)

**CHAPTER 153**

THE VALLEY OF KINGS

"Ouchie…" Miki winced as she held her bruised knee.

"You all right, kid?" Miriam asked her, offering her a hand.

Miki accepted Miriam's hand; the other girl pulled her up from the ground. "I'll live—I hope," Miki admitted.

"Damn it…who would've thought that bastard was so powerful…he took us all down in only one shot – and all our monsters were wiped out at the same time!" Malachi grated through clenched teeth as he lay there on his back, breathing heavily.

Suddenly Marcus's astonished voice could be heard. "Hey, guys, check it out!"

Everyone looked at Marcus, then in the direction of his pointing finger—and they were equally amazed, too. Before their eyes, standing in front of Zork Necrophades, stood a dragon that shone with magnificent light and looked extremely technological! "What…in the world…is THAT?" Shigeo asked in shock.

Blaze slowly got up; she flinched as she felt a nasty gash on her forehead. "Whatever it is, I'm guessing it's on our side."

Honey stared at the dragon in awe. Then she looked to one side. "Hey…it was summoned by Seta…"

They all turned to look where Honey was referencing. Seta was standing right at the dragon's feet, the Millennium Rod shining brightly in his hand. "Seta's going to take Zork on…by himself?" Jenna exclaimed. "No way!"

"He'll get himself killed!" Miriam cried. "We have to help him!"

"Wait," said Kyo. As everyone turned to stare at him, he continued, "Seta had the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon out here a while ago…and now _that_ creature is taking its place…maybe, just maybe, that dragon there has some different strengths or powers, and so Seta can afford to bring it out in combat. And besides, this is Seta we're talking about – he won't lose so easily. Let's just give ourselves a chance to recover…and then we can be ready to help him if he needs it."

Only then did Honey look down – and she saw the shards of the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon's broken shell at the new dragon's feet. Her eyes widened. _What in the…could it be?_

Meanwhile, Zork Necrophades and the Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon were staring each other down for a long, long moment. Then Seta spoke up. "The Blue-Eyes White Dragon has evolved plenty over the last 3000 years…and now, in the form of the Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon, he has acquired power that will bring you to your knees…where you belong."

Zork laughed loudly. "Bold words, coming from a human shrimp. Very well. Show me what you can do!"

Seta nodded. "Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon…go get him!"

The Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon howled, flapping its metallic wings – and then took off into the sky at Mach 5 speed. "Impressive speed," remarked Zork with a grin, "but speed alone will not win you this battle!"

"Then how about this?" Seta declared.

The Shining Dragon flew around in a wide arc, then flew back at Zork, howling with intense anger. "Now, Shining Dragon, show him what you've got! Shining Neutron Blast!" Seta cried. And, in response, the dragon's mouth opened as it suddenly halted in midair and blasted a bright blue beam of energy at the specter.

"Pathetic!" Zork shouted. And in response, he drew his own head back and then pushed it forward, firing a wave of black flame from his own mouth – and from the mouth on his stomach, as well!

The two energies, light and dark, struck each other and clashed; Zork and the Shining Dragon forced more energy out at each other, neither willing to give in. The Shining Dragon flapped its wings furiously even as the Shining Neutron Blast continued to pour out of its mouth; Zork's feet dug into the ground as he maintained his own level of power in his attack.

"Give it up, Zork! You won't win…not while I'm alive!" Seta snapped.

Then suddenly the Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon let up on its attack and flew out of the way of Zork's black flame; flying around to the back, it let loose with another Shining Neutron Blast. Zork raised his arm to block the attack, though, and countered with another blast of black flame, which the Shining Dragon skillfully dodged.

"True, your dragon's prowess so far is quite impressive," Zork admitted. "But my power is far greater than that!"

Holding up one hand, palm outward and facing the Shining Dragon, Zork began firing dark beams of energy at his foe. The Shining Dragon reacted immediately, flying here and there, dodging the dark beams, and blasting its own energy beams down at its opponent. But all at once the giant head on Zork's stomach blasted upward with a gigantic wave of flame that completely neutralized the Shining Dragon's attacks!

"Uh-oh!" Seta cried. "Shining Dragon, dodge!"

The Shining Dragon did dodge, narrowly, avoiding the big blast of fire while still avoiding the dark beams – but unexpectedly, Zork's tail shot upward and grabbed the dragon's tail, halting its flight instantaneously! Zork then used his tail to forcefully drag the dragon down to the ground, slamming it into the rough terrain and kicking up rocks and dust in the process!

"Ack! No! Not my Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon!" Seta cried out in disbelief, even as his Millennium Rod glowed intensely.

The Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon tried to raise itself from the ground where it'd just been slammed – but instead Zork's heavy foot slammed down on its head, crushing it further into the ground. "After all, this dragon was just one more enemy to crush under my heel," Zork ridiculed them. "Now…it is time to bring this fight to an end! I will envelop this world into darkness, just as I was meant to do 3000 years ago…and you will all be the first to taste death – starting with this dragon!"

Seta's eyes widened in horror. _No…Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon…beaten…and so easily at that? Oh, crap…_ His whole body was trembling. _I feel…paralyzed…I can't stop shaking…and I can't move a single muscle…to do anything…_

The head on Zork's stomach began to charge black flame in its mouth. "Now, dragon…time to die!" Zork vowed.

The rest of the gang, seeing this, readied their Duel-Disks. Zork saw this and laughed loudly. "I was planning to save you for after I had destroyed this dragon, but…if you all want quick deaths, I shall be glad to oblige! And you should have realized already, your puny monsters are no match for my might!" And with that, he raised his arm, his palm charging with black energy, in their direction!

Miki's face became pained. She edged as close enough to Kyo as she could. "Kyo…I guess this is it, huh?" she whispered.

"Maybe…but all I know is, I'm going down fighting." Kyo nodded with grim determination.

"Well…I just want you to know…so that we don't have any regrets when we die." Miki looked up at him. "I love you."

Kyo seemed unresponsive for a moment. Then, slowly, he reached up with one hand and took off his glasses, and looked down at her face. He smiled a small, sad smile. "I love you, too."

"Brother…" Miriam whispered.

Malachi's eyes narrowed – and he reached out a hand to hers, grabbing it in a firm grip. "Sis…if we die…let's die together. Let's never be separated."

Blaze blinked hard; a tear escaped one eye. _Wade…I'm so sorry…I'll never see you again…_

Honey kept a brave look on her face…but inside, her emotions were choking her. _Mom…Dad…looks like I'll be joining you…and Raven…I'm sorry…I've failed you._

Both sets of energy, from Zork's stomach-head and his palm, grew bigger and more intense. Seeing this, Marcus snarled in frustration. _I…I can't believe this…am I really gonna be killed here? Surviving so many battles in the war…surviving an abusive father…only to end up being killed by a freak…without doing what I have to do?_ He lowered his face. _Flora…how will I be able to face you, on the other side?_

Shigeo narrowed his eyes, even as he kept a steely grip on his Duel-Disk and his cards. _Looks like I'll be joining my ancestors soon…but if so, then I won't go down dishonorably! I'll fight to the bitter end!_

And still Seta was paralyzed. _Mom…Uncle Mokuba…have I avenged your deaths, only to be killed myself? What…what should I do…what CAN I do…?_

Jenna, watching Zork's energy growing ever bigger, merely dropped to her knees. Her eyes were wide; her lips trembled. And as she continued to watch the spectacle of horror before her eyes…she began to sob. And a tear formed in her eye…and trickled down her cheek…and lingered on her chin before the drop released contact with her skin and fell.

And then the teardrop made contact with the ground.

"Now, go to your mak—AAAAAAARGH!"

Zork let out a loud scream as, all at once from seemingly nowhere, a large blade of light shot out from one side and cleanly sliced off both his arm and the head on his stomach! As the dismembered pieces of his body fell to the ground, before making contact they spontaneously combusted into white flame!

"Huh?" Seta was automatically snapped out of his trance. "What…?" He slowly turned his head in the direction the blade of light had so mysteriously come from…and couldn't believe his eyes.

Malachi and Miriam were already staring in openmouthed disbelief.

Kyo and Miki's eyes were wide.

Marcus, Blaze and Shigeo all gasped in surprise.

Honey blinked.

Jenna was still on her knees…but as she took in the sight before her eyes, her lips slowly turned upward in a relieved smile, even as her tears continued to fall.

Then Seta smirked. "Smartass."

Standing a good distance away was Yugo Muto. Around his neck was a chain…and suspended from the end of that chain was the Millennium Puzzle, glowing with a brilliant light. That light seemed to illuminate Yugo's body, granting him a whole new appearance: his hair was drastically altered, showing several more bangs hanging down over his face, which was nevertheless still clearly visible. Yugo's mouth was set in a grim line; his eyes shone with a deep-rooted vengeance in them. And…at his side stood a blue-haired warrior, clad in pure white armor and carrying a beautifully crafted scythe – the Mirage Knight.

Then Yugo spoke – and even his voice was altered, sounding like ancient years. "Zork Necrophades…you suck up souls to power your own filthy being…you lead a group of people to their doom by making them serve you…you create misery in the lives of innocent people in order to fulfill your own greedy ambitions…then you threaten my friends…and just now, you make my girlfriend cry…" His eyes narrowed into slits. "For all of that…I'm going to kill you. And I'm going to kill you stone dead."

Zork was holding his severed arm; blood was gushing from that wound and from the one on his stomach where the second head had been sliced off. He glared at Yugo in rage. "This…power…I know this power…I _remember_ this power…" His voice turned acidic. "THE POWER OF THE PHARAOH!"

Yugo shook his head. "You've been talking a little too long now. Shut up." And he raised a finger, then let it drop.

The Mirage Knight raised his scythe, intent on striking again. Seeing this, Zork jumped away to one side, blasting a ball of black flame from his mouth in Yugo's direction. "Burn!" he yelled.

But Yugo didn't seem fazed at the fireball coming at him. "I think not."

Suddenly Mirage Knight began to spin his scythe vertically, the blade rotating so fast that it created an impenetrable shield in front of him. The fireball hit this shield – and got harmlessly deflected!

"WHAT!" Zork cried.

Yugo then looked in Seta's direction. "Seta! That dragon of yours…can it still fight?"

"Y-yeah, I think so!" Seta answered.

"Then lend me its power! It's time to send Zork packing, for good!" Yugo looked to the others. "Everyone…concentrate the power of the Millennium Items onto these two monsters! Concentrate hard!" And the Millennium Puzzle shone and trembled wildly, even as a golden eye appeared in Yugo's head.

"Gotcha!" Kyo closed his eyes and held his hands over the Millennium Ring…and as a golden eye appeared in his forehead, the Ring began to shine with a blinding light. Following his example, Marcus, Honey, Shigeo and Malachi all held up their respective Items, too – and golden eyes emerged in all their foreheads as the Items shone.

Seta held up the Millennium Rod, too; it shone with incredible brightness, even as the golden eye emerged in his forehead, as well. "Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon, arise! We still need your strength!"

The Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon arose, glowing brightly from the power of the Millennium Items. At the same time, Mirage Knight—also glowing from the Millennium Items' power—made one gigantic leap and landed on the dragon's back. Both were now facing forward…right at Zork Necrophades!

"All right! Now the power of the mightiest warrior and the strongest dragon will be combined into one!" Yugo cried. "Go, noble creatures of light! Destroy Zork Necrophades!"

The Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon instantly launched off toward Zork at incredible speed, Mirage Knight still perched on its back with his scythe at the ready. Zork, seeing them coming, blasted a wave of black fire at them from his remaining hand. "I will destroy you!" he screamed. "My goals WILL be realized!"

Then Yugo spoke again. "ILLUSION NOVA!"

On command, the Shining Dragon flew even faster with a massive burst of speed, while Mirage Knight positioned the scythe's blade with the curved side facing forward – and both were suddenly engulfed in a massive ball of light! That light cut through Zork's attack like a hot knife through butter – and slammed into Zork himself with the force of a battering ram, tearing through him and flying upward! Then the light came down and hit Zork again – and again – and yet again! Then, as the light came round one more time, a blast of energy – the Shining Dragon's Shining Neutron Blast, amplified a hundred times – tore into Zork's body, split seconds before seven flashes of a silver blade's edge sliced into the specter…and the ball of light rammed into Zork again!

"NOOOOOOOOOO!" Zork screamed as the Mirage Knight and Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon ripped through him and got separated from each other. His body became engulfed in white flame as he flailed around, howling in pain – and suddenly he spontaneously combusted in an explosion of light!

Everyone had to cover their eyes, so bright was the light. "That's intense!" Miriam exclaimed.

The light continued for another few minutes, during which none of them dared to open their eyes. Then, after a moment, the glare softened, and Kyo peeked out. His eyes widened. "Guys…look at this…!"

All of them looked up – and were amazed. "What…is this?" wondered Shigeo.

Right where Zork had been standing, there was a column of blue light, filled with innumerable balls of white light. "Are those…?" Honey asked.

"Yeah. Those are the souls that were captured by JUDAS." Yugo nodded, walking up to the others. "The souls they stole to power up Zork Necrophades…they're all free at last…"

"Would you look at it…it's so beautiful!" Miki whispered, looking with admiration at the column of light.

Suddenly a voice could be heard from among the souls. "Yugo…Yugo…"

Yugo was startled. "Huh? Who…who is there?"

Then two other voices spoke, simultaneously. "Seta…"

Seta's eyes widened. _Those voices…so familiar…_ "Who are you?"

"Come closer," all three voices beckoned.

Yugo and Seta looked at each other. Slowly, hesitantly, they stepped toward the light column. Immediately three of the souls floated down to be on face-level with them…and then all three slowly took on humanoid shape.

"What…?" Yugo was truly puzzled.

Then the three finished forming themselves—and what Yugo and Seta saw made them reel in shock. One soul had taken the form of a blond-haired woman with glasses. Another was also a woman, with delicate Egyptian features and a gentle smile. The third was male, with long black hair and childish eyes.

Seta couldn't believe his eyes. "Mom…? Uncle Mokuba…?"

Nor could Yugo believe his. "M…my…my mom, too…?"

----------

**_neomage:_** So, ladies and gentlemen, Zork Necrophades is FINALLY defeated! And now, the souls that were stolen have been freed – but now Rebecca, Ishizu and Mokuba's souls seem to want to talk to Yugo and Seta! What will they have to say to them? That's coming up in the next chapter!


	154. Chapter 154

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Peace…tranquility…calm…NOT! **(pulls out bazooka)** I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! MWA HA HA HA!)

**CHAPTER 154**

THE VALLEY OF KINGS

"…Mom…?" Yugo whispered. "Is it…really you…?"

His mother smiled down at him. "Yugo…look at you…how much you've grown in all these years!" she spoke, and her voice was melodious. "You've truly become a wonder to behold."

Seta's mother nodded. "And you, too, Seta," she spoke, in a gentle and truly motherly tone. "You've become really handsome."

Seta blushed. "Mother…"

His Uncle Mokuba cleared his throat. "I'm afraid we can't stay here long," he informed them, "so we must be brief in what we say. But know that what we say…comes from the heart." And he tapped his own chest with his fist for emphasis."

Yugo and Seta looked up at them expectantly.

"Yugo," his mother addressed him. "I expect that your father must have been feeling much grief and guilt after…what happened between him and Keisuke Odachi. He must be feeling a load of heartache after all of that." Her eyes took on a look of sadness. "And you…never getting to know me…I can't imagine how much you must have been hurt by it. All you've had to endure…"

Yugo held his head down. "Mom…" he whispered.

She smiled again. "When you get back home, Yugo, tell your dad…that he doesn't need to worry anymore. Tell him to never give up the fight…and that he should continue to live. And as for you…even while trapped inside Zork Necrophades, I could see your spirit of determination shining through." She chuckled. "I believe, with all my heart, that you will be as great a duelist as he was…maybe greater. But…make your own legacy, Yugo. Don't let destiny or anything like that hold back your true potential. Make your own mark on history."

Yugo nodded solemnly.

Then Seta's mother spoke to her son. "Seta…you've inherited your father's bravery and power, but also his stubbornness. You two are really alike, that way. However…you, too, will make your own mark on the world one day. Work hard, and never give up. And, also…don't ever lose your friends. No amount of money in the world will ever be able to buy a true friend as you have found…" and here she glanced at Yugo.

Seta nodded, too. "I understand."

Then Uncle Mokuba spoke. "The souls of your friends…the ones stolen by JUDAS…you needn't worry about them. In but a few more moments, they will all be returned to their rightful places. And for those members of JUDAS who were forced to forfeit their own souls to power up Zork Necrophades…their souls will be returned, also. The rest of us…we will all be able to rest peacefully now that we have been given justice."

Yugo frowned. "But—what about Keisuke Odachi? He gave up his own soul to resurrect Zork, too, didn't he?" he asked.

"Him? Well…" Seta's mother chuckled. "His soul was destroyed the moment you boys combined your respective strengths to defeat Zork. Since he'd surrendered his heart to darkness long ago, his soul was unable to stand against the power of light that you harnessed. He has gotten his due reward."

Uncle Mokuba's face was even more solemn. "Well, guys…it's almost time for us to leave now. But don't forget what we have said…and make sure you become stronger, wiser, more mature. We will be with you, in your hearts and your memories, always."

Slowly, the three began to fade away. "Seta…tell your dad not to overstress himself—to take it easy. Yugo, you make sure my nephew stays out of trouble." Uncle Mokuba smirked.

Seta chuckled and ran a hand through his hair. "Right."

Yugo nodded. "Gotcha."

Seta's mother smiled down at him. "Be well, my dear child," she whispered. "Always make sure to protect those closest to you, and never let them go."

Now Seta was more somber. "Got it, Mother."

And Yugo's mother was smiling at her son. "Yugo…take care of your father…and your grandmother…" She glanced up. "And Jenna, too…"

Yugo blushed madly at that last bit. "Uh…um…"

"We will meet again someday. Until then…be well," his mother told him, and reached out her hand. Slowly, he reached out his own hand to her…and for a moment, he almost swore he could have touched her.

And then, just like that, the three had disappeared into the column of light, along with all the other souls.

Yugo kept his hand held out for a long moment. "Bye, Mom," he whispered, as a tear ran down his cheek.

Slowly, Jenna walked away from the rest of the group and stood beside him. "Yugo…are you OK?" she whispered softly.

His hair overshadowed his eyes; he sniffed. Then he looked up at her, a big smile on his face. "I am now. Thanks."

Suddenly, without warning, the Millennium Puzzle began to shine. "Huh? Now what?" Yugo wondered in bewilderment.

Seta held up the Millennium Rod as it, too, shone brightly. "Um…"

The others held up their respective Millennium Items, as well. "Guys…one of you wanna say what's going on?" asked an obviously confused Kyo.

Then, from each of the Millennium Items, a ball of yellow light emerged. The seven yellow lights floated toward the massive column of light, even as everyone watched; once there, they all began to take on shape. "What…is this?" Honey wondered.

Soon, the seven shapes looked humanoid, and then they would be discerned: They were the spirits of Pharaoh Atem and all six of his priests, all dressed in traditional Egyptian garb. Atem spoke to them. "Young ones…for playing your part in vanquishing Zork Necrophades, we wish to thank you from the bottom of our hearts," he said. "As you have no doubt heard just now, the souls of your fallen friends will all be restored. The rest of the world is safe, thanks to you."

His voice became more serious. "Those of you who hold Millennium Items…you are all bonded now and forever, no matter where your paths in life take you. Some of you have fought for different reasons…for fame…for power…for riches…for revenge…for honor. But now, regardless of your individual motivations, by working together you have destroyed a much greater foe. Now…go in peace, all of you."

Then he looked down at Yugo. "Young one…remember to do what I have asked of you. I believe you will indeed go far in life. One day…one day you will certainly surpass the legend that your father became."

Then, quite suddenly, the entire column of light began to shine brightly, but not so bright that the group needed to cover their eyes. And then…it was gone.

"So…that's that," sighed Shigeo.

"No…not quite," said Yugo quietly.

They all turned to look at him. "What do you mean? What is there that's left?" asked Marcus.

Yugo held his head down; again his hair overshadowed his eyes. "In order to gain the power of the Millennium Items to defeat Zork Necrophades…I had to make a promise to Pharaoh Atem…"

"A promise?" asked Miriam.

Yugo nodded. "After the souls have been freed…" He paused.

"What?" Seta pressed.

Yugo sighed. "We are to destroy the Millennium Items. Permanently."

At that everyone gasped in astonishment. "Destroy the Items? But…why?" exclaimed Jenna.

"It's quite simple, actually," a voice announced. Turning, they all saw Mr. Ishtar walking up behind Yugo. His arms were covered in dust up to the elbows, and his shirt was dirty, as well. In one hand he held three cards.

Yugo started. "Are those…?"

"Yes. These are the Egyptian God cards that Odachi used against you in your duel," said Mr. Ishtar. "While you were battling Zork Necrophades, I took the opportunity to go back into the crypt and retrieve them, as you can see," and he indicated his dirty self as proof.

"Egyptian God cards?" wondered Miki.

"Simply put, the three single most powerful cards ever to be created…cards with too much power to be allowed to continue existing," said Mr. Ishtar. "These cards, and the Millennium Items also, fell into the wrong hands after it was thought that they'd been destroyed. JUDAS used – no, abused their power, and as a result they've ruined hundreds of lives and nearly brought about the end of the world."

"The exact same thing Pharaoh Atem told me when I activated the Millennium Puzzle's power," said Yugo quietly. "And so he said he'd let me use his magical abilities, if I promised that after Zork's defeat, I'd have both the Items and the cards destroyed…to make sure of the world's safety from the dark power of the Shadow Games."

Everyone looked at each other. "Well…when put like that, it makes sense," said Seta quietly. "All right. I concede." And he held up his Millennium Rod.

The others among the group who held Millennium Items also stepped forward. "We don't want to be responsible for any future tragedies that these may cause," said Malachi. "So, we'll give them up, too."

Yugo turned to Mr. Ishtar. "Sir…you were one of the Tomb-keepers, so you're best equipped to deal with this. Will you do the honors?" He took off the Millennium Puzzle and handed it over.

"Of course." Mr. Ishtar nodded sincerely. "Let me have the rest of the Items, please."

One by one, the others gave their respective Millennium Items to him. "How will you destroy them?" asked Honey.

Mr. Ishtar smirked a little. "The only truly safe way…by fire. Burn the God cards…melt the Millennium Items back down into the gold they used to be…and then dispose of their remains elsewhere. You are all welcome to come and witness their destruction as a safeguard…"

"No, don't be so worried about it…we trust you, Uncle Marik," Seta assured him. "Do what you will. We'll leave the rest to you."

Mr. Ishtar nodded. "Then, as soon as we get back to my house…I will commence with the task at hand."

Malachi looked around. "Just one question: How the hell are we ever going to explain the destruction of this place?"

"Simply put – we don't." Seta said this firmly. "Let anyone who comes to investigate this think what they want to think. We, at least, will always remember what really happened here…and everything that led up to this moment."

"Okay, well…can we PLEASE leave this place now?" asked Blaze.

Suddenly Shigeo looked unnerved. "Everyone…do you feel that?"

They couldn't help but feel it – the ground was rocking underneath their feet! "Earthquake?" said Jenna.

"If it is, we shouldn't be in this place any longer, definitely," said Mr. Ishtar. "Let's get out of here!"

"How, exactly?" Marcus demanded. "We're never gonna make it out in time!"

Suddenly a voice from above called out, "Up here!"

Surprised, every one of them looked up – and were amazed. There were four helicopters hovering above, all bearing rope-ladders – and one of them was the Blue-Eyes White Chopper, manned by GINA! In one of the others, at the edge of the door, sat Odion!

"Those choppers are from Egypt's national police force!" exclaimed Mr. Ishtar in surprise.

"Yay! We're getting saved!" Jenna celebrated.

"Well, hurry up—you don't have all day, Master Marik!" Odion yelled; and by this time the rope-ladders were low enough for the group to grab them.

"Let's hurry!" Mr. Ishtar instructed. He quickly grabbed one rope-ladder, followed a moment later by Yugo and Seta. Blaze, Miriam and Jenna took another ladder; Marcus, Shigeo and Malachi grabbed one; and Kyo, Miki and Honey grabbed the last one.

"Everyone present and accounted for? Then let's get outta here!" Marcus shouted.

With that the four choppers began to ascend away from the collapsing Valley of Kings, as the heroes all climbed up the rope-ladders and found themselves inside their respective choppers. As the helicopters headed off, down below the earthquake continued to rumble.

On board the Blue-Eyes White Chopper, Seta spoke to GINA. "Thanks for coming here to rescue us," he remarked.

"My pleasure, sir," she replied. "Shortly after I got back to Cairo, I picked up a forecast that announced a possible earthquake in this region. Nothing serious, but enough to give things a pretty good shaking. So, I made contact with Odion at Mr. Ishtar's home, and together we summoned the authorities and enlisted their assistance."

"Many thanks to you," and Mr. Ishtar nodded.

"Heh…seems you've got one hell of a smart supercomputer, Seta," Yugo chuckled.

"I sure do!" Seta laughed.

On one of the other three choppers, Shigeo breathed a massive sigh of relief. "The cavalry's come to our rescue, thank heavens," he grinned.

"Yeah…and our friends are all safe now…" Marcus nodded his head.

Malachi said nothing, but merely looked out the window. _David…Luke…you blokes had better be all right when I get back there!_

On another chopper, Blaze, Miriam and Jenna were conversing with Odion. "That's some earthquake, huh?" Jenna remarked.

"Quite so…but, I suspect, it's not as serious as what you must have been through here," said Odion.

"We'll tell you all about it, once we get back to Cairo," Blaze assured him.

"Yeah…for now, though, I just wanna take a nice little nap…" and Miriam leaned back against a nearby tarpaulin and closed her eyes.

And on the last chopper, Kyo, Miki and Honey were watching the Valley of Kings as it faded from their view. "Well…now we have a good way to cover up what really happened down there," Kyo said softly. "Now the world will never know that Zork Necrophades was momentarily resurrected down there."

"Enough talk about that big creep…just…hold me tight right now…" Miki implored him.

Kyo obliged, holding onto Miki in a tight embrace which she gladly returned. Watching them for a moment, Honey then turned her head to look at the Blue-Eyes White Chopper, flying a couple dozen meters away. She could see Seta and Yugo laughing and talking…and immediately her memory flashed back to the two monsters she'd seen them use against Zork Necrophades…the Mirage Knight and the Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon.

And with that thought came a reminder of the prophecy Judith had left her: **_"From the ashes of death, the strongest will be revived…and from the shielding cocoon, the mightiest will be reborn…and these will clash in a blaze of power and light…and only one shall remain."_**

Honey closed her eyes as she contemplated this prophecy. _Those two monsters…that caused such devastation to Zork Necrophades when working together…could it be that THOSE monsters are the ones to eventually face each other, someday…? Will it be that Yugo and Seta will have to face each other in a duel, and bring those monsters out against each other?_

And as Honey continued to contemplate, the four helicopters zoomed over the horizon, en route to Cairo.

----------

**_neomage:_** All right, everybody! The JUDAS arc is winding down to a close! But there's still more to come! On to the next chapter!


	155. Chapter 155

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! Don't EVER forget it! MWA HA HA HA!)

**CHAPTER 155**

BACK IN CAIRO, HALF AN HOUR LATER

The helicopters were soon flying over the city of Cairo. "Here we are, Master Seta, back in the fair city of Cairo," GINA informed him. "Where do we go to?"

"Well…let's go to the Pharaoh's Lair," said Seta. "I want to be sure that…that everybody's okay."

"Understood."

The Blue-Eyes White Chopper turned slightly and headed in the direction of the hotel; the other three helicopters followed its lead.

----------

ELSEWHERE IN CAIRO, AT THAT VERY MOMENT

"Uhhhhh…"

Jan awoke in the alley where his body had been dumped. "Ow…man, do I ever feel like a steamroller ran over my head…" he groaned as he sat up.

Then he paused and looked around. "Wait a minute…I seem to remember…dueling against Odachi…but I lost – so, how come I still have my soul? Was it all…just a dream?"

But in the next instant he dismissed that theory. "No…couldn't be that…only one way to find out for sure…"

----------

Luke's eyes fluttered open. "Aw, geez…I feel like shit," he groaned as he struggled to sit up.

Nearby, David was groggily shaking his head. "Oy, bro…what in the hell happened…? I can't remember a thing…"

Luke stood up, surveying their surroundings—and then it clicked. "DAMMIT!" he exploded, kicking a trashcan in anger. "We lost a duel – and got our souls stolen!"

"Huh?" Realization dawned on David's face. "Oh, yeah, the JUDAS leader…but wait a minute. If he stole our souls, how come we're breathing now?"

Luke stopped short and considered that. "Hmmm…I don't know…something must've happened, I guess…"

David jumped up. "Hey, Luke, we'd better get back to the others! They're probably worried about us!"

"Yeah, you're right!" Luke agreed in quick remembrance. "Let's go!" And with that said, the two brothers sprinted out of the alley and ran back for the Pharaoh's Lair.

----------

A FEW MINUTES LATER

The four choppers arrived back at the Pharaoh's Lair moments later, hovering over the building. One by one, the four metallic birds came down for a landing, and their passengers jumped out. "Let's go see how they're all doing right now!" Honey cried, and she dashed for the doorway leading down into the hotel.

As the other kids followed after Honey, Mr. Ishtar paused and turned to the helicopter pilots. "Thank you for your assistance," he said to them. "Now, if you would be so kind as to wait a moment while we bring up a few folks for you to carry off to jail for crimes committed against humanity."

"Yes, sir," said the three pilots.

Mr. Ishtar nodded, then walked back over to the Blue-Eyes White Chopper. "Will you be willing to lend me your services to transport the members of JUDAS that have been held here?" he asked quietly of GINA.

She nodded her holographic head. "Definitely."

Mr. Ishtar nodded. He then signaled to Odion, and the two went for the entrance doorway, leaving the three human pilots to regard the holographic GINA with some curiosity.

----------

Honey ran for the hotel room and flung the door open. Right before her face appeared the sight of Raven, still in his bed, the sheet drawn up to his chest. "Raven…" she whispered, going over to his side. "Please, big bro, wake up…"

At the same moment Blaze entered the room and went all the way over to the other end, where Wade still lay in his bed. She sat down by his bedside and looked down at his face rather anxiously. "Hey…you back with us?" she asked softly.

For a moment there seemed to be no response. Then, startling Honey a bit, Raven shifted and moaned. "Uhhhh…where…where am I?" he wondered, his eyes slowly opening and looking around. "Honey…what happened…?"

He wasn't prepared for Honey throwing her arms around his neck. "Oh, Raven! You're back to normal! Oh, thank God!" she sobbed.

"Hey, hey, hey…it's okay, sis, don't cry…" Raven said rather awkwardly, putting an arm around his sister.

Just at that moment Wade stirred. Blaze looked at him hopefully. "Wade?"

He opened his eyes and looked up at her. "Well, whaddaya know…I wake up from a coma, and I see a pretty girl looking down at me. Howdy, Blaze."

Blaze blushed a little. "You asshole…you had me worried."

"Oh? And why should you be worried about your greatest rival?" Wade chuckled.

Blaze lightly punched him on the shoulder. "Because…if you didn't wake up…who would I have as my rival, eh?"

He grinned and held his shoulder. "I guess you have a point."

"Damn right I do." She smiled a genuine smile. "Welcome back, Wade."

Wade smiled back. "Thanks."

----------

Seta and Yugo stepped into one of the other hotel rooms, and beheld the sight before them: On two separate beds lay Jillian and Grandma Muto. "Hope they've woken up," murmured Seta as he walked over to Jillian's bed. "Hey, you there…you OK?"

Jillian stirred, groaning, and looked up at him. "Sir Seta…?"

He smirked. "Welcome back to the land of the living."

She just gave him a long look…then slowly a pained expression came over her face. He immediately noticed it. "What's wrong?"

Her hair overshadowed her eyes. "Forgive me, Sir Seta…I wasn't strong enough…and they defeated me…" She sniffled.

"Hey, hey, that's enough of that." Seta placed a hand on her shoulder. "You did the best you could do. In the end, that's all I ask of you, as a Kaibacorp employee. Don't overtax yourself or push your own expectations too hard and too far. Got me?"

She nodded weakly. "Yes, sir."

Seta could see that she was about to break down, regardless of what he'd just said. And, for his part, he really wasn't sure of what he should do. Even more troubling, an earlier statement of Yugo's, made as a joke, began to haunt his mind.

_I'm worried, Seta…whatever will Honey think?_

Truth be told, Seta really did like Honey, in spite of their fathers' rivalry with each other. He truly wanted to develop the relationship that had begun between the two of them. In addition to strengthening the bonds between the Kaiba and Pegasus families, for Seta it would mean that he had someone he could talk to, reason things with, expose his whole soul to…much like Kyo and Miki, and Yugo and Jenna. And while Jillian was faithful enough to duty, and was definitely not a bad-looking girl, she was a Kaibacorp employee first and foremost, and his bodyguard in addition to that. He couldn't let something like this complicate matters for him.

So, he shook Jillian gently. "Jillian. Look at me."

She looked up; her eyes were tear-stained. "Sir Seta…"

"No. Do not talk. Just listen." Seta said this in his most assertive, authoritative voice. "Jillian…just because you serve Kaibacorp, doesn't mean you'll do the most perfect job. No human in the world can ever be perfect in any way. All we can do is try our best and hope it works out." His voice became a little more gentle. "If you truly want to prove yourself…then train with me. Let's both become stronger, so we can do what we need to do."

Jillian didn't know what to say for a moment. Then she closed her eyes. "Sir Seta…I won't let you down. I swear it."

He nodded. "I know."

Not far away, Yugo was looking down at his Grandma. He sighed and looked away. "Please, Grandma…wake up," he whispered.

"Yugo? Is that you, Yugo dear?"

Yugo looked down in surprise. "Grandma? Oh, Grandma, you're awake now! All right!"

Grandma Muto was sitting up in bed. "I tell you, I had the strangest dream," she spoke up. "I dreamed that I was playing Duel Monsters, and I beat you, and then I was dueling against little Miki and that fire-using duelist from that tournament long ago, and…"

Yugo laughed and patted his grandmother's cheek. "Okay, Grandma, okay," he chuckled. "You have got one hyperactive dream-making brain."

"Now, now, young man, no need to get cheeky with me!" and she pulled his jaw between her fingers to show her annoyance.

"ACK! Grandma, cut it out – that HURTS!" Yugo cried.

-----------

Marcus entered the hotel room, somewhat anxiously. Right there, before his eyes, Flora lay on the bed where she'd been moved, as if asleep. "Hey…you awake?" he asked hopefully, going over to her side.

Slowly Flora's eyes opened; she turned her head and looked up into Marcus's face. "Is that you…Marcus?" she inquired.

He reached out and brushed some hair away from her brow. "Yep, it's me."

She started at his touch. "Uh…this is a little out of character, even for you."

He chuckled. "Well…let's just say circumstances taught me the value of life and living. So…I want to live every moment I can, without any regrets." He looked into her eyes. "Can you say the same thing, Flora?"

In response she threw her arms around his neck and buried her face into his shoulder. "Marcus…my hero…" she whispered.

Marcus gave a small smirk as he returned the embrace. "Yeah."

Just at that moment Mr. Ishtar and Odion came into the room, followed by Shigeo. "This is where we kept the JUDAS members whose souls were stolen," Shigeo was saying. "They're all right over there, in the corner."

Mr. Ishtar walked over to the far wall where Rodney and Reggie Rex, Vlad Draxton, and Samantha Redman were all leaning against the wall. "Good thing we got back before they awoke, at least," he sighed.

And then, just like that, all of them stirred as one. "Where…where am I?" Vlad asked with some confusion as he looked around. Then he looked up and beheld Mr. Ishtar and Odion. "Who the hell are you guys?"

"Never mind about that," said Mr. Ishtar sternly. "What you should be concerned with is this: JUDAS has fallen, and all of your superiors are dead. Now…you are the only ones left. Turn yourselves in to the authorities, and pay for your crimes."

"Pay for our crimes?" Reggie snapped. "But—WE'RE the victims here! All of us were wrongly treated! Joining JUDAS—"

"Being unfairly treated does not give you an excuse to hurt others," Mr. Ishtar interrupted, his tone taking an edge of doom. "Face it—you've helped to commit many atrocities, and for that you must pay the price. The authorities are upstairs on the roof, with three helicopters to take you away. Go willingly, of your own volition…or else Odion here will _escort _you."

Seeing Odion's tall and very menacing frame towering above them, the four immediately decided it wise to go with Mr. Ishtar's first suggestion. "You guys have to admit…we _have_ been escaping our own judgment for too long," Samantha confessed.

"Yeah…all right, fine. We give up." Rodney held up his hands in surrender.

"Good." Mr. Ishtar nodded. "And, in all fairness, I'll see if I can persuade the police to examine your testimonies of your past lives. If what you have to say to them checks out, then perhaps I can arrange to get you reduced or suspended sentences. Sound manageable?"

The four looked at each other. "When you put it that way, mister…I guess we can work with that," sighed Vlad.

"Very well. Now, let's go. They're waiting for you," said Mr. Ishtar.

----------

Kyo watched from the corridor as his friends went to their respective rooms to check on their allies. "All's well that ends well," he sighed.

Miki, standing next to him, nodded. "Yeah…everything's back to normal, or as normal as things can get."

He looked at her. "Say…what say we go downstairs and get some fresh air?"

She nodded. "Yeah."

They went for the stairs and walked downstairs; moments later they were at the front of the Pharaoh's Lair. Malachi and Miriam were already there. "Oh, hey, you two," Miriam greeted them.

"What's this? You guys are leaving already?" Miki asked in amazement.

Malachi shrugged. "We did what we came to do," he answered. "You guys can have your little celebration party. I don't go for celebration of anything."

"Now, we're just waiting for David and Luke to show themselves," and Miriam looked up the street from the hotel entrance. "I just hope they're okay…"

"OY, YOU GUYS!"

All four looked up – and running up the street toward them were David and Luke themselves! "Guys!" Miriam cried, a smile of relief on her face. "You're okay!"

"But of course! No stupid gang's gonna keep US down!" David answered in his good-natured way.

As soon as Luke approached Miriam, she threw her arms around him. "Luke…I thought I'd lost you…" she whispered.

"Never mind, love…I'm okay now, and Davie-boy is, too," Luke consoled her.

Malachi shook his head. "All right, enough of this mushy crap. We're leaving." And he turned to walk off.

"Uh, wait!" Miki cried after him. "Listen…thanks for your help, really. And…I hope maybe you'll start to see us as friends sometime…"

Malachi didn't turn to face her…but he merely shrugged. "Maybe. We don't know what the future will hold yet. Maybe next time…we may meet again in competition. We definitely won't be friends that time." He sighed. "Well, either way, maybe we'll meet up again. Get stronger by then…all of you."

With that, he began to walk away; David hurried to catch up to him. Miriam and Luke nodded to Kyo and Miki, and then they too ran off after the others.

"Well…there they go," said Miki, watching them leave.

"They'll be all right," said Kyo. "Especially Malachi. I think a big burden's rolled off him; now he just needs to learn how to live again."

"As will you, no doubt," a voice from behind spoke up, causing both of them to turn.

Miki's eyes widened in sudden fear when she saw who it was. "YOU!" she shrieked, running behind Kyo. "Kyo, please save me!"

Kyo narrowed his eyes. "So…you've shown up here, have you?"

Standing before them was his brother Jan. "Yeah," he replied. "I saw the helicopters on the roof, so I figured I was right in coming this way."

"Those choppers are from the authorities," said Kyo. "We had some of your JUDAS buddies held here. The cops are here to take them away."

Jan chuckled. "I see. Well…hope they have room for one more."

Kyo raised an eyebrow at that. "Huh?"

"While I was coming here, I did some thinking," said Jan. "After everything I've experienced…after what I've seen and done…I realize that there's only way to repay my debt to society. And the first step to that…awaits me on the rooftop. But before that…"

He looked at the two of them. "I owe you both an apology…for everything I put you through. You may not be willing to accept it now, but…I guess you will when you're ready."

Surprised by this turn of events, Miki didn't know what to say. It was Kyo who spoke. "Well…let us take you up there, then, before the choppers leave.

Jan nodded. "Lead the way."

----------

A moment later, the remaining JUDAS members were being loaded onto the helicopters. "Make sure nothing goes wrong with the transport, officers; these are some highly dangerous folks you've got here," warned Mr. Ishtar.

Marcus and Blaze came out onto the roof at that moment, and beheld the scene before them. Vlad, looking up from where he was sitting inside one helicopter, saw Marcus; his eyes narrowed at this. Marcus just gave him a baleful stare.

"Mom…" Blaze said sadly.

Samantha saw her adopted daughter, and shrugged. "I did what I did, and am being punished for it. That's all," she addressed her. "Just do me one favor, Blaze…don't ever be as naïve as I was. You'll be punished for it if you don't heed my advice."

Reggie and Rodney, sitting next to each other on one of the other choppers, happened to glance up. "Jan!" they exclaimed with one voice.

Everyone looked in the direction the brothers were facing – standing at the door to the rooftop were Kyo, Miki and Jan. The latter made his way to one of the choppers and climbed in. Seeing the look of confusion on Mr. Ishtar's face, he explained, "I am one of them, too. It's only right that I should get my due punishment along with my comrades." Then he looked up. "Kyo…give my best wishes to Mom and Dad."

Kyo nodded solemnly. "Yeah."

Then the doors were shut, and all three police choppers flew off. "Well…that's it for that," sighed Miki.

"Yes," said Mr. Ishtar. "Now…all that remains is to get you kids home."

----------

**_neomage:_** This chapter, like most filler episodes in anime, was necessary to tie up a few loose ends before completely bringing this arc to a close. Next chapter will end this arc, and after that the start of my own version of the Virtual Arc will commence!

Onward to the next chapter, please!


	156. Chapter 156

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: 156 times…156 times have I said by now that Yu-Gi-Oh isn't mine.)

**CHAPTER 156**

BACK IN DOMINO CITY, AT DOMINO CITY HOSPITAL, LATER THAT DAY

The doors to the hospital's main entrance opened, and Mr. Wheeler and Mrs. Taylor walked in. "This is stupid, I tell you," Mr. Wheeler grumbled. "It's been quite a number of hours since Yugi woke up – you'd think they could at least let him out by now!"

"Don't rush things, Joey," said Mrs. Taylor. "There is such a thing as standard procedure, after all. The doctors needed to check Yugi's health, and make sure he was fit enough to be able to leave. And WE had to go home and get some sleep."

Mr. Wheeler sighed. "Well, in any case, I do sincerely hope that Yugi will be able to leave by now. It IS after 4:30, after all."

They went up to the desk nurse, who looked up at their approach. "Good afternoon," said Mrs. Taylor. "We've come to ask about Yugi Muto."

"Ah yes—you're the visitors he's been having for quite a while," the nurse replied. "Well, the doctor said just a while ago that Mr. Muto is well enough to leave."

"Really? That's great news!" said Mr. Wheeler.

"Hey there, you guys," a familiar voice spoke up from one end. Turning, Mr. Wheeler and Mrs. Taylor came face-to-face with Mr. Muto himself, back on his feet.

"Hey, Yugi! Ready to get outta here, old pal?" Mr. Wheeler grinned good-naturedly.

"Yeah." Mr. Muto nodded.

----------

KAIBACORP, AT THE SAME TIME

Kaiba sat in his office, a huge stack of papers on his desk before him. "Paperwork never seems to get done," he thought in a disgruntled tone.

Just then the phone rang. Kaiba quickly snatched it up. "Yes?"

"Overseas call for you, Mr. Kaiba," his secretary informed him. "Mr. Marik Ishtar."

Kaiba's eyes narrowed. "I see. Patch him through."

There was a _click_ on the line as the secretary complied. Then Mr. Ishtar's voice came through a second later. "Hello there, brother-in-law! I have some good news for you!"

Kaiba cocked an eyebrow. "Talk to me."

"Well…" Mr. Ishtar chuckled. "Briefly speaking, the kids should all be back home in Domino City by tonight. Make sure to call their parents and have them meet up at the airport."

Kaiba smirked. "Well, Marik…thanks. For all your help."

"Don't mention it. It was just something I wanted to do. Well, they'll see you later…and have they got a hell of a story for you old folks."

The line went dead. Kaiba replaced the receiver in its cradle, a smile on his face.

----------

MARIK ISHTAR'S HOUSE, EGYPT, AT THAT MOMENT

Mr. Ishtar hung up the phone, then turned to the group that had gathered in his living room. "Well, everyone, are your preparations to go home complete?"

The bulk of the group was there: Yugo, Kyo, Jenna and Miki were grouped together at one side of the room; Marcus, Wade, Shigeo, Blaze and Flora stood together; Raven and Honey were seated on two chairs; Seta and Jillian were standing a little way off by themselves. "Everything's in order, sir," Honey nodded. "We'll all be heading our separate ways after this."

"It's too bad that that Malachi Jordan boy and his friends didn't stick around," said Mr. Ishtar. "Still, it doesn't matter now. What matters is why you're all here: to see the destruction of the Millennium Items and the God cards."

On the dining room table, the seven Millennium Items had been carefully laid out. Also, the Egyptian God cards were placed face-up on the table. Odion, standing near the table, waited expectantly for his master's command. Mariska was sitting at the table, looking at all the Items and cards with great curiosity.

Mr. Ishtar turned to Odion. "Go ahead, Odion. Give the Millennium Items and the God cards their moment to rest peacefully."

Odion nodded and walked out of the room, toward the kitchen. As the others looked at each other, he returned momentarily, carrying a vat under one arm and a towel in one hand. "Mariska, could you make space on the table for this vat, please? And then step away," he spoke to her.

Nodding, Mariska shifted the Items and the cards to one side, then moved over to where her father was. Odion spread the towel over the table, then gingerly set the vat down. "I'm going to ask everyone to step back," he said to them all.

The kids did as bidden. Odion then pulled off the top of the vat – and a peculiar scent filled the room. Raven's eyes widened. "What the—that's ACID!"

"Dangerous stuff," said Jillian. "You intend to melt those things?"

Nodding, Odion took up the Millennium Items one by one, and carefully dropped them into the vat. There was a sizzling sound as the acid reacted with the metal; that sound was repeated as the Items were dropped in one after the other. Then Odion picked up the God cards and dropped them all into the vat at once; the cards quickly burned up as the acid consumed them.

"If there is anything left of these after I dispose of the acid, then their remains will be burned," said Odion. "Master…?"

Mr. Ishtar nodded. "Thank you, Odion. That will be all."

Nodding in reply, Odion replaced the lid on the vat and then took it back into the kitchen. Mr. Ishtar nodded to the group. "Well, everyone…first things first, let me thank you all for everything you've done. You have rid the world of a dangerous menace by destroying JUDAS. Now, everything has returned to normal, and the balance of power has been restored with the destruction of the Millennium Items and the Egyptian God cards."

"And plus, a lot of us have had old quarrels and grudges resolved," Seta said quietly. "Which, for me, is a real relief."

"What'll happen to those JUDAS members that were arrested?" asked Blaze.

"They'll all be given a fair trial; that much we should be able to grant them," said Odion, walking back into the room.

Flora sighed. "I still can't believe it," she remarked. "Everyone in JUDAS…betrayed by society or individuals…and so they lost all faith in everything, to the point where they would try to revive a monster to grant them their revenge…"

"Well, that's over and done with now. Try not to think about it anymore," Marcus counseled her.

Yugo walked over to Mr. Ishtar. "We could never have been able to beat these guys without your help, sir. Thank you for everything you've done."

"Happy to help," said Mr. Ishtar, and the two shook hands. "Oh, make sure you and Seta continue to train. Don't slack off, now!"

"We won't, Uncle Marik," Seta answered.

"Okay…so, getting all of us home won't be much of a problem," said Raven. "Our jet is still at the airport, Seta's still got his Blue-Eyes White Chopper…it'll be a cinch."

"And getting to the airport will be taken care of," said Seta. "First of all, there's Uncle Marik's limousine…plus, Honey, didn't you call that Rashid taxi-driver earlier?"

"Yep!" Honey grinned. "He's outside right now, chatting away with Yugo's grandma, if I recall."

Yugo stretched. "Well…just let me get my stuff from my room upstairs. I'll meet you guys out front shortly…"

"Wait…"

Startled, Yugo looked down. Mariska was standing before him, a slightly sad look on her face. She whispered something in Egyptian. "She's worried…that she'll never see you again," Mr. Ishtar translated. "She's become quite attached to you, you know."

Yugo chuckled and patted Mariska's head. "Don't worry…I'll come back and visit someday. Just you wait, okay?" he said gently.

Mariska now smiled a tiny smile. "Okay."

----------

A few minutes later the gang was heading out Mr. Ishtar's front door, Yugo holding his bag that he'd brought to Egypt with him. "I'm calling shotgun in the cab!" Raven shouted, speeding toward Rashid's taxi that was parked near the flower garden.

"NO FAIR!" Wade and Shigeo shouted simultaneously.

"Ah, my friends, you are all ready to go, yes?" Rashid called from the driver's seat. "My good friend Yugo, your grandma and I were chatting about a whole lot of things! She's one interesting lady!"

From the passenger seat, Grandma Muto was grinning. "Yugo, you should make more friends like this guy! He really cracks me up with his jokes!"

"Oh, brother…" Yugo moaned.

"It was a real honor helping you and your friends out, though!" Rashid added cheerfully. "Come back and visit Egypt again, what say you? I'll be glad to drive you anywhere you want to go! Just come to the taxi service and ask for Rashid, don't forget!"

"After what you've done for me…I won't forget you at all, man; count on that," Yugo assured him.

Odion came out, twirling the limousine keys on one finger. "So, who's going in which vehicle?" he asked.

Raven was already standing beside Rashid's passenger door. "C'mon, guys! We can't tarry here much longer!"

Wade, Blaze, Flora, Marcus and Shigeo all climbed into the back of the limousine. "It's quite roomy in here, thank God for that," Blaze could be heard commenting. "We can take one more person around here."

"All right, I'll come then," said Jillian, and she climbed in too.

"Seta…when we get back…I want us to hang out together for a while, just the two of us," Honey spoke to him. "We've been apart a little while…I want this to be special."

Seta nodded. "I was thinking the same thing. Just come to Domino as soon as you're able, and I'll give you a ride on my motorcycle." And he opened the limo's passenger door, allowing her to go in before he stepped in beside her.

Kyo opened the back door for the taxi, and he and Miki went in. "Let's get ready to go!" he called to Yugo.

"All right, all right…I'm coming." Yugo was placing his bag in the trunk, and now he slammed it down. Then, turning, he came face-to-face with Jenna. "You ready?"

"Yep," she answered.

Yugo studied Jenna carefully. "Hey…you all right?"

Her hair was overshadowing her eyes for a moment. Then she looked up, and what he saw fairly startled him: she was on the brink of crying. "Yugo…I'm sorry…it's just that, after these last three days…it felt like an eternity, being away from you…and now, you're coming back…I can hardly believe it."

"Hey, hey, hey…don't cry anymore, it's all right now," Yugo said gently.

Jenna nodded and wiped her eyes. "Well…just let me convince myself of that. I don't care who sees it."

Then, right there and to Yugo's astonishment, she took one step toward him and tilted her face upward, her lips connecting with his. Almost instantly this started a chorus of whooping from the others. "Ladies and gents, we have ourselves a couple here!" Raven teased.

"That's SOOOO cute!" Flora cried.

Finally Jenna broke the kiss. "Sorry if I've embarrassed you," she whispered softly.

Yugo was blushing madly, but on his mouth was a smile. "Never mind," he replied. "After what I've been through…I'll gladly take another one."

And this time, catching Jenna by surprise, Yugo swiftly wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her in even closer to him, as he fixed his mouth on hers in an even deeper kiss. Grateful for the opportunity, Jenna closed her eyes and savored the moment, even as the others continued their whooping and cheering. "Yugo…I love you," she whispered to him, when their lips finally parted.

"And I you, Jenna," he whispered back. "I always have." And he held her in a tight embrace, one which she returned gladly.

----------

LATER THAT EVENING, DOMINO CITY AIRPORT, 6:45 p.m.

Domino City Airport was bustling with activity; people were either heading to confirm flight bookings, or leaving for the entrance after a long flight home, or waiting patiently here and there for friends or relatives. Those who were waiting for people were gathered together in small groups, some wielding placards bearing their expected arrivals' names.

The kids' parents were all waiting, too: Mr. Muto, Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler, Mr. and Mrs. Bakura, Mr. and Mrs. Taylor, and Kaiba. "Three days…they've all been gone roughly three days or so…" murmured Mr. Bakura.

"Don't worry about it now," Mr. Taylor advised him. "They'll be here soon. Remember, Jenna called us from Cairo's airport and let us know that everyone's okay and on the way back."

"Yeah…" Mrs. Wheeler nodded. "Well, all we can do now is wait, I guess."

All at once there was a sudden shout from the terminal. "GUYS! OVER HERE!"

All the adults' heads looked up at that. "Kids!" Mrs. Taylor cried.

Indeed, it was Yugo, Jenna, Kyo, Miki and Seta, followed close behind by Jillian and Grandma Muto. Wade, Flora, Blaze, Shigeo and Marcus had already taken off to catch other flights to head to their respective homes, and Raven and Honey—having dropped the gang off from their family jet—had just flown off toward home themselves.

"Hi, everyone!" Miki and Jenna ran forward, into their parents' arms.

Kyo followed more slowly, but was just as warmly received by his mother and father. "Guys…I redeemed him," he said quietly. "He sends his best to both of you."

A tear escaped Mrs. Bakura's eye. "Oh, Jan…Kyo, you're such a good child…"

Mr. Bakura nodded with approval. "Well done, my son."

Kaiba regarded Seta and Jillian as they approached him. "Welcome back, both of you," he said quietly.

"Thank you, sir," said Jillian formally. "GINA dropped us off along with the others once we learned you would be here waiting for us. As I speak, she's flying the Blue-Eyes White Chopper, with Sir Seta's Blue-Eyes White Motorbike, back to Kaibacorp headquarters."

Kaiba nodded acknowledgement. Then he looked at Seta. "You…look like you've matured."

Seta nodded. "Dad…so much has happened…I don't even know where to begin…"

"When we get back home…then you can tell me. For right now, I'm just relieved to know you're back in one piece." Kaiba patted his son on the shoulder.

"Yugi!" Grandma cried, running up to her grown son. "You waited for us! Oh, how wonderful!"

"Hi, Mom," Mr. Muto said warmly, embracing her tightly. "Can't wait to have you back home."

"Yugo told me everything that happened while we were coming," said Grandma. "I still can't believe all of that really happened…"

"Never mind, Mom; you're both back home, safe and sound, and that's all that matters now," replied Mr. Muto.

He then beheld his son. "Yugo…"

"Dad…"

They stood there, looking at each other for what seemed a long moment. Then Mr. Muto held his head down. "I kept the truth from you…all these years…I just about lied to you." His hair overshadowed his eyes. "Can you ever forgive this old man's foolishness?"

Yugo chuckled. "Dad…you're not that old," he said quietly, walking up to his father and embracing him. "And…for a brief moment…I saw Mom…and she said for you not to worry anymore."

Mr. Muto smiled more freely now. "I'll definitely do good by you, for her sake. Believe me on that."

"Well, enough of all of this! Who wants to celebrate at Burger World?" said Mr. Wheeler.

There was a unanimous agreement on all sides, and a moment later the group was moving out, condensed in excited chatter and reunion hugs.

----------

Not far away, a young man with red hair, in a blue trench-coat and blue denim jeans, watched Yugo and company as they walked out the front door to the airport lobby. He reached into a pocket, pulled out a cell-phone, and speed-dialed a number. After a few rings, someone on the other end picked up. "Yes?"

The red-haired guy smirked. "It seems that Keisuke Odachi is dead, and JUDAS has failed in their plans."

The voice on the other end chuckled. "I see. Well, no matter. At the very least, Keisuke tried his best to do what he'd always longed to do."

There was a momentary pause. Then the voice asked, "Tell me…did you see _Ophiuchus_ in the group?"

"Affirmative."

"Does he still have _that_ tattoo? Were you able to see?"

"No, sir, I couldn't tell." The redhead paused. "Should I…?"

"No…not for now. Allow _Ophiuchus_ and his little friends to have a breather after their little adventure in Egypt. Our time will soon come."

"Understood, sir. I shall return at once."

"Yes, you do that." And the line went dead.

The red-haired guy hung up the phone and chuckled to himself. _Soon, Ophiuchus…very, very soon…_

----------

**_neomage:_** At long last, folks! The JUDAS arc has finally come to a close with the close of this chapter! But…who is the red-haired man? Who was he talking to? And who is this "Ophiuchus" that they're referring to? We'll all have to wait and find out soon!

And now, next chapter my Virtual Arc will commence! It'll definitely not be one that anybody will be expecting, that's all I can say for now! Just look out for the next set of new chapter updates!

rampagerkriz: (innocently) rampagerkriz is inviting Kimiru to come and look at the stars with him later tonight. Will she accept his gracious offer:)

neomage: Anywaaaaay…Keep reading and checking for updates, everyone!


	157. Chapter 157

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: This is the start of the Virtual Arc now! And…the only things I own are my alter-egos, the Millennium Keyboard, and this story. Not the original concept or characters; those belong to Kazuki-sama.)

**CHAPTER 157**

KAIBACORP, EARLY THE NEXT MORNING

Seta woke up early the next morning, yawning massively. "Whoa…I haven't slept so well in such a long time," he muttered, rubbing his eyes.

He got out of bed and walked over to the window, drawing the blinds aside. The rising sun was shining its rays down on Domino City; Seta chuckled as he observed this. "I always loved a good view of the morning sun," he muttered.

On his desk not far away from the window, his open laptop's screen flashed with a bright light; a moment later GINA appeared in human form. "Good morning, Master Seta," she greeted him. "How may I serve you?"

"Oh, hi, GINA," he returned the greeting. "Well…can you check for any messages for me, please?"

"Searching…" and GINA disappeared.

Seta chuckled. "It's funny, isn't it, GINA, how much time has passed since all of this craziness started?" he marveled. "First, there was the Kaibacorp Challenge Cup…then the Intercontinentals…and just a couple of days ago and yesterday, we were in Egypt fighting off all manner of strange forces. And just how much time has passed with all of that? Just over three weeks!"

"Quite so, Master," GINA's voice reached him from the laptop. "And now, judging from your personal calendar, you still have exactly two weeks and five days before you have to return to school."

"Thanks for the reminder, GINA," Seta snorted sarcastically.

GINA's human form appeared again a moment later, a smile on her countenance. "You have two messages, sir," she reported. "One from Honey Pegasus; she says to tell you that she will be arriving in Domino City by mid-morning today."

"Ah, yes—she and I are supposed to spend the day together today," and Seta smiled a genuine smile. "After what went down in Egypt, we deserve it very much."

Then memory clicked. "Uh…you said there are two messages? Who's the other one from?"

"The second one…" GINA paused. "…is from Von Schroeder Incorporated."

Seta looked up at that one. Von Schroeder Incorporated was the property of internationally famous businessman, Zigfried Von Schroeder, a partner to Maximillion Pegasus and a one-time rival of Kaiba's. "Von Schroeder, huh? What do they want?"

"Only to say that they will be calling Kaibacorp today about some new gaming software; the message doesn't go into detail," GINA informed him. "Perhaps it would be best to let your father know of what is happening, yes?"

"Indeed," Seta nodded in agreement. "I'll tell him once I go down for breakfast."

----------

An hour and a half later Seta, fully dressed, walked into the dining room, where Roland and Jillian were already waiting; Roland standing at his place at the door, Jillian at her place at the table. "Good morning, sir," they greeted him simultaneously.

"Morning, everybody," he hailed them. "Where's Dad?"

"He should be here in another few minutes, young master," Roland informed him.

Seta sat at his place at the table. "So, what's for chow?" he asked.

"The chefs are looking about a special surprise today, sir, to hail your successful return from Egypt last night," answered Roland. "I shall announce it once Master Kaiba has arrived here."

No sooner had Roland finished speaking than the senior Kaiba himself came into the room, dressed in a smart-looking blue business suit and tie. "Morning, everyone," he greeted the group as he went to take his place.

"Sir Seta," Jillian whispered to him, "Sir Kaiba seems a little tired this morning. Could he be ill?"

Seta shrugged. "Overworked, I suppose," he answered.

The truth of the matter was, soon after they'd gotten back to Kaibacorp the previous night, Seta and his father had had a long chat about the events that went down in Egypt—right up to the big battle against Zork Necrophades and the freeing of JUDAS's captive souls, including the souls of Ishizu, Rebecca and Mokuba. Kaiba had listened to the whole tale, not interrupting, just quietly paying attention to every detail. He especially seemed deeply moved when Seta had told him what Ishizu and Mokuba had said to tell him. Even now, Seta knew, his father was still contemplating everything that he'd learned, just as he'd spent most of that night and early morning contemplating. Of course, as it was a family affair, Seta wasn't about to tell Jillian the real reason behind his father's apparent tiredness.

"So, Roland…what's for breakfast?" Kaiba asked, shuffling the morning paper that had been laying on the table, waiting for him.

"Ahem," Roland cleared his throat. "Pancakes with maple syrup, cheese omelets, broad beans, salami slices, Froot Loops cereal, French toast, slices of mango and papaya, hot chocolate, orange juice and milk on ice."

"Looking forward to it greatly, that's for sure," Seta nodded with approval.

"Truly that's a feast for a hero," Jillian agreed.

"Thank you, Roland. Inform us when they are ready to serve," said Kaiba.

"Actually, breakfast is quite ready. All you need do is say the word, Master Kaiba," the retainer told him.

"Very well. Send it in, please."

Roland walked over to a small side-table near the dining table and rang a bell. Moments later three chefs came in, each bearing a large tray of food and beverages. They set one glass of orange juice, one of milk, and one cup of chocolate before each recipient; then they set the plates in their places and exited the room. Satisfied, the three at the table picked up their knives and forks and began to dig in.

"So, uh…may we have some conversation to go with the meal?" Jillian suggested.

Seta chuckled. "Actually, now that you mention it, I do have a little news for Dad." He turned to his father. "I got a message in my e-mail from Von Schroeder Incorporated this morning. Something about new gaming software or something like that."

"Hmmm…yes, I already know about that," Kaiba affirmed. "I got the message in the company inbox, also. Zigfried Von Schroeder's expected to fly in to Domino City at 8:30 today, to demonstrate this new software that he and his brother have been working on for some time now."

"Something to look forward to, I suppose," said Jillian, taking a bite out of her omelet.

"Perhaps," and Kaiba sipped at his hot chocolate.

----------

MEANWHILE, AT MIKI'S HOUSE

"Miki…Miki, honey, wake up!"

Miki tossed around in her bed, then finally sat up and let out a yawn. "Aw, Mom, what'd you wake me up for?" she groaned. "It IS still holiday-time, you know!"

Mrs. Taylor stood at the door to the room, arms folded and a smile on her face. "I know that, dear," she assured her daughter. "I just wanted to tell you that the others are all outside, waiting for you."

"Really? They are?" exclaimed Miki. "Uh, okay! Tell them I'll be out in a minute!"

----------

Fifteen minutes later Miki came out of the house, munching on French toaster sticks. "Hi, guys!" she called cheerfully to the gang.

Yugo, Kyo and Jenna were standing on the porch, all smiling good-naturedly. "About time you got up, sleepy-head," Jenna teased. "For a minute I was beginning to think you were going to beat Yugo's laziness record."

"HEY! I resent that!" Yugo snapped, then pouted.

"So…" Miki took another bite of a toaster stick. "What do you have planned for today?"

"Well…" Kyo adjusted his glasses. "We were thinking of taking a little walk together into town…you know, hang out a bit."

"Sure! I'm game!" Miki smiled happily, chomped into the last of her toaster sticks.

"Well, then what're we waiting for? Now that the group's assembled, let's get going!" Jenna declared. And with that, they all headed for the road – but Mrs. Taylor's voice arrested their attention.

"Just a moment!" the older woman called to them. "Since you're all heading into town, why don't you do some shopping for me while you're at it? Here's the list and the money," and she waved both in one hand.

"Sure!" Miki replied cheerfully, running up to her mother to collect the money and the shopping list. Then, looking at the list, she face-faulted. "Mom…this list…is long…"

"Well, you have your friends to help you! With four of you working together, it shouldn't be too difficult a chore, should it?" Mrs. Taylor smirked. "Well, run along now, kids! And make sure to bring back those things before lunchtime, you hear?"

"We hear," said Miki. "Later!"

She ran back to join the others. "Shopping, huh? That can't be so bad," said Kyo.

"Wait'll you see this list," and Miki held up the paper for the others to see.

Yugo and Kyo took one look at the list—and their jaws dropped. "NO WAY!"

Jenna looked at the list too, and she sighed. "That's Aunt Serenity for you," she announced wearily. "The first opportunity she gets to send kids on chores, she takes it."

"Well, we may as well get it over with," said Miki. "Let's go, everybody."

"But I don't wanna do no chores!" Yugo groaned as he shuffled his feet along after the others.

----------

KAIBACORP, 8:30 a.m.

Roland, Kaiba, Seta and Jillian all stood outside the entrance to Kaibacorp. "How much longer?" Jillian whispered.

"They should be along any time soon, I guess," replied Seta. "Let's have a little patience."

Roland checked his watch patiently. Kaiba stood there with arms folded, loking up the street with a bored expression on his face. Then by and by, the group could see a limousine coming around the corner.

"Is that them?" Seta asked hopefully.

"Could be," replied Kaiba.

Presently the limo stopped at the bottom of the steps leading into the building. The front door opened, and the chauffeur came out to open the back door. And all the while, the group waited expectantly.

Then, from the back of the limo stepped a man with long, dark red hair, clad in a white business suit and thin-rimmed glasses and carrying a briefcase. "Greetings, everyone," he addressed them, in a smooth German accent.

Kaiba smirked. "Zigfried Von Schroeder…long time no see," and he went forward to shake the visitor's hand. "How is everyone?"

Mr. Von Schroeder nodded and accepted the handshake. "Very well, thank you, Mr. Kaiba. My little brother Leon just got married the other day; he and his new bride are currently off on their honeymoon in Aruba."

"Well, good for him," Kaiba chuckled. "And yourself?"

"Business is booming, profits are rolling in, life is comfortable…I can't really complain," replied Mr. Von Schroeder.

Kaiba and his visitor then turned and headed up the steps. "You remember my son, Seta, and our company retainer, Roland," said Kaiba.

Roland bowed respectfully; Seta nodded and shook Mr. Von Schroeder's hand. "Pleased to see you again, sir," he remarked.

"The pleasure is mine, my young friend," the older man answered. "You have certainly grown into a fine young man since the last time I saw you."

Then he beheld Jillian. "And this vision of loveliness is…?"

Jillian blushed brightly. "She is Jillian Uriah, my bodyguard," Seta introduced her.

Mr. Von Schroeder smiled, took Jillian's hand in his own and kissed it. "It is an honor to meet someone so lovely and so privileged to be a bodyguard for the Kaiba family," he said softly.

Kaiba cleared his throat. "Ahem. We got your message about your new gaming software that you wished to show us," he reminded his guest.

"Ah—of course. Please, shall we step inside?" said Mr. Von Schroeder.

----------

A moment later they were all upstairs in Kaiba's office – Roland standing guard at the door; Seta and Jillian standing off to the side; Kaiba and Mr. Von Schroeder seated at the former's desk. "So, what do you have to show me?" asked Kaiba.

"Same as ever, Mr. Kaiba…always ready to get to the point," Mr. Von Schroeder chuckled. "All right. What I have is a prototype for a new kind of Duel Monster game," and here he held up the briefcase he'd been carrying and set it on Kaiba's desk. Snapping the latches open, he turned it around so Kaiba could see inside.

Kaiba looked into the briefcase. "Adventure Monsters?"

"That is the name of the game," acknowledged Mr. Von Schroeder. "Basically, it is a role-playing game where a player can choose to be any Duel Monster he wishes to be. There are quite a few elaborate rules that set this game apart from traditional Duel Monsters and even from Duke Devlin's Dungeon Dice Monsters, but once it's been given its test run and approved, I dare say that it'll be as big a hit, if not bigger."

"So why bring it to me, then?" asked Kaiba. "As I recall, Maximillion Pegasus is the one to see about approving new games that are based on his original Duel Monsters game."

"Oh, I have been to see him already," Mr. Von Schroeder assured him. "And he has given me the go-ahead to market the game. However, before I do so, I need to test its properties using your company's virtual holographic technology. Yours is the only holographic system, I strongly suspect, that will be able to support this new game's color quality and pixel resolution at full capacity."

"You flatter me." Kaiba crossed his arms and smirked. "So, tell me, how exactly does the game work?"

Mr. Von Schroeder reached into the briefcase and pulled out what appeared to be steel circlets. "These circlets," he explained, "contain microscopic nerve-sensor chips that react to mental stimuli provoked by brain cells. Once they're used with the correct holographic program input, they can project visual images that allow outside forces to see what the user is experiencing in his or her mind. They can only be used exclusively with this game, and are quite revolutionary in the field of nanotechnology, if I dare say so myself."

"Sounds quite interesting," mused Kaiba. "What about the players of this game?"

"For the duration of the game, they're locked inside a solitary chamber, so that no outside stimulus can interrupt their brains' concentration on the game," said Mr. Von Schroeder. "The players' bodies are placed in a dream-like state until the game ends, at which time they awaken. I believe you have some 'virtual pods' for an earlier game you yourself designed a few years ago, that serve roughly the same purpose, no?"

Kaiba nodded knowingly. "Yes, that is indeed true," he acknowledged.

All this time Seta had listened quietly to the men's discussion of the new game and the technology. Now he stepped forward. "Mr. Von Schroeder, is it possible that your new game can be tested out right now?"

"I wouldn't mind that, of course…but then again, it's your father's decision, is it not?" replied Mr. Von Schroeder with a smile.

Seta looked over at his father. "What do _you_ say, sir? Let's at least give this new game a try! Personally, I wanna see just what kind of game it is for Mr. Von Schroeder to call it 'Adventure Monsters'!"

Kaiba had his fingers intertwined under his chin, seemingly in deep thought. Then he looked up at his son. "Well, I suppose we COULD test it out for a few minutes…Roland, the virtual pods still work, correct?"

"Yes, sir," said Roland, standing at attention. "I'll ready their activation at once!" And with that he headed out of the room.

Kaiba smirked. "All right…time to give your new game the acid test, Zigfried."

Mr. Von Schroeder nodded. "Shall we go then? And…" He eyed Seta and Jillian. "You two should come along too. Something tells me that one of you will be the first to play my new game and give it a good critique."

Seta looked at Jillian and grinned. "Let's go, then!" he declared.

----------

**_neomage:_** And thus the Virtual Arc of my story begins – and Zigfried Von Schroeder, from the KC Grand Prix, returns! Only thing is, I hope any of you out there understood the technological gibberish I made up in the explanation of Zigfried's new game…anyone out there who's good with computer technology wanna tell me if what I said made any sense?

kriztrigun: How're your plans for the cookout going, rampagerkriz? Food ready?

rampagerkriz: Yep! Already sent the invitation to Miriku and Kimiru, and by extension to their friends…can't wait to see them!

yamikriz: Hey, guys! Reinforcement weapons are here from Miriku and Kimiru! (drags in a sack; reaching in, he pulls out the Millennium Dagger, Millennium Staff, Millennium Mace, Millennium Laser Rifle, and Millennium Vibroblade)

kriztrigun: Oh, cool! THANKS, GIRLS!

rampagerkriz: (cuddling the Millennium Dagger tenderly) You're Kimiru's most prized possession, aren't you, snookums? Oh, yes, you are! Now, Daddy's gonna polish you, and shine you, and make you look brand new, and wash you clean EVERY DAY, and…

Others: O.o;;;;;;;;

krizrampage: Now we _know_ who's sleeping on the porch tonight. (others nod vigorously)

kRiZ: I'm calling Bellevue… (walks out of the room)

neomage: Ahem…everyone, review soon, please!


	158. Chapter 158

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: The Millennium Keyboard belongs to neomage. The other Millennium Items given courtesy of Miriku and Kimiru belong to them. The original Millennium Items, and the original story, belong to Kazuki Takahashi.)

**CHAPTER 158**

KAIBACORP, A FEW MINUTES LATER

Moments later the group was walking from the elevator toward the room where Kaiba kept his gigantic network of computers. "Such a gigantic network, Kaiba…truly, your fascination with computers is impressive," remarked Mr. Von Schroeder, his voice filled with appreciation.

"Uh-huh," said Kaiba nonchalantly.

They came upon four massive pods, big enough to hold a full-grown adult. Roland was in the process of inputting some keyboard commands onto the mounted-on console. "Everything is set, sir," he spoke to Kaiba. "GINA will be relaying video and audio input from the dueling arena back upstairs."

"Thank you, Roland," said Kaiba. "Stay here to maintain the pods, just in case."

"Understood."

"GINA?" queried Mr. Von Schroeder.

"Kaibacorp's most intelligent computer system," Seta explained. "Well, anyway, I believe I'll be testing this game out first. Anything I need to know beforehand, about the game itself?"

"Just a few basic rules," said Mr. Von Schroeder. "As the player, you get to choose any monster you like to represent yourself when you start off. You'll be limited to choosing only humanoid monsters, of course; and, at the beginning of the game you'll be limited to monsters that are Level 4 or lower. You can engage in battles, talk to people, collect money, and win experience – and once you've acquired enough experience, you can change your stats and even upgrade your monster to a stronger one. You'll get a series of objectives to complete, and all must be fulfilled in order to finish the game. And…certain actions you perform in the game will determine the kind of ending you'll get. Just like any role-playing game; only this one's more interactive. I won't spoil any of the nice surprises…you can discover those yourself."

"Heh…sounds easy enough," Seta smirked.

He went and laid in one of the pods, and Mr. Von Schroeder took out one of his steel circlets and placed it on the boy's head even as Kaiba watched. "Could you hook this up to the pod's circuitry?" Mr. Von Schroeder asked of Roland.

"Of course!" Roland took a few connecting wires and plugged them into the designated slots on the circlets. "Now, we'll be able to see this from Master Seta's point of view for sure!"

"Indeed," Kaiba nodded.

Jillian giggled lightly. "I hope Sir Seta enjoys himself, playing this game," she whispered, almost to herself.

"All right! Let's head to the dueling arena and watch this game unfold!" Kaiba turned and walked back toward the elevator; Jillian and Mr. Von Schroeder hurried after him.

The pod's lid closed over Seta; a strange bit of blue smoke or fog surrounded him. "Okaaaaay…feeling drowsy right about…now…" he muttered to himself as he succumbed to the pod's built-in anesthetic.

----------

THE VIRTUAL WORLD

Seta's eyes slowly fluttered open. "Hmmm…oh, wow…I feel kinda woozy…"

He looked around him. It appeared to be the bottom of a dark ocean; the water felt warm against his skin. He was himself clad in nothing save a pair of underwear. _At least this game doesn't start me off completely naked,_ he mused ruefully. _But…now what?_

Suddenly, to his amazement, digital data appeared before his eyes – data detailing his own duelist status! **_Player name: Seta Kaiba. Duelist level: 12. Available outfits: loading…_**

Suddenly, five outfits appeared before him. Seta recognized them instantly: they were the outfits for the Blindly Loyal Goblin (ATK 1800, DEF 1500), Lord of Dragons (ATK 1200, DEF 1100), Peten the Dark Clown (ATK 500, DEF 1200), Summoner of Illusions (ATK 800, DEF 900), and Rapid-Fire Magician (ATK 1600, DEF 1200)! "Hey…pretty impressive," he chuckled to himself. "Hmmm…I think I'll go with the Lord of Dragons look for the time being…"

No sooner had he decided that, than all of a sudden the designated outfit floated forward and fastened onto his body in a flash of light! "WHOA!" Seta cried out—the light was bright, and for a moment, he'd nearly been blinded.

It was a moment before his vision cleared once again. The area around him was pitch-black; so, he looked down at himself, since he was the only visible thing to his eyes. He was now clad in the outfit of the Lord of Dragons, complete with the billowing cape and all! "Aw…how totally cool," he whispered.

Then at that moment, more information flashed before his eyes. **_Available powers: manipulation of dragons and magic revolving around dragons._** When Seta saw this, he couldn't help but smile. _So what else is new?_

All at once a large map display appeared before his eyes, and what he saw took his breath away for a moment: He saw lush green forests, majestic glaciers, deadly volcanoes, dark shadow-lands, arid deserts, fluffy clouds in the sky – with a shining castle on one of them, he noted – and back on the ground, a deep blue sea. At one extreme end of the map he saw a large kingdom of bright light; at the other end, he saw a dark castle with sinister-looking monsters flying around it.

Suddenly he saw what appeared to be a red star, twinkling over a spot on the map in the deep end of a forest. Information appeared before him again: **_First destination: Forest of Rapture._**

"Forest of Rapture, huh…? Then here I come!" Seta declared cheerfully as his body disappeared in a flash of light.

----------

Seconds later, Seta's body materialized in the middle of a clearing. He took in his surroundings almost immediately – trees and plants of every description stood before his eyes. "Wow…Flora Green would definitely love it here," he murmured.

Again information flashed before his eyes. **_From this point onward, every action you perform determines how your character will evolve and how you will finish the game. Have fun!_**

"Ri-i-i-ght," he smirked.

A rustling of bushes to his left arrested his attention. Turning, he came face-to-face with a gigantic cockroach in a suit of armor and carrying a sword and shield – a monster he recognized as the Cockroach Knight (ATK 800, DEF 900)! "All right…now what?" Seta wondered.

"How dare you defile our sacred forest with your presence, filthy human?" the Cockroach Knight bellowed in a raspy, buzzing voice. "By order of our mighty monarch, we will smite you!"

"We?" Seta shook his head. "Your math must be bad…there's only one of you!"

Suddenly there was more rustling behind him. Turning, he beheld a rather startling spectacle…a whole armada of Cockroach Knights flanked by numerous Man-Eating Plants (ATK 800, DEF 600)! "Oh…how swell…" he grumbled. "The first minute in this game and already I'm being attacked by Mother Nature."

The Man-Eating Plants, green vines with massive Venus flytraps for heads, slithered around till they were surrounding Seta. At the same time, all of the Cockroach Knights did likewise, their swords at the ready. "Slay the human!" the call came on every side.

Seta's brain raced. _Let's see…my powers available to me right now are dragon manipulation and use of dragon-related magic…except, how DO I use this power? _He narrowed his eyes. _This is a forest area…can I summon a dragon here, in all this wildlife? It's worth a shot!_

So he put his fingertips together, his hands forming a triangle. "All dragons of the forest, please hear my plea," he chanted. "Save your summoner from the enemy!"

Suddenly, from every side numerous black vines shot out into one spot, right beside Seta. The vines grouped together, taking shape…growing bigger…and then let out a growl. It was the Black Dragon Jungle King (ATK 2100, DEF 1800)!

"Wonderful!" Seta exulted. "I got a dragon on my first try!"

Then he became more sober. "Okay, my pet," he spoke to his newly-summoned dragon, "keep these creatures at bay! They're seeking to protect their homeland…so don't kill any unless you really have to do it in order to protect me!"

The Black Dragon Jungle King growled low in its throat, as if to say it understood. Seta and the dragon tensed as the plants and cockroaches got closer…

…and then a loud shout caught everyone's attention. "Cockroach Knights, Man-Eating Plants, stand down! I wish to speak with this human!"

Almost instantly, the Cockroach Knights went down on one knee, and the Man-Eating Plants shrank back. Seta looked around to see who had spoken – and was immediately astonished. "You are…"

At the far end of the clearing was a man wielding a golden scepter, dressed in a white robe with green plant trimmings on his collar. He had a stern look on his face as he surveyed Seta. "I am Fairy King Truesdale (ATK 2200, DEF 1500), king of the forest and lord over all life that resides here. And who are you to come tramping through the Forest of Rapture as though you own it?"

Seta brushed his Lord of Dragons cape to one side as he bowed respectfully. "I am the Lord of Dragons," he introduced himself, as his game character would. "And I deeply apologize for my intrusion into your homeland, your Majesty. I am in the middle of a journey, and I got lost and ended up here."

Truesdale surveyed him. "And your ability to summon a dragon from our very own plant life?"

"Only a means to protect myself from your royal guard," Seta replied. "They are soldiers; they are only doing their duty. Nonetheless, had it come down to it, I would have fought if necessary." He nodded. "I don't know how well you think of humans, but…it is not my intention to destroy your forest home. Believe me on that. I merely seek to understand what I must do on this quest of mine."

Truesdale turned away from Seta a moment. "It has been 500 years since a human last set foot into our beloved forest," he noted. "And now, you show up – and able to wield the power of dragons at that. Now, I have no way of knowing for certain if what you say is true…however, I may be willing to spare your life if…"

"If, your Majesty?" Seta prompted.

Truesdale turned and pointed in a direction. "Eight miles east of my kingdom," he explained, "there lies a massive volcano known as the Gateway to Inferno. A fire-wielding people have made their home there, and have seen it fit to make regular raids on me and my people. Their kingdom and ours have been at war for this reason, for well over the last fifty years; but now, because our plant and insect life burns so easily, they have managed to defeat us time and again. Being plants and insects, we are able to reproduce what is lost, but even so…"

"In other words, you want me to go to this Gateway to Inferno and defeat these enemies of yours," said Seta. "And if I do that, then you will be certain that I've told you the truth…am I correct?"

"Quite so," nodded Truesdale. "Still, even if you do agree to go, I have no way of guaranteeing that you will actually do what I have asked of you. For all I know, you could escape at the first opportunity, and then my kingdom will be in deep regret for having allowed you the chance…"

"Then let me go with him, your Majesty."

Truesdale turned, fairly startled. "Insect Knight (ATK 1900, DEF 1500)!"

A sturdy beetle in knight's armor with a sword at his side stepped forward, going down on one knee. "My liege, allow me to go with this human to the place where our enemies are," he spoke up. "This will be your guarantee: I will ensure personally that he does as you have asked, and in return he will see to it that I am returned alive to this, our beloved kingdom."

"Insect Knight…you are of our most elite soldiers! We cannot take the risk of sending you off like this!" exclaimed Truesdale.

"What other guarantee will you have, then, my liege, that this Lord of Dragons will not escape from the duty set before him?" Insect Knight persisted. "Please…let me go and see to it that our enemies at the Gateway to Inferno are stopped once and for all."

Truesdale's face seemed troubled as he contemplated this. Then he nodded. "Very well, my brave knight. May the blessings of the forest go with you, then."

"I shall return!" Insect Knight announced. "Today, our foes will be vanquished!"

There was a loud clamoring as all the insects and plants hissed and screeched in their cheering. Truesdale nodded and walked away, back into the vegetation from which he'd come.

Seta looked curiously at Insect Knight. "I'm curious…why were you so eager to come with me?"

Insect Knight closed his eyes. "I will be straightforward with you," he replied. "I am not originally from the Forest of Rapture. Two years ago, I lived in another woodland kingdom with my family and friends, but…one day…an army of humans from a kingdom to the far north stormed through – cutting down our trees, burning our flowers, slaying our insect populace. Of my entire family…I was the only one to escape alive."

Seta looked long and hard at him. "I see."

The bug knight looked away. "After that…I wandered, alone, confused, unsure of where to go…until his Majesty, the Fairy King Truesdale, rescued me. I fought long and hard to repay him, by working my way up into his elite guard…but since then I have held a great disdain for all things remotely human."

"So why come with me, then? That's what I want to know."

For the first time, Insect Knight looked at Seta. "You claimed just now that you had no intention of harming our forest life here…it is the first time that I have ever heard a human say such a thing. I want to see for myself if that is really true…if you will really go out of your way to protect us from the denizens of the Gateway to Inferno, despite your being a human."

Seta nodded gravely. "I believe in justice for everyone," he answered. "Whether human or otherwise, everyone deserves some measure of justice."

Insect Knight shrugged. "Well…let us head out, then. If we are to go to the Gateway to Inferno, we are to be properly equipped…and the best way to accomplish that is to go to the nearby Azure Ocean. It is only a mile from this forest; the Forest of Rapture has been allied with that ocean's kingdom for many years. Perhaps they will be willing to lend us a hand."

Seta nodded. To himself he was thinking, _The Azure Ocean, huh? Well…if there's a kingdom there…maybe they'll teach me how to summon a Water dragon! If I'm going to a volcano, then the use of water to combat fire will be extremely helpful!_

"Okay, Insect Knight. Shall we go, then?"

----------

KAIBACORP, BACK IN THE REAL WORLD

On the platform above the dueling arena, Kaiba, Jillian and Mr. Von Schroeder were watching Seta's progress in the game. "It's only been ten minutes since he started, and already he's gotten the hang of it," Mr. Von Schroeder declared with a satisfied air.

"So, the player really does get to interact with Duel Monsters," Kaiba remarked. "Zigfried, it looks as if you've really outdone yourself with this."

"Why, thank you."

Jillian looked on as Seta and the Insect Knight trekked through the forest in the game. "How very interesting…"

----------

DOMINO CITY SHOPPER'S MART, IN THE MEANTIME

"Well, everybody, here we are!" Miki announced cheerfully.

She and the others had at last arrived at the local supermarket, and were now standing outside its automatic doors. "Geez…such a tedious job…" Yugo grumbled.

The four stepped through the doors, and beheld the size of the place. "How are we going to find everything on this list, in such a place?" Kyo wondered.

"Guess we'll have to split up," Jenna reasoned. "What's the first thing on the list?"

"Let me read you everything that Mom put here." Miki pulled out the list. "Let's see…six cans of sweet corn…three cans of green peas…two heads of lettuce, two cabbages, a pound of carrots…ten pounds of rice…five pounds of sugar, five of flour…two packs of salt…six drink mix packs…a carton of milk, a carton of orange juice…a bottle of cooking oil, one of ketchup, one of soy sauce, one of syrup…a joint of steak, a pound of liver…onions, scallion, thyme, black pepper, meat seasoning…toilet tissue, soap, a bottle of bleach…and that's about it!"

"Miki…is your mom catering to an army?" Yugo queried.

"Yep – to YOU guys when you come over to visit!" Miki poked at him. Realizing he was cornered, Yugo cast his eyes to the heavens and sighed in defeat.

"This is definitely a job where we're gonna have to split up," said Kyo. "Let's all take shopping baskets and find these groceries!"

"Yeah…but where do we meet up when we have what we're looking for?" Jenna asked.

"Uh…how about the fruit stand over there?" Miki suggested, pointing to a huge stand full of citrus produce.

"Good call, Miki," said Kyo. "All right then, in that case…let's do this!"

----------

Outside the Shopper's Mart, a boy was leaning on a lamppost, his arms crossed, a smile on his face. "Yugo Muto…just wait'll you come out…and then…"

----------

**_neomage:_** Readers, forgive me if I take a while to update and add new chapters, but schoolwork's starting to bear down on me and piss me off consequently, so you can understand…right? And I admit, this chapter was getting a bit bland to me…so I threw in the last bit above for good measure. So, how far will Seta progress in the Adventure Monsters game? And who is the mystery boy just mentioned – and what does he want with Yugo? Next chapter, you'll find out – and it may not be a surprise any of you will be expecting!

(rampagerkriz looks with satisfaction at the table, filled with food and two jugs of juice)

kRiZ: Wow…you truly outperformed yourself here…

rampagerkriz: Yep! Just look at what I've assembled!

yamikriz: Fried chicken…barbecued chicken…baked chicken…rice…French fries…potato salad…coleslaw…fresh lettuce and tomato salad…dumplings…apple pie…macaroni and cheese…cheese sandwiches…tuna salad…mackerel…fruit salad…

krizrampage: And all of this…just for Miriku and Kimiru, as well as the rest of us? We're bound to have leftovers…

kriztrigun: You sure you should've looked about so much?

rampagerkriz: When good company comes over, bring out your best, right? Besides, Kimiru would do the same thing for me…right?

(neomage slips a little something into the two jugs of fruit punch)

neomage: Hee hee hee…a little mischief should make this dinner party QUITE interesting…now, time to see how this plays out! (holds up Millennium Scimitar and Millennium Vibroblade and slips out of room) And who says alcohol is a bad idea for a prank? Mwa ha ha.


	159. Chapter 159

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: This story is the only thing I own, as well as a few cards and my own sanity. :D)

**CHAPTER 159**

_Characters' First Appearance in Story_

_JANUS_

_NAME: Janus Yuki_

_AGE: 14_

_HAIR: Blond (think of **Yu-Gi-Oh GX**'s Jaden Yuki with blond hair)_

_EYES: Black_

_CLOTHES: Red jacket, white T-shirt, green camouflage pants, purple sneakers_

THE VIRTUAL WORLD, EN ROUTE TO THE AZURE OCEAN

Seta, still in his Lord of Dragons guise, was walking along with the Insect Knight on a hilly track. They had already left the Forest of Rapture more than ten minutes earlier, and were now walking along at a swift pace.

_It's amazing how much ground one can cover on foot, especially in a game setting like this,_ Seta thought to himself with amusement. _Only thing is, I'm getting a tad bit hungry…_

Looking around, he spied a small bush with some fruit growing from it. _Hmmm…in any RPG, you eat food wherever you can find it,_ he reasoned. With this in his mind, he started forward toward the bush.

Insect Knight looked up. "What are you doing?"

"I'm hungry," Seta replied, bending down to pick the fruit from the bush.

"I would advise against eating that fruit," Insect Knight said warningly. "Most fruit in this region is toxic to humans. Just the juice from one of these berries is enough to kill a giant human."

Seta's fingers were almost touching the fruit; upon hearing this bit of info, he slowly pulled his hand back. "Whoa…that was almost the end of me."

"If you are truly hungry, then I am willing to share some of my rations," and Insect Knight reached for a small bag hanging from his belt. "I have some of the Forest of Rapture's finest honey right here. Just a small handful of this should sate your cravings for at least an hour, I think."

Seta nodded. "Thank you very much," he said, and gratefully held out a hand to receive the honey. Insect Knight poured a small amount into Seta's open palm, then quickly sealed the bag again.

"It would be best if you ate it now," Insect Knight cautioned. "Leave it exposed for more than fifteen minutes, and it hardens like paste. And then it becomes a major hassle to get it soft again."

Seta's eyes widened; swiftly he stuffed the honey into his mouth, and marveled at how sweet and sumptuous it was. "Wow – that really helped my hunger a lot!" he exclaimed. "The bees of the forest must really work overtime to make such good honey!"

"Actually…" Insect Knight couldn't help but chuckle. "This honey of the Forest of Rapture isn't made by the usual method of bees in a hive. This honey is made in a very, very special way."

"Oh? How?" Seta asked, curious.

Insect Knight looked at him. "The honey," he explained, "is actually gathered from the excrement of the Killer Needles (ATK 1200, DEF 1000) that swarm in the forest."

Seta stopped walking. His eyes widened. His jaw dropped. "…did you say…excrement…?" he asked weakly.

"Yes, I did…say, are you all right?"

Seta had turned to stone, his face still displaying shock. Insect Knight chuckled again. "Perhaps I shouldn't have told him about that after all…"

----------

KAIBACORP, BACK IN THE REAL WORLD

Kaiba was having a hard time keeping his amusement under control. "Seta…was actually eating bee crap a while ago…? This is just too much!" He shook his head, a major grin on his face. "I swear, Zigfried…where you get your ideas is beyond me!"

Mr. Von Schroeder merely smirked. Jillian ran a hand over her face in embarrassment for Seta.

----------

THE VIRTUAL WORLD, A FEW MINUTES LATER

Seta and the Insect Knight had been walking alongside a river right up to Seta's rather stomach-churning discovery. Now Seta had immersed his head into the water, filling his mouth with water and spitting it out, and then repeating the process. Meanwhile, Insect stood by and watched him, unable to control his laughter.

"You bastard…you did that on purpose, didn't you?" Seta snarled as he spat water out of his mouth for the fifteenth time.

"And just a moment ago you were claiming the sweetness of the honey." Insect Knight laughed again.

"Grrrr…" Seta growled low in his throat. _This guy REALLY doesn't like humans!_

"Playing the trickster again, are we, Insect Knight?" a suave-sounding voice caught Seta's attention. Looking up, he was quite startled to see a young man dressed in blue, walking on top of the river's flow of water as though it was solid ground!

"The Water Magician (ATK 1400, DEF 1000)," said Insect Knight. "It has been a while since we last saw each other."

"Indeed," agreed Water Magician. "But I know for a fact that usually you limit your activities to the service of your kingdom's ruler. What brings you here – and traveling with a human, no less?"

"We were just on our way to the kingdom of the Azure Ocean," explained Insect Knight. "We are planning to go to the Gateway to Inferno, to deal with the treacherous infidels there."

"Ah, yes, those scoundrels," Water Magician's face took on a sour expression. "What I wouldn't give to see their kingdom reduced to ash for all eternity…but oh, if only it were not for the treaty!"

"Treaty?" Seta queried.

Water Magician nodded gravely. "Several years ago," he explained, "our kingdom was at war with the armies that now reside in the Gateway to Inferno, and in the process the Gateway's noble guardian, the Spirit of Flames (ATK 1700, DEF 1000) was beguiled from his abode and slain by the invaders' commander, Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch (ATK 2400, DEF 1000). To end the bloodshed, our kingdom's patron spirit, the Aqua Spirit (ATK 1600, DEF 1200), signed a treaty with Thestalos, agreeing to his leaving the Azure Ocean alone in exchange for our armies not engaging with his in battle again. But…though our ocean kingdom has enjoyed peace, nonetheless my heart bleeds when I think of the countless other lives that have been destroyed by Thestalos since then…!"

Seta's eyes narrowed. "That's all right. We just need to get armaments from your kingdom to use in the fight against the Gateway to Inferno, plus a few extra supplies for the trip…"

But Water Magician shook his head. "Would that it were that simple, stranger, but…since recently our empire has passed a rigid law prohibiting the sale or trade of our weapons to any outside force that may consider warring against the armies of the Gateway. To give you any of our weapons, then, would be a direct violation of the treaty, and then Thestalos would bring his minions down upon our heads. Oh, how cruel circumstances can be…"

But now Seta wasn't even paying attention to him again; his eyes were on the running water in the river. "Hmmm…I wonder…"

"Huh?" Water Magician looked at Seta suspiciously. "What are you doing, human?"

"You might want to stand back," Seta informed him. "I want to try something. If my theory is correct, then perhaps I may have a way to combat the army at the Gateway to Inferno, without having to rely on your weapons and forcing you to break your treaty."

As Water Magician and Insect Knight looked on, bemused, Seta stepped up to the edge of the river and stared intently at it. _Let's see…my power is control over dragons…and I was able to summon the Black Dragon Jungle King back in the forest…maybe I'm able to summon specific dragons, depending on the natural elements that are present. So, if I'm able to summon a plant-based dragon in a forested area, then it's only logical that I should be able to…yeah, I may as well give it a try!_

Stooping down, he placed his hands into the water. "Dragons of the rivers, dragons of the sea…bestow your powers unto me!"

All at once there was a loud roar as the river's water began to thrash about violently and inexplicably. "What! What manner of sorcery is this?" exclaimed the Water Magician in understandable astonishment.

Insect Knight, meanwhile, could only stare in wonder. _Just like when he summoned the plant dragon back in the forest…_

A moment later the water had grown in mass, being further fed by the mouth of the river and the depth of the riverbed itself. Then the water took up shape, until it towered above them in the form of the mighty Water Dragon (ATK 2800, DEF 2600)!

"Just as I theorized," Seta declared with a satisfied air. "I can summon dragons of any element, including water…as long as there're enough of the needed elements of nature to perform the summoning."

Water Magician was well and truly amazed at the display. "To be able to manipulate dragons so easily…" His eyes widened more. "Can you possibly be…?"

"Yes." Seta nodded his head. "The Lord of Dragons."

Now Water Magician nodded with great approval, even as Seta turned and waved his hand to dispel the magic he'd used to summon the Water Dragon. As the water crashed back down into the riverbed, the blue-robed mage stepped forward. "If you really are going to go to the Gateway to Inferno…then you should take this item with you. I discovered it while on an expedition for the kingdom of the Azure Ocean…and I believe now that you are more deserving of it than I."

He reached into his robe and pulled out a horn with a dragon's head at its tip – the Flute of Summoning Dragon! "This will allow you to summon two dragons of the same element," he explained. "It should aid you greatly once you arrive at that place."

Seta reached forward and took the Flute. _Its effect is a little different from the way it usually works in the Duel Monsters game, but what the hell—just means more coolness! _Aloud he said simply, "Thank you."

Water Magician nodded. "And…let me give you a quick way to get within the bounds of the Gateway to Inferno," he added, and here he turned to the river and held out his open palm. Blue energy began to glow and shine out from his fingertips, even as the water in the river was disturbed again. Then the next thing Seta knew, a large wave rushed up from beyond the river-bend, heading right for them!

"Whoa!" Seta cried out, pulling his cape over himself to shield his body from being drenched by the water—and did he ever get drenched! However, once the water spray had subsided enough for him to look out, he was well and truly astonished…for now, right there on the riverbank was none other than a massive Catapult Turtle (ATK 1000, DEF 2000)!

"This faithful creature of the Azure Ocean responds only to my call," explained Water Magician. "The catapult on its shell is capable of firing projectiles for a distance of up to seven miles…that should get you just close enough to the Gateway. Use your power wisely and well, and end the threat of Thestalos and his army…for all our sakes."

Seta nodded solemnly. "I will do just that."

"Then climb up on the Catapult Turtle's back," Water Magician instructed him.

Seta did as instructed. _I just KNOW I'm not gonna like this,_ he said to himself.

Insect Knight climbed up behind him. "Are you ready to go?"

"I think so," said Seta.

Water Magician looked at the Catapult Turtle and nodded. In response, the turtle raised its shell upward a little – and then the catapult fired, shooting Seta and Insect Knight up into the sky and off into the hills beyond!

"Godspeed to you, Lord of Dragons," Water Magician muttered, even as the Catapult Turtle sank back into the waters of the river.

----------

SHOPPER'S MART, BACK IN THE REAL WORLD, AT THE EXACT SAME TIME

"Yay! We finished shopping!" Miki cheered.

"Thank the heavens…" Yugo grunted as he struggled under the weight of the shopping bags.

All four of the friends were emerging from the supermarket. "Now, it's gonna be quite a walk back to the house," Jenna moaned, also struggling with the weight of her share of the groceries.

"So let's hurry it up, then," said Kyo. "The sooner we get there, the sooner we can get rid of these groceries."

"Excuse me—Yugo Muto!"

All four turned their heads at the sound of the voice. The caller was standing not very far away, a blond-haired boy in a red jacket with a good-natured smile. "Somebody you know, Yugo?" Jenna asked.

"Nope," admitted Yugo.

The boy walked up to them. "You guys need help with these?" he asked.

"Help would be greatly appreciated, friend," Kyo nodded. "Thank you very much."

"Okay," said the boy. "Why don't we set the bags on the ground, then, and decide who'll carry what?"

The others had no objections; very soon the bags were on the ground. In total, there were ten bags—Jenna and Miki had been carrying two each, while Kyo and Yugo had had to carry three each. The newcomer looked at each bag carefully, seeming to mentally determine their individual weight.

"Um, we didn't catch your name," Kyo reminded the boy.

"The name's Janus," the boy answered. "Janus Yuki."

"Well, since you seem to know me already, let me introduce my friends," said Yugo. "Miki Taylor, Kyo Bakura, and Jenna Wheeler. The girls are cousins."

Janus briefly shook hands with each in turn. "So, let's get to the business of these bags, eh?" he suggested.

"Sure," said Miki, and all of them bent down. "But I'm curious…how do you know Yugo, when he hasn't met you before?"

"Simple, actually," said Janus, hoisting two bags with ease under his arms. "I saw him compete at the Intercontinental tournament in England a good while back. Actually, I saw all of you perform, but…of course, one's more inclined to remember the tournament's actual winner. No offense."

"None taken," Jenna assured him, taking up one of the smaller bags.

Kyo picked up another bag and handed it to Jenna; she cradled that one under her free arm. "So, you came all the way to Domino City to find Yugo?" Kyo remarked, picking up two more bags very carefully. "You wanted an autograph or something?"

"Naaaaah…an autograph would be too easy," Janus scoffed. He then spoke directly to Yugo. "Hey, man…I know this is gonna sound cliché, but I really am your Number One fan, especially after seeing the way you won the Intercontinental! It was, like, totally WICKED! That's why…that's why I want something far more memorable than just a mere autograph…"

By this time Yugo was in the process of looking at the last four bags left on the ground; he picked up the heavier two, so Miki wouldn't have a massive load on her. He turned to face Janus. "Far more memorable…what could that be?"

Janus looked him square in the eye. "I won't beat around the bush with this. Yugo Muto…I've come here to duel with you!"

All of them stared at him in astonishment. "What? You serious? A duel?" Jenna gasped.

"Yep!" Janus said brightly. "Of course, your title as champion isn't on the line, Yugo…this is just for fun for me. To think…I'll be able to duel with you…it makes my blood boil!"

Yugo chuckled. "Well…" He indicated the heavy bags of groceries. "Why don't we help Miki get her things home first? And then, after that, I'll see if I can't accommodate you?"

"Rockin'!" Janus grinned. "In that case, let's go!"

"Yeah…" Kyo nodded, the strain from the grocery bags showing on his face. With that, the group turned and headed away from the supermarket, back toward the Taylor residence, a good fifteen minutes' walk.

---------

**_neomage:_** Heh, heh, heh…I'll refrain from commenting about Seta's, er, flight just now…I'll leave that to all of you out there! And for those of you Yu-Gi-Oh GX fans reading this…take three guesses who Janus is supposed to be! Onward to the next chapter!

(Miriku stalks around with the Millennium Dagger, looking to kill neomage)

Miriku: Where's neomage? Whatever he just did to Kimiru, he's gonna PAY!

(nearby, krizrampage, kRiZ, kriztrigun and yamikriz have passed out on the floor, half-empty glasses beside them)

Miriku: O.o

neomage: (emerges from the shadows) Amazing what a tiny shot of vodka can do to people, huh?

Miriku: WHY YOU! (rushes at him with murder in her eyes)

(neomage calmly types on the Millennium Keyboard; a moment later he pulls out a large bag of candy)

neomage: Want some?

Miriku: (stops her advance immediately) Candy? For me? ALL RIGHT! (grabs the bag and starts eating)

neomage: Well, time to indulge in the food here on the table… (reaches a hand out to grab a chicken leg)

(A large knife stops at neomage's throat)

rampagerkriz: (very softly) I didn't look about all this food just for you to stuff your greedy face. You touch one morsel before the others get their share—you'll lose your Adam's apple. And especially if Kimiru doesn't get to eat. Am I clear?

neomage: O.o;;;;;; Crystal.

rampagerkriz: Good. (walks off)

neomage: That was a tad bit too close… (sighs in great relief) Review soon, everybody! The next chapter's coming up – keep checking for updates!


	160. Chapter 160

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: All right! It's Chapter 160 now! And I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!)

**CHAPTER 160**

THE VIRTUAL WORLD, AT THE GATEWAY TO INFERNO

The massive volcano stood out like a sore thumb – taller than any other mountain nearby, it spewed hot ash and smoke into the sky. Streams of lava leaked from its sides and flowed down to its base, where the lava swiftly cooled and helped to strengthen the foundation of the volcano. For all intents and purposes, it looked exactly like the volcano on the Molten Destruction field magic card.

And, in the distance, two flying figures could be seen fast approaching from the sky…

"INCOMIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!" Seta screamed as he and Insect Knight flew toward the ground. Then—there was a loud BOOM as they made heavy impact!

"Ow…" Seta groaned. "Man, am I lucky this is just a game, or else I'd be dead!"

Insect Knight got up and casually dusted himself off. "Well, my landing was softer than yours, thank goodness – my body is much, much lighter than yours," he remarked. "Why you humans always eat so much and get so heavy is beyond me."

Seta glared at him. "Shut up."

Then both of them looked up at the volcano. "So…this is it?" Seta asked.

"Aye," Insect Knight nodded in agreement. "Now, it'll take us some time to scale the side of this volcano and get inside…"

Seta chuckled. "Oh, ye of little faith," he smirked. "I'll get us to the top in less time than that!"

"How?"

Whereupon Seta turned to a stream of lava that was flowing from one of the many cracks in the volcano, right down near to where they were. "I've been able to summon a plant dragon and a water dragon so far…let's see if that's all I'm limited to."

He took out the Flute of Summoning Dragon and prepared to play it. "Dragons of fire and burning land, conquer our foes by your mighty hand!" And he blew two notes on the Flute.

Immediately the lava shot up in two different geyser-like springs; those formed into two massive Tyrant Dragons (ATK 2900, DEF 2500)! Both dragons lowered their heads, and Seta climbed up onto one. "C'mon!" he cried to Insect Knight. "Let's hurry!"

"I swear…you keep amazing me more and more," Insect Knight remarked as he climbed up onto the remaining Tyrant Dragon's back. "Well, let us give Thestalos's army a rude awakening, shall we?"

"Quite so!" Seta grinned. "Come, my dragons – let's GO!"

The two Tyrant Dragons flapped their massive wings, rising up into the air. Moments later they were flying right toward the mouth of the volcano…

----------

Inside the Gateway to Inferno, there was much chaos and pandemonium taking place. Numerous Flame Dancers (ATK 550, DEF 450), Dokuroyaiba (ATK 1000, DEF 400), Yamadrons (ATK 1600, DEF 1800) and Manticores of Darkness (ATK 2300, DEF 1000) were either at each other's throats or just aimlessly wandering around with nothing to do. And right there, in the middle of it all, Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch (ATK 2400, DEF 1000) sat on a throne built out of molten rock situated before a lava pool.

"Heh…this is the life," he chuckled to himself.

Suddenly, from the lava pool arose a soldier dressed in the guise of the Darkfire Soldier #2 (ATK 1700, DEF 1150). "Master, our latest raid has been a tremendous success," the soldier reported. "Just as you ordered, we attacked the Kingdom of Solitaire, and we now have their princess in our custody."

"Good…very good," Thestalos nodded. "With their princess in my hands, the Kingdom of Solitaire will now have no choice but to bow down to my will, if they truly care for her safety." He chuckled. "Bring her to me. I wish to see her."

"As you command, sire." The Darkfire Soldier #2 then vanished into the lava.

Thestalos sat back on his throne and waited patiently. Then, moments later, from the lava appeared something resembling an iron coffin embedded in rock. The coffin opened up – and revealed a beautiful young maiden with hair tied back in a ponytail. Because of the heat of the place, she was sweating profusely; yet, looking up, she gave Thestalos a very evil eye.

The fiery monarch grinned. "Princess Gwendolyn…having you here will surely bolster my eventual takeover of this world. With your father's armies at my command, nobody will be able to stop me; and with my alliance with the kingdom of the Azure Ocean, my power is boosted even further! Soon, everyone will bow at my feet and acknowledge my supremacy!"

Princess Gwendolyn glared at him. "You're just a coward who hides behind a show of might. Take away your armies and your fire, and what are you? Just a pathetic little excuse for a man."

"You amuse me, child…but even my patience has limits," Thestalos told her, some of the humor in his voice gone. "Were you not a crucial part of my plans, I could incinerate you on the spot. Be grateful, at least, that I'm allowing you the privilege of keeping your life."

Suddenly, a massive Dokuroyaiba fell to Thestalos's feet, its body completely sliced in two. "What is this? I swear, my minions never know when not to kill each other…" Thestalos grumbled.

"Heads up, you bastard!"

Thestalos looked up, surprised – and beheld two massive Tyrant Dragons swooping down at him! "WHAT!" he yelled, jumping to the side to avoid being hit.

Gwendolyn looked up in wonder. "Who…?"

----------

BACK IN THE REAL WORLD, AT MIKI'S HOUSE

"Well, here's where I live," Miki announced cheerfully. "Let's get these groceries inside!"

"Definitely!" Jenna was sweating from her effort.

The kids all walked up to the door – and just at that moment Mrs. Taylor opened up for them. "I saw you all coming from the window," she remarked. "You got everything?"

"Yes, Mom!" Miki nodded. "And…we have someone here we'd like you to meet."

"Of course," Mrs. Taylor smiled. "First, though…let's get the groceries on the table, eh? You kids must be tired of holding these bags by now."

"Tell me about it!" Yugo grunted.

The kids entered the house and swiftly went into the kitchen, where the grocery bags were deposited onto the table. "Whew!" Kyo exhaled loudly, dropping down into a chair.

"Okay, now that that's over with," said Miki, and here she returned her mother's attention to Janus. "This is Janus Yuki, Mom. He offered to help us carry the groceries back."

"Why, hello there, young man," said Mrs. Taylor, and she reached forward and shook Janus's hand. "Thank you very much for your assistance."

"My pleasure, Mrs. Taylor," Janus answered.

"Well…time to pack out the groceries," said Jenna. "Let's get crackin'!"

"Hey, wait a minute! What about the duel?" Yugo asked.

"Oh, yes…I'd forgotten about that," said Janus. "Well, I already have my Duel-Disk and my deck with me," and he patted his jacket. "Why don't you go fetch yours and meet me back here?"

"Definitely!" Yugo nodded enthusiastically. "Be right back, you guys!" And he dashed for the front door.

"That Yugo…hyperactive when it comes to duels…" Mrs. Taylor laughed.

----------

EN ROUTE TO DOMINO CITY

A limousine sped along the highway toward Domino City. Inside was seated Honey Pegasus, arms folded and a smile on her lips. "Yes…in a little while, I can see Seta…" she whispered.

Opposite her, Raven was sulking. "Sis, why'd you have to drag me along? You know how I feel about Seta!"

"Now, now, Raven…remember you promised me you'd be nice," and Honey wagged her finger.

Raven groaned. "Geez…fine. For your sake, I'll at least _pretend_ to be civil."

"Good boy!" Honey beamed, a wide smile on her face.

----------

KAIBACORP

"He's been playing this game a little while now…" Kaiba tapped his fingers on his hip with slowly-deteriorating patience. "It's a bit addictive, don't you think?"

"Well, the player _can_ stop playing at any time," said Mr. Von Schroeder. "It's all up to them, really."

Jillian looked at GINA's display screen in the arena. "Sir Seta…"

----------

THE VIRTUAL WORLD, AT THE GATEWAY TO INFERNO

"Who are you?" Thestalos demanded harshly.

Riding on the Tyrant Dragons, Seta and Insect Knight glared at him. "We're your punishers, you devil," Seta replied. He eyed Gwendolyn. "You dare to torture an innocent girl? I'll cut your head clean off your shoulders!"

"Human…do you know who that girl is?" Insect Knight whispered. "She is Princess Gwendolyn, of the Kingdom of Solitaire! Her family is of noble and honorable heritage!"

"Oh, a princess?" asked Seta, obviously impressed. "Well, this makes things a little more interesting."

"Minions, attack!" Thestalos yelled, drawing a sword. "Skin them alive!"

"Rescue the princess! I shall cover your back!" Insect Knight cried to Seta, jumping off his Tyrant Dragon with sword and shield at the ready, right into the thick of Thestalos's army.

Seta jumped down himself and now stood only a few feet away from where Thestalos stood. "I know about your evil deeds," he spat. "You constantly assault the Forest of Rapture…you forced the Azure Ocean's kingdom into a faulty truce…and now you kidnap a princess whose kingdom has done you no wrong? You're lower than a beast."

"Say what you will, human; who are you to judge my doings?" Thestalos yelled as he charged forward.

"Look out!" Gwendolyn cried to Seta.

Thestalos swung downward with his sword; but Seta quickly sidestepped and slammed his arm into the back of the evil monarch's neck, causing him to fall down. Swiftly getting up, Thestalos snarled and charged forward again. "Die!" he shouted.

Turning around, Seta saw Thestalos coming at him—but this time couldn't dodge. Instinctively he held up an arm to shield himself; Thestalos laughed wickedly as his blade came downward in an arc…

…and suddenly a massive blade of light shone from Seta's wrist, blocking the attack! "What in the…!" Thestalos shouted in disbelief.

Gwendolyn, still trapped, watched the fight in wonder. _Who is this person?_

Thestalos jumped back, his face a mask of shock. "Impossible! How did you do that just now?"

Seta's face was equally astonished. "How should I know?" Then he smirked. "Even so…I'll use this to destroy you."

"Arrogant little brat!" Thestalos shouted, lunging forward again.

What happened next took place in the blink of an eye: Seta ducked underneath Thestalos's swing…lunged forward with his new weapon…and stabbed Thestalos straight through the throat!

The evil monarch choked; steam hissed out of his neck. "Why, you little…" he managed to squeeze out.

"Die." Seta flicked his arm backward – and severed Thestalos's head from the rest of his body. The head rolled into the lava pool and quickly sank.

That taken care of, Seta ran to where Gwendolyn was trapped in the coffin, jumping the lava pool to get to her. "Princess…are you all right?"

"Yes, but—LOOK OUT BEHIND YOU!" Gwendolyn screamed.

Seta turned, coming face-to-face-with the Darkfire Soldier #2 from earlier – and suddenly a massive blade cleaved that monster in two! "I told you I would be watching your back," said Insect Knight, casually swinging his sword. "Can we please leave this accursed place now?"

"You've been quite busy, haven't you?" Seta quipped.

"Just look and see for yourself," said Insect Knight. And, glancing behind the insect, Seta could see that it was true: while he'd been fighting Thestalos, several of the evil king's minions had been brutally massacred.

"Now, let us make haste and leave this place," said Insect Knight, only now flashing the blood of his enemies off his sword.

"Right!" Seta whistled to the two Tyrant Dragons, which had been flying about causing random havoc among Thestalos's minions. "Come to me, my beasts!"

The two dragons swooped down; Insect Knight jumped on one's back, while Seta slashed the coffin into pieces to free the princess. Holding her in his arms, Seta then jumped onto the other Tyrant Dragon's back. "Take us out of here!" he cried.

And the two dragons complied: they flew upward for the volcano's opening, their massive wingspan knocking away Thestalos's attacking minions. Insect Knight was continuously slashing away at any who tried to approach him. "Back, infidels! Back, I say!" he exploded.

"Good sir, I do not know who you are," Gwendolyn spoke to Seta, "but I thank you greatly for your heroism. Please, return with me to the Kingdom of Solitaire; my father the King will reward you most handsomely."

"Heh…I accept your gracious offer, Princess," replied Seta. "In exchange for my coming back with you, however, will you do something for me?"

"Anything for the one who rescued me."

Seta closed his eyes. "Well…I need to understand how to control my powers better, and to know the purpose for my quest. I have been wandering only a little while, and I do not know where I should go or what I should do."

"Then, very likely, my father will be the best person to advise you," said Gwendolyn. "He is a very wise man, my father, and knows many of the goings-on in this realm. He will surely help you, after what you have done for me."

"Thank you," said Seta. Then he called to Insect Knight, "What happens now, now that I've slain Thestalos?"

"His army will surely collapse, now that he is dead," said Insect Knight. "I shall return to the Forest of Rapture to inform the Fairy King Truesdale at once. The Azure Ocean will surely rejoice, as well."

"Then good luck to you…and thank you for your help," said Seta.

"Just return Princess Gwendolyn to her homeland is all you do," Insect Knight advised, and he stood up on the Tyrant Dragon's back. "I shall be certain to report your exploits to His Majesty King Truesdale! Till we meet again, Lord of Dragons – farewell!"

With that, the armored insect jumped off the dragon's back and plummeted into the deep forest below. "Will he be all right, diving from such a high distance?" Gwendolyn wondered.

"He'll be fine, I guess," said Seta. "Okay, Princess…point me in the direction of your kingdom."

The Tyrant Dragons flew off into the distance; but a thought was now burning on Seta's mind. _Hmmm…that battle against Thestalos seemed a little too easy to me…plus, what WAS that weapon that appeared on my arm, out of the blue?...Ah well, hopefully the king of Solitaire will be able to help me!_

----------

**_neomage:_** I may not be able to post any new chapters for a while, since schoolwork's killing me right now…but as soon as the pressure eases up, I promise to come back with even more vigor! What do you guys think of this chapter? Just the first piece of the Virtual Arc…and no worries, certain other "real-world" characters will get their shot at this too! And…is Seta right? WAS Thestalos too easy…and does it herald something deeper? And will Seta learn what the strange weapon he has is?

UPDATED 06/04/2006: Heh, heh, heh…oops. Didn't finish the last sentence in the chapter like I should have. Sorry about that.


	161. Chapter 161

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Say it with me, with renewed energy: NEOMAGE DOESN'T OWN YU-GI-OH!)

**CHAPTER 161**

YUGO'S HOUSE

Mr. Muto was seated in the living room, reading the newspaper. "Hmmm…no new news today, it looks like," he grumbled. "It's been rather quiet these last couple of days…too much so…"

He sighed. "Oh, well…I suppose I should be thankful for a little peace, for a while. Especially…after what happened with JUDAS…"

Just then Yugo burst into the house. "Hi, Dad!" he called. "Can't stop to chat—I've been challenged to a duel!"

That piqued Mr. Muto's interest at once. "A duel? Well, at least there's some action going on today!" he exclaimed, tossing the paper aside and following Yugo upstairs. "So, anybody I should know about?"

Yugo dashed to his room, finding his Duel-Disk and deck on his bed. "A kid named Janus Yuki," he explained, strapping the Duel-Disk onto his arm.

"Yuki?" Mr. Muto halted at the doorway. "As in Jaden Yuki's son?"

Yugo paused and looked at his father. "Huh? Do you know him?"

Mr. Muto nodded. "I met the family several years ago," he explained. "How about I come with you to see this duel? I'll tell you the story on the way…and it'll give me an excuse to escape the house. It's been quite boring, anyway."

"Sure, okay!" Yugo nodded consent.

Father and son went back downstairs and through the front door, and moments later were walking up the street back toward Miki's house. "So, where do you know Janus from?" asked Yugo.

"I met his father, Jaden, back when I was only a few years older than you are now," explained Mr. Muto. "Have you heard of the famous Duel Academy?"

"Yeah, I've heard something of it," said Yugo. "It's a school where students train to become elite duelists."

"Basically," nodded Mr. Muto. "Jaden Yuki was heading there to take the entrance examination that would grant him the right to be a student at Duel Academy. He chanced to run into me, and…well…I gave him one of my cards from my stock and wished him good luck. And now, more than fifteen years later, he's become quite the fortunate guy!"

"How so?" queried Yugo.

"Well…he got married to Alexis Rhodes, one of Duel Academy's top scholars, even though their dorms were entirely different," said Mr. Muto. "You see, Kaiba originally built Duel Academy, and he instituted three dorms – Osiris Red, Ra Yellow, and Obelisk Blue. Obelisk Blue was the top dorm in the school, and Osiris Red was…well…at the bottom. And Jaden was in Osiris Red, and Alexis in Obelisk Blue.

"Nevertheless, they got married after graduation, and then – well, let's just say fortune was smiling down heavily on them," Mr. Muto grinned. "Alexis is now a member of the Duel Monsters World Tournament Committee – the highest board of directors for Duel Monsters in the world – and Jaden's the principal of Duel Academy!"

"And Janus is their son…how lucky can he possibly be?" wondered Yugo, his eyes wide with amazement at the story.

"It's been a long while since I had any contact with the Yuki family," Mr. Muto revealed. "Last I saw of Janus, he was just a tiny tot. It'll be interesting to see what sort of kid he's become…and to think, he's actually challenged YOU to duel!"

"Yes…he said he's my biggest fan since the Intercontinental tournament, and that he'd be honored to have a duel with me," said Yugo. "And, of course, I wanna see just what kind of power he's packing, so I'll oblige him."

Mr. Muto smiled. _The enthusiasm to meet new challenges and to test one's potential…that's the spirit of a True Duelist, for sure!_

----------

MIKI'S HOUSE, A FEW MINUTES LATER

"Yugo's taking a while to come back, isn't he?" Miki wondered, stuffing the last of the groceries into the cupboard.

"True…we've been putting up groceries ever since he left, and now we're pretty much done…what could be keeping him?" Jenna asked.

Kyo, in the living room, shook his head. "Ladies, ladies, ladies…don't ever judge Yugo like that. When it comes to a duel, he's one guy who won't back down from any challenge."

"That's the kind of spirit I like," Janus, seated opposite Kyo on the couch, nodded his head.

"So, tell us more about the Duel Academy, Janus," urged Mrs. Taylor. "I've heard plenty of stories about it, about how kids learn how to play Duel Monsters with expert precision and style."

"Yes, that's right," Janus nodded. "That's the main program behind the Duel Academy. Of course, we also have the regular school courses offered there, as well, like Math and English and all of that. But the classes on Duel Monsters training are extremely diverse, from ways to Special Summon monsters to using only Magic cards, and the list goes on."

"And you said your dad is the principal? That must be so utterly cool!" Jenna grinned mischievously as she and Miki came into the living room. "You must be able to get away with all sorts of stuff!"

"Nope. Not when my mom's the vice-principal of the school," Janus admitted sheepishly. "She's even stricter than my dad when it comes to school regulations – and believe me, both of them are VERY strict on that score."

"Hey, guys! I'm back!"

Everyone turned to face the front door – and there stood Yugo, a grin on his face. Behind him stood Mr. Muto.

"Why, hello there! I didn't expect you'd come with Yugo!" said Mrs. Taylor, genuinely surprised.

"Well…I wasn't about to miss this for anything," said Mr. Muto. "It was boring at home, anyway."

Janus stood up and beheld Mr. Muto. "Hey…is this…are you…?"

Mr. Muto grinned. "Hello, Janus. It's been a long, long time," he greeted the young boy. "You probably don't remember me, but…"

"Of course I know who you are! You're the former King of Games himself!" Janus said excitedly. "Mom and Dad always used to tell me about you!"

"How are they, by the way? I haven't seen them in ages," said Mr. Muto.

"They're good, really good!" Janus affirmed.

"Uh, guys…? The duel?" Yugo blinked.

"Oh, right. Sorry. Well, looks like you've got everything now," said Janus. "Let's step outside and get it going, huh?"

"Right on!" Yugo smirked. "Show me what you can do, Janus!"

"This should be interesting to see, don't you think?" Mrs. Taylor remarked to Mr. Muto as they all went outside.

"Definitely," Mr. Muto replied, a small smile on his face.

----------

KAIBACORP, IN THE MEANTIME

While Yugo had dashed home to fetch his Duel-Disk and cards for his duel against Janus, back at Kaibacorp Seta was still playing the Adventure Monsters game; Kaiba, Mr. Von Schroeder, and Jillian were still observing his progress. "I hope this doesn't go much further than this," Kaiba sighed. "As exciting as it must be for him right now, for me it's becoming extremely boring."

Mr. Von Schroeder eyed him knowingly. "Perhaps you might change your mind, sir, if you were to enter the game at this point."

Kaiba looked hard at him. "Is that possible?"

"Of course! Anyone can enter at any time and assume any character they wish, just as any player can end their role in the game at any time," said Mr. Von Schroeder. "My question is, do you wish to do so now?"

Before Kaiba could answer, Roland's voice could be heard from the floor below the game's display screen. "Master Kaiba! Honey and Raven Pegasus are here to see Master Seta!"

"Pegasus's kids are here?" Kaiba sighed. "Fine, fine. Admit them."

Roland nodded and exited the room. Mr. Von Schroeder smirked. "So, Mr. Pegasus's children are here, eh? What possible reason could they have for visiting you, Kaiba?"

Kaiba shrugged. "Seems his daughter has a thing for my son."

Now Mr. Von Schroeder's smirk became even bigger. "How interesting…how very interesting, indeed."

A moment later Roland re-emerged and went up the stairs to join Kaiba and the others. Behind him were Honey and Raven. "Hello, Mr. Kaiba," said Honey, bowing respectfully. "And Mr. Von Schroeder – you're here, too? This was quite unexpected!"

Raven let out a sigh and bowed as well. "Hello," he said.

"Good to see you children again," Mr. Von Schroeder smiled. "It has been a good while since I last came to visit."

Kaiba acknowledged both of them with a nod of his head. "What brings you two here?" he asked. "Come to see Seta, have you?"

"Yes, sir," said Honey.

"Well, take a look at this," and Kaiba gestured to GINA's display screen. "Von Schroeder here has brought a new game to me for testing, and Seta's the one giving it its run."

"Oh, a new game, huh? Father didn't say anything about this," remarked Raven, now interested. "Mr. Von Schroeder, what's this game about?"

"It's called 'Adventure Monsters,' my boy; and like its title suggests, it's an adventure game where the player gets to interact with all kinds of Duel Monsters in a role-playing setting," said Mr. Von Schroeder. "Say…since you kids are here, would you like to enter the game, too?"

"Can we, really?" Honey was very enthusiastic. "How?"

"Come with me," said Jillian. "I'll show you where Seta's playing the game." And she turned and headed for the elevator. Honey and Raven nodded and hurried off after her.

"I suppose I should head back down there with them and give them the equipment they'll need," chuckled Mr. Von Schroeder. "Be back in a moment, Kaiba." And he walked off, leaving Kaiba to continue watching the game from Seta's point of view.

----------

THE VIRTUAL WORLD, AT THE KINGDOM OF SOLITAIRE

During all this time, Seta and Princess Gwendolyn had been flying on the Tyrant Dragons toward the Kingdom of Solitaire. Now, peering into the distance, Seta could see it – the very same kingdom of light he'd seen at the start of the game. _WHOA – she actually lives THERE? This is too cool!_

"Behold, Lord of Dragons – the Kingdom of Solitaire!" Gwendolyn announced.

"This I can't wait to see…" Seta muttered as the dragons sped toward the kingdom.

----------

The sentry on duty, designed to look like Axe Raider (ATK 1700, DEF 1150), sighed as he adjusted his axe from one hand to the next. "Can't wait till it's time to change shifts," he muttered.

"Hey! Don't be slacking off, soldier!" another sentry below called up to him. "King Guyver will have your head if you fail to keep watch!"

"I know, I know," the first sentry grumbled. "I still can't believe it, though…Thestalos's minions attacked us all of a sudden, and now half of our forces are down as a result…and Princess Gwendolyn is still missing…"

Then he happened to look up. "Huh?"

Coming toward the castle walls at full speed were two massive dragons! "WAAAA! We're being attacked again!" the sentry cried. "Man the catapults at once!"

"Hold it! Hold it, I say!" a girl's voice cried from one of the dragons. "It's me!"

The sentries looked up at that. "P-Princess Gwendolyn!" they exclaimed.

Indeed, Gwendolyn was waving and laughing. "Open the gates! And inform my father that I have been rescued!" she shouted to the sentries.

"Yes! By your command, Your Highness!" they yelled back.

Beside her, Seta smirked. "You're really well loved and well respected, Princess," he declared.

"Yes…my father's kingdom loves me dearly," Gwendolyn answered. "Since I am next in line to claim the throne after my father passes on, and since I am easily able to relate to the people…of course they love me."

Seta couldn't help but smile a real smile at that. _To be able to relate to others…that's just the sort of way that a certain somebody I know is like, for sure…_

----------

BACK IN THE REAL WORLD, OUTSIDE MIKI'S HOUSE

Yugo and Janus were standing on the sidewalk, Duel-Disks at the ready. Off to one side, Kyo, Miki and Jenna were standing several feet inside the front gate, while Mr. Muto and Mrs. Taylor were seated on the porch. "A wonderful audience to this duel, don't you think?" asked Janus, referring to the others.

"Maybe," shrugged Yugo. "But let me warn you right now. You saw my duels during the Intercontinental tournament, correct? Well, that should be enough to inform you that I won't be a walk in the park."

"Nor will I," said Janus. "You're good, Yugo, I'll acknowledge that fact—but even you have to have known defeat at some point. For I definitely won't back down from this duel, either, no matter how strong you are."

"You're really determined…I like that." Yugo smirked confidently. "I like people like you—ready to duel with everything they have, as a way to push their limits."

Janus then narrowed his eyes. "I've seen exactly what kind of strategy you use, Yugo, from your battles in the Intercontinental," he announced. "But you have no idea of the kind of deck I wield. That gives me a decided advantage…and you one step towards certain defeat."

Yugo closed his eyes and smirked again. "Even so, that still provides me a greater thrill. Every new duelist I face, whether I've pre-witnessed his strategy or not, whether I win or lose, awards me with a little more experience that I can apply in future confrontations."

Kyo adjusted his glasses. "Seems Yugo's matured somewhat."

"Yeah," agreed Miki.

Jenna looked on, a smile on her face. "Yugo…"

"What do you think? Is this really a sign of maturity?" wondered Mrs. Taylor.

"For a duelist, it should be," replied Mr. Muto. "Yugo's come a long way and endured much to be at the level he is now. He's faced quite a number of opponents, and has learned some special tricks of the trade. But more than that…he's already naturally able to empathize with others' difficulties and sorrows, and he's able to understand people's feelings about things. As much as we may not wish to admit it sometimes, emotional pain is actually a good teacher of the most important lessons of life."

"I see…" Mrs. Taylor gave Mr. Muto a lengthy look, then turned her attention back to the boys.

"All right – time to get down to business!" Janus held up his Duel-Disk. "Let's do our best, Yugo!"

Yugo nodded. "Come on!"

----------

**_neomage:_** Okaaaaaay…I purposely avoided bringing this up until I was sure everybody reading this story could catch up to the latest updates, but now there's no more reason to hold back any longer! It's time for…the results of the JUDAS members poll from Chapter 130!

So, the most favorite members of JUDAS are: (1) Judith Skye! (2) Bernard Stone! (3) Jan Bakura! And the most hated members are: Abel Drake and Jude Lassiter!

(rampagerkriz and Kimiru are busily eating away at the banquet table)

rampagerkriz: Heavenly, isn't it, Kimiru?

Kimiru: Definitely.

yamikriz: (just getting up) Ooooohhh…my head's killing me…

rampagerkriz: Should I tell them?

Kimiru: Naaah.

kriztrigun: Can we go get some more fruit punch?

neomage: (comes charging in) NO! NO MORE FRUIT PUNCH!

Everyone: O.o

krizrampage: neomage…is there something we should know…?

neomage: -;;;; Uh, no, no…nothing important…heh heh.


	162. Chapter 162

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Legendary readers, bear my witness: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!)

**CHAPTER 162**

KAIBACORP

The elevator opened to the floor where the virtual pods lay. "So…this is where Seta's at?" Raven wondered as the group stepped into the room.

"Yes," said Jillian. "He's in an unconscious state inside one of the virtual pods right now, even as his mind remains active in playing the game."

They walked over to the pods, where Seta lay unconscious inside one of them. "So…all we have to, to join, is get in these pods?" asked Honey.

"Yes—and wear these," said Mr. Von Schroeder, holding up his game circlets. "Miss Jillian, could you assist in hooking these up to these two pods here?"

"Certainly," and Jillian took one of the circlets from him. Then, raising the lids for one of the pods, she quickly fitted the circlet's connecting wires to the slots inside. As soon as she was finished with that one, she went over to Mr. Von Schroeder and took the other circlet from him, fitting it up to the other pod as well.

"Now, all that remains is for you two to get in and start playing," said Mr. Von Schroeder. "Are you ready?"

"Yes!" Raven and Honey nodded simultaneously.

The siblings entered the pods, and Mr. Von Schroeder carefully placed the circlets on their heads. "A word of advice to you both," he warned. "In this game, every action you perform has a consequence – it can either give your chosen characters a destiny of good, or they'll get a destiny of evil."

"Hey, it's okay, Mr. Von Schroeder," Raven replied good-naturedly. "It's a game, after all. Now…time to see just how interactive it really is."

Honey laid down in her pod. "All right! Let's get crackin'!"

As the siblings relaxed in the pods, the lids closed over them, and the anesthetics activated. "I wonder how much fun they'll find this game to be," Jillian wondered.

"We'll just have to wait till they come back to reality, and let them tell us themselves," said Mr. Von Schroeder knowingly.

----------

THE VIRTUAL WORLD

**_Player name: Raven Pegasus. Duelist level: 9. Available outfits: loading…_**

Raven smirked as he saw this information. _Heh…a pretty high level. I wonder what Seta's level was when he started playing…_

In a moment two Duel Monster outfits appeared, which he recognized instantly: D.D. Survivor (ATK 1800, DEF 200) and D.D. Assailant (ATK 1700, DEF 1600)! "Wow! This is so cool!" he exclaimed. "Hmmm…which to pick…hey, I know! I'll choose…D.D. Survivor!"

Suddenly the outfit bonded to him in a similar flash of light as it had with Seta; when the light subsided, Raven was now the D.D. Survivor, clad in his tattered cloak! _Man, I'm a cyborg now! How cool is that?_ Raven thought gleefully.

**_Available powers: revival from fatal wounds after five minutes._**

_Is that right?_ Raven couldn't help but chuckle. _Interesting…_

The game's map opened before him; a red star twinkled over an area filled with ice. **_First destination: Illusion Glaciers._**

----------

**_Player name: Honey Pegasus. Duelist level: 10. Available outfits: loading…_**

_This looks interesting so far,_ Honey mused. _I wonder what kind of outfits we'll get to see…_

Then the outfits came before her, and she was amazed. There was a whole collection for her to choose from: Sonic Maid (ATK 1200, DEF 900), Maiden of the Moonlight (ATK 1500, DEF 1300), Amazoness Paladin (ATK 1700, DEF 300), Dunames Dark Witch (ATK 1800, DEF 1050), and Lady Ninja Yae (ATK 1100, DEF 200)!

Honey looked at all of them, unsure of which one to choose. _Uh…hmmm…I don't know…they all look pretty cool! But…oh, what the hell. I'll go with the Maiden of the Moonlight!_

As soon as she made her choice, the Maiden of the Moonlight outfit bonded with her in a flash of light. Then she saw the text come up before her eyes. **_Available powers: manipulation of light for both offense and defense. Powers are stronger under the influence of the full moon._**

Then the map appeared before her, with a red star shining over a shadowy land lorded by a massive castle. **_First destination: Black-Moon Castle._**

_Okaaaaay…time to get busy!_ Honey nodded with determination.

----------

BACK IN THE REAL WORLD, OUTSIDE MIKI'S HOUSE

Yugo and Janus shuffled their decks and placed them in the deck slots. Then the holographic coin appeared. "I'll call it! Tails!" said Janus.

Then the coin was flipped…and it landed on the ground…and it came up as heads. "Shoot! I missed it!" Janus groaned, obviously disappointed.

The both drew their first five cards; then Yugo drew his sixth to start off. _I should play it safe,_ he mused. _Let's find out just what kind of deck strategy this guy uses!_

"Okay, Janus!" he said aloud. "I'll set two cards facedown, and one monster in Defense Mode. Then I'll end my turn."

"Nice beginning," observed Janus. "But let's see how long you can keep it up!"

He drew his card. "Hey – I've got a really neat hand here!" he exclaimed. "Okay…to start off, I'll summon Elemental Hero Avian (ATK 1000, DEF 1000) in Attack Mode!"

He then summoned a green-feathered man with massive wings on his back and a noble look on his face. Miki started when she saw the monster. "Guys…doesn't that remind you of…?"

Kyo nodded. "Yeah. That JUDAS member, Vlad Draxton, who used Elemental Heroes…"

"And yet, I feel no malice at all this time around – I feel as though I'm being protected somehow," Jenna added.

"Yes," said Kyo. "These Elemental Heroes…they were meant to be superheroes, but Vlad Draxton used their power in his own rage-blinded quest for revenge. But this Janus…he's different, for certain."

As the three were talking in low tones, Yugo and Janus didn't hear them. "Seems like a pretty weak monster – no offense," said Yugo.

"None taken," said Janus good-naturedly. "Now, I'll set three cards facedown, and end my turn. Make your move."

Yugo drew another card. "Well…it's time for Avian to say goodbye! For now I summon the Illusory Gentleman (ATK 1500, DEF 1600)!" And then he summoned his fickle gentleman spellcaster. "Destroy the Elemental Hero Avian!"

The Illusory Gentleman pointed his staff at Avian and fired a blast of fiery energy at the superhero. But Janus shook his head. "I don't think so! I activate my trap card, Hero Barrier!"

Suddenly a spinning steel shield emerged in front of Avian and deflected the attack! "If there's an Elemental Hero on my side of the field when I activate this card, it negates one attack from my opponent's monster," explained Janus.

"Nice," Yugo nodded respectfully. "Okay, then. I'll end my turn for now."

Janus drew another card; now he held three. "Great…so great that I have such a faithful deck!" he crowed jubilantly. "Now…I'll activate the field magic card, Skyscraper!"

As Janus played the card, all at once tall buildings began to rise around them. But Yugo shouted, "No way! I'll activate the trap card, Magic Jammer, and discard one card from my hand for its effect!" He swiftly discarded from his hand. "Now, your magic card's activation will be negated and the card itself will be destroyed!"

A large magic seal emerged on the field. But Janus just laughed. "Nice try, but no dice! I'll activate my own trap card, Feather Wind!"

To Yugo's astonishment, Avian began flapping his wings with massive force, blasting the seal away! "I could only activate Feather Wind if Elemental Hero Avian was on my side of the field," said Janus. "Then, I could negate the activation of one of your Magic or Trap cards and destroy it." And as he spoke, Skyscraper's numerous buildings finished shooting for the sky, surrounding them in a massive metropolis.

Yugo rubbed his nose. "Well…I gotta admit…you've got a pretty good defense."

"Indeed I do," said Janus. "Let me tell you something, Yugo. Years ago, my father was a really great duelist, just like your dad. He always made sure he did the right thing; I never once saw him do anything that was wrong or illegal or anything like that. Sure, he wasn't perfect, because he had his vices and flaws; but overall he was on the level. I looked up to him for that…and so, when I first began to learn the Duel Monsters game, I asked if I could have his deck, the deck that had seen him through his youth. He willingly gave it up to me…with a silent request to his trusted monster partners to protect me always." He smiled. "I'll always be indebted to Dad for the lessons on life that he gave me…and for giving me his very own deck that he loved so much."

Yugo looked long at Janus. _This guy…he really looks up to his dad…_

"How about you, Yugo?" Janus asked. "You, being the son of a legend…it must be really cool, huh?"

Yugo smiled a little. "Yeah…I guess some people would think so…" He ran a hand over his face and his voice became very quiet. "But I have to be level with you, Janus. Plenty of times in the past, I hated the idea of being the son of the King of Games…because nobody acknowledged me for my own talents or skills. Over times, with the help of my friends…" and here he glanced over at Kyo, Miki and Jenna. "…I was better able to bear it…but it still irks me when somebody ignorantly calls me the 'son of the King of Games' without knowing a thing about _me._ All I want…is to be acknowledged for my own abilities, to reach greatness on my own strength without having to stay in my dad's shadow forever. So…I must admit, I'm surprised a little at how much you idolize your dad, who must've been really great in his day."

Mr. Muto, still seated on the porch, closed his eyes and lowered his head. _Yugo…_

Janus had been looking at Yugo with a sympathetic expression as the other boy spoke. Now he smiled a bit. "Well…I won't say I understand what you've experienced. But this much I know…I look at you, and you know what I see? I see somebody who's got a lot of spirit…who's got unlimited determination…who actually takes time to understand others. Not many people I know are like that. That makes you unique in my eyes, dude…and I really salute you for that." And he saluted with two fingers.

Yugo didn't know what to say to that. "Janus…"

"Now, come on! It's still my turn!" Janus nodded. "Let's continue!"

"Y-yeah!" Yugo agreed readily, his smirk back on his face.

Jenna smiled. "Yugo…"

"That Janus…he's really okay, after all," remarked Miki, and Kyo shifted his glasses as if in agreement.

Janus examined the field. "Now…I'll summon Elemental Hero Sparkman (ATK 1600, DEF 1400) in Attack Mode!" He then brought forth a superhero with lightning flashing all around his body.

_Uh-oh…Sparkman's got a higher ATK than the Illusory Gentleman! But I can remedy that!_ Yugo thought to himself. _I better do it quick, though!_

So aloud he declared, "Not so fast—I activate my trap card, Spellbinding Circle, to trap Elemental Hero Sparkman and prevent him from attacking or changing his battle position!"

A massive seal formed underneath Sparkman's feet, freezing him to the spot. Janus looked amazed. "Nice!" he exclaimed.

"Thanks," replied Yugo.

"That only means, then, that I should activate the magic card, Feather Shot!" Janus played the last card from his hand. "Now, by selecting one face-up Elemental Hero Avian when I activate this card, I can have Avian attack as many times as the number of monsters on your side of the field! And now…I'll just attack the Illusory Gentleman with Elemental Hero Avian!"

Everyone stared at him in amazement. "WHAT? Is he nuts?" cried Miki.

"What is he thinking? He'll destroy his monster that way!" cried Mrs. Taylor, jumping up in a panic.

"Wait, Serenity," Mr. Muto restrained her. "Perhaps he knows something we don't…"

Avian flew into the sky, spreading his wings far as he did. Suddenly, to everyone's amazement, his ATK shot up to 2000 as a massive shower of razor-sharp feathers flew down and skewered the Illusory Gentleman – and Yugo's life points went down to 7500!

"Thank the power of the Skyscraper field magic card," said Janus, as Avian floated back down to the ground. "When Skyscraper is active and one of my Elemental Heroes attacks, if its ATK is lower than the ATK of its target, then its ATK is raised to 1000 for that damage calculation only."

Yugo chuckled…and then laughed outright. "You really are something else!" he declared.

"Yep – but now it's time for Avian to attack again, since you have one other monster left on the field…Go, Avian! Attack his facedown monster now!" cried Janus.

Again Avian flew upward and shot feathers down at the facedown monster – but when it was flipped face-up, it proved to be the Royal Magical Library (ATK 0, DEF 2000), with a high enough DEF to repel the attack! One of the Library's books flew upward and clouted Avian in his head, sending him falling to the ground and reducing Janus's life points to 7000 in the process!

"Good…but not good enough. I, too, have a good defense!" Yugo smirked.

Janus chuckled. "This battle's getting really interesting," he announced. "Show me more of what you've got, Yugo!"

----------

THE VIRTUAL WORLD, IN THE ILLUSION GLACIERS

"Holy hell…this place is freezing my nuts off!" Raven whispered through clenched teeth.

He was right in the middle of a frozen plain, with snow-covered mountains on one side and a seemingly infinite stretch of sub-zero frost in the distance. "Well, at least this cloak provides some comfort," he though to himself as he wrapped it around him more tightly.

A bitterly cold breeze blew past him as he walked along, prompting him to wrap himself up in the cloak even more tightly. "Hope Honey's having better luck than I am," he groaned in disgust.

Then suddenly he raised his head – he thought he'd heard a loud pounding behind him. "Wha…?"

He turned – and stared in shock. Coming at him was a massive pack of white saber-tooth tigers with green turtle shells on their backs – Turtle Tigers (ATK 1000, DEF 1500)! "Oooohhhh, maaaaaaaaan…I am SO not cut out for this!" Raven bellowed.

----------

ELSEWHERE IN THE VIRTUAL WORLD, OUTSIDE BLACK-MOON CASTLE

Honey, now in the guise of the Maiden of the Moonlight, surveyed the massive castle before her. Its appearance seemed particularly sinister: its structure was not smooth or graceful, but jagged and rough-looking. Dark clouds of fog surrounded the grounds of the castle; up above Honey, the full moon shone brightly. Black birds of prey swooped around, and far in the distance a wolf could be heard howling with menace.

She then surveyed the grounds around her more carefully. At her feet lay skeletons of humans and of creatures that defied accurate description. To her right was situated a graveyard with various grave-markers; some of the graves were open and appeared, at a glance, to have been dug out from the inside. To her left were several tall pikes, on which numerous corpses and body parts were impaled.

Then Honey took a good look at herself. Her appearance was that of an angel: pure, unstained white robes, wings with silver feathers, a light shining from her fingertips. Her feet were bare and, underneath her soles, the ground was slightly slimy but otherwise firm. For all she knew, she was perhaps the stereotypical virgin maiden so often written about in vampire novels, alone, helpless, frightened.

But Honey Pegasus was neither helpless nor frightened.

"Time to put the undead back to bed," she hummed softly as the light in one hand formed into a massive bow. Keeping in mind that her character was barefoot, she stepped around the skeletons as best she could and walked toward the front door to the castle.

----------

**_neomage:_** Well, people, what do you think? In the real world, Janus and Yugo's duel is underway…and in the virtual world, Raven and Honey have begun their respective adventures! And don't worry, I haven't forgotten about Seta – we'll definitely see him next chapter!

(yamikriz bursts into the room with a piece of paper)

yamikriz: Guys! Guys! Guess what I found?

neomage: A new brain?

yamikriz: Ha, ha, very funny. (holds up paper) It's a treasure map!

rampagerkriz: A treasure map, you say?

yamikriz: Yep! There's treasure hidden somewhere in the middle of the Caribbean Sea, and I'm gonna go look for it!

krizrampage: Why do I have the feeling this is not going to end well?

rampagerkriz: Can Kimiru come?

yamikriz: Sure! The more, the merrier! (chuckling evilly to himself) Mwa, ha, ha…I'll have those idiots do all the work for me, and I can just relax and sip on some lemonade!

neomage: You guys can go ahead. I'm staying here and doing my homework. It's not gonna do itself, you know.

UPDATED 28/05/2006: Made a small error in this chapter; the name of the card is Feather Shot, not Featherbreak. Sorry about that.


	163. Chapter 163

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Just keep typing, just keep typing, just keep…huh? Okay, I gotta stop watching Finding Nemo so much…I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!)

**CHAPTER 163**

BACK IN THE REAL WORLD, OUTSIDE MIKI'S HOUSE

The score stood at Janus with 7000 life points and Yugo with 7500. Janus no longer had any cards in his hand; Yugo had three. On the field Janus had Elemental Hero Avian and Elemental Hero Sparkman in Attack Mode, plus he had his Skyscraper field magic card active, and one other card facedown; Yugo had his Spellbinding Circle trap card paralyzing Sparkman, and the Royal Magical Library in Defense Mode.

Now Yugo took his turn and drew another card. "Okay, now I'm gonna up the ante a bit!" he announced. "I offer the Royal Magical Library as a tribute to summon Chaos Command Magician (ATK 2400, DEF 1900) in Attack Mode!"

A moment later his green-clad sorcerer appeared on the field, her sword and shield at the ready. "Your Skyscraper card does your monsters good, BUT—it only works when you're attacking…not when you're _being attacked!"_ Yugo told Janus. "So…say goodbye to Elemental Hero Sparkman!"

Chaos Command Magician raised his staff, blasting Elemental Hero Sparkman with a massive burst of energy that reduced Janus's life points to 6200. But Janus only laughed. "Good job, but now you've given me the leeway I need! I activate my trap card, Hero Signal!"

Janus's facedown card finally flipped face-up, and a massive beam of light with an insignia on its front shot up to the sky. "This card could only be activated when one of my monsters was destroyed and sent to the Graveyard through battle," he explained. "When that happens, I can Special Summon one Level 4 or lower Elemental Hero from my hand or deck – and this one's gonna come straight from my deck! Say hello to Elemental Hero Burstinatrix (ATK 1200, DEF 800) – in Attack Mode!"

A large burst of flame erupted on Janus's side of the field as a foxy woman in bright red emerged. "Behold, the only woman among the Elemental Heroes," said Janus proudly. "But her power is going to be very helpful to me, very, very soon. I can feel it."

With that said, he drew his next card. "Now, then…I will activate the magic card Pot of Greed, to draw two cards!" And this he did. Then he looked at his new hand and laughed.

"What's so funny?" asked Yugo suspiciously.

"Well…nothing…except that now I'll activate another magic card from my hand – Polymerization!" Janus swiftly played the card. "And I'll use this to fuse Elemental Hero Avian and Elemental Hero Burstinatrix into one mighty warrior – Elemental Hero Flame Wingman (ATK 2100, DEF 1200)!"

Avian and Burstinatrix got sucked into a massive vortex; a moment later out popped a green-skinned warrior with a large wing covering one arm, a long red tail, and a red dragon for another arm. "And now, time for me to blast your Chaos Command Magician into the afterlife!" Janus declared. "Go, Flame Wingman!"

Skyscraper's effect pumped up Flame Wingman's ATK to 3100 as he prepared to attack. His dragon-arm's mouth charged up a large fireball, which he then blasted at Chaos Command Magician. The sorcerer put up his staff to block—and ended up getting fried instead, reducing Yugo's life points down to 6800. But as Yugo recoiled from the heat of the blast, another unexpected fireball hit him square in the chest, flinging him to the ground and sharply bringing his life points down further to 4400!

"Whoa! What on earth just happened?" Mrs. Taylor asked, as surprised as the others.

"It's the effect of Elemental Hero Flame Wingman," explained Janus. "When he destroys a monster and sends it to the Graveyard via battle, he inflicts damage to my opponent equal to the original ATK of the destroyed monster."

Yugo slowly picked himself up. _Damn…such power…and that Skyscraper card powering him up even further isn't helping matters, either…I need to get back at him right now, or else I'm doomed!_

"I'll take my turn now!" Yugo announced aloud as he drew his next card, giving him a total of four in his hand again. "I activate my magic card, Brain Control, paying 800 life points to take control of your Flame Wingman till the end of this turn!" And his life points dropped to 3600 as he activated the card.

Janus's eyes widened. "Uh-oh!"

Flame Wingman faltered a moment, then flew over to Yugo's side of the field. "And now, time to do a bit of damage," Yugo smirked. "I'll offer Flame Wingman as a tribute to summon Dark Magician Girl (ATK 2000, DEF 1700) in Attack Mode!"

Then Flame Wingman disappeared in a cloud of smoke; in his place stood Dark Magician Girl, her cane twirling around in her hands. But Yugo wasn't done. "Next, I'll activate the magic card, Sage's Stone! When the Dark Magician Girl is on my side of the field and I activate this card, I can Special Summon the mighty Dark Magician (ATK 2500, DEF 2100) from my hand or deck…and he's coming from my deck this time!"

The familiar purple gem appeared beside Dark Magician Girl; it shone with brilliant light, materializing into the Dark Magician. But Yugo still wasn't finished. "And finally, I'll activate the magic of Heavy Storm, to destroy your Skyscraper card!"

Suddenly a massive hurricane tore through Skyscraper's metropolis, ripping the buildings apart until absolutely nothing was left. "Aw, crap!" Janus exclaimed in dismay.

"Now, time to attack!" Yugo declared. "Dark Magician, Dark Magician Girl…use your magic and bring down his life points!"

Dark Magician raised a hand and blasted a magic spell at Janus, knocking him back and reducing his life points to 3700. Then Dark Magician Girl took her turn, firing a blast from her cane that knocked Janus down altogether and brought his life points to 1700!

"Whoo-hoo! Way to go, Yugo!" Jenna cheered.

"Yeah! You've got him right where you want him now, Yugo!" Miki added her voice.

But Kyo, adjusting his glasses slightly, wasn't so certain. _Even after taking such an assault a while ago, Janus seems a little too calm…almost as if he knows something Yugo doesn't…_

Janus stood up. "Nice, Yugo," he congratulated him. "But now I have to ask you a very important question…and I want you to think carefully about it before you answer."

Yugo looked at him inquiringly. "What is it?"

Janus looked levelly at him. "Yugo…how much do you believe in yourself?"

----------

THE VIRTUAL WORLD, IN THE ILLUSION GLACIERS, AT THAT MOMENT

"Get – the hell – away – from me!" Raven shouted, knocking back one Turtle Tiger with the back of his fist.

Roaring, the rest of the pack rushed at him, but Raven wasn't about to go down without a fight. Jumping in the air, he spun and delivered a powerful kick to one Turtle Tiger's face, breaking off one of its fangs and sending it flying into another of its brethren. Landing back on the ground, he jumped again, this time flipping over another Turtle Tiger and bouncing off its shell with his hands.

Raven landed on one knee on the ground, and spun to face his bestial attackers. "Bring it on," he whispered.

Growling low in their throats, the Turtle Tigers stalked menacingly toward Raven – but suddenly a loud voice commanded, "Down, my pets!"

And then, just like that, all of the Turtle Tigers sat down. Raven, of course, was dumbfounded. "Huh?"

Looking up, he saw at once where the voice had come from: standing on top of a nearby icy boulder was a blue-haired being wearing a mask that concealed all facial features – the Aqua Madoor (ATK 1200, DEF 2000). By his side slinked a bluish metallic eel…the Metallizing Parasite – Lunatite (ATK 1000, DEF 500)!

"I must apologize for my pets," said Aqua Madoor, speaking with a suspiciously French accent. "I fed them not too long ago, but they have a tendency to be greedy for human flesh; the first whiff of it that they get, they'll go tearing after it. Although, I may just be inclined to allow them that pleasure this time…"

"What do you want?" Raven demanded.

"Well, hmm, how should I put this…you suddenly appeared out of nowhere on _my_ territory. I, for one, despise intruders, and I never welcome visitors. Any visitors that come to the Illusion Glaciers immediately become food for my pets."

"If that is true, then why did you halt their movement just now?" Raven challenged.

"Watching you best my beasts…it's a marvel that you were able to do that," admitted Aqua Madoor, fingering his chin thoughtfully. "Perhaps, just perhaps, you may possess great strength, stranger. For that reason…I wish to challenge you to a duel, to find out which of us is the superior being." He spread his arms out wide. "Fight me now!"

Raven smirked. "Is that it? Then I won't be too long. I accept your weak-ass challenge."

Aqua Madoor smirked underneath his mask. _If only you knew just how bad it will be for you now…you fool!_

----------

ELSEWHERE IN THE VIRTUAL WORLD, BLACK-MOON CASTLE

Several Spear Cretins (ATK 500, DEF 500) flew down from the ceiling at Honey, intent on impaling her with their spears. But she coolly aimed her bow of light at them, firing several light arrows that skewered them completely. _Is this all this castle has to offer?_ she wondered to herself.

She heard a shuffling noise to her left; immediately she turned, aimed, and fired straight into the forehead of a Feral Imp (ATK 1300, DEF 1400) that had been charging from the shadows. As the green beast howled and violently collapsed to the floor, Honey flapped her angel wings and flew out of harm's way to avoid the impending head-on collision.

She flew herself up to the upper staircase, landing neatly. Then she came face-to-face with five Armored Zombies (ATK 1500, DEF 0), all standing in a line with swords drawn. _This is too easy,_ she mused as she drew her bow again, firing three arrows in one shot and impaling all of the zombies at the same time.

"Impressive, dear girl," a male voice behind her spoke up. Turning, Honey found herself looking at a large floating brain—the Tainted Wisdom (ATK 1250, DEF 800)!

"I do not know why you sought to enter my castle," the brain continued talking, "but I am impressed with your feistiness. However, you are also very, very naïve – and very, very foolish. Many before you have come seeking to slay me – and all of them were stronger than you, yet all have failed. You will be no different."

"Whatever." Honey raised her bow and took aim, blasting an arrow into the Tainted Wisdom. The brain twitched, then fell out of the air and began to leak blood all over.

Honey looked down at the slowly-deteriorating brain. "Master of the castle…if you want to talk to me, come talk to me yourself," she muttered.

A loud, sinister snarling behind her arrested her attention. Slowly turning her whole body to face whatever it was, her eyes widened in sudden shock. Standing at the extreme end of the staircase, walking toward her with jaws dripping drool, was a beast with two heads, two flailing tails, and eyes that glowed with bloodlust – the Twin-Headed Wolf (ATK 1500, DEF 1000)! "Nice doggy…good doggy…sit, boy," Honey whispered as she raised her bow again.

----------

ELSEWHERE IN THE VIRTUAL WORLD, THE KINGDOM OF SOLITAIRE

While Yugo and Janus were dueling in the real world, and while Raven and Honey were fighting for their lives in the virtual world, what was happening with Seta? What had happened to him after he and Princess Gwendolyn arrived back at the Kingdom of Solitaire?

Well, at this very moment the whole kingdom was engaging in much celebration over Gwendolyn's safe return. The townspeople were running throughout the streets, waving flags and banners and cheering, even as Seta and Gwendolyn walked along the main street toward the palace. "Wow…such festivities," Seta marveled.

"Quite so, Lord of Dragons," said Gwendolyn. "And this is only the beginning. The kingdom will prepare a fiesta to further the celebration later this evening…after you have met with my father, King Guyver."

Momentarily they arrived at the steps leading up to the front doors of the palace. Even as the crowds behind them continued to cheer the return of their princess, the two calmly walked up the steps, followed by sentries. The flight of steps was rather long, but in a few minutes the reached the doors, and the guards standing there pushed the doors open and stood aside so they could step in.

Seta stared at the marvelous view inside. "Awesome…" he whispered under his breath.

He was looking at the main hall, where the columns were giant bars of pure diamond. The carpet and curtains were made from gold, and the tiles on the floor were made from silver. The tiles on the walls were decorated with rubies, sapphires, emeralds, topazes, and every single other gem he could imagine. _This kingdom…is filthy stinking rich!_ Seta realized.

The guards escorted the pair through the hall and up another flight of stairs, where a massive door awaited them. That door was opened from the inside by two more guards; Seta and Gwendolyn stepped in and found themselves in the throne room.

"My daughter! You have returned, safe and sound!" a voice cried, causing Seta to look up. Directly in front of him was a giant throne, and on that throne sat a man strongly resembling King's Knight (ATK 1600, DEF 1400), dressed in royal robes to fit the persona. This, Seta decided, must be King Guyver of the kingdom of Solitaire.

"Father!" Gwendolyn cried, running to her father's side. "It was horrible! Thestalos and his army nearly had their way with me, but…" She indicated Seta. "This brave traveler, the Lord of Dragons, rescued me and brought me back home!"

"Indeed," said King Guyver. He then looked directly at Seta. "Good, sir, I thank you deeply, from the bottom of my heart. My daughter is worth more to me than all the riches of Solitaire; had I lost her, I know not what I might have done. You have the gratitude of myself and of the entire kingdom of Solitaire."

"Your Majesty," and Seta went down on one knee respectfully. "I cannot take all the credit. I had help from representatives of the Forest of Rapture and of the Azure Ocean; it is because of them why I was able to defeat Thestalos."

"They will get their due, as well," King Guyver assured him. "I am prepared, my friend, to give you anything your heart desires as thanks for bringing my Gwendolyn back to me. What would you desire? Riches? Fame?"

"Actually, Your Majesty, I only desire two things," said Seta, standing up. "I started this journey of mine, not knowing what I should do or where I should go. In all truthfulness, it was completely by accident that I managed to meet upon Princess Gwendolyn; it was not my intention from the beginning to rescue her, though I do not regret that I have done so. And…" He looked down at his own gloved hand. "During my battle with Thestalos, I exhibited a strange power – a blade of light from my wrist. That is not one of my powers that I know I am capable of…and so I wish to discover what its origin and purpose truly is."

King Guyver nodded. "Your honesty is of good merit," he acknowledged. "Very well. I shall tell you of a legend that has ruled over this land for decades. Will you lend me your ears?"

"Say on," said Seta.

The king nodded and continued. "According to this legend, there are five evil beings whose collective power opens a gateway to a holy sanctuary sealed away in the heavens. Long ago, this sanctuary's blessing was available to all, but those five beings, in jealousy toward that sanctuary's keeper, stole his power and sealed him and his sanctuary away. It is said that if all five evil beings are slain, then the seal will be broken and the way forward will be opened." He chuckled knowingly. "Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch, whom you have slain, was one of those five beings."

"I see," said Seta. "So, what should I do now?"

King Guyver rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "As your title suggests, Lord of Dragons, you should be able to control the power of dragons with relative ease. So, here is what I believe you can do…East of our kingdom is a mighty mountain, the Peak of Revelation, where there is said to reside a great dragon of light. He is believed to possess great wisdom and knowledge of all things; perhaps, if you find him and impress him enough, he may lend you his strength…and also tell you what you need to do to fulfill your quest, and also explain to you the nature of this mysterious weapon you say appeared on your arm."

Seta nodded. _So, this is the point of this whole game, then, Mr. Von Schroeder…find and defeat these beings that sealed away this sanctuary, and restore its power to the people! Now, THIS is getting interesting!_

"I understand, Your Majesty. Thank you for your assistance." Seta bowed to the king.

King Guyver nodded. "And thank you again, young friend, for returning Gwendolyn to our kingdom. I say…you must be tired, after having traveled such a long way to come here. You will stay here at the palace with us for tonight, and join us for dinner. Your quest surely can wait till tomorrow, yes?"

"Yes…now that you mention it, I do feel a bit tired. Resting here would greatly return my energy for the completion of this quest." Seta nodded with determination. "I accept your offer to join you for dinner, Your Majesty."

King Guyver nodded with approval, and beside him Gwendolyn's eyes shone.

----------

**_neomage:_** Well…not much to say except…ANOTHER CHAPTER'S DOWN! WHOO-HOO!

(yamikriz, rampagerkriz and Kimiru are on a speedboat heading out into the Caribbean Sea)

yamikriz: Map?

rampagerkriz: Check.

yamikriz: Diving equipment?

Kimiru: Check.

yamikriz: Compass? Metal detector? Rope pulleys?

rampagerkriz: Check, check, and check.

yamikriz: Bottles of water? Bottles of lemonade? Corned beef sandwiches? Cheese sandwiches? Bottle of vodka?

Kimiru: Five times the check—hey, wait a minute, why is vodka here?

yamikriz: Oh, just in case we sustain injuries and need alcohol to deaden the pain of the wounds… (whistles innocently)

rampagerkriz: Whatever, man…

UPDATED 01/06/2006: Replaced Penumbral Soldier Lady in this chapter with Chaos Command Magician, and made corrections accordingly. Skyscraper's effect affects the Elemental Hero only if the opponent's ATK is higher…not if it's exactly the same.


	164. Chapter 164

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: I have no official ownership over Yu-Gi-Oh. That belongs to Kazuki Takahashi.)

**CHAPTER 164**

BACK IN THE REAL WORLD, OUTSIDE MIKI'S HOUSE

"What…? How much do I…believe in myself?" Yugo stared at Janus, uncomprehending. "I don't understand."

"Think about it," said Janus. "All your life, you've had to put up with everyone referring to you as the King of Games' son, correct? And every time someone does, you get all jittery." He looked intently at Yugo. "I'm no psychologist, but I'm willing to bet that even though you keep saying you want people to acknowledge your own abilities, your experiences have left _you_ incapable of acknowledging _yourself._ You don't know what your role in this world is supposed to be…and as a result, you lack strong self-esteem. Pardon me if it seems offensive, but that's what I'm seeing as I look at you."

Yugo cocked an eye at him. "And how do you know this?"

"Well…laugh if you want, but…" Janus's gaze shifted to Yugo's Duel-Disk. "I've noticed it in the way you wield your cards, the way you command your monsters. You give them a command to attack, and they respond – but there's a difference between merely giving a command, and giving it with conviction and confidence."

"Well, I DO believe in my cards," said Yugo.

"In the heart of the cards, right?"

Yugo's head snapped up at that. "What? You know about that?"

"I'm well aware of it," acknowledged Janus. "Back when your pop was still dueling, that was his mantra, right? Well, my dad believed in it, too…and he taught me all about it. I used to think that it was all about being an exceptionally skilled card drawer…but after some time had passed, I discovered that there was more to it than that. Do you want to know what I learned?"

Yugo narrowed his eyes. "Go on."

Janus smirked. "The heart of the cards is a bond between you and your monsters; a contract, if you will. Trust them to use their strength for you the way you want them to, and they will in turn trust your judgment. I trust my cards, and will do anything to ensure their safety…and in return, my monsters trust me, and follow my commands in battle to the letter. Tell me, Yugo…can you say the same for yourself and your monsters? Is your level of confidence high enough that they will trust anything you say or do, that they won't doubt your value as their master?"

Yugo frowned. In his mind's eye, he saw himself under his father's tutelage all over again…and then under Marik Ishtar's training most recently. "My father taught me about the heart of the cards from the first day he taught me how to play Duel Monsters," he revealed. "And…a friend…gave me additional training in bonding with my cards."

"Then why the lack of confidence that I sensed just now?" pressed Janus. "Even after all of that, are you still so afraid to be identified with your father, with the legacy he made? Do you not have the will to get up and _prove_ everyone wrong, instead of merely saying that they are?"

Mrs. Taylor winced. "Isn't Janus being a little harsh?" she whispered.

"I'd bet not," replied Mr. Muto. "Janus's father and mother are principal and vice-principal of his school, and in addition to that his mom's a member of the Duel Monsters World Tournament Committee. Evidently, Janus has had to deal with a certain celebrity status that's borne down on him for a long time. When you take that into account, it becomes easy to see where Janus is coming from—he's had enough experience to back up what he's saying now."

He held his head down a little. "And right now, Yugo's going to have to learn a lesson that even I could never teach him…"

"Yugi…" Mrs. Taylor whispered.

Janus was still speaking. "Yugo, believe me, I know what I'm talking about here," he spoke to the other boy. "With my dad being the principal of Duel Academy, everybody's expected me to act a certain way—to be exact, I've been expected to be studious, to be well-behaved, to be a 'good' role model. But as much as it may not appear that way before you right now, I'm none of those things." His eyes narrowed. "I'm more of a rebel, a carefree spirit. I love Mom and Dad, of course, but even I need to be my own person…and that's what I'm doing. I don't care about what anyone else thinks or wants to say…I don't let what they say bother me at all."

"You're thick-skinned, then," said Yugo.

"Call it what you will," said Janus. "I call it facing reality. No matter how much you try, you'll never be completely able to get rid of those folks who'll forever be comparing you to your old man. What you need to learn is how to not let those comments get under your skin so much. You need to learn how to accept that you can't change that permanently, and to show everyone just what kind of power you have for yourself, instead of speechifying about you being far different from your dad. Exhibit that kind of confidence in your own ability—will yourself to believe in your own true strength—and only then can you definitely say that your faith in the heart of the cards is genuine. Only then will your monsters be able to look up to you and trust you a hundred per cent."

Yugo looked imploring at Janus. "How do I begin to do that?"

But Janus shook his head. "That is not something that can be taught, Yugo. As a duelist, that's something you have to uncover for yourself, through diligent soul-searching. I _can_ give you one clue, though…do not think of yourself merely as a duelist, or of your cards or Duel-Disk as tools to perform duels. Think of them and of yourself as…something more."

Yugo raised an eyebrow. _What does he mean by "something more"?_

Then Janus held up his Duel-Disk. "Come now, Yugo! We still have a duel to finish!"

At this point in the duel, the stats looked like this: Yugo had 3600 life points, while Janus had 1700. Janus was holding one card in his hand; Yugo was holding none. On the field Yugo had both Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl in Attack Mode; Janus had nothing whatsoever on his side of the field.

Now Janus took his turn and drew another card. He smirked. "My cards will definitely see me through, for certain!" he announced. "Okay – now I will set one card facedown, and end my turn. Make your move."

Yugo smirked as he drew his next card. "Well…your life points are still open…and I'm willing to take this chance!" he declared. "Go on, Dark Magician – attack him now and bring it to an end!"

But as Dark Magician raised his staff, Janus suddenly cried, "Hold on there!" I activate my trap card, A Hero Emerges!"

Janus's card flipped face-up, and he held up the one card left in his hand. "I could only activate that card when you declared an attack on me," he explained. "Now, you select one card from my hand, and if it's a Monster card, it's Special Summoned to the field; otherwise, it's sent to the Graveyard. And, of course, I only have one card in my hand so…you don't have much of a choice, do you?"

Yugo bit his lip. "Damn…all right, let's see what that card is!"

Janus grinned. "Okay! Be Special Summoned to the field, my mighty Elemental Hero Bladedge (ATK 2600, DEF 1800)!"

As he played the card onto the field, a massive warrior in golden armor with a mighty blade attached to his left wrist emerged on the field. Seeing the danger, Dark Magician backed down immediately. "Crap…his ATK's higher than both of my monsters…!" Yugo grunted.

"Damn right about that," said Janus. "You can't risk attacking right now, can you? Heh heh heh."

Yugo scowled. "Fine. Since neither of my monsters has attacked, I'll shift both of them to Defense Mode, and end my turn."

"Smart move…smart move," said Janus as he drew a card to replenish his hand. "Now, Bladedge, slice Dark Magician into pieces!"

Bladedge dashed forward, cleanly cutting Dark Magician in two with his blade—and suddenly, to Yugo's astonishment, his life points went down to 3100! "HEY!"

"Oh, I forgot to mention," said Janus. "When Bladedge is engaged in battle with a monster that is in Defense Mode, the difference between Bladedge's ATK and the defending monster's DEF is calculated from my opponent's life points as battle damage. And now, since there's nothing else for me to do, I'll end my turn."

Yugo carefully drew another card. Then he closed his eyes. _What he said before…it's still pressing on my mind…is it truly possible that even after all the time I spent training with Dad, and the lessons I got from Mr. Ishtar, and the acknowledgement of my friends…is it possible that even after all of that, it's still so hard to let it sink in?_

"All right, Janus…" Yugo spoke aloud, holding up the two cards in his hand. "First, I'll activate Monster Reborn, to revive Dark Magician to the field!"

A moment later Dark Magician reappeared from the ground. Then Yugo readied himself to play the last card in his hand. "And now, since Dark Magician's a Level 7 Spellcaster and Dark Magician Girl's a Level 6 Spellcaster, I'll offer both of them as tributes to Special Summon my great and powerful Sorcerer of Dark Magic (ATK 3200, DEF 2800)!"

Both Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl disappeared from the field in a flash of light; moments later, in their place stood the black-robed Sorcerer, his staff crackling with energy. "Now, Sorcerer of Dark Magic! Destroy Elemental Hero Bladedge with Celestial Scepter Blast!" Yugo commanded. And the Sorcerer did just that – blasting Bladedge with a fiery spell that utterly destroyed him and reduced Janus's life points to 1100!

"Oh, wow! Another attack like that, and Yugo will win!" Miki said gleefully.

"Well, Janus DOES still have life points," Kyo reminded her. "He just might surprise us."

Then both of them noticed that Jenna had become very quiet. "Hey, uh, Jenna…what's the matter?" Kyo asked, concerned.

Jenna's hair was overshadowing her eyes partially. "You guys…I feel so sad for Yugo…because…even after all this time, he's still carrying such a sad burden on his heart…it's almost like he _can't_ let it go, no matter how much we've acknowledged his individuality." She sniffled.

"Jenna…" Miki went over to her cousin and put a hand on her shoulder comfortingly.

Back in the duel, Janus drew another card, giving him two in all. He took one look at the cards…and laughed. "Yugo! Sorry to say, but this duel's done!"

"How do you figure?" Yugo asked, puzzled.

"Watch this! I'll summon another Elemental Hero Sparkman to the field!"

Janus immediately summoned a second Sparkman to the field, and the warrior crackled with light energy. "Now… I've got one card that'll end this duel right here and now!" Janus announced. "But first, let's see…"

Then he pressed a button on his Duel-Disk, and a moment later his Graveyard information popped up. "Now, let's see how many Elemental Heroes have fallen," he mused. "Avian, Burstinatrix, Sparkman, Flame Wingman, Bladedge…that's five. But my next one will draw on their strength and defeat you!"

Yugo just looked at him.

"And now…I activate the magic card, Miracle Fusion! This will allow me to remove from play, from the field or the Graveyard, monsters that are listed on one of my Fusion monster cards that includes 'Elemental Hero' in its card name, and then that monster is Special Summoned to the field!" Janus activated the card. "And furthermore, that Special Summon is treated as a Fusion Summon! So now…I'll remove the Elemental Hero Sparkman on the field and the Elemental Hero Flame Wingman in my Graveyard from play to bring forth…Elemental Hero Shining Flare Wingman (ATK 2500, DEF 2100)!"

Flame Wingman and Sparkman got removed from Janus's Graveyard and swallowed in a massive vortex. Then—a bright white light burst from that vortex, so bright everyone had to cover their eyes. "Ow! Too bright!" Miki cried.

Then the light subsided, just enough to allow vision. Cautiously, the others looked up – and they were astonished out of their wits. "Whoa…would you look at that…" Mr. Muto breathed.

Right there on the field was a being clad in white armor, with steel wings on his back. As they all absorbed this scene, suddenly his ATK shot up to 3700! "Elemental Hero Shining Flare Wingman…his ATK is increased by 300 points for every other Elemental Hero in my Graveyard, and right now I've got four of those in the Graveyard," said Janus. "And…when he destroys a monster in battle, he inflicts damage to my opponent equal to the destroyed monster's ATK!"

Yugo's face paled. "Oh, hell, no…!"

"Oh, no – Yugo's gonna be wiped out!" Miki exclaimed in a panic.

"Go, Shining Flare Wingman! Finish it with Lightning Edge!" Janus ordered.

Shining Flare Wingman flexed all the fingers of his right hand apart. Immediately, bolts of lightning curled around his hand and along his arm, until his entire arm formed into a sword made entirely of electric energy. His wings spread out as he flew forward at supersonic speed; his movements were a blur as he sliced cleanly through the Dark Magic Sorcerer. The force of the attack hit Yugo, too, and he was flung back even as his life points shot down to 0!

"Aaaah! Yugo!" Jenna cried, running to his side. "Are you all right? C'mon, talk to me!"

Yugo groaned and tried, gingerly, to sit up. "Y-yeah…I'm fine…I think," he answered. "But damn…that attack was so powerful…!"

Mrs. Taylor's eyes were wide with amazement. "What…Yugo…lost? I can't believe it!" she exclaimed.

"Well, there's definitely no denying that Janus is skilled," said Mr. Muto quietly. "Both of his parents were duelists, and graduates of Duel Academy, after all."

Switching off his Duel-Disk, Janus walked over to where Yugo was still sitting up. "Hey…can you stand?" he asked, holding out a hand.

Yugo looked at the hand for a long moment. Then slowly a grin came over his face, and he grasped the hand in his own. "Yeah, I think I can stand," he replied, and Janus pulled him up.

Kyo and Miki were standing next to them by this time. "Yugo…you certainly seem to be taking this loss in stride," Kyo observed.

"So, you're not angry you lost?" Janus asked.

"No…not really." Yugo shook his head. "In fact…this loss only motivates me right now…to better myself for next time."

"At least you're mature enough to accept a loss," said Janus knowingly. "But you still need to learn how to truly bond with your cards. Remember what I told you before, Yugo: you need to see both your cards and your Duel-Disk as something more than just mere duelist's tools." He nodded. "Once you've deciphered the answer to this, then you can come back to me for a rematch. In fact…"

They all looked at him quizzically. "What?" pressed Yugo.

Janus looked thoughtful. "Could you do that…? Hmm…maybe…well, why not?" He then looked at Yugo. "You just might get the opportunity to face me again, after all, and pretty soon, too…"

"What do you mean? What are you on about?" asked Jenna.

Janus looked at all of them. "In exactly one week from today," he said, "the Duel Monsters World Championships will begin."

There was a collective gasp of surprise from the others. "The World Championships? That's a bit soon, don't you think?" asked Mr. Muto.

"Some people might think so," answered Janus. "But according to what I've been able to learn, the decision was made by the World Tournament Committee to have the tournament before Duel Academy's classes resume in a few weeks. That's about the same time mainstream classes in schools around the area resume, too, so all the better for folks like you, Yugo."

"I see," said Yugo. "So…what do I need to do?"

Janus looked levelly at him. "What you need to do, my friend, is do some serious soul-searching. Find out why you insist on maintaining this inferiority complex that you have towards your father, even though there exist several reasons for you not to. And, above all else, get to understand yourself a little better, and learn to acknowledge yourself for who you truly are. Once you can honestly identify and accept yourself, then your monsters will begin to respect you better than they have."

He turned to go. "Well…I gotta go now, but it was fun dueling against you, Yugo. Whether in the World Championships or elsewhere, I hope we can fight each other again…and by that time, I hope you have an answer ready for me. Till then, take care. And it was real nice meeting the rest of you, too; I hope we can meet again."

The group watched as Janus walked up the road, away from them, into the distance. "An interesting character…and very deep, too," Kyo chuckled.

"Yeah…interesting…" Mr. Muto agreed.

"I still can't believe he actually beat Yugo!" sighed Mrs. Taylor.

Jenna and Miki looked at Yugo. "Will you be okay, Yugo?" Jenna asked softly.

"Yeah," he answered, and nodded.

In Yugo's mind, though, he couldn't forget what Janus had said to him all throughout their duel. _Even though you keep saying you want people to acknowledge your own abilities, your experiences have left you incapable of acknowledging yourself…You don't know what your role in this world is supposed to be…and as a result, you lack strong self-esteem_…_there's a difference between merely giving a command, and giving it with conviction and confidence…The heart of the cards is a bond between you and your monsters…Is your level of confidence high enough that they will trust anything you say or do, that they won't doubt your value as their master?... Do you not have the will to get up and prove everyone wrong, instead of merely saying that they are?_

He let out a low sigh as his hair overshadowed one of his eyes. _Janus Yuki…you understand what I've had to go through…yet, you've taken all of your experiences in stride…how can I do that?_ Then he held up his head to look up at the sky. _Soul-searching…bonding with my cards…if I do this…will I be able to find that answer, Janus? Will I?_

----------

**_neomage:_** Ahhhhh…this is probably a little corny…but at least the point is there. Well, next chapter the Virtual Arc continues exclusively as Seta, Honey and Raven continue their respective parts of the adventure…and then, as soon as this arc is done, the World Championships will commence! Oh, dueling goodness!

(the speedboat has finally stopped)

yamikriz: Well, this is the spot. Now, we dive down and find that treasure.

Kimiru: Do we even know what we're looking for?

rampagerkriz: Gold, silver, precious stones, anything in an old treasure chest! Whatever it is, let's go find it! (dons diving equipment)

yamikriz: You guys go down first. I need to stay up here for a moment and ensure that the anchor's in place so we don't drift off.

Kimiru: (brandishes the Millennium Dagger even as she equips her diving gear) You'd BETTER be coming after us, or so help me, you'll be losing your fingers and toes one by one.

yamikriz: Uh…right. -.-;;;

(rampagerkriz and Kimiru jump off into the water)

yamikriz: Hee, hee, suckers… (pulls out the Millennium Laser Rifle) Just let Kimiru try to touch me…and then we'll see which is better – long-range or short range! Now, then – time to indulge! (opens igloo and begins to gorge on the sandwiches and drinks)

UPDATED 01/06/2006: As with the last chapter, I had to edit this one due to my miscalculation of Skyscraper's effect. When Skyscraper's on the field and an Elemental Hero attacks, its ATK will only increase by 1000 if its taget's ATK is higher. Sorry for the mistake, everyone.

UPDATED 19/08/2006: Forgot about Bladedge's effect. Added it back and did calculations accordingly.


	165. Chapter 165

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: 165, and still going strong. I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**(WARNING: Hints of Yuri in this chapter! Could get a slightly-higher-than-T-rating!)**

**CHAPTER 165**

KAIBACORP

Kaiba, Jillian and Mr. Von Schroeder continued to watch on GINA's display screen as the kids continued their progress in the Adventure Monsters game. "Looks like Raven's about to fight a major enemy…Honey is exploring a haunted castle…and Sir Seta has just accepted an invitation to dine with a king," Jillian remarked.

"Well, at least _they're_ having fun," sighed Kaiba.

Mr. Von Schroeder merely chuckled.

----------

THE VIRTUAL WORLD, IN THE ILLUSION GLACIERS

The Turtle Tigers stepped back as Raven and Aqua Madoor prepared to do battle. "Do not fret, my pets," Aqua Madoor addressed them. "In a few moments, you shall have flesh to eat."

_Freak,_ thought Raven grimly.

Then Aqua Madoor raised one hand to the sky, and suddenly let it drop. "Now, die!"

Suddenly Raven nearly lost his footing as he felt the ground directly underneath him rumble. Confused, he looked up at Aqua Madoor – and thought he saw something in his opponent's unmasked eyes. _SHIT!_

Raven jumped back from where he stood – just as a pointed icicle tore out of the ground right where he'd been standing! He flipped backwards, and kept on flipping for his life as more icicles appeared from below to impale.

"Agile, that you are," laughed Aqua Madoor. "Keep running around like the little monkey that you are!"

Landing on both feet again, Raven turned and ran even as more icicles emerged from below on every side. _Just too damn bad that D.D. Survivor doesn't come equipped with any external weapons except his fists,_ he thought ruefully. _But if I can just get in close…_

With that in mind, he turned and headed back in Aqua Madoor's direction. The wizard saw him coming, however, and raised both hands to the air, palms upraised. "Feisty little one, no?" he cried. "Well, have a taste of my magic!"

All at once a wave of ice rushed toward Raven, towering above him by several feet! "OOOOHHHHH, CRAAAAAAAAAAP!" Raven cried as he turned and ran like crazy from the ice tsunami headed for him. Unfortunately, the ice was traveling far faster than he was—granted, the whole area was ice—and in but a moment the tsunami flattened Raven completely!

Aqua Madoor had one eye on the spot where Raven had gotten buried. "Now, my Metallizing Parasite," he spoke to the Lunatite at his side, "get in there and skewer him!"

The Lunatite responded immediately, sliding along the ice and transforming immediately into water, sinking into the barely visible cracks in the ice surface. Then as Aqua Madoor continued watching, moments later large blue metallic spikes shot up out of the ice – covered in blood!

The ice wizard chuckled and headed over to the spot from where the spikes protruded, followed a moment later by his Turtle Tigers. "As I promised you, my pets…you shall have meat to eat very shortly," he grinned. "Now, it's only a matter of digging his corpse out of this ice…"

Suddenly a hand shot out from below Aqua Madoor's feet, flying up and grabbing his throat in a tight grip! "ACK! Impossible!" the wizard choked out. "You're dead! I saw you—saw your blood!"

As the Turtle Tigers roared in very evident antagonism and confusion, a bloodstained Raven stood there, still holding Aqua Madoor by the neck even as he shook his feet free of the ice. "Surprise, surprise, asshole," Raven declared coldly.

"No…impossible…how did you…?" Aqua Madoor wheezed; Raven's grip was severely constricting him.

"Heh…that's my special power, bitch," Raven announced. "I did die just a moment ago…but I automatically revived myself. I wonder, though…can you say the same for yourself?"

"N-n-no! Wait!" Aqua Madoor rasped.

Raven's eyes narrowed. "Fat chance." And then he rammed his other hand into Aqua Madoor's chest, ripping out both of his lungs in one swift movement even as blood splashed everywhere!

Sighing, Raven flung Aqua Madoor's still-twitching corpse to the Turtle Tigers; almost immediately they began to fight over the body. Not a one of them paid any attention to Raven as he walked away from the grisly mess he'd made. "Enjoy yourselves," he whispered.

"Impressive comeback, young warrior. For a moment I was afraid you were done for."

"Wha…?" Turning in the direction of the voice, Raven saw something amazing: Right there before him sat a massive snow wolf that resembled the beast Silver Fang (ATK 1200, DEF 800)! "Holy—! A wolf is _talking_ to me!"

"I am no mere wolf, boy," said Silver Fang. "I am the guardian spirit of all the ice creatures that have lived here over the last few hundred years. Once, the Illusion Glaciers were filled with joy and harmony, until the Aqua Madoor wizard came and placed everything here under his enchantment. With him dead and gone, the normal balance of things should return to our snow-covered home."

"I see," said Raven. "Only, how do I get out of this cold place now?"

"Between here and the warmer mainland, there is a village of great warriors who respect nature and everything that lives in it," said Silver Fang. "I shall take you to that place, if you like."

Raven nodded gratefully. "Well, I'm not about to turn down any available help. Thanks for the assistance."

"Then climb onto my back," instructed the wolf. Chuckling, Raven did as he was bidden; immediately, Silver Fang set off into a run, further into the snow, in the direction of the aforementioned village.

----------

ELSEWHERE IN THE VIRTUAL WORLD, BLACK-MOON CASTLE

Honey flapped her wings, flying up the staircases rather than running, as she fired arrow after arrow at the chasing Twin-Headed Wolf. But the snarling beast wasn't about to give up the chase; it was exceedingly swift, and dodged Honey's shots every time. This was how the chase had been for the last minute or so, and Honey was swiftly getting tired of it.

Taking aim with her bow again, Honey fired six shots in one go at the beast. However, the Twin-Headed Wolf dodged and jumped over every one of them – and then lunged at Honey, both of its heads reaching forward as its jaws flashed drool!

"Oh, no you don't!" exploded Honey. "BAD DOG! BAD, BAD DOG!"

Just as the Wolf's jaws were within biting range, Honey pulled her arms back, then swung the bow with all her might. It made a sickening _thud_ against one of the wolf's heads, causing the beast to fall to the ground with a loud crash.

"Now – take your rabies shot!" Honey cried, firing another arrow at point-blank range. Stunned by the blow to its head and by its rough tumble, the Wolf could do nothing to avoid the arrow as it pierced its ribcage and its heart, violently knocking it back against the wall in the process and spilling blood everywhere!

Flapping her wings wearily, Honey floated to the ground. She surveyed the dead monster carefully. "If you were only a little cuter, and if you hadn't been trying to kill me, I MIGHT have pitied you," she said softly.

Slow, steady clapping arrested her senses. Spinning around, she was met with an odd sight: At the other end of the room was yet another staircase going up; at the foot of that staircase was a woman in a purple dress, clapping her hands together. "Congratulations, my sweet child," she announced, in an Eastern European accent. "That's the fastest I've ever seen anyone kill a Twin-Headed Wolf – less than five minutes. Usually it takes about ten or fifteen minutes just to handle a beast of such cunning and determination."

Honey surveyed her carefully. Part of the woman's dress resembled bat's wings; her skin was pale green; her hair was extremely deep green; her lips were blood-red and small traces of canines protruded from between them. This woman, in short, strongly resembled the Vampire Lady (ATK 1550, DEF 1550).

Immediately Honey raised her bow again—but the Vampire Lady held up a hand. "At ease, Maiden of the Moonlight," she said softly, gently. "It is not my wish to fight with you. I have been observing your prowess ever since you set foot in this castle; I have no doubt that were we to engage in combat right now, your powers could very easily destroy me."

Honey lowered her weapon; but not her guard. "Why should I trust you?" she asked. "You're a vampire, after all."

"That may be…and yet…" Vampire Lady sighed. "It is true that our vampire race gets a bad name because of our habit of drinking blood; but it is only necessary for our survival. Humans need food to live; so, too, do vampires need food to live. It's just that our food happens to be the life-force of other beings, that is all."

Her eyes diverted away from Honey's face. "Centuries ago, this castle…Black-Moon Castle…it was the home of the noblest of all vampires, the Patrician of Darkness (ATK 2000, DEF 1400). He and the other members of the noble family had an unofficial agreement with the nearby human kingdoms that, once every other month, they would offer blood to us in exchange for us keeping the armies of the undead in our own backyard. However, his brother, my husband, was unsatisfied with this arrangement, and sought to overthrow the noble Patrician.

"The resulting power struggle was extremely bloody, and then my husband put a giant stake through his own brother's heart…" Vampire Lady looked exceedingly sad. "Since that time, the surrounding area near the Black-Moon Castle has become a haven of terror, ruled exclusively by my husband. His bloodlust knows no bounds…and if it continues, then the land will be completely enveloped in darkness that has never been known to mortal eyes."

Vampire Lady took Honey's hand in her own. "Maiden of the Moonlight, I implore you…use your power of light to free this place from the terror my husband has brought upon it!"

Honey felt a little uncomfortable, being so close to a vampire; discreetly, she eased her hand out of the undead woman's grasp. "Your husband…does he know I'm here?"

"He does," Vampire Lady nodded. "And he sent me to escort you to his chamber. But…before you go to face him, I would prefer that you go cleansed…and with the assurance that my word is true to my honor."

"And how do you intend to do that?" queried Honey.

"Come over here, and you will see." Again Vampire Lady took Honey by the hand, and this time she led the girl over to a small chair that had been sitting all by itself in the shadows.

"Hmmm?" Honey raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"Sit." Vampire Lady's voice was determined.

Now very puzzled, Honey sat. She watched as Vampire Lady stepped in front of her and then knelt at her feet; then, to her amazement, the vampire woman reached into the shadows and, seeming from out of nowhere, she pulled a small basin of water.

_What on earth is she DOING? This isn't something you expect of a vampire…is it?_

Vampire Lady had been wearing shoulder-length silk gloves; now, very carefully, she pulled these off, to reveal that she had carefully trimmed fingernails. Honey watched, her surprise slowly growing, as the vampire woman grasped one of her feet. The girl immediately realized what the woman wanted to do—she wanted to wash Honey's feet. She did had to admit, though, that her feet had gotten quite dirty from walking barefoot up to this point, from outside in the muddy grounds to inside in the dusty hallways.

Carefully, Vampire Lady dipped Honey's foot into the water-basin, her fingers rubbing the dirt away from the sole and from between the toes. _This is rather weird,_ Honey thought to herself as she watched the female vampire handling her foot, _but I gotta admit, it IS rather refreshing._

Then Vampire Lady reached into a compartment in her dress and pulled out a small hand-towel, using this to wipe Honey's foot dry and clean. Resting that foot on her lap, she picked up Honey's other foot and repeated the procedure with the water-basin.

Honey relaxed a little more. "Do you do this to every person that comes here?" she asked.

"No…I admit, this is my first time doing such a thing," Vampire Lady admitted. "I merely wanted you to be pure, as I said, for the preparation which I shall give to you."

By and by she finished washing Honey's other foot, and dried it clean with her hand-towel. Then, reaching into her dress again, she pulled out a pair of low-heeled shoes and slipped them onto Honey's feet, one after the other. "These shoes are made from pure blessed silver," Vampire Lady told her. "Use them in combination with your light powers, and something will happen."

"Thank you," said Honey. The shoes felt light and comfortable on her feet, she couldn't deny that. "But…how is it that you are able to handle blessed silver?"

"As I told you, our noble family had a pact with the human kingdoms," said Vampire Lady. "That included their holy men and women, who sought intercession for us from the keeper of a holy sanctuary that once existed long ago. Now…in my case, I can withstand my cravings for blood for up to three months at the longest, and during that time I am immune to the usual weaknesses of vampires, such as stakes, garlic, holy objects, and all of that."

Then, taking Honey further by surprise, she reached up and tenderly stroked the girl's cheek. "I must give you further preparation in order to face my husband. Do not be afraid." And then, out of the blue, she reached forward and planted a kiss on Honey's lips.

Now Honey was truly astonished. Truth to tell, she'd hoped that her first kiss would be with Seta; she could never have imagined that it would be with a female, and a vampire at that—and then she remembered that this wasn't real life, it was just a virtual reality game, so technically her first kiss was still safe, after all.

At length Vampire Lady broke the kiss. "I apologize if I startled you just now," she whispered to a blushing Honey, her own breathing heavy from the effort she'd just put forward. "My kiss serves as a counter for the ill-effects of my husband's power, should he attempt to bite you. It will protect you for a time, at least, until the battle is over."

Honey nodded. "I understand…I think."

"Good. Then let me not delay you any further." Vampire Lady stood up. "Come now. I shall take you to the place where my husband awaits."

"Okay." Honey stood up, feeling a bit revitalized. She followed her vampiric supporter as they went up the staircase, toward the place where the master vampire waited…

----------

BACK IN THE REAL WORLD, AT KAIBACORP

"Uh…okay…" Jillian blinked as she watched the exchange between Honey and the Vampire Lady.

Kaiba raised an eyebrow. "Zigfried…that kiss?"

Mr. Von Schroeder chuckled. "No need to be alarmed," he assured them. "That was just an ordinary closed-mouth kiss. Pegasus screened this game for any inappropriate material, and gave it the green light, so to speak. That kiss didn't last more than ten seconds at the most, anyway."

"Well, that's good to know, I guess," Kaiba sighed in relief.

"Well, Raven just slew that Aqua Madoor…now what?" queried Jillian.

"Now, however the game progresses is up to him," said Mr. Von Schroeder. "And the same applies to Seta and Honey, as well."

Kaiba stretched. "Well, let them continue their fun. I'm getting myself a snack." And he turned and walked away.

"Wait, Sir Kaiba! Let me join you!" Jillian cried, running after her employer.

Mr. Von Schroeder watched as the two departed. Then he turned his attention back to the display screen. "It's only been a little while since you all started playing, but to you it may feel like hours have passed," he remarked aloud. "Let's see how the next few minutes of real-world time are for you in that game…"

----------

**_neomage:_** Thank you, everyone, for your reviews of the previous chapter. I was feeling rather lousy when I wrote it…glad to see it turned out so good after all. As for the yuri-suggestive scene in this chapter…I was writing it, and then I realized what I was writing, and I toned it down so it would be more acceptable to you readers. (Hope I was successful.) Well, the next chapter will soon come…so enjoy the fic, everybody!

yamikriz: ACK! Miriku! When did YOU get here?

Miriku: I follow Kimiru whenever she goes on a dangerous adventure. A hikari and her yami should not be separated for long periods, after all. Now then…for your greediness… (slowly steps forward, the Millennium Vibroblade shining)

yamikriz: (thinking quickly) Uh…corned beef sandwich? (holds up sandwich)

Miriku: Hmmmm…okay!

(both begin to dig into the sandwiches without remorse)


	166. Chapter 166

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Yu-Gi-Oh isn't mine, now or ever.)

**CHAPTER 166**

THE VIRTUAL WORLD, IN THE KINGDOM OF SOLITAIRE

Seta had been shown to a beautiful room by King Guyver's servants, shortly after his audience with the ruler of Solitaire. Now, at this moment, he lay on his bed looking at his gloved hand. "Such power…dwelling within me…" he whispered. "And now…all I need is to find the dragon of light at the Peak of Revelation…"

There was a knock at the door. "It's open!" he called.

And in walked Princess Gwendolyn, followed by two attendants. "Lord of Dragons," the princess announced, "dinner will soon be ready. I thought I would come and tell you personally."

"Well, thank you, but you really didn't have to—one of the servants could have done that," Seta told her, sitting up.

"It was not for that alone that I came to see you," Gwendolyn revealed. "I have something else to give to you…something to show my own gratitude for your rescuing me from Thestalos."

She turned to her attendants. "Give us five minutes alone, please."

The attendants nodded and left the room, shutting the door behind them. Seta looked quizzically at Gwendolyn. "Princess…?"

She walked over to him and sat down next to where he sat on the bed. She placed her hands on his shoulders. "My rescuer…my hero…" Slowly her eyes closed as her face leaned forward.

Seta stared at her in real amazement. For one moment she looked especially beautiful; there was a light blush on her cheeks; her rosy lips were puckered. He knew what she wanted to give him as her way of saying thank you…and indeed, it would be an extreme honor to receive such a reward from a princess of such a grand kingdom such as the kingdom of Solitaire.

But Seta was no fool; he knew where his own affections lay. And he knew that it would be folly for him to allow Gwendolyn to get emotionally attached to him at any level. So he placed his upraised palm in front of her lips. Not feeling the friction she was expecting, Gwendolyn opened her eyes and looked at him. "Why?"

"I'm sorry, Princess," said Seta quietly, "but it would not be proper for me to take advantage of your gratitude in this manner. Besides…my heart…belongs to another."

Gwendolyn looked long and hard at him. "…to another…?"

"Yes." Seta smiled a little. "Please don't misunderstand. You truly are a beautiful young woman, and I am certain that any man who would want your hand in marriage would never regret having it. But…you and I are of two completely different worlds. You are of royal lineage; I am but an adventurer. After I leave here, it is very likely that you and I will never see each other again. I understand that you wish to thank me for saving your life; but to see that you are home safe and sound, and to receive help from your father to complete my quest, is thanks enough for me."

There was a long silence as the words sank in. Then Gwendolyn slowly looked away. "Tell me…this other of whom you speak…what kind of person is she?"

Seta smiled. "Well…she is…gentle…beautiful…sweet-tempered…unselfish…determined. She's ever willing to do anything for those she cares about…she's willing to risk everything for the sake of her friends. Her beauty isn't just physical in nature…it manifests itself in her actions, her words, her dreams. She's the kind of person you can't help but love, the kind of person you can't be angry with about anything."

Gwendolyn chuckled. "You must be really lucky to have someone like her."

Seta nodded. "I am."

There was a knock at the door. "Princess," one of her attendants spoke up, "His Majesty has sent word – dinner is served, and everyone is gathered in the dining room."

"Thank you," Gwendolyn answered. "We will be down immediately."

She then turned and looked at Seta. "Shall we go?"

"Yes, let's," Seta nodded in agreement.

----------

The palace's dining room was nothing short of glamorous. There was a giant chandelier hanging from a long chain overhead; purple carpets lined the floor; and the tiles on the ceiling, walls and floor were decorated with gold and silver dust. The dining table itself was crafted from bronze, covered with a tablecloth decorated with blue and red trim. On the table were all sorts of different food items: joints of beef stuffed with pineapple slices; a whole roasted chicken; roasted potatoes; bowls of bananas, mangoes, apples and sugar droplets; goblets filled with wine that smelled of honey. Seated at the table were lords and ladies, all elegantly dressed, all laughing and chatting. At the head of the table was King Guyver himself, dressed in great splendor, a smile of contentment on his face.

Seta and Gwendolyn came down the stairs to the dining room and beheld the sight before them. "These people…they are…?" Seta whispered.

"All the Lord Chancellors and their wives, the Most High Dukes and Duchesses, and the most senior officers of our army," replied Gwendolyn.

Presently King Guyver looked up. "Ah, my daughter, and our guest of honor!" he exclaimed. "Come, come!"

The two did as bidden; Gwendolyn took her place at the table at the king's right side, while Seta sat at his left. King Guyver then arose and held his goblet in one hand. "Ladies, gentlemen, I thank you all for coming to this celebration feast," he spoke. "I have held this dinner for two reasons: to celebrate my daughter's return from the clutches of the wicked Thestalos, and to honor the man responsible for bringing her back to us, the Lord of Dragons."

There was a general murmur of approval as everyone turned to look at Seta. King Guyver continued, "Lord of Dragons, once again the kingdom of Solitaire thanks you for rescuing Princess Gwendolyn. Your name will surely go down in the history of our kingdom after today; our gratitude will be with you always."

Then the king raised his glass. "A toast to the hero!" And every goblet at the table was raised. Sheepishly, Seta followed suit, and Gwendolyn smiled at him.

----------

ELSEWHERE IN THE VIRTUALWORLD, A HIDDEN VILLAGE

The snow of the Illusion Glaciers gradually lessened as Silver Fang raced along, with Raven riding on his back. "It's starting to get a little warmer now," Raven noted.

"Aye," said Silver Fang. "This village of warriors is just outside of the locale of the Illusion Glaciers, and is in fact quite close to the ancient Desert of Dry Bones. Because this village is in the middle of these two places, the humans there get quite a decent temperature—for them, anyway."

The ground along which they traveled soon became less snowy and more sandy, lending weight to Silver Fang's statement about their destination being close to a desert. "We're almost there now," the wolf informed his human/cyborg companion.

"Nice," chuckled Raven.

By and by Silver Fang's speed brought them closer and closer…and Raven could see the outlines of several huts. "Is that it?"

"Yes," affirmed Silver Fang. "The Hidden Ninja Town…"

Suddenly the wolf skidded to an abrupt halt, causing Raven to fly off his back—however, the boy's reflexes kicked in, and he landed on his feet. "HEY! What gives with the sudden stop?" he demanded.

Silver Fang sniffed. "I smell…blood…"

Raven's eyebrow rose. "Oh?"

They both turned and looked in the direction of the village; the town entrance was several hundred feet away from where they stood. As Raven looked at the gate, a sudden chill passed over him. _I feel…something…ominous…_

"It appears you sense it too," Silver Fang gave voice to Raven's thoughts. "Something sinister is in this village…something that has never been here before. Let us approach with caution."

The duo walked toward the town entrance, passing through the gates—and what Raven saw nearly sickened him. All around the place lay dead bodies: many had their heads cleanly sliced off; some had broken, twisted necks and bodies; others had what appeared to be stab wounds. Some of the bodies were dressed in the ninja garb of the White Ninja (ATK 1500, DEF 800), Crimson Ninja (ATK 300, DEF 300), and Armed Ninja (ATK 300, DEF 300)…but the majority of the bodies belonged to women and children as well, with blood staining their clothes and the semi-sandy ground. "My God…" he whispered, choking back his own urge for sickness.

Silver Fang sniffed again. "This was a massacre…not a battle…but pure slaughter…"

Raven's hands slowly closed into fists. "Damn it all…" he hissed. "Women and children, too…? Who the hell are the animals who did this?"

Silver Fang sniffed around again and walked off in a direction. Still taking in the bloody scene with disbelieving eyes, Raven followed after the wolf. "This is…wrong…" he whispered. "None of them…none of them have survived…"

Then he noticed that Silver Fang had stopped moving. "Huh? Hey, what's the matter now?"

The wolf's eyes narrowed. "Whosoever has done this…has absolutely no honor!"

Right before them lay the bodies of two more ninjas, Strike Ninja (ATK 1700, DEF 1200) and Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke (ATK 1800, DEF 1000). Both ninjas' bodies were slashed through thoroughly as though with a giant razor. On Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke's back was strapped a katana that vaguely resembled the sword on the magic card Fusion Sword Murasame Blade, while strapped to Strike Ninja's belt were throwing stars reminiscent of the ones on the Fuhma Shuriken magic card.

"I knew these two well," Silver Fang said quietly. "Both were the strongest warriors of this hidden town, full of honor and a sense of duty. That they should both be dead…but who…?"

"How funny that you should ask that, wolf," a deep, cold voice spoke behind them.

"Wha…!" Raven and Silver Fang spun around—and were amazed out of their wits. Rising up from the ground, sand and gravel pouring off his body, was an elderly-looking yet extremely muscle-bound man strongly resembling the Master Monk (ATK 1900, DEF 1000)!

Silver Fang growled menacingly when he saw the Master Monk. "You…I remember you…you used to be a warrior of this village…!"

Raven looked quizzically at Silver Fang. "Used to be? Did he…do something…?"

"Oh, he did something, all right," Silver Fang replied with disdain in his tone. "He trained here for many years, long ago, but…he got greedy for power. In his quest to achieve it, he stole some of this village's most secret and forbidden techniques, and killed many of his fellow ninjas. In response, he was exiled from this place…"

"Quite right so far, I shall admit," Master Monk shrugged, "but now I have returned, and have taken my revenge on these weak fools who dared to oppose my rise to power. And, with my legion of soldiers at my disposal, this village will be converted into my own empire, one that will overthrow every kingdom in this realm!"

"What henchmen?" Raven scoffed. "You're just one guy, as far as I can see!"

Master Monk merely smirked and then—he did some hand movements. "Watch out…he's doing some of this ninja town's secret hand seals!" Silver Fang growled in warning. "Who knows what technique he might try…!"

Suddenly, from the very soil around them emerged several stone pillars. Then, surprising Raven and Silver Fang even more, those pillars burst open, revealing inside them warriors who resembled the Monk Fighter (ATK 1300, DEF 1000)! "My Stone Lifegiver Jutsu," explained Master Monk. "With this jutsu, I can create any number of soldiers from stone!"

Snarling, Silver Fang lunged forward—but one Monk Fighter slammed him away with its rock-solid arm, sending the wolf tumbling a good hundred yards! "Silver Fang!" Raven cried out.

"Heh…" Master Monk's laughter caught Raven's attention. "Are you going to oppose me, as well, _boy?"_

Raven glared at him. "You bastard…you actually slaughtered an entire VILLAGE…just so you could acquire power?"

"Who are you to judge me? You are but a fool if you think you can stand up to me and live!" declared Master Monk. "So, if you know what is good for you, walk away now and I _might_ let you live."

"No way!" Raven snapped. "I don't believe in letting injustice just slide by like that! I'll make you pay for what you did to these innocent people!"

"You and what army?" Master Monk scoffed. "Go, my soldiers – put this little brat in his place!"

With that the Monk Fighters began to walk toward Raven with quick, menacing steps. Raven readied himself in a fighting stance—and then remembered that Strike Ninja and Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke's bodies were still equipped with weapons. _Too many of these guys approaching for me to grab both sets of weapons quickly enough, though…I'll have to make a decision and grab one of the weapons, but…which one?_

Now the stone warriors were surrounding Raven in a wide arc. _No time to deliberate!_ Raven realized. And with that, he swiftly bent down, and grabbed…

----------

ELSEWHERE IN THE VIRTUAL WORLD, BLACK-MOON CASTLE

Vampire Lady continued walking up several flights of stairs, Honey following after her. Honey unconsciously touched her lips with her fingertips; she still couldn't quite believe that the vampiric woman had actually _kissed_ her, even if it was somehow for protection against the power of the master vampire. _What kind of protection will such a thing offer me?_ Honey wanted to ask, but kept silent.

By and by they arrived at a giant iron door, with a large bat design engraved on it. Vampire Lady then turned to Honey. "Maiden of the Moonlight," she spoke softly, "this is as far as I dare to go. I can help you no further than this, but…I wish you all the best."

Honey nodded. "Thank you."

Vampire Lady nodded. "Then, I will open the door!" And she turned and pushed at the door with all her might.

The iron door slowly swung open, creaking as it did. Swallowing as she braced herself, Honey stepped inside, and Vampire Lady shut the door after her. _This is it!_ Honey thought to herself.

She surveyed her surroundings. She was in a large, open area, with only a single table and one chair for furnishing. High above her head was a massive window, currently shut, with no drapes. And…on the other end of the room was a coffin, tightly sealed.

Honey readied her bow of light. _Be ready for anything, girl…anything at all…_

Suddenly, there was a loud, eerie creak as, to Honey's consternation, the coffin slowly opened. Inside was something wrapped in massive bats' wings, from what she could tell. "So…the master of the castle awakens at last," Honey whispered.

The wings spread apart, to reveal a man with pale skin and fangs protruding from his mouth, dressed in a snappy tuxedo – the Vampire Lord (ATK 2000, DEF 1500). "Welcome, young child," he spoke up, in a stereotypical Transylvanian accent. "I am impressed that you have managed to slay so many of my minions…a remarkable feat for such an innocent-looking creature such as you."

Honey readied the light-string on her bow. "I'm nowhere near innocent. I'll destroy you right where you stand."

"But why would you? After all, I have no quarrel with you," Vampire Lord pointed out.

Honey narrowed her eyes. "True…but I heard the story from your wife. You murdered your own brother to gain a position of power…and now, you live in comfort while terror spreads out from Black-Moon Castle."

"Ah, so my wife told you, did she?" Vampire Lord frowned. "Then I suppose I shall have to deal with her and her treachery later…but it appears I will have to accommodate you, for now."

He spread his arms out wide, and his wings – now revealed to be razor-sharp – extended a little further. "Shall we begin, then, pretty lady?"

Honey's grip on her light-bow tightened. "Come on, freak."

----------

BACK IN THE REAL WORLD, AT KAIBACORP

Kaiba and Jillian headed back to arena where GINA's display screen was showing the Adventure Monsters game. Kaiba was munching on a sandwich; Jillian was nibbling on some carrot sticks. "How goes the game so far, Zigfried?" Kaiba called.

Mr. Von Schroeder, quite immersed in the game's progress, turned to see Kaiba and Jillian approaching him. "Well, my friend…so far now, your son has become engaged in a celebration party, and the other two kids are engaging in battle." He smirked. "And things are about to get even more interesting…"

Kaiba noted Mr. Von Schroeder's smirk. _Hmmm…does he know something about this game's outcome that we don't? I wonder…_

----------

**_neomage:_** Hello again, everyone! Sorry for taking so long to update, but I've been swamped with school assignments and tests, as I will be next week as well! And then, week after next, exams begin! And sorry if this chapter seems a bit dry, but that's for the same reasons just cited! But fear not – I'll make sure that come the next couple of chapters, things get spiced up for certain!!!

(rampagerkriz and Kimiru emerge from the sea, hefting a big chest)

rampagerkriz: YAHOO! We found the treasure!

Kimiru: Yeah, no thanks to yamikriz…

(all of a sudden Miriku leans over the side of the boat, retching)

Kimiru: Miriku? What the hell…are you all right?

rampagerkriz: (looks at Miriku and realizes) Oh, no, no, no! Please, dear God, anywhere but HERE!

Miriku: (gagging) Corned beef sandwiches…ugh…was possessed into eating…uhhhhh…

Kimiru and rampagerkriz: O.O;;;; NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!

neomage: What's gonna happen next? Will yamikriz be butchered? And how DID Miriku manage to follow the group – and why DID she eat corned beef sandwiches when she didn't even like corned beef? Was she possessed, as she claims, or…was it something far more sinister? (EVIL GRIN) Wait till next chapter to find out!!!


	167. Chapter 167

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Slowly winding down, that I am…and I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**CHAPTER 167**

THE VIRTUAL WORLD, IN THE HIDDEN NINJA TOWN

Raven swiftly bent down, grabbing the dead Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke's Fusion Sword Murasame Blade while all the while keeping his eyes on the surrounding Monk Fighters. "Okay, you stone freaks, bring it!" he challenged them.

Shrieking battle cries, two Monk Fighters rushed him – but Raven, in the blink of an eye, swung the sword twice, dismembering and decapitating both opponents. "Is that all?" he scoffed.

Obviously displeased, the other Monk Fighters rushed at him as well. Gripping the blade in both hands, Raven swiftly disemboweled one, cut another in two at the waist, sliced off one's hands, slashed another's face in half, and sliced off one' legs…all the while spinning his entire body and moving with a surreal grace. And, as the Monk Fighters were all made of rock, chunks of stone flew everywhere each time Raven swung his sword.

On an impulse, Raven bent down and then swiftly leaped into the air, spinning upside down as he lashed out with one foot. The kick caught one of the remaining Monk Fighters under the chin; its head snapped off completely as the body sagged to the ground. Landing upright again, Raven spun and delivered a double-kick to the last two Monk Fighters, in the same movement slashing their faces with his sword. The two opponents faltered, then collapsed to the ground.

Raven breathed heavily from the exertion; all around him lay the stone fragments of the Monk Fighters. "All right, Master Monk…you're next!" he declared venomously.

Master Monk applauded. "I congratulate you for dispatching my stone warriors in such short time," he announced. Then his grin turned upside-down. "But you will not find me to be nearly so simple!"

Raven's grip on the sword tightened more. "Let's go."

But as he took one step forward—suddenly the Fusion Sword Murasame Blade began to shine with intense energy! "Huh?" Master Monk stared in amazement.

Raven, too, was surprised. "What the hell—what's going on here?"

Electrical energy surged from the sword and coursed all over Raven's body. At the same moment—to his utter astonishment—before his eyes flashed a whole menu of character stats! He could see everything there – increases in his health, speed, strength, stamina…and, furthering his amazement, an option to change his character's class and appearance, complete with costume designs!

_WHOA…now THIS is some really freaky stuff! Heh…Mr. Von Schroeder must've designed this little gimmick into the game as well, so that if a character levels up…_ Raven's smile turned nasty. _I'm gonna milk this for all it's worth, I tell you!_

He looked at the costumes before him. There were three there – one for the Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke, one for Zaborg the Thunder Monarch (ATK 2400, DEF 1000), and even one for Blade Knight (ATK 1600, DEF 1000). _Hmmm…it's kinda hard to choose…after all, Blade Knight's weaker than my current form, D.D. Survivor, but it could have some effects that could help me greatly…Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke's strength is about the same…and Zaborg the Thunder Monarch is stronger, but it could lack some stats that I need…_

Raven examined the three carefully. _Oh, what the hell—I'll go with Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke!_

As he made the decision, the ninja costume flashed onto his body in a similar blaze of light. From Master Monk's point of view, though, all that was happening was that Raven's body was mysteriously shining! "What on earth!" he bellowed.

From Raven's point of view, this message appeared in front of his eyes: **_Available powers: revival from fatal wounds after five minutes. New powers: shape-shifting, duplication._**

_Heh…rockin'! Okay, Master Monk, prepare to take a beating!_

At last the light subsided…and what Master Monk saw put him in shock. Raven was now wearing an orange and blue version of the Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke's costume, and the Fusion Sword Murasame Blade was shining with bright energy! "What is the meaning of this?" Master Monk demanded. "Who ARE you?"

"Who am I?" Raven said coolly. "I'm the guy that's gonna slice you to pieces for what you've done to this village. Now, prepare to die."

Master Monk's surprise disappeared, and he scoffed. "Try!" he demanded as he reached down to the ground with one hand. Almost instantly, from the sand formed a massive sword, which the fighter then hefted in both hands. Yelling, he dashed at Raven, intent on striking him down!

Raven spat to the side. "Bastard."

Master Monk was almost upon him now. "Die, fool!" He raised his sword and then brought it down in a powerful swing –

– and Raven countered with his own sword, blocking the attack. "Sorry, but I'm not gonna die—at least, not today!" he snapped, forcing Master Monk back with a boot to the stomach.

Master Monk rubbed his stomach and smirked. "Impressive that you blocked such a powerful attack as that," he remarked. "Let's see you block THIS!"

Slamming his palm down to the ground, Master Monk smirked as his entire hand seemed to glow. Suddenly a bundle of sharp, rocky spikes erupted from the ground, forcing Raven to jump around to avoid being impaled. "Man, this is just like that damn ice wizard back in the glaciers!" he snapped.

Master Monk reared up at that. "Ice wizard? You mean Aqua Madoor?"

Raven jumped atop the most recently-arisen rock spike, and looked down at Master Monk. "Yeah, him. The little piece of crap tried to kill me…but he got what was coming to him but good."

Master Monk didn't take that news well. "You little bastard…you KILLED him?"

"Why should you be surprised? It's not like you care." Raven said this frostily.

"I'LL KILL YOU!" Master Monk raged, rushing toward the rock on which Raven stood. He jumped forward and delivered a crushing kick to that rock, causing it to crumble to pieces. Having lost his balance, Raven took a nasty tumble to the ground – and fell right onto one of the jutting-out rocks!

The evil warrior smirked as he watched Raven's blood fly. "Aqua Madoor…I have avenged you."

"Guess again!"

"What—" Master Monk felt a sharp katana blade press against his throat as, inexplicably, Raven stood behind him. "But when did you—you fell onto the—EXPLAIN YOURSELF!"

"Just look at where 'I' fell." Raven smirked broadly.

Master Monk looked – and his jaw dropped. Where he thought Raven had been impaled, there was instead a giant log! "You…you used the shape-shifting and duplication jutsus in one…"

"Very good. Now die." And without further ado, Raven flicked the blade backward, decapitating Master Monk in the process! The other warrior's head fell to the ground – and broke into pieces!

"Whew," Raven sighed. "Well, that's over and done with…"

Suddenly memory clicked. "Oh, shit…Silver Fang!" he exclaimed, turning and running to where he'd seen the snow wolf's body fall. "Silver Fang, you'd better be all right!"

At length he reached the wolf's fallen body and knelt down beside it. "Hey…you still with me?" he whispered, shaking the creature.

Silver Fang growled low in his throat. "Uhhhh…warrior…is that you? Where…where is that Master Monk?"

"Don't worry about him—I took care of him," said Raven softly. "And I got some new powers in the process."

Silver Fang opened his eyes and raised his head, looking at Raven. "Ah…yes…you have indeed changed…and I am impressed that you were able to defeat Master Monk."

Raven nodded. "Can you walk?"

"Barely," admitted Silver Fang, slowly standing up.

Raven nodded. "Listen…thank you for your help so far, but…you need to recuperate after that hit you got. Head back to the Illusion Glaciers and recover your strength."

"But what about you? How will you manage?" asked Silver Fang.

"Don't worry about me." Raven nodded knowingly. "I'll figure out my way, and what I should do next. But…I will not forget what a help you've been to me up to this point."

Silver Fang nodded. "And you have my gratitude once again, warrior. You liberated the Illusion Glaciers, and now you have avenged the slaughter of the Hidden Ninja Town. Surely, your noble actions will not go unrewarded. May the heavens smile down upon you."

With that, Silver Fang began to walk, slowly, back in the direction of the town's entrance to head back to the Illusion Glaciers. Raven smiled as he watched the wolf go. "Well…now I need to find a place to rest, after two battles in a row…"

He turned and headed into one of the houses nearby. It appeared empty, but at the far corner of the room where he stood, there was a small cot. Smiling, Raven headed for it and lay down, the Fusion Sword Murasame Blade at his side. "Time to get a little shuteye now," he thought to himself as he closed his eyes.

----------

ELSEWHERE IN THE VIRTUAL WORLD, BLACK-MOON CASTLE

Honey flapped her wings frantically, flying here and there and firing arrows of light at Vampire Lord. But the master vampire was flying about, too, and repeatedly dodging her arrows or deflecting them with his sharp wings. "Is this the best you can do?" he taunted.

Gritting her teeth, Honey fired more arrows at him, hoping that at least one of them would hit its mark. Vampire Lord wasn't making the situation any easier, though, for he constantly kept dodging and blocking arrows. "Stand still, already!" Honey cried.

Vampire Lord stopped in midair. "Okay. Take your best shot." And he spread his arms out wide.

Honey raised an eyebrow. _Something's fishy…but…who am I to waste the opportunity?_ She raised her bow again and fired off three arrows in one shot.

The arrows flew straight into Vampire Lord's chest, shaking him slightly with their impact. He looked down at them—and grinned. "That…tickled."

Honey's eyes widened in shock. "…no…!"

Suddenly, before she could react, Vampire Lord flew at her at terrifying speed and grabbed her neck with one strong hand. As Honey gagged and gasped for air, the vampire slammed her into the wall, pinning her there.

"You had courage to come to my castle, I shall grant you that," said Vampire Lord calmly. "But there is a very thin line between bravery and idiocy when it comes to challenging me. Countless others before you learned that lesson the hard way…as will you." Then he parted his lips slightly—and his fangs grew even longer as he slowly leaned his face forward!

Honey was now truly terrified, but could do little as she was starting to black out from lack of oxygen. _Can't…breathe…_

Vampire Lord was almost at her neck…

…but suddenly a massive jolt of electric energy shot out, tearing through the vampire's face and causing him to howl in pain. "AAAAGH!" he screamed, throwing Honey to the ground.

Coughing and choking as she fought to regain her breath, Honey was only barely aware that her lips were tingling. She put her fingers to her mouth – and felt something of an electric shock, just small enough to tickle her skin. _What…is this…? Could it be…?_

Her thoughts went back to when Vampire Lady had kissed her. _A counter for the ill-effects of the Vampire Lord…wow…I guess she really knew what she was doing, after all!_

Then she looked up at Vampire Lord. He was holding the right side of his face, growling in intense agony. "You…little…**_BITCH!"_** he roared.

Honey stood up and smiled. "Well, sorry, but this 'little bitch' is going to be the death of you now." And she lightly tapped the heels of her newly-gotten shoes together.

Suddenly, right before her eyes flashed a whole menu of character stats, complete with increases in health, speed, strength, stamina, and the option to change her character's class and appearance, along with new costumes! _HEEEEEY…I think I'm onto something here!_

The costumes before her were those of Wingweaver (ATK 2750, DEF 2400) and Guardian Angel Joan (ATK 2800, DEF 2000). Honey studied the choice carefully…and then she decided. _Okay – let's see the power of Guardian Angel Joan!_

Suddenly her body began to shine with bright light! "AAGH!" Vampire Lord pulled one wing over himself to shield himself from the glare.

Then the light subsided…and Honey was dressed in the robes of a true, mature angel. In one hand she held a massive bow. Except…this bow appeared to be made of two sharp and jeweled katanas connected at the handles, with a bowstring glittering like pure diamonds! And in front of her eyes flashed a message. **_Available powers: manipulation of light for both offense and defense . New powers: access to the powers of the ancient holy sanctuary._**

"Okay, bloodsucker," Honey announced as she raised her bow. "Time to meet your doom."

Snarling, Vampire Lord pulled his hand away from his face—and the right side of his face was horribly burned off. "Impudent child!" he raged, flying down at her.

Honey calmly raised her newly-improved bow and pulled back on the string. At once twenty light-arrows appeared on it. "Die," she said in an equally calm voice as she released the string.

All twenty arrows flew around the room in different directions, surrounding a very irate Vampire Lord. On contact with him, the arrows exploded in big balls of consuming light! "NOOOOOO!" he screamed as the arrows blew up against him, reducing his body to ashes!

Honey watched as the arrows did their work, reducing Vampire Lord to nothing but a smoldering heap. Sighing in relief, she sank down to the floor on her butt. "Glad that's over…"

The door creaked open, grabbing her attention. Then Vampire Lady stepped in, and beheld the ashes on the floor. "Well done. You have defeated my husband…and you have gotten more power, it would appear."

Honey nodded, somewhat tiredly. "Yeah."

Vampire Lady nodded knowingly. "My dear child, you have been exhausted after having to fight so hard and so long, both against my husband and his minions. If you like, you may rest here at the castle for the remainder of the night, and take your leave in the morning. After what you have done, to liberate this place…it is the least I can do."

Honey managed a smile. "You've done plenty for me up to now. It is I who should thank you."

"Come with me." Vampire Lady held out a hand to help Honey up, and the girl accepted it willingly.

"Where will you take me?" Honey inquired.

Vampire Lady chuckled a little, but said nothing in reply. She led Honey by the hand out the door and toward another flight of stairs heading up. They went up, up, up…and eventually arrived at a simply-designed door.

Vampire Lady gently pushed the door open, and Honey looked in. It appeared to be a normal bedroom, for all intents and purposes, with a queen-sized bed in the middle of the room. The undead woman indicated to Honey that she should go over to the bed; Honey complied.

"Rest well, young one," said Vampire Lady softly. "Tomorrow, when you wake…for the first time in a long time…the light of the dawn will shine down on us. Till tomorrow, then…" And with that she retreated from the room, closing the door behind her.

Honey smiled. "This is getting interesting, indeed," she whispered as she slipped off her shoes and climbed into the bed.

----------

**_neomage:_** HA! Another chapter down! And, don't worry, folks, I haven't forgotten about Seta at all—next chapter's gonna feature him prominently!

(rampagerkriz and Kimiru finally climb back on board the boat)

rampagerkriz: I sank myself into the sea THREE TIMES…and I still can't get the smell of puke off me…oh, gross, gross, groooooosss…

Kimiru: I am gonna **_kill_** yamikriz!

Miriku (still groaning): Uhhh…man do I feel awful…

rampagerkriz: NO! NO PUKING RIGHT HERE!

Kimiru: I wonder, though…why _would_ Miriku eat corned beef when she knows she can't stand the stuff?

Mysterious voice: Because I COMMANDED her to!

(rampagerkriz and Kimiru look up)

Kimiru: Wha…? It's you—Yami Marik!

(Yami Marik stands over them, brandishing the Millennium Rod)

Yami Marik: That's right! And now, it's time to send you fools to the Shadows! MWA HA HA!

neomage: Kimiru, I leave this to you…how should this little scene end? You be the judge! .


	168. Chapter 168

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER:** (trumpet fanfare) **Let it be known throughout the land…that neomage does not own Yu-Gi-Oh!)

**CHAPTER 168**

BACK IN THE REAL WORLD, AT KAIBACORP

As the Adventure Monsters game continued, Kaiba, Jillian, and Mr. Von Schroeder continued to watch with newly-refreshed interest. Kaiba was still munching on his sandwich; Jillian was just finishing her carrot sticks. "Well, from what I'm seeing, it's been a good amount of time since they started playing," said Kaiba. "I can't be bothered to count how much time has passed."

"That's how it is with your favorite games—you never bother to count time when you play," Mr. Von Schroeder chuckled.

"Sir," said Jillian, "Seta, Raven, and Honey have so far beaten four evil beings. Now what?"

"Not to worry, my dear girl," Mr. Von Schroeder assured her. "For the record, they'll have two more opponents to defeat…and then that'll be it…"

----------

THE VIRTUAL WORLD, IN THE KINGDOM OF SOLITAIRE

Seta's eyes fluttered open. "Mmmm…" he moaned as he sat up in bed and stretched. "Boy, that feast was a _feast!"_

He looked outside his bedroom window—the sun was just starting to creep up over the hills. _Wow…I feel quite refreshed, though I'm waking up so early…probably because I'm a video game character, and video game characters don't get tired so easily…and they can get a full night's sleep in only a few seconds, real-world time…_

A gentle knock at his door caught his attention. "Who…?"

"It's me, Gwendolyn," the princess's voice could be heard. "Get dressed, Lord of Dragons. It is time for you to journey to the Peak of Revelation."

"Why so early?" Seta asked.

"Father and I discussed it after you retired last night," said Gwendolyn. "It would be better if you slipped away without much notice now, instead of waiting till daylight when people will herald you and try to prevent you from leaving, after your heroics for our kingdom."

Seta nodded, for what she said made sense. "All right. Give me a few minutes to get ready."

"Father and I will meet you at the front gates to the kingdom. He will have something there for you." And with that Gwendolyn left, her footsteps echoing down the hallway. With an effort, Seta pulled himself out of bed and reached for his Lord of Dragons armor.

----------

A short while later Seta was heading for the kingdom's front gate, where just up ahead he saw King Guyver and Princess Gwendolyn waiting for him. "Ah, you are here at last," King Guyver greeted him. "Did you rest well?"

"I did, thank you," Seta replied. "And I feel ready to take on the Peak of Revelation."

"Then take this with you, before you leave," said King Guyver. He then reached into his robe and pulled out a shining object.

Seta looked curiously at the item in question. It was a silver badge, designed with wings at the sides, and with a topaz, sapphire and ruby in the middle. It looked very much like the item on the picture of the Symbol of Heritage magic card, Seta noted. "What is this, Your Majesty?" he inquired.

King Guyver chuckled. "It is a badge that was given to me many years ago, back when I was a young man," he explained. "I once saved a family of nobles from some deadly assassins; in gratitude, they gave that badge to me. It has been with me ever since, and I have never allowed anyone else to hold it…till now."

"Your Majesty…are you sure it's OK for me to…?" Seta asked uncertainly.

"Never mind about that now, my boy," said King Guyver warmly. "This badge may well protect and serve you on your journey. Think of it as my ultimate thanks for all you have done for the kingdom of Solitaire."

The king then patted Seta on the shoulder. "May the blessings of Heaven go with you, Lord of Dragons."

And Gwendolyn smiled up at Seta. "Good luck to you, great hero," she spoke.

Seta nodded acknowledgment. "Thank you…both of you. I shall never forget your kindness. May your kingdom prosper and be well."

Then, as the king and princess watched, Seta walked through the gate and looked into the distance. _The Peak of Revelation…such a distance away…I guess I'll need to summon a fast-flying dragon to get there in good time._

He held up one hand to the sky. "Dragons of wind, dragons of air; my destination—take me there!"

There was silence for a few seconds. Then suddenly a loud whooshing sound could be heard as a massive Gray Wing (ATK 1300, DEF 700) flew down from the atmosphere, landing right next to him!

"Yes…truly, you deserve your title, Lord of Dragons," King Guyver nodded.

Seta saluted King Guyver and Princess Gwendolyn. Then he patted Gray Wing's thick hide. "To the Peak of Revelation!" And the dragon flapped its massive wings, rising into the sky moments later as it flew off at amazing speed, even as the king and princess looked on.

----------

THE PEAK OF REVELATION, MOMENTS LATER

A mysterious figure, cloaked in shadows in a dark cave, raised its head. "Someone comes to the mountain," it mumbled. "Time for me to fight again…"

----------

Riding on the Gray Wing's back toward the Peak of Revelation, only about a mile off, Seta was carefully examining the Symbol of Heritage badge that he'd gotten from King Guyver. "I wonder how this thing will help me?" he wondered. "Hmmm…maybe…"

Gray Wing growled, catching Seta's attention. "What is it?" he inquired.

Then he looked up—and what he saw astounded him. In the distance was the Peak, a massive mountain with mist surrounding the top, and beautiful vegetation here and there. "Is that it?" he asked in wonder.

Gray Wing growled in reply. A smirk crossed Seta's face. "Well, okay, then. Let's fly up to the top!"

"I cannot allow you to do that," a voice called out. "First you must get past me!"

"Who…?" Seta exclaimed, looking around in bewilderment.

The loud sound of flapping wings caused the young man to look sharply to his left—and he stared in amazement. Flying several feet away, parallel to Gray Wing, was a man with the head of a bird and with giant eagle's wings – a perfect clone of Garuda the Wind Spirit (ATK 1600, DEF 1200)! "But – who are you?" Seta asked, dumbfounded.

"Who I am matters not," Garuda said coolly. "All that matters is, I cannot allow you to come any closer to this mountain."

"But why?" Seta argued.

"You do not need to know that either." Garuda swerved away for a moment – then suddenly charged at Seta and Gray Wing, flying at breakneck speed!

Then all at once, the Symbol of Heritage badge began to glow brightly; so brightly, in fact, that Garuda swiftly halted his assault and covered his face with both his arms and his wings. "Aaaah! Such light!" he yelled.

Seta, on the other hand, was dumbfounded. _What on earth…what's happening?_

Suddenly, before he had a moment to think, a menu of character stats came before his eyes. The list detailed increases in health, speed, strength, stamina…and there were three new costume designs ready for him, as well. _Wow!_ Seta exclaimed to himself. _This Symbol of Heritage…it must have been housing power that got triggered when that bird-man attacked me! King Guyver, now I'm really in your debt!_

He looked at the costume designs before him. One was for Paladin of White Dragon (ATK 1900, DEF 1200), complete with the dragon mount; another was for Dark Blade (ATK 1800, DEF 1500) riding on Kiryu (ATK 2000, DEF 1500); and the third was for a morphed King Dragun (ATK 2400, DEF 1200). _Geez…which to pick? They all look so cool, and so useful at the same time…hmmm…_

Seta examined each costume closely—then he made up his mind. _Paladin of White Dragon!_

As soon as he made that thought, suddenly both the bodies of Seta and Gray Wing shone in blinding light. Garuda, still partially blinded by the earlier glare, had to turn away completely to protect his eyes. "What manner of sorcery is this?" he demanded.

Then the light toned down…and now both Seta and Gray Wing had morphed together into the dragon and rider of the Paladin of White Dragon. And before Seta's eyes flashed another message: **_Available powers: manipulation of dragons and magic revolving around dragons. New powers: temporary transformation into any dragon._**

Seta chuckled. "Oh, birdbrain…come get some!" And he readied the Paladin's lance.

Turning around, his vision restored somewhat, Garuda flapped his wings and prepared to fly forward again. At the same time, Seta's dragon mount flapped its wings, its head down and forward as it hissed.

And then they charged, flying at each other at the speed of sound.

And when they collided, a bright light flashed across the sky…

----------

BACK IN THE REAL WORLD, AT KAIBACORP

The three viewers stared in amazement as the two adversaries on the screen flew into each other. "Ouch…that's gonna leave a mark…" Kaiba whispered.

"I wonder what's happened?" Jillian remarked.

Mr. Von Schroeder said nothing, but merely smiled. _Just like ancient Samurai challenges…_

----------

THE VIRTUAL WORLD, AT THE PEAK OF REVELATION

Now Seta and Garuda had flown past each other; both were suspended in the air in dramatic-looking poses. At one end of the sky, the tips of Garuda's wings were flashing with sinister silver energy. At the other end, Seta had his arms crossed up to the shoulders…and from both wrists shone two blades of light, similar to the one that had emerged from his arm when he was the Lord of Dragons.

Then Seta smirked. "Is that it?"

Garuda turned his head—but before he could reply, suddenly both of his wings' roots began to crack! His eyes went wide in sudden shock. "What on earth—"

"Time for you to come down to earth," and Seta chuckled.

"NOOOOOOO!" Garuda screamed as his wings separated from his body. Trying vainly to grab them, he instead began to forcefully plummet toward the ground, several thousand feet below!

"Bye-bye," Seta waved and called to the falling Garuda.

Pretty soon Garuda was gone from view; Seta then shook his head. "That was way easier than my fight with Thestalos," he muttered. "Oh, well. Now, my little pet…" speaking to the dragon he rode. "Let's go to the mountain."

----------

BACK IN THE REAL WORLD, AT YUGO'S HOUSE

It had been a little while since Yugo's duel with Janus; what had happened since then? Well, shortly afterwards, both Yugo and Mr. Muto had returned home, in time to catch Grandma Muto in the kitchen. And what had she been doing in all this time? She had been cooking up a major storm for lunch – a delicious meal of deep-fried mutton and vegetables with rice and noodles.

Now father and son sat at the table, patiently waiting as Grandma bustled around the stove. "So, did you fellows have a busy morning this morning?" she inquired as she applied a generous helping of soy sauce to the meat and vegetables.

"Definitely, Mother," replied Mr. Muto. "Yugo had a duel today…and lost."

Grandma nearly dropped the soy sauce bottle. "What! My little Yugo lost a duel?" she exclaimed. "Oh, poor baby!"

"Really, Grandma, it's not that much of a big deal," said Yugo quickly.

"Well, when my grandson suffers a loss at the very game he's best at, I consider it a big deal," said Grandma firmly. "Who was it?"

"Remember Jaden and Alexis, Mother?" said Mr. Muto. "It was their son, Janus."

"Oh—little Janus?" Grandma said, surprised. "Well, who would've thought! But…what was he doing in Domino City at this time, I wonder?"

"He gave Yugo a special invitation to compete in the Duel Monsters World Championships, coming up soon," said Mr. Muto. "His mother's on the Duel Monsters World Tournament Committee, you see. The Committee has decided to push forward the time for their annual competition, to be in harmony for when school reopens."

"Makes sense," said Grandma. "So, Yugo…what will you do?"

Yugo frowned. "Well…I'm not exactly sure. I mean, during the duel Janus said some things to me that have gotten me seriously thinking ever since…if I'm going to compete in that tournament, I need to be sure that I'm fully, truly prepared."

Mr. Muto looked at his son. "And how do you plan to go about doing that, Yugo?"

Yugo sighed. "Well…I'm not really sure yet. I need some time to think about things."

"And you'll have plenty of it," said Grandma. "For now, though, what you'll have is some of my cooking!" And she went back to the stove.

Mr. Muto chuckled. "Mother, of course we wouldn't forget about your cooking!" he assured her.

Yugo smiled a little—but his thoughts were elsewhere. _How DO I go about seeing that I'm prepared…for the next time I face Janus? What can I do…?_

----------

KAIBACORP, AT THAT MOMENT

Kaiba, Jillian and Mr. Von Schroeder were still watching the Adventure Monsters game as it unfolded. At this moment, they were watching as Seta, now in the Paladin of White Dragon form, flew around the Peak of Revelation, continually going higher and higher. "Might I say one thing, Mr. Von Schroeder?" asked Jillian.

"Please do," said Mr. Von Schroeder warmly.

"Well…that battle Sir Seta had against Garuda the Wind Spirit just now…don't you think it was a little too simple, even for him?" said Jillian. "Or was the gameplay originally designed like that?"

"Well, I may as well admit, the gameplay was indeed designed like that, in order to appeal more to newcomers to Duel Monsters in general," admitted Mr. Von Schroeder. "But trust me, there's more to these seemingly easy battles than meets the eye…"

"Well, at least I've seen a few things that I like up to now," Kaiba admitted. "The number of locations players can visit; the quests that can be undertaken; the fact that Duel Monster characters can help or hinder the players. But surely there must be a reason for the easy battles up to now? Because, quite frankly, I don't see it."

"Well, I'll let you in on a little secret, since you're dying to find out so much so soon," said Mr. Von Schroeder. "Think back to the legend that King Guyver gave a little while ago…and see if you can't pick up a clue from that."

Kaiba frowned at that…then turned to look at the screen again. One of his eyebrows lifted. _Could it be…?_

----------

**_neomage:_** For those who take time to re-read this chapter, note the changes that occur in this particular section of the chapters. These will be prevalent and obvious to those of you who've read these before…and as to why certain things in these sections have been changed, that's because of a certain rule that I cannot ignore…

But anyway, enough of that! On to the next chapter!


	169. Chapter 169

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER:I'm running out of witty ways to say this…oh well. I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, people.)

**CHAPTER 169**

THE VIRTUAL WORLD, AT THE PEAK OF REVELATION

The dragon's wings flapped noisily as it flew Seta up to the top of the mountain. "Not to worry, fella…almost there now," Seta reassured his mount.

And indeed, at length the craggy-looking mountain face stopped, and in its place appeared a level, grassy plain, partially concealed by mist. The Paladin's White Dragon flapped its wings as it slowly descended; as soon as it had landed, Seta jumped off. "Wait here," he instructed the dragon. "Let's see if I can't find this great dragon of light that King Guyver was referring to."

**"HALT!"**

Seta froze at the sound of the voice. "Um…who's there?"

Suddenly the ground shook as a heavy foot-stomp echoed around the Peak of Revelation. **_THUMP. _**Then another. **_THUMP. _**And another. **_THUMP._** And yet another. **_THUMP._** And Seta tensed, his eyes slowly becoming used to the mist.

**"Identify yourself."**

Seta could make out the shape of a massive dragon, its frame covering the entire width and height of the area before him. With as much courage as he could muster, he answered, "I am the Paladin of White Dragon, formerly the Lord of Dragons. I have come to this mountain, seeking the legendary dragon of light."

The mist cleared away—and Seta gasped when he saw what was before him. Right before him, towering several stories over him, was a great white dragon that resembled the legendary Divine Dragon – Excelion (ATK 1500, DEF 900)! **"I am he,"** the dragon spoke. **"Why do you seek me?"**

"I was told that you could aid me in fulfilling my quest," explained Seta, as respectfully as possible. "And I was also told that you could explain the reason for a certain weapon that I have acquired from the beginning of my adventure."

**"And who told you all of this?"**

"His Majesty, King Guyver of the kingdom of Solitaire."

There was a long pause. Then Excelion spoke again. **"Show me this weapon of which you speak."**

Seta held up one wrist; almost immediately, the blade of light shot out from it. Excelion seemed to gasp when he saw it. **"Can it be…?"**

"If I may…what exactly does it mean?" asked Seta. "It is not a power that the Lord of Dragons, or even the Paladin of White Dragon, should have…is it?"

**"You are correct, boy—neither of your forms should have this ability,"** revealed Excelion. **"And yet, you have it now."** It paused as if for thought. **"Does your other wrist have this same capability?"**

Seta held up his other wrist; a blade of light shot out from that one, too. **"It is as I thought,"** Excelion murmured. **"The essence of my long-lost siblings…!"**

Seta was now very puzzled, but said nothing, and waited for the dragon to continue.

**"Lend me your ears, human,"** said Excelion. **"Long ago, before the holy sanctuary was sealed away, there was a mighty beast that threatened the existence of this entire world. It was a beast with the powers of fire, wind, earth, water, and darkness – and it nearly consumed this world, too. Only the power of light could truly affect it…and so, the mortals of this world sought the help of me and my siblings to defeat the beast. The ensuing battle lasted several days, but in the end we were victorious and the monster was destroyed. However, that victory came at a price…my siblings sacrificed themselves in that battle to ensure its defeat…**

**"Afterward, I salvaged their hearts, and gave them to the people of the land as my way of showing them my blessings. In turn, the humans took my siblings' hearts and used them as material to forge a holy armor with dragon-like capabilities. That armor was never meant to be used for battle, but was instead sealed away to honor my siblings' memory, to return to this world only in a time of great suffering when its power would be needed again. That…was just before the sealing of the sanctuary by the five great evils of this world."**

Seta nodded respectfully. "I see. So…my armor, even as evolved as it is now…it had the power of your siblings within from the start…and their power has been protecting me since I started on my quest." He went down on one knee. "Great Excelion, I swear, I will wear this suit with pride, in honor of your siblings who fell in battle to save this world."

**"Arise, human."** Excelion nodded. **"You say you are on a journey now? Tell me, what is it you seek to do?"**

"To be honest, I did not know what I was to do when I first started off," admitted Seta. "But now…I now believe that I am to find and defeat the five beings who sealed the sanctuary, and release its power to the world once again, that it may protect all beings as it did before."

**"If that is what you wish to do,"** said Excelion, **"then listen keenly. I have sensed that all five of them have fallen in battle very recently. You have just defeated one of them…Garuda the Wind Spirit."**

"All five…already? Well…I know I slew Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch, but…who could have killed the other three in such short time?"

**"That, I do not know. However, I sense that…WAIT! What is this strange sensation?"** Excelion looked around in utter alarm.

"What's wrong?" Seta asked worriedly.

Excelion continued to look around – then suddenly stared straight up. **"Up there! Can it be…?"**

Far above the Peak of Revelation was a massive island, floating in the sky! "But—what on earth is THAT?" Seta asked in disbelief.

Excelion's voice was grim. **"THAT…is the Sky Island, where the beast of which I have spoken was born eons ago. But why is it here now?"**

All of a sudden two bright blasts of blue light shot down, right where Seta and his dragon mount stood! "Hey!" was all Seta could shout before both he and his dragon got swiftly caught up toward the Sky Island!

Excelion watched as Seta and his dragon were caught up. **"May the mercy of the heavens go with you, young warrior,"** he growled softly.

----------

BLACK-MOON CASTLE, AT THAT VERY MOMENT

Honey's eyes fluttered open; she stretched her arms out. "Mmmm…"

She sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes a little. Her vision came into focus; only then did she see that Vampire Lady was standing before the bedroom window, looking out – and that outside, the sun now shone in.

"Oh, you are awake at last," Vampire Lady turned to address her. "Did you rest well?"

Honey nodded, slipping into her shoes. "Like a queen."

She walked over to the window and looked out at the sunshine covering the place. "It's so beautiful…"

"Yes, and it's all thanks to you," Vampire Lady replied, and smiled at her.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a bright blue beam of light shot down from the sky, completely surrounding Honey! "HEY! What the heck's going on here?" she cried out in bewilderment as she was swiftly caught up.

Vampire Lady stared in astonishment—and her eyes were wide with horror. _This light…I've seen it before! Oh, mercy on us all, tell me it is not true…!_

----------

THE HIDDEN NINJA TOWN, AT THE EXACT SAME TIME

A bright blue glow shone on Raven's face, forcing him awake. "Geez…turn off the light already," he grunted, waving his arm.

But the light didn't persist – and now Raven was feeling really strange. He opened his eyes…only to find himself surrounded by blue light, being pulled off the ground and toward the sky. "Hey, wait a minute! Since when could I FLY?" he hollered as he was forcefully pulled toward the sky.

----------

THE SHORELINE OF THE AZURE OCEAN

The Water Magician watched as the blue lights shone from the sky. "Is history to repeat itself?" he murmured.

----------

THE FOREST OF RAPTURE

Fairy King Truesdale, Insect Knight, and several other plants and insects looked up as the blue lights shone across the sky, partially illuminating their forest blue. "Sire, what is happening?" Insect Knight asked, his hand on his sword.

Truesdale looked grim. "The beginning of trouble, that's what."

----------

THE ILLUSION GLACIERS

Silver Fang sat on a lone glacier, looking up at the sky as the blue lights flashed. "We're in trouble," he growled low in his throat.

----------

THE KINGDOM OF SOLITAIRE

The people of Solitaire looked up and pointed, chattering excitedly as the blue lights shone across the sky. King Guyver and Princess Gwendolyn stood at the entrance to the palace, looking up as well. "Father, what is happening?" Gwendolyn asked worriedly.

"I am not sure, dear," said King Guyver. But to himself he thought, _It's the end of our world as we know it…unless something is done, and done soon…_

----------

BACK IN THE REAL WORLD, AT KAIBACORP

The trio continued to watch GINA's display screen as the blue lights flashed in the midst of the game. "Hmmm…I wonder…" Jillian frowned. "Those lights…and that floating island that appeared just now…could they have been triggered by the defeat of those five beings?"

Mr. Von Schroeder grinned widely. "You have it, my dear."

"All well and good, but…now what?" Kaiba asked. "What's supposed to happen?"

"Let's just watch, and then you'll see," said Mr. Von Schroeder, rather enigmatically.

----------

THE VIRTUAL WORLD, ON THE SKY ISLAND

Three large beams of blue light flashed onto the mysterious island – and revealed three beings trapped within! "Hey, lemme outta this damn thing!" Raven exploded.

"Big brother!" Honey's voice sounded.

"Honey? Hey, about time I got to meet up with you!" Raven cried, his anger gone instantly.

"Honey? Raven? You guys are playing this game, too?" Seta called out.

Both turned in his direction. "Hi, Seta!" Honey cried, hearts in her eyes.

Raven fell over on seeing this. "Oh, great…"

At length the blue light subsided, freeing the three. Immediately Raven picked himself up even as Honey ran over to Seta. "What are you guys doing here, anyway?" Seta asked.

"We came to Domino City to see you!" Honey explained eagerly.

"Don't get it twisted, sis—YOU came to see him, and dragged me along for the ride," Raven grunted.

"Very considerate of you," and Seta smiled. "But right now, we have a game to finish. After that…I'll take you anywhere you want to go."

"Sweet!" Honey nodded.

Then all three took a good look at their surroundings. They appeared to be in a giant courtyard, with large trees surrounding them. All around, the clouds floated past, and looking behind them they could clearly see that they were suspended far above ground. "Oh, maaaaaaan…I wouldn't want to fall of from here, that's for certain," Raven shuddered.

"Welcome, fools."

All three spun at that. "What…?" Seta started—then his eyes widened in disbelief. "NO WAY!"

Standing before them were five familiar figures: Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch, Aqua Madoor, Vampire Lord, Master Monk and Garuda the Wind Spirit. "You three…you defeated us…" Vampire Lord hissed. "But now we've come back to settle the score!"

"How is this possible? You're dead!" Raven shouted at Aqua Madoor and Master Monk.

"True, you did kill us," said Master Monk spitefully. "But when all five of us died collectively, a certain little seal was broken…"

"Seal?" questioned Honey.

"Long ago," explained Thestalos, "a mighty beast ravaged the world below us, but it was defeated and seemingly destroyed. In truth, however, it could not be completely destroyed, and was sealed away instead – right here on the Sky Island, the very place where it was born. But now…"

"Now, we five will use our essences to revive this great beast, and gain revenge on all three of you!" finished Aqua Madoor.

"Says you!" Seta shot at them, readying himself on his dragon mount. "We'll stop you first!"

"Too late, boy," said Garuda. "The summoning has already begun!"

To the trio's astonishment, suddenly a large seal appeared under the evil five's feet – and then they were all engulfed in bright blue light. "And when we are finished with you," the five spoke up together, "we will take over the world below, and rule supreme!"

All at once a large explosion erupted where the five stood, with a light so bright that Seta, Honey and Raven had to cover their eyes. "Oh, wonderful—now what?" Raven asked.

Then the light subsided at last, and all three could look up. And what they saw made their jaws drop. "Good lord…" Honey whispered.

Overshadowing them by several hundred feet was a gigantic and terrifying beast. It had a body of gold, with large wings and a massive tail, and it stood on its hind legs. It had five heads: one head was pure fire; another was pure water; another was made of sand; the fourth was engulfed in shadows; and the last blasted wind currents from its mouth. "What…the hell…is THAT?" Raven whispered.

Seta's eyes narrowed. "I see…I heard about this once, long ago," he whispered back. "Listen, you two. This is the Five God Dragon (ATK 5000, DEF 5000). It can use water, fire, wind, earth, and shadow-based attacks, and it can only be hurt by light attacks."

"We're in luck, then," said Honey hopefully. "The forms we're all in right now are all Light-based monsters in Duel Monsters."

"So let's go slay this dragon!" Raven unsheathed his Fusion Sword Murasame Blade, holding it in one hand and a kunai in the other. "I, the great Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke, will put a stop to this ugly thing!"

Honey's newly-created bow materialized from light into her hand. "Hear my name and fear it, you fools!" she cried. "I am Guardian Angel Joan!"

And Seta readied himself as well, even as his dragon mount's wings flapped. "And I, the Paladin of White Dragon, will crush you!"

The five voices of the Five God Dragon laughed. _"Fools!"_ they said collectively. _"You may have beaten us individually, but you stand no chance against our combined might! Now, it's time to die!"_

----------

**_neomage:_** Yay! At last, the final battle of the Virtual World arc is here! I just hope I'll be able to finish everything next chapter…

(And now, to resume the sub-adventure where I left it last time…Kimiru, rampagerkriz and Miriku confront Yami Marik on the boat)

Yami Marik: Now, it's time for you fools to perish! Mwa-ha-ha!

rampagerkriz: Dude, that laugh is so outdated…as are you.

Yami Marik: WHAT? I'll have you know that this laugh is revered among the members of the Evil Bad Guys Club!

Kimiru: Whatever.

(suddenly yamikriz comes up from behind, holding the Millennium Vibroblade)

yamikriz: TAKE THIS, YOU UGLY SKUNK! (stabs Yami Marik right up the ass and turns on the Vibroblade's electric powers)

Yami Marik: (screaming like a little girl) AAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEE! (flies into the sky and splashes into the ocean)

rampagerkriz, Miriku, Kimiru: O.O;;;

Miriku: Uh…okay…that had to hurt…

(a great white shark comes along and devours Yami Marik in one bite)

Kimiru: No, THAT had to hurt.

rampagerkriz: Dude, what happened? Where were you?

yamikriz: Well, I was in the bathroom when all of a sudden Yami Marik showed up out of nowhere…and I decided to stay hidden until I could find a chance to catch him off-guard.

Miriku: What he means is, he hid in the bathroom like a little chicken.

yamikriz: Whatever to you. Did you guys get that treasure?

(rampagerkriz and Kimiru look at each other)

Kimiru: Yeah, we've got treasure for you… (cracks knuckles)

yamikriz: Uh…guys? Why are you looking at me like that? Guys…? (gulps) Uh-oh…


	170. Chapter 170

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER:neomage has no ownership of Yu-Gi-Oh…the fact that he's said it 170 times now can't be wrong!)

**CHAPTER 170**

THE VIRTUAL WORLD, ON THE SKY ISLAND

Seta, Raven and Honey stood ready to fight, while the newly-summoned Five God Dragon stood opposite them, growling from all five of its mouths. "Guys…let's show this ugly piece of crap what we're all about!" Raven yelled, charging forward.

"Right behind you!" Honey quickly fired numerous arrows at the Five God Dragon.

Seta's arm-blades of light shone as he charged forward on his dragon. "Siblings of Excelion, give me strength!" he whispered as he attacked.

Raven swiftly performed a few hand-seals, ninja-style, and almost at once several clones of him emerged. All of them jumped into the air and flung kunai at the Five God Dragon, piercing its hide; the real Raven came down and buried his Fusion Sword Murasame Blade into the Dragon's shadowy head. But as he did that latter action, suddenly the head disappeared in a multitude of shadows, then reappeared completely unharmed!

"Holy—" was all Raven could get out before the Dragon's sand head blasted him with rocks and gravel, sending him flying far back. He hit the ground hard, rolling for several feet.

"RAVEN!" Honey shrieked, seeing her brother fall. Then she turned to the Dragon. "You bastards!"

_"Come get some!"_ the five heads responded.

Honey flew forward, firing arrows at the Dragon. As she got in close, she held her bow so that its sharp ends could be used offensively. "Take THIS!" she snapped, slashing at the Dragon with the ends of her bow. But she wasn't prepared for when it flashed its tail around, hitting her and sending her flying.

"Why, you…!" Seta cursed, flying toward the Dragon at breakneck speed. He flew all around the enemy's body, slashing here and there with his light-blades. However, both the Dragon's fire and water heads turned and blasted him simultaneously, knocking him off his dragon mount and sending both sailing in the process!

Flapping its wings, the Five God Dragon rose up into the air, raising all five of its heads as it did so. Raven looked up at the Dragon—and his eyes widened in realization. "Oh, shiiiiiiiit!"

Then all five heads blasted fire, water, sand, wind and shadows onto the area, creating a massive explosion! A huge dome of energy formed outward from where the blast landed, spreading fast and generating such a massive shockwave that the trees all got torn off their roots and were flung everywhere!

The Five God Dragon smirked cruelly. _"Hmph,"_ it hissed. _"So much for them and their resistance…WHAT!"_

From the smoke of the explosion a light flashed, and the Dragon saw something it couldn't believe: Honey, Raven and Seta were all underneath a force-field of light created by Honey's powers! _"Not possible!"_ it shrieked.

At length the force field disappeared completely. "Whew…glad my light powers can be used to defend as well as attack," Honey sighed, slumping to her knees.

"You all right, sis?" Raven asked anxiously.

"Yeah," Honey nodded. "But putting up that force-field to block such a mighty attack…drained almost all of my power."

"What'll we do?" Seta asked anxiously.

Honey managed to stand back up, with some difficulty. "Listen, you guys," she said quietly. "I have a plan, but…it's going to take a couple of minutes for me to gather the necessary energy to pull it off."

"So you want us to distract that bastard, while you get your energy back? No problem!" Raven declared. "Just leave it to us!"

"Then in that case, what're we waiting for? Let get this bugger!" Seta announced.

The Five God Dragon laughed loudly in its five voices. _"You truly think you can stop ME? You have no idea what you are dealing with!" _it spat at them. _"I will crush you all into dust!"_

"Big talk coming from a mutant lizard," Raven said scornfully. "I'll shut your mouths up – all of them!"

"Don't just shut that thing up—cut off all its heads!" Seta declared. "I'll bet you a thousand dollars you can't inflict more damage on him than I will."

"You're on!" Raven then pulled out several shuriken and kunai and dashed forward, ready to fight again. Seta, meanwhile, remounted his dragon and flew forward, his light-blades shining with bright energy.

Honey watched them go; then quietly stooped down in a cross-legged fashion and closed her eyes. _One of my powers is the ability to invoke the power of the ancient holy sanctuary…let's hope I actually can!_

The Five God Dragon watched as Seta and Raven charged at it. _"Fools!"_ it hissed. _"Die!"_

Its wind-based head blasted powerful, hurricane-force winds, knocking Raven back. Seta, however, dodged the attack and countered with a slash to the sand-based head. He dodged the Dragon's flailing tail and slashed away at the shadow-based head, flying off into the sky for respite. "Take that!" he exulted.

Not be outdone, Raven quickly got back up and flung his shuriken and kunai at the Dragon, hitting it on the chest. He swiftly arrived in front of the enemy and did several punch and kick combos at blinding speed, flipping upside down at the last and kicking the Dragon under the chin of the water-based head, jumping away for safety. "I did better than you for certain, Seta!" he boasted.

"Says you!" Seta answered.

But very evidently the Five God Dragon was having none of it. It floated in the air momentarily, then suddenly slammed its tail onto the ground—and created a massive shockwave that knocked both boys back!

"Ouch…" Seta got up slowly, rubbing his backside. "Uh, Honey…now would be a good time to use your plan!"

But Honey was still sitting in her cross-legged position, eyes closed, breathing deeply. "Uh…okay…" Seta sweat-dropped.

"Let's give her a little more time! Come on, you freak!" Raven yelled at the Dragon, this time readying his Fusion Sword Murasame Blade and rushing forward.

"Wait up! Save some for me!" Seta called out, as his dragon mount flew forward again.

Honey, in the meantime, continued to sit quietly…and a faint light glow shone from her body. _Protector of the holy sanctuary…if you can hear me…lend us your strength…I beg of you!_

And, it seemed, her silent plea did not go unanswered. For all of a sudden, high above them, a massive light shone down from the clouds and engulfed Honey!

_"What!"_ the Five God Dragon roared.

Seta and Raven halted their advance and looked back. "Honey!" Seta cried out.

Slowly Honey stood up; her whole body shone with light energy that was almost blinding. "Guys…come to me!" she cried.

The boys headed right back to her. "What should we do?" asked Raven.

"I've got enough light energy now to share with you guys now…use it well!" Honey held up her hands—and light leeched from her to Raven and Seta, causing them to glow brightly!

_"You fools! You cannot defeat me, no matter what you do!" _the Dragon bellowed. _"DIE!"_

With that, it blasted a mighty shot from all five of its mouths, right at the trio – but Honey held up one hand, forming a massive light shield that completely absorbed the attack! _"WHAT!"_ the Dragon howled.

"Sorry…but I have access to the great power of the holy sanctuary that was sealed away so long ago," said Honey frostily. "And it is that power that will destroy you now. Seta! Raven!"

"Right!" Seta looked at Raven. "Let's do this!"

"Got it!" Raven replied.

Seta's body began to glow massively. "Dragons of power and dragons of light, grant us victory in this fight!" he cried—and as he said this, a loud howl could be heard as, from his light, three massive Blue-Eyes White Dragons (ATK 3000, DEF 2500) appeared on the field!

Raven did some ninja hand seals. "Duplication Jutsu!" And a moment later several clones of himself, likewise glowing with light energy, appeared all around him with swords drawn.

Honey readied twenty light arrows to her bow; her whole being shone with bright energy. "Now…it's YOU who will die!"

And with that, their entire army shot forward toward the Five God Dragon. Raven's entire army of ninja clones slashed endlessly at the Dragon, their blades shining with bright light. Then, Seta's three Blue-Eyes blasted the opposition with massive bursts of lightning. Then Seta himself jumped forward, both light-blades shining massively – and at that moment Honey fired all of her arrows, all of them hitting Seta's blades and powering them up even more as he sliced the Dragon in two!

_"AAAAAHHHHH! NO! IMPOSSIBLE!"_ the Dragon roared. _"THIS MUCH POWER SHOULD NOT EXIST! IT SHOULD NOT…!"_

Suddenly a bright white light shone from the dragon's center—and a large explosion spread out, covering the entire length of the field! "Crap! We're goners!" Raven yelled, even as his clones disappeared from the impact.

"Not yet!" Seta flew up on his Paladin of White Dragon mount. "Go, my Blue-Eyes—rescue Raven!"

One of the three Blue-Eyes flew down and swiftly picked up Raven, even as Honey herself flapped her angel wings and soared high to join the other two already beside Seta. Then, flying high, they all watched as the explosion consumed the Sky Island!

"Did we…actually do it?" Honey whispered.

"I think we did," Raven replied, wiping sweat from his brow. "We won…we actually won!"

Suddenly a bright light shone down on them, causing the trio to look up. "Now what?" wondered Seta.

To their amazement, from the clouds appeared a giant temple that, for one moment, reminded them of the Sanctuary in the Sky field magic card. "Is this…the ancient holy sanctuary?" Seta breathed.

"It must be," said Honey.

Raven pointed. "Look – something's coming from inside!"

Indeed, from the doorway of the sanctuary, a light shot down towards the group. Upon reaching them, the light took on shape and form, until—much to their amazement—it appeared in the form of Shinato, King of a Higher Plane (ATK 3300, DEF 3000)!

"Young heroes," he spoke to them, in a voice filled with wisdom. "You have defeated the ones who sealed me and my sanctuary away so long ago. You have liberated many lands, avenged many wrongs, and done us all a great service. My gratitude is with you."

"We should thank you," said Honey humbly. "Without the light of your sanctuary, we would not have been able to defeat the Five God Dragon."

Shinato nodded. "Let us head back down to earth," he suggested to them. "I believe you will have someone waiting for you down in the land of mortals." And he flew downward, heading for the land below. Puzzled, the trio followed after him.

----------

MOMENTS LATER

By and by the group was flying over the kingdom of Solitaire. "Pretty place," Raven commented. "And…"

"Do you hear that?" Shinato spoke to them. "The sounds of celebration…everyone was looking upward, watching your battle with the evil dragon. And now that it has been vanquished, they cheer for you."

"So let's go down there and show our appreciation!" Honey beamed.

With that, the four flew into the city, passing over the cheering crowds, heading right for the entrance to the palace—and Raven gasped in amazement. "What a reception we have here!"

Standing at the entrance to the palace were King Guyver and Princess Gwendolyn. Beside them were, to the trio's amazement, Fairy King Truesdale and Insect Knight, Water Magician, Vampire Lady, and Silver Fang! "You guys!" Seta cried, waving to them.

King Guyver nodded with approval. "We all watched your battle with the Five God Dragon," he told them. "And then these allies who aided you along the way came and told of how you fought to right wrongs committed against them and their homelands. Truly, you are all noble warriors."

"You liberated the Forest of Rapture," said Fairy King Truesdale to Seta, and Insect Knight nodded.

"You saved the Azure Ocean from a treacherous treaty, and cleared the Gateway to Inferno of evil," added Water Magician.

Silver Fang looked at Raven. "You freed the Illusion Glaciers and avenged the destroyed Ninja Town," he spoke.

"You brought light to the Black-Moon Castle and the land surrounding it," Vampire Lady addressed Honey.

**"You have all brought justice to the land once again," **a voice boomed above their heads. Looking up, they saw the Divine Dragon – Excelion flying above them. **"Because of your actions, no more will this world have to fear the five great evils, or lose the light of the holy sanctuary again."**

"Well…we just did what we felt was right," said Raven sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. "It's what anyone with a heart would do."

"You are modest…and you speak the truth, as well," said Shinato. "You will always be remembered in the hearts and minds of everyone present here today."

Gwendolyn now stepped forward to Seta. "Great warrior…we will be forever in your debt, all of us."

"Yes," Seta nodded. "Oh, yeah, that's right…" He turned to Honey. "I suppose I should introduce you. Princess Gwendolyn, this is the girl of whom I spoke to you."

Gwendolyn regarded Honey. "You…so you're the one he told me about." She smiled a little. "Treasure him well."

Honey blushed a little at that; she didn't know what to say.

King Guyver then cried out, "In honor of our heroes!" And the whole kingdom of Solitaire burst into one giant cheering, such a loud noise that could be heard for miles and miles…in celebration of justice and freedom.

----------

BACK IN THE REAL WORLD, AT KAIBACORP

The group of three watched the celebratory scene. "Heh…nice ending," Kaiba smirked.

"They completed the main quest successfully," said Mr. Von Schroeder. "A few side-quests here and there still need to be done, but overall, it was pretty good."

Jillian then noticed the screen going blank. "Sir? What does that mean?" she asked warily.

"Oh…they must have decided to quit the game at last," said Mr. Von Schroeder. "Come, let's go down and meet them."

"Finally," Kaiba sighed as they began to walk toward the elevator.

----------

Seta's eyes fluttered open. "Wow…fantastic!"

His pod opened up, and he sat up and looked around as he removed the steel circlet from his head. Looking at the other pods, he noted with satisfaction that Honey and Raven were regaining consciousness as well. "Hey, guys," he greeted them.

Raven sat up in his now-open pod as well. "Who would've thought I'd actually be teaming up with you," he remarked.

And Honey sat up too. "Hi there, Seta," she spoke to him. "Enjoy that game?"

Before Seta could reply, they were interrupted by the sound of clapping. Looking up, they saw Mr. Von Schroeder, Kaiba and Jillian emerging from the elevator. "Well, young ones, how did you enjoy it?" Mr. Von Schroeder asked enthusiastically.

Seta grinned and held up his two thumbs. Raven made the peace sign with his fingers. Honey spoke for the three of them: "Fantastic! Brilliant!"

"Wonderful!" Mr. Von Schroeder gushed. "Excellent! Now mass production of this game can soon begin! And with Kaibacorp's technology, it'll become one of the biggest games ever!"

Kaiba chuckled. "Well, Zigfried, might I suggest a few small changes and additions before you actually market the game?"

"Such as?" said Mr. Von Schroeder.

"Just a few ideas I thought up while watching the kids play," said Kaiba. "Let's head back up to the office and discuss it a little further."

The two businessmen headed back for the elevator, and a moment later were gone. "Okay, so NOW what do we do?" asked Raven, removing the steel circlet form his head.

"I know what _I_ wanna do," said Honey, removing her circlet. "Seta…?"

"Sure thing!" he replied. "Hope you can handle high speeds, though…my motorbike is extremely fast!"

"Let's go, then!" Honey squealed excitedly. And with that the two headed off together.

"Oh, man…what about me?" Raven moaned.

Jillian chuckled. "You're right; you shouldn't be left all by yourself." She smirked. "Would the son of the esteemed Maximillion Pegasus care to join a lady for lunch?"

Raven blinked—then his stomach growled. "Well…I gotta admit, I COULD do with some food right about now," he admitted sheepishly. "Where's the cafeteria?"

"Actually…I was thinking of going outside somewhere," said Jillian kindly. "But I don't want to go all by myself, and evidently you had no other reason for coming than to stay by your sister. So…why don't I make your visit here worthwhile? What do you say?"

Raven nodded. "Well, okay. I guess it'll be interesting to sup with my rival's bodyguard…"

"Then let us go already!" And before Raven could say any more, Jillian grabbed his wrist and pulled him behind her, laughing all the way.

----------

**_neomage:_** WHEW! GLORY HALLELUJAH! The Virtual Arc for Yu-Gi-Oh Forever is complete at last, everybody! Comments, _constructive_ criticism and overall reviews are welcome! And…next chapter is the start of an arc that I know I personally have been aching to reach – the **_World Championships Arc!_** So stay tuned, everybody – more "real-world" action to come! (WARNING: Flamers will be shot on sight!)

(the group's boat is heading back for the mainland)

Kimiru and rampagerkriz: WOO-HOO! WE'RE RICH! (digging through the treasure chest to uncover numerous rubies, pearls and gold coins)

yamikriz: (tied up in a corner and VERY beat up) Aw, man…why don't I get any? I mean, I saved you guys from Yami Marik, didn't I?

Miriku: Well, that's true…

rampagerkriz: Let him have what's left of the cheese sandwiches. As for us… (holds up so-far-unused bottle of vodka) TIME TO CELEBRATE!

Kimiru: neomage is SO not gonna like this, don't you think?

rampagerkriz: Hey—it's a time to celebrate! So let's PARTY!

yamikriz: (waterfalls coming from his eyes) I don't get no respect…


	171. Chapter 171

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER:A new saga begins, everyone, one that I've been planning elaborately for up till now! And Yu-Gi-Oh isn't owned by anyone except Kazuki Takahashi!)

**CHAPTER 171**

KAIBACORP, EARLY THE NEXT MORNING

The morning sun slowly rose over the distant mountaintops, shining its gradually growing rays over Domino City. Birds chirped loudly, their way of saying good morning to the world; dogs barked in numerous yards in response. Paperboys rode along the roads on their early-morning routes. Joggers ran along, getting their morning exercise. A car or two drove along the street. Shops and stores were gradually opening.

Roland, standing at his post just at the door to the Kaibacorp building, noted everything happening before him with a satisfied air. "Such a pleasing day today will be," he predicted. "I should go announce breakfast now. Masters Kaiba and Seta should be awake by now."

----------

Jillian entered the dining room, running a hand through her hair. She beheld Kaiba sitting at his place at the table—and this morning, he was dressed in a suit of pure white. "Good morning, Mr. Kaiba," she greeted him.

Kaiba nodded to her. "You seem very content this morning, Jillian."

Jillian smiled as she took her place at the table. "Well, sir…honestly…I was just thinking about yesterday, after Sir Seta and our guests tested Mr. Von Schroeder's new game."

"What happened?" asked Kaiba.

Jillian giggled like a schoolgirl. "Well…Raven Pegasus and I went to lunch. He was such a gentleman, opening the door for me, letting me order first and all that."

Kaiba snorted. "Well…at least Pegasus did _something_ right with that kid, after all."

"So, sir," said Jillian, changing the subject, "what's on the agenda for today?"

Now Kaiba allowed himself a smirk. "Since you ask…the World Tournament Committee is meeting today. They'll be expecting me to be there for the meeting, so…"

"You're a member of the Committee, sir? That's such an honor!" Jillian remarked, very impressed.

"Have been for the last couple of years," said Kaiba. "It's a very prestigious position, yes. Although I have to rub shoulders with a few persons who I'd rather not, but oh well…can't have it all, I guess."

At that moment the door opened and Seta popped his head in. "Hey, everyone," he greeted them.

"You're exceptionally cheery, Sir Seta," noted Jillian.

"After my time with Honey yesterday, why shouldn't I be?" Seta grinned as he came in and sat down at the table. "Anyway, I wonder when they're gonna start serving?"

At that moment Roland entered the room. "Good morning," he addressed them all. "Breakfast will be served in a moment…and it's a traditional Japanese meal today."

"In that case, keep the surprise, Roland," said Kaiba. "Let's find out what the chefs have done for us today."

A few minutes later the chefs appeared, each bearing a tray with a silver cover. Setting the trays on the table before Kaiba, Jillian and Seta, the chefs removed the covers – and all three diners gasped. Before each of them was a large bowl of rice, accompanied by three smaller bowls, one with steamed vegetables, one with mackerel, and one with noodles. Finally, there was a medium-sized bowl on each tray, filled to the brim with ramen soup, in which there were radishes, leeks, an abundance of noodles and fish, and a boiled egg on top!

Kaiba chuckled. "This is certainly something, I dare say."

"All right! Let's dig in!" Seta announced, picking up his utensils and beginning to eat with much gusto.

----------

SOMEWHERE

A mysterious figure sat in a large swivel chair, looking into the darkness of what appeared to be an office. "It is time…to reclaim what is rightfully mine…" the figure muttered.

This person pulled out a cell-phone and speed-dialed a number. Holding the phone up, the figure waited for the party being called to acknowledge.

Then: "Do it."

----------

KAIBACORP, A LITTLE WHILE LATER

"Whew…I feel so STUFFED!" Seta sighed contentedly, patting his belly.

"Good eating does that to you," Kaiba remarked.

The Kaibas and Jillian were in the elevator heading for the roof, where the Blue-Eyes White Chopper was waiting to take the elder Kaiba to his destination. "Well, it's that time of year again," Seta chuckled. "All I gotta say, Dad, is good luck with that meeting."

"Thanks…I'll need it," Kaiba answered.

At length the elevator reached the roof, and the three disembarked. "Well, take care of yourselves today," said Kaiba. "I should be home in time for dinner today."

"Good luck, sir," said Jillian.

"Yeah, Dad," Seta nodded.

Kaiba gave a small nod to them, then turned and headed for the chopper. Moments later he was comfortably seated inside, and the chopper's rotor blades were spinning fast as the giant bird took off for the skies.

"Well…time to go do some maintenance work on my motorbike," Seta chuckled. "Wanna come, Jillian?"

"Certainly, Sir Seta." Jillian smiled and followed Seta as he made his way back to the elevator.

----------

YUGO'S HOUSE, IN THE MEANTIME

Yugo's eyes slowly opened. "Ohhh…wow…" he sighed. "Man, I hate waking up early, for real…"

Then his face became reflective as he sat up. _Still…I couldn't sleep at all last night…because what Janus said to me is still on my mind. How do I answer him…and how do I even start to search for that answer?_

He reflected on what Janus had told him only the day before. _The heart of the cards is a bond between you and your monsters…Is your level of confidence high enough that they will trust anything you say or do, that they won't doubt your value as their master?_

He closed his eyes in contemplation…then slowly opened them again. _To truly overcome this mental block that prevents me from truly communicating with my monsters…if I'm going to do that successfully…then there's only one thing I can do! And I better do it soon—preferably today!_

With this thought on his mind, Yugo jumped out of bed and reached for his jacket, Duel-Disk and deck. Slipping the jacket on, he slipped the Duel-Disk inside and put the deck into a pocket.

A few minutes he came downstairs, running a hand through his hair. "Oh, good morning, dear!" Grandma's cheerful voice called to him. "Sleep well last night?"

"Yeah, Grandma," he answered. He sniffed. "Hey, something sure smells good! What's for chow?"

"Grilled fish dumplings with wasabi sauce," Grandma informed him.

Yugo made a face. "Eeeeww! Grandma, you know I can't STAND wasabi!"

"Oh, don't make it seem so bad, dear," said Grandma. "If it makes you feel any better, you'll be getting chocolate tea to drink with your breakfast."

That did placate Yugo a little. "Well…all right. Say, where's Dad?"

"Still hasn't woken up yet," Grandma replied. "I'm giving him a little time till he does. For now, why don't you come over here."

Yugo went and sat down by the table. "What's up, Grandma?" he inquired.

Grandma didn't say anything for a moment. Then she looked straight into his eyes. "Yugo, dear…how do you _really_ feel about your loss to that Janus boy yesterday?"

Yugo looked surprised for a moment. Then he managed a smile. "Well, Grandma…to tell the honest truth…it's not so much the loss that's on my mind…it's what he said throughout the whole duel that has me thinking. He said some stuff to me…stuff that's forced me to really think about my motivations for things. But…I don't have a clue as to what I should do…"

Grandma smiled and came over to Yugo, catching him in a tight embrace. "Yugo…can I tell you a little secret?"

"Uh…sure."

Grandma nodded knowingly. "When your dad was a very little boy, not quite old enough for school at the time, he always used to have this little special secret place where he'd go to play. He never told anyone about it, because for him it was his very own special, secret place…a place where he could just be himself, without anyone ostracizing him. Then, years later when he was grown, it became the place where he could go to think. He still goes there sometimes, though not as often as he used to."

"And he never told anybody about it?" Yugo asked.

"Nope…not even his group of friends knew about it…and I doubt any of them know about it now." Grandma chuckled. "Oh, he thinks I don't know, but…mothers are supposed to know about this sort of thing. I followed him one day, all the way to that spot, and I saw him just sit and concentrate, really, really hard, as though he was learning how to do telepathy. I have never seen him calmer, more at peace, than when he is _there."_

She released Yugo from her hug. "Yugo, dear…would you like to go there?"

Yugo's eyes were filled with wonder. "Yes, Grandma. I'd really like that."

----------

KAIBACORP, MOMENTS LATER

The elevator came to a stop in the underground parking lot area, and Seta and Jillian disembarked. "All right…now to get to work!" Seta declared happily.

They walked through the lot until they came to the spot where the Blue-Eyes White Motorbike rested, covered by a sheet of tarpaulin. Pulling the tarpaulin off, Seta beheld the bike in all its glory. "Okay, babes…time to tighten a few nuts and bolts on you," he whispered with affection, pulling a few wrenches and a pair of pliers from his jacket.

Jillian stood to one side, allowing Seta space to work. "Are you sure you don't need any assistance, Sir Seta?" she inquired.

"Thanks, but I got this covered," Seta assured her. "You can stay and observe if you like, though."

"Of course." Jillian leaned against the wall and chuckled as Seta stooped down and began to fiddle with the motorcycle.

----------

ELSEWHERE IN DOMINO CITY

The entrance to Domino City was empty. No cars whizzed in or out of the city; no buses were running at the terminal. Not a soul was in sight.

That didn't last long, though.

A figure was in the distance, casually walking toward the city entrance. Dressed in a blue trench-coat and blue denim jeans…sporting red hair that overshadowed his upper face…his mouth set in a grim line…he walked with purpose, with determination.

Every step he took brought him closer to the invisible border line separating that part of Domino City from the rest of the world. And not once did he try to alter his walking pattern or speed; he just kept on at that same leisurely pace.

And then his foot crossed over the invisible border line and made contact with the gravel.

----------

KAIBACORP PARKING LOT, AT THAT MOMENT

Seta's head jerked up from where he'd been stooping to work on the bike. The wrench he'd been holding clattered to the ground. His eyes widened as a sudden cold sweat broke out over his face. _Wha…?_

Jillian saw her employer's discomfort. "Sir Seta…is everything all right?" she asked, a note of worry in her voice.

Suddenly he flinched and gripped his left shoulder. _Ow…goddammit…it burns!_ He looked with disdain at the inflicted area. _But…it's been so long since I last felt like this…why now?_

"Sir Seta, what's the matter?" Jillian asked, her alarm growing as she knelt down beside him.

But he wasn't hearing a thing she was saying. He looked over his shoulder, but saw nobody there. _This feeling…I feel…like it's pulling me toward it…I have to go to where it is…I have to go there NOW!_

Swiftly, taking Jillian by surprise, he jumped onto the Blue-Eyes White Motorbike, revving the engine. A moment later he was screeching out of the parking lot, heading up the ramp, toward the open streets.

"Sir Seta! What's going on? Come back, please!" Jillian cried, running after him—but in vain. Moments later he was gone, and she was staring up the street after him, a huge mixture of confusion and fear on her face.

----------

ELSEWHERE IN DOMINO CITY

The red-haired man was by now walking through the streets of Domino City, not far from the city entrance. He walked past yards; he walked past stores; he walked past a bar. Up to now his pace had not changed even a little; he continued to walk with purpose, with determination. And his hair continued to overshadow all save his mouth, which was still set.

As he walked, the streets around him were gradually being filled with people coming here or going there; and yet he paid none of them any mind. He knew where he was going; he knew why he was going there; and nothing and nobody was going to stop him.

He walked near a little café where two pretty girls were sitting together drinking coffee. One of the girls noticed the man walking up to them and nudged her companion; a moment later both were looking with admiration at him. "Yoo-hoo, cutie with the red hair!" one of them cried in singsong as he walked past.

The red-haired man didn't even turn to glance at them, nor did he slow his pace. However, he reached into his coat and pulled out two blood-red roses, tossing the flowers over his shoulder to the girls. On seeing the roses coming their way, the girls squealed in ecstatic delight and caught them with great eagerness. And still the man continued on his way, paying them no further mind.

----------

The Blue-Eyes White Motorbike zoomed along the avenue, startling a few pedestrians in the process. Seta would have been cautiously observing speed limits normally; but this was no normal situation—not for him, at least, it wasn't. Something was exceedingly wrong, and he intended to get to the bottom of it.

He turned a corner and shot up the street. _Come on, come on, come on…show yourself…_

Then he turned another corner – and saw someone up ahead, walking in his direction. His eyes widened in astonishment…then narrowed in deep anger. _It's HIM!_

----------

The red-haired man saw the motorcycle coming up the street toward him. For the first time, a small smile appeared on his lips. He stopped walking and waited.

Then the motorcycle braked to a stop, only three or so feet away from him. Its rider pulled off the dragon-like helmet, revealing blue hair and a peeved expression on his face…Seta Kaiba, heir to the Kaibacorp legacy. The red-haired man's smile stretched a little more and stayed that way. He lifted his head a bit…revealing ice-green eyes that fixed Seta with a piercing stare.

**_"You."_** Seta's voice dripped venom as he spoke.

The red-haired man didn't flinch. "We meet again…Ophiuchus the Imperial."

----------

**_neomage:_** Ahhhh…how about I just let y'all give your own views on this set of revelations? And as for who the red-haired guy is…next chapter I'll give him a name and description, I promise! So, on to the next chapter, everyone!


	172. Chapter 172

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER:Something sinister comes this way… **(suspenseful theme)** neomage doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh!)

**CHAPTER 172**

_Characters' First Appearance in Story_

_ZANDER_

_NAME: Zander Zabel_

_AGE: 24_

_HAIR: Red (think of **Trigun**'s Legato Bluesummers with red hair)_

_EYES: Green_

_CLOTHES: Blue trench-coat, blue denim jeans, white boots_

DOMINO CITY

Seta's eyes narrowed as the red-haired man addressed him. "Zander Zabel," he growled as he got off the Blue-Eyes White Motorbike. "I never thought I'd see _you_ again. I thought I was rid of you for good."

"You thought wrong, Ophiuchus," Zander replied.

Now Seta bristled. "Don't call me by that name again. I renounced everything to do with that title long ago."

"If that's so," said Zander, "then am I to assume that you no longer have _that_ tattoo anymore, either?"

Seta gritted his teeth. Zander chuckled. "I thought as much. You do still have it on you, after all…you can't get rid of us that easily, no matter what you'd like to think."

"What the hell do you want with me, Zander?" Seta demanded.

Zander's smile presently vanished. "Come back to us, old friend. Reclaim your rightful place by Master Orion's side. He has long forgiven you for the way you so brutishly abandoned us, and is in fact prepared to return to you all the power, all the glory that you once enjoyed."

Seta gave him such a look. "Here's my answer to you." And he spat in Zander's face, quite messily.

Carefully, Zander reached into his trench-coat and pulled out a handkerchief, using it to wipe his cheek clean of the spit. "I expected such an answer from you," he remarked as he wiped his face. "Perhaps I came to you too soon with my offer; perhaps all you need is time to consider it thoroughly."

"Why don't _you…_consider…stuffing your offer up your ass?" Seta barked.

Now Zander gave him a deadly serious look. Fiddling his handkerchief in between his fingers, he spoke again. "Okay, Seta Kaiba, since that's how you want to play it…I think I'll bring the reality of your situation home to you a little more forcefully."

"Like you can frighten me," said Seta sarcastically.

"I think I should," replied Zander. "Listen up. In six days from now, the Duel Monsters World Championships will commence, and naturally as World Champion you are obligated to be there to defend your title. We will give you, at the longest, until the end of the grace period between then and now to give us a satisfactory answer."

"Don't screw around with me, you pathetic joke," said Seta wrathfully. "You know what I'll say…again and again if I have to, until it sinks into your thick skull."

"Then let me say this in return," said Zander coolly. "If by any chance you do persist in being stubborn…" His voice came down to an eerie whisper. "Well…"

"Well what?" demanded Seta.

Now Zander grinned maliciously. "We'll **introduce** ourselves to your little friends."

Seta looked at him, bemused for a moment—then it hit him. "You wouldn't dare!"

"Heh…seems the big, bad, untouchable Ophiuchus the Imperial is scared of something after all," Zander chuckled. "Honestly, though, did you truly think we would just let you leave like that? We've been tracking your movements for the longest time, Seta Kaiba…watching every tournament you've been in…doing background checks on every person you've interacted with. It's been—what, four years? Yesssss…we've got four years' worth of data on everything you've done and everyone you've met. And yes, that includes your four friends living here in Domino City. We know everything there is to know about them—what they eat, where they hang out, even what their bedtimes are. At any time Master Orion feels like it, one of us can go down and—ahem—take care of your little buddies…" Here he snapped his fingers. "Just like that."

Seta gritted his teeth in rage. "You bastard…if you go anywhere NEAR them, I'll…"

"You'll _what?"_ Zander returned. "Face facts – you're powerless, for all your reputation and dueling skill; you're powerless against our might. In fact…if I felt like it…I could do something terrible to any of these passersby right now…just to spite you." And his arm twitched.

"You won't get that chance. I'll break you like a twig between my fingers before you can even blink." Seta was boiling mad.

"Heh…well, unlike you, the rest of _us_ haven't left Master Orion's side," Zander told him. "Even when we're scattered globally, we know where our loyalties lie. But for you to just turn your back on us…there are a few of us who won't look the other way for that. I hope you remember that."

He turned to go. "Remember, Seta Kaiba…you have six days to reconsider your decision. If you persist in being stubborn by then…then be prepared to say goodbye to your friends, one by one."

Then, as if to emphasize his point, he reached into his coat and pulled out a rose. Holding it out from himself by its stem, suddenly he grabbed the flower itself and crushed it in the palm of his hand. He tightened his fist and shifted his fingers up and down, releasing crushed petals as he did so. "Just like that. Understand?"

Seta glared at him.

Zander chuckled again. "Be seeing you, Ophiuchus. Oh, and, one more thing…you can keep the handkerchief. I have others." With that he flung the kerchief that he'd cleaned his face with over his shoulder, causing it to land squarely on Seta's boot. Then, with that, he walked off.

Seta watched as Zander walked into the crowds. Looking down, he hissed in contempt and kicked the kerchief off his foot, immediately stomping on it. "Goddamn you, Zander…" he swore silently.

----------

WORLD TOURNAMENT COMMITTEE HEADQUARTERS, AT THAT MOMENT

Several miles away from Japan, heading eastward into the North Pacific Ocean, there was a small islet with a very peculiar building built on its shores. This building was built in the shape of a massive inactive Duel-Disk, oddly enough, with two huge foundations and a cylindrical structure wedged right in between them.

And at that moment Kaiba's Blue-Eyes White Chopper was closing in on the islet's shores.

"We're arriving at the Committee Headquarters now, Mr. Kaiba," the pilot informed his employer. "We'll be landing in another ten minutes."

Seated in the back, arms folded, Kaiba nodded. "Very well. Radio them and let them know we're coming in."

"Understood." The pilot then picked up the radio, switching on a dial. "WTC Headquarters, this is Kaibacorp's Blue-Eyes White Chopper, requesting permission to land."

There was a bit of static for a moment. Then a voice replied, "Roger that, Blue-Eyes White Chopper; you are cleared to land. The Committee's been expecting you."

And still Kaiba remained composed even as the helicopter began its descent towards the rooftop of the headquarters. _I wonder if the others have all arrived already? _he thought to himself.

Moments later the chopper landed on the designated heliport. Kaiba now moved, picking up his briefcase as the chopper's doors opened. Very carefully, he stepped out and toward the ground, and immediately attendants in suits ran forward to meet him. "Mr. Kaiba, sir, welcome back!" they exulted.

"Thank you," Kaiba replied. "Have the other Committee members arrived?"

"They have, sir," one of the suits replied. "They're all waiting in the conference room at this very moment. If you'll please come with us…"

Kaiba nodded. "Let's go, then."

The suits turned and walked toward the nearby staircase descending from the roof; Kaiba followed a little ways behind. They walked down a corridor for a few minutes; presently they arrived at an elevator door, where one of the attendants pressed the button for the fourth floor. They waited for a few minutes; then there was a _ding_ as the doors finally opened. Tugging on his collar, Kaiba clutched his briefcase tightly and stepped into the elevator.

----------

A few minutes later, on the fourth floor, the elevator bell went _ding_ again as the doors opened. Kaiba stepped out and, right before him, there was a massive double-door painted yellow and red, standing out sharply against the gray wallpaper. One of the suits stepped forward and opened the door for him, and Kaiba stepped into the room beyond.

The room in which he now stood was decorated with green and silver curtains near the only two windows at one end, baby blue paint on the walls and ceiling, dark gray carpeting on the floor, and a large, beautifully-carved and polished round table right in the center of the place. Around that table were positioned seven chairs; six of those were now occupied. And all six of the people seated had turned to look at Kaiba as he made his entrance.

Kaiba smirked as he took note of each face before him. "Hope I'm not late for the party."

Seated at one side of the table was Maximillion Pegasus, dressed in a blue and white tuxedo with his yellow eye-patch in place. At his left sat Duke Devlin, dressed in a simple white shirt with a blue dress tie, and with his trademark bandana in place on his forehead. Next to him sat Zigfried von Schroeder, wearing a full suit of white and with his hair flowing down, as always, plus he was fiddling with a white rose in one hand. Beside him sat a woman of Chinese ancestry, wearing a beautiful red Chinese dress and wielding a Hong Kong-made fan. Next to her was a stern-looking gentleman with long, spiky blue hair and sporting a goatee, wearing a gray business suit with black stripes. Finally, beside this man sat a blond woman wearing thin-framed glasses, in a pink business suit and with a no-nonsense look in her eyes.

"Maximillion Pegasus…Duke Devlin…Zigfried Von Schroeder…" Kaiba chuckled as he acknowledged the three. Then he turned to the other as-yet unnamed individuals. "Ms. Vivian Wong, Mr. Zane Truesdale, and Mrs. Alexis Rhodes-Yuki."

"So glad you could join us, Mr. Kaiba," Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki addressed him with a nod of her head.

"I hope I'm not late?" Kaiba inquired as he took the only vacant seat, at Pegasus's right hand.

"Not at all, not at all, Kaiba-boy," said Pegasus warmly. "The Committee could never be so heartless as to start the party without one of its founding members."

"He's right, dear Kaiba," added Ms. Wong, batting her eyelashes seductively at Kaiba. "It just wouldn't be right to commence our meeting without someone as intelligent as you to give good input and feedback."

"Will wonders never cease?" Mr. Von Schroeder chuckled, twirling the rose in his hand by its stem. "Years ago, Vivian, you were a hot-blooded woman who'd go chasing after either Yugi Muto or our friend Kaiba…and now, well over a decade later, you still haven't changed a bit."

"I beg to differ, dear Zigfried," Ms. Wong chuckled. "I'm more mature in my thinking now than I was then. I have…other interests to pursue nowadays, you see."

"Can we get on with it, please?" Mr. Truesdale asked in a bored tone. "We didn't come here to swap stories about who did this or who didn't do that. We're here on business."

"Well, friends, what he says IS true," said Mr. Devlin, running a hand through his hair. "So, let's get down to it, eh, Mr. Pegasus?"

"Agreed. But first…" Then Pegasus touched a hidden comm.-link on his collar. "Hello there…yes, please send up some refreshments for me and the other members of the Committee. Thank you very much."

"So, Mr. Pegasus," said Mr. Von Schroeder, once he was sure they'd all have Pegasus's attention. "It's that time of year, once again, to organize and plan the Duel Monsters World Championships."

"Indeed it is," said Pegasus. "Does anyone have anything to say in that regard?"

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki cleared her throat. "I have a bit of a proposal," she said. "Every year for the last four years or so, we've been hosting the World Championships in the North American region, with only a little bit of variation each year. I think we should do something different…something new…this time around."

"I agree," said Mr. Truesdale. "Personally speaking, the tournament _has_ become rather dry. If anyone's got any fresh ideas, I'm all ears."

Kaiba seemed in deep thought for a moment. "Well, I have one," he spoke up. "Maybe we could have a tournament similar to my Battle City tournament from all those years ago. We could pick a city to host it in, take control of it temporarily, and host the competition for a few days at the most."

"I think that's a wonderful idea!" gushed Ms. Wong. "And we could call it 'Battle City II' or something similar!"

"Well…I don't really know," said Mr. Devlin. "Battle City was a unique tournament in and of itself when it was launched. I'd rather it stay unique."

"That is true," said Mr. Truesdale. "This new tournament that we're planning has to be unique, original, in its own special way. So, let's think harder."

"May I suggest a return to the competition's old roots?" asked Pegasus. "Like my Duelist Kingdom tournament. Think about it…a tournament, held on a remote island, with the outside world aware of the proceedings only via live video footage."

"No, I think not," said Mr. Von Schroeder, crossing his arms. "You have to admit it, Mr. Pegasus, those days are ancient history. Say 'Duelist Kingdom' now, and the first things people will think of are dueling platforms, star chips and dueling gloves…all of which have pretty much lost their popularity, I dare say."

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki frowned. "Hmmmm…"

Hearing the frown, everyone turned to look at her. "Is something on your mind, Alexis?" queried Mr. Truesdale.

"I wonder…Duelist Kingdom…Battle City…" Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki stroked her chin in deep thought. "People…what if we combined them?"

They all looked at each other, then back at her. "Combine them?" asked Kaiba.

"Yes." Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki nodded confidently. "I'm thinking…that we could have the tournament on an island, just like Duelist Kingdom…but that whole island will be a city specifically made for dueling, like Battle City. The participants would wield Duel-Disks, allowing for free mobility…and that city would have things like shops, restaurants, hotels, and all the things that make a city a city."

"Hey, yeah…that IS something new and different!" remarked Mr. Devlin, grinning broadly. "I'm for that idea for sure!"

"I agree, too," nodded Pegasus, now smiling. "What do the rest of you think?"

Mr. Truesdale shrugged. "Well…it would certainly be a change of pace," he admitted. "Only thing is, Duelist Kingdom had star chips, Battle City had locator cards – but what will this new setting have?"

Ms. Wong fingered her bottom lip thoughtfully. "How about…we keep the regular single-elimination process that's present in our current tournaments?" she suggested. "We can always discuss ways to modify that particular regulation to make it more exciting."

"Well, that certainly can work," nodded Mr. Von Schroeder.

"But let's not forget, the official launch for the tournament is less than a week away," Kaiba reminded the group. "Will that really be enough time to get such a project completed?"

"If we all work together at this, it shouldn't be a problem," said Mr. Von Schroeder. "Mr. Pegasus, what do you say?"

"I have an idea in that regard—one that'll save us much time," said Pegasus. "I'm willing to donate my own Duelist Kingdom Island as the base for this project. And, too, we're all extremely wealthy people here—it shouldn't be much trouble to set up things so that by the time the tournament date comes around, we're ready to launch."

"So, I guess we're all in agreement about this," said Mr. Truesdale. "If you all think that what's been proposed is the best way to go, then I'm willing to put in my two cents' worth."

"It'll be two millions' worth in your case, I dare say," and Mr. Devlin laughed loudly.

"That only leaves a name for this thing…what should this tournament be called?" said Ms. Wong. "It DOES need to have a catchy name, to appeal to duelists everywhere."

"I think I have the perfect name for it," said Kaiba. He put his elbows on the table and intertwined his fingers, resting his chin on his knuckles. "Since you all agree it's going to be a dueling metropolis, how about we call it…**_Dueltropolis?"_**

There was silence as Kaiba's suggestion sank in. Then Pegasus let out a laugh and slapped Kaiba on the back. "Kaiba-boy, you CAN be imaginative when you want to be!"

"Pegasus…don't do that again," Kaiba said warningly.

"I agree with you guys, though – that is a really good name to give the tournament," said Mr. Devlin. "Dueltropolis…got a nice ring to it, for sure."

"Yes, let's go with that name," said Ms. Wong.

"All right, then it's agreed," said Mr. Truesdale. "Now, who'll deal with what in preparing this tournament into readiness?"

"I'll handle duelist invitations," said Pegasus. "And, of course, I've already donated my island to be the base for the tournament. I'll leave structure and construction to you, and donate whatever additional funds will be needed."

"I can take care of construction design," offered Mr. Von Schroeder.

"Zane and I know the best contractors; we can do the hiring there," said Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki, and Mr. Truesdale nodded consent.

"I'll find the best sponsors for catering," said Ms. Wong with a smile. "You can't have a tournament without supplying the participants with necessary refreshments, after all."

"And Kaiba and I can take care of advertising; we've both always had a knack for that," said Mr. Devlin. "You don't mind, Kaiba?"

"As long as we can come up with decent ways to bring the message across," Kaiba shrugged.

"Then it's settled!" Pegasus beamed. "Everyone…in six days from now…the World Championships will officially begin—and Dueltropolis will be completely underway!"

----------

**_neomage:_** What do you guys think of this chapter?

yamikriz: Didn't you have a concept for Dueltropolis a few years ago?

krizrampage: He sure did. But this idea that he's been juggling in his head is definitely a good one for certain.

kriztrigun: I like that Zander Zabel's finally been given a name. Hmmm…Zander Zabel…with a description almost matching one of Trigun's certified psychos…

kRiZ: I WANNA SEE HOW THE STORY PROGRESSES! WRITE THE NEXT CHAPTER SOON!

rampagerkriz: Don't forget, though, neomage has exams doing…and one of them is this morning! And, to Kimiru I say this: I got a whole keg of – er – _cola_ (winks) waiting for you tonight!

(they all stare at rampagerkriz)

rampagerkriz: WHAT?

Neomage: Anywaaaaaaay…next chapter's coming soon, people! Review, please! (Flamers will be shot on sight!)


	173. Chapter 173

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER:** (_Psycho_ theme plays) **MWA-HA-HA! I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!)

**CHAPTER 173**

DOMINO CITY

The car traveled swiftly along the road as Grandma Muto expertly weaved past traffic. "So where are we going anyway, Grandma?" inquired Yugo, seated beside her.

"You'll see, dear," Grandma replied mysterious.

They drove through the city streets, past shops and suburbs…and in only a few short minutes they were driving along the shoreline. At length Grandma pulled over onto a small embankment just off the road, under a large tree. "All right, here we are," she announced.

Yugo got out of the car and surveyed the area. A little distance from their parking spot, there was a hill overlooking the crashing waves below. "This is…?"

"Yes, dear. This is where your dad always used to come. It was his regular thinking spot." Grandma Muto nodded and smiled. "Whenever something was bothering him and he didn't want anyone to know, he'd come here."

"Does he know that you knew?" asked Yugo.

"I doubt it," admitted Grandma. "If he does, though, it probably won't matter to him now. All that matters now is…whatever is bothering you…you can always come here and think on things whenever you feel the urge."

Yugo looked out to the ocean's horizon. "Grandma…could I get a little time alone?"

Grandma nodded. "Of course, dear. Come back home when you're ready. I'll make sure dinner's kept for you." She kissed him on the forehead. "Make sure whatever's bothering you doesn't stick with you, okay?"

"Yes, Grandma. I understand." Yugo nodded and smiled in gratitude.

Grandma got back in the car. "If your father asks…"

"You may as well tell him, Grandma." Yugo's hair overshadowed one eye. "This place…his favorite thinking place…it's as much my legacy now as it was his. It's one of the things I've inherited from him."

Grandma gave her grandson a kind look. "I'll see you later then, dear." And with that she started the car, and a moment later she'd driven off.

Sighing, Yugo walked toward the hill and sat down on one of the rocks there. He pulled out his Duel-Disk and put it on; activating it, he waited a moment…then pulled out his deck and thumbed through it quickly, selecting five cards and placing them on the designated slots.

"Come to me…my monsters…" he whispered.

Then a moment later five monsters emerged before him: Dark Magician (ATK 2500, DEF 2100), Dark Magician Girl (ATK 2000, DEF 1700), Magician's Valkyrie (ATK 1600, DEF 1800), Dark Magician of Chaos (ATK 2800, DEF 2600), and Sorcerer of Dark Magic (ATK 3200, DEF 2800). All five turned to look at him, curious expressions on their faces.

Yugo sighed and leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. "Gee…I feel so ridiculous, talking to my own Duel Monsters in a conversational manner," he admitted aloud. "But…if what Janus said is true…then I need to learn how to bond better with you. So…kinda bear with me, please…"

The five monsters, in turn, knelt down beside him…and now the looks on their faces were sympathetic. Yugo continued, "How do I do this? How can I build a good rapport with you, truly bond with you…and, for that matter, how can I come to accept my own abilities with true conviction? How can I come to understand what it is that's really been holding me back all this time?" He looked up. "I honestly wish you guys could talk…to tell me what I need to do…to tell me what you really think of me." He hung his head.

The five spellcasters looked at each other. Then Dark Magician stood up, staff in hand, with great determination.

Yugo noticed the action and looked up. "Huh?"

And all he saw was a blast of bright light from the Dark Magician's staff…

----------

ELSEWHERE IN DOMINO CITY, AT BURGER WORLD

Had Zander Zabel left Domino City after his encounter with Seta? Actually…no, he hadn't. In fact, at this very moment he was walking past Burger World, the local fast food joint and popular hangout spot. He stepped past the outdoor tables and chairs, stepped past the front steps—and then paused. He looked down at his stomach, gently placing a hand over it.

"Hmmm…I guess it wouldn't hurt to indulge."

His mind made up, he turned and headed up the steps to the front door. Here he paused and looked over his shoulder, as if to check for any stalkers. Then, evidently satisfied, he pushed the door in and entered.

There were only a few diners inside, all chewing away at various types and numbers of burgers. Some diners were eating alone; some, with friends. One or two patrons were at the counter, slurping away at sodas or milk shakes. Zander took a seat on one of the stools at the counter, and beckoned to the waitress on duty.

"Why, hello there!" the girl said sweetly, walking up to Zander with her tray in both hands. "You're a new face around here…"

"Just passing through," Zander replied quietly.

"Well, as long as you're here, make yourself at home!" the waitress told him. "So, you ordering?"

"Sure," replied Zander. "Let me have a veggie-burger and a glass of soy milk. No fries."

"Coming right up!" the waitress replied, winking flirtatiously at him as she left.

Zander shrugged it off, placing his hands on the counter before him as he waited patiently. As he did this, he held his head down slightly so that his hair overshadowed his eyes. "Now, just a matter of time…" he whispered.

Suddenly there was a light ringing sound reverberating in the room. Calmly, Zander reached into his pocket and pulled out a cell-phone. It buzzed again in his hand; he flipped it open and held it to his ear. "Speak."

The voice on the other end chuckled. "You never change, do you, boss? You walk into a fast-food place, order anything that doesn't include meat…you need to try a little bit of the good stuff once in a while. You're seriously missing out."

Zander didn't smile at the caller's humor. "I'm a vegetarian because I like being one. Bite me."

"Oh, sorry, boss, but you know I don't swing that way." The caller laughed uproariously.

Zander scoffed. "Just because we all keep watchful eyes on each other doesn't give you the authority to act like a stalker. In fact, if you weren't useful to Master Orion, I'd have slashed your throat long ago and saved myself the trouble of enduring your stupid-ass voice."

"Well, I _did _accompany you to this rat-hole of a city, so that doesn't make me a stalker by any stretch of the imagination," returned the caller. "I just happen to like solitary company from time to time, that's all."

"So you can jerk off," quipped Zander.

"Ha, ha, ha." The caller's voice became more serious. "You got to talk to him?"

"I did."

"You made the offer?"

"Aye."

"What did he say?"

"He spat in my face. Literally."

There was a long silence. Then: "He…spat…in your _face?"_

"Did I stutter?"

Another period of silence. "He must be insane."

"Or perhaps his brain cells have withered after so much time away from us." Zander's tone was firm. "I gave him a grace period of six days to change his mind."

"And if he still refuses?"

Zander allowed himself a smirk. "Then I get to watch you guys, ahem…have fun with his friends."

Yet another long period of silence. Then on the other end of the line came a sinister chuckle. "Ooooohhhh…now THIS should be most interesting…"

Zander waited a moment. "What about the others? Have any of them arrived yet?"

"I've already sent the word out, by your order, boss. They should all be in the designated area in a few days at the most, and definitely before the launch of the World Championships."

"Wonderful." Zander smirked. "Just in time. And all of them will be hungry for blood, I take it?"

"No need to guess about that one, boss."

"Don't worry. All of us will have our fair share of prey at the World Championships…it's just a matter of patience."

"All right then, boss. What do you want me to do?"

"Just keep me informed on the others' progress. I will meet up with all of you at the designated area."

"Understood. I'm out." Then the line went dead.

Zander closed his phone and replaced it in his pocket – and just at that moment the waitress returned with the tray, bearing his meal. "Here you go, sir," and she set the plate down before him, followed by a glass of milk a moment later.

Zander nodded. "Thank you." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a crisp note, handing it to her. "Keep the change."

Blushing deeply, the girl went off, happily pocketing the money. Smirking, Zander picked up the burger and bit deeply into it; then he picked up the glass of milk and drank a mouthful. "Ahhh…the power of soy…" he murmured.

----------

KAIBACORP, A FEW MINUTES LATER

The Blue-Eyes White Motorbike screeched into the underground garage, right back at its usual parking spot. In a huff, Seta jumped off and dashed to the elevator, punching in the number to the floor where his room was. Tapping his foot impatiently for a few minutes, presently Seta snarled and dashed for the stairs instead.

For the next ten minutes he stomped up the staircase, mentally counting off the floors as he passed them. His breathing was deep and rapid from his extreme exertion; yet the anger he felt gave him extra adrenaline. _Damn it…damn it…damn you, Zander Zabel!_

At length he reached his destined floor, and hurried down the corridor to his room. Arriving at his door, he hastily pulled it open and, once inside, slammed it shut. Then he leaned against the door, his breathing now coming in sharp gasps. _Can't…let him…can't let THEM…I have to…!_

Slowly, he walked over to the mirror. For a long moment he stared at his reflection, which stared right back. Then, almost mechanically, he slipped off his jacket, revealing his black shirt underneath. The shirt's sleeves reached down to just past his elbows; he looked at the left sleeve with utter disdain. _Cursed thing…_

Very cautiously, he rolled up the left sleeve, exposing his upper arm completely…and there, staring back at him from the mirror's reflection, was a tattoo of a man supporting a large snake on his shoulders. _Ophiuchus…_

There was a knock at his door. "Sir Seta?"

Startled, Seta hurriedly rolled down his sleeve so it covered the tattoo. "Jillian?" he called, bending down to pick up his jacket.

"Sir Seta, please, let me in!" Jillian's voice was certainly urgent.

"It's open."

The door swung open, and Jillian stepped into the room, a peevish expression on her face. "Respectfully, what the hell was that all about?" she demanded. "You just jumped up and rode out of here on your bike with absolutely no explanation as to your reason for leaving. And I'm not leaving this room until you tell me what's going on!"

Seta casually slipped on his jacket. "It doesn't concern you."

"Like hell it doesn't!" Jillian snapped. "I am your bodyguard, sir, and as such it is my responsibility to know everything that happens to you! What would I have been able to say to your father if something had happened to you?"

Seta was about to retort—and then he saw the genuine fear in her eyes, masked by her anger. He sighed. "Fine. But listen to me, Jillian…what I'm about to say to you does **NOT,** under any circumstances, get back to my father. Am I clear?"

Jillian sighed, as well. "…fine."

Seta walked over to his bed and dropped down on it, in a sitting fashion. "I saw someone in Domino City today," he said quietly. "And he's threatened to do harm to Yugo and the others."

His bodyguard lost her belligerence immediately. "Harm your friends? But—why?"

He considered whether to tell her the reason…then decided against it. "I'm guessing there are some folks who don't want to see me participate in this year's World Championships," he fibbed. "And they're saying that if I don't back out now, then those I know will pay dearly for it."

Jillian frowned as she listened to this. "Seta…are you really going to back out?"

"NO!" Seta snapped, causing Jillian to jump in fright. "I won't allow ANY shit-heads to intimidate me! I'm the freaking World Champion of Duel Monsters—I RUN FROM NOBODY!"

The bodyguard rubbed her forehead. "But…what will you do, sir?"

Seta fixed her with a chilling glare. "I will do…what I must."

Suddenly, taking Jillian by surprise, Seta jumped up and reached into his pocket, pulling out his phone. "Who are you calling?" she asked in bewilderment as he speed-dialed a number.

"You'll see," he said, very mysteriously, as he put the phone to his ear.

----------

ELSEWHERE IN DOMINO CITY, IN THE MEANTIME

"Ow…"

Yugo blinked and shook his head to clear it of the stars swirling around. "What the fricking hell…?" he groaned. "What happened?"

As his vision came back into focus, he became aware of his five Duel Monsters looking down at him. "Okay…which one of you is responsible for blasting me in the face?" Yugo demanded, sitting up.

"Don't be so harsh, young one," a mysterious voice spoke up. "It was the only way to put you in this current state, so that you and I could converse."

Upon hearing the voice coming from behind them, the five spellcasters turned in that general direction – and as one, they all went down on one knee. "Huh?" Yugo blinked, very much bewildered.

Suddenly, from the direction the Duel Monsters were facing, there shone a massively bright, so bright that Yugo had to turn away his face. "AAAH! Hey, take it easy with the light already!" he cried.

Then the voice spoke again. "Yugo Muto…arise…and look at me."

Slowly, somewhat unsteadily, Yugo got up to his feet. Carefully, he eased his hand away from his face; his eyes were gradually getting used to the light. "Who…who are you?"

"Surely you remember me, young one," the voice chuckled…and then the light diminished a little so Yugo could see better. And he looked again…and what he saw astonished him. Right there before him was a familiar figure with spiky tri-colored hair, in the garb of an ancient Egyptian pharaoh!

"Pharaoh Atem!"

----------

**_neomage:_** ALL RIGHT! A certain _someone_ is back! But now…what is the meaning of Seta's mysterious tattoo? Who is Seta calling? And who does Zander mean by "you guys"?

(rampagerkriz and Kimiru are stone drunk, dancing to imaginary music with lamp-shades on their heads, while rampagerkriz's "cola" keg lies ominously empty)

neomage: O.o;;;; Pay no attention to the drunken yami and psycho personality. Now, moving right along to the next chapter…


	174. Chapter 174

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER:Everybody knows what I'm gonna say here by now, right? Oh, you don't? Sigh…I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**CHAPTER 174**

KYO'S HOUSE

The phone rang loudly in the hallway. "Coming, coming!" Kyo yelled, running from upstairs to grab it.

"It's okay, Kyo, I have it," Mr. Bakura assured him. Kyo sighed in relief.

Mr. Bakura put the phone to his ear. "Hello…? Oh, hello there…what's that? Oh…oh, I see. Yes, one moment." Then he pulled the phone away from his mouth. "Kyo! It's for you!"

In the process of heading back up the stairs, Kyo fell over in exasperation, falling all the way down the stairs in the process. "Ow…" he groaned, picking himself up.

"Um…are you all right?" Mr. Bakura asked with concern, a huge sweat-drop on his forehead.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm alive…" Kyo swiped the phone from his father. "Hello?"

"It's me, Seta," the caller came through. "Listen, Kyo. Do you have a moment to spare?"

"Sure," replied Kyo. "Why?"

"All right." Seta's voice was low and grave. "Let me ask you one question. You, Yugo, the girls…do any of you intend to participate in the World Championships that are coming up soon?"

"Well, I know I would like to," replied Kyo. "And I'm sure Jenna and Miki would like to join too—and if you're gonna be there, then of course Yugo will want to join as well. But, uh…where's all of this going?"

"Well…it's just that the competition in this tournament will be far tougher than what you've gone up against in the Kaibacorp Challenge Cup and the Intercontinentals," replied Seta. "So, I have a proposition for you. Why don't you guys come over here to Kaibacorp once you all have free time, and train with me and my bodyguard a little?"

"Whoa! Train with you guys? Are you serious?" Kyo exclaimed, his eyes widening. "Wow, Seta…I don't know what to say…"

"Say you can come over and train for the next couple of days until the tournament begins," said Seta. "Trust me…it'll be important that you do so."

Kyo chuckled. "All right. I'll fetch the others and then we'll stop by later this evening. Is that okay?"

"Yes, you do that. We'll see you here, then. Later." And Seta hung up.

Kyo grinned and hung up the receiver. "WOW!"

Mr. Bakura had been standing nearby while Kyo was chatting on the phone. Now he spoke up, "So, Kyo…going to train with Seta, are you?"

"Yeah, for the World Championships," and Kyo grinned.

Mr. Bakura chuckled. "Planning to have fun, are you? Well…might I suggest that you and the others buy a few new cards to improve your decks?"

"New cards?" Kyo rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Well…I guess it wouldn't hurt to upgrade a little bit…just let me call Jenna and Miki."

With that, he picked up the receiver and dialed. He waited while the phone rang on the other end…then a pleasant voice answered, "Hello?"

"Miki, it's me, Kyo," said Kyo warmly.

"Oh, hi, Kyo! What's up?" Miki cried.

"Listen, can you get Jenna and meet me at Yugo's house in a few minutes?" Kyo smirked knowingly.

----------

YUGO'S HOUSE, AT THAT VERY MOMENT

The car pulled up into the driveway, and Grandma got out and headed for the front door. "Yugi, are you awake? I'm home!" she called.

"Mother?" Mr. Muto's voice called to her. "Where did you go to? And where's Yugo?"

Heading for the living room, Grandma saw Mr. Muto standing in the middle of the room with a puzzled expression on his face. "I went up to his room, and he wasn't there—even his Duel-Disk was gone," he continued, scratching the back of his head. "He didn't even leave a message or anything."

Grandma smiled. "Sit down, dear."

Even more puzzled, Mr. Muto did so; and his mother sat beside him. "So…?" Mr. Muto asked.

"Well…I took Yugo to a special spot so he could gather his thoughts together," explained Grandma.

"What special spot?" asked Mr. Muto, extremely perplexed.

Grandma chuckled knowingly. "Your special place."

"Special place…" Mr. Muto's eyes suddenly went wide. "Mother, how did you—when did you—"

"Believe me, dear…I've always known. It's a mother's duty to know where her child goes, no matter what age he is." Grandma placed a hand on his shoulder. "I know that that place has always had special significance for you since you were little. So…I took Yugo there so he could take some time to collect his thoughts."

Mr. Muto's eyes twinkled in understanding. "I see…"

----------

ELSEWHERE IN DOMINO CITY, IN THE MEANTIME

"Am I…am I dreaming?" Yugo wondered. "I thought you…had gone back to the afterlife when we beat Zork Necrophades…"

"Indeed, I had," admitted Pharaoh Atem. "But nevertheless I still live in this world…I live in your father, and also in you…in your memories."

"But—why are you here now?" queried Yugo.

"To help you," said Atem. "You want to be able to bond with your Duel Monsters, to make firm your link to them, correct? But you're being held back by something…by your own inner fear."

Yugo held his head down; his eyes were filled with confusion. "But that's what I can't figure out…_why_ do I feel so afraid?"

"Can't you figure out the answer to that?" queried Atem.

Yugo's brow darkened as he frowned. "I…I always wanted to be able to surpass my dad…because nobody ever saw me for who I really was…all they saw when they looked at me was the fact that I was the son of the King of Games…and nobody ever acknowledged me, for the longest time…"

Atem nodded. "That is the story you have always told…but…" His eyes narrowed. "Is that the _whole_ truth?"

Yugo cocked an eyebrow. "Huh?"

"Because you have harbored your inner fear of constantly being in your father's shadow for so long, it has begun to show in the way you play the game," continued Atem. "You play Duel Monsters just for the sake of playing it. However, you do not command your cards with the confidence and courage that are the marks of a true duelist. And where does that lack of confidence and courage come from? From your unwillingness to accept the fact that, for all intents and purposes, you _are_ Yugi's son."

Yugo frowned more deeply. "But…what about my own skill, my own strength? Don't those count for something?"

"Yes, of course they do," Atem assured him. "But for your personal skill and power to be acknowledged by everyone, first you have to learn how to take comparisons to your father, even though they may be unfavorable or unasked for, with your head held high and with personal pride. Once you can show that you are not easily upset by such comparisons, only then will you be a true duelist in your own right."

His voice took a low tone. "And…if you can confront and acknowledge the underlying reason behind your fear of comparison to your father, then you will have taken the first step toward establishing your true power."

Yugo blinked. "The…underlying reason…?"

"When you and I became one during the fight against Zork Necrophades," said Atem, "I saw something, hidden deep in the recesses of your mind…a memory, blocked off by something like a stone wall. I believe it is what you call a repressed memory. Well…I want to help you unlock that memory, help you face it, and help you unlock your true potential that has been held back by your fear and restriction."

He gave Yugo a solemn look. "My question to you is…are you willing to undergo this trial?"

"Yes! Yes, Pharaoh! Help me to understand!" Yugo nodded eagerly.

Atem nodded in agreement. "Then…" He reached forward and touched Yugo's forehead with his fingertip…and an extremely bright light shone…

----------

DEEP IN THE RECESSES OF YUGO'S MIND

Yugo suddenly found himself standing in a very dark chamber, lined by walls marked with doors of different colors. "What…is this…?"

There was a small glow of light beside him; turning slightly, he saw Atem standing next to him. The pharaoh's body shone with a soft blue glow. "This, my young friend, is a corridor in your mind that houses all of your memories. Even if you cannot immediately recall certain events from times past, they are nevertheless recorded in your brain, like a journal."

"I see," said Yugo. "So…where do we begin?"

Atem indicated the doors. "Search every door that you see here," he told Yugo. "Observe each memory that you see. Make sure you imbibe them in your conscious mind And…keep searching till you come across a door that seems to be sealed off. When you find _that_ door, you alone must figure out how it is to be unlocked."

"Well…okay, I guess…" Yugo nodded and braced himself.

"Wonderful that you understand. Now, begin," Atem instructed, folding his arms.

Yugo promptly turned and headed for a peach-colored door. He swallowed as his hand held onto the knob and turned. _Hope I find something good behind here…_

And then the door opened…

----------

_Yugo was five years old, sitting at the kitchen table opposite his father. On the table were several Duel Monster cards. "So, Dad…what does this one do?" Yugo inquired, holding up the Share the Pain magic card._

_Mr. Muto smiled. "Well, son, that one's simple. By offering one of your monsters as a tribute, you force your opponent to offer one of his monsters as a tribute. It's a nice way to get rid of a monster from his side of the field."_

_"And this one?" Yugo held up the Sand Gambler _(ATK 300, DEF 1600).

_"Now, THAT is a tricky one," said Mr. Muto. "Sand Gambler allows you to flip a coin three times, and if all three results are heads, you destroy all the monsters on your opponent's side of the field…but if all the results are tails the YOU lose all of your monsters!"_

_"Gee…that's bad," Yugo remarked, wide-eyed._

_"It's all a matter of good fortune," Mr. Muto laughed._

----------

Yugo closed that door. "That was one of the first times…that Dad taught me how to play Duel Monsters," he recalled, quietly. "Now…what's behind Door Number Two?"

He reached for the handle of a green door next to the peach door. The handle turned…and then…

----------

_Yugo was in his first year at Domino High, on the first day, just walking away from the cafeteria's serving bar with his tray of food. "Hmmm…where to sit…" he mumbled to himself._

_"Yugo! Yoo-hoo, Yugo! Over here!"_

_"Huh?" Startled, Yugo turned to see Jenna at the other end of the cafeteria, waving to him. Smiling, he went over to her table and sat down._

_"How are you?" Jenna inquired, smiling._

_"Pretty great, actually. Yourself?"_

_"I'm good." Jenna slurped at the straw in her box of milk. "Tough on the first day, huh?"_

_"Tell me about it," Yugo laughed. "The courses are all really challenging, to say the least. Already I hate my history teacher!"_

_"I'll say the same thing—for my literature teacher! He's such a jerk!" Jenna giggled._

_Just at that moment someone waltzed past their table with a tray. "Huh? Hey…" Yugo looked up as the stranger went off to another table. "Jenna, that guy…have you seen him in any of your classes today?"_

_Jenna craned her neck so she could see who Yugo was talking about. The kid in question had spiky dark hair, glasses, and an ultra-serious frown on his face. "Yeah…I had him in my literature class," she answered. "He seems kinda withdrawn, though…"_

_"Can you excuse me a sec?" Yugo stood up._

_"H-huh? What're you doing?" Jenna asked, perplexed._

_Yugo walked over to where the kid sat, all by himself, about to bite into a roast beef sandwich. Sensing an intruder's presence, the other boy halted in mid-bite and looked up. "Can I help you?" he inquired._

_"Well…I just noticed you were here, eating by yourself, and I thought I'd come see if everything was okay," replied Yugo._

_"Yeah…" The boy eyed him with a little suspicion. "Why?"_

_"Aw, you know—it's just no fun to eat alone, I believe," said Yugo. "Listen, we've got room at our table for one more. You wanna join us?" And he pointed to his and Jenna's table._

_The boy looked over at the other table, then back up at Yugo. "Should I?" he asked with an upraised eyebrow._

_"Well…" Yugo shrugged. "If you don't want to, then it's cool. I was just trying to be nice." And he turned and walked back to his own seat._

_"Nice success, golden boy," Jenna smirked as Yugo sat back down._

_"Whatever," Yugo pouted, picking up his fork and preparing to shove a big helping of tuna salad into his mouth. "Some people just don't know how to be friendly…"_

_Footsteps approaching their table interrupted him. Looking up, both were surprised to see the same boy standing before them, his tray in hand. "Hey…the offer still open?" he asked._

_Yugo and Jenna looked at him, then at each other, with some amazement. Then Yugo's face broke out into a big grin. "Hey, sure!" And he scooted over so the kid could sit._

_The boy took a seat and set his tray down. "Thanks."_

_"I'm Jenna, Jenna Wheeler," Jenna smiled at the boy._

_"And I'm Yugo Muto," said Yugo. "What's your name?"_

_The boy adjusted his glasses a little. "Kyo…Kyo Bakura."_

_"Nice to meet you, Kyo!" Yugo said eagerly, holding his hand out for Kyo to shake._

_Kyo accepted the hand a little reluctantly. "Uh…you said Muto, right? Any relation to the Duel Monsters champ?"_

_Yugo sighed and rolled his eyes. "Yep. His son."_

_Now Kyo smiled. "Hey…that's pretty cool." He looked intently into Yugo's face. "Although, I think you're a pretty cool guy on your own, anyway."_

_Yugo's eyes widened. "What? Really? You really believe so?"_

_Jenna giggled. "How about that, Yugo? Another person who acknowledges you as more than just the King of Games' son!"_

_"Yeah," and Yugo laughed, while Kyo had a somewhat puzzled look on his face._

----------

Yugo quietly closed the door. "The first time I met Kyo, shortly after meeting Jenna," he chuckled.

Then he turned and scanned all the other doors he hadn't touched yet. "And still a few more to go…"

----------

**_neomage:_** YIPPEEEE! Exams are finally finished at long last! (does a little dance)

And now, time to honor one of my reviewers: _cantdueldontaskme,_ for being the 600th reviewer to date, and also for being the most influential and inspirational reader – by encouraging me to keep at my studies even when I was waterlogged (grins widely)!

yamikriz: Methinks Kimiru needs therapy…is it THAT easy for her to get under the influence of alcohol?

rampagerkriz: Bad news. Kimiru is STILL drunk. I didn't think it would be so terrible…oh, why did I allow her to drink half the keg?

yamikriz: Hee, hee, hee…now all I need to do is steal a car and offer it to her as a present…it'll be so funny to see her, a former member of the esteemed Pharaoh's guard, getting her ass arrested for a DUI offense…MWA HA HA HA!

rampagerkriz: O.o Uh, Miriku…you MIGHT wanna keep Kimiru away from any car yamikriz brings to her…


	175. Chapter 175

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER:On behalf of myself and my alternate personalities here in this story, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**CHAPTER 175**

DEEP IN THE RECESSES OF YUGO'S MIND

Having looked into two doors, Yugo prepared to open a third one, painted white. "What's back here?" he wondered aloud, as the door swung open…

-----------

_"Mama!" two-year-old Yugo cried out happily._

_"Does baby wanna take the first walkey-walkey?" Mr. Muto cooed playfully. He was carefully holding the little one, balancing him on his feet. Only a few feet away stood Mrs. Muto, on her knees with arms outstretched to reach her baby boy._

_"Come to Mama, Yugo," Mrs. Muto beckoned to him._

_Mr. Muto looked up at his wife. "Should I…?"_

_She nodded. Then to Yugo: "Come on, baby. Mama's here."_

_Mr. Muto slowly released his hold on his son, but kept his hands poised just in case. Wobbling a little unsteadily, Yugo took one tiny step. And another. And another._

_"That's it, son; you're doing it," whispered Mr. Muto. "Just a little more…"_

_"Mama…" Yugo took another two steps forward, reaching forward with his tiny arms toward his mother. "Mama, Mama…"_

_"Mama's here, sweetie," she coaxed him._

_Another three carefully placed steps. Then suddenly, as Yugo took his fourth step, suddenly he lost his balance. "Waaaaaah!" he cried, tumbling forward…_

_…into soft, gentle arms. "Ah?" Looking up with a little confusion, Yugo saw his mother's tender eyes looking back down at him._

_Mrs. Muto was smiling. "It's okay, honey," she whispered. "Mama's proud of you."_

_Yugo felt another hand rest on his head. Looking up, he saw his father beaming down at him. "That's my boy…taking your first steps all by yourself…" And he smiled a gentle smile._

_Yugo smiled widely, and sighed in happiness as both his parents cuddled him. "Mama…Dada…" he whispered, closing his eyes and basking in their love._

----------

The door closed slowly, quietly. Yugo just stood there, a quiet smile on his face even as a tear ran down his cheek. "Taking my first baby steps…back when Mom was alive…" he whispered, his voice almost choking.

Sniffing, he wiped his eyes with his cheek and turned away. "Well…next door…" he said, rather reluctantly stepping away from the white door. "What's next…?"

The next door before him was a purple door with no handle, but it had a knocker at the top. Yugo chuckled. "Knock, knock," he remarked as he banged the knocker on the door. And then…in response, the door slowly swung open…and Yugo saw…

----------

_"Who's a good little boy?" Grandma teased._

_"Me!" little Yugo proudly pointed to himself._

_"Yes, you are!" Grandma laughed and playfully pinched his cheeks._

_There was a footfall in the hallway just outside Yugo's room. "Mom…"_

_"Oh, listen to that, Yugo—Dada's come back!" Grandma exclaimed. "I wonder if he brought back a bag of goodies from his trip?"_

_"Yay!" Yugo clapped his little hands gleefully._

_"You wait right here, baby—maybe it's a surprise," said Grandma, winking at him conspiratorially. "I'll get him to give up the goodies and then you can have them all, what do you say?"_

_"Get 'im, Grandma!" Yugo cheered._

_Grinning, Grandma stood up and walked out of the room. "Yes, Yugi! You've come back so soon…"_

_For the next few minutes the conversation was muffled. Yugo sat in his cot, roughhousing with the stuffed Duel Monsters that kept him company; and always he kept looking up at the door, expecting Grandma to come back in with the goodies she promised she would get from Dada._

_Then the door did open—and in walked Mr. Muto. "Dada!" Yugo cried. Climbing out of the cot, he ran over to his father and hugged him tightly around his leg. "You have goodies!"_

_He looked up—and only then noticed something odd. "Dada?"_

_Mr. Muto's face looked rather strange; to Yugo, it seems as if his eyes were dripping wet. "My precious, precious little boy," the father whispered, dropping to one knee to be on face level with his son._

_"Dada…what's the matter?" Yugo asked innocently, reaching up to touch the tears running down Mr. Muto's cheeks._

_Mr. Muto pulled Yugo into a gentle embrace. "Yugo…there's something you have to know…and I hope you can understand somehow…" He choked. "Your mama's not going to be coming home."_

_"Huh? Why, Dada? Where's Mama?" Yugo asked, perplexed._

_Mr. Muto didn't reply; just pulled his son in closer as he began to sob…_

----------

The door closed of its own volition. Yugo's hair overshadowed his eyes. "That was the day…when I learned Mom had died," he whispered. "Killed in a plane crash…done by Keisuke Odachi and JUDAS…"

Forcefully turning away, Yugo went over to another door. The one he now stood in front of was dark blue; opening that door, he found…

----------

_Yugo studied Jenna carefully. "Hey…you all right?"_

_Her hair was overshadowing her eyes for a moment. Then she looked up, and what he saw fairly startled him: she was on the brink of crying. "Yugo…I'm sorry…it's just that, after these last three days…it felt like an eternity, being away from you…and now, you're coming back…I can hardly believe it."_

_"Hey, hey, hey…don't cry anymore, it's all right now," Yugo said gently._

_Jenna nodded and wiped her eyes. "Well…just let me convince myself of that. I don't care who sees it."_

_Then, right there and to Yugo's astonishment, she took one step toward him and tilted her face upward, her lips connecting with his. Almost instantly this started a chorus of whooping from the others. "Ladies and gents, we have ourselves a couple here!" Raven teased._

_"That's SOOOO cute!" Flora cried._

_Finally Jenna broke the kiss. "Sorry if I've embarrassed you," she whispered softly._

_Yugo was blushing madly, but on his mouth was a smile. "Never mind," he replied. "After what I've been through…I'll gladly take another one."_

_And this time, catching Jenna by surprise, Yugo swiftly wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her in even closer to him, as he fixed his mouth on hers in an even deeper kiss. Grateful for the opportunity, Jenna closed her eyes and savored the moment, even as the others continued their whooping and cheering. "Yugo…I love you," she whispered to him, when their lips finally parted._

_"And I you, Jenna," he whispered back. "I always have." And he held her in a tight embrace, one which she returned gladly._

----------

Now Yugo smiled, even as the door quickly shut. "Right as we were getting ready to come home from Egypt," he grinned. "A really great memory to have, that one."

Then he turned away and went toward another door. This one was made of plain, unpainted wood. "Okaaaay…an unpainted door…hmmm…"

He went to turn the handle—but the door didn't move. "Huh?" Yugo frowned and pushed against the door, turning the handle again—but still the door wouldn't move. Then he tried pulling the door—still no dice.

Then memory struck in. _Wait a minute…this door…_ He looked at it apprehensively. _What if THIS is the sealed door the Pharaoh was talking about? And…_

He studied the door intensely. _He said that I alone have to figure out how this door is unlocked…but…what should I do…?_

Yugo gently touched the door with his fingertips. _A repressed memory…hidden behind this door…if I can just have an inkling of what that memory is, then maybe this door will open! Let's see…_

He started pacing around in front of the door. _Definition of repressed memory: a memory of a traumatic event that is stored in the brain and kept in the unconscious memory. So…do I have anything like that? Hmmm…_

Yugo frowned as he tried to remember. _Maybe…maybe this repressed memory is of something that happened a long time ago…something I would've been too young to remember…_ He considered the possibility carefully. _But…the most traumatic thing I remember now is…Mom's death…and that was only a while ago revealed to me…_

Then he stopped pacing. He frowned more deeply. _Wait a minute…there was a time when I began to hate Duel Monsters, because everybody kept comparing me to Dad. Hmmm…maybe this traumatic event was the trigger for that antipathy…and it was so bad that I blocked it from my conscious mind… _He swallowed visibly. _Maybe this traumatic event had something to do with always being compared to him…or maybe it had to do with Duel Monsters!_

As he thought that, suddenly a small light shone in his hand. "Huh?" Yugo was astonished—and looking down, he saw that the light was forming in the shape of a key!

"What…? This key…?" Yugo stared at the key for a long moment…then at the lock in the door. "Can it be that…this key is…?"

Curiously, he tried pushing the key into the lock. It fit. "Okay! Here we go!" Yugo nodded, and pulled the door open. _I just hope I'll be able to handle whatever memory it is that's hiding back here…_

----------

_Yugo suddenly found himself in bodily form, back at Domino City Prep School. "Hmmm…Domino City Prep…" he mused as he walked through the hallways. "Been a long while since I was here last."_

_He walked up the stairs—and just at that moment the bell rang. Then the doors to nearby classrooms flew open, and excited children ran out, some fighting with each other, some sticking bubble gum in each other's hair, some just chattering excitedly with their friends. Yugo chuckled as the growing crowds of children ran past him—and even THROUGH him, as they were merely ghosts of the past._

_Then as he turned a corner and started to walk down another corridor…Yugo heard laughing, outside on the walkway. "What…I wonder what's going on?" he murmured as he stepped through a nearby door leading outside._

_As he stepped through the door, he saw a group of kids gathered in something of a semi-circle. "What's this?" Yugo inquired, walking forward…_

_…and what he saw made him recoil._

_The kids were gathered around two children who were the center of attention at the moment. One kid was dressed up in a big black curtain wrapped around the shoulders like a cape, and was wearing a mask of the Dark Magician _(ATK 2500, DEF 2100). _He held a green stick in one hand, supposedly to simulate the Dark Magician's staff, and at the moment was whacking the other kid around the head and shoulders with it. "Ha! Take that, evil anti-duelist!" he was saying._

_The other kid was cowering on the ground, hands above his head to shield himself from the blows. His head was held way down, so Yugo couldn't see his face. "Stop it…stop it…" the kid kept repeating piteously._

_"H-hey, stop that!" Yugo shouted, dashing forward. Since, again, this was a moment in the past, nobody could see or even hear him; yet he dashed through the crowd—quite literally—until he was in the center of the action._

_Then he froze. "Oh…my…God…can this be…"_

_The kid holding his head down was Yugo himself!_

_The other kid continued whacking little Yugo with the makeshift staff. "How can you be the son of such a famous duelist if you can't even name the cards correctly?" he taunted. "Hey, everybody, you've seen how pathetic he's been every time somebody has him play Duel Monsters, right?"_

_"Right!" several members of the crowd chorused._

_Present-day Yugo continued to stare, his eyes widening by the moment. _I…I barely recall…something like this happening long ago, but…what happened here?

_"If you're the kid of a duelist, you're supposed to be a proper duelist too!" the pseudo-Dark Magician laughed, continuing to whip little Yugo with the staff. "Be a good duelist like your dad! Be a good duelist like your dad!" And he repeated the phrase over and over, each time emphasizing the words _good_ and _dad_ with a whack of the staff._

_The other kids in the crowd were taking up the chant. "Be a good duelist like your dad! Be a good duelist like your dad! Be a good duelist like your dad!" And, egged on by their shouting, the bully continued to hit Yugo._

_And then…_

_"STOP IIIIIT!" little Yugo screamed, suddenly jumping up. Catching the bully by surprise, the blond-haired boy pushed his arms forward with all his might and shoved his tormentor—_

_—right over the railing! "AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" the other kid screamed, falling, falling, falling…_

_The other kids' taunting ceased instantly; now only shocked silence reigned. Little Yugo himself was frozen in that same shoving stance, only slowly realizing what had just happened. "…no…"_

----------

The door slowly swung shut. Yugo collapsed to his knees. "Oh, damn…now I remember…everything…"

He fell forward, catching himself with his hands. "I pushed that kid right over the edge of the railing…and then, I got so scared, I ran to the bathroom and locked myself inside one of the stalls. I was so scared, I cried…and I cried so much, I passed out…"

His hair overshadowed the entire upper half of his face; a dark look covered his entire face in general. "And then…when I woke up hours later, I was back at home in my bed…and it was morning…and I didn't remember anything that had happened…and…nobody ever told me what happened…"

A look of pain crossed his face, and he barely noticed that all the doors around him were slowly disappearing, leaving him in an empty black space. "And yet…without even realizing or understanding why…I hated Duel Monsters…I hated everything to do with it…_even my own father…"_

A gentle light shone beside him; in a moment Pharaoh Atem was by his side. "So…you finally remembered," he remarked. "But tell me, Yugo…would you like to know what happened immediately after that incident?"

Yugo looked up at him, and then just as quickly looked away. "I don't want to see it, Pharaoh. I…I killed somebody, at such a young age…"

"Did you?"

Yugo frowned. "What do you mean by that?"

Atem reached down and gently pulled Yugo to his feet. "If you wish to know the answer to that question…go through that door." And he directed the young man's attention to a solid black door that had just appeared out of nowhere.

"What…what is _this _door?" Yugo asked, almost fearfully.

"It is an extremely subconscious memory…of something that happened immediately after the event of your repressed memory," explained Atem. "Would you like to see it?"

Yugo looked at the door, then Atem, then the door again. He swallowed nervously. "Do you think I should?"

"That is not for me to answer," said Atem. "It's entirely up to you."

Yugo stared at the black door for a long moment—then made his decision. Slowly, he walked up to it, and he reached his hand forward for the knob…

----------

**_neomage:_** MWAH! One big dose of CLIFFIE!

(yamikriz sneaks a brand-new black Viper into Miriku's garage)

yamikriz: Oh, Kimiru! Look what I got you!

(Kimiru, still drunk, stumbles out)

Kimiru: Is that – hic – for ME?

yamikriz: Yep. (holds up keys)

Kimiru: GIMME! (snatches keys and jumps into the car, reversing into the street and driving away—VERY erratically)

yamikriz: Yep, knock yourself out…literally… (evil grin)


	176. Chapter 176

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER:I can see clearly now, exams are gone…and I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**CHAPTER 176**

DEEP IN THE RECESSES OF YUGO'S MIND

Yugo's grip latched onto the black door's knob. Beads of sweat broke out over his face. _Come on, suck it up…you HAVE to do this…_ he grumbled to himself. _You have to know the truth!_

Then he twisted the knob.

The door slowly opened inward…and Yugo stepped in, seemingly against his own free will…

----------

_Little Yugo was crouched in a corner of the bathroom stall, or more correctly he was curled up as in the fetal position, his face stained by tears. He was barely conscious, so much so that all he could hear was a confused mix of shouts and screams from outside the bathroom zone._

_A face popped up underneath the door of his hiding place. "Yugo…?"_

_"Go 'way," Yugo mumbled incoherently._

_The face disappeared. Then slowly the door swung open—in his earlier hysteria in hiding himself, Yugo had forgotten to fasten the bolt on the door. And…standing there was Mr. Muto._

_"Son…" Mr. Muto spoke up again. It was hard to read his face at that moment; and in Yugo's case, it didn't matter, for he was only barely conscious anyway._

_The older man sighed and walked over to where his son was curled up. Bending down as best he could in such a cramped space, he reached out a hand…and rested it gently on top of Yugo's head._

_"Son…can you hear me?" Mr. Muto spoke up in a gentle tone. "That boy you pushed…he only suffered a broken arm, but other than that he'll be okay. Don't worry, Yugo, you won't be punished for what you did…I think the shock you've undergone may be punishment enough."_

_He gave a heavy sigh. "Although, now that I think about it…I guess everything that's pushed you to do what you did today…all of it was my fault. After all…with me being the King of Games…it was hard on you, wasn't it, Yugo? To have to put up with so much teasing from everybody because of me, even more so because you're not as good at the game as everybody expects…"_

_Mr. Muto's hair overshadowed his eyes as he continued to talk, but a tear stole its way down his cheek. "I've put an unfair burden on your shoulders, my son, even though I never intended to do so…" He gently touched his son's cheek and sniffled. "I just hope that…someday you'll be able to surpass everything I am…and that someday you can forgive me."_

_Tenderly, he picked up the exhausted little boy into his arms and quietly walked out of the bathroom. And as he left, the father's cheeks were stained with fresh tears._

----------

The door closed. Yugo just stood there in front of it, his eyebrows quivering as fresh tears built up in his eyes. "Dad…"

"It takes a real man to admit when he has made a mistake to the one he has wronged most deeply," Atem's paternal voice sounded behind him. "Your father was such a man. He always was. And, he has suffered as much torment as you have, if not more." The pharaoh's eyes narrowed. "But my question to you now is…can you find it in your heart to fulfill his heart's two greatest desires?"

Yugo's hair again overshadowed his eyes as silence reigned for a full three minutes. Atem crossed his arms and waited patiently. "Well?" he inquired.

Then Yugo looked up – and his eyes blazed with emotion. "YES!" he exploded. "I forgive my father for the burden placed upon me…and I acknowledge that that burden is MINE and MINE ALONE to carry! And…I don't care how long it takes, but someday I'm gonna surpass everything he is now—just as he wanted!"

He punched at the air. **_"YOU HEAR ME, PHARAOH? I WILL FOR SURE!"_**

Atem smirked. "There you go."

And all at once, where they stood was flooded with a bright light…

----------

BACK IN THE REAL WORLD

Yugo stirred. "Mmmm…whoa…" His eyes slowly opened as he regarded the sky above him. "Was all of that…just a dream?"

Slowly he sat up on the grass where he'd fallen. Just below the hill where he was, he heard the waves crashing against the rocks. And around him stood the Dark Magician, Dark Magician Girl, Magician's Valkyrie, Sorcerer of Dark Magic and Dark Magician of Chaos, all looking at him with some concern.

"Huh? Oh…Hey, you guys," said Yugo quietly, standing up slowly. To himself he added, _No…that wasn't just any dream. That really was a test for me…a test from the Pharaoh himself…and I…_

Dark Magician of Chaos cocked an eyebrow at him. Yugo chuckled when he saw this. "Don't worry…I'm fine now. I'm feeling better now than I ever have."

Magician's Valkyrie floated up to him and regarded him with a little worry in her eyes. Yugo chuckled. "Yeah…it's as if I can hear all your thoughts together now…and I can understand who's thinking what, and why…I can truly understand you guys now. Just like Janus said I should."

Then Yugo's face lit up with utter determination. "Come on, all, let's go home! The World Championships aren't far away, and we've got work to do! So let's get home and start training and getting stronger, what do you say?"

The five monsters looked at each other—then they all smiled and nodded, and turned to Yugo and nodded in turn.

"AWESOME!" Yugo cried and held up his Duel-Disk. "Now, come to me!"

And in response, all five disappeared…and five sparks of light flew into his deck, causing his cards to glow. "All right!" he exclaimed. "Now I _really_ feel like I can take on the whole world! Janus, World Championships, here I come!" He punched the air in victory. "Rock on!"

----------

YUGO'S HOUSE, IN THE MEANTIME

While Yugo had been confronting the angels and demons of his past, Kyo had gotten together with Jenna and Miki, and now all three were just arriving at Yugo's house. "Boy, am I glad to get away from the house," sighed Jenna, stretching herself. "For a little while I almost thought Mom was never gonna let me get away."

"This call you got from Seta…it seemed a bit sudden for him to invite us to train, even for the World Championships, don't you think?" asked Miki.

"You think so?" remarked Kyo, adjusting his glasses. "Well, in any case we shouldn't worry about it. It's a great opportunity for each of us to really strengthen our decks…and like Seta said, there are gonna be a hell of a lot of strong guys there at the tournament."

"Do you think Yugo will want to come?" asked Jenna.

"But of course!" said Kyo. "This is Yugo you're talking about here; he'll NEVER pass up an opportunity like this! Which is why we're going to his house now—and there it is!"

They all went up the walkway to the front door and knocked. Grandma Muto answered. "Why, hello, children!" she exclaimed. "Have you come to see Yugo?"

"Yes, ma'am," said Kyo. "Has that lazy bum gotten out of bed yet?"

Grandma chuckled knowingly. "Sorry to disappoint you, Kyo," she answered, "but the 'lazy bum' isn't here. He woke up long ago and went out."

The three looked at each other. "He woke up early and went out? Okay…that's a new one," and Kyo scratched his head.

"Maybe we would wait for him," suggested Jenna.

"Sorry, kids…but he won't be coming back anytime soon," Mr. Muto spoke up from behind Grandma. "I know where he's gone to. He's gone to do a little preparation on his own."

"He's training by himself?" asked Miki, eyes wide with wonder.

"Something like that," replied Mr. Muto.

"Hmmm…well, if that's the way it is…" Kyo shrugged.

"We wanted to ask him if he'd like to join us later at Kaibacorp," said Jenna. "We're going there to train for the Duel Monster World Championships."

"Good idea you have there," said Mr. Muto. "Which reminds me, there hasn't been any official announcement yet, has there? So I suppose if you ask Seta, maybe he can give you kids special VIP invitations. He is the World Champion, after all."

"Heh…Well, Mr. Muto, I think he may have been planning to do that anyway," surmised Kyo. "Or why would he invite us to train for the tournament?"

"So, what will you do, then?" inquired Grandma.

Miki fingered her chin thoughtfully. "Well…I think we should go buy a few card packs before we go to Seta's later. Maybe we'll find some cards that we need to have, and we can add any new and useful cards to our decks."

"Yes, let's do that, then," agreed Jenna. "And then later on, we can meet up with Yugo!"

"Then let's be on our way and get some good card packs!" Kyo grinned. "Bye, you guys!"

The kids waved to Grandma and Mr. Muto as they walked back toward the sidewalk. Grandma waved back, then smiled as she closed the door. "Such a blessing to be young," she sighed.

Mr. Muto didn't reply, merely chuckled.

----------

KAIBACORP, LATER THAT DAY

The Blue-Eyes White Chopper flew back toward Kaibacorp headquarters, with attendants standing by at the heliport to receive it. Standing a little ways off was Jillian, her mouth set in a smirk. "Sir Kaiba's returned," she whispered.

In a moment the chopper was landing, and the door opened. Kaiba stepped out and coolly headed up to Jillian. "I'm back," he said. "Where's Seta?"

"He's downstairs in the training room at this moment, sir, getting things ready for when his guests arrive," Jillian reported.

"Guests?" Kaiba cocked an eyebrow.

"Yes, Sir Kaiba. He invited his friends over to train while you were gone."

Kaiba shook his head knowingly. "Yugo and his bunch of friends, huh? So…Seta decided to hand out invitations even before the tournament's been officially announced…"

"Speaking of which, sir, how did your meeting go?" inquired Jillian as they walked together toward the elevator.

"Pretty well, actually," said Kaiba. "We've decided that the announcement for the World Championships will take place tomorrow morning, with instructions for prospective competitors."

"How very interesting," said Jillian. "So, what will you do now, sir?"

"I'm going to my office, that's what," answered Kaiba. "I still have some work to finish up. I just hope nobody decided to call for me while I was gone."

----------

A LITTLE LATER, AT A GIFT SHOP

In the plaza that stood before Kaibacorp, there was a gift shop that sold all sorts of novelty items. This shop sold souvenir cups, key chains, teddy bears, sweets and snacks…and Duel Monster cards, too. And at this moment Kyo, Jenna and Miki were standing just outside its entrance, looking at its sign hanging overhead.

"Hmmm…this place comes recommended," said Kyo. "Dad told me that this was where he used to buy his cards sometimes."

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go inside!" Jenna gushed.

With that said, the three pushed the door in and entered. The elderly clerk at the front desk looked up at their entrance. "Why, good afternoon, kids," he greeted them. "May I help you?"

"We're interested in buying some Duel Monster cards, sir," said Miki politely. "Do you have any good ones to sell?"

"Hmmm…as a matter of fact, missy, I do have quite a few good ones right here," and with that the clerk turned his back to them and bent down to retrieve a box underneath the bottom shelf. "Ooooohhhh…"

"Uh…are you okay, old man?" Kyo asked.

"Heh, it's nothing, boy," the clerk replied, standing back up again with the box in his arms. "Just a little bit of work for me to have to bend my knees and my back, is all. And, between us, it's been a while since any of you young 'uns have come to buy any cards."

"Is that right?" Miki marveled.

"Yeah…" The clerk's face took on a look of sadness. "I remember, back in the day, when kids were all hyped up about playing Duel Monsters, and they'd swarm this shop for all the latest cards. But now…now the only people who come into this place are those folks looking for gift items for their loved ones, you know? Hardly anybody comes in to buy cards anymore."

"And we're the first you've had in a long time," Jenna finished sympathetically.

"That's about right." The clerk nodded.

Kyo, Jenna and Miki looked at each other, then back at the clerk. "How much?" Jenna asked.

The clerk opened the box. "Two dollars fifty per pack," he told them.

The kids reached into their pockets and pulled out their wallets. "Hmmm…I think this should be enough to buy at least two packs," Kyo mumbled as he looked at his money.

"I can buy three!" Miki said cheerfully.

"I can buy two, too," added Jenna. "Okay, gramps, lay 'em on us!"

The old man beamed. _So good to see such enthusiasm for Duel Monsters…it's almost rare here in Domino City nowadays…_

----------

KAIBACORP

Roland stood at his post in front of Kaibacorp's entrance, occasionally looking up at the sky out of boredom. "Hmmm…Master Seta said to expect his friends to come…but, where ARE they?" he asked himself a tad impatiently.

Then he looked up—and saw three familiar figures emerging from a gift shop across the street in the plaza, and heading in his direction. "Is that them? Oh, yes, it is!" and he smirked, crossing his arms.

By and by the three were heading up Kaibacorp's front steps toward Roland. Kyo Bakura…Jenna Wheeler…and Miki Taylor. "Roland!" the last one called out cheerfully.

Roland adjusted his sunglasses a little. "Welcome, young ones. Master Seta has been expecting you…"

"It's okay, Roland, I got this," said a voice behind him. Turning in surprise, Roland came face-to-face with Seta himself.

Then Seta addressed the other kids. "Guys…I'm glad you're here. Please, let's go inside to the training room."

The trio nodded and walked up to Seta, following him as he turned and headed inside. They all went into the elevator, and Seta pushed the button for the second floor.

"To be able to train here at Kaibacorp…this will be, like, so cool!" Miki squealed.

"And with the new cards we've gotten, it should be even better," and Jenna grinned.

"You…got new cards?" asked Seta.

"Yeah, just a little while ago," said Kyo. "All we need now is to add them to our decks as best as possible."

"I see," and Seta nodded in approval.

Presently the elevator stopped, and the doors opened. The group got out and found themselves in the dueling arena; straight ahead, Jillian and GINA were waiting. "Good afternoon," GINA addressed them. "Are you ready to train?"

"Definitely!" Jenna nodded.

"Then let's begin without delay," said Jillian, and Seta nodded in agreement.

----------

YUGO'S HOUSE, AT THAT VERY MOMENT

The front door opened quietly, and Yugo stepped in. "Hello?" he called out.

"Hey, son," Mr. Muto's voice sounded, causing Yugo to turn. The older man was standing right there in the passageway. "So…how did you like that little thinking spot?"

"Grandma told you, then," observed Yugo.

"Were you able to get your thoughts together?" asked Mr. Muto.

He wasn't prepared for when Yugo suddenly ran up to him, throwing his arms around his father's neck. "Dad…I had a vision…the Pharaoh…"

Mr. Muto's eyes widened in surprise. _Atem?_

"…and…" Yugo's tone was low. "I…remember everything…what happened that day…and what you said to me…"

Mr. Muto's eyes widened even further…then slowly narrowed as a painful look of understanding came across his face. "You…remember…"

"It's all right." Yugo smiled. "I accept this cross which I must bear. And…I will get stronger. And you…are absolved."

Mr. Muto's lip quivered. He caught his son in a tight embrace. "Yugo…"

Yugo was silent for a moment. Then: "Dad…I need to train for the World Championships. Will you help me?"

Mr. Muto smiled a little now. "However you want, boy…however you want."

----------

**_neomage:_** Okay, everybody! Starting next chapter, the World Championships will be officially announced! And between us, I'm gonna be featuring a few characters other than Yugo and his posse in the next chapter, for further character development…and I know this upcoming chapter is one I've personally been looking forward to! So, keep reading, everybody! (uses white-out to, well, white-out the latest useless flame)

(kRiZ and yamikriz are watching TV)

kRiZ: Hey, look, the news is on! Let's watch!

Announcer: There's a high-speed chase currently on, as you can see here from our live footage…hey, hold on…the driver's crashed into a utility pole! And now…the police are swarming the vehicle, dragging the driver and passenger out…it looks as if both of them are underage girls, and the driver seems to be intoxicated…this could spell trouble…

yamikriz: Wow…a really boring thing… (to himself) Hee, hee, hee…Kimiru got busted—and Miriku with her! Two birds with one stone! Boo-yah!

kRiZ: Uh, yamikriz…isn't that Miriku and Kimiru?

yamikriz: Huh? Uh…did you say something?

(at the police station)

Miriku (roughly manhandled into a cell): NOOOOO! I'M INNOCENT! INNOCENT, I TELLS YA! I BEEN FRAMED! IT WAS THAT CRAZY YAMIKRIZ WHO DID IT! ASK ANYBODY—THEY'LL TELL YA! I'M AN AUTHORESS OF HIGH REPUTE! YOU ASSHOLES CAN'T DO THIS TO MEEEEEEEEE!

Kimiru (thrust into same cell) rampagerkriz…neomage…hic…do something…I…hic…gonna kill yamikriz when I get my…hic…hands on… (passes out)

neomage: (Uh…Miriku? Please don't hate me! Hate yamikriz – I had nothing to do with this! O.o)


	177. Chapter 177

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER:Only a little bit left before the World Tournament begins…and I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, people. Kazuki Takahashi does. So get off my back about it. Nyah.)

**(WARNING: Yuri in a section of this chapter! Could get a slightly-higher-than-T rating!)**

**CHAPTER 177**

THE NEXT DAY

The giant-screen TV hovering over Domino City's town square lit up. "Good morning, everyone," Maximillion Pegasus's voice came on. "I'm here to bear good news to all duelists everywhere, so listen up, please."

Everyone passing through the square at that moment paused and looked up at the TV in wonder. Pegasus continued, "In five days from today, the Duel Monsters World Tournament Committee will launch this year's World Championships. This year, however, things are going to be a little different, for the Championships this time around will go under a new name and format: Dueltropolis!

"The tournament will take place on my island, Duelist Kingdom Island; however, this tournament will be nothing like Duelist Kingdom, or even like Battle City, of long ago—it'll be bigger and better, ten times so. So, whosoever is interested in participating in Dueltropolis, sharpen your skills over the next five days! Then, at that time, come to Domino City's pier for transport to Dueltropolis. Remember: This year, Dueltropolis will be one World Championship that no duelist will want to miss!"

----------

KAIBACORP, OVER THE COURSE OF THE NEXT FIVE DAYS

"Go, Familiar Knight (ATK 1200, DEF 1400)! Dark Shadow Shield!"

Miki, standing at one end of Seta's dueling arena, watched as Familiar Knight's shield turned black with dark energy. The knight rushed forward, bashing the Defense mode Watapon (ATK 300, DEF 200) with his shield and knocking it into nothingness.

Kyo, at the other end of the arena, chuckled. "You're determined, aren't you?"

"So are you," Miki chuckled.

"But not as much as me, count on that!" Jenna's voice came from elsewhere. Turning, Miki wasn't prepared for the sudden barrage of emeralds that completely skewered Familiar Knight!

"Hey, low blow, Jenna!" Miki cried, but with a small grin on her face.

At one side of the arena, Jenna stood with Luster Dragon #2 (ATK 2400, DEF 1400) by her side. Jenna grinned back. "Let's do our best for this tournament, you two, that's all we need to do," she told them.

Right above them, Seta and Jillian watched from the gallery. "They're all talented, for sure," said Jillian. "They have been coming here to train ever since yesterday, and already they're showing that their techniques are improving. I can't wait to see how they do in the World Championships."

"And we need to practice more, too," said Seta. He held up his own Duel-Disk. "Are you ready?"

"Certainly, Sir Seta!" Jillian held up her own Duel-Disk, too.

----------

YUGO'S HOUSE, DURING THE TIME DURATION

Yugo sat alone in his room, furiously going through his cards. "Hmmm…no, no, no…" He groaned in frustration.

A knock at the door interrupted him. "Come in!" he said.

In walked Mr. Muto and Grandma, he with a card pack in his hand, she with a tray bearing sandwiches and a glass of milk. "How's the deck reconstruction coming along, dear?" Grandma inquired.

"Pretty rough," admitted Yugo. "As much as I'm going through this deck, I can't help but feel that it's missing something…"

"Perhaps I can help with that," said Mr. Muto, stepping forward. "I took the liberty of heading out to buy a new card pack a while ago. It's one of the very latest available; and inside there should be some cards that will aid your deck strategy."

"And while you're at it, you should eat something," and Grandma set the tray down beside Yugo. "You're a good duelist, but you won't last two minutes on an empty stomach."

Yugo chuckled. "Thanks, Dad, Grandma."

"Let us know if there's anything else you need, son," said Mr. Muto, and with that he and Grandma left the room.

Eagerly Yugo tore the card pack open and pulled out a set of cards. Thumbing through them, his eyes widened. _Hey…these cards are…_ And as he continued to look at his new cards in wonder, he unconscious reached over and picked up one of the sandwiches.

----------

TOKYO, JAPAN, DURING THE TIME DURATION

Flora Green, plant and insect duelist extraordinaire, stood outside the research facility. "Hope he'll be willing to see me…" She swallowed and went in the front door.

The receptionist at the front desk looked up as Flora Green entered. "Hello, may I help…wait a minute…is that really _you,_ Flora? It's been so long!" she exclaimed, a bright smile on her face.

"Good to see you, too, Kimiko," said Flora. "Tell me, is the big man here?"

"Yes, he is! Please, go up to his office! He'll be happy to see you, for sure!" Kimiko pointed to the stairs nearby.

Nodding, Flora went to the staircase and trotted upstairs. A moment later she found herself standing in front of a large mahogany door with the letters DR. W. UNDERWOOD engraved in gold. Swallowing with some nervousness, she knocked on the door.

"Yes?" a voice answered.

"Dr. Underwood…it's me, Flora Green." A pause. "May I come in?"

"Certainly."

Flora pushed the door open, and found herself in a small but comfortable office. Lining the walls were bookshelves with numerous tomes, all on plant life and insect terminology. At a desk sat a man with green hair and thick glasses. "Flora…it's been ages," he spoke to her. "Please, sit."

"Yes, Dr. Underwood, it has been a while," said Flora respectfully as she sat.

Dr. Underwood studied her intensely. "You came because you were hoping I would train you a little in preparation for the World Championships, correct?"

"I see…you still keep track of all things Duel Monster-related," said Flora. "So, sir…will you, please?"

Dr. Underwood crossed his fingers under his chin. "Flora…I was the one who first taught you how to play Duel Monsters," he told her. "I did it as a favor to your grandparents, who were two of the brightest researchers here at my research facility. And, after they died, I took you in and cared for you like my own daughter. And, even when we have had our differences, you have always been loyal to the cause of environmental protection." He grinned. "How could I turn you away?"

Flora smiled gratefully. "Thank you, Dr. Underwood."

----------

OSAKA, JAPAN, DURING THE TIME DURATION

Wade Ocean, the Ocean Duelist, walked along the shoreline of Osaka, keeping a wary eye out. _He's here…I know he's here, somewhere…_

He walked down from the road to the sandy beach. _Come on…where are you?_

Something to his left caught his attention. Looking in that direction, he saw a large boat docked safely by a set of rocks. "Heh…he still has that boat, after all this time…" Wade chuckled, starting forward.

As he got closer, he observed that there was a small cooking spit over an open coal fire, roasting pieces of meat and fish. Smirking, Wade flexed his fingers and reached forward to take some…

…and a large fishing spear suddenly landed right near his foot! "Hey! Leave a fisherman's catch alone, thief!" a rough voice shouted.

Looking up, Wade saw a big burly man with wild black hair, clad only in blue jeans shorts. Wade only laughed. "Is that how you greet an old pal after such a long time…Mako Tsunami?"

Tsunami now grinned. "Always the same, Wade Ocean…you come to my regular spot, try to eat my catch, and then I end up sharing it with you anyway."

"Yeah…but this time, I'm here for more than just fish," said Wade gravely.

Tsunami wasn't smiling now. "The World Championships, right? I know. It's been all over the airwaves; this new tournament that the Committee is launching in a few days."

"Then you know why I am here," said Wade.

Tsunami gave Wade a long look. Then he smirked. "Well…I guess I could go look for my Duel-Disk and review a few tricks with you."

----------

TEXAS, USA, DURING THE TIME DURATION

"All right, grunts! My name is Lieutenant Keith Howard, and I will be your commanding officer from here on out! As long as you are here, you refer to me as 'Lieutenant Howard,' or 'Sir'! I'm not gonna be taking any shit from any of you, but you'd better be man enough to follow every order I give you, even if I tell you to drop dead! Am I clear?"

"Sir, yes, sir!"

Lt. Howard fixed the new recruits at the military base, all standing before him in two straight horizontal lines, with scornful glances. "Look at the whole lot of you…such a big bunch of pansy-assed wimps! Well, guess what, ladies? By the time you're done serving your term here, I'll have made men out of the whole of you—men with backbones and grit!"

"Sir, yes, sir!" the recruits shouted back.

"Good! Now, here's the first test of your manhood, ladies—drop and count 100, every one of you!" Lt. Howard snapped, thrusting a pointing finger to the ground for emphasis.

"Sir, yes, sir!" And all the recruits swiftly dropped and started to count off push-ups.

A movement to the side caught Lt. Howard's eye. Looking in that direction, he saw a silver-haired man with a duffel bag slung over one shoulder and a determined look on his face. _Ironside…_

Beckoning to another soldier, Lt. Howard barked at him, "Take over these wimps for me! I need to take care of business!"

"Sir, yes, sir!" the soldier saluted. Then he turned to the recruits doing push-ups. "Come, on, recruits, don't drop the pace now!"

Lt. Howard jogged over to where Marcus Ironside stood, waiting. "Sergeant Ironside…"

"The former Bandit Keith…" Marcus answered.

The two stared at each other for a long moment. Then Lt. Howard spoke up again: "The World Championships?"

"You know…" Marcus nodded.

Lt. Howard nodded solemnly. "Meet me here on the grounds with your Duel-Disk at 1800 hours, soldier. And you'd better pray that you have enough backbone to survive what I have in store for you."

Marcus saluted. "Sir!"

----------

BEIJING, CHINA, DURING THE TIME DURATION

Vivian Wong took a sip of her tea. "So, little one…you've returned."

Blaze Redman nodded. "I have."

The two women were at Ms. Wong's spacious home in Beijing; at this moment they were sitting across from each other at Ms. Wong's dining room table, drinking tea. Ms. Wong chuckled a little. "You know…this brings back memories…especially of those times immediately after I found you and took you under my wing. You were bratty, impatient and rebellious…and very tomboyish too, I might add."

Blaze looked down and away. "Even so…even so, you didn't throw me out on my ear. You kept on after me…you taught me everything that I know now…"

"And now, look at you," Ms. Wong finished off her tea and set the cup down. "Now, everybody knows you worldwide as the legendary fire-wielding duelist of the decade. But you're still a little rough around the edges when it comes to your femininity. You're still as much of a tomboy as I recall."

Blaze frowned, but said nothing. Ms. Wong chuckled. "Tell me, Blaze…you haven't found anybody special yet, have you?"

"Huh? And…why should you be concerned about that?" inquired Blaze, a light blush on her cheeks.

"Now, now…don't be so embarrassed. It's a simple question. So…have you?"

Blaze felt something brush against her foot, but ignored it. "Well…if you really want to know…there _is_ somebody I'm interested in, but…"

"Does he know?" Ms. Wong smiled knowingly.

Blaze lowered her face. "No." And as she said this, she felt the thing brushing against her calf and traveling in circles against her flesh, and knew what it was: Ms. Wong's naked foot.

"Do you plan to tell him?"

"I…I don't know. Look, what does this have to do with my request for you to help me train, like I asked when I called you…and _why_ are you doing what you doing?"

Ms. Wong's foot stopped. "You used to like it." She chuckled. "Still acting tough and tomboyish, are you?"

Blaze looked at her defiantly. "Whatever."

Ms. Wong stood up and walked around the table to where Blaze sat. She held the younger woman's arm in her strong grip and gently lifted her up. "Oh, my little protégé…I know you so well." She smiled knowingly. "Just like all those times before, after you came of age…you always acted so defiantly, so rebelliously…and yet, I could always depend on you to be reduced to the innocent, feminine woman I know you really are." She stroked Blaze's cheek gently.

Blaze still looked at her defiantly…but Ms. Wong would not be deterred. She merely looked back, deep into the redhead's hazel eyes…and she smiled a little as she saw the old fear and insecurity hidden behind the mask.

It was Blaze's voice that gave her away when she spoke again. "Vivian…she said weakly.

Ms. Wong nodded sagely. "Satisfy my needs, Blaze…and in return, I will help you become stronger for the World Championships coming up soon. You know me as a hard taskmistress when it comes to your Duel Monsters training…but it will be worth it, I guarantee you. And it will be all worth it for the one who your heart is currently set on." Her voice was reduced to a whisper. "Your time with me has only been a single phase of your life, my dear…I only want for you to be happy…and to be able to express your love for him, and to make him capable of loving you back. Win his heart and be happy, Blaze Redman."

Blaze nodded. "I understand," she whispered, barely audible.

"Good girl. Now…for this moment…come here." Ms. Wong tilted Blaze's head upward slightly. Blaze didn't resist as she felt the older woman's lips pressing against hers, as she felt the hot, experienced tongue sliding into her mouth.

----------

SOMEWHERE, AT THAT VERY MOMENT

The mysterious figure sat in the office, in silent contemplation. Then suddenly the phone rang, and the figure picked up the receiver. "Speak."

"It's me, Master Orion," Zander's voice came through. "I have gotten word from everyone. They will be arriving at the designated place in due time, and then…off to the World Championships we will go."

"And Ophiuchus?"

"He has until just before the beginning of the tournament to make his decision."

"And if he makes the wrong decision?"

"We go in for the kill."

"Good. Keep me informed." And with that Master Orion hung up the phone and resumed his silent contemplation.

----------

**_neomage:_** Reviews? Comments? CONSTRUCTIVE criticisms?

rampagerkriz: Good thing you posted the warning about the yuri in this chapter.

yamikriz: Whatever, man! I LOVE that scene with Vivian Wong and Blaze!

kriztrigun: Well, at least I think he was able to write that scene while keeping it as much in the T-rating as possible. I hope he doesn't get censored for it…

krizrampage: Well, congratulations on making references to certain familiar folks in this chapter, neomage! I'm sure the old-school fans will love it!

neomage: Ah, yes—next chapter, I'm gonna introduce some certain people to the arc! And believe me, their introduction and composition is gonna be OH SO COOL! DON'T MISS THIS FOR ANYTHING!

kRiZ: neomage…I have bad news. Miriku and Kimiru are in jail. For drunk driving.

neomage: Huh? Drunk driving? But— (realizes) YAMIKRIZ!

(yamikriz is nowhere to be found)

neomage: (groans) Now I'm gonna have to find the bail money to get them out of there…woe is me…


	178. Chapter 178

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER:CRAZY WACKY MADNESS ENSUES! Uh…ahem. neomage doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**CHAPTER 178**

DOMINO CITY, ONE DAY BEFORE THE START OF THE TOURNAMENT

It was now the day before the World Championships were slated to begin. The previous days had gone by somewhat swiftly for many people, as duelists everywhere had been feverishly practicing and training in preparation for the tournament. And…

It was evening. People were still walking along the streets, excitedly discussing the new Dueltropolis tournament. Some were debating just what kind of format the tournament would take; others were wondering which duelists might enter the tournament this year; still others didn't really care one way or the other, they just wanted to continue with their normal routines. But the majority of all discussions and arguments made it clear that for the people of Domino City, Dueltropolis was something to look forward to.

And…

Zander Zabel walked along the street, barely mindful of the people he was going past. He excused himself when needing to squeeze past two people blocking his way; he apologized when he accidentally brushed against a young mother holding her baby in her arms; he threw a rose to a young woman who called out to him—and he did all of this because it was his bodily instinct that guided him to do so. His mind, on the other hand, was in another place, focused only on his destination and on what he needed to do.

At length he found himself walking through a small neighborhood of the city…and he was walking right toward the local cemetery. _THEY should be there…_

He reached the cemetery gates and walked in. The tombstones were all lined up neatly; the grass in the area was carefully trimmed; and there wasn't a sign of garbage anywhere. Zander had to admit to himself, the sexton of this place did a fine job with his caretaking duties.

Then suddenly a large, empty soda can flew out of nowhere and struck Zander on the shoulder. He didn't seem much fazed by it, merely regarded the can with curiosity as it fell and landed at his feet. Then he looked up in the direction that the can had come from.

"'Bout time you took notice of us, kid," a rough voice spoke up, followed by laughter.

Right in front of Zander were several menacing youths, all dressed in various tough-guy outfits. There was one particular guy clad in a sleeveless gray jacket, extremely muscular and with a sour look on his face. "You there…don't you know this is _our_ hangout spot?" he asked gruffly.

"You're the leader of this bunch of ragamuffins?" Zander asked calmly.

The leader snorted. "Ragamuffins? Dude, you're seriously pushing your luck here, you know that?"

Zander looked around him—several of the punks were circling him now. One of them then shouted, "Hey, boss, I see something in his jacket!"

"Something valuable?" the leader asked.

"Nah…looks like one o' them Duel-Disks or something…"

Now the leader grinned. "A Duel-Disk, eh? I see…so you're one of those duelists that are gonna compete in the World Championships tomorrow?"

Zander didn't blink. "Your point…?"

"My point? Well…" The leader chuckled. "Leave your Duel-Disk and any cards you have, and we just might let you go. See, all of us here have been making plans to compete in this tournament to prove our superiority, but we need to get our hands on the rarest cards available to really stand out. So…just like I said. Leave your stuff here, and keep your life."

"And if I refuse, what will you do?" Zander asked.

At that snickers floated all around from the punks. "Then we'll just kick your ass and take your Duel-Disk and cards anyway!" one of them answered.

Then suddenly—a cell-phone rang. While the punks looked around in confusion, Zander calmly pulled out his phone. "Excuse me a minute, I have to take this call," he explained.

The leader scoffed. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. But you better know we're taking your phone, too, after you're done." This was followed by taunting snickers from his lackeys.

Nodding, Zander put the phone to his ear. He listened a moment…then chuckled. "Yes…yes, you're right. It would be rude of me to exclude you guys from this little get-together. So…sure. Take all of them…but save the big fish for me."

"Huh? Hey, what's that you're mumbling, brat?" the leader asked threateningly.

Zander closed his eyes as he continued to talk on the phone. **"Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. And He shall smite the wicked and corrupt of heart, and cast the unrepentant into eternal damnation. Amen."** And he snapped his phone shut.

"This guy's a total nut-job! Get him!" the leader shouted. With that, all the punks charged at Zander, all screaming; he, in the meantime, merely put away his phone calmly.

And then all of a sudden—

Without warning, completely out of nowhere, a massive T-rex's foot stamped down on some of the punks, completely crushing them even as they howled in pain! As the others halted and stared in confusion and horror, massive lasers shot down from the sky, knocking several more of them off-balance! "H-h-hey! What the hell gives?" the leader cried in confusion, even as Zander remained perfectly still where he was.

Then a volley of the Dark Scorpion monsters dashed through the now-hapless punks, smashing and slashing at them. Caught completely off-balance, the punks screamed in renewed terror as a massive eerie shadow resembling Despair from the Dark (ATK 2800, DEF 3000) crept up out of nowhere and swatted several of them away with one grisly hand!

Now the thugs were truly frightened—but as two or three of them turned in an attempt to run away, they found themselves confronted by a rampaging Berserk Gorilla (ATK 2000, DEF 1000), who proceeded to blast them with fire from its mouth! Others, already running for their lives, got stopped in their tracks as a large cannon-like blast sent them off their feet and flying over several of the tombstones in the cemetery!

A massive blast of wind with tornado-like force ripped through the cemetery, sending even more of the already-injured thugs flying. Those still on the ground found themselves bombarded by a vicious volley of flying arrows! "AAAAH! MAKE IT STOP, MAKE IT STOP!" many of them were now begging—and were answered by numerous fiends of the Archfiend class attacking them with knives serving as arms!

Now trying to crawl away, those that could still move howled as a blanket of fire scorched their bodies badly. And the few that were left bawled even as mysterious, sinister thorns whipped wildly across the ground and slashed their skins without mercy!

Finally Zander raised his hand—and just like that, the carnage ceased. He then turned to face the punk leader, who by this time had fallen on his ass, watching with fright as his lackeys had been getting skewered in less than a few seconds.

Seeing Zander take one step forward, the leader suddenly came back to himself, crawling backwards rapidly. "N-N-N-NO! Stay away from me, whatever you are!" he shrieked hysterically.

Zander calmly reached into his trench-coat and pulled out his Duel-Disk, strapping it on. It was a very curious-looking Duel-Disk: it was fashioned in the shape of a lightning bolt, and it was colored—appropriately for its design—yellow. Zander continued to talk, even as he pulled out a deck and slotted it into its designated slot. **"And His anger shall wax hot against those who do evil against Him, and He shall tear the fool apart who speaks blasphemy against Him and brings iniquity against Him. Amen."**

Truly frightened out of his wits, the leader jumped up and ran for his life as Zander swiftly drew a card and played it. And—from where Zander stood, a whole shower of lightning bolts shot out from his Duel-Disk and hit the punk leader straight in the back, frying him even as he screamed in excruciating pain!

The torment continued for a little bit; then Zander deactivated his Duel-Disk—and the punk leader collapsed to the ground, his back smoking from the attack that had just taken place against him. Zander smirked. "Arrogant fool. To think you believed you could get into Dueltropolis using such cowardly tactics…"

"Yes, they got their due, all right," a man's voice spoke up behind him. Zander chuckled when he heard it—this was the voice of the guy who had called him on the phone the day he'd stopped at Burger World after threatening Seta.

Zander turned slowly. Since the sun had already set, the light was pretty poor—but he could make out eleven shadowy figures gathered among the graves. "Everyone is here, I take it?"

"We're all here, boss," affirmed the speaker. Then he proceeded to call the names of the other members; and as this took place, Zander looked for the various distinguishing marks of each member that was identified, and smiled when he found each.

_"Scorpio the Venom."_ Zander saw a silver scorpion tattoo on someone's neck.

_"Sagittarius the Vermillion."_ A voluptuous female in a tightly-gripping red outfit.

_"Pisces the Coldblood."_ Another person with an arm tightly bound up with a leather strap.

_"Aries the Everstrong."_ This one was wielding a Duel-Disk that, somehow, resembled a steel-studded shield in design.

_"Gemini the Strife."_ The person in question also wielded an odd-looking Duel-Disk; this one looked like two fully-activated Duel-Disks, one directly built above the other with two inches of space in between and the edge of the bottom Disk hanging one inch out.

_"Virgo the Zephyr." _A hairpin resembling a bird's wing nestled securely in long brown hair.

_"Taurus the Gamekeeper."_ A green ninja outfit, complete with a mask that covered the bottom half of the person's face.

_"Aquarius the Tombstone."_This person wore a Duel-Disk that was fashioned in the shape of a cross.

_"Libra the Blackjack."_ A black Panama hat with a brim held low to conceal the wearer's face somewhat.

_"Leo the Wildmaster."_ This person had a golden brown Duel-Disk with a deck slot that resembled a lion's head, complete with fur and all.

Then the speaker stepped forward. "Myself, _Cancer the Scourge."_ He wore a Duel-Disk that was painted deep purple with big black-and-red spots here and there.

Zander chuckled and held up his own unusual Duel-Disk. "And myself, _Capricorn the Blitzflash."_

He nodded. "So…the Zodiacs are all here at last. Then we shall give Ophiuchus…Seta Kaiba…a real reason to fear. Oh, yes, we will…" And he let out a low, menacing laugh…

----------

YUGO'S HOUSE, LATER THAT NIGHT

Yugo lay on his bed in his room, his hands behind his head, silently contemplating all that had happened in the last five days or so. _Tomorrow…tomorrow is the start of the Dueltropolis World Championships…and the deck I've just finished constructing seems pretty decent…_

He smiled a little and closed his eyes. _I'm able to truly converse with and understand my Duel Monsters…That will really be a big help in the tournament. Because now, I can truly command the power of my dueling ability as I want, while keeping my confidence high…and my monsters trust me even more than ever, too, and that's a big bonus…_

He heard the tap of a stone at his window. "Hmmm?" Quickly heading over to it, he looked out and saw Jenna on the front lawn. "Jenna?"

Quickly Yugo opened the window. "Jenna…what're you doing here at this hour? Did you want to see me?"

"Yeah, Yugo," she confirmed. "I hope I didn't wake you or anything…?"

"Nah, I wasn't sleeping," Yugo assured her. "Give me a minute."

With that Yugo closed the window and moved away. Jenna put her hands over her heart and waited patiently. "Yugo…" she whispered.

In a moment Yugo appeared from the front door, and walked over to Jenna. "Hey, Jenna. You wanna come inside?"

"Thank you, but…" Jenna looked heavenward. "I feel the urge to look at the stars tonight. I just…didn't want to look at them alone."

"Oh…oh, okay, sure."

The two of them went over to the sidewalk and sat down on the concrete. Then they looked up toward the sky; and the stars above them were numerous, and all were twinkling brightly. "Yugo…isn't it beautiful?" Jenna whispered.

Yugo smiled as he looked at the stars. "Yeah, Jenna. It certainly is."

They didn't say anything as they continued stargazing. Then Jenna decided to bring up the topic that weighed heaviest on her mind at the moment. "Yugo…"

"Hmmm?"

"Well…not to be pushy or nosy or anything, but…what have you been doing over the last couple of days? Kyo, Miki and I have been training at Kaibacorp with Seta and his bodyguard…and Mr. Muto's told us that you've been training yourself, but…I still can't help but wonder."

Yugo chuckled. "Well…you really wanna know, Jenna?"

She looked at him. "Yes, Yugo."

Yugo smiled quietly. "Well…after what Janus said to me when he beat me in that duel…I took his advice to heart, and did some soul-searching. And…I discovered a few things about myself, things I thought I'd forgotten long ago. In acknowledging those things, I was able…to truly bond with my cards…to overcome my inner fears…"

Jenna smiled at him. "Yugo…I'm happy for you."

"Thank you, Jenna." Yugo looked intently at her. "And you guys?"

Jenna giggled. "Between us, Yugo…all of us have gotten new cards, and we've restructured our respective decks accordingly. If you ever meet up on any of us in the tournament, we'll definitely give you a run for your money."

Yugo laughed. "Maybe you will. Then again, who knows? It's all a matter of waiting till the tournament itself really begins."

"Yeah, that's true."

The two were silent for a moment or two. Then Jenna quietly inched closer to Yugo; noticing the action, he put his arm around her shoulders. "Is this okay?" he asked softly.

Jenna smiled and rested her head on him. "Yugo…it's perfect."

There was another moment of silence. Yugo broke the silence. "Jenna…I'm a little scared."

Jenna looked up at him. "Scared? What for, Yugo?"

"Just think, Jenna…this is the World Championships we're going up against tomorrow. And…there're bound to be lots of exceptionally strong duelists there." Yugo shivered. "I'm scared, but…at the same time, somehow…I'm really, really excited…jumping into the unknown like this – it's getting my adrenaline pumping."

Jenna smiled tenderly up at him. "Well, Yugo, just remember one thing. Your friends will be with you, all the way. You won't be going there alone." Her eyes softened. "And…no matter what happens, I'll be by your side, right to the end." She reached her hand up to stroke his cheek.

Yugo looked down at her and smiled gently. "That really means a lot to me, Jenna."

A gentle breeze blew past the two of them at that moment. "Yugo…" Jenna whispered.

"Jenna…I love stargazing with you."

The two gazed into each other's eyes for a moment. "Do you…love me?" Jenna's whisper was barely audible now.

For answer she felt a pair of warm, gentle lips pressing against her own. She wrapped her arms around Yugo's neck, holding him, not wishing to let him go; and he, in exchange, increased the pressure of his arm around her shoulders, drawing her in even closer. Their lips brushed against each other repeatedly; their emotions warmed their bodies, thought the night was, admittedly, a bit chilly.

Then at length the kiss was broken. "I do love you, Jenna. Now and always," Yugo whispered.

Jenna smiled a little. "Thank you."

They leaned forward a little so their foreheads were touching; they could feel each others' breath on their skin. "Well…I should escort you home, I guess," sighed Yugo.

"Not yet, Yugo…not yet," said Jenna. "Just…hold me a little while."

He smiled. "Of course." And he drew her into another embrace, which she gladly returned.

Neither teen was aware that at the window of the Muto house, Mr. Muto was silently watching, a heartfelt smile on his lips. And in his mind he was thinking to himself, _Well, well…I guess it's been passed from one generation to the next, huh, Joey? Our children are each other's best friends, just like you and I were best friends when we were young…and in their case, their feelings for each other are deeper, on another level…We, their fathers, should be proud of them both._

----------

**_neomage:_** Whatcha think, ladies and gents? At last, the enemies of this arc have been identified – the Zodiacs – and the individual members have been (somewhat) identified! And I decided to add some fluff at the end of this chapter to offset some of the violence and the dark theme of earlier. And don't worry, next chapter the tournament itself will officially get underway! Now, read, review and enjoy please!

Oh, yes, and before I forget – the way I introduced the Zodiacs, and the naming scheme for each member—both were based off the introduction and naming scheme of the Gung-ho Guns from the **_Trigun_** series (it totally rocks, too!). And before anybody decides to sue me, please let it be known that Trigun and all the characters in that show are owned originally by Yasuhiro Nightow.

Whew! Glad I remembered that in time! Now…next chapter's coming up!


	179. Chapter 179

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER:neomage and his wacky alter-ego sidekicks don't own the original Yu-Gi-Oh work.)

**CHAPTER 179**

YUGO'S HOUSE, EARLY THE NEXT MORNING

"Yugo…Yugo…Yugo!"

Yugo growled and pulled the covers over his head tighter. "Leave me alone, dammit…" he growled.

Mr. Muto chuckled. "All right. Then you can miss out on the World Championships altogether."

"Yeah, yeah, whatev—HUH?"

Before Mr. Muto could blink, Yugo catapulted out of bed and rushed to the bathroom. "Can't be late for THIS!" he yelled.

Mr. Muto laughed and followed his son's trail, arriving at the bathroom door just as it slammed shut. "Don't be in such a hurry, Yugo. It's only 6:30 in the morning."

"Even so, there's bound to be a ton-load of duelists waiting at the pier! What if there's no space for me on the boat or whatever?" Yugo cried frantically from inside, his voice partially muffled by the sound of running water.

Mr. Muto shook his head and smiled. "Well, you WILL at least eat breakfast, right? You can't expect to beat all those other competitors if you don't have something solid in your stomach."

"Got that right!" said Yugo. "I'll be out and downstairs in a bit, don't worry!"

----------

A little while later found Mr. Muto and Grandma downstairs together in the kitchen, he sitting down with the just-delivered newspaper in hand, and she at the stove pouring out warm cocoa. "Yugo's taking a little while to come downstairs, isn't he?" Grandma remarked.

"I wouldn't worry, Mother," Mr. Muto replied. "He's probably just making sure his stuff's all together, just as every good duelist ought to."

Hardly had Mr. Muto finished saying that when Yugo himself trotted downstairs, clad in his familiar black jacket and pants, and with his fingerless gloves on. His Duel-Disk was strapped onto one hand, and his deck stuck out of his pocket. "Well, howdy, Dad, Grandma!" he hailed them.

"You're certainly hyper today, aren't you?" Grandma teased. "Well, I figured you wouldn't want to sit at the table, so…" And she gestured to the counter, where she was in the process of wrapping up some sandwiches in foil.

Yugo stared in surprise. "Grandma…those sandwiches…they're for…?"

"Yes, dear," she nodded. "And this…" She pointed to a thermos on the counter. "has some of my good hot cocoa in it."

"Golly—thanks, Grandma!" Yugo embraced her tightly around the waist.

Now Mr. Muto stood up and went over to Yugo, patting him on the shoulder. "Yugo…remember what you've discovered about yourself. Remember how you have learned to bond with your cards. And never forget…we're right behind you, all the way." He gave the thumbs-up sign.

Yugo grinned. "Thanks, Dad…for everything." And Mr. Muto smiled and nodded in response.

----------

MEANWHILE, AT JENNA'S HOUSE

Jenna gobbled her breakfast and swallowed her orange juice in one massive gulp. "Hey, hey, hey—take your time, young lady," Mr. Wheeler scolded.

"Can you really blame her, dear?" Mrs. Wheeler smiled and shook her head. "Today's the start of the World Championships, remember? So of course she's bound to be eager about it. Just like we used to be in our youth." She smirked. "Besides…at least we know she got this kind of excited reaction from your side of the family."

"Not funny, Mai!" Mr. Wheeler cried indignantly.

"Please, guys, don't fight," Jenna pleaded. "Let's all just be happy that I'm gonna have a shot at bringing home the World Championship trophy, eh?"

"Yeah…she's right." Mr. Wheeler patted Jenna on her head. "Sorry, honey. Of course we're proud of you—this is the World Championships, after all. Just go there and do your best, no matter who it is you get to face."

"Definitely, Dad," Jenna nodded assent.

"Hey, Jenna! You up already? You'd better be!"

"Miki? Is that you?" Mrs. Wheeler called. "You're here kinda early, aren't you?"

"Not just her, Mrs. Wheeler," Kyo's voice came from the front door. "I'm here also, and our folks have accompanied us."

"Got that right," Mr. Taylor's voice could be heard from outside. "We're gonna see our kids off on that boat to Dueltropolis! Count on that!"

The Wheeler family all went to the door—and when it was opened, standing there on the porch were Kyo and Miki, their Duel-Disks and cards ready. Behind them stood Mr. and Mrs. Bakura, and Mr. and Mrs. Taylor. "Good morning, you guys!" Mrs. Taylor called cheerfully. "Jenna, are you ready to go?"

"Sure, Aunt Serenity!" Jenna answered. "Just let me fetch my stuff!" And she turned and dashed to her room.

Just at that moment a cheerful voice called out to them. "Oy, there!" Turning, they all saw Yugo coming toward them, a big grin on his face. "Hope you weren't planning on leaving without me!"

"Of course not, dear," said Mrs. Bakura. "But where's your dad, and your grandmother? Aren't they coming to see you off?"

"Well…we already said our farewells, plus Grandma made something for me to carry on the trip!" Yugo held up a small bag with his things inside.

"In that case, then, I can just drive you kids to the pier," said Mr. Bakura. "All we need is for Jenna to hurry and come back…"

In a moment Jenna did return, her Duel-Disk and cards at the ready. "Okay, guys, let's get going!" she said cheerfully.

Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler both caught her from behind with a tight embrace. "Jenna, honey…be careful out there," Mrs. Wheeler whispered.

"That comes double from me," said Mr. Wheeler.

Jenna smiled. "Don't worry, you guys. Everything will be okay. I promise."

Mr. and Mrs. Taylor turned to Miki. "Sweetie…take care of yourself, okay?" said Mrs. Taylor gently.

"Yeah, and kick all their butts over there!" and Mr. Taylor grinned.

Miki stepped forward and embraced them both in one movement. "I'll do my best, Mom, Dad," she promised. "I won't let you down."

Kyo adjusted his glasses and looked at his folks. "Mom…Dad…"

"Don't worry, son; we know," and Mrs. Bakura reached forward and stroked his cheek with motherly tenderness. "You're going to rock the competition with your deck strategy and your wits. I can feel it deep in my heart."

"Yes, dear, he certainly will," said Mr. Bakura. "Well, now, kids, it's time to get going! All ready?"

"Yes, sir!" the four friends chorused.

"Then get into my car, you little scamps!" Mr. Bakura laughed. Needing no further persuasion, the four hurried to his car and settled in, Kyo in the front, the others in the back.

"Take care, everyone!" Mrs. Taylor and Mrs. Wheeler cried simultaneously.

"Yes, and behave yourselves over there, kids!" Mrs. Bakura added her voice.

"If they're gonna broadcast the tournament—which I'm sure they will—we'll be sure to watch you guys' matches!" Mr. Taylor assured them.

"Of course they'll broadcast the matches, you dolt! Okay, kids, bye for now!" Mr. Wheeler called to them.

"Who're you calling a dolt?" demanded Mr. Taylor. He jumped on top of Mr. Wheeler, and the two immediately began to wrestle.

"Bye, everyone!" the kids cried and waved as Mr. Bakura started the car and reversed it into the street. Then he shifted gears, and off they went. Mrs. Wheeler, Mrs. Taylor and Mrs. Bakura waved after them, while Mr. Taylor and Mr. Wheeler somehow managed to wave and keep strangling each other at the same time.

----------

FIFTEEN MINUTES LATER, AT DOMINO CITY PIER

The sun was already up in the sky, but the morning mist was only just beginning to roll away. The sunlight shone down on Domino City Pier, highlighting the outlines of the various boats docked in the harbor. One boat in particular stood out: a liner painted silver and bright green, with the words "Industrial Illusions" etched in bright yellow on the silver background. Mr. Bakura noted this as he drove the car into the parking lot, not far away from the pier's entry gates. "Leave it to Pegasus to spare no expense," he chuckled. "Okay, guys, out you go."

The kids climbed out of the car and beheld the liner with wonder. "Is this really Mr. Pegasus's?" asked Yugo. "It's, like, really COOL!"

"Well, what're we waiting for?" asked Kyo. "Let's get on board already!"

But Miki, looking in the direction of the docking area just below the liner, frowned. "Guys…we're gonna have a lot of competition if we're just going to get on board."

They all looked in the direction where she pointed—and saw her point. Milling about near the docking area were dozens upon dozens of duelists! "Great…all of these people are entering the tournament, too?" Jenna groaned.

"Well, go ahead anyway, kids," Mr. Bakura offered. "Who knows—a miracle just might pop up at any moment and give you an edge."

"Let's hope so. Okay, Dad, we're going now!" said Kyo.

"Sure thing! You kids take care now!" said Mr. Bakura, smiling.

Waving goodbye, the four headed in the direction of the docking area. As they entered this area, they noted that there were two big booths, one on either side of the entrance to the liner's gangplank, with rope barriers keeping the contenders out and with bulky, unsmiling guards behind those barriers, watching everyone with critical eyes. "Registration area, maybe?" Jenna suggested.

"Yeah, maybe," Miki shrugged.

"Okay, how about we start looking for people who we at least recognize?" said Yugo, as they made their way through the throngs of duelists.

"Hello! Hello, there! Yugo and company!"

All four turned…and Jenna's eyes widened. "Hi!"

At one extreme end of the crowd stood Flora Green. Next to her were Blaze Redman, Wade Ocean and Marcus Ironside. "Fancy meeting you again, and so soon too!" Flora called sweetly.

The two groups headed for each other. "Great that we should meet again in this fashion," chuckled Kyo.

"Indeed," said Marcus, looking bored as always.

Miki looked around. "Say, where's Shigeo? Have any of you seen him?"

"Right here," a familiar voice spoke, right behind her. Startled, Miki turned to see the ninja duelist standing right there, a smirk on his lips.

"Dude! Don't DO that!" Miki scolded.

"Sorry," Shigeo apologized. "It just seemed like fun, that's all. More importantly, though…have all of you gotten any stronger since last time we met up?"

"I know I have," said Blaze, clenching her fist. "Not one person is gonna beat me in this tournament—not this time around!"

"Says you," laughed Wade. "You're forgetting something: your main rivals are all right here, standing next to you in the flesh."

The group then became aware of hushed whispers behind them. "Hmmm? What's happening, I wonder?" Jenna asked, looked behind her.

Yugo raised an eyebrow as he looked behind him. Then he grinned. "I think, Jenna, that _that_ answers your question."

Making their way through the crowd toward the newly-reunited group were none other than Malachi and Miriam Jordan, and their companions David and Luke Jericho. The four eased their way past the other duelists even as whispers floated around them, past them, about them. "Guess those four have become kinda infamous by now, don't you think?" remarked Marcus.

At length the four approached Yugo's extended group. "Hello, everyone," Miriam greeted them cheerfully. "It's so nice to see you're all here for the World Championships, like us."

"It's very nice to see you again, too," Jenna replied politely.

"Last time you saw us, we weren't exactly up to scratch," David remarked. Then he grinned. "But no worries—this time we'll definitely kick all your asses!"

"Or maybe you'll kick your own ass and save us the waste of energy," smirked Kyo.

"Kyo! Be nice!" Miki scolded, pulling on his cheek.

"Yeah, Kyo, do as your little girlfriend tells you—" but David felt a sharp pain in the back of his neck as Luke pinched him severely. "OOOOWWWWW! Hey, Luke, what the hell's up?"

"Don't you think you've said quite enough, David?" Luke scolded. "I swear, you haven't matured one bit since the last time we had to work with these guys."

"Sheesh…whatever, bro," David grumbled, rubbing the back of his neck where he'd been pinched, but nevertheless properly subdued.

All the while Malachi hadn't said a word. In fact, his gaze had been fixed entirely on Yugo. "Yugo Muto," he finally spoke. "Last time…you and I had to join forces because we shared a common foe. But know one thing. This time around, if you and I should face off against each other in this tournament, I will show you no mercy whatsoever."

Yugo gave him a long look…then smiled. "Good to see you, too, Malachi."

"Dudes and dudettes!" another familiar voice was heard shouting. Turning, the group saw two people pushing their way through the crowd—or rather, one was pushing through the crowd while dragging the other person behind.

"Raven Pegasus…why am I not surprised? Only he could be so belligerent," sighed Yugo.

Raven soon emerged fully, pulling Honey behind him. "So, you guys decided to enter this tournament, too? Then I guess it's only fair to warn you that this time around, I aim to win me everything!"

"Raven…must you be so embarrassing?" Honey groaned, running a hand over her face.

Then suddenly everyone's attention turned to something else.

In the parking lot, a limousine was pulling up – a white limousine, looking very stylish and classy. And—as if it didn't stand out enough already—the front of the car appeared to be designed after the famous Blue-Eyes White Dragon.

"Without a doubt," Kyo shook his head and chuckled, "that's Seta right there."

The limo braked to a stop. A moment later Roland emerged from the driver's seat and hurried to open the back door. Everyone in the docking area tensed…and then all of a sudden, who should emerge but Seta Kaiba himself, in all his confident glory, with his Duel-Disk securely strapped onto his arm. Jillian Uriah emerged from the car and stood behind him, looking very grave.

Seta looked around with a satisfied air, raising an eyebrow as he noted the number of vying participants gathered in the docking area. Then he took note of Yugo's group…and a small smirk crossed his face as he and Yugo locked eyes. _Heh, heh, heh…I knew you'd be here, too, Yugo. At the very least now, things will be interesting!_

And…elsewhere in the crowd, safely hidden away by anonymous faces, Zander Zabel smiled malevolently as he watched the whole proceedings. _So…all the pieces of this chess game are slowly gathering together. The only question now is…what will your answer be, Ophiuchus…?_

"ATTENTION, ALL DUELISTS!"

Every head turned to look up to the top of the liner. The shouter was a big, rather menacing-looking man with spiky blue hair, wearing a black business suit and wielding an air of ultimate importance.

"My name is Zane Truesdale," he announced to them all. "I am a member of the Duel Monsters World Tournament Committee, the very Committee that has planned this year's World Championship competition. And, as you can all see, this liner, generously contributed by Maximillion Pegasus's company Industrial Illusions, will be the vehicle that will take you to the Duelist Kingdom Island, where the Dueltropolis tournament will take place."

There was some pleased murmuring as the duelists all looked at the liner appreciatively.

"HOWEVER…" Mr. Truesdale caught their attention again. "From what I am seeing before my eyes, there are far too many of you here to compete in this year's tournament that the Committee has planned out. So, to determine who among you truly deserve to engage in the battles at Dueltropolis, this is what we will do."

Three assistants in brown suits walked up from behind Mr. Truesdale; two of them carried laptops. "We will scan each of you present here today, and examine your dueling background and current status in the Duel Monsters tournament circuit," Mr. Truesdale resumed. "Your duelist level will determine whether you get on this boat or not. If your duelist level is 4 or higher, then you're clear to participate in the tournament…otherwise, you'd better find yourselves back home immediately!"

There was some worried mumbling from the crowd at that. Yugo bit his bottom lip as he listened to this news. _So…so that's it, then…our performances in past Duel Monsters tournaments will determine whether we get on board this ship._

"Hey, hold on! What about those of us who've come long distances for this?" shouted somebody from the crowd, and several others hollered agreement.

"If your duelist level falls below par here, THAT is not my concern," said Mr. Truesdale flatly. "You don't like it, then leave right now."

Not one person in the crowd moved.

"So…you're all willing to submit to judgment?" Mr. Truesdale narrowed his eyes. Then he gestured to the suits with the laptops. "Go on, then—get down there and start screening these wannabes!"

The three suits slowly descended the ship's gangplank to be on ground level with the crowd. Entering the booths, the ones with the laptops flipped them open and turned them on; and through all of that, the guards' faces remained stone-cold and distant.

_All right—judgment has come now!_ Yugo braced himself…

----------

**_neomage:_** You may notice a revisit to the entrance exam I instituted in the Kaibacorp Challenge Cup much earlier in this story, as well as a revisit to the computer checking the status of all prospective duelists for the Battle City tournament of the original anime. So, then…next chapter there are going to be a few new characters introduced, and then afterwards the duels will officially begin! I can't wait—can you?

(Miriku and Kimiru are released from jail)

Cop: Apparently, some guy named neomage paid your bail, ladies. Now scram!

Miriku: Yay! neomage came through for us!

Kimiru: Yay. Go, neomage. Now, if I can just get the chance to throttle yamikriz… (her eyes flash fire)

Miriku: O.O;;;;;;;;;


	180. Chapter 180

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER:neomage and his wacky alter-ego sidekicks don't own the original Yu-Gi-Oh work.)

**CHAPTER 180**

_Characters' First Appearance in Story_

_NATASHA_

_NAME: Natasha Truesdale_

_AGE: 12_

_HAIR: Black_

_EYES: Blue_

_CLOTHES: Red jacket, brown blouse, black shorts, black sneakers_

_RICARDO_

_NAME: Ricardo Misawa_

_AGE: 16_

_HAIR: Brown_

_EYES: Black_

_CLOTHES: Yellow jacket, blue undershirt, black pants, black shoes_

_JAMES_

_NAME: James Truesdale_

_AGE: 18_

_HAIR: Black_

_EYES: Blue_

_CLOTHES: Blue jacket, black undershirt, black jeans, black knee-boots_

DOMINO CITY PIER

"All right, everyone!" one of the suits shouted. "Line up in two straight lines, one for each booth that you see here! The faster you cooperate, the faster you get your chance to board!"

Yugo and company all looked at each other. "Well…we'll see you around," said Blaze, and with that she, Marcus, Flora, Shigeo and Wade headed off into a line.

"I'll be looking out for you at the tournament," said Malachi, and he, his sister and their companions headed off.

Raven smirked at Seta. "Hey, Seta! You'd better be ready, because this time I'll flatten you for sure!"

"You can try all you like," Seta shook his head.

Jillian giggled a little. "Raven Pegasus…I'd really like to see just how well you'll fare against Sir Seta, should the two of you get to duel each other," she addressed him. "But I doubt you will do much against his power."

Raven scowled. "After how gentlemanly I was when you and I went out the other day, this is how you thank me, Jillian?" he complained as Honey quietly dragged him away.

Seta and Jillian then turned to Yugo and the gang. "I'll see you guys later," Seta said simply. "Come on, Jillian."

"Yes, sir," said she, and the two of them hurried to join one of the lines.

"That only leaves us to join lines," said Kyo. "Let's hurry and do it."

"Right!" they all chorused, and then they quickly took their places in the growing lines.

Zander, joining a line conspicuously, smirked. _If Ophiuchus's friends are lucky, they won't even make it onto the boat. Otherwise…_ And he grinned evilly.

----------

A FEW MINUTES LATER

"Hmmm…" The suit frowned as he scanned Blaze's dueling data on the laptop. "Blaze Redman, famous wielder of the Fire strategy; trained under former Asian champion Vivian Wong for a number of years; a regular contender in numerous tournaments worldwide, including the Kaibacorp Challenge Cup and the England Intercontinentals held a while back. Duelist level: 9." Then he nodded. "Okay, you can board."

"About time," Blaze yawned boredly as she got up from the chair that had been provided for her and readied herself to climb up the gangplank.

Watching from the second line, Miki swallowed nervously. Over the last couple of minutes since the guards had begun processing the contenders, more than a handful of them had been sent away; evidently their duelist levels as shown on the laptops had not been high enough to qualify them for entry onto the ship. As far as Miki had seen so far, Blaze was only the third person to board the ship; the first two had been Seta and Jillian, naturally.

_Will I be able to board, too? Or…will I have to go home?_ Miki wondered fretfully.

"Next!" the suit up ahead barked.

Jumping at the suddenness of the shout, Miki realized that she was the next to advance in her line. Gathering as much courage as she could muster, she walked up to the booth and sat down. Her nervousness must have been pretty evident on her face, though, for the man handling the laptop spoke to reassure her.

"Hey, kid, don't sweat it. You just might surprise us; you never know."

"Uh…thanks," said Miki.

"Name, please?"

"Miki Taylor."

The suit typed in Miki's name into the duelist database open before him. He fingered his chin thoughtfully as he looked at the information before him. "Miki Taylor…daughter of Tristan Taylor, part-owner of the international company Devlin & Taylor; participated in the Kaibacorp Challenge Cup and the English Intercontinental tournament; and…hey, what's this?"

Miki's eyes widened; she gritted her teeth in mental anguish. _Oh, dear…_

The man peered at the screen, as if to get a better view of the info he was seeing. "Was instrumental in the downfall of the criminal cult, JUDAS," he read. "And…this is a testimonial signed by three members of the Committee!"

Now Miki was truly astonished. _WHOA! But—who on the Committee could know about JUDAS…?_

The suit continued reading. "Duelist level: 5." He nodded at her. "Congratulations, kid, you've earned the right to board. Go ahead."

Quite dazed, that's what Miki was. She managed to thank the man, get up and make her way to the gangplank entrance; climbing up, she still couldn't get what had just happened out of her head. _Did I…really…make it on board? Awesome!_

By and by she reached the top of the gangplank, and stepped on board the liner. Blaze was already standing right there, beaming. "You made it on, Miki," the older girl addressed her. "I knew you would. Congrats."

"Yeah…thanks…" Miki nodded. Then she noticed Mr. Truesdale standing off by himself, watching the proceedings from above. "Uh, excuse me a second, Blaze. I see somebody I need to talk to."

Swallowing her nervousness down, Miki walked up to Mr. Truesdale. He noticed her approached and looked down at her. "Yes?"

"Uh…Mr. Truesdale, is it?" Miki breathed deeply, searching for the right words. "Uh, I was wondering…how is it that the Committee knows about…the whole thing that happened with JUDAS…"

Mr. Truesdale looked startled for a moment—then he chuckled in understanding. "Oh, I see…you're one of those who fought against JUDAS," he remarked. "A friend of Seta Kaiba's, I take it?"

"Yes, sir," Miki acknowledged.

"I thought so," said Mr. Truesdale. "Well, he told his father all about the events that happened down in Egypt…and in turn, Mr. Kaiba told the rest of us. And, too, Raven and Honey Pegasus told their father, Maximillion Pegasus, about their experiences as well—and Mr. Pegasus is a member of the Committee, also."

"Oh…I understand," said Miki.

"And I take it you're acquainted with Mr. Duke Devlin?" Mr. Truesdale went on. "He has had quite a few good things to say about you and your group of friends, little lady. Let's see if your performance in Dueltropolis will prove his statements."

Miki nodded. _Mr. Kaiba…Mr. Pegasus…Mr. Devlin…thank you…_

"WAHOO!" Yugo's voice could be heard. Turning, Miki saw him bounding up the gangplank victoriously. "All right! I'm in the tournament for real!"

Miki excused herself from Mr. Truesdale and went over to Yugo. "How did you do, Yugo?" she asked.

"The database ranked me as a Level 10 duelist!" Yugo grinned, giving the victory sign with his fingers.

"Well, at least you got on board okay," Seta spoke up, walking toward Yugo with Jillian following behind him. "The database ranked both me and Jillian as Level 12 duelists."

At that Yugo seemed to deflate, literally. "Awww, man…" he groaned, sagging to the ground, even as Miki and Jillian tried their best not to laugh.

"What the hell do you mean, I'm a Level 3 duelist?" a sudden loud and angry voice caused them all to turn. A guy in one of the booths was screaming wrathfully at the suit manning the laptop in that booth. "You know what I'm capable of doing to you and your fancy suit, you bastard? I'll cut you up right now if you don't let me get on board this boat RIGHT NOW!"

"Listen, buddy…you've been prevented from boarding this liner because the system says your duelist level is too low," the suit said in a warning tone. "Now, you can either be a good boy, tone down and leave quietly…or my colleagues will _escort_ you out of here."

"Son-of-a-bitch!" the guy roared, lunging forward—but suddenly he was caught around the neck from behind in a tight arm-lock by another suit! "ACK! Let me go, you…!"

"Settle down, moron!" the suit holding him threatened. "Or I'll rip your arm off and shove it where the sun don't shine on you!" And as if to emphasize his point, he grabbed the guy's arm and twisted it hard behind his back, causing the hapless victim to howl in pain. A slight _crack_ could be heard as the suit applied more forceful pressure; several people in the crowd visibly winced at that.

"Aie-yi-yi-yi-yi! Okay, okay! I give, I give!" the guy hollered in very obvious agony.

The suit released him. "Then, get!" he barked—and the guy, holding his injured arm, turned and bolted away, even as everyone looked on after him.

All the suits looked around. "All you punks who wanna try that little stunt, can expect more of what that guy just experienced!" one bellowed.

On the liner, Yugo chuckled nervously. "Hooo, boy…these guys don't play around…" and Miki, Seta and Jillian all nodded in agreement.

----------

A LITTLE WHILE LATER

"Go ahead and board," the suit announced.

Kyo climbed up the gangplank, adjusting his glasses as he went over to where Yugo and Miki stood together. "They ranked me as a Level 10 duelist," he announced.

Then a moment later Jenna climbed on board. "That was pretty quick," she chuckled. "I was ranked a Level 5 duelist."

"Same as me!" Miki chirped happily.

"Well, let's see who'll be next to get on board, huh?" Yugo turned and watched the gangplank entryway.

For a little while they saw no sign of anybody climbing up. Then, after a few minutes they heard one of the suits say, "Okay, go on and board."

"The next person's coming!" Jenna exclaimed enthusiastically.

The group of friends waited…and waited…and waited. And then, when the person in question finally showed up at the top of the gangplank—it turned out to be Janus Yuki himself! "Hey, you guys!" he announced.

Yugo smiled broadly. "Janus! It's been a little while!"

"It hasn't been that long, man," said Janus, grinning widely. Then his face took a more serious tone. "So, Yugo…you manage to do what I suggested to you?"

Yugo nodded solemnly. "I did it."

"Janus! I did it, I did it, I did it!"

Janus turned at the sound of the voice – and his eyes brightened. "Natasha! Hey, come on up here and meet the folks I was telling you about!"

Mr. Truesdale, standing off by himself, looked in their direction out of the corner of his eye. _Natasha…_

In a moment a young girl appeared on board the liner, a pretty raven-haired girl with an impish smile on her face. "Hi, everyone!" she cried. "I'm Natasha Truesdale!"

"It's a pleasure," and Jenna introduced herself and the others.

Yugo then took note of the red jacket Natasha was wearing. "Say…you and Janus are wearing…"

"Oh, yeah, these…" Natasha appeared sheepish as she looked at her jacket. "These jackets signify that we're students of Duel Academy's Osiris Red dorm. We have two other dorms, Ra Yellow and Obelisk Blue; you can guess what color jackets the students of those dorms wear."

"Like my jacket, for example," a male voice spoke up behind them. Looking in the direction of the gangplank, the group watched as a brown-haired boy in a yellow jacket boarded the liner. "The name's Ricardo Misawa. Pleased to meet you all."

Janus went over to Ricardo and slapped him heartily on the back. "All right! Now our assignment's gonna be kickin' off in fine style!"

Yugo and his friends looked at one another. "Assignment?" they asked with one voice.

"Janus didn't tell you?" asked Ricardo, a bit surprised. "Several students from Duel Academy, including ourselves, have been selected to take part in this year's World Championship tournament. We will get a certain number of marks for our final grade for this year, depending on how well we do in the competition."

"Ah, who cares about the grades?" Janus asked boisterously. "All I care about are the duels!"

"Um…Janus, I care about my grade," Natasha said quietly. "I want to get a good grade, so I can make an impression on _them…"_

Janus immediately became subdued at that. "Oh…yeah…"

A heavy stomp on the deck caused them all to turn—and Natasha flinched when she saw the person. This newcomer wore a dark blue jacket, had dark hair reaching past his shoulders, and on his face was a murderous scowl. He glared at the group for a long moment, then looked in another direction and walked off.

Mr. Truesdale, still off by himself, gave a keen look to the newcomer. _James…_

"Okay…chalk that up to anti-social training," said Yugo.

"That was my big brother, James," said Natasha gently. "He's one of the most elite students in the Obelisk Blue dorm…and…he doesn't particularly like Osiris Red students very much."

"I don't understand…why wouldn't he?" wondered Jenna.

"Allow me to explain," said Ricardo. "My father's a math professor at Duel Academy. From what he once told me, at one time Obelisk Blue looked down on the other two dorms with scorn, particularly Osiris Red. But then when Principal Yuki—father to Janus here—first took his post, he altered the regulations somewhat so that now, all new students must do two years in Osiris Red, then two in Ra Yellow, and finally two in Obelisk Blue in order to graduate. Every student gets a fair shot at being in all of the dorms, in other words. However…you still have some long-time 'purists' among both students and staff of Obelisk Blue who yearn for the old ways of the school, when Obelisk Blue was, without question, the king of the three dorms."

"Dorm prejudice," Miki sighed. "That's bad. That's very bad."

"Tell me about it," said Janus. "As far as I'm concerned, this whole dorm clique thing is just a waste of intelligence."

Hardly any of them noticed a certain red-haired man coming up the gangplank—at first. Until he spoke, that is. "Good day, everyone."

Jenna and Miki took one look at the stranger…and immediately their eyes turned into hearts. "HE'S SO CUUUUUUUUTE!" they cried. Natasha just blushed.

Seta, at the other side of the liner looking over the side, heard the commotion and turned. His eyes instantly widened in horror. _ZANDER!_

The redhead smiled at the girls even as Kyo and Yugo gave him death-glares with smoke coming out of their ears. "My name is Zander Zabel. I trust I am not intruding on your conversation too much?"

"No, but you ARE intruding on other things," Yugo muttered darkly.

"Too many things, in fact," Kyo added, also muttering.

Zander laughed, and his eyes sparkled knowingly. "Gentlemen, please, let's not be enemies here. I have no interest in stealing other men's women…in fact, the only thing I plan on nabbing for myself is the World Championship trophy. And I plan to do so with as much grace and class as a man should be capable of."

"Uh…I guess…" Kyo answered, defused somewhat.

"Well…if you're strong, then maybe we'll meet up in the tournament sometime," said Yugo, having also calmed down. "But you won't find us easy to beat at all!"

"Of that I can be sure, or why else would you have been allowed on this beautiful ship?" Zander agreed. "Well, I shall not detain you any longer. I will now find a nice place to sit and relax until they're ready to depart. A pleasure to meet you, my fellow competitors." And he walked off, even as the girls continued to swoon after him.

Seta's eyes narrowed into slits as he continued to watch his nemesis. Zander, in turn, looked in the blue-haired boy's direction and smiled civilly as he walked toward him. "So, Ophiuchus," he spoke in a low tone, "have you made your decision?"

"I have only one thing to say to you—and by extension, to the rest of the Zodiacs and to Orion."

"And that is…?"

Seta fixed him a piercing glare. "Bite me."

Zander frowned. "Is that it, then? Well, in that case…" He thrust his face forward. "I suggest you keep a VERY close eye on your friends once we hit that island…because from here on out, they will feel the effects of your foolish stubbornness…and they will all suffer greatly…and the sad part is, they probably will never find out _why."_

He straightened up. "Well, all we can do now is wait for the rest of the competitors to finish boarding. Later, Ophiuchus." And with that he walked off, Seta glaring angrily after him.

----------

**_neomage:_** Okay – time to involve you, my faithful readers! I'd like for all of you, in your next reviews, to give your favorite character quote from this story up to this very point; who said the quote; what the occasion was; and in what chapter the quote was made! Think you're up to the challenge? Then GO FOR IT! (big grin)

(yamikriz is sitting on the couch playing videogames—suddenly neomage bursts in)

neomage: Oh, yamikriz…you put two of my most valuable readers in jail for DUI – and you forced me to scrape up my Burger King money to pay their bail…now it's time to feel my wrath! (whips out meat cleaver)

yamikriz: HA! I know that cleaver well – it's as dull as a math equation! You couldn't cut a string with something as useless as—hey wait a minute, what are you doing with that chainsaw?

(neomage revs up an industrial-sized chainsaw)

yamikriz: O.O (eyes sticking out like Roger Rabbit with the appropriate sound effects) RUN AWAY!

(yamikriz jumps off the couch and runs for his life as neomage swings the chainsaw wildly after him)

UPDATED 08/05/2006: Made a mistake and called Janus "Jaden" instead. My bad. Jaden is Janus's father in this story.


	181. Chapter 181

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER:Road trip! Or rather…sea trip! And no, neomage doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**CHAPTER 181**

_Characters' First Appearance in Story_

_STEPHEN_

_NAME: Stephen Ingram_

_AGE: 19_

_HAIR: Gold (dyed)_

_EYES: Green_

_CLOTHES: Purple jacket with black zigzags, black and white spandex pants, black shoes_

_CASSIUS_

_NAME: Cassius Princeton_

_AGE: 15_

_HAIR: Black (think of **Yu-Gi-Oh GX's** Chazz Princeton with somewhat shorter hair)_

_EYES: Black_

_CLOTHES: Blue jacket, white turtleneck shirt, gray pants and shoes_

DOMINO CITY PIER, A LITTLE WHILE LATER

The massive crowd of duelists that had been gathered by the Industrial Illusions liner only moments ago had, in only a couple of minutes, thinned considerably. A handful of contenders had managed to walk up the gangplank and board the ship; several more were pitifully walking back toward the pier's main entrance, heads down and hands in pockets. Natasha Truesdale sighed sadly as she watched the masses leave. "I feel sorry for some of those people," she admitted. "They really looked like they wanted to be in this tournament so badly…"

"Well, not everyone can have a shot at a prestigious title," Miki, standing beside her, said kindly. "We should count our blessings that we were among those who _did_ get on board."

"Ricardo, your mental math's fast—how many duelists do you see here for the tournament, including us?" asked Janus.

Ricardo looked around. "Hmmm…one, two, three…seventeen, eighteen, nineteen…there's a total of twenty-eight duelists on board by now," he reported.

Janus looked down at the bottom of the gangplank. There were seven persons left down there; two were being interrogated in the booths at this time. "Give us four more, and it'll be an even number for elimination," he chuckled.

"Thirty-two…yes, if this tournament turns out to be a process of elimination, then at the very end of it two finalists will fight for the World Championship title," surmised Ricardo.

Presently two more persons walked up the gangplank—they turned out to be Malachi Jordan and David Jericho. "They should've known better than to subject me to a check for a duelist level or some such crap," Malachi glowered.

"Well, ha, ha…at least now we know for sure we'll be in this tournament, huh, boss?" said David.

"Whatever." Malachi folded his arms and looked away.

Another moment passed. During that time, three more of the contenders were sent away; their groans of disappointment could be clearly heard by everyone on the liner. Yugo, Kyo and Jenna were watching the proceedings together. "Who's left down there now?" wondered Yugo.

Kyo peered closely. "It looks like Miriam and Luke."

Jenna scoffed. "We don't need to worry about those guys. We already know they're talented duelists—they'll be coming up here for sure."

And, indeed, Jenna's prediction proved true; for only a few minutes later Miriam and Luke were climbing up the gangplank to the ship's deck, where Malachi and David were waiting. "I knew you guys would get your clearance!" David grinned as he touched fists with his brother.

"No shit," and Luke grinned back.

"Well, brother," Miriam sighed, "now we're all together again."

"Indeed," Malachi replied dryly.

Yugo chuckled as he watched Malachi's group. "Now things will really get interesting."

"Why don't we take a moment and check out all the duelists who are on board with us at this time?" Kyo suggested.

"Yeah, let's," said Jenna. "I'm curious to see what we'll be up against this time around."

So the trio looked around at the other duelists. To one side, Seta stood with Jillian beside him, and next to them were Raven and Honey. To another side, Miki was chattering away with Natasha, while Janus and Ricardo stood close by. In another direction, Flora was chatting with Marcus, who was leaning against the deck railing in a very bored manner, while right near them Wade and Blaze were bickering as usual, and Shigeo was just standing by himself pretending not to hear them. David and Luke were being boisterous as always, the former more so than the latter, while Miriam was doing her best to quiet them and Malachi was doing his best to pretend they weren't there. Zander Zabel and James Truesdale were standing a little ways off, each by himself.

"Okay, that's it for all the duelists we know or have met today," said Jenna. "But I still see a few that I don't recognize."

"Yeah, that's true," agreed Yugo.

"Let's keep them in our minds' eyes, then," suggested Kyo, adjusting his glasses.

There were ten others that had not, as yet, been identified. One was a guy wearing a blue jacket similar to James's, with a turtleneck shirt underneath. There was a woman wearing a long brown duster trench-coat that completely covered whatever she may have been wearing underneath. There was another woman wearing a long-sleeved jacket with a baby blue blouse underneath, with dark green sweatpants and what appeared to be combat boots. Another of the newbies was a surprisingly well-dressed guy in a green tuxedo. Another was a guy wearing brown denim jeans, a dark brown cotton coat and a soft felt hat.

Then there was a guy who was wearing full black, including a hat that somehow reminded the kids of the title character from the Zorro movies. Then there was a guy wearing gray who seemed Gothic, much more than Miriam in fact, and far creepier. Then there was a young girl wearing a yellow jacket with a hood that overshadowed most of her face. Then the next person they saw wore glasses, like Kyo, and appeared somewhat nerdish, complete with a formal shirt and tie and brown suspenders holding up his pants. And then the last person was—

Kyo's eyes widened in astonishment when he saw this last individual. "It…can't…be…" he whispered, his surprise slowly dissolving into extremely visible rage.

"What? Kyo, what is it?" Yugo and Jenna looked at him, very concerned; they hadn't sighted the person in question.

Just at that moment Miki came over to them. "Hey, guys, I got a little lonesome without being able to talk to any of you," she chirped. "Natasha and the others are really great company and all, but I need a little touch of familiarity once in a while!" and she laughed heartily.

But Yugo gave her a look and shook his head. "Miki…I don't think now's the time for that."

"Huh?" Miki looked up, utterly confused—and only then noticed Kyo. "Um…Kyo…? Guys, what's wrong with Kyo?"

Kyo's hair overshadowed his eyes. "Look…over…there," he growled, raising a finger to point straight ahead. Puzzled, the other three looked up to behold the final unnamed participant—a guy in a purple jacket with black neon zigzag lightning all over its design.

Jenna frowned. "Kyo…do you know that guy?"

The fellow in question had his head held down so the couldn't see his face too clearly…but just at that moment he lifted his head up, revealing sinister eyes and a grim-lined mouth. Upon seeing this, Yugo recoiled, and Jenna's hand flew to her mouth in shock. "No…!"

But Miki was still clueless. "I don't get it! What is it about that guy?"

Jenna swallowed—hard. "Miki…remember back during the Kaibacorp Challenge Cup, when I told you the story of how Kyo nearly beat a bully to death with a crowbar?"

"Yeah, I remember—" Then realization hit Miki like a slap to the face. "Oh, my lord, don't tell me…"

"Yeah." Yugo's eyes narrowed. "That guy over there…_he was that bully!"_

----------

Elsewhere on the ship, at that very moment, Mr. Truesdale was walking along the corridor towards a cabin door. Stopping in front of it, he knocked and waited. Then: "Come in!"

Mr. Truesdale pulled the door open and stepped in. "Dr. Vellian Crowler…I hope I'm not disturbing you?"

At the far side of the room, seated in a comfortable chair with a book in hand, was a gentleman dressed in a blue jacket with white frills. His blond hair was cut mushroom style, and he had something of a feminine look in his face, particularly in his lips as he appeared to be wearing purple lipstick. However, the thing that clued one in to his true gender was the rather thick mustache he wore.

"Ah, Zane, you don't disturb me at all. What can I do for you?"

"The competitors for the World Championships are all on board now, Dr. Crowler. And, as you recall, since Duel Academy has lent a hand in organizing Dueltropolis, I invited you to explain the rules and regulations for the tournament to the participants. Are you ready?"

Dr. Crowler reached to the side-table and picked up a glass of wine sitting there. He took a sip from the glass, then chuckled. "Do I get to carry this glass of fine wine with me?"

Mr. Truesdale couldn't help but chuckle himself. "If you like."

----------

"Okay…just pretend you didn't see him, then," Miki whispered.

"Too late—he's already looking our way," muttered Yugo.

The bully straightened himself up slowly, then started to walk towards them. The four friends tensed as he approached, Kyo more so than the rest. _What the hell is HE doing here, of all places?_ Kyo thought to himself.

A moment later the bully was standing two feet away from them, towering over them by at least a foot. He regarded them with a cruel eye. "You little wimps," he scowled. "It's been a long time since I saw you last."

"Stephen Ingram…it hasn't been long enough," Kyo declared darkly.

Stephen looked at each of them in turn. "You…" He spoke to Kyo. "So you're still a girlish four-eyes…" To Yugo: "You're still a broom-headed punk…" To Jenna: "You're still a whore…and…" Then his eyes rested on Miki; she frowned as she beheld the cold look on his face.

"…what…did you just call me…?" Jenna trembled violently.

But Stephen wasn't paying any attention to her; he regarded Miki with a bit of curiosity. "You…I haven't seen you before…a newcomer to this party of wimps, I take it?"

Miki stood her ground. "Take it back."

"Take what back?" asked Stephen.

"What you just called us…we're not wimps!" Miki snapped. "All of us put together have a lot more backbone than you ever will in fifty years!"

Jenna looked at Miki in shock. "Miki, no!" she hissed.

Stephen just stood there for a long moment, apparently unaffected by Miki's comment…then slowly a grin spread out over his face. "Oh, I see. So…your name's Miki, is it? Hee, hee, hee…I like you, little missy. You've got spunk…I like spunk." He reached out his hand to Miki, who backed away as he did this—

—but then Kyo swiftly stepped in between them. "You leave her alone," he said coldly. "You do so much as lay a finger on her, I will **_break_** it."

Stephen slowly pulled his arm back, reluctantly. "Well, well, well…the girly four-eyes finally decides to stand up." His smile turned nasty. "Little prick, I haven't forgotten how you nearly beat my face in that day in class. My folks moved away from Domino City shortly afterwards, so I never got the chance to pay you back in spades for that attack…"

"My dad paid compensation outside of court – you'd think you could be satisfied with that," Kyo scowled.

"No, wrong idea you have there," Stephen growled. "My parents were the satisfied ones – but you wanna know something? It wasn't so much the physical beating that riled me…it was the fact that you, a shrimpfish mama's boy, upset my power balance at Domino! None of the other kids feared me anymore, like they used to! I was the laughingstock of my friends!" His teeth were clenched as he spoke. "And now…heaven help me if I don't pay you back by kicking your ass into jell-o!"

Yugo stepped forward, fists clenched. "You're gonna have TWO fights on your hands, if that's what you're planning, you bastard," he snarled.

Stephen chuckled and cracked his knuckles. "Well…I never did mind a two-on-one brawl. Just means more exercise for me."

"Hey, hey, hey…who said you should go stealing all the fun, Stephen?" a reproving voice spoke up from behind. Turning, Stephen came face-to-face with the guy wearing the blue jacket and turtleneck shirt. "You know I always like a good rumble, too."

Stephen glared at him. "Back off, Cassius. This has nothing to do with you."

"Oh, but I think it does," declared Cassius. "See, I saw them talking to that moron Janus Yuki a while earlier. And I've already told you how much I hate that guy…therefore, any friend of his is an enemy of mine, too."

"Did somebody call my name?" Janus's voice could be heard; looking in one direction, they all saw him running up, with Ricardo and Natasha right behind him.

"Oh, look, the Pest Patrol arrives," Cassius said scornfully.

Janus halted. The sudden look that crossed his face spoke volumes. **_"Cassius Princeton…"_**

"You know that guy?" Yugo queried.

"Yes," said Ricardo with distaste. "Guys, meet Cassius Princeton, a member of Obelisk Blue, and the king of pricks without balls at Duel Academy."

"What was that?" Cassius asked threateningly. "You wanna say that again, you bastard? I don't think I heard you correctly."

"Oh, I'll shout it if you want," and Ricardo smirked nastily. "Or do you have a bullhorn that I can yell it into?"

"Guys, guys, please!" Natasha begged, stepping in between them. "C'mon, let's not fight—and we haven't even reached Dueltropolis yet!"

"Hmph…the little lady's got a point," Stephen grunted. "That would be an interesting way to wipe you parasites out – during the course of the tournament. I'm willing to wait at least that long till then, what do you think?"

Cassius shrugged. "Heh, whatever." He looked at the group of friends. "Y'all had better keep yourselves in check once we're on that island, or else I'll stomp the whole lot of you. Come on, Stephen, let's leave before we catch loser-itis from these guys." And he walked off.

Stephen did not follow at once. He gave the group a lingering glare; then, in a slow, sinister motion, he ran his own index finger across his throat. Having done that, he stalked away.

"That guy scares me…" Natasha gulped.

"All bark and no bite, that's what those two are. Don't worry about it," said Janus. "Even if they do try something, we'll stomp them back."

Suddenly, to the surprise of all, the liner started to move away from the pier. "What's happening? Are we…moving now?" Miki wondered.

Yugo turned and looked over the side—and sure enough, they were. "All right! We're finally on the move!" he cheered.

"Now, it's just a matter of time till we get to our destination…" said Kyo.

"Yay! We'll get to Dueltropolis soon!" Jenna and Miki cried together.

"ATTENTION, EVERYONE!"

All the duelists turned and looked upward. Standing above their heads on a platform was Mr. Truesdale, with a microphone set up on a stand. "Ladies and gentlemen," he announced, "thank you for your patience, and congratulations on this grand opportunity to participate in this year's World Championships!"

There were cheers all around as he said that.

"And now," continued Mr. Truesdale, "I'd like to introduce a very special guest, a high-ranking representative of the famous Duel Academy, and one of the chief sponsors for this year's tournament—please help me in welcoming to the mic…Dr. Vellian Crowler!" And he started the applause.

The duelists took up the applause, and Mr. Truesdale stepped back as Dr. Crowler walked up, a smile on his face and his wine glass in hand.

"Look at that…old man Crowler's gonna address us," Janus whispered to Ricardo and Natasha.

"What do you think he's going to say?" asked Natasha.

"Well, let's find out," said Ricardo, as Dr. Crowler prepared to speak.

----------

**_neomage:_** (gasps) THE LINER FINALLY MOVES! Yeah, yeah, I know, they should've started off long ago – I just wanted to get some characterization in. Nyah. Well, anyway, come next chapter things are definitely gonna get heated up! And, too… (cocks AK-47) I'm gonna get yamikriz, too, if Miriku and Kimiru haven't already beaten me to it…now, where did he go…?

REVIEW SOON, PLEASE!


	182. Chapter 182

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER:Build-ups are so muich of a fun appetizer, don't you agree? Oh, and Yu-Gi-Oh doesn't belong to me.)

**CHAPTER 182**

ON BOARD THE INDUSTRIAL ILLUSIONS SHIP EN ROUTE TO DUELTROPOLIS

"Ladies and gentlemen," Dr. Crowler began to speak to the assembled duelists. "First let me take this opportunity to welcome you all to this grand tournament. And, I must say, it is a pleasure and an honor that Duel Academy has gotten this opportunity to be one of the World Championship's sponsors. I'm touched, truly I am." He nodded and took a sip of his wine.

"Now, then, let's get down to brass tacks," he resumed. "Mr. Truesdale has invited me here to explain for your benefit the rules and regulations for this year's tournament as they have been agreed upon by the Duel Monster World Tournament Committee. So, duelists, sharpen your ears and listen keenly." Here he cleared his throat; all the duelists looked at him expectantly.

Yugo swallowed. _I wonder what these rules will be all about._

"While Mr. Truesdale was introducing me, I took a moment to count the number of you standing here before me," said Dr. Crowler. "And, by my count, there are thirty-two of you here as participants. Most of you I recognize immediately from past tournaments; others of you are, to me, newcomers. So…" He chuckled. "It's a case of underdogs against emperors and empresses!"

A few of the duelists present there laughed; Seta himself couldn't resist a little chuckle.

"But, back to seriousness," went on Dr. Crowler. "In a few minutes, the guards present on the ship will assign each of you a number, from 1 to 32. Once we are within sight of Dueltropolis, you will also be given an extra number, also from 1 to 32, indicating your opponent for the first round of the tournament itself. Under no circumstances are you to reveal your own numbers or your opponents' numbers to anyone else while you are still on board this liner; anyone who does so will be—immediately disqualified!"

"Wow…that's harsh," whispered Miki.

"In addition, once we get within sight of the island," Dr. Crowler continued, "some speedboats will come and pick up each of you from off this liner. You will be deposited at thirty-two different drop-off spots around the island…and, once you are on the island, your objective will be to search high and low for any duelist who has the opposing number which you will be given. Once you find your designated opponent, you must begin dueling as soon as possible, no matter where you are; and, naturally, the one who wins that encounter will be moved up to the next round. But…as in all tournaments in the past…each duel will be monitored by guards and security cameras to prevent cheating of any kind. Any duelist caught cheating will have their position in the tournament revoked, and they will be expelled from further participation!"

There was a light murmur as the duelists looked at each other.

"But not to worry—it won't be just about dueling," went on Dr. Crowler. "Throughout the island, you will find numerous rest stops and places of amusement where you can kick back and relax in between duels. These include restaurants, bed-and-breakfasts, mini-parks, game arcades, movie theaters, and even one or two malls and shopping strips."

Honey's eyes lit up and turned into hearts. "OOOOOOH! Shopping!" she grinned.

Raven groaned and covered his face with one hand. _Oh, dear Heavenly Father, please protect the Pegasus family's checkbook…_

Dr. Crowler was still speaking. "Mr. Truesdale, if you would be so kind…?"

"Of course, sir." Mr. Truesdale snapped his fingers at the guards standing nearby. "Do it!"

Then, in what seemed a matter of seconds, the suits whizzed among the duelists like shadows, pressing what appeared to be small metal plates. Receiving his, Yugo looked at the plate and noted a number engraved on it. The number: 1.

"These number plates you're receiving are your own assigned numbers for the duration of this tournament," Dr. Crowler informed the duelists. "If you don't like the number you've been given, deal with it—those numbers can't be changed after this."

Zander, again by himself, looked at his assigned number—32. _Doesn't matter much to me,_ he thought snidely, pocketing the number plate.

"Now, duelists, feel free to mill about the ship as you like," Mr. Truesdale told them. "In a few hours, we should reach the island!"

----------

DUELIST KINGDOM ISLAND, AT THAT VERY MOMENT

Pegasus' castle on Duelist Kingdom Island was located in the very middle of the island itself. Several stories high at its tallest point, it boasted several battlements, two massive watchtowers, and at its front a massive iron gate. At the front was a massive grove of trees that stretched for several miles beyond…and past that grove, in the distance, there were two high-rise buildings, something that had never been there before now.

At this moment, Zigfried Von Schroeder and Alexis Rhodes-Yuki were inside one of the two watchtowers, peering at the high-rise towers via a telescope and binoculars. Behind them, Maximillion Pegasus stood and watched them with a smile.

"You never cease to surprise me, Mr. Pegasus," remarked Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki, holding the binoculars. "When we all agreed to do work on Dueltropolis, I thought we wouldn't be able to finish on time, even if we did hire numerous contractors. Now, it's turned out that you were already several dozen steps ahead of us."

"Well, it was really my children's idea, to tell the truth," Pegasus admitted. "When they were little, they tended to get bored easily with the same old cuisine and the lack of friends their age to play with. So, to create variety for them, I decided to build a couple of food courts, parks, games rooms, and movie theaters for them, to give them the feel of living in a city with other people. The employees I have working in those office buildings over yonder…their children were Honey and Raven's playmates for many occasions, while their parents did Industrial Illusions-related work for me."

"And you built living quarters for them, too, it would seem," commented Mr. Von Schroeder, looking through the telescope. "That means, all we had to do in our short space of time was to build a few bungalows with rooms for the duelists to sleep in, clear spaces for them to have their duels, and find space for our brought-in caterers to set up random stalls in strategic locations. I thank you greatly, Mr. Pegasus; you have made our work so much simpler than it would have been otherwise."

"Well, the only thing left now is for the duelists to arrive," said Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki, putting the binoculars down. "With any luck, they should arrive by nightfall the latest."

Pegasus regarded Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki. "Tell me, Alexis…your son is also participating in this tournament, isn't he?"

"Janus? Well, yes, he is," and now she blushed a bit.

"Wonderful! I've wanted to see his skills in action for a while," Pegasus nodded. "But of course, he's going to have some seriously tough competition. That includes my two children, as well as our reigning champion Seta Kaiba, and of course Yugo Muto."

"Yugo Muto…_that man's_ son," Mr. Von Schroeder said thoughtfully. "I wonder how he will fare, hmmm…?"

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki said nothing in reply to that. _I see…so that's how the competition will get, eh? Well… _She turned her face away to stare over the horizon. _Janus, let's see how well you do…_

----------

EN ROUTE TO DUELTROPOLIS, A FEW HOURS LATER

Mr. Truesdale stood on the deck with the ship's captain, looking out over the horizon of the water. "Captain…how much longer do we have till we land?" he queried.

"Well, Mr. Truesdale, it's been just over three hours since we left port at Domino City," the captain answered. "And our engines have been functioning smoothly. We should sight Duelist Kingdom Island by nightfall, the latest."

Mr. Truesdale nodded. "Then that simply means our special guests have a bit of an extra wait."

Nearby, Natasha was looking exceptionally green. "Uhhhh…I don't feel so nice…" she groaned.

Janus looked her square in the face. "I told you not to eat that leftover pasta before getting on the ship, but _somebody_ wouldn't listen to me.

Suddenly Natasha's hand flew to her mouth—then she dashed to the side of the ship and stuck her head over the side, retching. Janus looked on in disgust. "Eeeeew."

"Who says you have to stand there and watch?" Ricardo, passing by at that moment, needled him.

Presently Natasha lifted her head. "Guys…a little sympathy here…" Then suddenly she gagged and stuck her head over the side again, retching some more.

Meanwhile, not too far away, Yugo was standing by the ship's rail, looking out over the water, deep in thought. _Hmmm…so, that's how this Dueltropolis tournament will be set up…and there's thirty-two of us competing here—including two major jerks who deserve castration._

The image of Stephen Ingram and Cassius Princeton burned brightly in his head. _Stephen Ingram…what's HE, of all people, doing here anyway? When he was back at Domino High, he was never interested in dueling…what could have happened to change that? And that Cassius Princeton – it's pretty obvious there's some bad blood between him and Janus…but gosh, I don't think I've ever met anybody as disagreeable as him! I'll have to be careful around him, and even more so if he's the one I get to duel during this tournament…_

"Penny for your thoughts."

"H-huh?" Startled, Yugo turned and came face-to-face with Seta. "Oh, sorry. I just have a bit on my mind, that's all."

"Yeah. Like your defeat to that kid from Duel Academy, right?"

Yugo's eyes went wide as saucers. "W-W-W-Waaaaaaa? But – how did you – I never told – but –"

"The others mentioned it, while they were training with Jillian and me." Seta's face was utterly grave. "Yugo…why didn't you tell me?"

Yugo saw at once the unspoken question in Seta's face. He sighed and looked away. "I'm sorry, Seta. I guess…I didn't want to face your disappointment or anything like that. After all, I've beaten you before, and then for me to lose to Janus…"

"Yugo, Yugo—don't stress yourself. It's no big deal." Seta patted his friend on the shoulder. "You just need to become a better duelist than you are; that's all."

"I know. That's why I didn't join the others in their training," said Yugo. "I had to stay by myself and train…and uncover a few hidden truths about myself…"

Seta cocked an eyebrow. "Such as?"

Yugo gave him a long look; then he chuckled. "How about you wait till the end of this tournament? I'll tell you everything then, I promise."

"…I see." Seta smirked. "Well, Yugo, since you're in a mood to make promises to people, how about making a second one?"

"Hmmm? What do you mean?" asked Yugo.

"Well…" Seta looked out over the sea's horizon; his voice now seemed distant. "We've both longed to surpass our fathers, right? You wanted others to acknowledge you as more than just the son of the King of Games…I wanted to be acknowledged as something more than just the heir to a mighty conglomerate. So…" He turned back to Yugo. "Promise me, Yugo…promise me that I'll see you in the final round of this tournament. That way, we'll give the whole world a performance that'll completely overshadow the exploits and successes of the legends known as Yugi Muto and Seto Kaiba."

The look on Yugo's face was now solemn. "Seta…"

"Yugo. Promise me." Seta held up his hand.

Yugo looked at Seta's hand; a tiny smile crossed his lips. Eagerly, he grabbed the other boy's hand in his own. "Yeah, Seta. I'll definitely see you at the last round of this competition…as long as you make the same promise to me, too."

"You know it…" Seta smirked. "…hedgehog."

"Who're you callin' hedgehog, Little Boy Blue?" Yugo shot back, faking anger.

Unbeknownst to both of them, Zander was standing a distance away, watching them keenly. A smile crossed his lips as he watched the boys tussle with each other. _Heh…treasure your friendship well, you two…for neither of you will have much time left to savor it!_

----------

DUELIST KINGDOM ISLAND, SEVERAL HOURS LATER

Pegasus stood on one of his castle's battlements, looking out to sea as the sun slowly sank below the horizon. Only hours ago, he'd gotten a call from Mr. Truesdale, informing him that the guests were, for the most part, comfortable, and that the liner was making good speed toward Duelist Kingdom Island. Now, he looked at the reddening sky with a certain respect and admiration. "I always did like to look at the sunset over the ocean," he muttered. "Especially when I used to paint, all those years ago…"

He shook his head and chuckled. "Well…the boat should be here soon," he mused. "I should ensure that things are in order for our guests."

He pulled a cell-phone out of his pocket and speed-dialed a number. Then he waited as it rang. He waited…and waited…and then he smirked. "I trust everything is in readiness, just as I instructed you earlier…?"

----------

ON BOARD THE INDUSTRIAL ILLUSIONS SHIP, AT THAT VERY MOMENT

Mr. Truesdale stood on the deck, looking out toward the island. "Yes…we're almost there…" he chuckled.

Just at that moment the P.A. system on the liner made an announcement: "We are approaching Duelist Kingdom Island! All duelists on board, please head to the deck at once!"

Mr Truesdale leaned against the rail and waited patiently. "Almost time for the party to start," he mused.

----------

DUELIST KINGDOM ISLAND

On the shores of Duelist Kingdom Island, several suits were waiting with motorboats – thirty-two of those boats, to be exact. One of the suits was on a cell-phone at this moment, even as the others looked out to sea with binoculars for any sign of the Industrial Illusions liner.

"Yes, Mr. Pegasus, sir, we have thirty-two speedboats ready, as you ordered. Yes sir, the lodgings for the duelists are ready and waiting…Understood, sir. Yes, we will let them know. Very good, sir."

The suit hung up the phone – and just at that moment one of the others looking out to sea beckoned to his companions excitedly. "Look – there it is!"

With that, the suits all boarded the speedboats and, moments later, raced out across the water to meet the liner…

----------

INDUSTRIAL ILLUSIONS SHIP

In a few moments all thirty-two duelists were on the deck. "Wonderful! We're almost at the island!" Flora exclaimed gleefully.

"I trust you all have rested well during this trip?" Mr. Truesdale inquired.

"Definitely!" Yugo and Janus exclaimed simultaneously.

"At least you guys enjoyed the ride…" Natasha still looked a little sick.

"Yes, and in another few moments you will all get the opportunity to do what you've come here to do," Mr. Truesdale announced. "Now, guards, please assign to the duelists their opponents' numbers for the first round!"

The guards had been standing behind the group of duelists; now, swiftly, they passed among the individual participants and handed out number plates again. While the ones the duelists had received earlier were sterling silver, these new ones were made of copper and were just as beautifully engraved with numbers.

Yugo raised an eyebrow when he saw the number for his upcoming opponent: 30. _Okay…_ He looked around at his fellow competitors. _I wonder which of these good folks I'll get to duel first._

Then one of the suits looked over the side. "Mr. Truesdale, sir, the speedboats are almost here now!"

Everyone turned to look as the guard made the announcement. Sure enough, a number of speedboats were heading toward the liner. Mr. Truesdale nodded with approval when he saw this. "Ladies and gentlemen, prepare to board these boats to head to the designated points on the island!"

Several rope ladders were swiftly lowered over the side of the liner; one by one, the speedboats slowed to a stop alongside the much bigger boat. "Well…here we go, mates," said David, preparing to head down one of the rope ladders.

One by one, the duelists each headed down a ladder and stepped into a speedboat; one by one the speedboats were steered away from the liner and roared away in the direction of the island. "Luke, I'll see you and the others on the island!" Miriam called to Luke as her boat raced away.

"Right back at you, Miriam!" Luke hollered back.

Miki, just boarding a boat, was trembling with excitement. _Okay, Miki, get a grip now! You're about to participate in your very first World Championship tournament…don't lose focus now!_

Already seated in her boat, Jenna looked at the other participants. _I wonder who'll be my first opponent…I just hope I don't have to face off against Yugo at any point…_

It seemed like only a moment before all the speedboats had collected their passengers and were now roaring away from the liner, heading in different directions to rendezvous with the destination points around the island. Mr. Truesdale smirked as he remained standing on the deck, watching the boats race away. "Fight hard…fight well…and fight with honor, duelists all!" he smirked.

----------

**_neomage:_** Well…by my analysis…well, I don't know…what do you readers think? This chapter seems a little short to me, even though it does meet my nine-page requirement. But at least a few details concerning the infrastructure for Dueltropolis itself have been explained, a few glimpses into some of the competitors' psyches have been viewed up to this point, and it's finally (Yes, FINALLY!) reached that point where I can say with true certainty: Next chapter, the tournament COMMENCES! And…

(neomage still stalks around with AK-47 in hand)

neomage: yamikriz, yamikriz…where are you hiding at, yamikriz?

yamikriz: (peeks out from behind the couch) Um…hi?

neomage: AHA! (starts blasting)

yamikriz: AAAAAHHHH! (dodges bullets cartoon-style even as furniture gets ripped up from all the sudden carnage)

(meanwhile, outside the house)

rampagerkriz: Waaaaaaah! Kimiru is MOVING AWAY! NOOOOOO! Kimiru, please don't leave meeeeee! (sobbing hysterically)

Kimiru: There, there… (pats rampagerkriz reassuringly)

Miriku: rampagerkriz…his behavior right about now is very…disturbing.

kRiZ: You haven't seen anything yet, believe me. You should see him when he's just waking up in the morning.

(nearby, krizrampage and kriztrigun are chatting in low tones)

krizrampage: Did you see the latest flame from one certain anonymous jerk?

kriztrigun: The third one from him, I take it.

krizrampage: Well, neomage has done the humane thing and deleted the review – excuse me, pointless flame. Believe me, it's getting close to bordering on harassment.

kriztrigun: What I'm afraid of is what neomage might do if that guy sends one more threat in the guise of a review…even neomage's patience can only last so long against something of such a volatile and harassing nature… (shudders at the thought)

neomage: REVIEW SOON, EVERYBODY! FLAMERS NOT NEEDED HERE!


	183. Chapter 183

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER:NOW **(drum roll) **TIME TO FIGHT! Oh, uh, yes, and neomage doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**CHAPTER 183**

DUELTROPOLIS, MOMENTS LATER

One of the speedboats pulled up into a sandy inlet, and Miki carefully stepped out as the guard shut off the motor. "So…all I have to do from here is just walk about, look for the duelist whose number matches the one on this…" She held up the copper number plate. "And then when I find that duelist, I get to duel with them, right?"

"That's right, miss," the guard replied. "Just make sure you stick to the rules of the Dueltropolis tournament, that's all. You don't want to be disqualified so soon after coming here."

"I'll be careful, thanks," Miki promised.

With that said, she turned and headed up the sandy dune, soon coming face-to-face with a forest. "Okay…I have a bit of a ways to go," she sighed, looking up at the slowly-darkening sky. "I just hope I can find somewhere to sleep for the night…I really wouldn't like to have to sleep out in the open, as much as I like outdoor camping…"

----------

Ricardo Misawa, meanwhile, had already landed ashore and was now walking inland. He was in a wide meadow, with what looked like houses in the distance. "Hmmm…I guess I can at least get a good hot meal over there," he remarked contentedly.

----------

Stephen Ingram walked along the dirt track leading up from the beach, his face void of any and all expression. His mind, though, was a completely different story. _So, these brats really are competing in this stupid tournament…well, I'll have my revenge now! Kyo Bakura, you little four-eyed freak – wait'll I get to you! I'll beat you so bad your brains will turn to scrambled eggs! And then…your little friends will be next—especially your cheeky slut of a girlfriend!_

----------

James Truesdale walked along the path, his jacket swirling slightly as a breeze blew past him. _Weaklings…the whole lot of them…_ he thought to himself.

----------

PEGASUS'S CASTLE, IN THE MEANTIME

Pegasus, Mr. Von Schroeder and Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki sat together in the dining hall of Pegasus's castle, watching various mini-screens being displayed on a massive TV on the wall. Pegasus was happily indulging in Gorgonzola cheese and a glass of wine; Mr. Von Schroeder was chewing on a piece of fish filet, with a glass of champagne to accompany it; and Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki was casually eating away at macaroni and cheese with fried chicken, and a glass of grape soda at the side of her plate.

"Care to place bets on who you think will get to duel first?" asked Pegasus presently.

"Not really," said Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki. "I've never been much of a gambler, anyway."

"I'll take you up on that offer, Mr. Pegasus," said Mr. Von Schroeder, smirking. "My wager's on one of two people: Shigeo Tatsunoko, the ninja duelist, or one of those kids from Duel Academy."

Pegasus guffawed. "Ha! My wager's going on Malachi Jordan, the former Intercontinental champion!"

"I just wish the other members of the Committee could be here to witness this," sighed Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki.

"Never fear—dear Vivian's here, just not at the castle," Mr. Von Schroeder pointed out. "She's out there in the field, no doubt helping one of the duelists feel at home on the island right now."

----------

DUELTROPOLIS, A LITTLE WHILE LATER

Zander sat down on a rock in the middle of a clearing. "Hmmm…hope I can find somewhere to rest soon," he mused.

A sudden rustle of grass caught his attention. Instantly he was at attention. "Who goes there? Friend or foe?" he demanded.

"Depends," a voice answered. "Are you Duelist number 15?"

Now Zander chuckled. "No, I'm not…and you don't need to hide yourself from me, Taurus."

There was a slight show of a green ninja outfit – it was that of Taurus the Gamekeeper. "Then, it would seem I've been tailing the wrong duelist all along," he remarked. "But I'm disappointed, Capricorn—I thought you knew me better than that. I NEVER show my true identity unless it's to the one I'm supposed to terminate."

"Too true. Pardon me." Zander chuckled.

"Well, now I must continue my search," said Taurus. "And I dare say, I'll be able to cover ground faster than I expected. This part of the island is so covered with trees – and you already know how much I like to jump from tree to tree, for my regular exercise."

"Good luck in finding your prey." Zander grinned malevolently.

"Uh-huh." Taurus then disappeared back into the ever-growing darkness.

----------

Elsewhere, Yugo found himself walking along something resembling a small road. "Well, looks like I'm getting somewhere," he chuckled. "Now, all I need is to find a nice place to eat some dinner. That food on the liner was good, but not so good when you compare it to others…"

As he said this, he looked down at the pack he still had on him – in all the excitement of that day, he'd forgotten about it completely. "Oh, great," he groaned. "At this rate Grandma's cocoa will have gotten cold! Better indulge before it gets any worse than it might be."

He headed over to a large tree that stood by the pathway, and settled down underneath it. Opening the pack, he pulled out the sandwiches and cocoa that Grandma had made for him to eat. "Well, Grandma, better late than never," he chuckled.

He opened the thermos that the cocoa had been stored in, then poured out some and tasted it. The once-hot chocolate was now only barely warm, but it still had its flavor so he could tolerate it somewhat. Quickly he drank that cup and sealed the thermos. "Now, let's see what kind of sandwiches she packed for me."

"Excuse me…"

"Wha?" Startled, Yugo looked up – and found himself looking at someone standing on the path. "Uh…oh, hello there."

The person in question was one of the new girls Yugo and his friends had seen earlier on the ship, the one who wore the yellow jacket with the hood that concealed her face. At that moment, said hood was still concealing her face somewhat. "Oh, forgive me," she said quietly. "I was looking for someone, and for a moment I thought you were him."

"Oh, I see." Yugo cocked an eyebrow. "Say. Are you Duelist number…" He reached into his pocket and pulled out the copper number plate. "30?"

The girl didn't move an inch. "No."

"Oh. Well, in that case, how about you stay a moment and share some sandwiches with me? I'll help you look for this person if you like," offered Yugo.

But the girl shook her head. "Thank you, but no. I'm sorry to have troubled you. I should be going now." And she turned and ran in another direction.

"Hmmm…" Yugo shrugged it off and turned back to his sandwiches. "Hey, whaddaya know – chicken salad sandwiches! And roast beef! And cheese!"

----------

Malachi trudged along, his eyes swerving from side to side, missing nothing in his line of vision. "Hmmm…"

Presently he glimpsed a small hut, with a man standing outside it cooking something on a grill. Curiosity getting the better of him, Malachi walked over. "Excuse me, mister, but what exactly are you looking about?" he asked.

"Oh, hello there, son," the man answered cheerily. "I'm grillin' some food for any tournament participants that pass by here."

"I'm a tournament participant," Malachi told him. "Is it possible I could get a bite to eat?"

"Why, sure! Just grab a plate from that stack over there, and I'll be with you in a bit." And with that the man went back to working the grill.

Malachi picked up a plate from the designated pile and waited. By and by the man spoke again: "Okay, this batch is done! So, what would you like—mutton, spare ribs, or barbecued chicken?"

"Hmmm…is it possible I can get some of all three?" Malachi asked.

"Sure thing! Give that plate here!"

Malachi surrendered the plate. The man immediately piled a piece of mutton, a piece of chicken, and some spare ribs onto the plate; from a separate corner of the grill he placed a few pieces of fried plantain next to the meat. "Here ya go, friend!"

Malachi smirked. "Goody."

He walked over to the hut and took a seat inside, putting the plate down on a small counter he saw nearby. "Well…time to indulge."

----------

A LITTLE WHILE LATER

Jenna sat down by a small stream, looking up at the moon shining in the night sky. "So beautiful," she whispered. "I only wish Yugo could be here to share this moment with me, like last night…"

As she said this, she unconsciously touched her lips and blushed. _His kiss…so sweet…so gentle…and to think, we started off as best friends, and went for so many years before discovering the real truth about our feelings…_

A moment later she got up. "Well, can't stay out here in the cold like this…better keep on and hope I can find shelter somewhere."

With that, she headed upstream…unaware that a pair of cold eyes was watching her every movement…

----------

Shigeo, meanwhile, found himself in a park. "Hey…the folks sure were busy setting up this place," he remarked aloud, taking a look at the swing sets, see-saws, and jungle gyms that were scattered here and there before his eyes. "Kids could have a field day here."

As he looked around, he noticed a small road not very far away, and on the other side of that road was a modest cluster of villa houses. "Heeeeeeey…now THERE's a nice place to get a little rest!" he chuckled, jogging over. "Now let's see what's here…"

He stopped outside one house and knocked on the door. Nobody answered. Curiously, Shigeo tried the handle – and the door opened easily to him. "Well…safe to say this place was definitely built for our use," he noted. "Now…time to find the bed in this place so I can get some rest for tomorrow morning…"

----------

Miki studied the mini-town before her. She had spent a decent amount of time walking, and had arrived here after a good fifteen minutes. "Man, it'll be a relief to find a good place to rest," she thought to herself.

She was looking at nicely-built houses, small but wired for electricity and evidently comfortable. All of them were lined up on either side of the road on which Miki now stood. "Hmmm…where to go first…" she muttered.

Looking from one side to the next as she deliberated, Miki presently settled on the third house on her left. This one was slightly bigger than the others, and in a way it reminded Miki of her old home, the one she had lived in before moving to Domino City. With her mind made up, therefore, she went up to the front door and knocked, in case anyone was already inside.

In an instant the door swung open—to reveal a beautiful Asian woman, several years older than Miki. "Why, hello there!" the woman exclaimed. "I take it you're one of the duelists come to this island for the Dueltropolis competition?"

"Well, uh, yes I am," answered Miki. "I'm Miki Taylor."

"A pleasure to meet you! Come on in, dear!" The woman stepped aside so Miki could enter.

Stepping inside, Miki looked around her carefully. The place was sort of like an apartment more than a real house; there were only the basic pieces of furniture that one would expect, such as a dining table and some chairs. The kitchen was close by, with all the regular appliances that one would expect. There was a staircase leading upstairs to what Miki assumed were the bedrooms, and there was an open door nearby that indicated bathroom quarters. In short, it was somewhat less furnished that Miki had been used to at her old house, and certainly less furnished that her house in Domino City. Even so, she felt quite comfortable and at home immediately.

"I should introduce myself," the woman's voice brought her back to reality. "My name's Vivian Wong…and I am a member of the World Tournament Committee. It's my duty now to make you and the other competitors feel as at home here on the island as is possible."

"Wow…thank you," said Miki, bowing respectfully. "This is so cool…I mean, I'm actually talking to another member of the Committee!"

"Another member?" Ms. Wong raised an eyebrow curiously.

"Well, I met Mr. Truesdale on the boat coming here," explained Miki. "And I've known Mr. Devlin all my life…and I've been fairly acquainted with Mr. Pegasus and Mr. Kaiba – but I never knew any of those three were actually members of such an important committee!"

Ms. Wong chuckled. "I see…well, all I can say is that you're getting quite a few privileges that few ordinary folk get in a year."

"I can imagine," said Miki, looking around again. "This is my first time in a World Championship…it's all so wonderful!"

"It must also be overwhelming for a young girl," observed Ms. Wong, and she pulled out one of the chairs from the table. "Here, have a seat. Would you like a glass of water?"

"Y-yes, thank you," Miki nodded gratefully as she sat.

Ms. Wong smiled knowingly. _This girl…she's so cute! But…I can't afford to scare her off with my…ideas. It'll be best for her and for me if I just keep playing the role of good hostess like I'm doing now. It wouldn't do for too many folks to know about my little preferences and habits that I've adopted…_ She smirked to herself as she went to the kitchen to get the water for Miki.

----------

Right outside the house that Miki had just entered, a silhouetted red shadow hid in the darkness. "So…the little girl's gone inside that house," the woman chuckled to herself. "Hee, hee, hee…this will be so easy…like taking candy, rattle, bottle and pacifier from the baby."

Little did she notice that a nearby hidden camera was noting her every action…

----------

SOMEWHERE, AT THAT PRECISE MOMENT

Master Orion watched with great interest as one of the secret cameras installed throughout the island showed the scarlet woman making her way toward the house where the young girl had just entered. "Sagittarius the Vermillion…so, that girl is your prey, is she? Heh…this should be interesting…"

----------

BACK AT DUELTROPOLIS

Miki took several swallows of her water, then set the cup down. Across the table from her, Ms. Wong had her elbow propped on the table, her hand supporting her chin, looking at the young girl with an impish smile.

"What is it?" Miki asked after a moment. "You seem to be staring…"

"Oh—was I?" Ms. Wong caught herself. "Sorry, dear. It's just…it's so nostalgic, looking at a young duelist like you…reminds me of my own young days, back when I was a champion duelist myself. Oh, those were the days…"

"You used to be a duelist too?" Miki asked, interested at once.

"Yes," said Ms. Wong. "I was the Asian champion at one time. I had it all…money, fame, a certain degree of power. It was because of my status in the Duel Monsters circuit that I was offered a position on the Committee. And now, years later, here I am with you, telling you my life story."

Ms. Wong then chuckled. "But enough about me for now. Tell me, my child, how long have you been dueling?"

"Not very long, to tell the truth," Miki admitted. "I've only been in two tournaments so far…but every duel I've been in has been a learning experience. Especially with my friends helping me along the way, helping me to become stronger."

"That's probably so," acknowledged Ms. Wong. "Still, that doesn't change the fact that now, you're on your own here. That just means you'll have to rely on your own strength, plus a little of whatever they may have taught you."

"Yeah…I suppose so…" Miki sighed.

Suddenly there was a loud knock at the door, startling both females. "Uh…you expecting somebody?" Miki wondered.

"Maybe it's another duelist looking for a place to stay for the night," suggested Ms. Wong, and she got up and went to the door to answer it. "Coming!"

She quickly opened the door – and her eyes widened at the sight before her. "Ah – hello."

Standing outside was a woman wearing a very _tight_ red outfit, over which she wore a dark purple jacket, and she wore dark brown shoes. She had a hairdo cut in a boyish style, plus she wore no makeup. On her arm was a Duel-Disk – but a very curious one it was, as it was completely painted red. "A duelist just stepped in here," she said in a dark voice. "Is she Duelist number 5?"

Miki stood up. "Um, yes, I'm number 5." Her eyebrow raised. "And you are…?"

The stranger smirked. "Little girl, I'm here to challenge you to a duel!"

----------

**_neomage:_** Well – the stage has been set for the first duel of the first round of Dueltropolis! Thanks for all the new reviews that have come in, everybody, and please stay tuned – next chapter focuses entirely on this new match!


	184. Chapter 184

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER:Let the duels begin! And no, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh in any format whatsoever except for this fanfic.)

**CHAPTER 184**

_Characters' First Appearance in Story_

_REGINA_

_NAME: Regina Brissett_

_AGE: 25_

_HAIR: Orange (dyed)_

_EYES: Brown_

_CLOTHES: Blood-red body outfit, purple jacket, brown spike-heeled boots_

DUELTROPOLIS

"W-w-what? Duel you? Now? Here?" Miki asked, bewildered. "But—it's so early in the tournament for that, and besides, it's nighttime now!"

"Not my concern, kid," the woman spat to the side. "When you know your opponent, you duel him regardless of time or place. And, for me, the time and place is now." Her lips curled into a nasty smile. "Unless you're chicken…?"

Ms. Wong cocked an eyebrow at this. "Excuse me, but you're being a little rude, don't you think?" she spoke up. "This young lady just got here; she's tired and is resting. If you really want to duel, you could at least wait a while—"

She wasn't prepared for the sudden backhand to the face that sent her tumbling to floor! "Ungh!" she grunted, landing heavily on the ground.

"Ms. Wong!" Miki cried out. She glared at the woman. "Why, you…how could you DO that? Don't you have any sense of decency?"

"Decency is for the weak, little bitch," the woman answered frostily. "I abandoned decency in place of strength years ago."

"I can't believe you're saying that…" Miki clenched her teeth.

The woman smirked. "My name is Regina Brissett…also known as Sagittarius the Vermillion. And once I have my prey in my sights, there's no escape!"

By this time Ms. Wong was slowly getting back up, blood trickling from her mouth where she'd been struck. Hearing the last bit of Regina's declaration, her eyes widened. _Sagittarius…the Vermillion…? Oh, dear Lord, no! Don't tell me THEY'RE here!_

Miki clenched her fists. "I don't care what you call yourself. You can't just barge in and demand a duel, and bully people!"

"No?" Regina's eyes narrowed. "Then how about this…" She reached behind her and pulled out a switchblade, flicking it open to reveal a wicked-looking knife approximately seven inches long! "If you continue to refuse to duel me, then…I'll use this pretty knife and gouge out those pretty eyes of yours, AND cut out your tongue too!"

Miki's eyes widened at that. "You're not serious…!"

"Want to try me?" Regina threatened menacingly, taking a step forward.

Before either could react, though, Ms. Wong was up in a flash, standing in between them with hands in a combat position. "Listen, girly, I don't know who you think you are, trying to boss people around like you've been doing," she growled, "but if you keep this up, I promise you, I'll whip you so hard your mother will feel it!"

Regina wasn't fazed. "Old lady, you're way past your place now."

"Old…lady…?" Ms. Wong was livid. "You insolent little whore!" With that she rushed forward with fists thrusting forward in an offensive assault. But to her shock, Regina easily sidestepped her attacks, countering with a solid punch to the gut and a rising knee to the face, knocking the older woman down and unconscious!

"Now…time to finish kicking your aging ass, bitch!" Regina yelled, thrusting forward with the point of the knife—

—but then something solid blocked her attack, making a loud CLANK as the switchblade connected! "What the…!" Regina exploded.

Right between her and Ms. Wong was Gearfried the Iron Knight (ATK 1800, DEF 1600); one of his arm-shields had blocked Regina's impending stab attack. Standing to one side, Miki had her Duel-Disk activated with a very angry scowl on her face. "Don't…you…dare!" she hissed at Regina.

Regina looked sideways at her. "So…you finally decided to fight. That's what I'm talking about."

Miki's look hardened. "If there's one thing I can't stand, it's people who try to bully others to satisfy their own egos. Somebody needs to knock you off your high horse…and if I have to be the one who does it, then so be it."

"You've got guts, I'll grant you that much," remarked Regina. "Well, let's not waste any more time, then. But I warn you, little girl: if I don't kill my opponents after beating them, I at least make it so that they can never duel again. In your case…it'll be just as I said before—the loss of your tongue and your eyes."

Miki glared at Regina. "I'll take that risk."

Regina's smile got even crazier. "Then step outside!"

----------

Moments later the two were outside on the dusty road, their Duel-Disks activated. "Heh…this is gonna be sooooo wild…my very first duel, only a couple of hours into the tournament – and against a rank amateur at that!" Regina grinned gleefully.

_This lady is simply crazy,_ Miki thought ruefully.

The holographic coin emerged and was flipped. "I will call it! Heads!" Regina shouted.

Then the coin landed – and indeed it was heads. "Well, now, kid – time for me to blast your small-fry ass out of the park!" Regina declared, smirking cruelly.

Miki's jaw was set. "Bring it."

They both drew their first five cards; then Regina drew a sixth. "Heh…all right. I'll set two cards facedown, and set a monster in Defense Mode. And now I'll end my turn."

Miki drew her card. "I summon Little-Winguard (ATK 1400, DEF 1800) in Attack Mode!" Then, one moment later her blue-armored little warrior emerged on the field, sword and shield at the ready. "Destroy her facedown monster!"

But as Little-Winguard rushed forward to do this… "I don't think so, amateur!" Regina yelled. "I activate my facedown Magic card, Offerings to the Doomed! This will destroy your monster, but in exchange I must skip my next Draw Phase!"

To Miki's consternation, rays of light shot out from Regina's flipped card and tore through Little-Winguard, ripping him to pieces! "Boy, you must be feeling like shit right now, huh?" taunted Regina. "Well, don't you worry—it's going to be over before you know it!"

Miki looked at the cards in her hand. _Oh, man…these cards aren't gonna be able to help me out right at this point!_ She gritted her teeth in frustration. "I end my turn."

With a snicker, Regina held up the three cards in her hand. "Now…I'll activate Pot of Greed, and draw two cards!" And this she did, so now she held four. Then: "I summon Amazoness Paladin (ATK 1700, DEF 300)!" She brought forth her warrior woman, armed with her long sword. "And…when Amazoness Paladin is on the field, she gets an addition 100 ATK points for every monster on my side of the field that includes 'Amazoness' in its card name, or is named 'Amazon Archer' (ATK 1400, DEF 1000)…and that includes the Paladin herself!"

As if on cue, Amazoness Paladin's ATK rose to 1800! But Regina wasn't done. "Then…I'll Flip Summon my Amazoness Fighter (ATK 1500, DEF 1300)!" And she called forth an extremely muscular woman with bandages around her fists. Amazoness Paladin's ATK rose even higher to 1900!

Miki cringed. "This is gonna hurt…"

"And now…it's time to show you why I'm called Sagittarius the Vermillion! Go, Amazonesses – tear her to pieces!" Regina laughed wickedly.

Amazoness Paladin rushed forward and slashed at Miki several times with her sword; Miki flinched and cried out as she got cut all over her body, her life points drastically reduced to 6100 in the process. Then Amazoness Fighter rushed in with a heavy elbow to the face; Miki, knocked to the ground, spat blood even as her life points went down further to 4600.

"Yesssss…the sight of blood flowing from my victims…it's such a turn-on!" Regina remarked gleefully. "And to think, I'm not even breaking a sweat, yet already you're on your knees before me!"

Slowly Miki stood up, wiping the blood from her mouth with the back of her hand. "You're…brutal…" she whispered.

"Ladies and gents, we have ourselves a regular Einstein here!" Regina answered in a mock congratulatory tone. "Well, go ahead, then. I end my turn, for now."

Miki's life points now stood at 4600, while Regina's were at an intact 8000. On the field Miki had absolutely nothing; Regina, on the other hand, had Amazoness Paladin and Amazoness Fighter in Attack Mode, plus she had one facedown card. Miki had five cards in her hand; Regina had three.

Wincing from her wounds, Miki drew her next card. "All right…now I'll Special Summon a monster from my hand – the Fiend Megacyber (ATK 2200, DEF 1200)!"

Regina frowned. "Huh?"

Suddenly, before the other girl's eyes, the Fiend Megacyber appeared, its gold armor flashing. "When my opponent has at least two monsters more than I do on the field, I can Special Summon this monster without offering tributes," explained Miki. "And now…I will set one monster facedown. Now I've got enough power right here to wipe out either of your monsters…and I choose to destroy your Amazoness Fighter! Go, Fiend Megacyber!"

The Fiend Megacyber rushed forward and slammed shoulder-first into Amazoness Fighter, wiping her out, and in the process Amazoness Paladin's ATK went down to 1800. But Regina only smiled. "Any battle damage I get from a battle involving Amazoness Fighter becomes zero," she explained. "Tough break, kid."

"Darn it…fine. I'll end my turn, then." Miki suddenly flinched and held her shoulder, where she'd been slashed repeatedly before.

Regina drew her next card—and did a double-take. Then she laughed aloud. "All right! Now, you're dead meat, amateur rookie!" she taunted. "Because I've got something in my hand that'll wipe you out right now!"

"Oh, man…" Miki groaned.

"First – I'll summon Amazoness Swords Woman (ATK 1500, DEF 1600)!" Then Regina brought forth a warrior woman with bright headdress and a big sword. Amazoness Paladin's ATK rose back up to 1900 as this occurred.

Then Regina held up another card. "Next, I'll activate Monster Reborn, to revive my fallen Amazoness Fighter to the field!" And a moment later Amazoness Fighter reappeared on the field, and Amazoness Paladin's ATK shot up to 2000!

"Crap!" Miki exclaimed.

"But believe me, I'm still not done," Regina announced. "Because now I'm gonna activate the magic card, Amazoness Spellcaster! This card allows me to swap the original ATK of one of my monsters with the original ATK of one of your monsters till the end of this turn…and I'll swap the ATK of my Amazoness Fighter with the ATK of your Fiend Megacyber!"

Suddenly, as Miki watched in absolute horror, Amazoness Fighter's ATK rose to 2200…while the Fiend Megacyber's shrunk to 1500! "Now, my monsters, it's time to attack!" Regina announced. "Amazoness Paladin, slash the Fiend Megacyber into ribbons!"

Amazoness Paladin jumped forward, slicing the Fiend Megacyber to pieces and bringing Miki's life points down to 4100. Then: "Your turn, Amazoness Swords Woman! Destroy the facedown monster!" And Amazoness Swords Woman sliced downward, cutting in half what turned out to be the Disc Fighter (ATK 1000, DEF 1000). And then: "Now, Amazoness Fighter, attack directly! Knuckle Barrage!"

Amazoness Fighter rushed forward and began to pummel Miki with her fists; then one massive punch came forward, hitting Miki hard in the chest and sending her flying several meters back, even as her life points sharply went down to 1900! "Take that!" Regina cried.

Miki was thrown back so hard, she collided with a nearby brick wall and knocked it over! "AAAAGH!" she screamed out as brick fragments flew everywhere.

Chuckling, Regina looked down at the life point counter on her Duel-Disk. "Awww…you still have life points. But hey…I doubt you can stand up after all that abuse you've suffered. So, you be a good little girl and stay down, understand?"

No answer. Regina laughed. "Excellent! Chalk one up for me! If the opponent can't continue playing, I automatically win! And so…" She turned to leave and reached her hand to switch her Duel-Disk off. "Sayonara!"

"…hold it…"

"Hmmm?" Regina stopped, turning slightly. Looking behind her, she saw nobody. "Hmph…must've been my imagination…there's not a soul alive who could survive such an onslaught like what that little bitch just—"

She wasn't prepared for the massive brick that got flung her way, connecting squarely with her face! "GYAA!" she cried out as she tumbled to the ground, blood squirting from her forehead.

Regina lay there on the ground, holding her face as she moaned in excruciating pain. "Holy shit…where the hell did that come from?" she rasped, truly bewildered.

The blood from her injury blinded her momentarily, she wiped her eyes clean with one hand while holding onto her injured and rapidly-swelling wound with the other. Then, gingerly, she sat up—but what she saw up ahead stunned her. "No…freaking…way…" she managed to gasp out, her eyes widening with growing shock every second.

Standing right there, where the brick wall had been previously, was Miki. Her messed-up hair was overshadowing her face; her body was cut, bruised and dirty now; her clothes were torn in various places and definitely covered in brick dust. But it wasn't any of this that was slowly frightening Regina; it was the young girl's narrowed eyes, the only things not covered by her hair.

Those eyes' pupils had shrunk almost to little dots, giving Miki a very frightening look on her face. And, under the light of the moon above them, her eyes seemed to be…shining…with murder in them.

Regina stared in fear as a cold sweat suddenly broke out over her skin. _This isn't possible…this girl…standing before me…what happened to that scared, innocent disposition I saw earlier? It's…it's almost as if…she's become…possessed!_

Then Miki spoke. "This duel isn't over…not while I'm still standing. Now…" Her eyes narrowed further into sinister slits. **_"I'll. Butcher. You."_**

----------

Ms. Wong groaned and put a hand to her head. As she slowly sat up, she opened her eyes and shook her head to clear the fogginess from it. "Damn…how long have I been out for…?" she muttered. "But geez…that girl in red could sure hit hard…"

Then, like a bolt of lightning, memory came back to her. _Hold on – she called herself Sagittarius the Vermillion, didn't she? Damn it – I have to warn the others!_ Pulling herself to her feet, she headed for the kitchen nearby.

----------

PEGASUS'S CASTLE, AT THAT MOMENT

Pegasus, Mr. Von Schroeder, and Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki had been watching the duel between Regina and Miki throughout this whole time, right up to the point where Miki threw the brick at Regina. "Uh…was that legal?" Mr. Von Schroeder asked uncertainly. "The throwing of the brick, I mean."

"Well…it doesn't say anything in the rules about things like that," Pegasus admitted sheepishly. Then his face hardened in uber-seriousness. "But…you saw on the house camera how brutal that girl was toward our dear friend Vivian, plus she forced our little friend Miki into this duel. If it had been me, I…probably wouldn't throw a brick, but I'd certainly do something to bring my own ire across, just as Miki has."

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki looked at the screen with grave intensity. "This kid…Miki…yes, I remember Janus told me she was one of Yugo Muto's friends," she recalled. "What else do we know about her?"

"I can tell you," and now Pegasus beamed brightly. "She's got close connections to our dear friend Duke Devlin, since he and her father are the ones who founded Devlin & Taylor. She was actually able to fight the famous ninja duelist, Shigeo Tatsunoko, to a standstill during the Intercontinentals…and then, when that group named JUDAS surfaced…she lent a useful hand in bringing them down. From an underdog to a champion." He chuckled.

"So, the duel will continue, then," said Mr. Von Schroeder. "That other girl—Regina Brissett, is it?—she does seem pretty skilled. Will the underdog be able to beat her, or…?"

"The other girl—what do we know about her?" asked Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki.

"Well…I will admit, we haven't got anything in the database on her," Pegasus confessed. "She must be a recent player in the game. But boy, she sure can play!"

"And be brutal about it in the process," Mr. Von Schroeder pointed out.

Suddenly a cell-phone went off…all three looked at each other. "Hmmm…I'm guessing that would be for me," said Mr. Von Schroeder as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. "Yes, hello?"

The other two watched him as he listened on the phone. To their surprise, however, his face displayed a look of shock. Then he exclaimed: "NO! You must be joking…! No joke? All right – we'll send our security team to the area at once!"

"Ziggy-boy…what was that about just now?" Pegasus asked worriedly as Mr. Von Schroeder replaced his phone.

"That…that was Vivian just a while ago," said Mr. Von Schroeder. "And you will not believe what she has told me!"

"Well, what _did_ she say?" pressed Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki.

Mr. Von Schroeder took a deep breath. "That girl that is dueling now…Regina Brissett…she's one of the Zodiacs!"

Pegasus started. His eye went wide. "The Zodiacs? _THEY'RE _here? At Dueltropolis?"

"That's what Vivian said," answered Mr. Von Schroeder. "And, come to think of it…didn't we hear her refer to herself on the tape as…Sagittarius the Vermillion…?"

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki looked a little confused. "Um, all right…you guys need to explain. Who or what are these Zodiacs you're talking about?"

Pegasus sighed. "Okay, dear Alexis," he said to her. "I kind of forgot that you wouldn't know about them, since you only recently got included on the Committee. So…I'll tell you everything."

----------

**_neomage:_** Okay. Now…I need to say something regarding a certain flamer who's obviously got…problems. Now, he has threatened me with all sorts of stupid threats, and has not even stated WHY he's threatening me. Plus, he's confessed to being a gay ignoramus who needs psychotherapy. Now, I'll state for the record: this guy isn't worth giving a breath-mint to (and believe me, he needs one). I was planning on saying stronger stuff regarding him, but…being as intelligent as I am (and that's a lot more than I can say for him), I will simply leave it unsaid, delete his reviews, and allow the more sophisticated people here at the site to continue reviewing and giving feedback as they have been doing.

Now, with that said, let's continue with the fanfic!

UPDATED 18/05/2006: Made a slight adjustment after seeing a tiny error I made.


	185. Chapter 185

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER:No, people, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**CHAPTER 185**

PEGASUS'S CASTLE

"So, tell me…who exactly are these Zodiacs?" pressed Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki.

Pegasus sighed deeply. "Well…from what we know, Alexis…the Zodiacs are a criminal organization who have been working behind the scenes for several years now. They've been extremely secretive, so we have no definite clue as to who their leader is or even who their members are. But…" He turned his attention to the screen again. "Who would've imagined that they could infiltrate the tournament so easily…"

"What do we do, then?" asked Mr. Von Schroeder. "We can't just pull the plug on Dueltropolis – not at this stage. The fans would be so put off by that."

"That is true," said Pegasus. "For now…all we can do is wait and hope, I guess."

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki looked at the screen. _Oh, dear…how will this duel against this Zodiac before her…?_

----------

BACK IN DUELTROPOLIS

Miki slowly stepped forward, her face still holding that grim look. "Don't tell me you were gonna just run away like that," she hissed. "Don't tell me that the big bad Vermillion is gonna turn chicken like that…?"

Regina's shock slowly dissolved…replaced by a bitter expression. "You…little…bitch…" she growled. "Why should I run away from a cheap little _thing_ like you? You wanna continue to fight – I'll gladly stay! And this time…I'll kill you indefinitely!"

Miki held up her Duel-Disk. "Come on."

The duel's score now had Miki with 1900 and Regina with a still-intact 8000. By record, Miki had four cards in hand, while Regina had one. On the field Regina still had Amazoness Swords Woman, Amazoness Paladin with 2000 ATK, and Amazoness Fighter with her ATK changed to 2200 by the earlier effect of the Amazoness Spellcaster magic card; in addition, she still had one facedown card in her magic/trap slot. Miki, on the other hand, had absolutely nothing on the field once again.

Regina scowled. "Okay, so it's still my turn…but I don't have anything else left to do. So go ahead and make your move…not like it'll do anything much." And as she said this, Amazoness Fighter's ATK went back to her original 1500.

Slowly, with sheer venom in her eyes, Miki drew her card. "Okay…I activate the magic card Pot of Greed, which will allow me to draw two more cards from my deck." And she did this quickly, so she now held six cards in hand. "Then I'll set one monster in Defense Mode, one card facedown…and end my turn."

"Ha! Like that'll do anything!" snorted Regina as she drew another card. "I summoned the Unfriendly Amazon (ATK 2000, DEF 1000)!" And she brought forth a black-clad warrior woman with a broadsword. "Now…it's time for me to wipe you out of this game for good! Amazoness Paladin, attack her facedown monster now!"

Amazoness Paladin charged forward, slashing at the facedown monster card – but suddenly a violent backlash flung her back! "WHAT!" Regina exploded as her life points shot down to 7400.

Kneeling there before them was a warrior with wild, unkempt hair, wielding a massive shield. "Say hello to Big-Shield Gardna (ATK 100, DEF 2600)," explained Miki. "His DEF was high enough to repel your monster's attack…however…"

Big-Shield Gardna stood up, holding his shield by his side. "When attacked while in Defense Mode, he automatically shifts to Attack Mode," said Miki quietly.

"And his ATK is really, really weak – weak enough for me to wipe you out!" Regina laughed triumphantly. "All right, Unfriendly Amazon – finish the job!"

The Unfriendly Amazon raised her sword – but Miki would not have it. "I activate my trap card, Zero Gravity! This will forcibly change the battle positions of all face-up monsters on the field!"

To Regina's consternation, all four of her monsters were sent to their knees by some invisible force; Big-Shield Gardna knelt back down. "Your plan has failed," said Miki.

"You little bitch!" Regina yelled.

"What's the matter? Not used to seeing your plans go up in smoke?" Miki asked icily. "Get used to it."

With that, she quickly drew another card. "I'll set another monster in Defense Mode, for now. That will end my turn."

"Pffffft…is that all you can do, defend?" asked Regina. "Well, whatever. I'll still crush you into pulp."

She drew another card – and then, Amazoness Paladin disappeared from the field. "I have to offer one monster on my side of the field as a tribute in order to maintain the Unfriendly Amazon," she explained. "But it's no major loss to me. I still have enough firepower here to wipe you out little by little."

"Whatever," grumbled Miki.

Regina's eyebrow twitched. "Cheeky…I'll definitely cut your tongue out when I'm done with you!" she vowed, seething. "Now, my monsters, return to Attack Mode!"

The Unfriendly Amazon, Amazoness Fighter and Amazoness Swords Woman stood up, ready to do battle again. "Okay, Unfriendly Amazon, do it! Attack that facedown monster!"

The Unfriendly Amazon charged forward, flailing her sword wildly…but when she struck, the facedown card was flipped and a holographic image of several soldiers wielding rocks and a catapult blocked against her, pushing her back! "Damn this!" Regina cursed.

"This is my Throwstone Unit (ATK 900, DEF 2000)," said Miki. "They've got a high enough DEF to stand up to all your monsters."

"Lucky," and Regina spat to the side. "Let's see how much longer your lucky streak keeps up, why don't we?"

"Luck? I'll show you luck!" Miki said hotly as she drew another card. "All right…time to get down to business!"

Regina regarded her with suspicion. "And…just what are you gonna do?"

"This! I activate the magic card, Reload!" Miki played the magic card from her hand. "This allows me to add all the cards in my hand to my deck and then shuffle my deck, after which I get to draw the same number of cards I had in my hand previously! And so…" She swiftly added the four cards in her hand to her deck, and vigorously shuffled the deck.

A moment later she drew four new cards. "Hmmm…all right. I'll set one card facedown…and that'll end my turn for now."

Again Regina drew a card – and again, because of the Unfriendly Amazon, she had to tribute one of her own monsters, this time selecting Amazoness Fighter. "I'll end my turn…since I can do nothing else."

Now the stats had changed somewhat: Regina had 7400 life points, and Miki was still riding along with 1900. Miki now held three cards in hand; Regina also had three. On the field Miki had Big-Shield Gardna and the Throwstone Unit in Defense Mode, plus one card facedown; Regina had the Unfriendly Amazon and Amazoness Swords Woman in Attack Mode, plus she still had a facedown card in the magic/trap slot.

Miki carefully drew another card. "Hmmm…all right! I'll offer both Big-Shield Gardna and the Throwstone Unit in order to summon a new monster…Gaia the Fierce Knight (ATK 2300, DEF 2100)!"

Both of her monsters promptly vanished from the field…and in their place was a blue-armored knight on a purple steed, armed with two red spears, one in each hand. "Now…it's time for me to destroy your monsters! Go, Gaia the Fierce Knight – attack the Amazoness Swords Woman with Scarlet Spear Strike!"

The horse reared itself on its hind legs, then galloped forward at tremendous speed even as Gaia pointed both spears forward. The spears tore through Amazoness Swords Woman, dismembering her thoroughly – but in the process, the Amazoness's sword went flying, straight toward Miki!

"Oh, hell no!" Miki dodged to the side to avoid being impaled by the flying sword – but that still didn't prevent her from getting sliced across the cheek by the blade as it went past her! She flinched as the injury stung and as blood flew out from it, splattering her face!

"Oops…looks like I forgot to mention," said Regina, a smirk on her face again. "If battle damage is inflicted to my Amazoness Swords Woman, then my opponent gets that damage instead of me." And then, as if to underscore the point, Miki's life points went down to 1100. "Now…only a little more…and then I can watch you drown in your own blood! Ha, ha, ha!"

"I won't go down so easily, lady," Miki returned frostily. "I'll set another card facedown, and end my turn."

Regina drew her next card…then looked more closely at it and grinned with malicious intent. "Oh, have I got something that'll take care of YOU! But first…"

Immediately, to Miki's amazement, the Unfriendly Amazon disappeared from the field. "If I can't pay the monster tribute, the Unfriendly Amazon is destroyed," said Regina. "But that won't matter in another couple of moments…because I have something here that's gonna truly shake you up!"

"All talk and no action," scoffed Miki. "Just get on with it."

"Don't mind if I do! And now…I'll summon my Amazoness Chain Master (ATK 1500, DEF 1300) in Attack Mode!" Regina brought forth a muscular woman wielding a bladed weapon suspended from a chain.

"Another Amazoness…" Miki frowned.

"But that's not all! Next, I'll equip her with the magic card Malevolent Nuzzler, increasing her ATK by 700 points!" And as if to prove this, a green ghostly spirit surrounded Amazoness Chain Master, increasing her ATK to 2200! "And then I'll end my turn."

Miki frowned. _I don't get it…even with that power-up, her monster's still weaker than Gaia the Fierce Knight…why would she willingly put herself at risk…unless…_ Her eyes went wide in realization. _Unless she WANTS me to attack! Maybe that monster has a special ability of sorts, but…I don't know…I've got a good chance right here before me to bring her down, and I don't want to waste it for nothing! And yet…my life points are dangerously low right now Well – let's see what she's got waiting for me!_

With that decided, she drew her card so now she held three. "All right! Gaia the Fierce Knight, attack and destroy Amazoness Chain Master!"

But as Gaia again rode forward with his spears pointing to the front – "Foolish girl!" shouted Regina. "Now you've activated my trap card – Amazoness Archers!"

Suddenly, the facedown card Regina had been holding onto for so long finally flipped face-up, revealing an army of Amazon warriors armed with bows. "It could only be activated when you attacked one of my Amazonesses," said Regina. "Now your monster's ATK will be reduced by 500, and the attack will be mandatory!"

And, true to form, the archers released a massive hail of arrows toward Miki's side of the field, and as he got hit by numerous arrows Gaia's ATK shot down sharply to 1800! His spears missed Amazoness Chain Master by a hair's breadth; she, in turn, sent her blade slicing upward, cleanly decapitating the horseman and bringing Miki's life points down to 800!

But then Miki smiled. "I was hoping you'd do something that stupid! I activate my own trap card – Rope of Life!"

"Huh?" Regina looked suddenly alarmed.

At that moment one of Miki's facedown cards flipped face-up – and then Gaia the Fierce Knight came back up from the ground, holding on to a long rope! "I could only activate this card by discarding my entire hand to the Graveyard when one of my monsters was destroyed in battle," and Miki held up her hands to show that she no longer held any cards in them. "Now, my monster's been Special Summoned – and his ATK has been increased by 800 points!"

"…no…freakin'…way…!" Regina said weakly. But the stats showed for themselves: now Gaia had an ATK of 3100!

"Attack again, Gaia the Fierce Knight!" cried Miki. "Sonic Spear Slash!"

Once more, Gaia rode forward, and this time he skewered Amazoness Chain Master clear through with his spears, bringing Regina's life points down to 6500! "AAAAARRRRRGH! I'll KILL you for that!" Regina screamed.

"You don't scare me." Miki set a severe gaze on her. "You've been out of a straightjacket too long, and now I'm gonna put you back into one."

Regina shook her head. "Well, here's what I have to say to you – by paying 500 life points when it's sent to my Graveyard, I can have Malevolent Nuzzler returned to the top of my deck!" And as her life points went down to 6000 flat, she searched her Graveyard, found the card in question, and placed it back on top of her deck.

"All right…I'll end my turn, then. Do your worst." Miki said this with contempt in her tone.

Regina drew another card – the Malevolent Nuzzler – from her deck, so she held three cards once again. "Now, it's time for me to bring an end to this foolishness!" she announced. "I summon Queen's Double (ATK 350, DEF 300) to the field!"

A moment later a brown-haired woman wearing blue robes and a crown and armed with knives emerged. "And…that's going to help you, how exactly?" wondered Miki.

"Just watch and learn! For now I'll equip Queen's Double with the Malevolent Nuzzler card I just drew!" And as Regina played the card, once again the green spirit rose up, increasing Queen's Double to 1050 ATK.

"That's not going to work against Gaia the Fierce Knight," Miki pointed out.

"It doesn't have to, amateur!" Regina laughed loudly. "For you see, there's a special reason I chose Queen's Double to fight…she can attack the opponent's life points directly! Now go, Queen's Double – use your Assassin Knives and bring an end to this duel! Let her blood flow so I can see it all! HA HA HA HA HA!"

Queen's Double flung her knives forward…and they sailed past Gaia the Fierce Knight, heading straight for Miki! But… "Not on your life! I activate my trap card, Sakuretsu Armor, to destroy your attacking monster!"

Regina's face turned white. "WHAT!"

Suddenly a large suit of spiky armor formed around Miki, deflecting all of the knives! One of those sharp weapons flew straight back to Queen's Double, skewering her straight through the head and killing her on the spot! "NO! THIS ISN'T POSSIBLE!" Regina screamed out.

"Well…do you end your turn or not?" Miki's voice was like Antarctica.

"Gulp…uh…yeah…" _I…was just bested…by a KID?_

The score now stood at Miki with 800 life points and Regina with 6000. Miki no longer had any cards left in her hand; Regina had one left. On the field Regina had absolutely nothing; Miki had Gaia the Fierce Knight with his ATK increased by Rope of Life's earlier effect to 3100.

Now Miki drew another card. "Now…I'll use my own Monster Reborn magic card to revive one of the monsters I discarded when I activated my Rope of Life trap card…Silent Swordsman Lv. 5 (ATK 2300, DEF 1000)!" And then she summoned to the field her teenage sailor swordsman in his blue duster trench-coat. "And now…Silent Swordsman Lv. 5 and Gaia the Fierce Knight, both of you, attack directly!"

Gaia the Fierce Knight galloped forward and stabbed Regina through both shoulders with his spears, bringing her life points down to 2900. Then Silent Swordsman Lv. 5 jumped forward and slashed at Regina, tearing her jacket off and reducing her further to 600! "Take that!" Miki cried.

Regina slowly stood up; she was bleeding where she'd been attacked so savagely. "Damn you…you little bitch…" she snarled. "No rookie gets the better of me, you hear me?"

Miki stood her ground. "It's an attitude like that…that makes me hate people like you," she declared, and she glared at the older girl. "I'm gonna take you down, and you're gonna stay down."

"Big talk…but let's see you back it up, huh?" Regina challenged as she drew another card. Then she peered more closely at what she'd just drawn. "Oh, wonderful! I'll set one monster facedown…" This she did. "…and activate the magic card Swords of Revealing Light, to paralyze your monsters for your next three turns!"

Three swords of light shot down from the sky and surrounded Miki's side of the field. "Now your monsters can't attack anymore till your next three turns are gone!" taunted Regina.

Miki looked at the swords of light. Then she fixed her glare squarely on Regina. "Is that all?"

"Huh? What the hell do you mean by that?" demanded Regina.

"I mean, it won't work on me," Miki declared. "I'll show you why."

Immediately Miki drew her card…and suddenly Silent Swordsman Lv. 5 began to shine! "If I successfully attacked directly with my Silent Swordsman Lv. 5," said Miki, "then during the Standby Phase of my next turn, I can offer him as a tribute to Special Summon his true form to the field…Silent Swordsman Lv. 7 (ATK 2800, DEF 1000)!"

A moment later the light subsided…and Silent Swordsman now had an even bigger coat and hat, and his sword was much bigger and longer. "And there's more, too…as long as Silent Swordsman Lv. 7 is on the field, his power negates the effects of all Magic cards on the field – including the power of the Swords of Revealing Light!"

Regina's eyes widened in horror. "Dear God…"

"Finish it, my monsters!" Miki cried. And both of her warriors complied—first Gaia the Fierce Knight, galloping forward and shredding apart the facedown monster, which turned out to be the Invader of the Throne (ATK 1350, DEF 1700); then Silent Swordsman, swinging his sword around his head, brought the blade down in a vertical arc, creating a shockwave that tore through the ground and hit Regina with violent force, sending her flying and crashing straight through a tree in the process even as her life points shot down to 0!

Regina lay where she'd landed; blood oozed out of her mouth. "Aaaagh…shit…think I broke a rib or two…" she groaned.

Footsteps approaching her caused her to look up – and she flinched. Miki was standing over her. "News flash, bee-atch: You just got your ass kicked."

Regina could only groan and loll her head to the side in response.

A gentle hand rested on Miki's shoulder. Turning, she came face-to-face with Ms. Wong; behind the Asian woman were several of the suited guards. "You can rest now, dear child," Ms. Wong said quietly. "You've won this duel in the first round of the Dueltropolis tournament. Now, come back inside and take a rest. The guards will take care of things here."

Miki nodded, slowly switching off her Duel-Disk as the adrenaline faded from her and tiredness set in. "Yeah…I could use a good night's sleep, thanks."

Ms. Wong nodded in agreement. Then she looked at the suits. "Get that girl to the dungeon at Pegasus's castle," she ordered them, referring to Regina. "Make sure she doesn't get away from you; the other Committee members at the castle will need to question her. Although I doubt she'd get far with broken ribs, anyway."

"Understood, ma'am!" the suits replied. Then several of them gathered round Regina and gingerly lifted her up, even as Ms. Wong gently guided Miki back toward the house where they'd been inside before.

----------

**_neomage:_** So…?

(the others stare at the chapter, perfectly aghast)

krizrampage: Oh my God…THAT WAS UTTERLY COOL!

rampagerkriz and kriztrigun: MIKI! MIKI! MIKI! MIKI!

kRiZ: I knew all along she was gonna win! IN YER FACE, SAGITTARIUS THE VERMILLION! MWA HA HA!

yamikriz: But, uh…who's gonna duel next?

neomage: Well, we'll just have to wait till next chapter to see that, won't we? Now, everybody, send in those reviews and get ready for the next chapter! (evil grin)


	186. Chapter 186

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER:Again, no, it isn't my property.)

**CHAPTER 186**

DUELTROPOLIS, SOME HOURS LATER

It was now approaching dawn. The island was covered in early-morning mist; dew was present on every leaf and blade of grass in the area. And right on the outskirts of a forest, Shigeo Tatsunoko was just emerging, yawning widely.

"Oh man…now that was a good sleep," he mumbled, stretching. "Well, time to do some workouts."

Dropping to the ground, he proceeded to do some pushups. "Gotta do fifty of these…then go on to abs crunching…" he muttered.

Not far away was a Burger King outlet. Shigeo chuckled as he noted this, even as he started on his tenth pushup. "Breakfast right at hand…this tournament really does rock!" he grinned.

Then he saw the outlet's front doors sliding open, and who should emerge but Honey Pegasus. "Hmm?" Shigeo raised an eyebrow.

Meanwhile, Honey herself was rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. "Wow…so comfy inside there…" Then as her early-morning vision improved, she spotted the ninja duelist doing his pushups. "Oh, hello, Shigeo! What brings you to this part of the island so early in the morning?"

"Well, I decided to do some camping under the stars last night," Shigeo told her, by now doing his twenty-first pushup. "Grandpa taught me the proper technique for sleeping in trees."

Honey cocked an eyebrow. "Sleeping in trees?"

"Hey, I do have a rep as a _ninja_ duelist to protect," Shigeo reminded her. "But not to worry – I do sleep in beds like regular people."

"Sure," Honey nodded, unconvinced.

"By the way, how did YOU get here?" Shigeo questioned.

Now Honey chuckled. "Well, my ninja friend, the island really isn't all that big when you stop to think about it. So, last night I did quite a bit of walking, and there were a few good places to stop and rest in between. And then, I came across this Burger King place, and of course it's a 24-hour restaurant – they all have to be, to cater to us duelists."

"And you slept here," said Shigeo, by now on his forty-fifth pushup.

"Yes, I did," Honey grinned. "They've got rooms built around the back for folks like us. So, I just took a stop here and, well, here I am."

Shigeo finished his pushups and jumped up. "Well, I do feel quite a bit peckish…what say we grab some breakfast?"

Honey nodded—then she frowned. "By the way, Shigeo, before we do anything else…what's your duelist number?"

Puzzled, Shigeo reached into his pocket and pulled out the two number plates he carried. He looked at the one assigned to him. "I'm number 12…why?"

Honey silently reached into her pocket and pulled out her number plates. "And your first duel is to be against Duelist number 10?"

"Yes, that's right…" Shigeo paused. "You?"

Honey nodded.

Shigeo gave her a long look…then chuckled. "Well, what say we have a bite to eat before dueling? I can't do much on an empty stomach."

Honey smiled. "I'm in total agreement."

They turned and headed into the Burger King outlet, and immediately went straight to the counter. The young man on duty there smiled. "Hello again, Miss Honey…and welcome to you, sir," he addressed them.

Honey nodded. "What'll you have, Shigeo?"

Shigeo looked at the menu above their heads. "Hmmm…I think I'll have two fish-burgers and large fries… and a chocolate milk shake."

"Wow, that's a lot!" Honey exclaimed. "Hmmm, well…let me have two cheeseburgers, a serving of French toaster sticks and some orange juice."

"Coming right up!" the server beamed. Then he called to the back: "Hey, Tony, fire up that grill! We got people waiting to eat here!"

----------

ELSEWHERE IN DUELTROPOLIS AT THAT MOMENT

Zander was calmly walking through an open field, taking note of everything around him. Then suddenly his cell-phone went off, and he pulled it out. "Go ahead."

"Capricorn…"

Zander was immediately attentive. "Master Orion! What is it, sir?"

"Sagittarius has been defeated. At this moment she is being held at Pegasus's castle."

There was a moment of silence. "Sir…are you thinking they suspect anything?" Zander queried.

"We can't leave anything to chance. They could be interrogating her right now as I speak. If they get too much information on our activities…we are finished."

"What should I do, sir?"

The voice on the phone was grim. "Find her…and silence her, if necessary."

----------

BACK IN DOMINO CITY, AT KAIBACORP

Kaiba was seated at his computer, as usual, examining company reports. "Hmmm…things are looking promising…just as it should be," he noted with a smirk of satisfaction.

Just then his phone rang. "Yes, what is it?" he answered it.

"Sorry to disturb you, Mr. Kaiba, but there's an urgent message for you from Maximillion Pegasus," his secretary told him.

"Pegasus? Oh, brother…and here I thought my role was done once the Dueltropolis tournament got underway," Kaiba groaned. "Fine, put him through on the video-phone."

He hung up and waited. Then a moment later the video-phone rang, and he picked up the receiver. "Pegasus…this had better be good."

Pegasus's face popped up on the monitor – and the expression he wore was uncharacteristically serious. "One word, Kaiba…Zodiacs."

Kaiba blinked. "…what did you say…?"

"You heard me. They're here…at the Dueltropolis tournament. Miki Taylor dueled against one of them last night."

Kaiba clenched his fist. "This is not good…"

"Indeed." Pegasus nodded grimly. "And you can just guess _who_ they may be after now."

"Seta…" Kaiba scowled. "I was hoping I could forget that he used to be one of them."

"Evidently they don't plan on letting anybody forget," said Pegasus. "Incidentally…this is why you sacked that Jude Lassiter character, isn't it? He was going to let it slip to the whole wide world that Seta Kaiba, heir to Kaibacorp, was once a member of a notorious gang…"

"Look, Seta made a mistake, and he's done his best to atone for it. He doesn't want to speak to anybody about it these days, not even me…and personally, that's how it should stay." Kaiba sighed; for the first time, his face looked melancholy. "And…I'd hate to think what it would do to him if his friends found out the truth."

"That's why I've called you," said Pegasus. "We're dealing with the situation here right now, but we'll need your help. How soon can you fly over to Duelist Kingdom?"

Kaiba's face hardened with determination. "I can be there by noon."

----------

BACK AT DUELTROPOLIS

"Whew…man, I feel stuffed!" Shigeo laughed as he and Honey walked out of the Burger King outlet.

"And full of energy, too," Honey added. "Now…I'm ready for a duel!"

"Yeah…" Shigeo looked at Honey. "Now, where would you like to do this?"

"Right out here is good," said Honey. "There's enough space, after all."

"If you say so," said Shigeo. "Well, then, shall we get down to it?"

They walked to the middle of the clearing in front of the outlet; then they walked several meters away from each other before turning to face each other. "I have to admit, I'm a little nervous going up against you like this – you've got some rather unusual monsters with great power, after all," said Shigeo.

"Yeah, I'm kinda nervous going up against you, too," confessed Honey. "But let's make the most of this duel, what do you say?"

"Let's!" agreed Shigeo, and he activated his Duel-Disk.

The holographic coin showed up as Honey activated her Duel-Disk as well. "I'll call it! Heads!" Honey announced, and the coin was flipped.

Shigeo crossed his arms and smiled with satisfaction. _All right, Honey Pegasus…let me see first-hand the power of the Toon deck!_

Then the coin landed – but unfortunately it was tails. "Too bad," said Shigeo. "I get to go first."

Both of them drew their first five cards; then Shigeo drew a sixth. "Now, then! I'll begin by setting one monster in Defense Mode, and two cards facedown. That'll end it for now."

Honey drew her card and contemplated. "Uh…all right. I'll set one monster in Defense Mode, and end my turn for the time being."

"Heh…nice little strategy you've got going," remarked Shigeo. "But how long do you think it will last against me?"

He drew another card. "Okay…I'll set another monster facedown…and that ends it for now."

Honey drew another card…and smirked for the first time. "Okay, now…I'll offer my facedown monster as a tribute to summon the mighty Parrot Dragon (ATK 2000, DEF 1300)!" And as her facedown monster disappeared, in its place came a dragon with the head of a comical parrot. "Use your Dragon Shriek against the facedown monster on the left!"

Parrot Dragon flapped its wings, soaring into the air, then let out a deafening shriek. The shockwaves hit the targeted monster, flipping it face-up and revealing it to be a blue-robed ninja with a spear in one hand—and utterly destroyed him, too. The spear itself went flying straight up into the sky, flipping repeatedly.

Shigeo frowned. "That monster you just destroyed was my Armed Ninja (ATK 300, DEF 300)…when flipped face-up, his power selects one Magic card and destroys it. If the card is facedown, it's flipped face-up, and if it's a Trap card, it's returned to its original position…"

"Then let's see what the facedown card on my left is!" gushed Honey.

Just then the Armed Ninja's spear came back down to the ground point first, and its impact flipped the designated card face-up. Unfortunately, it was a Trap card, Ninjitsu Art of Decoy…and it was quickly replaced in its original facedown position. "Well, at least my own monster's special power hasn't backfired on me," sighed Shigeo.

"Hmph," said Honey. "Well, I'll end my turn for now. Make your move."

The score now stood with both Honey and Shigeo at an intact 8000 life points each. Honey had five cards in hand, while Shigeo had three. On the field Honey had her Parrot Dragon in Attack Mode; Shigeo had one facedown monster and two facedown cards, one of which was the Ninjitsu Art of Decoy trap card.

Now Shigeo took his turn again, drawing another card. "Now…I summon Strike Ninja (ATK 1700, DEF 1200) in Attack Mode!" He then brought forth his black-clad ninja warrior. "And then…"

"And then?" prompted Honey.

Shigeo held up another card. "I'll equip Strike Ninja with the Fuhma Shuriken magic card, increasing his ATK by 700 points!" And as he played that card, Strike Ninja found himself wielding several shuriken as his ATK shot up to 2400!

Honey raised her eyebrows. "Oh, dear."

"Go, Strike Ninja! Destroy Parrot Dragon with your Assassin Step!" Shigeo ordered. In response Strike Ninja took one running step forward – then disappeared in a cloud of smoke! Looking around in bewilderment, Parrot Dragon suddenly found itself sliced in half as Strike Ninja rematerialized out of nowhere, re-sheathing his kunai!

"That had to hurt," Shigeo chuckled, as Honey's life points went down to 7600 from the attack.

"Laugh it up, ninja boy – because now I'm taking my turn!" Honey drew another card, so she now held six. "Now…I activate the magic card, Cost Down! By discarding one card from my hand, I can reduce the levels of all monsters in my hand by two till the end of this turn!" And she promptly discarded her chosen card, so at the end she held four.

"And now…" Honey held up one of her cards. "It's time for me to activate the magic card, Spell Economics!" She played the card, and immediately an accounting book opened before her. "Now as long as this card remains on the field, I don't have to pay any life points to activate a Magic card – like this one, my Toon World card!"

Suddenly, as she played her next card, another book opened up on the field, and this one released a massive cartoon castle. Shigeo looked at it and smirked. "I see…so now the fun truly begins…"

"Now, I summon Dark Rabbit (ATK 1100, DEF 1500) in Attack Mode!" Honey then brought forth her deranged cartoon rabbit. "And now…I'll offer him as a tribute to Special Summon my powerful Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon (ATK 3000, DEF 2500)!"

Dark Rabbit vanished from the field…and in his place stood the cute-and-cuddly version of the famous white dragon, flexing his muscles and looking tough. "You were able to summon him with only one tribute thanks to your Cost Down magic card," observed Shigeo.

"Yes," said Honey. "But be thankful…since Toon monsters can't attack in the same turn they're summoned. So now, I'll end my turn."

Shigeo drew his next card; then he looked at the three in his hand and frowned. _From what I know of those Toon monsters…they can attack directly…so…that simply means I have to get rid of that Toon World card if I'm to have a chance of winning!_

"Okay…! I summon Lady Ninja Yae (ATK 1100, DEF 200) to the field!" Shigeo then brought forward his female ninja warrior, armed with her kodachi. "And now, time to activate her effect!"

Honey frowned.

"By discarding one Wind monster from my hand," and here Shigeo sent one card from his hand to the Graveyard, "Lady Ninja Yae's power returns all Magic and Trap cards on your side of the field to your hand! Do it now, Lady Ninja Yae!"

Sheathing her weapon momentarily, Lady Ninja Yae performed some hand seals. Suddenly, a massive wind blew all about the field, rocketing Honey's Spell Economics and Toon World cards back into her hand. "There! That ought to do it…" Shigeo started.

Then he looked at the field again—Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon was still there! "HUH?"

"If Toon World was _destroyed,_ then so would my dragon," explained Honey, smiling massively. "But Toon World was only _removed from the field,_ so my dragon's still safe."

Shigeo gritted his teeth. _This is bad!_ "Uh, okay…I'll end my turn now."

Honey merely smiled and drew a card, so now she held three in her hand alongside her Spell Economics and Toon World cards. "I'll set one card facedown," she announced. "And now…I'll pay 500 life points and have Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon attack—directly!"

Shigeo reared up in alarm. "Oh, hell no!" But true to form, the cartoon dragon charged up lightning in its mouth as it prepared to strike…

----------

**_neomage:_** Now, I'm going to be fair and honest with everyone. I want to bring this whole fanfic to a close before the end of this year 2006, but…before I do that, let me ask right now. _"How many of you would want this story to have another arc after the World Championships, or a sequel?"_

I originally planned to end this story after the World Championship saga, but I've been getting fan feedback begging for the story not to end – that's why I ask this now. So, the first 20 reviews I get in response to my question will be tallied and the overall response will be taken into consideration (but I cannot promise anything final). Be warned, however, that anybody who tries to be antagonistic in their response (coughcoughcoughflamerscoughcough) will not have their answers taken into account.

So, everybody, keep reading! Shigeo and Honey's duel continues next chapter!


	187. Chapter 187

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER:Kazuki Takahashi has the deed to this property that is Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**CHAPTER 187**

DUELTROPOLIS

"Go, Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon! White Lightning!" Honey cried.

The dragon blasted a massive burst of white light from its mouth. It shot past the bewildered Strike Ninja and Lady Ninja Yae, hitting Shigeo straight in the chest and sending him flying backwards! "AAAAGH!" Shigeo groaned out as his life points rapidly went down to 5000.

"Heh…just two more attacks like that, and this duel will be mine!" said Honey triumphantly, as her own life points went down to 6900 to pay the cost for Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon's attack.

Shigeo slowly stood up; his chest smoked where the blast had hit him. "Whoa…now THAT is something powerful!" he exclaimed. "But…it won't be enough to defeat me just like that."

"We'll see," said Honey. "Now, let's continue with this duel!"

The score now stood at Honey with 6900 life points and Shigeo with 5000. Shigeo had one card in his hand, while Honey had two, her Spell Economics and Toon World magic cards. On the field Honey had Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon in Attack Mode and one card facedown; Shigeo had Strike Ninja equipped with the Fuhma Shuriken in Attack Mode, Lady Ninja Yae also in Attack Mode, and two other cards facedown.

Now Shigeo drew another card. "Heh…well…time for you to say farewell to your precious Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon!" he smirked. "For now I will offer Lady Ninja Yae as a tribute to summon my mighty Zaborg the Thunder Monarch (ATK 2400, DEF 1000)!"

A bolt of lightning struck the spot where Lady Ninja Yae stood—and in her place stood the electrically-charged monarch. "And when Zaborg is Tribute Summoned successfully…he destroys one monster on the field!" Shigeo smirked triumphantly. "So, bye-bye, Blue-Eyes!"

Zaborg formed a lightning ball in the middle of his hand and blasted it at the Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon, frying it to a crisp. "No! My Blue-Eyes!" Honey wailed.

"And now, your life points are wide open for an attack!" Shigeo grinned. "Go, Strike Ninja – attack directly!"

Strike Ninja jumped into the air and flung numerous Fuhma Shuriken in Honey's direction – but Honey suddenly called out, "I'll counter your attack with my Mirror Force trap card, to destroy your monsters!"

Suddenly a large force field appeared around Honey, deflecting all of the shuriken right back at Strike Ninja and Zaborg! Both monsters got skewered right through – but as the Fuhma Shuriken card got destroyed alongside Strike Ninja, suddenly several throwing stars shot out, hitting Honey all over. "Ow! Hey!" she shrieked, as her life points dropped to 6200.

"Heh…when Fuhma Shuriken is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, it inflicts 700 points of damage to my opponent," said Shigeo. "Trust me, I'm not out of this one yet."

"Well, that's good to hear, at least," said Honey. "But neither am I!"

She swiftly drew another card. "All right…I'll reactivate Spell Economics and Toon World!" And this she did—first Spell Economics, then Toon World so she wouldn't lose life points. Then she held up the last card in her hand. "And now…it's time for me to build up my own defense!"

"How, exactly?" wondered Shigeo.

"With this card! I activate the magic card, Toon Table of Contents!" Honey swiftly activated the card. "This will allow me to search my deck for any one card that includes 'Toon' in its name and add it to my hand!" Then she quickly pulled out her deck and thumbed through it. "And the card I choose is…Toon Goblin Attack Force (ATK 2300, DEF 0)—which I will now summon in Attack Mode!"

A moment later several cute-and-cuddly goblin warriors wielding clubs appeared on Honey's side of the field. "Unfortunately, that's about all I can do for now," she lamented. "But oh well. I end my turn."

Shrugging, Shigeo drew another card. "All right…I'll set one monster facedown, and then end my turn. Make your move."

"Gladly," Honey answered as she drew her next card. "Now—I'll attack directly with Toon Goblin Attack Force…and the best part is, I don't have to pay life points for this monster!"

The goblins rushed past Shigeo's facedown monster, landing several blows onto him and bringing his life points down to 2700. But Honey regarded it with a look of sadness. "Most unfortunately, when this monster attacks, at the end of this battle Toon Goblin Attack Force will be made to automatically shift to Defense Mode…and that position can't be changed till after the end of my next turn." And then, as if to prove her statement, once the goblin soldiers ran back to her side of the field all of them kneeled down in Defense Mode.

Again Shigeo drew…and this time he scrutinized the field carefully. At present he had 2700 life points, while Honey had 6200. Shigeo was now holding two cards in hand, but Honey had none. On the field Shigeo had one monster facedown in Defense Mode and two other cards facedown; Honey had her Toon Goblin Attack Force in forced Defense Mode, plus she had Spell Economics and Toon World active.

Looking at all of this, Shigeo decided on what he needed to do. "Now…I'll Flip Summon my White Ninja (ATK 1500, DEF 800)!" And he flipped over his monster card, revealing his white-clad warrior. "And when he's flipped face-up, his effect destroys one Defense Mode monster on the field – which your Toon Goblin Attack Force happens to be at this time!"

Honey's eyes widened. "Oh, no! But that means…!"

"Exactly! Now, White Ninja—do your thing!" Shigeo commanded. And then White Ninja flung several dozen shuriken at Honey's toon goblins, decapitating and dismembering them multiple times over.

But Shigeo wasn't done yet. "Next, I'll activate my trap card, Ninjitsu Art of Transformation! By offering one Ninja on my side of the field as a tribute, I can Special Summon from my hand or deck one Beast, Winged-Beast or Insect-type monster with a level equal to or less than the tributed monster's level plus three—and this monster's gonna come straight from my deck!"

Swiftly he thumbed through his deck. "And my monster of choice is: Ultimate Insect Lv. 7 (ATK 2600, DEF 1200)! Now, White Ninja – be transformed!"

White Ninja did some hand seals…and then a moment later he underwent a rather gruesome transformation as he morphed into a large flying bug. Honey wrinkled her nose in disgust at the sight. "Ew…that's just so gross," she muttered.

"But now it's about to get even worse! For now I summon Mataza the Zapper (ATK 1300, DEF 800) to the field!" Shigeo then summoned a green-armored Samurai wielding a wicked-looking katana. "And that's not all I'm gonna do…next I'll activate my other facedown trap card, Kunai with Chain!"

The other trap card flipped face-up – and seconds later Mataza found himself wielding a massive boomerang attached to a chain as his ATK shot up to 1800! "When activated, Kunai with Chain allowed me to choose if a monster on your side of the field would be shifted to Defense Mode, and also it would increase the ATK of one of my own monsters by 500," said Shigeo. "And since you, quite obviously, don't have any monsters on your side of the field, that means that I could simply equip the card to Mataza. Now…it's time for my monsters to attack you! Ultimate Insect Lv. 7, Mataza the Zapper – strike now!"

Ultimate Insect Lv. 7 flew down at Honey, knocking her over with its huge body and reducing her life points to 3600. Then, as soon as the big bug was out of the way, Mataza the Zapper dashed forward, delivering a forward slash with his sword that reduced Honey further to 1800!

"Agh…this is bad," Honey groaned, holding her middle where she'd been slashed.

"And now it's about to get worse—for Mataza the Zapper can attack twice during the same turn!" Shigeo informed her. "Sorry, Honey, but I plan on going all the way to the top, and nobody's gonna stop me! Mataza, attack again!"

Mataza, already in the act of jumping backwards after the first attack, swung the Kunai with Chain around his head and flung the boomerang at Honey. It tore at her skirt, though not enough to make her immodest…but nevertheless her life points dropped all the way to 0.

"ACK!" Honey cried out. "Oh, man! Just what I was hoping wouldn't happen…!"

Shigeo rubbed his nose. "Hey…sorry about the skirt," he apologized sheepishly.

"Um…nah, never mind," Honey assured him. "Right now, it's more my pride that hurts…but hey, at least we had some fun here."

The sound of sudden applause behind them caused both of them to turn. Standing there were several of the Burger King employees, all looking very pleased. "You guys rock! Way to go!" they were cheering.

Shigeo looked at them, then back at Honey. "Wanna get another cheeseburger?" he smirked.

"Well…actually, I could go with a strawberry milkshake right now," Honey giggled. "And a new skirt."

----------

PEGASUS'S CASTLE

"And there we have it…another duel finished," Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki sighed as she watched the screen. "And the famous Shigeo Tatsunoko is the winner."

"My condolences over your daughter's loss, sir," said Mr. Von Schroeder.

"It's all right," said Pegasus. "At the very least, she was able to accept defeat with a smile. If that's not a mark of a mature duelist, I don't know what else is."

There was a knock on the door. "Enter!" said Pegasus.

A moment later a suited guard appeared. "Mr. Pegasus, sir," he reported, "Mr. Duke Devlin and Mr. Zane Truesdale have arrived."

"Very good," Pegasus beamed. "Send them in."

The guard nodded and left the room. A moment later the door opened again, this time admitting Mr. Devlin and Mr. Truesdale. Both had scowls on their faces. "We came as soon as you called, Pegasus," said Mr. Truesdale. "Is it really true…have the Zodiacs revealed themselves?"

"They have," said Pegasus grimly. "One of their members was brought here to the castle late last night after being defeated in a duel. At this moment she's been confined to the dungeons several floors below us, but…"

"But?" prompted Mr. Devlin.

Mr. Von Schroeder took over the telling of the story. "I tried interrogating her right up to daybreak, but…she's been as silent as the grave. On a better note, we did do some background research on her, and came up with a few interesting findings…"

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki nodded. "Her real name is Regina Brissett, just as the duelist database showed. Evidently she was once a respected duelist in the lower tournament circuits and under-13 competitions in America…but then, twelve years ago, she went missing, and hasn't been seen till the start of this Dueltropolis tournament."

"Any news on family?" Mr. Truesdale wanted to know.

"From what we were able to uncover, her parents died under some very mysterious circumstances shortly before Regina herself disappeared," Mr. Von Schroeder pointed out. "Her maternal grandparents died several years prior…and evidently her paternal relatives are scattered worldwide. I tried using this information when I spoke to her, but…she's been acting quite coldly about the whole thing. And quite frankly, her demeanor unnerves me badly."

"You said she attacked Vivian…how's Vivian doing?" queried Mr. Truesdale.

"She's a bit banged up from an altercation between her and Regina, but she'll be all right," said Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki. "She'll be joining us here at the castle later this afternoon, as will Kaiba."

"But it's just so weird…all along the Zodiacs have been hiding so well in the shadows, and now they choose to come out…" Mr. Devlin looked thoughtful. "They must be desperate to carry out whatever plans they have."

"Namely, the retrieval of Seta Kaiba into their ranks," said Pegasus. "What puzzles me, however, is the fact that they have had several years to try such a thing…and they choose now to act. They must have some ulterior motives…"

"If we could just get Regina to talk to us—then we could get a few clues," said Mr. Von Schroeder. "But so far, all we have is nothing."

Mr. Truesdale narrowed his eyes. "Let me talk to her," he spoke up. "I'll bet anything that she'll talk to me."

"Oh sure; let the interrogator of doom try his intimidation technique," Mr. Devlin muttered out of the corner of his mouth.

"You say something, Devlin?" Mr. Truesdale demanded.

"What? Hmmm…I didn't hear anything," said Mr. Devlin, cupping an ear in a feigned attempt to hear the "culprit."

"Well, I'll let you have a crack at her, Zane," said Pegasus. "Hopefully she will at least open up to your, er, eccentric charms."

Mr. Truesdale raised an eyebrow at this, but said nothing.

----------

A FEW MINUTES LATER

Underneath the castle was a massive series of corridors that intertwined with each other. There were numerous staircases here and there, and numerous spots in the corridors were lit by torches. The light from said torches cast eerie shadows on the walls, giving the stone structure of the corridors a true dungeon feel.

At least, that was the impression Mr. Truesdale got as the guards guided him down a staircase and along the corridors. "How much further?" he asked, feeling a bit claustrophobic.

"Only a moment more, sir," one of the guards assured him.

Presently they came upon a set of prison bars. Behind those bars, seated upright on a bed, was Regina Brissett. She was staring ahead at the wall, her face expressionless. "This is her?" said Mr. Truesdale.

"It is, sir," the guards replied.

Mr. Truesdale nodded. "Okay. Open it up."

One guard stepped forward with the keys, unlocking the cell door so Mr. Truesdale could step inside. Regina glanced sideways at him, but otherwise her expression didn't change. Mr. Truesdale himself regarded her with a level of curiosity mixed with disdain. "So…you're the one they have locked up…the one who got beat by an amateur."

If Regina was incensed at the comment, she showed no sign.

Mr. Truesdale looked to his right. There were a small table and a stool; on the table was a plate of ravioli and beef cutlets, a plastic bottle of milk, a pitcher of water and an empty glass. "You haven't eaten, have you?" he asked.

Regina harrumphed. "I HATE ravioli and I'm lactose intolerant. You want that stuff, help yourself."

"Fine by me. I haven't eaten anything since I set out for here, anyway." Mr. Truesdale sat down on the stool and promptly began to eat the ravioli and beef, which was still rather warm. "My, my, this is actually pretty good. Too bad you hate this, as you say."

"I know why you're here. You're not getting a thing out of me. I'm not talking." Regina crossed her arms.

"Then why are your lips moving and your vocal cords sounding?" Mr. Truesdale smiled in spite of himself as he opened the bottle of milk and took a mouthful. "That constitutes talking in my point of view."

Regina scowled. "Whatever."

"Well…you know I want to talk about your fellow Zodiac members," said Mr. Truesdale, pouring a glass of water. "I'm willing to bet that the rest of them, or at least some, are here at Dueltropolis. What I want to know is, who among the other participants are included in your organization."

Regina pursed her lips. Undaunted, Mr. Truesdale took another mouthful of the ravioli and beef. "Okay, you don't wanna talk about that. How about…" He drank some more of the milk, then drank some water to accompany it. "How about we talk about why you guys have decided to come to Duelist Kingdom Island and infiltrate the Dueltropolis tournament?"

Still no reply. And still Mr. Truesdale was undaunted. Shrugging off her silence, he took a moment to examine the milk bottle. "I know Seta Kaiba used to be a member of the Zodiacs, and frankly, that's about all _anyone_ knows. Maybe that's why the Zodiacs are here now…to capture him and return him to the organization…but of course, that's only a guess on my part. In reality, I'm about as ignorant of this as the common man—which is how it should be, correct?"

Regina kept a stony silence. Mr. Truesdale continued to examine the milk bottle as if he'd never seen one before. "Milk…such a shame that lactose intolerance exists," he sighed. "Milk makes such interesting and tasty by-products…butter, cream, yoghurt, milk shakes, condensed milk, cheese, and especially ice cream! I remember when my little brother and I were much younger, we used to love ice cream with a passion. And every time we went to Baskin-Robbins, there were always so many interesting flavors and combinations to choose from: chocolate with sprinkles, pistachio double scoops, strawberry with little cherry pieces stuck inside, rum and raisin alongside orange-pineapple, vanilla with chocolate fudge, the fruit basket combination…"

"Are you trying to annoy me?" Regina asked, clearly irritated.

"Nope. I'm just here reminiscing on my past. I don't do it very often, you see…if the other members of the Committee were to find out how much I secretly love ice cream in all its forms, they'd never let me hear the end of it. Especially Pegasus and Devlin." Mr. Truesdale sighed and downed the last of the milk. Then he resumed eating the beef and ravioli.

Suddenly Regina began to chuckle. "You're an amusing guy, you know that? Even with your ultra-serious look, you act like a kid."

"Oh?" Mr. Truesdale's eating pace didn't stop.

Regina smirked. "You know all about your milk facts…but how much do you know about your own children?"

Mr. Truesdale was in the process of lifting the water glass to his mouth when she said that. On hearing the question, the glass paused in mid-lift. "Excuse me?"

"You really should spend as much time with your children as you do with your childhood memories, Mr. Truesdale," and Regina sniggered. "After all, how many parents nowadays truly take time to understand their own children?"

Mr. Truesdale fought to keep his rising antagonism in check. "And what could you know about my family that I don't, pray tell?"

Regina sniggered. "That's for me to know and you to figure out, genius. Coming down here, trying to use psychology on me…guess what? It won't work. I've been to enough shrinks in my lifetime to know how the game goes. Cat and mouse, ring-around-the-roses, and all that crap. You want to try psychotherapy? Try it on your own damn self." And she sniggered louder.

"Ahem…" Mr. Truesdale finished the food and the water and stood up. "Okay. When you're ready to talk about yourself, you can always give us a call. The guards will be here in case you need anything."

"Actually…there is one thing I would like." Regina looked at him knowingly with a grin. "An industrial-sized bucket of ice cream. Preferably pistachio or vanilla. And a good supply of sugar cones."

Mr. Truesdale merely turned his back on her and walked out of the cell, and the guards immediately had it locked up again. But while he waited for them to finish with that so they could guide him back upstairs, Mr. Truesdale's thoughts were extremely troubling. _What on earth is she talking about? Know my own family better…she's got some nerve to think that…_

Then suddenly his eyes shot wide open. _Unless…!_

----------

**_neomage:_** Keep those poll reviews coming in, people? And by the way, I'm wondering. There's a flavor of ice cream that, every time I see and taste it, reminds me of eggnog in some strange way. Specifically, soy eggnog, now that I think about it. Does anyone know what flavor that is? Maybe orange-pineapple, or real eggnog flavor, or something…? And yes, I do like my ice cream on a cone. A sugar cone. Pistachio-flavored ice cream…can't tell when last I had that… (starts drooling) Oooohhhh…ice cream sandwiches…with chocolate fudge cakes… :D

REVIEW SOON, PLEASE!


	188. Chapter 188

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER:All I own are the OC's that have been popping up in this fic now and again.)

**CHAPTER 188**

_Characters' First Appearance in Story_

_LAUREL_

_NAME: Laurel Strong_

_AGE: 19_

_HAIR: Blond (cut almost boy-style)_

_EYES: Green_

_CLOTHES: Long-sleeved white jacket, blue blouse, dark green sweatpants, combat boots_

DUELTROPOLIS, A MOMENT LATER

Miki's eyes slowly opened. "Mmmm…where am I…?"

"Oh, so you're awake at last," Ms. Wong's voice came through to her. "As soon as you're up, come downstairs. I've made some iced tea for both of us." And she left the room.

Miki sat up in her bed. She felt rather sore after the events of the previous night, but other than that she felt quite rested. Gradually, taking care not to hurt herself due to her soreness, she climbed out of bed and slipped into her shoes, heading over to the nearby bathroom where she washed her face. Then she headed down the stairs to the kitchen, where Ms. Wong was waiting at the table with a pitcher of iced tea and two glasses. "I must've been out like a light all night, I guess," Miki remarked, stretching.

Ms. Wong chuckled. "You had quite a rough duel last night, dear. It's only natural you would sleep as long as you did." She poured out some iced tea into one of the glasses and passed it to the girl. "Here you go."

"Thanks." Miki took a long swallow, then set the glass down. "I don't understand it, though…how could somebody be as cold-hearted as she was? I mean, it's basically just a tournament…no reason for her to go as ballistic as she did."

"I wish I could say the same, dear child," said Ms. Wong gravely. "But I've seen this kind of thing happen in too many tournaments in the past. People sometimes enter in order to settle grudges, or to prove their arrogant superiority. In fact, sometimes I long for the days when duelists had far more honor than they seem to do now. True duelists are a rarity…like you."

Miki blushed at this. "Well, thanks, I guess. I got good influence from some good people."

"And who would those be, pray tell?" Ms. Wong leaned forward, genuinely interested.

"Well…my boyfriend…my cousin…and her boyfriend," Miki explained, a bit shyly. "They taught me what it is to be a genuine duelist…they even gave me some of their own cards so I could get my start in tournament play. Without them…I don't think I would even be here at Dueltropolis now."

"I see," said Ms. Wong, smiling. She then reached for the pitcher and poured out some iced tea for herself. "Are any of them here at the tournament now? What are their names?"

Miki took another gulp of iced tea. "My boyfriend's name is Kyo Bakura. My cousin is Jenna Wheeler…and her boyfriend's Yugo Muto."

Ms. Wong smirked. _Muto…I see…the legendary duelist's son, eh? Well, child, I think you truly have had some good influence in becoming a duelist, after all._

She stood up presently. "Once you've finished your drink, would you like to step outside for a walk? There's a hot spring that was recently installed not far from here; it does wonders for the body. I use it all the time when I'm here at Duelist Kingdom Island, but I'd really love to have company with me, especially since there are so many duelists here on the island now. If you'd like to check it out…"

"Really? Wow!" Miki cried. "I've never been to a hot spring before—this should be really sweet! Thank you!"

Ms. Wong nodded and smiled knowingly.

----------

ELSEWHERE IN DUELTROPOLIS, AT THAT VERY MOMENT

Jenna was currently walking through a clearing, happily taking note of the clear blue sky above her. "Such a beautiful day it is today," she sighed. "But I wonder if my opponent is anywhere close by…I hope I don't take too long to find him, whoever he is…"

Momentarily she came upon a tall tree standing all by itself in the middle of the clearing. Up in its branches, she thought she saw something – apples. "Hey! An apple tree! Oh, how convenient!" Jenna cried joyfully. "Now, just to get some…"

She examined the tree itself carefully. Its trunk appeared sturdy, and its limbs were thick and rugged for easy grip-climbing. "Well…time to get busy," she decided, flexing her intertwined fingers.

Looking from one side to the next to see if anybody was around, Jenna proceeded to kick off her sandals. She reveled in the feel of the soft, warm grass under her bare feet for a moment; then she returned her mind to the task at hand. Walking up to the tree, she managed to feel out a good spot on the trunk where she could grip without slipping. "Now…let's climb!" she declared.

Easing her way upward slowly, making sure her feet were properly anchored wherever she placed them, Jenna kept feeling for any good spot where she could hold on without fear of falling. And so she kept climbing, up, up, up…

…and then when her head popped up among the leaves and small branches, she noticed something. "Huh? What's this?" she wondered, looking straight at it. Then, on examining it a little, it dawned on her what it was: a security camera, moving slightly from side to side, all the while recording her actions. Glancing down, Jenna then noticed something she hadn't seen while on the ground—a series of connecting wires running from the back of the camera down to the ground.

"Ooohhhh…so even this tree's been rigged for security reasons…" Jenna grinned sheepishly and waved to the camera lens. "Hello."

----------

PEGASUS'S CASTLE, AT THE EXACT SAME TIME

Pegasus couldn't help but chuckle as Jenna, on-screen, waved to the camera. "That's just so amusing, isn't it?" he remarked. "To see a young girl so hyperactive, so energetic, so…"

"So uncouth!" Mr. Von Schroeder grunted, running a hand over his face. "Ladies don't climb trees! That's just too—too—too _tomboyish!"_

"Oh, have a heart, Zigfried," and Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki smiled.

"Yeah, man," Mr. Devlin put in. "These kids deserve even a little while to be out of character. And speaking of which…what's happened to Zane?"

Just at that moment Mr. Truesdale emerged. "Sorry I took so long," he apologized. "It was a bit of a longer journey from back downstairs than I thought."

"Were you successful with that girl?" Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki wanted to know.

Mr. Truesdale shook his head. "She's a hard nut to crack. I doubt anything short of Judgment Day will make her loosen her tongue."

Deep down inside, though, Mr. Truesdale did not want to share what suspicions Regina had aroused in him. _I don't want to think that what she said down there could have any serious meaning, but…_

----------

BACK IN DUELTROPOLIS

Jenna was busily picking a few of the apples from the more easily accessible branches, and dropping them to the ground so she would have both hands free to climb back down. By and by she picked the last apple, and looked up into the higher limbs with satisfaction. "Better leave a few for anybody else who passes by here," she decided.

Carefully, she climbed partway down the trunk, jumping to the ground once she considered at a safe enough height to do so. "Now that was fun!" she said cheerfully, looking down at the apples she'd picked. "So now, time to indulge!"

Bending down, she retrieved her sandals and put them back on; then she sat down on the grass, against the tree, and picked up one apple and bit into it. "Mmmm…so tasty!" she exulted, biting again and again.

"May I join you?"

Jenna paused in mid-chew and looked up. Standing a little distance away was a girl wearing a long-sleeved jacket with a blue blouse underneath, green sweatpants and combat boots. "Hey…" Jenna voiced her thought. "You…you're one of the participants I saw on the boat!"

"That I am," the girl affirmed. "I've been tailing you for a little while, and I saw you coming up here to this tree. And I see you managed to get a few treasures from it."

"Oh…these…" Jenna looked down at the apples she'd picked. "Well, if you'd really like to share, you're welcome to."

"I'm grateful," the girl answered, and she walked up and sat down beside Jenna, leaning back against the tree. She picked up an apple and bit into it, and the satisfied look on her face spoke volumes.

"I'm Jenna Wheeler, by the way," said Jenna, holding out a hand.

The girl shook Jenna's hand with a smile. "Laurel Strong. Nice to meet you."

Laurel spoke with a faint Russian accent, Jenna noticed. "So, Laurel…are you in the military or something?" she inquired, taking another bite of her apple.

"Oh, so you took note of my pants and my boots," said Laurel.

"And your accent," said Jenna. "Russian, is it?"

"Yes, that is correct." Laurel nodded and bit her apple. "I was born in Russia, and spent most of my life there. Then I relocated to England and joined up with their Special Forces…this time that I have here, in this tournament, is actually part of my military leave."

"Ah—how lucky of you," Jenna remarked cheerfully.

"Yes…" Laurel sighed. "It's so rare for me to play Duel Monsters these days, but I think it'll work out fine. At least I know I'll be getting some good competition here in this World Championship tournament." She looked at Jenna. "What do you think about the tournament? Have you gotten to duel yet?"

"Well, I can't really say for sure what I think about the tournament just yet," Jenna admitted. "I haven't even found my opponent yet. But…I'm not too worried. I just hope that when I find my assigned opponent, that he and I have a good duel."

Laurel eyed her. "I see…"

"Well, shall we finish eating these apples?" Jenna held up another one to Laurel.

"Certainly." Laurel graciously took the new apple and bit into it deeply.

----------

ELSEWHERE IN DUELTROPOLIS, AT THAT VERY MOMENT

Wade Ocean sat close to the beach at one end of the island, looking out across the waves. He then lowered his eyes and let out a sigh. _How I wish I could ask her…_

"Hey, you. Duelist number 32?"

Without turning around, Wade answered, "Nope. Who wants to know?"

"It's me, you dumbass – Marcus."

Standing behind Wade, indeed, was Marcus Ironside, with his hands in his pockets. "Boy, you surely seemed out of it a while ago. What's on your mind?"

Wade chuckled. "Was that how it seemed? Well…I guess I HAVE had a lot on my mind since recently."

"Heh. Do tell." Marcus stood over Wade, waiting patiently.

Wade silently reached into his coat and pulled out a small blue velvet box. "Now, what the hell is _that?"_ Marcus chuckled.

"This…is something I want to give someone…as a gift." Wade said this in a quiet voice; his eyes were fixed squarely on the box in the palm of his hand.

Marcus eyed the box. Then he turned a hard gaze on Wade. "Hey, Ocean…that isn't what I think it is…is it?"

For answer Wade flipped the lid of the box open, and what Marcus saw stunned him: Inside was a ring, with a stone curiously colored red and blue. "Huh?"

"Take a look," said Wade.

Marcus stooped down and looked at the ring's stone. "This," explained Wade, "is a diamond – a very special diamond. It's actually two pieces carefully cut and fashioned together into one. See, here…" He pointed out the blue part, which made up the outer border of the stone and was shaped, somehow, like two dolphins chasing each other. "This is blue diamond, painstakingly cut. And here…" He pointed to the red stone, etched in the very middle and fashioned to resemble a flaming rose. "This part is a red diamond."

Marcus was quiet for a long moment. "Hey…Wade…this ring's for _her,_ isn't it?"

"Yep."

Silence. Then Marcus ventured to ask the question pressing on his mind. "So…just how long have you been thinking about this?"

Wade chuckled. "To tell the truth…I've been thinking about it right before the whole adventure in Egypt with us against JUDAS. Pretty short time to consider the idea, I know, but…she and I have known each other for so many years, and yet I could never have imagined that I'd feel for her the way I do."

"But why _do_ you feel the way you do, man?" pressed Marcus. "You ought to at least know that before you pursue anything, don't you think?"

Wade closed his eyes. "I guess…it's because we, she and I…we've been alone for so long, you know? She understands me, I understand her…she understands what it is to lose somebody you care about with all your heart, the way I did all those years ago…who better understands me than she?"

Marcus sighed. "Well…if that's your decision, then I guess I should be happy for you. Only thing is, though—how do you really think she'll take it when you ask her? I mean, won't it come as a shock to her or anything like that?"

"Maybe it will…" Wade looked up again, beyond the sea's horizon in the distance. "That's why…I'm not gonna expect too much. If she says no, then I can understand…and if she needs time to think about it, I'll wait for as long as she wants."

Marcus shrugged and stood up. "Just do me a favor, for your sake and hers. Make sure this isn't puppy love you're chasing after…make sure that this is truly something worthwhile. You don't want to end up with a broken heart unnecessarily, now do you?"

"No…guess not." Wade laughed. "Thanks for the advice, dude. I won't forget it anytime soon."

"Hey…just thought it was the right thing to do, that's all." Marcus shrugged again and started to walk off. "Me…I'm off to find the duelist I'm supposed to fight. See you around, Ocean."

Wade watched as Marcus walked away. Then he turned his attention back to the sea. _Sis…it's the same kind of advice you would give me, isn't it…?_

----------

ELSEWHERE IN DUELTROPOLIS

"Whew!" Jenna settled the last apple ore by the side of the tree. "Now I'm definitely stuffed! I guess I'll be able to wait till dinnertime, with the number of apples I've eaten!"

"Maybe you will," Laurel chuckled.

Jenna stood up and brushed her skirt off. "Well, I gotta go now, but it was nice meeting you, Laurel. Maybe we'll see each other competing in the tournament." She bowed to her new acquaintance, then turned to leave.

Laurel, in turn stood up. "Yes, perhaps you will, Jenna." Her eyes glittered. "You'll see me duel…against Duelist number 4."

Jenna stopped in mid-step. Laurel noted the action. "What is it?"

Slowly Jenna turned. "What number…did you just say?"

"4." Laurel raised an eyebrow—then realization crossed her face. "Oooohhhh, I see…it's _you,_ isn't it? You're Duelist number 4 – the very duelist I'm supposed to face in the first round of this tournament."

"Yes…" Jenna answered this slowly. "And that means you're Duelist number 22."

Laurel smirked. "My, my, my…this puts us in an interesting position. Since last night I've been keeping an eye on you, my prey…following you everywhere you went…and always having a small fear in my heart that you would turn out to be the wrong person – only, you're the right person after all!"

Slowly she took off her jacket and let it drop to the ground. Only then did Jenna see everything fully: Laurel's blouse was sleeveless. Her right arm was tightly wrapped, from shoulder to wrist, with a long leather strap. Her Duel-Disk, fasted to her belt, looked extremely odd…for it appeared to be covered with alligator leather.

Now Laurel put on her Duel-Disk and activated it—with a suddenly maddening grin on her face. "And now…I, Pisces the Coldblood, challenge you to duel! You will become food for my beasts…they will tear you to shreds, and I will enjoy every moment of it!"

----------

**_neomage:_** Hmmm…instead of letting my commentator OC's do the talking here, how about I just let y'all comment on this chap for yourselves? And by the way, recently this site has been expressing a seeming reluctance to show newly-added chapters for this story, so…if you haven't been able to see certain chapters as of late, don't worry – take my word for it when I inform you that updates HAVE been made!

Read and review soon, everybody!


	189. Chapter 189

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER:Reporting live from Disclaimer Studios, this is neomage stating that I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**CHAPTER 189**

PEGASUS'S CASTLE

The adults looked at the screen, where Jenna and Laurel were facing each other. "Did that girl just call herself…by a Zodiac name?" Mr. Devlin asked in alarm.

"Oh, no! Poor Jenna-girl! She's in serious trouble if she sticks around there!" wailed Pegasus.

"Pegasus, you know where that apple tree is. You should send guards there to detain that Zodiac, immediately!" said Mr. Von Schroeder.

"Indeed, but even that won't be enough to stop them from dueling if that's what it comes to," Pegasus reasoned. "And if that Zodiac wins, by right she has to continue in the tournament. If we detain her when she wins, it'll cause quite a stir."

"So…are you saying we should rely on luck to see the other girl, Jenna, through?" asked Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki.

"Maybe that's the _only_ option we have," said Mr. Truesdale, crossing his arms. "I'll dispatch the guards, but I'll instruct them not to act until after that Zodiac is beaten. And…I hope she does get beaten."

----------

DUELTROPOLIS, AT THE SAME TIME

"Pisces…the…Coldblood…hey, hold on now—what's come over you all of a sudden? Why the freaky act?" Jenna asked, bewildered.

"Freaky act? I disagree, friend…it's simply who I am," Laurel announced.

Jenna kept her ground. _Could she be… _"Are you…a member of some gang or other?" she demanded.

"You don't need to know that," answered Laurel. "All you and I need to know, in fact, is that we are here, we're supposed to duel each other, and now…" She held up her activated Duel-Disk. "We're going to duel, whether we like it or not. So turn on your Duel-Disk, now!"

_Something is seriously wrong here…one minute ago she was nice, polite, friendly – and now, out of nowhere, she starts looking and talking like a crazy psycho!_ Jenna cautiously activated her Duel-Disk. "Why are you behaving like this, Laurel?" she insisted.

"I have my reasons, and my reasons are my own," Laurel answered. "Now, no more talk. Let's begin!"

Suddenly the holographic coin appeared and was flipped. "Tails!" Laurel declared.

The coin eventually landed…but it was heads. "Okay! So I get to go first!" said Jenna as they both drew their first five cards.

"Heh…show me your strength, kid…show it to me!" Laurel grinned even more crazily.

Jenna drew a card to start off. "First, I'll summon Luster Dragon (ATK 1900, DEF 1600) in Attack Mode!" Then she brought forth her sapphire dragon, snarling as it readied itself for combat. "Then I'll set one card facedown, and end my turn."

Laurel slowly drew a card. "All right…I'll set one monster in Defense Mode, and set two cards facedown, and end my turn for now. Make your move…if you think you can."

"Very well, I will!" Jenna drew another card. "Now, Luster Dragon, attack her facedown monster with Sapphire Wing!"

Luster Dragon spread its wings and flew forward, knocking the monster card face-up to reveal a large-winged, orange creature, and destroying it in the process. But Laurel laughed loudly. "That monster you just destroyed was my Gale Lizard (ATK 1400, DEF 700) – and when flipped face-up, its effect allows me to select one monster on my opponent's side of the field and return it to its owner's hand! So, I'll force you to take back your Luster Dragon to your hand!"

"Ack! Damn it!" Jenna groaned as Luster Dragon's image disappeared from the field and she took her card back in hand. "But all's not lost – for I can simply re-summon my Luster Dragon!" And this she did.

But as Luster Dragon's form reappeared on the field, suddenly Laurel laughed loudly. "I activate my trap card, Adhesion Trap Hole! When you successfully summon a monster, that monster's original ATK is halved!"

To Jenna's dismay, all at once Luster Dragon began to sink in a very deep mud pit, its ATK shrinking to 950 in the process. "Aw, man! Geez…all right. I end my turn."

Again Laurel drew a card. "Ha! THIS is very, very interesting!" she laughed. "Girl, do I ever feel sorry for you!"

Jenna watched her carefully.

"To begin, I will summon Gilasaurus (ATK 1400, DEF 400) – and use its effect to treat its summon as a Special Summon!" Laurel then called forth a monstrous dinosaur with fierce claws and teeth. "And there's a bonus: Normally, if I treated Gilasaurus's summon as a Special Summon, you would have the ability to Special Summon one monster from your Graveyard—but you don't have any monsters in the Graveyard, do you?"

"Just great…a lost opportunity…" groaned Jenna.

"And now, I'll offer Gilasaurus as a tribute to summon my Dark Driceratops (ATK 2400, DEF 1500) in Attack Mode!" As Laurel made this declaration, Gilasaurus vanished from the field and was replaced by a much bigger, meaner-looking creature with a large beak. "Now, my creature, attack and destroy her Luster Dragon!"

Dark Driceratops charged forward, intent on ramming Luster Dragon with its horns. But suddenly Jenna shouted, "Hold it right there! I activate MY trap card – Shadow Spell!"

Out of nowhere, chains flew around the charging dinosaur, holding it tightly in place as its ATK inexplicably went down to 1700! "Shadow Spell weakens your monster by 700 points, and also prevents it from attacking or changing its battle position," explained Jenna. "So, my Luster Dragon is safe."

"Grrrr…you'll pay for that dearly…" Laurel seethed.

Smirking confidently, Jenna drew another card so now she held six. "Just so you don't get any bright ideas," she said to Laurel, "I'll activate my magic card, Harpie's Feather Duster, to destroy every magic and trap card on your side of the field—though you only have one to speak of!"

As Laurel watched in growing anger, a larger-than-life feather duster appeared and swept away her only remaining facedown card—but even then Jenna wasn't quite done. "Next," she spoke up, "I will offer my weakened Luster Dragon as a tribute to call forth my more powerful Luster Dragon #2 (ATK 2400, DEF 1400)!" And as she said this, her emerald dragon appeared on the field in the place of its sapphire sibling.

"This is troublesome…" grunted Laurel.

"You haven't _seen_ troublesome yet!" declared Jenna. She held up the remaining four cards in her hand. "Because now, I'm gonna use the magic card Polymerization to fuse together the Alligator's Sword (ATK 1500, DEF 1200) and Baby Dragon (ATK 1200, DEF 700) in my hand to bring forth – Alligator's Sword Dragon (ATK 1700, DEF 1500)!"

Images of Baby Dragon and Alligator's Sword emerged on the field; Alligator's Sword jumped onto Baby Dragon's back. Then Jenna held up the very last card left in her hand. "And finally, I'll equip Alligator's Sword Dragon with this magic card, Dragon Treasure, to increase its ATK and DEF by 300 points!"

A large jewel appeared around the neck of the Baby Dragon half of the fused monster, increasing its overall ATK and DEF to 2000 and 1800 respectively! "Now…my monsters are in a good position to take care of you properly!" said Jenna. "Luster Dragon #2…destroy Dark Driceratops with Emerald Shower!"

Luster Dragon #2 immediately fired numerous emerald shards at Dark Driceratops, destroying it completely and reducing Laurel's life points to 7300. Then: "Go, Alligator's Sword Dragon—attack directly!" And then this monster flew forward, the Alligator's Sword half slashing at Laurel with its blade and reducing her further to 5300.

Knocked down by the second attack, Laurel slowly stood up. "I must say…you certainly do have some skill," she acknowledged. "You've got really good control of your cards, for sure."

"Well, thanks…it comes from lots of practice," Jenna answered, scratching her nose.

Then Laurel's grin disappeared and her eyes narrowed into slits. "All right…now it's time for me to stop screwing around and go all-out! Now you're going to regret ever having me as your opponent!"

Jenna's life points remained at an untouched 8000, but by contrast Laurel's now stood at 5300. Laurel held two cards in hand; Jenna had none left. On the field Jenna had Luster Dragon #2 and Alligator's Sword Dragon in Attack Mode, with the latter monster equipped with the Dragon Treasure magic card; Laurel now had nothing whatsoever on her side.

Laurel drew another card. "All right…I summon Don Turtle (ATK 1100, DEF 1200) in Attack Mode!" Then she called forth a massive turtle shell; from its head opening emerged a sinister turtle head. "And when I Normal Summon or Flip Summon this monster, his effect allows me to Special Summon any number of Don Turtle cards from my hand – and I happen to have another in my hand, so I'll Special Summon this one in Defense Mode!"

Moments later a second Don Turtle appeared, but this one had his head safely tucked into his shell. "And then," said Laurel with a chuckle, "I'll set one card facedown, and end my turn. Your turn, kid."

Jenna drew her next card and examined the field. _This girl, Laurel…she seems pretty confident…and especially since she put that card facedown just now. It's a trap card, isn't it? Will it activate if I try to attack her this turn? Hmmm…_

"All right – I'm going to attack now!" Jenna announced aloud. "And I'm going to attack with Alligator's Sword Dragon! And here's the best part…if the only monster attributes on your side of the field are Earth, Water, or Fire, Alligator's Sword Dragon can attack you directly – and since both of your monsters are Water monsters, I'll definitely attack directly!"

Laurel's eyes widened in shock. "Oh, hell, no!"

But the Baby Dragon half of the fused monster charged up a ball of fire in its mouth, then blasted it past the two Don Turtles, right at Laurel. She got hit square in the chest and was flung back as her life points sharply dropped to 3300.

"And next…my Luster Dragon #2 will attack your Don Turtle that's in Attack Mode! Go, my emerald dragon!" Jenna cried. And Luster Dragon #2 shot its emeralds at the designated Don Turtle, ripping its shell to pieces and reducing Laurel further to 2000 life points.

But then Laurel laughed. "And I'll now activate my trap card, Michizure! When a monster on the field is sent to my Graveyard, I can destroy one monster on the field – and I choose to destroy your Alligator's Sword Dragon!"

Suddenly, the ground underneath their feet began to quake—then the next thing Jenna knew, a massive hole opened up, revealing a deep chasm below! Alligator's Sword Dragon, losing its footing, tried to fly away…but one of the loosened rocks hit its wing and caused it to fall, effectively destroying both it and the Dragon Treasure it had been equipped with!

"So, no more attacking directly with that monster," Laurel said triumphantly.

"Aargh…well, at least I still have my Luster Dragon #2 here. So…I end my turn now," said Jenna.

Laurel carefully drew a card. "HA! Now, here's where your streak of good fortune—and your hopes to advance in this tournament—come to a halt!" she shouted. "For now I'll tribute my remaining Don Turtle to summon the powerful Giga Gagagigo (ATK 2450, DEF 1500)!"

Suddenly Don Turtle vanished from the field – and in its place emerged a horrifying monster that appeared to be a mix of reptilian scales and cybernetics! "AAAAH! That's such a horrible-looking creature!" Jenna screamed out in fright.

"And well he should be," Laurel declared, snickering evilly. "Because now he's going to grind your Luster Dragon #2 into powder! Go, my creature – attack!"

Giga Gagagigo jumped into the sky, coming down with a hand-chop that cut Luster Dragon #2 cleanly in two, destroying it and bringing Jenna's life points to 7950. "I've only just begun to touch your life points, but you know what they say – a little goes a long way!" Laurel commented. "I'll now end my turn, but…can you possibly do better than this?"

Jenna quickly drew her next card – but when she looked at the two cards in her hand, she began to sweat. _Oh, shit—this isn't good! I can't use either of these cards right now!_ "Uh…I'll end my turn."

"No moves left to make? Or maybe you're just not such a hotshot now that your side of the field is _completely empty?"_ Laurel gloated. "Well, all right, then…I'll be the one who commandeers this battle from here on out!"

She immediately drew her next card – and grinned triumphantly. "Now, I'll summon another monster to the field – Hyper Hammerhead (ATK 1500, DEF 1200)!" And then, right next to Giga Gagagigo appeared a strange-looking dinosaur with a hammer-snout. "Go, my beasts – attack her directly!"

Hyper Hammerhead rushed at Jenna and slammed into her snout-first, knocking her down and reducing her life points sharply to 6450. Then Giga Gagagigo launched forward, punching her square in the face and bringing her down further to 4000! "How do you like that?" shouted Laurel triumphantly.

"Aaargh…damn it…" Jenna groaned, struggling to stand back up. "This is bad…"

"Well…I'll end my turn now. But trust me…you may as well throw in the towel now, because my reptiles and dinosaurs will rip you to shreds!" said Laurel.

Jenna swiftly drew another card. "Okay…I'll set one monster in Defense Mode…and end my turn. But…"

"What?" Laurel raised an eyebrow.

"I don't get it…" Jenna shook her head. "Only moments ago you were so nice—yet, once you realized I was your opponent, you went ballistic. Why? It's only a tournament, for crying out loud!"

Laurel's eyes narrowed. "It may only be a tournament to you, dearie," she responded, "but for some of us competitions like this are not just mere tournaments. These things are our very lives—and everything we do is hinged on whether we win or lose! And…now…in this duel…I will completely trample you and go on to do what I was born to do—to win!"

Jenna shook her head. "I don't understand why you think the way you do, but I'm guessing talk won't get me anywhere with you now. So let's do this!"

"Makes sense to me," sneered Laurel, and with that she drew another card. Then she looked at it again and laughed uproariously. "All right! Now I'm TRULY gonna trample you!"

"How do you figure?" asked Jenna suspiciously.

"Easy! Just watch!" Laurel pointed to the field. "Now, I'll sacrifice both Giga Gagagigo and Hyper Hammerhead to summon my most favorite beast…Black Tyranno (ATK 2600, DEF 1800)!"

Suddenly, much to Jenna's shock, a massive black clawed foot slammed down on the field, right where Giga Gagagigo and Hyper Hammerhead had been standing only moments ago! Slowly looking up, she came face-to-face with a set of vicious-looking fangs, set in the mouth of a black T-rex that roared its hunger and wrath at her! "Oh…my God…"

"And I'm about to be the bearer of even more bad news," laughed Laurel. "If the only cards you have on your side of the field are monsters in Defense Mode, whether face-up or facedown—then Black Tyranno can attack directly! Go, Black Tyranno – take a bite out of her!"

Black Tyranno's massive head lunged forward as its jaws opened wide, intent on swallowing Jenna. She managed to jump out of the way to avoid being eaten – but the next thing she knew, the creature's massive tail slammed into her, flinging her to one side! "OOF!" she grunted as she landed hard on the ground, her life points sharply dropping to 1400.

"Got you!" Laurel grinned. "Now, just one more attack of that caliber, and I will win!"

Slowly, painfully, Jenna rose to her feet. _Damn it…I can't lose…not here! I need to get a good card…and quick!_

She placed her hand over her deck slot, in preparation to draw her next card. _This is really, really bad…the cards in my hand right now aren't worth the price of cupcakes…and this lady's got a monster that can attack directly even with my monster in Defense Mode! And if I don't get a good card here and now, I'm finished!_

She closed her eyes. _Okay…what would a true duelist do in a situation like this?_

"Hmph. It won't make the slightest bit of difference against me. No matter what card you draw, your path as a duelist comes to a stop here and now," and Laurel folded her arms for emphasis.

But Jenna wasn't even paying attention to Laurel now; her mind was elsewhere. _Well…hmmm…I wonder…would THAT work? It worked for Yugo…will it work for me, too?_

Her fingers touched her deck. _Heart of the cards…whatever you can do for me…please do it!_

And then she drew…

----------

**_neomage:_** Now…I previously had a very long, angry rant right here…but I have removed it for tact. Let's just say, in a phrase, that flamers annoy the hell out of me.

Next chapter comes soon, everybody!


	190. Chapter 190

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER:Well…I'll just simply say Yu-Gi-Oh isn't mine.)

**CHAPTER 190**

DUELTROPOLIS

As the duel between Jenna and Laurel raged on, the stats were shown thus: Jenna now had 1400 life points, while Laurel's were at 2000. Jenna had two cards in hand, and was about to draw another one; Laurel held no more cards. On the field Jenna had only one monster facedown in Defense Mode; Laurel had Black Tyranno in Attack Mode.

Jenna closed her eyes as she prepared to draw. _Heart of the cards…please lend me your power!_

Then she drew.

Laurel smirked arrogantly. "Let me guess…another useless card, correct?"

Slowly Jenna opened her eyes and looked at what she'd just drawn. "A card, yes. Useless…I think not."

Now Laurel frowned.

Jenna immediately slapped the card onto the Duel-Disk. "Now, I activate the Magic card, Heart of the Underdog! As long as this card stays on the field, whenever I draw a Normal Monster card, by showing that card to you I can draw one more card from my deck! And…" Here her face took on a sly grin. "If I have a Magic or Trap card on the field in addition to a Defense Mode monster, then your Black Tyranno can't attack me directly, can it?"

Laurel scowled. "So you got lucky. So what? My Black Tyranno can still gobble your facedown monster whole!"

Jenna looked her straight in the face. "Bring it on."

Laurel immediately drew her card. "All right, now…Black Tyranno, eat up her facedown monster!" And Black Tyranno, its chops leaking drool, rushed forward and gobbled up Jenna's monster in one gulp—and the monster was revealed to be a soldier with a large cart filled with goods.

Jenna chuckled. "That monster you just destroyed was Supply (ATK 1300, DEF 800). When flipped face-up, his effect allows me to take back to my hand from my Graveyard two Fusion-material monsters that were sent to the Graveyard as a result of a Fusion Summon. And so, I'm gonna take back Alligator's Sword and Baby Dragon from the Graveyard and add them to my hand!"

Quickly Jenna flipped through her Graveyard, found the two cards, and added them to her hand. But Laurel just scoffed. "How will those help you now? All you've managed to do is get monsters that you can summon as additional food for Black Tyranno!" she declared.

Jenna gritted her teeth. _I hate to admit it, but she may have a point…after all, I only set Supply in Defense Mode because he was the only available monster I had._ She cast a glance at her deck. _The heart of the cards…can it help me again? I hope so!_

With hope in her heart, Jenna drew again. Quickly she looked at the card she'd drawn – and she smiled. "Okay, now I'll activate Heart of the Underdog's effect!" she cried, holding up the card she'd just drawn. "If I show you this card, I can draw another…and here it is: my Red-Eyes Black Dragon (ATK 2400, DEF 2000)!"

Laurel's eyes widened in surprise. "WHAT! You had a card THAT rare? Impossible!"

"But I'm not done!" Jenna promptly drew another card. "Okay, here's a second card for me to show you – Meteor Dragon (ATK 1800, DEF 2000)!" And she held up the new card she'd gotten.

Laurel growled. "That means you get to draw again…"

"That's right!" Jenna drew one more card – and raised an eyebrow. "All right…I can't use Heart of the Underdog's effect for this one…but you'll see what it is regardless! Now…I summon Spirit Ryu (ATK 1000, DEF 1000) in Attack Mode!"

She then brought forward a mystic dragon with blue scales and an almost transparent body. Laurel, looking at its stats, burst out laughing. "Ha! And just what good is that puny thing going to do against the might of my Black Tyranno?"

"Watch and learn! It's not always about brute strength – it's about the power within!" Jenna then held up five of the six cards left in her hand. "I'll soon show you what I mean! Spirit Ryu, get ready to attack!"

"WHAT!" Laurel cried in disbelief. "You can't be serious!"

"Oh, I am," said Jenna sternly. "For you see, during the Battle Step of the turn Spirit Ryu attacks, I can discard one Dragon-type monster from my hand to increase Spirit Ryu's ATK and DEF by 1000 points for each Dragon I discard till the end of this turn…and right now I have _five _to discard!"

Laurel's eyes widened in shock. "Oh, shit…!"

Jenna quickly discarded the five cards, naming them as she did so. "Baby Dragon, Red-Eyes Black Dragon, Meteor Dragon, Armed Dragon Lv. 7 (ATK 2800, DEF 1000) and Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon (ATK 2400, DEF 2000)…that'll give Spirit Ryu a grand total of 6000 ATK and 6000 DEF – more than enough to wipe out your Black Tyranno AND your life points as well! Go, Spirit Ryu – finish it!"

Spirit Ryu's body suddenly shone in great brilliance as Laurel looked on in terror. "This…can't…be…!" she cried—but already Spirit Ryu's light ripped through Black Tyranno's hide, destroying the dinosaur and knocking Laurel herself down as her life points quickly went down to 0.

Jenna sank down to one knee. "Whew…I win!" she declared.

Laurel, trying to sit up, sank back to the ground. "Damn it…damn it…how could I lose like this…how could she have gotten so lucky?" she moaned.

_"Don't move!"_

"Huh?" Surprised, Jenna looked in the direction of the shout, and immediately saw several suits closing in on them. "Hey, wait a minute! What's going on?"

The suits immediately swarmed around Laurel, two of them holding her arms tightly. Standing up, Jenna's eyes narrowed. "Will somebody explain what's happening here, please?" she demanded.

"I will tell you," said a familiar voice. Turning to look behind her, Jenna came face-to-face with Mr. Truesdale. "You just helped us to apprehend a member of a serious criminal organization."

"Criminal organization…then my earlier guess was right! She WAS a member of a gang!" Jenna exclaimed.

Mr. Truesdale nodded. "Jenna Wheeler, was it? May I ask a favor of you?"

"Sure!" Jenna nodded eagerly.

Mr. Truesdale looked extremely solemn. "You must make a promise…that you will not make mention of what you've seen here to any of the other competitors. All I can say for certain right now is that there's a nasty bunch of people at work, but we have no way of knowing who among the participants here in Dueltropolis may be in league with them. So, the longer this can be kept under the quiet to avoid arousing suspicion, the better. Do you understand?"

Jenna nodded. "Yes, sir…but I still can't believe it—a bunch of bad guys, here at the World Championships? Geez…and here I thought I'd had my fill of that with the whole JUDAS incident!"

Mr. Truesdale sighed. "Well, in the meantime, we'll keep on with our investigations, but here's a word of advice: Don't trust any competitor you come across who you don't know personally. They could very well be in league with this group of thugs, so be on your guard." He nodded. "Well, we'll be taking this girl back with us. In the meantime, try to act as though nothing out of the ordinary has happened, to avoid raising any unnecessary alarm. Okay?"

"Got it," Jenna nodded.

Mr. Truesdale then walked off, and the suits went after him, dragging Laurel along with them. Jenna put her hands over her chest as she watched them go. "Mercy…what have we gotten into this time?" she wondered.

----------

ELSEWHERE IN DUELTROPOLIS, IN THE MEANTIME

Seta stood outside a huge opera house, studying the building with great interest. "An opera house, huh? Well, this should certainly be interesting," he chuckled. "Wonder if any of the island's employees will be putting on a show for our entertainment?"

"Seta, is that you? Oh, how wonderful to run into you here!"

Turning, Seta saw Honey and Shigeo walking towards him. "Oh, hello there," he greeted them. "I assume you've both dueled your opponents already?"

Shigeo and Honey looked at each other, then at Seta, and grinned. "My opponent was him," said Honey, pointing to Shigeo. "Unfortunately, I lost that one…" She rubbed the back of her head sheepishly.

"I see," said Seta thoughtfully. "Well, congratulations, Shigeo. You get to move on to the next round…"

"That I do, indeed," acknowledged Shigeo. "Say, Seta, have you gotten to duel your opponent yet?"

"No, I haven't," admitted Seta. "I don't even know who it's supposed to be…all I know is, whoever it is has the number 11 as their ID number. Oh, well…"

Shigeo looked up at the opera house. "Oh…an opera house, eh? Perhaps we could go in and watch whoever's performing right now, what do you think?"

"Whaaaaat? Oh do we have to?" Honey whined. "Opera's so BORING!"

"Your dad never took you to an opera?" Seta asked, a little surprised.

"Well, yeah, he did, but I always fell asleep during the performances!" said Honey, snorting in disgust. "The actors dressing up in ridiculous costumes, singing in Italian, with the same clichéd story plots over and over and over…of course I was bound to get bored! And that was just when I was a little girl, too!"

"Hmph…I'd have expected Raven to say something like that," said Seta.

"That's the funny thing—Raven always enjoyed those dumb performances," sighed Honey, running a hand over her face. "Seriously, I don't see what he could possibly like about opera. That stuff makes me want to puke, now that I think about it."

"Well, please don't," said Shigeo. "At the very least, we can just go and see what the inside of this place looks like, and then we can leave."

"I agree," said Seta. "Come on, Honey, I promise it won't be boring. Let's at least take a peek inside, okay?"

Honey gave a longsuffering sigh. "Fine. But only a peek, got it?"

With that, the three walked up to the entrance and pushed the door open. Carefully, Seta poked his head into the doorway and looked in. "Um…hello?"

Inside was dark. "Hmmm…well, guess nobody's home," Seta remarked.

CLANK!

Suddenly the whole place was flooded in light. "Oooh!" Seta grimaced, shielding his face from the unexpected glare. "Who turned on the lights like that?"

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Seta," a voice called out. "Why don't you come on in, man? I've got front-row seats right here!"

"Raven?" Seta called back. "Is that you? What're you doing here?"

"Raven! Are you okay? Have you dueled yet?" Honey cried, running past Seta and heading inside.

"Hey there, sis," Raven greeted her. He was standing on a stage at the far end of the rather large theater room. "Check me out – I'm a natural born actor!"

"A natural born clown is more like it," Seta chuckled.

"What did you say?" Raven snapped, irritated.

Shigeo stepped inside and surveyed their surroundings. "Would you look at this…I'm inside an opera house, right here in the middle of the tournament! And yet, there's no major troupe acting for our amusement…how disappointing…"

"Oh, you're into opera, too, ninja-boy?" Raven inquired, clearly impressed. "Makes two of us."

"Yes, Honey did say you were into opera," said Shigeo. "Just out of curiosity, might I ask why?"

"Well…I don't know, really…" Raven shrugged. "I guess it's the style of the music, and seeing evil being vanquished by good in such exotic ways as they often do in the story plots…even if you know it's clichéd, if you have an ear for the classics, then I guess it becomes easy to appreciate opera."

"That's one guy's opinion," sighed Honey.

"But even so, _why_ are you _here?"_ Seta asked, walking up to the stage. "Clearly nobody is here except for us."

"I got here only early this morning, actually," said Raven, "and took a snooze backstage. Quite comfy, the couch was. Then I got the idea of waiting here for any duelist who might pass by and then invite them inside, provided that they were Duelist number…" He fumbled through his pockets and then pulled out the number plate identifying his opponent. "…2."

Seta started a moment. Then he began to laugh. "Well, what do you know, Raven – who would've thought!"

"Huh?" Raven stared blankly at him—then realized. "Wait a minute…YOU'RE Duelist number 2?"

"Yep," said Seta. "And you're Duelist number 11, the very person I'm supposed to fight for the first round of this tournament."

"Uh…okay…" Shigeo and Honey looked from one to the other of the two boys.

The surprise on Raven's face slowly disintegrated, replaced by a grin. "Looks like I struck gold early in the tournament," he chuckled. "Seta…at last, you and I can really duel each other! And this time I know I'm gonna beat you!"

Seta shook his head. "Tell me, Raven, exactly how many times have you said that by now, with the same result?"

"Hooooo boy…" Honey rolled her eyes and took Shigeo by the hand, leading him away from the stage.

"Huh?" Shigeo looked at her, confused.

"One-sided rivalry," Honey explained. "On Raven's part."

"Why don't you come on up here on stage, and let us duel now?" Raven invited. "And hey, Honey, ninja-boy, don't go anywhere! Grab a seat and enjoy the show!"

"I'd rather sit where fireworks won't catch me—and knowing you, there're bound to be fireworks in this place," Honey answered. "Here, Shigeo, we can sit in the middle section right here." And she sat down in one of the seats; Shigeo sat down beside her.

Seta climbed up onto the stage, opposite Raven. "So, Raven, tell me…and I want you to be honest with me now…" His eyes narrowed and there was no sign of humor on his face. "Is this going to be one more duel about the old family feud?"

"Heh…" Raven rubbed a finger over his eyebrows. "Actually, not this time; I've learned my lesson from that time when Yugo smashed my nose. You were right all along, and what he said that day was right as well—whatever happened between your dad and my dad is between them. Here and now…this is dueling for the sake of me proving my strength to you. I haven't been training in vain, Seta…I'll show you!"

Seta smirked a rather small smirk. "I see. Well, Raven…if that's really true…then show me."

Watching them from where she sat, Honey smiled. _Raven…you've matured…_

----------

SOMEWHERE, AT THAT VERY MOMENT

Master Orion sat in his chair, his body mostly masked by shadows, as he watched the upcoming duel between Seta and Raven on the screen. He held a glass of white wine in one hand, and a smirk was on his lips. "Ah, yes…so I finally get to see you duel again, Ophiuchus, after all this time…"

He chuckled and raised the glass. "A toast to your victory, my boy, for I have no doubt that you will indeed win – just like you always used to do." Then he brought the glass to his lips and took a drink.

"Mmmm…Chardonnay wine…always the perfect thing to have while watching a battle between two fierce warriors…" He set the glass down on a small table at the side of his chair. "Now, they're dueling in an opera theater…so let's see how this little drama will unfold, eh?"

----------

**_neomage:_** Now, to the poll question that I put forward to everybody reading this story. Of the 20 reviews I asked for to answer the question I posted, I've seen about 17 or so: 1 says the outcome is up to me; 9 say the story should continue with another arc; 5 say there should be a sequel; 2 are undecided between a sequel and a new arc. That leaves 3 votes unaccounted for…and again, just because it comes to a majority vote doesn't mean my final decision will be the same! However, note that I WILL take your views into consideration, so don't lose hope yet, everyone!

So…next chapter, Seta and Raven have their showdown! Look out for it!


	191. Chapter 191

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER:Ho, hum, ho, hum, ho, hum…huh? Oh, right. I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**CHAPTER 191**

DUELTROPOLIS

The holographic coin emerged and was flipped as Seta and Raven readied themselves to duel each other in the opera theater. "I'll call it! Heads!" Raven cried.

Seta smirked. _He's never won a coin toss whenever he's about to duel me…_

Then the coin landed – and it was _heads!_ Seta stared in astonishment. _Whoa! Did…did Raven actually just win this coin toss?_ His eyes narrowed. _Hmmm…_

They both drew the first five cards from their decks; then Raven drew a sixth. "All right…to begin, I'll set two cards facedown, and then summon D.D. Warrior (ATK 1200, DEF 1000) in Attack Mode!" He brought forth a red-haired warrior clad in a blue and white outfit with a sharp sword. "Make your move, if you dare, Seta."

"Very well—I will!" Seta quickly drew another card. "I summon Rapid-Fire Magician (ATK 1600, DEF 1200) to the field!" And a moment later his black-clad magician appeared, wielding his magic staves while colored orbs flew around him. "But…I'll end my turn, just like that."

"Huh?" Shigeo, watching from his seat below, was surprised. "Why did he refrain from attacking?"

"I know why," Honey smiled. "Raven's cards all revolve around the theme of removal from play. Maybe D.D. Warrior has just such an effect, and Seta doesn't want to lose a valuable monster so early in the duel."

But Raven snickered as he drew his card. "You're gonna regret not attack me, Seta," he announced. "I activate my trap card, Karma Cut! By discarding one card from my hand, I can remove one face-up monster on your side of the field from play—and your Rapid-Fire Magician is the only monster you have on your side of the field at present!"

Suddenly a massive wormhole opened behind Rapid-Fire Magician, sucking him in completely! Seta stared in perfect shock. "No way…! When did you—"

"I told you I hadn't been training for nothing," said Raven with a smirk. "And furthermore, Karma Cut's effect states that if you had any monsters in your Graveyard with the same name as the monster you just removed, they'd be removed from play as well…but obviously you don't have any other cards in your Graveyard right now. Oh, well. Now, I'll summon a new monster—D.D. Warrior Lady (ATK 1500, DEF 1600)!"

Instantly a black-clad warrior woman with a cybernetic arm and a light-saber appeared on the field. Seta stared in perfect amazement. "Hey, wait a minute! Yugo has a monster like that!"

"In that case, you ought to know what this lady can do," snickered Raven. "And now…D.D. Warrior and D.D. Warrior Lady, attack directly!"

D.D. Warrior suddenly seemed to phase forward in the blink of an eye – and slashed Seta's shoulder with his sword, dropping his life points to 6800! Then D.D. Warrior Lady dashed forward at super-speed, slicing at Seta's gut with her light-saber, bringing him down further to 5300! "Now that's a good start!" Raven said triumphantly.

Honey bit her bottom lip. "Gosh…I don't know which of them to cheer for…" she groaned. "Oh…"

"Don't sweat it," Shigeo counseled her. "Just let them do their thing."

Raven wasn't done. "Next, I'll activate the magic card, Dimensional Fissure! Now, as long as this card remains on the field, any monster that is sent to the Graveyard is removed from play instead!"

Above their heads emerged a large tear in the fabric of time and reality. Raven looked at it with satisfaction, then turned back to Seta. "So…" His lips curved in a sneer. "Guess you can't afford to let your monsters be killed from here on out, huh?"

Seta shook his head. "Okay, so you got new cards. But you're not going to bring me down so easily!"

"We'll see. For now, I'll end my turn…" Raven chuckled to himself.

Carefully, Seta drew his next card. "Okay then…I'll set one monster facedown, and one card facedown…and end my turn for now. Let's see more of what you've got, man!"

"Don't mind if I do!" Raven declared with a grin as he drew another card. "I summon D.D. Assailant (ATK 1700, DEF 1600) in Attack Mode!" And he brought forth his dimensional fighter with the massive sword. "And now…time to clear a path…"

"What?" Seta raised an eyebrow suspiciously.

Raven grinned. "D.D. Warrior's effect states that when he and another monster do battle, no matter who attacked first, then both monsters are removed from play! So…D.D. Warrior, offer yourself as a sacrifice and go attack that facedown monster of Seta's!"

Readying his sword, D.D. Warrior teleported forward to do the act—but Seta shook his head. "I think not! I activate my trap card, Mirror Force, to destroy all of your Attack Mode monsters!"

Out of nowhere, a force field appeared around Seta's facedown monster, just as D.D. Warrior's sword connected—and the massive backlash sent the fighter flying into D.D. Warrior Lady and D.D. Assailant, destroying all three of them in one fell swoop and, simultaneously, removing all of them from play via the effect of Raven's Dimensional Fissure card!

"Damn it!" Raven groaned. "I'll get you back for that, Seta – I swear it!"

"Well…do you end your turn now?" asked Seta.

Raven's shoulders slumped. "Yeah, yeah. I end my turn."

The score now stood at Raven with an intact 8000 life points and Seta with 5300. Seta currently held four cards in his hand; Raven held one. On the field Seta now had only his facedown Defense Mode monster card; Raven had his active Dimensional Fissure magic card and one other card facedown.

Now Seta drew another card. "Okay, Raven…I'm gonna set one card facedown, and then I'll summon the Blindly Loyal Goblin (ATK 1800, DEF 1500) to the field!" Then he brought out his bald-headed goblin fighter. "Go, my warrior – attack directly!"

Unsheathing his sword, Blindly Loyal Goblin sprinted forward to carry out his master's command. But Raven merely scoffed. "I was hoping you do that! I now activate my trap card, Dimension Wall – so that you will get the battle damage instead of me!"

"What?" Seta exclaimed.

Suddenly a dimensional rift opened in front of Raven right as the Goblin stabbed forward – and the monster's weapon disappeared! At the same time, Seta felt a burst of energy behind him…and, turning, he gagged as his own monster's sword impaled him in the arm, lowering his life points even further to 3500!

"Hmmm…" Shigeo fingered his chin thoughtfully. "Raven's certainly been playing well since the duel began, wouldn't you say, Honey?"

"Well…yes, I'll admit he HAS gotten better," said Honey. But to herself she added, _Even so, I'm at a loss…who must I cheer for…?_

Seta winced, holding his arm where he'd gotten stabbed. Raven broke into triumphant laughter. "So, Seta…feeling a little _sore?"_ he jabbed.

"Go ahead, laugh it up," said Seta darkly. "But let's see if you'll be laughing when I make my comeback!"

"What comeback?" Raven taunted him. "Just look at where your life points are by now – you haven't got a chance against me!"

With a flourish, Raven drew another card. "All right…I'll activate the magic card, Pot of Greed, to draw another two cards!" And this he did, so he now held three. "And this is where I tell you to start saying your prayers!"

"Oh, gee…I wonder why?" Seta wondered sarcastically.

"Watch and you will see! Now…I'll Special Summon my Cyber Dragon (ATK 2100, DEF 1600) from my hand!" Raven called forth his massive mechanical snake monster.

"Uh…what?" Seta was dumbfounded.

"Cyber Dragon can be Special Summoned when you have monsters on your side of the field and I have none," explained Raven. "Rather convenient…especially as it allows me to set one more monster in Defense Mode." And this he did. "Now, Cyber Dragon, destroy the Blindly Loyal Goblin! Serpent Constrict!"

Cyber Dragon lurched forward, wrapping itself around the Goblin and squeezing its hapless victim to death…and Seta flinched as his life points went down further to 3200. "And finally, I'll set my last card facedown. Now…You haven't got much time left, Seta! At least fight back or something!" Raven cried.

"Hey, Raven…let me tell you a little story," Seta said quietly. "While we were on the boat, coming here to Dueltropolis…Yugo and I made a pact that we'd definitely meet up at this tournament's final round. That simply means that I can't lose here…or else I'd be breaking my part of that promise. And I'm not gonna lose – certainly not to you!"

Thus determined, Seta drew another card so now he held four in his hand. "Now…I'm going to bore a hole right through your little strategy that you have here!" he announced. "First…I'll activate the magic card Mystical Space Typhoon, to destroy your Dimensional Fissure!"

Suddenly a massive tornado blew over to Raven's side of the field, spinning with such force that it closed the rift that the Dimensional Fissure had caused. "Damn…so much for that," Raven sulked.

Then Seta pointed to his facedown monster. "Now, I'm going to Flip Summon my monster…and reveal Cyber Jar (ATK 900, DEF 900)!"

Raven started at that. "WHAT!"

Suddenly the card was flipped face-up, revealing a massive metallic jar. "This monster's effect will now destroy every monster on the field!" Seta smirked victoriously as the jar glowed brighter and brighter…and suddenly exploded, taking the Cyber Dragon and Raven's other facedown monster with it! Raven had to cross his arms in front of himself to shield against the impact of the blast!

Then Seta spoke again. "But don't be too sad, Raven—now we can each pick up five cards from the top of our decks, show the cards to each other, then Special Summon all picked-up Level 4 or lower monsters in face-up Attack Mode or facedown Defense Mode, and add the remaining cards to our hands."

"Yeah…that's true," said Raven, brightening a little. "Now…let's do this!"

Quickly they each picked up five cards from the top of their decks. The cards Seta picked up were Divine Dragon Ragnarok (ATK 1500, DEF 1000), Megamorph, Null and Void, The Flute of Summoning Dragon, and Fusion Recovery: Raven picked up Polymerization, Monster Reborn, two more Cyber Dragons, and D.D. Dynamite. Immediately Seta brought forth Divine Dragon Ragnarok to the field. "Too bad, Raven…you got monsters, but none that you could summon with my Cyber Jar's power," he taunted. "Now, it's time for me to deal some damage back to you! Divine Dragon Ragnarok, attack him directly!"

Ragnarok charged up lightning in its mouth, intent on striking Raven down. But Raven shook his head. "Fat chance, Seta, for now I activate my trap card, Raigeki Break! By discarding one card from my hand, I can destroy one card on the field – and I'm targeting your Divine Dragon Ragnarok!"

All at once a blast of lightning shot down from the sky, literally cutting Ragnarok in two. "Aw, SHIT!" Seta cursed. "Fine…now I'll take the opportunity to use my Normal Summon…and set one monster in Defense Mode. That'll end my turn for now."

Shaking his head, Raven drew another card. "Seta, Seta, Seta…I thought you would at least try to do better than this," he sighed. "Oh, well…looks like I really will win this time."

"You don't know that yet!" Seta shot at him.

"Oh, but I think I do," returned Raven coolly. "And all the cards that I'm holding right now will testify to that!"

"Heh…I'd like to see that," Seta chuckled.

Raven then held up one of his cards. "You want me to prove my point? I'll gladly prove my point! First…I'll summon a new monster to the field – D.D. Guide (ATK 1400, DEF 1000)!"

Immediately a shadowy figure in a black cloak emerged in an eerie cloud of smoke on Raven's side of the field. "But my monster, D.D. Guide, has a little quirk about him," said Raven. "When he's Normal Summoned, he's immediately shifted to my opponent's side of the field. Be grateful, man – I just gave you a monster to bolster your forces."

But even as D.D. Guide floated over to his side of the field, Seta was suspicious. _He wouldn't just give me this monster like that…something's up…_

Raven then held up another card. "Next, I'll activate the magic card, Monster Reborn, to revive my destroyed Cyber Dragon!"

In a moment Cyber Dragon returned to his side of the field, hissing in contempt at Seta. "But that's not all I aim to do, Seta," and Raven fiddled with the three cards remaining in his hand. "Because now…I'm gonna summon a beast that I've been saving especially for YOU!"

Honey, still watching the duel, raised her eyebrows in astonishment. _What? Raven…are you really going to summon THAT?_

"Heh…a beast you've been saving for me, huh?" said Seta. "Whatever could that be?"

"Watch and you'll see!" Raven held up another card from his hand. "Now…I activate the magic of Polymerization, to fuse the Cyber Dragon on my side of the field with the two in my hand, to form my greatest beast ever!"

Two silhouetted images of the other two Cyber Dragons appeared in the sky above the one on the field. Slowly they came together – and the result was a blinding flash of light that forced everyone to shield their faces! "Gyaaa! Too bright, too bright!" Shigeo cried out.

Then, little by little, the bright light began to dim, until it was low enough for Seta to lower his arms and look up…and what he saw caused his jaw to drop. "Oh, holy…this is…"

On Raven's side, almost completely covering the opera stage, there was a massive three-headed mechanical beast. Its three heads came with very long necks; on its back were two massive wings; its serpent-like tail coiled around the entire place, one part of it actually coiling around Raven himself. It still glowed with a brilliant, magnificent light…and at the moment all three heads hissed in one sinister movement.

"Seta…" Raven spoke. "Say hello to my almighty Cyber End Dragon (ATK 4000, DEF 2800)!"

Seta looked at the Cyber End Dragon for a long moment. "Let me guess…your father gave this to you?"

"Heh, heh…well, as surprising as it may sound…these cards that make up the Cyber End Dragon…they didn't come from Maximillion Pegasus," said Raven quietly.

Seta raised an eyebrow.

"No…these particular cards…they were given to me by my birth mother and father, only a year before they died," said Raven, his eyes overshadowed a little. "These cards were given to them by one of their close family friends, and in turn they gave these cards to me. These are among a few of the cards which I wield…in memory of my true parents."

"Raven…" Honey whispered.

Shigeo took in the proceedings with a grave eye. _Hmmm…I see…Raven really has put pieces of his mind and soul into preparing his deck…Seta may very well be in for a tougher fight than he bargained for. And considering the big difference in their life points at this time, Seta's going to have to fight as hard as he can if he intends to even catch up, let alone win._

"Now, let me show you just how powerful the Cyber End Dragon really is!" Raven declared. "My great beast…attack his facedown monster! Ultra-Cyber Cannon!"

Cyber End Dragon's three heads came together, side by side, and opened their mouths as three massive blasts of light shone out – and then all three mouths unleashed a massive outpouring of power as three laser blasts shot down at Seta's facedown monster, totally disintegrating it! The monster, flipped face-up forcefully, was revealed to be the Dragon Dwelling in the Cave (ATK 1300, DEF 2000) – but as it got blasted to pieces, the shockwave was so forceful it sent Seta flying backwards…and to his utter astonishment, his life points went down sharply to 1200!

"Whoa! Such power!" Shigeo exclaimed in utter awe.

"Seta!" cried Honey in dismay.

Flung to the other end of the stage, Seta slowly stood back up. "…but…how…?"

"It's Cyber End Dragon's effect, buddy boy," announced Raven, very pleased with himself. "When it attacks a Defense Mode monster and its ATK is higher than that monster's DEF, the difference is inflicted as battle damage to my opponent's life points. In other words…no matter what position your monsters are placed in, they'll just be wiped out by the sheer force of my great and terrible beast!" He chuckled. "True, it may not have as much attacking power as your Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, but I dare say…it's just enough to wipe you out!"

"Damn you…" Seta growled.

"But don't worry – I'll be sure to let Yugo know you couldn't make it," Raven snickered. "And I know he'll understand – especially once I have made him bow down to the might of my Cyber End Dragon, just as I'm gonna make you bow down to its superior power right now! Ha, ha, ha, ha!"

----------

**_neomage:_** To two certain annoying gnats, I will only repeat the remedy I suggested: stop reading my fic and comment no more on it if you don't like it. To everyone else, here's another chapter, done just for all of you! Raven and Seta have a rematch…and this time it seems Raven could have this one in the bag—or could he? Find out next chapter!

(rampagerkriz hauls in several cases of Fruta)

neomage: WHAT are you doing?

rampagerkriz: I managed to secure these cases of Fruta fruit drink while you were busy typing this chapter, boss. I want to share some of them with Kimiru.

neomage: (looks through the different flavors) Fruit punch…apple…guava pineapple…ginger pineapple…mango passion…mango carrot…DIBS ON THE FRUIT PUNCH!

yamikriz: (walking by at that moment) rampagerkriz…you know how crazy the boss gets when Fruta's fruit punch flavor comes into his sights…especially if it's in cans, like what you have there. He'll drink a whole case of the stuff dry.

rampagerkriz: O.O Um…oops.

(Distant view of the house—the house jumps up and down as neomage goes crazy for the drink inside)


	192. Chapter 192

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER:neomage only owns this story and the right to add, subtract, divide and multiply anything to do with this story. **(holds up calculator with an evil smirk)**)

**CHAPTER 192**

DUELTROPOLIS

Inside the opera theater, the duel between Seta and Raven continued, with the stats as follows: Seta now had 1200 life points, while Raven's stood at an intact 8000. Seta held six cards in his hand, including the Megamorph, Flute of Summoning Dragon, and Fusion Recovery magic cards and the Null and Void trap card; Raven had none in hand at all. On the field Seta still had one card facedown, plus Raven's D.D. Guide was on his side of the field; Raven, on the other hand, had the Cyber End Dragon, which had just attacked, hovering over both players.

"Well…now that Cyber End Dragon has attacked, it's time for me to end my turn," said Raven. "And…"

Suddenly a massive portal opened beside D.D. Guide! "Heh…during each player's End Phase, the opponent of the player controlling D.D. Guide gets to choose one card from the controlling player's Graveyard, then removes that chosen card from play," said Raven. "So you see, you got a monster with benefits!"

"Benefits, my ass," growled Seta.

"Now—show me your Graveyard!" Raven ordered.

Sighing, Seta touched a button on his Duel-Disk, bringing up his Graveyard information a moment later. In his Graveyard rested Cyber Jar, Divine Dragon Ragnarok, and the Dragon Dwelling in the Cave, plus the Mirror Force trap card and the Mystical Space Typhoon magic card. "Hmmm…to avoid trouble later…I'll remove your Mystical Space Typhoon from play!" Raven decided. And then the selected card seemed to fly out of Seta's Graveyard and into D.D. Guide's waiting portal.

"Oh, don't you worry – I'll get you back for that," Seta warned Raven. "You're not going to get the drop on me in this battle, I can assure you of that!"

"Actually, I think I already have," said Raven with a confident smirk. "You just don't want to admit it yet."

"We'll soon see who'll be admitting what to whom," Seta declared. "For now…it's my turn!"

He reached down to draw his next card. _Come on, deck…give me something good!_ he silently asked as, very slowly, he drew the card.

Then he looked at what he'd drawn. "YES!"

"Huh? Why are you so happy all of a sudden?" Raven asked suspiciously.

"Because of this!" Seta promptly held up the card he'd drawn. "Now…I'll activate the magic of Raigeki, to utterly destroy your precious Cyber End Dragon!"

Raven started in alarm. "WHAT!"

All at once a massive shower of thunderbolts shot down from above, tearing through the howling Cyber End Dragon and splitting it into several useless mechanical pieces! "AAARGH! Look what you've done to my precious Cyber End Dragon!" Raven wailed.

"Uh-huh…and look what I'm going to do to you!" Seta had a grin plastered over his face. "Now…I'm going to offer your very own D.D. Guide as a tribute to summon a monster of my own – the Kaiser Glider (ATK 2400, DEF 2200)!"

As Raven watched in growing dismay, D.D. Guide vanished in a burst of yellow light—and then the monstrous golden dragon emerged on the field, growling menacingly. "And now…it's time to attack! Kaiser Glider, attack directly with Golden Fire!" Seta commanded.

Kaiser Glider immediately blasted a wave of fire at Raven, scorching him and bringing his previously untouched life points to 5600. "And that's just for starters!" Seta assured Raven. "See—I won't be taken down so easily!"

"Heh…good shot," Raven congratulated him. "Even so, it's only one move."

"One move is better than none at all, in my view," Seta replied.

"Heh…we'll see." Raven drew his next card. "Hmmm…okay…"

"Hey, if you have a move to make, make it," said Seta a tad impatiently.

"Greatness must not be rushed, my friend," Raven smiled. "Now…I'll remove one Light monster and one Dark monster from my Graveyard to Special Summon my powerful Chaos Sorcerer (ATK 2300, DEF 2000) – in Attack Mode!"

Ghostly images of the D.D. Guide and one of the Cyber Dragons floated from Raven's Graveyard, then disappeared into thin air. Then, out of nowhere appeared the trench-coat-wearing spellcaster, wielding his magic in both hands. "All right—time for me to utterly destroy your hope of winning this battle!" Raven declared.

"How? Your monster's ATK is lower than Kaiser Glider's…" Seta paused in mid-sentence. "…unless…"

"That's right – 'unless' is absolutely right!" Raven smirked. "Once per turn, Chaos Sorcerer can remove one face-up monster on the field from play! So…do it now, Chaos Sorcerer! Annihiliate the Kaiser Glider with your powers!"

Chaos Sorcerer brought both hands together, blasting a ball of intense black flame at Kaiser Glider and incinerating it. "At least be grateful for one thing—once Chaos Sorcerer uses his annihilating effect, he can't attack in the same turn," said Raven. "So, I'll end my turn for now."

Now the score stood at Raven with 5600 life points, and Seta with 1200. Raven held no cards in his hand once again; Seta held five, including his still-unused Megamorph, Flute of Summoning Dragon, and Fusion Recovery magic cards and the Null and Void trap card. On the field Raven had Chaos Sorcerer in Attack Mode; Seta had his still-unused facedown magic/trap card.

Narrowing his eyes, Seta drew another card. _Hey…this card…it would be such a big help right now, if only I had that other card…guess it's time for me to use THIS!_

"Okay, Raven!" Seta announced aloud. "You remember my little facedown card that I've been holding on to for so long? Well, now I'm going to activate it – my trap card, Jar of Greed, which will allow me to draw another card from my deck!"

"Yeah…okay…so you had that card all along…but the only reason you could be activating it now is that you've got no other suitable cards in your hand at this time," Raven chuckled. "That's it, isn't it? You're on your last legs, so you're relying on desperation. Not a good tactic for the World Champion."

"I never rely on desperation—or luck, for that matter!" Seta declared as he drew his card for Jar of Greed's effect. Then he looked at the card he'd just drawn. "Now, Raven…it's time for me to prove that I, and I alone, will be the victor of this battle!"

"Seta sure sounds confident…could those cards he's drawn be the ones he needs?" Shigeo wondered aloud.

Honey looked intently at the stage. _Seta…Raven…_

Seta held up the card he'd drawn for his standard draw. "I summon Kaibaman (ATK 200, DEF 700) in Attack Mode!" And then a moment later the masked Kaiba appeared on the field.

Shigeo gawked at the sight; Honey fell over in her seat. Raven took one look and burst out laughing. "OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD! Seta, what the hell is THAT?" he cried in between bursts of laughter. "Has Kaibacorp's popularity gotten so weak that it needs its own signature Duel Monster card now?"

"Laugh all you want, Raven, but know this…" Seta spoke in a very cool voice; too cool, in fact. "Kaibaman has power far beyond anything you will ever be able to comprehend."

"And what, pray tell, could this power be – bad taste in clothing?" Raven jeered, even as the Kaibaman monster bristled in obvious anger.

"Allow me to show you." Seta smiled. "You see, Raven…Kaibaman can be tributed in order to Special Summon one special monster to the field – my almighty BLUE-EYES WHITE DRAGON (ATK 3000, DEF 2500)!"

The amused grin vanished from Raven's face. "Uh-oh."

Suddenly Kaibaman began to glow a bright white—then morphed into the ferocious white dragon, howling with rage as it glared at Raven. "Bet you're wishing you hadn't laughed at him now, huh?" Seta quipped. "And now it's about to get even worse…for NOW I'll equip him with the Megamorph card—and since my life points are lower than yours, this will double my dragon's ATK power!"

And so it was, for as Seta played the Megamorph card, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon seemed to grow in height, growling with intense menace as its ATK flew up to 6000! "All right, now! Blue-Eyes—use White Lightning and obliterate the Chaos Sorcerer!" Seta ordered. And the Blue-Eyes did just that, blasting a larger-than-usual energy blast at Chaos Sorcerer and tearing him in half, reducing Raven to 1900!

"Now, how about THAT?" Seta demanded, clearly enjoying himself now.

Raven narrowed his eyes as he observed the newly-changed stats. _Shit…he's brought down my life points by so much – and his Blue-Eyes White Dragon is so much stronger now thanks to that Megamorph card! If I don't get a good card next turn, he'll be able to wipe me out entirely!_

Gritting his teeth, Raven drew another card…and his face lit up when he saw what it was. "Well, well, well…looks like fortune's still on my side, after all," he grinned. "All right, Seta…time for you to meet a certain beast – a beast that'll bury you deep!"

"Oh, yeah? What could you possibly have that could stand up to my Blue-Eyes White Dragon as it is now?" scoffed Seta.

"Just watch and see!" Raven prepared to play the card. "Now, I'll remove another Light monster and another Dark monster from my Graveyard to Special Summon this beast…Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning (ATK 3000, DEF 2500), in Defense Mode!"

Seta raised his eyebrows. "Huh?"

Suddenly, as the Chaos Sorcerer and another of the Cyber Dragons floated out of Raven's Graveyard, there materialized on the field Raven's massive armored soldier. "This guy's got two effects, as you may recall," Raven reminded his opponent. "Either I can have him remove one monster on the field from play, at the expense of him not being able to attack this turn…or, if he destroys a monster in battle, he can attack once again in a row. And right now, the first effect is the one I'm gonna use!"

The Envoy of the Beginning dashed forward and sliced the Blue-Eyes White Dragon in half, destroying it and removing it from play. "So, Seta…next turn, no matter what you do, I _will_ win this battle!" Raven crowed. "So, you'd better prepare yourself!"

Seta looked at the Envoy of the Beginning, then looked rather anxiously at his deck. _As much as I hate to admit it…if I can't get a good card this turn, Raven will really finish me! Please, c'mon…let me get something decent at least!_

Then he drew.

"Heh…got something useless, did you?" Raven sneered. "Well, all you need to do is end your turn, and then…"

"You're rushing things, aren't you?" Seta remarked. "Sorry, Raven, but I'm not ending my turn just yet…first, I'll set one monster in Defense Mode, then one card facedown, and THEN I'll end my turn."

Carefully Raven drew his next card. _Hmmm…this COULD come in handy, just in case…_ "I'll set one card facedown. All right, Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning, attack!"

The Envoy rushed forward and slashed Seta's facedown monster in two, revealing it to be Peten the Dark Clown (ATK 500, DEF 1200). But now Seta just smiled. "That was my infamous Peten the Dark Clown…when he's destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, I can remove him from play to Special Summon another Peten from my deck – and this one's coming in Defense Mode!"

Immediately another Peten the Dark Clown emerged on the field, blowing a raspberry at Raven. But Raven, of course, wasn't amused. "Well, my Soldier can still attack once again in a row after destroying a monster, so…go ahead, my monster – attack again!"

Again the Envoy slashed forward, decapitating the second Peten. But without missing a beat, Seta removed that one from play, and a moment later a third Peten emerged in Defense Mode. "Can't attack anymore, can you?" Seta jeered Raven. "You won't be getting rid of me so easily, sorry."

Raven shook his head. "Stubborn as always. Well, fine…I end my turn now."

The score now stood at Seta with 1200 life points, and Raven with 1900. Seta had on the field his third Peten the Dark Clown in Defense Mode and one card facedown; Raven had the Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning in Attack Mode and one card facedown. Seta held three cards in his hand; Raven had none in his hand yet again.

Seta drew again…and he smirked when he saw what he was holding in his hand. "Fortune favors the brave!" he chirped. "Now I'll activate the magic card Graceful Charity! This will allow me to draw three cards, after which I must discard two."

"La-de-da. Whatever," Raven grunted.

Seta quickly drew three cards – then did a double-take. _WHOA! Now, if THIS isn't fortune, what else is?_ He quickly chose his two cards to discard to the Graveyard, and slipped them into the designated slot in his Duel-Disk. "Now…I believe I'll activate a second Graceful Charity, to draw another three cards and then discard two again!"

"Draw all the cards out of your deck if you want—still won't be enough to bring me down," Raven grunted.

Again Seta went through the motions of the Graceful Charity card, drawing three and discarding two, so he was left with four. "Okay, Raven, prepare to say goodbye to any hope you have of winning!" he chuckled.

"Why?" Raven demanded.

"Watch and see! Now…I'll set two cards facedown, and then - I activate the magic card Monster Reborn, to revive my mighty Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" said Seta, playing the card from his hand. And then, a moment later his Blue-Eyes reappeared on the field, snarling in obvious rage at the Envoy of the Beginning.

"It's time for him to get his due vengeance!" Seta declared. "Now, I'll activate the magic card Burst Stream of Destruction! This will destroy every monster that's on your side of the field, but in exchange my Blue-Eyes can't attack this turn! Now…use your power, my dragon!"

Roaring, the Blue-Eyes blasted a massive wave of destructive energy from its mouth all over Raven's side of the field, reducing Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning to mere ash. "No! My soldier!" Raven exclaimed in horror.

"Now, what was that you were saying about having useless things?" Seta smirked.

Forcing himself to keep calm, Raven drew his next card. _Well, well…who would've thought I'd get THIS card so soon? Now, Seta…time to bring you down in the worst way!_

"Okay, Seta! Now…I'll offer one more Light monster and one more Dark monster to Special Summon my biggest surprise yet!" And as Raven spoke, two more silhouettes flew out of the Graveyard…Cyber End Dragon and – to Seta's surprise—D.D. Survivor (ATK 1800, DEF 200)!

"Wait a minute – when did D.D. Survivor get into the Graveyard?" Seta asked, dumbfounded.

"You forgot, I discarded a card for the effect of my Karma Cut trap card earlier," Raven reminded him. "Well, D.D. Survivor was the card I discarded for that. And now…say hello to my grandest beast of all: Chaos Emperor Dragon – Envoy of the End (ATK 3000, DEF 2500)!"

Suddenly a massive dragon with red hair, a long neck, a muscular body, green and silver scales, and a vicious-looking tail emerged on the field. Seta stared in perfect amazement. "No way—you got THIS?" he exclaimed.

"Yes!" said Raven. "And he's going to be the death of you!"

"Well…sorry, but I've got other plans!" Seta snapped. "I activate my Crush Card trap card, offering my Peten the Dark Clown as a tribute to destroy that Chaos Emperor Dragon, as well as any monster with 1500 ATK or more that you draw in your next three turns!"

Suddenly, as Peten the Dark Clown disappeared, a powerful virus shot out of Seta's trap card and latched itself onto the Chaos Emperor Dragon. Raven watched in sickened disgust as that virus ate away at the dragon at a rapid pace, leaving nothing but an empty skeleton behind!

"I'm not taking that sitting down!" Raven declared acidly. "Now, I'll activate my facedown trap card – Return from the Different Dimension! By paying half my life points, I can Special Summon as many of my monsters as possible that have been removed from play to my side of the field! So – come forth, my great and terrible legion!"

In a moment Raven's life points shot down to 950 – and then, five monster silhouettes appeared on his side of the field and took shape. They were D.D. Assailant, D.D. Survivor, the two removed Cyber Dragons, and the mighty Cyber End Dragon! "This armada will destroy you and your Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" Raven howled in victory. "Cyber End Dragon…lead the charge and obliterate him!"

Cyber End Dragon's three heads charged up particle energy, ready to blast the Blue-Eyes White Dragon into oblivion. But suddenly Seta cried out: "Not quite, Raven! I'll activate my two facedown Quick-play Magic cards – two Rush Recklessly cards! Each will increase the ATK of my Blue-Eyes by 700 points till the end of this turn – which will put him at 4400, more than enough to fend off your Cyber End Dragon!"

Raven's face turned ghastly white. "…no way…!"

But that was what happened – the Blue-Eyes charged up its own beam and blasted it right as Cyber End Dragon blasted its own attack. The two attacks collided with each other, creating such a devastating shockwave that both Seta and Raven were flung back! Shigeo and Honey had to duck down in their seats and cover their heads to shield against the massive force of the shockwave!

"Intense!" Shigeo exclaimed.

"Raven! Seta!" screamed Honey.

Then, by and by, the smoke cleared…and as Seta and Raven slowly stood up, both looked at the field. Blue-Eyes White Dragon was still standing, but as for the Cyber End Dragon – a hole had been blasted right through its core!

"Impossible…" Raven choked out, even as his life points dropped to 550. He gulped. "I…I end my turn."

Immediately the Blue-Eyes's ATK went back down from 4400 to 3000, and all of the remaining monsters on Raven's side of the field vanished – except for D.D. Survivor, who had somehow been switched into Defense Mode. "If he's face-up on the field and removed from play, during the End Phase of the same turn he's Special Summoned to your side of the field," Seta noted. "I know his effect well."

Seta drew another card. "Now…I summon Kaiser Sea Horse (ATK 1700, DEF 1650) in Attack Mode!" And then a moment later his seahorse creature appeared beside the Blue-Eyes. "Blue-Eyes, destroy D.D. Survivor! White Lightning!"

A blast of lightning energy shot D.D. Survivor's body into pieces. "Well…looks like this is it," Seta chuckled. "But hey, Raven…I have to admit…you really have improved."

Raven, on the other side of the field, had his eyes overshadowed by his brow. Then he looked up, a small smirk on his mouth. "Do your worst, Seta Kaiba…and keep your promise to Yugo. Go on."

Seta nodded. "Kaiser Sea Horse, attack directly!"

Kaiser Sea Horse rushed forward with its spear, right toward Raven, then thrust forward with the point – which only barely grazed Raven's cheek, as his life points went down all the way to 0. "Enough, Raven," Seta said quietly. "This rivalry ends now."

Raven sighed and nodded endorsement. "Yeah…it does. You truly are the better duelist, Seta."

"Well…that's the end of that…" Shigeo sighed.

Honey nodded. "Yeah…Seta won…and my brother lost…but somehow…"

Shigeo looked at her. "What…?"

On Honey's face was a small tear rolling down her cheek. "Somehow…I don't feel truly sad for Raven…" she whispered. "In fact…I feel happy. Happy to know that he's willing to really bury the hatchet…that he has really and truly matured…that he's become stronger…"

Honey bowed her head and sighed. _Big brother…I'm so proud of you._

----------

**_neomage:_** So, folks, that brings the Seta vs. Raven duel to a close at last. But Dueltropolis isn't over yet – in fact, it's just beginning!

(neomage lays on the ground, two cans of fruit punch Fruta in his hands—and drunk)

neomage: Maaaaaaaaan…am I hung _over…_

(yamikriz and rampagerkriz glance at each other)

yamikriz: How can one get hung over…after drinking a completely non-alcoholic beverage?

rampagerkriz: With neomage, anything is possible.

(Miriku and Kimiru lay nearby, swirls in their eyes)

Miriku: …natural sugar…too much natural sugar…

Kimiru: …must…have…artificial…sweetener…

yamikriz: Note to self – Do not let these two crazy girls within fifty feet of the pantry.

NEXT CHAPTER'S COMING! REVIEW SOON, PLEASE!


	193. Chapter 193

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER:I have no ties to Kazuki Takahashi, the original guy behind the whole miracle that is Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**CHAPTER 193**

DUELTROPOLIS

The holograms slowly disappeared from the field, even as Seta and Raven continued to stand opposite each other on the stage. "Hey, you guys…come down from there, the duel's done now," Shigeo urged as he stood up and walked up to where they stood.

Honey got up and went up to the stage, climbing the steps and walking over to where her brother stood. "Raven…you OK?" she whispered.

He nodded. "Man…that was SUCH a close duel…if it hadn't been for those moves Seta pulled off, I'd have had this battle in the bag."

"Hey, don't sell yourself short," Seta's voice reached him. "There were quite a few times when I was sure I was going to lose…quite frankly, you surprised me, Raven. You may probably have what it takes to make it big someday."

"Heh…coming from you, that's a compliment," Raven chuckled.

"Well, now," said Shigeo, joining them on the stage. "As of this moment, two of us here in this theater have qualified to go on to the next round – Seta and me. That just means we need to wait until we've been given our opponents' numbers for our next duels, I think."

"Yeah, that's about right," said Seta. "So…instead of hanging around this old theater any longer, what do you guys say we go and find someplace more populated to hang out? Because I could certainly use some food right about now."

"Sounds like a plan," Honey nodded.

----------

ELSEWHERE IN DUELTROPOLIS, AT THAT MOMENT

The hot spring bath was isolated in an enclosed, shaded area, since it was mid-morning and the sun was pretty hot by itself. Steam rose from the water in numerous small clouds. By the sides of the bath were small patches of different plants; hanging overhead were some rather tall trees, providing shade from the added heat of the sun while at the same time filtering the rays from said light source. All around the bath itself, there was a stone walkway with benches for resting one's bathing towels. And, not far away was a small hut for changing into and out of one's clothing.

Miki and Ms. Wong entered the hut, followed by a lady attendant carrying several towels. "Wow…my first time at a hot spring bath," Miki marveled.

"I hear they're pretty prevalent in Japan; I'm surprised you haven't been to one before now," remarked Ms. Wong.

"I guess, it is a bit of a surprise, but…my dad said he wouldn't let me near those baths till I'm 16," said Miki, giggling. "I guess he's afraid of peeping toms spying on me or something."

"Well, here you won't have to worry about any peeping toms, dear," said Ms. Wong. "As I explained to you on the way over, the men's bath is distanced a good way away from this one. And, in any case, Pegasus set up a very poisonous rule: anyone who tries to peep on the opposite sex's bath will be banned for life from visiting Duelist Kingdom Island and its facilities – and as you can figure, there's nobody stupid enough to risk that kind of punishment, considering what this island has to offer for visitors."

The attendant set the towels on a table nearby, then bowed to Ms. Wong. "If you need anything, just come inside here and call," and she indicated a telephone on the wall close by.

"Thank you very much," Ms. Wong nodded. "That will be all for now."

The girl bowed again, then turned and exited the hut. Ms. Wong turned and nodded to Miki. "So, you ready?"

"I…I guess," Miki admitted. "I'm just a little nervous, that's all…"

"About undressing in front of me?" Ms. Wong asked kindly. "Well, we're both women here, so it's not a problem for me…but if it makes you more comfortable, we could change back-to-back, or I could wait outside till you have your towel on."

"Um…n-no, that's okay, I guess," said Miki, feeling quite flushed. "If you're comfortable with it, there shouldn't be any reason why I can't."

"Okay, then, since you say so," and with that Ms. Wong stepped back a little and kicked off her shoes, then began to unbutton her dress.

----------

A few minutes later both women emerged from the hut, right near to the bath. Both were wearing towels securely tied around their bodies; Ms. Wong had a smaller one tying her hair into a secure bundle. "So, now we take a nice invigorating dip into the hot spring," she said cheerfully.

"Um…are we allowed to go into the bath with the towels on?" Miki asked.

"No, dear," said Ms. Wong. "Visitors are encouraged to keep the towels as dry as possible, and to use them only for drying off once we've finished with the bath."

Miki turned a shade of pink; Ms. Wong noticed. "Here's what we can do," the older woman suggested. "I'll turn my back and wait till you're in the pool; then I'll follow afterwards. Is that okay?"

"S-sure, thanks," Miki answered quietly.

Ms. Wong then turned her back to the younger girl, waiting patiently. She heard the noise of the towel as it hit the ground; then she heard the small splashes of the bath water as Miki carefully stepped in. Then: "Okay…you can come now."

"All right, dear," Ms. Wong replied. "I'm dropping my towel now."

Miki, already in the bath with the water up to her shoulders, looked steadfastly in one direction while right behind her Ms. Wong dropped her towel. Then, after a moment, Miki noticed a bare leg stepping into the bath; she promptly looked the other way, waiting till she was sure it was safe to turn back. When she did turn and look again, Ms. Wong was in the water, also up to her shoulders.

"A bit bashful, weren't we now?" Ms. Wong asked, smiling kindly. "Never seen other girls without clothing?"

"Well…um…only my mom, and that's 'cause she and I used to bathe together when I was really little," admitted Miki. "Oh, and a couple of the girls in the locker room at school, too. But, it's just…you're a stranger, and, well, it would just be improper."

"You needn't worry, sweetie," said Ms. Wong. "I'm actually something of a nudist at heart…if it were my choice, I'd rather go without clothes at all." She giggled. "Just don't tell Pegasus or Mr. Devlin I said so."

"Yeah," and now Miki was laughing a little, feeling more at ease now.

A moment of silence followed, during which the two just soaked in the water, getting more used to its hot temperature by the minute. Then Ms. Wong thought to ask a question. "So, tell me, Miki…about your friends – Yugo Muto and the others, I mean."

"What about them?" asked Miki.

"You said that they taught you how to play Duel Monsters, and that they inspired you," Ms. Wong elaborated. "I'd like to know more about that. What is it about them?"

"Well…in all honesty, they weren't the first ones to inspire me to start playing," Miki admitted. "It was my mom and dad…and Mr. Devlin, too. They gave me the first three Duel Monster cards I ever had…told me stories of the duels they'd witnessed and participated in…and it all seemed so exciting to me, but…I couldn't ask any of them to teach me how to play, since all of them were always busy with their company, Devlin & Taylor. And then, my family moved to Domino City, and I met my friends…and they helped me to build a great deck, with some of their own cards."

"Sacrifice," remarked Ms. Wong. "Yes. That's definitely one of the marks of true friendship. Your friends gave you cards out of their own stock…and so, you must treasure those cards dearly, correct?"

"Yes, I do," said Miki.

Ms. Wong sighed. "I know of each of you from the Kaibacorp Challenge Cup and the Intercontinental tournament held not too long ago," she admitted. "Four underdogs, taking the dueling scene by storm in your own individual ways. Oh, sure, I've seen lots of wannabes and so-called experts in my time…but you four are different. I have no doubt that you'll all get far in the world of Duel Monsters, even if it's not during this Dueltropolis tournament."

"Thank you," replied Miki.

Another period of silence. Then Ms. Wong looked sideways at Miki. "Miki, dear…may I ask you a personal question?"

Miki looked questioningly at her. "Um…sure, I guess. What is it?"

Now Ms. Wong looked directly at her. "Kyo…what is it about him? What attracted you to him?" she asked, very quietly. "I ask because, every time he's mentioned, you seem to blush quite readily. What makes him so worthwhile?"

Miki looked back at her, some surprise in her eyes. Then she looked down at the water gently lapping on her neck. "Kyo…"

Ms. Wong waited.

Miki sighed deeply. "I guess…it was his confession…and the nature of his confession…when he first told me he liked me." She smiled a little. "I'd just lost my match in the Kaibacorp Challenge Cup…my very first real duel…and I was so badly hurt that I had to be put in the medical ward. He came to see me…and, as much as he was kinda shy about it, he still confessed. It…helped me to admit to my own little crush that I'd had on him from the first day we met."

"I see…so, is that it?" asked Ms. Wong.

"No…there's a little more…" Miki rubbed her nose. "Kyo and I have no secrets from each other. I know his faults, his sins, his guilt…he's not afraid to point out my own flaws to me, to say when I am wrong and to show me where and why I'm wrong. And, there's something else, too – we're willing to sacrifice ourselves to protect each other. Oh, I know Yugo and Jenna would risk a lot to protect me, or to protect Kyo, and we'd both do the same for them…I guess it's just how he and I feel about each other that makes what we do for each other so meaningful."

Ms. Wong's eyes were grave. "Then answer me this. What if he got up tomorrow and told you he wanted to be with someone else?"

Miki's hair partially overshadowed her eyes. "Well…if he did meet somebody else, and she could make him more happy than I could…then so be it. I only want for him to be happy, Ms. Wong…that's why I'll do whatever's necessary to make that happen. And I don't doubt that he would do the same for me, too. That's the kind of person he is, after all."

Ms. Wong looked at the young girl for a long moment. Slowly a smile crept over her face. "Miki…if that boy should get married someday, I have no doubt you would definitely be the one for him."

Miki looked startled; she blushed brightly. "Ms. Wong…I…"

Ms. Wong patted Miki on the shoulder. "How about we finish soaking here in the hot spring bath…and then you and I can go look for your friends. I'd really like to meet the three of them in person."

Now Miki smiled. "Sure thing."

----------

ELSEWHERE IN DUELTROPOLIS, AT THAT MOMENT

Yugo was walking along a paved pathway; it was paved in the sense that it was built using bricks. "The yellow brick road, without yellow bricks," he chuckled to himself.

After a moment he happened upon an isolated water cooler. "Whew…a good place to refill my thermos," he grinned. "After camping out in the woods last night, everything Grandma had packed for me finished so quickly…at least now I can get some refreshment…"

He swiftly headed over to the cooler, pulling out the empty thermos as he did so. Pressing the knob on the cooler, Yugo was rewarded with a spray of – Kool-Aid? "Huh? Kool-Aid…coming from a water cooler? Hey, pretty neat!" Yugo exclaimed, stars shining in his eyes.

"Kool-Aid from the cooler, huh? Nice!"

Turning at the sound of the voice behind him, Yugo was amazed to see a familiar face. "Hey there…Natasha, was it? What brings you all the way out here?"

Indeed, it was Natasha Truesdale standing there, her hair tossed about a little by the breeze. "Nice to see you again," she addressed him. "I've been walking about a little while, trying to find my challenger for this round in the tournament, but so far no luck. How about you—have you dueled already?"

"No, I haven't yet," admitted Yugo. "Oh, that's right—I should be filling up my thermos."

As Natasha watched, Yugo caught a little liquid in the thermos, then shook it vigorously to wash out the remains of the hot chocolate that had been there before. Then he held down the knob and caught as much of the Kool-Aid as the thermos would hold, momentarily bending himself down to get a drink. "Cherry flavor," he noted, standing back up once he'd drunk his fill. "Over here, Natasha—it's really great."

"Thanks," said Natasha, and she came over to the cooler and drank her share of the Kool-Aid that spouted out. "Pretty nice gag by the folks here."

"Yeah…the only drawback being that they have to refill it every now and again, I believe," and Yugo laughed.

"So, um…you're on your own right now, right? You haven't found your friends?" Natasha asked.

"Nope," sighed Yugo. "Still, I'm not giving up just yet. I know I'll find them soon…I just hope I don't have to duel any of them."

"Uh…may I walk with you? It's been pretty lonely walking by myself up to now," said Natasha.

"Sure," said Yugo. "Just please tell me one thing…tell me you're not Duelist number 30."

"No, I'm not," said Natasha.

Yugo heaved a sigh of relief. "Oh, that's good. Okay, let's go, then."

"Sure!" Natasha said brightly.

----------

PEGASUS'S CASTLE, AT THE SAME TIME

Mr. Devlin, Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki, Mr. Von Schroeder and Mr. Truesdale were all sitting in Pegasus's dining room together, watching the progress of Dueltropolis on the big-screen before them. "Well, I dare say, it's been very interesting so far," said Mr. Von Schroeder. "Especially the last duel, between Seta and Raven."

"I'm just sad Kaiba wasn't here to see it," said Mr. Devlin. "In fact, shouldn't he be here by now?"

"You know Kaiba – always has to make a grand entrance," giggled Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki.

"Well, where the hell is Pegasus, anyway? It shouldn't take _this_ long for somebody just to go and use the bathroom!" sulked Mr. Truesdale.

Then he noticed the others looking right at him. "What?"

"Um…" Mr. Devlin pointed.

Raising an eyebrow, Mr. Truesdale slowly turned – and his hair stood on end. Pegasus himself was standing right behind him, a smirk on his face. "What's the matter, dear Zane?" Pegasus quipped. "Do you need to go so badly that you can't hold it in?"

"…um…never mind…" Mr. Truesdale sank down in his seat.

Pegasus came around and resumed his seat. "Well, anyway, in a little while I intend to go and interrogate that girl, Laurel Strong," he announced. "She's been placed in a separate cell from Regina Brissett, yes?"

"Indeed," said Mr. Devlin. "Let me know when you're ready to go talk to her, Pegasus. I want to question her, too."

Presently Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki looked up at the screen. "Zane, isn't that your daughter up there?"

Mr. Truesdale looked up automatically. "Why, yes, it _is_ her," he acknowledged. "And she seems to be walking with Yugo Muto…"

"This should be interesting," chuckled Mr. Von Schroeder.

----------

BACK IN DUELTROPOLIS

Yugo and Natasha continued to walk together; he was looking up at the clouds in the sky, while she was taking note of the wide-open area where they now walked. "I wonder how soon it will be before we find the ones we're supposed to duel against?" Natasha remarked.

"Not too long from now, I'm willing to wager," replied Yugo. "Personally, I can't wait to see just who my opponent in this first round is going to be. And…whoever it is, I hope they're strong."

"You…like strong opponents?" Natasha asked, looking at him.

"Yep! Dueling strong opponents always helps me to get better at the game!" Yugo replied cheerfully. "And it doesn't matter if I win or lose…as long as I can know that they've got some good skills!"

Natasha sighed and looked away. "In that case…if you and I were to duel now, I wouldn't last one minute against you."

"Huh?" Yugo looked at Natasha in surprise. "Hey, hey, hey—why do you say something like that?"

Suddenly, before Natasha could reply, a booming voice caused both of them to jump with a start. "Which one of you is Duelist number 26?"

_That voice…_ Natasha turned to look, and her eyes widened immediately. "James!"

Indeed, it was her older brother, standing only meters away, right next to a set of trees where he'd very likely been hiding. "Hello to you, too, sister dear," he said in an acidic voice.

----------

**_neomage:_** Sorry, perverted people out there, but nothing of _that_ nature was going to take place between Miki and Vivian, or else my story would be immediately banned for placement under the wrong story rating. And now…James confronts Yugo and Natasha! Stay tuned for the next chapter to see what happens!


	194. Chapter 194

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER:** (plays saxophone with jazz expertise)** neomage doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh! And no, neomage doesn't really own a saxophone, nor does he know how to play. He's willing to learn, though…)

**CHAPTER 194**

PEGASUS'S CASTLE

"Hey…look at that…" Mr. Von Schroeder looked at the screen with great interest.

"Yo, Truesdale…isn't that your son?" Mr. Devlin asked.

Everyone turned to look at Mr. Truesdale. His hair was overshadowing his eyes. "This…is not good," he mumbled. "Please, God, don't let James be Natasha's opponent…"

"Huh?" Pegasus, Mr. Devlin and Mr. Von Schroeder looked at each other.

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki looked intently at the screen. _James…Natasha…_

----------

DUELTROPOLIS, AT THAT VERY MOMENT

James stepped forward toward Yugo and Natasha, his eyes burning with intent. "I ask again. Which of you is Duelist number 26?" he asked.

Natasha blushed. "Um….th-that would be me," she stammered.

"Figures." James spat at the ground. "My first duel of this crummy competition, and it had to be against a pathetic weakling like you."

"Hey! That's no way to talk to your sister!" Yugo snapped.

James shot him a piercing stare. "Back off, punk," he hissed. "This is none of your business!"

"Really? Well, I'm gonna make it my business!" Yugo snarled.

"Please, Yugo…"

"Huh?" Yugo looked at Natasha in bewilderment. "Natasha?"

Natasha sighed. "James is right…this doesn't concern you now. He is my opponent…I am his opponent. This is an official tournament duel…nobody should interfere."

"At least you have some sense," James grunted, no humor on his face. "Now, Natasha, get your Duel-Disk ready. And YOU…" He pointed a finger at Yugo. "You want to be a spectator, I don't care – but if you do so much as lift a finger to interfere, I'll break your face."

"Trying to intimidate me?" Yugo asked, his eyes narrowed into slits. "Fine, I'll just watch…but don't think that means I'm afraid of you, buddy boy."

Then he turned to Natasha. "Natasha…I don't know what's happening between the two of you, but don't let him get away with what he's just said. And don't let him bully you, either. Kick his butt."

"Uh…um, okay," Natasha nodded.

Yugo walked over to the nearby trees and leaned against one of them, his eyes watching the two siblings. James scoffed and reached into his jacket for his cards and Duel-Disk. "Natasha…if you know what's good for you, you'll forfeit this match now."

Natasha shook her head. "I'm sorry, big brother…but you know I can't do that. My grade for this year is counting on how well I do in this tournament."

"As if the grades for a pathetic Osiris Red student will mean anything," said James. "Students of Osiris Red are nothing but a hopeless cause. I fail to see why even Principal Yuki would bother to waste his time with you guys."

On the sidelines, Yugo raised an eyebrow. _Man, this guy sure seems to hate the folks of Osiris Red…but why?_

Then James pulled out his Duel-Disk…and it automatically caught one's eye, in that the body of it was designed to resemble a shield. Strapping the odd-looking Duel-Disk on his arm, he placed his cards in the deck slot and waited for Natasha to ready her own Duel-Disk. Then: "Heed my warning…just because I'm your brother doesn't mean in the slightest that I'm going to be gentle with you. Before this duel is over, you're going to learn that no Osiris Red student will ever have the potential to defeat anyone in Obelisk Blue."

Natasha now scowled. "I may not be able to defeat you," she admitted, "but at least I won't go down without a fight!"

James shook his head. "So be it."

----------

PEGASUS'S CASTLE, AT THAT MOMENT

"Damn it all…they ARE slated to duel against each other…" Mr. Truesdale muttered.

"Would someone care to explain what is the problem here?" demanded Mr. Devlin.

"I'll explain," said Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki. "When my husband became principal of Duel Academy, he abolished the pseudo class system that existed among the three dorms at the school. At the time, students were admitted into Osiris Red, Ra Yellow, or Obelisk Blue upon application to the Academy, depending on how well they did in the entrance exams…and Osiris Red was the worst dorm, while Obelisk Blue was the dorm with all the elites, and Ra Yellow was right in between. The system at the school is very different now that my husband is principal, but…you still have some people there who yearn for the old days. And, sad to say, it would seem James is one of those."

Everyone turned to look at Mr. Truesdale. "Look…I know what you're thinking," he growled. "No, I did not bring up my son to think like that."

"Well, whether you did or not, the fact is that he IS thinking like that," Mr. Von Schroeder pointed out. "And if you didn't teach him that attitude, _somebody_ did."

Mr. Truesdale looked up at the screen again…and only then noticed something odd. _James…that Duel-Disk…shaped like a medieval shield…why are you wearing such a strange— _Suddenly his eyes widened in horror. _Oh, my God, don't tell me…!_

----------

BACK IN DUELTROPOLIS

"Now, let's do this!" James activated his strange-looking Duel-Disk; at once, the "shield" split in two, with the two halves joining together just as a regular Duel-Disk would.

Natasha activated her own Duel-Disk. "Sure."

The holographic coin appeared on the field and was flipped. "I will call it! Tails!" declared James.

Then the coin landed…and indeed it was tails. "I will go first, then," said James, and they both drew their first five cards.

Nearby, Yugo watched with a frown on his face. _I wonder what kind of deck strategies they'll use? Well…in any case, Natasha, be careful…_

James drew a sixth card to begin. "First, I'll summon Sangan (ATK 1000, DEF 600) in Attack Mode!" Then he brought forth an orange creature with green limbs and a hideous grin on its face. "Then I'll set one card facedown, and end my turn."

Natasha drew a card. "Um…I'll set one monster in Defense Mode," and she placed a monster card facedown. "Then…I'll end my turn."

"Hmph. Like that'll stop me." James drew another card. "Now, I summon Avatar of the Pot (ATK 1200, DEF 1300)!"

In a moment a green-skinned creature emerged on his side of the field. "And when Avatar of the Pot is on the field, I can send one Pot of Greed card from my hand to the Graveyard to draw three cards from my deck!" Then, sending one card to the Graveyard, he promptly drew another three and added them to his hand. "Now, Avatar of the Pot, attack her facedown monster!"

Avatar of the Pot jumped forward, stomping on the facedown monster and revealing it to be Cycroid (ATK 800, DEF 1000), a bicycle with an eye in place of a headlight and hands instead of handlebars. Cycroid was immediately smashed in two; Natasha flinched when she saw this.

"Still using that pathetic Vehicroid deck, Natasha?" James scowled in obvious disgust. "At least I was hoping you would've left all that baby stuff behind years ago."

Yugo raised an eyebrow. _Vehicroid deck?_

"You can laugh at my deck all you want, James," said Natasha, "but there's a lot more strength behind my Vehicroid deck than you realize!"

"Oh, and that's why you always get stomped by even your own Osiris Red classmates?" James mockingly quizzed. "Don't make me laugh. Okay, Sangan, you're up – ram her!"

Sangan bounded forward, slamming into Natasha's chest with brutal force and reducing her life points to 7000. "Hmph…and with that, I'll end my turn for now," said James.

Rubbing her chest where Sangan had rammed her, Natasha drew another card. "Okay…I'll summon Jetroid (ATK 1200, DEF 1800) in Attack Mode!" She called forth a red jet with eyes. "Go and attack Sangan! Jet Sonics!"

Jetroid flew up into the sky, then came down in a swift nosedive, blasting by Sangan with such force that the sonic boom ripped the orange fiend into pieces. But even as his life points went down to 7800, James shook his head. "When Sangan is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, its effect lets me take one monster with 1500 ATK or less from my deck, add it to my hand, then shuffle my deck."

Yugo frowned. _Wait…where have I seen this strategy before…?_

James thumbed through his deck for a card, found one, added it to his hand, then shuffled his deck. "Oh, yeah, that's right—I'm supposed to show you the card that I select for Sangan's effect, right? Well, here it is…" And he held up the card for Natasha to see.

Natasha froze and turned pale when she saw what the card was. "Oh, no…"

"That's right," said James. "It's the Right Leg of the Forbidden One (ATK 200, DEF 300)!"

Yugo recoiled when he heard that. _SHIT – This guy's pushing an _Exodia_ deck?_

In his mind, images of Keisuke Odachi, Jude Lassiter and JUDAS flashed before him. _This is crazy! If this guy's using Exodia, that means…_ "Natasha! Be careful!" he cried out.

James looked sideways at him and scowled. "I thought I told you not to interfere!" he snapped.

"So? What you're doing is cruel – and to your own sister at that!" Yugo snapped back.

"What are you talking about?" asked James. "When you're playing Duel Monsters, there is no sister, brother, cousin or friend. The battlefield doesn't distinguish between friend and foe, kid…never has, never will. So all that crap about being friends outside the arena doesn't cut it."

"Like you would know!" Yugo snarled. "Don't listen to him, Natasha! Just fight your hardest, that's all!"

Natasha nodded. Then she turned her attention back to James. "Okay, bro…I don't have any other moves right now, so…I'll end my turn."

James scoffed as he drew his next card. "Whatever. I summon Mystic Tomato (ATK 1400, DEF 1100) in Attack Mode!" And he brought to the field a sinister-looking vegetable with eyes, a nose and sharp teeth. "Attack and destroy her Jetroid!"

Mystic Tomato bounded forward, its fangs glistening—but suddenly a massive device resembling a cannon emerged on Natasha's side of the field, and the tomato found itself lodged in the barrel! "What the…!" James exploded.

"At the time Jetroid is targeted for an attack, its effect allows me to activate Trap cards from my hand," said Natasha. "And I chose to activate the trap card, Compulsory Evacuation Device. Now, one monster on the field will be returned to its owner's hand…and I choose your Mystic Tomato."

The Compulsory Evacuation Device pointed upward and then fired, sending the hapless Mystic Tomato flying off into the sky. At the same time, the Mystic Tomato card popped out of James's Duel-Disk, and with great distaste he snatched it back into his hand. "Fine, I'll end my turn now, but I'll DEFINITELY make you pay for that—you won't make a fool of me!" he yelled.

"Um…you're holding too many cards in your hand right now…" Natasha ventured.

"I KNOW THAT!" James roared. He was holding eight cards in his hand, including his newly-returned Mystic Tomato; he promptly discarded two to the Graveyard so that now he held six, according to game rules. "Don't you DARE try to lecture me on the rules of this game, Natasha! I know far more than you ever will in five years about Duel Monsters!"

James now had 7800 life points, while Natasha had 7000 flat. James held six cards in hand, presumably including his Mystic Tomato and the Right Leg of the Forbidden One; Natasha, on the other hand, had four in hand. On the field James had Avatar of the Pot in Attack Mode and one card facedown; Natasha had Jetroid in Attack Mode.

Natasha drew her next card. "Okay, um…I'll summon Steamroid (ATK 1800, DEF 1800)!" She then summoned a very cartoonish locomotive, making it appear beside her Jetroid. "Attack his monster, Steamroid!"

Steamroid charged forward at full speed, running Avatar of the Pot over and bringing James's life points down to – 6700! "WHAT!" he exploded.

"It's the effect of Steamroid," and Natasha pointed to her train monster – its ATK had inexplicably gone to 2300! "When it attacks a monster, Steamroid's ATK is increased by 500 during the Damage Step only." And, as if to prove her point, Steamroid's ATK went back to 1800.

"I know what it does, thank you very much," James growled.

"And now, your life points are wide open!" said Natasha. "Attack directly, Jetroid!" And Jetroid flew forward at supersonic speed and slammed into James, reducing his life points further to 5500.

"Hmph…don't think you're going to win just because you got in one lucky shot, Natasha," scowled James. "No inferior Osiris Red student is going to topple me, the Dueling Emperor of Duel Academy!"

"Dueling Emperor? That's a really haughty title, isn't it now?" Yugo wondered from the sidelines.

"Actually, he has it for a good reason," Natasha addressed him. "You know now that he's got an Exodia deck. Ever since he got it, nobody at Duel Academy's been able to defeat him…not even any of the other Obelisk Blue students."

"And that's how it's going to stay as long as I'm at Duel Academy!" said James.

Yugo crossed his arms. "Sorry, but things and times change. Natasha…don't give up yet! You can still beat him if you just push a little harder!"

Natasha looked at him. _Push a little harder…that's exactly the same thing Janus would say…_ A small smile crossed her lips. "Yugo…thanks."

"HEY! Are you done? The duel's right HERE!" James growled, clearly irritated.

"Uh—oh, yeah." Natasha looked at the four cards in her hand. "All right, then. I'll set two cards facedown, and end my turn."

James drew another card. "I'll set one monster in Defense Mode," he announced, playing his monster card on the field. Then he looked through the six cards left in his hand and selected one. "And now, I'll activate the magic card, Good Goblin Housekeeping!"

A goblin in tattered clothing appeared beside James, wielding what appeared to be an accounting book. "This card," James explained, "allows me to draw from my deck a number of cards equal to the number of 'Good Goblin Housekeeping' cards in my Graveyard, plus one extra. Then, I must select one card from my hand and return it to the bottom of my deck. And, since I have one other Good Goblin Housekeeping card in my Graveyard from when I had to discard at the end of my turn, I get to draw two cards from my deck!"

He promptly drew his two cards, so now he held seven in his hand. Then, looking through his hand, he selected one card and stuffed it at the very bottom of his deck. "Now, I'll set another card facedown, and end my turn."

Natasha groaned softly as she drew her next card – and then her heart skipped a beat. "Okay! I summon Drillroid (ATK 1600, DEF 1600) in Attack Mode!" And she brought forth a drilling machine with a face, and a big grin upon that face. "Go Drillroid – attack that facedown monster now!"

Drillroid drove forward, its front drill spinning wildly as it rammed James's facedown monster. Flipped face-up, it was revealed to be Skelengel (ATK 900, DEF 400), an invisible angel with visible wings, hands and feet, a halo, and a bow and arrow. "When Drillroid attacks a Defense Mode monster, that monster is immediately destroyed without damage calculation being applied," said Natasha, and Drillroid's drill tore through Skelengel's body.

"Too bad it doesn't make facedown monsters not flip face-up," James taunted. "For Skelengel's flip effect allows me to draw one card from my deck." And he promptly drew a card so now he held six.

Natasha nodded grimly. "Well, in any event, my other Vehicroids can still attack you directly! Go, Steamroid, Jetroid!" And Steamroid raced forward, knocking James over with violent force and reducing him to 3700; then Jetroid blasted past him, knocking him down with its sonic boom and bringing his life points down further to 2500.

"And now, I'll end my turn," Natasha finished.

Growling with intense menace as he got back up, James drew his next card—and he did a double-take when he saw what it was. Then slowly his lips curved into a triumphant grin. "Oh, dear little sister," he spoke mockingly, "now I have here in my hand something that'll definitely spell the end of you…and then you're going to regret that you, a filthy Osiris Red student, ever got me, an Obelisk Blue elite, as your opponent in this tournament!"

----------

**_neomage:_** I modeled James's behavior after what I know about the Yu-Gi-Oh GX series and different characters' behavior toward the different dorms. Yes, he's acting like a jerk, especially toward his own little sister…but you ain't seen nothin' yet! Stay tuned for the next chapter and see what happens!


	195. Chapter 195

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER:After this, it's five more chapters till the big extravaganza…and of course, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**CHAPTER 195**

DUELTROPOLIS

As the duel between the Truesdale siblings continued, the stats were shown thus: Natasha was in the lead with 7000 life points, while James now had 2500. James held seven cards in hand, having just drawn; Natasha held two. On the field Natasha had Steamroid, Jetroid and Drillroid, all in Attack Mode, plus she had two cards facedown…meanwhile, James had only two facedown cards.

"Now, then…first, I'll re-summon Mystic Tomato to the field in Attack Mode!" James declared, and a moment later his sinister monster was back, growling between clenched teeth. "And he's not very happy about the way you ejected him from the field a while back, Natasha."

"Uh-huh…" Natasha gulped nervously.

"And next…" James held up another card. "I'll activate the magic card, Painful Choice! This will allow me to select five cards from my deck…then I'll show the five cards to you, you get to choose which one will remain in my hand…and the rest will be sent to the Graveyard!"

Immediately he pulled his deck out of its slot, quickly thumbed through it, and selected five cards. Then, holding them up for Natasha to see, he declared, "And now…time to choose!"

Natasha looked at the cards James was holding up. The five cards he'd chosen were Goblin of Greed (ATK 1000, DEF 1800), Left Arm of the Forbidden One (ATK 200, DEF 300), Graceful Charity, Premature Burial, and Backup Soldier. "Um…" Natasha thought hard. "Okay…I'll allow you to keep Goblin of Greed in your hand."

"Then Goblin of Greed it is!" James sent the other cards to the Graveyard promptly. To himself he added smugly, _Now, I have one piece of Exodia in my hand – the Right Leg of Exodia – but that'll change, soon and very soon!_

Natasha took her turn, drawing a card so she now had three in hand. "All right…Steamroid, go! Attack the Mystic Tomato!"

Steamroid charged forward, tooting its horn as it rushed forward. But James shook his head. "Bad move! I activate my trap card, Wall of Revealing Light!"

Suddenly a massive wall of light shot up on the field, as Steamroid halted in its tracks. "When this card is activated, I get to pay any number of life points in multiples of 1000," said James. "After that, no monster with ATK equal to or less than the life points I pay can attack me. And I'll offer up 2000 life points so that none of your pathetic monsters can touch me!" And his life points went down to just 500.

"Grrrr…okay, so my monsters can't do anything for now," said Natasha in a resigned voice. "I'll end my turn, in that case." And to herself she added, _Steamroid could've made it in, but…I don't want to risk it, especially since he's got one other facedown card…and it could be another trap! No…I couldn't take that risk…I'm glad I decided to keep Steamroid from attacking again, after all._

On the sidelines, Yugo looked at the Wall of Revealing Light, slightly intrigued. _It's just like Kyo's trap card, for real…his life points are protected, and yet he can still attack from within! It's ALMOST perfect…but if only she could get a stronger monster onto the field, everything would be just so nice!_

Now James drew his next card. _Seven cards again…plus the Right Leg of Exodia…and she is so unlucky that I have THESE cards in my hand now! All right…it's time to show her where her place really is – under my heel!_

"All right, Natasha!" James announced aloud. "I'll activate the magic card Graceful Charity, to draw three cards and then discard two!" And as the silhouette of a green-robed angel appeared on the field momentarily, he was granted three cards…and his eye lit up when he saw what one of them was.

_Ah, good – the Left Leg of the Forbidden One _(ATK 200, DEF 300)_! This makes two! Three more to go…although one's in the Graveyard already, but I'll take care of that!_

"Now!" he continued as he discarded two cards for Graceful Charity's effect, to leave him with seven cards yet again. "Next, I'll offer my Mystic Tomato as a tribute to summon my great Airknight Parshath (ATK 1900, DEF 1400) in Attack Mode!"

Mystic Tomato vanished…and then in its place stood an angelic creature that, much to Yugo's disbelief, reminded him of the same Airknight Parshath that Kyo possessed in his deck. "What next?" Yugo groaned.

Natasha had a look of utter anxiety on her face. "Oh, great…you've got a stronger monster than I do on the field…"

"Yes!" said James. "And it's about to get even worse! Airknight Parshath, attack her Steamroid and destroy it!"

Airknight Parshath flew toward Steamroid as Natasha braced herself. But then all of a sudden – to Natasha's utter shock – Steamroid's ATK dropped sharply to 1300! "Huh?" was all she could manage as Airknight Parshath sliced through Steamroid with blades of light, bringing her life points down to 6400!

"What—you don't know your own monster's vulnerability?" James shook his head. "When Steamroid is attacked by a monster, its ATK is decreased by 500 points during the damage calculation. And now, there's my own monster's effect to resolve – when Airknight Parshath inflicts battle damage to my opponent, I get to draw one card from my deck."

So saying, he drew a card – and smirked when he saw what it was. _The Right Arm of the Forbidden One _(ATK 200, DEF 300)_! Now, it's only a matter of time…_ "Finally, I'll set one card facedown, and end my turn."

Natasha swallowed, now very nervous and worried, as she drew a card. "Um, okay…I'll set one monster in Defense Mode, shift Jetroid and Drillroid into Defense Mode, and end my turn."

The score was Natasha with 6400 life points, and James with 500. He had six cards in his hand, including the Right Arm, Left Leg and Right Leg of the Forbidden One; she had three in hers. On the field James had Airknight Parshath in Attack Mode, plus his Wall of Revealing Light trap card and two other cards facedown; Natasha had two facedown cards, plus Drillroid, Jetroid and a facedown monster—all three in Defense Mode.

James took his time and drew his next card. "I'll set one monster in Defense Mode…and now, I'll strike again! Airknight Parshath, crush that facedown monster!"

Again Airknight Parshath flew to Natasha's side of the field and slashed at her facedown monster. Flipped face-up, the monster in question was revealed to be Patroid (ATK 1200, DEF 1200), a cartoon police car…but as it was destroyed, Natasha felt a sharp sting as her life points went down to 5700! "Ow! Hey, what's going on?" she exclaimed, truly bewildered.

"That's another effect of Airknight Parshath for you right there," James smirked with superiority. "When he attacks a Defense Mode monster with an ATK higher than that monster's DEF, the difference is taken from my opponent's life points as battle damage. And now…since Airknight Parshath has done battle damage to you, I get to draw a card from my deck once again." And he drew his card, so now he held seven. "Hmmm…I think I shall set one more card facedown, and end my turn. Make your move, if you have any."

Natasha closed her eyes. "James…I'm sorry, but I really do need to win this duel if I'm to get a good grade for this assignment we've been sent on. So…it's time for me to reveal my trump card."

"Trump card? A worthless Osiris Red student with a trump card? Girl, don't waste my time!" said James.

"No waste of time, trust me," said Natasha. "Allow me to show you."

With that, she swiftly drew her next card. _Just what I needed…_ "I'll summon Gyroid (ATK 1000, DEF 1000) in Attack Mode!" Then she called forth a fun-looking two-rotor helicopter with eyes where its window would be. "And that's not all I'm going to summon now…"

"Hmmm?" James raised an eyebrow.

"Now, I'll activate my facedown trap card, Call of the Haunted, to revive my slain Steamroid!" Then, as one of Natasha's cards flipped face-up, Steamroid burrowed out of the ground and stood ready before James again.

"Oh, look, a bunch of vehicles from the cartoons; how scary! Someone, someone, save me!" James mocked her.

"Something tells me you _will_ need saving, big brother," Natasha whispered quietly.

"What did you say?" James asked warningly. "Know your place, you little piece of trash!"

Still watching the duel from his place on the sidelines, Yugo flinched. _What…for him to address his own sister like this…but why…?_

"If you will let me, I will show you what I mean," said Natasha. "Now…I have one more card here on the field that I wish to activate…it's a card I've been holding on to for some time, because I didn't want to make you feel any way toward me…but now I see no reason to hold it back…"

James narrowed his eyes.

Then Natasha spoke again. "I activate the magic card…Power Bond!"

James's eyes shot wide open in disbelief. _WHAT!_

Yugo, too, was looking on in surprise. "Power Bond…? What on earth kind of card is that?"

Suddenly, as it was flipped face-up, the Power Bond magic card began to shine. "This card," said Natasha, "allows me to Special Summon a Machine-type Fusion monster from my Fusion deck to the field by sending from my hand or my side of the field to the Graveyard, the monsters that are listed on that Fusion monster's text. That Special Summon is treated as a Fusion Summon…and…that Fusion monster's ATK is increased by an amount equal to its original ATK. Of course, during the end of this same turn, Power Bond will inflict damage to my life points equal to the summoned Fusion monster's original ATK…but that's not my concern now! Now – I'll send my Steamroid and Gyroid to the Graveyard to summon from my Fusion deck…my Steam Gyroid (ATK 2200, DEF 1600)!"

Steamroid and Gyroid got drawn into each other by some invisible force – and then there was a bright flash of light that nearly blinded everyone! James, shielding his eyes with his arms, couldn't believe what he was seeing. "Impossible!" he yelled.

Yugo, too, was astonished. "Whoa…Natasha…!"

Right there, on Natasha's side of the field, there stood a massive locomotive with four-rotor helicopter blades, all spinning and creating something close to a typhoon around the area. "This…is my Steam Gyroid," said Natasha – and as she said that, via Power Bond's earlier effect the machine monster's ATK shot up to 4400!

James's eyes widened in shock. _Shit – that's more than enough to bypass my Wall of Revealing Light AND wipe me out! Unless I do something quick…!_

"Ha! Nice try, but no cigar, sister!" he shouted. "For now I'll activate these two trap cards – Reckless Greed and Jar of Greed!"

First one, then the other, flipped face-up. "Reckless Greed allows me to draw two cards from my deck in exchange for me skipping my next two Draw Phases!" shouted James. "And Jar of Greed allows me to simply draw one card from my deck! So, in other words, that's THREE cards I'll be drawing right there!"

Swiftly James drew the three cards from his deck…but Natasha just shook her head. "Sorry, brother, but this is it! Steam Gyroid, attack and destroy his Airknight Parshath and put an end to this duel!"

But then James suddenly grinned malevolently. "Sorry, Natasha, but there'll be no opportunity for you to destroy me!" he declared. "Because now I'll activate my final trap card – Shift! When one of my monsters is designated as the target of a Magic or Trap effect or a battle attack, this card will allow me to change the target to another monster on my side of the field – and I choose my facedown monster!"

Already heading on a collision course with Airknight Parshath, suddenly Steam Gyroid turned and rushed for James's facedown monster even as Natasha watched in real dismay. The helicopter-train smashed into that monster, flipping the card face-up and revealing it to be the Witch of the Black Forest (ATK 1100, DEF 1200)! "When my Witch of the Black Forest is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard," said James, "I can take a monster with a DEF of 1500 or less from my deck, add it to my hand, and shuffle my deck. And I choose…Exodia the Forbidden One (ATK 1000, DEF 1000)!"

Yugo narrowed his eyes when he saw this. "Damn it…he was prepared for this all along…he strung her along!"

Disheartened at the failure of her attack, Natasha dropped to her knees. "Ugh…I end my turn…" And then, as she announced that, Power Bond's effect activated again, reducing her life points by 2200 – 2200 being Steam Gyroid's original ATK – and bringing her current total to 3500.

Reckless Greed's earlier effect prevented him from drawing a card, but James didn't seem very much worried. "Now…I have four of Exodia's pieces in my hand," and he fingered the nine cards in his hand with satisfaction. "And now…time for me to bring this to an end!"

"But how? You don't have all of the pieces of Exodia—one is still in the Graveyard!" protested Natasha.

"True," said James. "But that'll change very shortly—with this magic card, Monster Reincarnation!"

Taking one of the cards from his hand, he slapped it onto his Duel-Disk. "Listen well to the effect of Monster Reincarnation, Natasha!" he cried. "By discarding one card from my hand, I can return one monster card from my Graveyard to my hand! And I think you know which card I'll be going for…"

Natasha's eyes widened and she looked close to tears. "No…"

"Yes!" returned James. "I'm going for the one piece of Exodia I don't have in my hand – the Left Arm of the Forbidden One!"

Yugo gritted his teeth on seeing this. _Bastard…he played her…just like Jude Lassiter played me that time!_

Suddenly a magical crest appeared in a blinding show of light on James's side of the field. The next thing Natasha knew, she was watching in mute horror as the infamous behemoth with the pharaoh headdress emerged from that crest, chains on his arms, a monstrous grin on his face. "Now, Exodia…cleanse the field of the impurity that has come upon it!" shouted James.

"NO!" cried Yugo.

But it was too late. Already Exodia pushed an arm forward, releasing a ball of fire from his open palm and incinerating every single thing on Natasha's side of the field. She screamed out in agony as her monsters got destroyed, burning to ashes. "…my Vehicroids…my precious, precious Vehicroids…" she moaned.

Switching off his Duel-Disk, James slowly walked up to her. The look on his face was nothing but pure disgust now. "Did you honestly believe," he spat each word out, "that you—a lowly Osiris Red student—would be able to topple me, a member of Obelisk Blue? So foolish…foolish, foolish, foolish."

Rising up from where she'd fallen, Natasha looked him straight in the eye. "James…your hatred is poisoning your sense of judgment," she said quietly. "You're my brother, and I love you…but the way you act toward Osiris Red…it's nothing short of childish."

One of James's eyes went wide. "You trying to judge me? _Judge ME?_ You deserve something worthwhile for your impertinence!" And then, raising his fist before the suddenly frightened Natasha, he lunged forward with every intent to strike her down—

—only, when his fist flew forward, it got stopped by something. "What the…!" James bellowed.

Yugo was standing in between James and Natasha; he'd caught James's fist in his palm. "You bastard," he spoke in a menacing undertone. "You lay one hand on her, and I'll kick your ass!"

"Insolent dog! Out of my way!" snapped James.

But Yugo stood his ground, even as his grip on James's fist became tighter. "Not a chance." He looked the other guy dead in the eye. "Man, I just don't understand you. What on earth is wrong with you, you jerk? Do you really hate Osiris Red so much that you'd be willing to strike down _your own little sister?"_

James glared at him. "I don't have to answer you."

"Well, listen to this," said Yugo, and he put his face closer to James's. "Even if you won't admit it, Natasha nearly beat you here today. I could see you sweating for a minute before her. With such a performance as she has given, the least you could do is acknowledge that she has even a little skill." His voice was reduced to a hissing whisper now. "Obelisk Blue may have elites, but I'm sure that a true man won't get as drunk on power or class as you have become. And, quite frankly, people like you make me sick. Now change your ways and apologize to Natasha, NOW!"

But James scoffed. "What are you, my father?"

"If you don't apologize…I will be." The look in Yugo's eyes spoke volumes.

"Pft. Whatever. I don't have to apologize to lowly dogs for their being lowly dogs." With a forceful yank, James freed his fist from Yugo's grasp. He turned and started to walk off—and then paused.

"James…" Natasha whispered.

He didn't turn around. "You got lucky, Natasha. But next time you try to insult my dignity, we'll see if you have another shield to protect you."

Then he turned his head slightly, glaring at Yugo out of the corner of his eye. "And _you…_you have just made yourself more than a minor annoyance now. Mark my words, boy—if I see you again, I'll remove your jaw so you can never preach to anyone again." And with that he stomped off.

"Jerk," Yugo growled.

Natasha held her head down. "He may be a jerk…but he's still my brother."

Yugo sighed. "All right, Natasha…let's get out of here."

----------

PEGASUS'S CASTLE, AT THAT MOMENT

"My word…that behavior was completely unnecessary," Mr. Von Schroeder shook his head. "Such hatred toward his own sister…"

"And that it comes from an Obelisk Blue student—I'm truly embarrassed," sighed Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki.

Mr. Truesdale kept his head down; his hair overshadowed his eyes. He groaned. _James…Natasha…_

----------

**_neomage:_** Well, uh, ahem…the duel between James and Natasha is over and done with. There's still quite a lot of action left, however, and things are going to get very intense from here on out! Dueltropolis continues!

Oh, and by the way, to all flamers, reputation destroyers, impersonators, and backstabbing hypocritical traitors (and you all know yourselves), I have only one thing to say to you: Either stop reading this story if you don't like it, or be prepared to face the consequences if you continue to read and pointlessly flame me. (cocks shotgun)

To the good, honest readers and reviewers – CARRY ON!

UPDATED 04/06/2006: Made a small addition to Natasha's dialogue. Also, it was pointed out to me that a tomato is not a vegetable, but a fruit…but since where I'm from, it's widely used as a vegetable, I just substituted a word that doesn't specify what it is. Just a minor thing, though…


	196. Chapter 196

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER:After this, it's four more chapters till the big extravaganza…and of course, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**CHAPTER 196**

EN ROUTE TO DUELIST KINGDOM ISLAND

The chopper flew forward at top speed over the ocean. Inside that chopper, Seto Kaiba sat with a grim look on his face. "How much longer?" he asked the pilot.

"Another hour at the most, sir."

Kaiba sighed resignedly. "Very well."

----------

DUELTROPOLIS, IN THE MEANTIME

There was a small diner that had been built in the middle of some lovely foliage on one end of Duelist Kingdom Island. One of the attractions built specifically for Dueltropolis participants, it was currently bustling with activity as the hired helpers busily prepared lunch for whoever should come along.

And at that very moment, Janus Yuki was standing right outside the entrance. "Mmmm…gosh, that smells so GOOD! I have got to see what's cooking!" he grinned as he pushed the door open and walked in.

"Welcome, sir!" a pretty young girl greeted him. "Please, come and sit and relax!"

"Wow, thanks," said Janus as the girl led him to a table. "So, what's cooking today?"

"Here, I'll show you," said the girl. She promptly went over to the bar at the far end of the room, returning moments later with a large menu. "We cater to tastes of all kinds…all you need to do is pick, choose and refuse."

Janus, accepting the menu, opened it and scanned through—and his eyes got wider and wider by the second till they actually threatened to burst out of his head. "Uh…okay, then…I can order anything I want, right?"

"Definitely!" the girl smiled brightly.

"Well, in that case…" Janus looked at the menu carefully. "Lemme have a double-cheeseburger, extra fries…a grilled steak sandwich with lots of hot sauce…hot wings…and a chocolate milkshake!"

"Wow! You sure have a healthy appetite!" the girl giggled, writing the order down.

"Indeed he does," another female voice spoke up. Looking up, Janus saw a familiar-looking girl with brown hair and green eyes. "May I join you, good sir?"

"Hey—you're that plant duelist, aren't you? You're Flora Green!" Janus exclaimed excitedly. "Hey, yeah, sure, sit down!"

Flora pulled the other available chair out from the table and sat opposite Janus. "Might I borrow that menu?"

Janus obliged her. Flora looked through the menu a moment; then she looked up at the girl taking the orders. "Okay, sweetie, let me have the gluten in pepper sauce—two servings of that—and some mashed potatoes…and lemonade to drink."

"Definitely!" the girl nodded, and wrote Flora's order down. "I'll be back shortly!" And with that she waltzed off, humming a tune.

"Wow, it's so cool to meet you," said Janus excitedly. "You're really popular, aren't you?"

"I've been told that," laughed Flora. "So, what's your name?"

"Oh, yeah," said Janus. "I'm Janus Yuki."

"Very pleased to make your acquaintance, then, Janus Yuki," and Flora reached over and shook his hand.

"Hmmm…so, gluten, huh? Isn't that a soy meat substitute?" Janus wondered.

"Oh, yes, it certainly is," Flora nodded. "I'm a big fan of vegetarian products, as you can probably guess."

"Yeah, that's cool," Janus nodded respectfully. "Although I'm sure that in the end, meat's the way to go."

"Well, to each his own, I suppose," Flora smiled. "So, Janus, how are you enjoying Dueltropolis so far?"

Janus frowned a little. "Well, to be honest, I've been searching since last night and this morning, but I can't seem to find the one I'm supposed to duel anywhere. I've been hiking up and down and all around, and still no luck."

Flora looked at him. "What's your opponent's dueling number?"

"Hmmm…" Janus reached into his jacket and pulled out the two number plates, his own and his opponent's. "Well…my opponent is Duelist number 19. And…" Then he looked up at Flora. "Not to be rude, but what's your dueling number?"

"8." Flora chuckled. "Sorry."

"Nah, it's okay," Janus shrugged. "I'd much rather have a pretty lady for a lunch companion than as a dueling opponent."

Flora blushed and giggled. "That's very sweet of you."

"Thanks, and you're welcome," Janus nodded.

"So, tell me, Janus…what brings you to Dueltropolis?" queried Flora.

"Heh…that…well, it's not much, really," said Janus. "See, I'm from Duel Academy—have you heard of it?"

"Sure I have," Flora acknowledged.

"Well, some of us have been sent here to this tournament as something of a homework assignment," explained Janus. "How well we do in the competition will affect our final grades this year, so…we're all expected to do our very best."

"Interesting," said Flora. "How many of you are here at the tournament, then?"

"There's about six or so of us here," said Janus. "Two from each of the school's three dorms—Osiris Red, Ra Yellow and Obelisk Blue. And, as this jacket testifies…" He patted his jacket proudly. "I'm in Osiris Red."

"You surely seem proud to wear your colors," Flora nodded respectfully.

"Yeah, true…but a lot of people don't feel the same way," Janus sighed.

"Huh? Why not?" asked Flora, now very curious.

Suddenly, before Janus could reply, the door to the diner burst open with a loud BANG. "Hey, Janus, you little turd!" a loud voice laughed. "So this is where you've been hiding, huh?"

Janus flinched. "Cassius Princeton…"

Flora regarded Janus. "One of your friends, I take it?"

"He's _somebody's_ friend—definitely not mine," replied Janus through clenched teeth.

Cassius stalked into the diner and over to where Janus and Flora sat. "Awwww, how cute! Little Janus is trying to get laid!" he sneered.

Flora recoiled at that. "Ugh! How rude!" she exclaimed.

"Rude? Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't see you there," said Cassius, bowing with false grace.

"Look, man—we just want to have lunch in peace. Can you at least grant us that much without making a nuisance of yourself?" demanded Janus.

"Um…let's see…NO!" Cassius laughed scornfully.

"Why must you be so out of order?" Flora asked, exasperated.

"Lady, it's got nothing to do with you," Cassius told her. "I just like making the lives of Osiris Red garbage—like our dear friend right here—a living hell." He grinned. "And I'm not ashamed to say so!"

"Garbage? How can you say something like that? Isn't he your schoolmate?" protested Flora.

"Hey—just because we happen to attend the same Academy doesn't make us school_mates,_ understand?" Cassius said snappishly. "Where we're from, Osiris Red is shit, has always been shit, and will always be shit!"

Flora's hand went to her mouth. _Such language…!_ And the astonishment on her face was clearly reflected in the faces of everyone else that was nearby.

Janus tapped his fingertips on the table. "I'll excuse that statement this time because I don't want to ruin my appetite," he said very softly. "But if you insult Osiris Red like that again, Cassius, mark my words—I'll make you choke on them."

"Is that a threat? Are you trying to threaten me, boy?" Cassius smirked. "You couldn't threaten a baby if you tried."

Finally Flora had had enough. Jumping out of her seat, she cried, "Is this how all students of your Obelisk Blue are expected to act? Frankly, you're a disgrace to yourself and the school you represent!"

"I couldn't have said it better myself," muttered Janus.

"Coming to this loser's rescue, are we?" Cassius growled at Flora. "Well, come on then, little lady! I don't give a damn if the person challenging me is a kid, a woman, or somebody's old lady—I'll still flatten 'em right where they stand!"

"Sorry, but I'm too dignified to get my hands dirty by fighting—wish I could say the same about you," Flora said icily. "But if you really want a challenge, how about we do it the right way—in a duel?"

"Suits me just fine," said Cassius.

"Hold on a minute—nobody's dueling anybody!"

Everybody's heads turned in the direction of the new voice. Standing in the doorway was a tall silver-haired figure in a gray jacket—Marcus Ironside!

"Marcus!" Flora cried, relieved.

"You…know that guy?" Janus inquired.

"Sure—he's a really good friend of mine from way back," said Flora. Then to Marcus she asked, "How did you find this place?"

"Lengthy searching, that's how," said Marcus, stepping inside. "But that's off-point right now. Flora, you ought to remember that the only duelist you're supposed to be fighting in this tournament is the one who you've been assigned to. So, therefore, I'll ask the question – what numbers do all of you have, and what are your designated opponents' numbers?"

"Why don't you tell us yours first, since you're such a genius?" Cassius demanded.

Marcus raised an eyebrow at the boy's rudeness. "All right, fine. My dueling number is 9…and my opponent's number is 32."

"My number is 8…my opponent's is 16," Flora spoke up.

"Well, I'm number 18…my opponent's supposed to be number 19," reported Janus.

Then they all turned to look at Cassius. "Well?" asked Marcus. "So far, nobody's numbers here match up…if yours doesn't match with anyone else's here in this room, then you're not dueling anybody here, like I said."

Cassius's hair overshadowed his eyes. Slowly a grin came over his face. "Hee, hee, hee…"

"What's so funny?" demanded Janus.

Then Cassius looked up, directly at Janus. "Hey, kid…looks like you're gonna have a shot at me, after all!"

Flora's eyes widened. "What?"

"That's right…" Cassius nodded. "I'm Duelist number 19. That means that I get to duel this little Osiris Red punk."

Marcus nodded. "Well, then…take it outside."

Janus nodded. "Let's go."

All of them thereupon turned and headed for the door—but a sudden voice stopped Janus and Flora. "Wait! Where are you guys going? Your lunch is almost ready!"

Turning, they saw the same girl who'd taken their orders before. "Oh, really, it is?" Janus asked, scratching the back of his head. "Well…sorry, but something's kinda come up…but don't worry, we're just going outside for a bit. We'll be right back."

"You promise?" the girl asked. "Because I really wouldn't want for your food to get cold."

"Don't worry! I'm just gonna duel my opponent in the tournament, and then I'll come right back!" Janus assured her. "If you want, you can come and watch!"

"Well…sorry, but I'm still needed in the kitchen," the girl admitted sheepishly. "But you go ahead and do your best, you hear?"

"Definitely!" Janus nodded and winked at her.

Already at the door, Cassius scowled viciously. _I'll wipe that smirk off his face!_

----------

Moments later Janus and Cassius were standing outside the diner, getting their dueling equipment ready. On the sidelines the diner's other patrons were congregating from inside, eager to see the ensuing battle. Among them were Flora and Marcus.

"I'm still surprised that you got here, Marcus—and in the nick of time, too," said Flora. "Things were going to get really nasty in there."

"Enlighten me, Flora…exactly what was going on?" asked Marcus.

"Well, those two boys are from Duel Academy," explained Flora. "But evidently there's a lot of conflict between their respective dorms; the one in the blue jacket seems to have a particular hatred for the members of the other kid's dorm."

"Territorial rivalry, huh?" Marcus asked.

"You could put it that way," said Flora.

In the meantime, Janus and Cassius were finished preparing their respective tools, and now they turned to face each other. "Oh, Janus…I've been praying for this to happen ever since we were on the boat coming here to the island," said Cassius. "I've been hoping that I'd get to face you sometime during the tournament, so that I'd get the opportunity to publicly humiliate you and show you up as the weakling you really are. Obelisk Blue is superior, Osiris Red is trash…and I'm going to prove it now!"

Janus shook his head. "I swear, you've been listening to too many of old man Crowler's speeches on the olden days of Duel Academy," he grunted.

"Hold your tongue!" Cassius snapped. "Dr. Crowler is no mere old man—he's one of the best professors, if not THE best professor, that Obelisk Blue could ever have! I won't allow you to tarnish him or Obelisk Blue's honor!"

"Who's tarnishing anything?" Janus returned. "The only one _tarnishing_ anything is you—you're making a mockery of everything Duel Academy stands for!"

"What Duel Academy stands for now is nothing but bullshit!" Cassius roared. "I'm defending the standard Duel Academy used to have before _your_ parents became principal and vice-principal – when Obelisk Blue enjoyed unquestioned ruler-ship over the other dorms – when students got placed in the dorms based on their level of skill at Duel Monsters! Back then, everybody knew that Obelisk Blue was at the top, Ra Yellow was in the middle, and Osiris Red was at the bottom! Everybody envied, feared, respected Obelisk Blue!

"But now…" Cassius's voice dripped bitter poison as he continued to talk. "Now…everyone has to start off in Osiris Red, then advance to Ra Yellow, then advance to Obelisk Blue, regardless of skill or whether they're dueling geniuses. Obelisk Blue has lost its former glory…its former respect level…and it's all because of YOUR father! When he first made his announcement about the changes in the school's regulations, I was a very happy student in Obelisk Blue—and then along came the mandatory retesting of all students, something that _forced_ me to start the two-year period in Osiris Red! And let me tell you right now—to be stripped of all the luxury I enjoyed, to have to shack up with Osiris Red scum—those were the worst two years of my life! But now…now, I'll have the opportunity to take revenge…"

"You're just being melodramatic," Janus scoffed. "Everybody in all the dorms enjoys equal comfort now, thanks to the new regulations—"

"ENOUGH! I won't hear another word of it!" Cassius breathed heavily. "I'm going to help usher back the days when the Obelisk Blue dorm was king…and I'll act as the poison that kills you in the process!"

He promptly pulled out his Duel-Disk and activated it. Janus then noticed something odd – the deck slot for Cassius's Duel-Disk was bigger than most, and shaped like a scorpion with all the features of said animal. "Man, what is up with your Duel-Disk?" he asked, bewildered.

Cassius grinned. "In all the past duels I've engaged in, I've beaten and humiliated my opponents so badly that many of them have never wanted to go within fifty feet of a Duel-Disk again. I shamed them so badly that I poisoned their minds against the game…and that has earned me the nickname, 'Scorpio the Venom'! My venom has brought down many of my past rivals…and very shortly, it will bring you down as well! After all, there's only one way a scorpion can kill its prey."

Janus shook his head. "And yet there's more than one way to kill a scorpion. Man, that nickname of yours is so lame…as are you and your ego."

"We'll see…" and Cassius grinned again, very evilly…

----------

**_neomage:_** So, Cassius has identified himself as Scorpio the Venom…ringing any bells, anyone? Well, anyway, next chapter Cassius and Janus are going to duel each other! Stick around for that battle! REVIEW SOON, EVERYONE!


	197. Chapter 197

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER:After this, it's three more chapters till the big extravaganza…and of course, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**CHAPTER 197**

PEGASUS'S CASTLE

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki headed back into the dining room, sighing resignedly. Waiting for her were Pegasus, Mr. Devlin and Mr. Von Schroeder, all with worried looks on their faces. "How is he?" asked Mr. Devlin, referring to Mr. Truesdale.

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki shook her head. "He's been moping on the balcony for a little while now…and he's inconsolable."

"Zane Truesdale crying…that's not something I'm sure I want to see," said Mr. Devlin.

"No, Duke—Zane's not crying," said Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki in a rebuking tone. "But…when I looked at his face a while ago…it just seemed so…drained of emotion…it was hard to read him at all…"

"Well, his son and daughter just finished dueling each other a little while ago…and his son's displayed a very sour temperament that's nothing short of embarrassing," Pegasus pointed out. "Really, Alex-girl, your school's Obelisk Blue students need to be straightened out, big-time."

A dark shadow crossed Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki's face. "I guess now would be a bad time to point fingers," she said quietly, "but if anybody's to blame for this, I suspect it's Dr. Vellian Crowler."

"Isn't that the head teacher for Obelisk Blue?" Mr. Von Schroeder asked. "I met him a good while back, when you and your husband invited me to see your Duel Academy. He appeared quite the charming man, if a little stuffy."

"Yeah…well…" Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki exhaled sharply. "He's had great disdain for the students of Osiris Red for several years. For as long as I've known him, he's always believed that Osiris Red's students are worthless and don't deserve to be at Duel Academy. When my husband became principal, Dr. Crowler was allowed to head the Obelisk Blue dorm on condition that he refrain from spreading any anti-Osiris Red sentiment amongst his students. But from all indications…"

"Can't you guys just fire him, then?" asked Mr. Devlin.

"Easier said than done," returned Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki. "Crowler's developed quite a following among his students, many of whom were at the school before my husband became principal. A lot of them feel the same way he does; I doubt any one of them would sell out their favorite instructor who they look up to so much. We'd have to catch Crowler directly in the act of trying something to discredit Osiris Red, but…" She left the statement unfinished.

"Well, there'll be time enough to sort that out later," said Pegasus. "For now, we should get back to watching the progression of Dueltropolis." For he'd switched off the big-screen shortly after the duel between the Truesdale siblings.

"So turn on the TV quick! The next duel may have started already—or it may even be ending right now!" urged Mr. Von Schroeder.

Pegasus picked up the remote and turned the TV back on. Immediately multiple cameras were shown, depicting various duelists walking about, socializing, or some other stuff. "Hmmm, nothing unusual has happened yet," he muttered.

"Or maybe the unusual stuff's already gone," groaned Mr. Devlin. "Oh, well, I guess we can take this opportunity to interrogate those two girls we have locked up…"

Suddenly Mr. Von Schroeder started. "Hey, wait—what's that? The camera shot in the top right corner of the screen…Mr. Pegasus, could you zoom in on that, please?"

Pegasus clicked a button on the remote. Immediately the camera shot in question was blown up to the size of the screen—and showed Janus Yuki and Cassius Princeton preparing to duel.

"Isn't that your son, Alex-girl?" asked Pegasus. "The boy in the red jacket."

"Why—yes, it is! Oh, lucky me—I get to see my son duel in the tournament!" Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki exclaimed gleefully.

Suddenly all of them heard Janus exclaim on the TV, "Man, what is up with your Duel-Disk?"

"Hmmm?" Mr. Devlin raised an eyebrow.

They all peered at the screen – and were astonished at what they saw…Cassius's deck slot on his Duel-Disk did appear quite odd. "Can't see what the oddity is on the screen," grumbled Pegasus. "Good thing the microphone installed with the camera works."

"Shh, they're still talking," scolded Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki.

The adults listened as Cassius rambled on. Then they heard him say, "I shamed them so badly that I poisoned their minds against the game…and that has earned me the nickname, 'Scorpio the Venom'!"

All of them froze upon hearing that.

"…what…but…haven't the Zodiacs introduced themselves in a similar way, those we've seen up to now…?" Pegasus whispered.

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki was paralyzed on the spot. "No…impossible…one of our students…is a member of this gang…?"

"Uh…okay…" Mr. Von Schroeder ran a hand through his hair.

"Yeah, this is bad," said Mr. Devlin.

Suddenly Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki snapped to attention. "Pegasus! Where is that location?"

"Um…" Pegasus was caught off-guard by her sudden energy. "It should be on the eastern end of the island, in the forest a good couple of miles away from here, but—HEY!"

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki was stamping out the door. "Hey, wait! Where are you going?" demanded Pegasus.

"I…am going…to _KILL THAT BOY!"_ Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki flung over her shoulder.

The three men stared after her as she left. "Uh…shouldn't we go with her, or something?" wondered Mr. Devlin.

"My friend…I have a suspicion that right now, that would definitely be a bad idea for our health," remarked Mr. Von Schroeder, and Pegasus nodded in mute agreement.

----------

DUELTROPOLIS, AT THAT VERY MOMENT

The holographic coin emerged on the field as Janus and Cassius prepared to duel. "Heads or tails, loser?" sneered Cassius.

"Heads, you asshole!" retorted Janus.

Then the coin was flipped…and flew about in the air…then came back down to the ground…and it was heads. "Told ya! So I'll go first!" Janus declared.

They both drew their first five cards, even as the gathered spectators began cheering. "It's time to duel!" they both cried.

On the sidelines Marcus and Flora watched intensely. "I hope Janus wins, really I do," said Flora earnestly.

"We'll see," said Marcus.

Janus drew a sixth card to start off. "First…I'll set one monster in Defense Mode, and also set one card facedown. Then I'll end my turn."

Cassius merely grinned as he drew his card. "I know about your deck strategy from long ago, Janus," he sneered. "Some of my buddies who've seen you duel told me all about the type of cards you use. So I got a few good cards especially for you. Just watch and see."

"Yeah, right," grunted Janus.

Cassius examined his hand carefully. "Now, here's what I'm gonna do…I'll set one monster facedown, and also set two cards facedown…and that's it for now."

Janus shook his head as he drew another card. "Well, now I'll summon Elemental Hero Wildheart (ATK 1500, DEF 1600) in Attack Mode!" And then he brought forth a massive, muscular man with several tattoos on his body and a giant sword on his back.

"Ha! Now I'll activate one of my cards!" Cassius pointed to one of the two cards he'd set in the magic/trap slot. "I'll now activate the trap card…Non-Fusion Area!"

All at once several yellow amoeba-like electrodes shot out all over the field, surrounding both players! "What the…!" Janus exclaimed in surprise.

"Heh…allow me to explain," said Cassius, folding his arms with a triumphant grin on his face. "As its name suggests, the Non-Fusion Area trap card prevents both players from Fusion summoning any Fusion monsters as long as it remains active. See, kid, I told you I know about your deck strategy…you use Elemental Heroes, many of which you need to Fusion summon. Well, guess what? Your deck's strength has just been cut in half!"

Janus shrugged. "There's more to dueling than fusing monsters, man," he declared. "Even if you've stopped both of us from being able to Fusion summon, that doesn't mean I can't win using other measures."

"Show me, then!" Cassius challenged.

"All right…Elemental Hero Wildheart, attack his facedown monster!" Janus commanded.

Wildheart drew his massive blade and charged forward, slashing downward. But as the opposing monster card was flipped face-up – Janus experienced a backlash as Wildheart was flung back, a backlash that brought his life points down to 7700! "Darn it!" he cried.

Then Cassius's monster was revealed fully – a woman in red and brown, wielding a whip. "Dark Scorpion – Meanae the Thorn (ATK 1000, DEF 1800)," Cassius introduced her. "Here, then, is a good reason why they call me Scorpio the Venom—I am pushing a Dark Scorpion strategy!"

"Dark Scorpion strategy…" Janus let the words roll off his tongue.

"Oh, and let me not forget – Meanae the Thorn just did battle damage to you, since she deflected your monster's attack with ease," added Cassius. "And when she does battle damage to my opponent, she can allow me to either select one Dark Scorpion card from my deck and add it to my hand, or to select one Dark Scorpion card from my Graveyard and add it to my hand. And…this one will come from my deck – and I choose Dark Scorpion – Gorg the Strong (ATK 1800, DEF 1500)!" And swiftly he searched through his deck, found the card he was looking for, and added it to his hand.

"Hmmm…" Marcus, still on the sidelines, folded his arms and frowned.

"Well, loser, you'd better end your turn. There's not much else you can do right now, seeing as your attack failed," and Cassius chuckled.

"Grrr…fine. I end my turn. Happy?" Janus scowled at his opponent.

Cassius took his turn, drawing again from his deck. "Heh…I'll offer Meanae as a tribute to summon Dark Scorpion – Gorg the Strong in Attack Mode!" And then, as Meanae disappeared from the field, in her place stood a massive bald man wearing similar colors, wielding a gigantic mace.

"Darn…he's HUGE!" exclaimed Flora, shaking her head in dismay.

Marcus watched the field intensely. "What will that Janus kid do…?"

"Go, Gorg the Strong! Destroy Elemental Hero Wildheart!" shouted Cassius. In response, Gorg raised his mace high in the air, then slammed it into the ground, creating a gigantic shockwave that tore through Wildheart, reducing Janus further to 7400!

"Geez…forgive me, Wildheart…" whispered Janus.

"And there's more where that came from," said Cassius. "When Gorg the Strong does battle damage to my opponent, his power allows me to either return one monster on your side of the field to the top of its owner's deck, or I can send one card from the top of your deck to the Graveyard. And right now, that facedown monster of yours is a real eyesore…so let it be returned to the top of your deck!"

Gorg raised his mace again, slamming it into the ground and sending another shockwave at Janus's facedown monster. This time, the card was forcibly flipped off Janus's Duel-Disk and returned to his hand. Grimacing, Janus returned the card to the top of his deck as instructed. "I'll really get you for this," he vowed.

"Just try, you little dip-shit!" Cassius spat. "For now…I'll end my turn."

Janus now had 7400 life points, while Cassius had an intact 8000. Janus held four cards in hand; Cassius held four also. On the field Janus had only one facedown card in his magic/trap slot; Cassius had Dark Scorpion – Gorg the Strong in Attack Mode, plus he had his active Non-Fusion trap card, and one other card facedown.

Now Janus drew again – drawing the same monster he'd had to return to the top of his deck because of Gorg the Strong's effect. "Well, I'll re-set this monster in Defense Mode," and that he did. "That'll end my turn for the time being."

"Is that all? Weak!" Cassius shot contemptuously at him. "Well, here I go! I draw!"

Swiftly he drew his card. "And now…time I got rid of that monster! Gorg the Strong, go get 'im!"

Again Gorg slammed his mace into the ground, creating a massive shockwave that tore through the ground toward Janus's facedown monster—but suddenly, as the monster card was flipped face-up, it revealed a giant stone golem with a red helmet on its head! The golem blocked the attack, causing the shockwave to sail right back at an astonished Cassius and hit him head-on in the face—and reduced his life points to 7800!

"Hey, Cassius, say howdy to my Elemental Hero Clayman (ATK 800, DEF 2000)," said Janus, with a smirk on his face. "His defense is top-notch among all the Elemental Heroes."

"Bah…I'll rip through that defense real easy, just watch!" said Cassius menacingly.

"Oh, yeah?" Janus took his turn and drew another card. "Then let's see you rip through this! I'll offer Elemental Hero Clayman as a tribute to summon another Elemental Hero in Attack Mode—come on, my Elemental Hero Necroshade (ATK 1600, DEF 1800)!"

A dark green shadow rose up from the ground and consumed Elemental Hero Clayman…and then, mysteriously, standing in his place was a red-skinned warrior with armor on his arms and legs. "Pffft…is that the best you can do? His ATK is far weaker than that of Gorg the Strong!" scoffed Cassius.

"Not for long!" said Janus. "For now I'll equip him with a magic card – the Sword of Dark Destruction, which will increase his ATK by 400 points in exchange for decreasing his DEF by 200 points!"

A moment later Necroshade was holding a massive curved red blade in his hand, and his DEF went down to 1600…but his ATK shot up to 2000! "Go, Elemental Hero Necroshade!" commanded Janus. "Destroy his monster with Shadow Corruption!"

The same green shadow surrounded Necroshade – and a moment later he was no longer there! Looking around in confusion, Gorg the Strong suddenly felt a blade against his neck…moments before he got decapitated by the Sword of Dark Destruction! "Damn it!" yelled Cassius as his life points went down to 7600.

"Take that, fool!" Janus punched the air in triumph.

But suddenly Cassius grinned. "You're the fool…because you've fallen into my trap! I activate the trap card, Chthonian Blast!"

All of a sudden the ground below their feet began to quake violently. The onlookers looked around in confusion, chattering in great fear. "Marcus…what's going on…?" Flora asked with alarm.

Marcus gritted his teeth. _This is bad!_

"Chthonian Blast could only be activated when a face-up monster on my side of the field was destroyed and sent to the Graveyard," said Cassius, even as the shaking got worse and worse. "Now, one monster on the field with the lowest ATK will be destroyed, and both of us will take damage equal to half its ATK! And…right now there's only one monster on the field…"

Janus took in the situation at a glance. "Oh, CRAP!" he cried out.

And then all of a sudden—

----------

PEGASUS'S CASTLE, AT THAT VERY MOMENT

"This duel is really intense!" exclaimed Mr. Devlin, watching the duel on the big-screen alongside Mr. Von Schroeder and Pegasus.

"Tell me about it," said Pegasus.

"Um…that trap card that that Cassius boy just activated…what's supposed to happen now…?" Mr. Von Schroeder asked with some curiosity.

Suddenly a massive jolt caused the three to stumble. "Whoa! Earthquake!" exclaimed Mr. Devlin.

Pegasus just then happened to glance toward the window—and his eye widened in shock. "Not quite correct, Devlin-boy," he spoke up. "Get to the window and see!"

All three headed over to the window and looked out. And off in the distance…they saw a massive mushroom cloud rising up from the trees beyond. "He activated the Chthonian Blast trap card," said Pegasus. "THAT is the result."

"…oh…holy…heaven…" Mr. Von Schroeder stared in shock.

"Thank God it's just a hologram—if a little realistic," and Mr. Devlin shuddered.

----------

_**neomage:**_ The duel between Janus and Cassius continues next chapter! Stay tuned for that!

(rampagerkriz is blowing up balloons as krizrampage walks past)

krizrampage: Preparing for the big extravaganza neomage promised, right?

rampagerkriz: Oh, definitely! And the guest list is really something!

krizrampage: Who's invited?

rampagerkriz: Miriku and Kimiru…cantdueldontaskme…Blue-Eyes White Knight…Metaldix and Neverclaw…thehyperactivecow…yep, that's about it!

krizrampage: So everything should be in readiness. Food…drinks…games…

rampagerkriz: Don't forget the piñata!

krizrampage: (puzzled) Piñata?

rampagerkriz: (winks)

krizrampage: (gets it) Oooooohhh yeeeeaaaaah… (chuckles)

UPDATED 10/06/2006: There was a correction to be made to Cassius's life points in both this chapter and Chapter 198…no thanks to the idiot pretending to be cantdueldontaskme.


	198. Chapter 198

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER:After this, it's two more chapters till the big extravaganza…and of course, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**CHAPTER 198**

DUELTROPOLIS

The spot where Janus and Cassius were dueling was smoking—quite literally, smoke was pouring from off the ground, even though the vegetation itself was still somewhat intact. Janus and Cassius themselves were lying on their backs on the ground, having been thrown back by the massive shockwave of the Chthonian Blast trap that Cassius had activated. The spectators, meanwhile, had all been thrown to the ground as well, but some were starting to get back up, albeit slowly.

"Flora…you all right?" Marcus asked.

"Um, yeah, I guess so," Flora replied as she stood up. "But dear God, that was some explosion!"

"Yeah, tell me about it," agreed Marcus, standing up alongside her.

Meanwhile, Janus and Cassius had been trying to sit up. "Urg…okay…even I wasn't expecting that kind of impact," muttered Cassius.

"You've got issues," Janus growled.

Since Janus's Elemental Hero Necroshade, equipped with the Sword of Dark Destruction, had been destroyed by Chthonian Blast, half of his ATK had to be deducted from both players' life points. Now, as the boys slowly stood up, they watched as 1000—half of Necroshade's ATK from his being equipped with the Dark Destruction Sword—was taken from their life points, leaving Janus with 6400 and Cassius with 6600. "Tied again," Cassius noted with distaste. "That'll soon change, though."

"We'll see," returned Janus. "Make your move."

Janus now held three cards in his hand; Cassius held five. On the field Janus still had one facedown card in his magic/trap slot; Cassius still had his Non-Fusion Area trap card active. And, of course, Janus had 6400 life points and Cassius had 6600.

Cassius looked at his hand and frowned. _Hmmm…these cards by themselves can't do anything for me…I need THAT card in order for any of it to matter! And…_ Suddenly a sly grin came over his face. _I know just how to get that card I need!_

"All right! Now I draw!" he announced aloud, reaching for his deck slot…but, very inconspicuously, while placing his fingers on top of his deck, he slipped his thumb under his sleeve and pulled out a card. As he did this, he carefully manipulated his fingers so it would appear that the card really was coming from the deck slot.

Marcus, however, noticed the action. _Hmmm…_

"Aha! Just the card I needed!" Cassius gloated. "Now, I'll set this card facedown…and summon my Chthonian Soldier (ATK 1200, DEF 1400)!" And he called forth a rugged-looking warrior in blue armor, wielding a giant sword. "And right now, your life points are wide open for a direct assault! Go now, Chthonian Soldier – chop him to pieces!"

Chthonian Soldier swung his sword around his head as he prepared to charge forward. But suddenly Janus shouted, "Hold it! Now I activate my trap card – A Hero Emerges!"

Suddenly, as Chthonian Soldier paused and looked on in uncertainty, Janus's trap card flipped face-up. "I could only activate this card when you declared an attack," said Janus. "Now, you have to randomly select one card from my hand…and if it's a Monster card, it'll be Special Summoned to my side of the field…if it's not, it'll be sent straight to the Graveyard." He held up the three cards in his hand. "Now, choose!"

Cassius growled as he stared at Janus's three cards. Which was he to pick? "Um…okay, fine! I'll choose…the middle card!"

Janus picked out the chosen card – and suddenly a grin emerged all over his face. "Ha! You made the wrong choice, man! Now I get to Special Summon to the field in Defense Mode – Hero Kid (ATK 300, DEF 600)!"

In a moment a young warrior wearing a robotic red, black and white suit of armor emerged on the field, crouched in a defensive stance. "And there's more," Janus added. "When Hero Kid is Special Summoned, I can Special Summon any number of Hero Kids from my deck – and I've got two more in there, just waiting to come on out!"

At once, Janus flipped through his deck and brought out two cards – and in a moment two more Hero Kids teleported onto the field, also in Defense Mode. "Try breaking through this line of defense!" said Janus.

Cassius narrowed his eyes. "That's exactly what I plan to do! Chthonian Soldier, go destroy one of those pathetic Hero Kids right now!"

In response, Chthonian Soldier dashed forward and cleanly sliced one Hero Kid in two. "One down, two to go," Cassius announced snidely. "Now I'll end my turn."

Janus drew another card. "I summon Elemental Hero Sparkman (ATK 1600, DEF 1400) in Attack Mode!" Then on the field appeared his electrically-charged warrior.

"Is that supposed to frighten me in some way?" Cassius asked scornfully.

"Not just yet," said Janus. "Now I'll shift both my remaining Hero Kids into Attack Mode." And as he announced this, the two Hero Kids stood up in battle stances. "Now, Elemental Hero Sparkman, attack and destroy Chthonian Soldier!"

Sparkman blasted a wave of electricity at Chthonian Soldier, frying him in his armor and bringing Cassius's life points to 6200. But then, as Chthonian Soldier fell to one knee while being fried, he managed to raise his sword and fling it with all his remaining strength at Janus! The blade impaled him right through the stomach, knocking him back and bringing his life points to 6000!

"Janus!" Flora exclaimed from the sidelines. "Are you all right?"

Janus struggled to his feet. "Yeah, I think so," he called back—and then the next thing he knew, one hand flew to his mouth and the other tightly hugged his middle as he spewed up a whole mouthful of blood!

Even Marcus winced at the sight of that. "Now THAT wasn't pretty."

Cassius chuckled. "That was the effect of my Chthonian Soldier, punk. See, when he's destroyed as a result of battle, the battle damage I received from that battle is deducted from my opponent's life points as well."

"Ugh…pretty neat trick, I gotta admit," said Janus. "But now you're, like, wide open for my other monsters to stomp you! Go get him, my Hero Kids!"

One Hero Kid, powered by rocket thrusters on the soles of her boots, rushed forward and slammed headfirst into Cassius's chest, knocking him back and bringing his life points down to 5900. Then the other Hero Kid flew forward at jet-like speed with one fist pointing forward – but Cassius saw this one coming and managed to dodge in time. Even so, the resulting sonic boom from that Hero Kid flying so close to him at such speed knocked him down, bringing his life points even further to 5600…and in the process, said sonic boom ripped at Cassius's turtleneck shirt, tearing the collar right off!

"Score a total of three points for me this turn!" Janus cheered.

Slowly Cassius stood up—and now his face was a mask of pure rage. "You…little…Osiris Red bastard," he rasped. "Your monster ruined my _FAVORITE_ shirt!"

Then Flora, from her spot on the sidelines, noticed something. "Marcus…do you see that?" she whispered, pointing at Cassius.

"I was about to ask you the same thing," said Marcus.

Janus noticed it, too. "Yo…that thing is…" He chuckled. "I guess that's one more reason why you have the nickname 'Scorpio the Venom'."

Right there on the side of Cassius's neck, plain for anyone to see, was a silver scorpion tattoo. On hearing the comment, his hand automatically went up to touch it…and he grinned. "You think you can get away from me with flattery? Think again!"

"Who was trying to flatter you?" asked Janus.

"Just watch! I'm gonna avenge what you did to my shirt—just you watch!" Cassius vowed.

Now the score showed that Janus's life points were at 6000 while Cassius's were at 5600. Janus was holding two cards; Cassius was holding four. On the field Janus had Elemental Hero Sparkman and two Hero Kids, all in Attack Mode; Cassius had one card facedown, plus his Non-Fusion Area trap card was still active.

Cassius drew another card – again drawing from his sleeve as inconspicuously as possible – and studied it intensely. "Heh…start saying your prayers, little scum!" he declared. "Because now I'm holding a card in my hand that'll definitely do away with you!"

"And how do you figure that?" asked Janus.

"Easy! Just let me show you!" Cassius took one card from his hand. "First, I'll summon Don Zaloog (ATK 1400, DEF 1500) in Attack Mode!" And then he summoned a silver-haired man with an eye-patch, wearing the same colors as Meanae the Thorn and Gorg the Strong before him and wielding two swords. "But that's not all I'm gonna do…"

"Huh?" Janus raised an eyebrow in suspicion.

"Next, I'll play the magic card Pot of Greed, which will allow me to draw two cards!" Again, thinking nobody was seeing his actions, Cassius reached under his sleeve and pulled out two cards. To himself he thought, _Okay, so now I've drawn all four cards that my sleeve could hold without arousing suspicion…time to get this party started!_

But Marcus, as before, had seen the move. His eyes narrowed deeply now. _That little dip-shit…_

Cassius then examined the five cards he now held in his hand. "And now, I'll activate the magic card, Monster Reborn, to revive Dark Scorpion – Gorg the Strong to the field, in Attack Mode!"

A moment later Gorg the Strong was back, wielding his mace in hand with a fierce look on his face. "And still I'm not done! Next, I'll activate the magic of Graceful Charity, to draw three cards and then discard two from my hand!" continued Cassius, playing the card from his hand. True enough, a green angel appeared on his side of the field and allowed him to draw three cards from his deck; then he swiftly sent two to the Graveyard, leaving him with four in his hand.

"Man, if I'd know it was gonna take you this long to make a couple of moves, I'd have brought a comic book or something to read," complained Janus.

"Even great strategies mustn't be rushed—remember that, rookie!" chided Cassius. "Now, where was I? Oh, yes—next I'll activate the magic of Premature Burial, paying 800 of my life points to bring back Dark Scorpion – Meanae the Thorn in Attack Mode!"

As Cassius's life points shot down to 4800, the Premature Burial card powered Meanae's resurrection, returning her to the field with a grim look in her eye. "And now, the fun really begins," and Cassius grinned evilly as he held up the three cards left in his hand.

On the sidelines, Flora looked on worriedly, while Marcus glared at the playing field with a very critical eye.

"Now, I'll activate the magic card, Mustering of the Dark Scorpions! When Don Zaloog is on my side of the field and I activate this card, I can Special Summon from my hand any monster that includes 'Dark Scorpion' in its name, or is named Cliff the Trap Remover (ATK 1200, DEF 1000), as long as no two of these monsters that I Special Summon have the exact same name," said Cassius. "And I only need to Special Summon these two from my hand: Cliff the Trap Remover and Dark Scorpion – Chick the Yellow (ATK 1000, DEF 1000), both in Attack Mode!"

Two more Dark Scorpions immediately appeared on the field alongside their brethren; Cliff wore glasses and wielded a knife, while Chick had spiky yellow hair and a massive mallet. "Now, all of my Dark Scorpions are together on the field…and it's crushing time! For now I can activate this trap card – Dark Scorpion Combination!"

All at once Cassius's facedown card flipped face-up. "I could only activate this card once I had all five of my Dark Scorpions on the field," he explained. "Now, during this turn, they can all attack directly…even though in such a case, their ATK each becomes 400…but considering their special powers, I don't think that'll be an issue!"

Janus flinched. _Not good!_

"Get him, Dark Scorpions! All of you, attack directly!" commanded Cassius. In response, the five Dark Scorpions jumped all around as they launched toward Janus. Instinctively Janus put up his arms to shield himself—and winced as Don Zaloog slashed him with his sword, Meanae lashed him with her whip, Gorg bashed him with his mace, Cliff stabbed him with his knife, and Chick smashed him with his mallet! The combination attack knocked him down, sending him rolling head-over-heels, and his life points went down to 4000!

"And now, to resolve their respective effects," continued Cassius. "When Don Zaloog does battle damage to you, I can either send one random card from your hand to the Graveyard, or send two cards from the top of your deck to the Graveyard. So…I'll use the latter effect." And Don Zaloog slashed at Janus's Duel-Disk, sending the two cards on top of his deck to the Graveyard.

"As you know already, when Gorg the Strong does battle damage to you, I can either return one monster on your side of the field to the top of its owner's deck, or I can send one card from the top of your deck to the Graveyard. And I'm gonna use the second effect." And then Gorg slammed his mace into the ground, creating a shockwave that narrowly missed Janus—but it jarred his Duel-Disk and sent one card from the top of his deck flying into the Graveyard.

"When Chick the Yellow does battle damage to you, I can either return one card on the field to its owner's hand, or I can see one card on the top of your deck and then return it to the top or bottom of your deck. And I'll use the first effect to return your Elemental Hero Sparkman to your hand." And Chick, rushing forward, walloped Sparkman with such force that the card was ejected from the Duel-Disk and returned to Janus's hand.

"When Cliff the Trap Remover does battle damage to you, I can either destroy one Magic or Trap card on the field, or I can send two cards from the top of your deck to the Graveyard. Hmmm…the latter effect will work." And Cliff stabbed at Janus's Duel-Disk, sending two more cards from the top of his deck to the Graveyard.

"Finally, a reminder of Meanae the Thorn's effect – when she does battle damage to you, I can either take one Dark Scorpion card from my deck and add it to my hand, or I can take said card from my Graveyard and add it to my hand. And this time, I think I'll take one more Gorg the Strong card from my deck and add it to my hand." And Cassius searched his deck, found the card he was looking for, and added it to his hand.

"Ugh…" Slowly Janus got up. "You happy now?"

"Not till I have you groveling at my feet, like the slime you really are!" answered Cassius hotly. "Before I am done with you, I'll make you, a kid from Osiris Red, acknowledge the mighty superiority of Obelisk Blue!"

"Really…? Well, guess what, Cassius—this duel's still on, and I'm not out of the game yet!" replied Janus.

"We'll see," and Cassius smirked.

Now Cassius was in the lead with 4800 life points, while Janus was behind with 4000 flat. Cassius held one card in his hand, the extra Dark Scorpion – Gorg the Strong that he'd gotten via Meanae the Thorn's effect; Janus held three cards, including his Elemental Hero Sparkman that had been returned from the field to his hand. On the field Cassius had Don Zaloog, Cliff the Trap Remover, Gorg the Strong, Chick the Yellow, and Meanae the Thorn on the field in Attack Mode, plus his Non-Fusion Area trap was still active; Janus had only his two Hero Kids, both in Attack Mode.

Janus looked carefully at his deck. _Damn it…he's used his card effects to send a lot of my cards from my deck to the Graveyard…and I just know that some of those cards were cards I could've used…this is NOT looking good!_

Slowly he reached toward his deck slot. _My deck's never failed me up to now…and my cards have been loyal to me for so long…_ He closed his eyes. _Heart of the cards…please help me!_

Then he drew. And he opened his eyes. And he looked at the card he'd drawn.

Cassius cocked an eyebrow at him. "Well?"

Then…a smile appeared on Janus's face. _Heart of the cards…thank you._

"All right, Cassius! I have a feeling this duel's gonna be mine!" Janus shouted. "Now…I'll play my own Pot of Greed card, to draw two cards from my deck!"

Swiftly he drew two more cards, so now he held five cards—and an even bigger smile crossed his face. "Now…I have everything I need to bring this duel to an end!"

"You're just nothing but talk," Cassius scoffed.

"I never talk if I can't back up my words—and this time, I definitely can!" said Janus. "Let me show you! First, I'll activate my magic card Monster Reborn, to bring back Elemental Hero Wildheart from my Graveyard!"

A moment later Elemental Hero Wildheart emerged from the great beyond, glaring at Cassius. Then Janus held up another card. "And now…I'll activate the magic card, Giant Trunade! This will return all Magic and Trap cards on the field to their owners' hands…and there's only one Trap card active—on your side of the field!"

Cassius's eyes widened in realization. "Uh-oh!"

Suddenly a massive storm wind began to blow, and it blew with such force that the Non-Fusion Area trap card flew off the field and back into Cassius's hand! "And with that out of the way…I can continue with my onslaught!" said Janus. "Now…"

He held up two of the three cards left in his hand. "Now, I can activate the magic card, Polymerization! This will allow me to fuse together the Elemental Hero Wildheart on my side of the field with the Elemental Hero Bladedge (ATK 2600, DEF 1800) in my hand to form a warrior of great strength and power – Elemental Hero Wildedge (ATK 2600, DEF 2300)!"

A ghostly silhouette of Elemental Hero Bladedge formed on the field, then suddenly it and Wildheart got caught in a swirling vortex together…and suddenly a bright light flashed out from Janus's side of the field. Everyone present had to shield their faces. "Bright, too bright!" Flora exclaimed.

Then at present the light subsided…and when everyone looked up, all were surprised. "Holy…what on earth…" Cassius whispered.

Now present on Janus's side of the field, almost completely overshadowing his two Hero Kids, was a muscle-bound warrior with gold armor, a razor-bladed gauntlet, and a massive sword on his back. "This is Elemental Hero Wildedge…the monster that'll take you down, Cassius," announced Janus.

"Yeah, right! Sure, he might be stronger than any of my monsters, but he's still just one monster—he can't take them all on at once!" Cassius laughed.

"Actually…" A twinkle appeared in Janus's eye. "Wildedge's special effect allows him to attack all monsters on my opponent's side of the field once each…and since all of your monsters are in Attack Mode, he's gonna make shish-kebab out of them _and_ your life points!"

Cassius turned pale upon hearing this. "…no…impossible!"

"Go, Elemental Hero Wildedge – slay those Dark Scorpions!" Janus commanded.

Wildedge, readying his gauntlet, dashed among the Dark Scorpions—and all that could be seen were two-second flashes of light. Then, just as quickly, he jumped back to Janus's side of the field—and as he landed, the Dark Scorpions found themselves completely dismembered, their limbs just beginning to separate from their bodies! But even then Wildedge wasn't done—drawing his sword in one movement, he slammed the blade on the ground, causing a gigantic shockwave that tore through the ground and completely decimated all five of the Dark Scorpions! The force of the shockwave sent Cassius sailing, too, as his life points shot down all the way to 0!

"Gotcha!" Janus cried, even as the spectators started cheering.

"Wonderful! Simply wonderful! Janus, you won!" Flora exclaimed, running up to Janus even as Marcus followed more slowly behind her.

"Aw, shucks," Janus replied, turning a light shade of pink.

On the ground Cassius was slowly starting to get up. "Shit…it doesn't make any sense…" he grunted. "How could I lose…to Osiris Red garbage? I had the perfect strategy!"

Marcus eyed him. "Your 'perfect' strategy…did it include cheating?"

In one movement everybody turned to look at him. "Huh?" Janus and Flora asked in one voice.

Marcus stalked over to Cassius and yanked him to his feet by his wrist. Swiftly he pulled the other boy's sleeve down – and there, attached to his wrist by a metal band just below his Duel-Disk, was a small metal armband with four slots. "I saw you drawing cards from under your sleeve during the duel," Marcus announced icily. "This was what you were using to hold those cards underneath your sleeve, wasn't it?"

"Ugh!" Flora shook her head in disgust. "All along he was cheating…just to beat you, Janus? He's lower than the slime that he calls you and your Osiris Red schoolmates!"

Suddenly Cassius flicked his wrist, at the same time hitting at Marcus's hand with his free fist. The maneuver caught Marcus off-guard, allowing Cassius to break free. "See ya, suckers!" he yelled as he took off.

"After him! Don't let that bastard get away!" exploded Marcus, himself taking off after Cassius.

Then all of a sudden—seemingly from out of nowhere, a jeep drove up at top speed, and its driver slammed on the brakes. Obviously not expecting the vehicle, Cassius ended up slamming into the side of the jeep. "Ow! Damn it!" he cried as he fell to the ground.

Marcus stopped short, astonished. "Um…okay…where'd that jeep come from?"

Then suddenly the jeep's doors flew open, and several of the island's guards in suits jumped out. And following them was Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki with a very peevish expression on her face. "CASSIUS PRINCETON!" she yelled out, glaring at where the boy had fallen, even as a sudden look of fright came over Cassius's face as he recognized her.

Janus's eyes widened. "Mom!"

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**_neomage:_** Heh, heh, heh…_someone's_ in TROU-ble! Well, what's gonna happen, you ask? (evil smirk) Just read the next chapter and see for yourselves, everyone!


	199. Chapter 199

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER:After this, the big extravaganza's in the next chapter…and of course, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**CHAPTER 199**

DUELTROPOLIS

"Grab him!" Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki ordered the suits. Two of them immediately sprinted forward, grabbing Cassius and roughly pulling him to his feet.

"H-h-hey! Let me go!" Cassius cried, struggling against his captors.

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki slowly strolled up till she was directly in front of Cassius. Her eyes bore into his own. "Cassius Princeton…you're a disgrace to Duel Academy!" she hissed. "You dare to call yourself a student of Obelisk Blue's dorm when you are a member of a devious criminal group?" And here she threw a disdainful look at the scorpion tattoo on his neck.

"W-w-wait a minute, Vice-Principal," stuttered Cassius, visibly quailing before her wrath. "I – I – I can explain, really!"

"Save it." Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki's voice was frosty.

She turned away from him and pulled out a cell-phone. Flicking it open, she speed-dialed a number. Cassius watched her with apprehension on his face. "Um…who're you calling?"

A little distance away, Flora nudged Janus. "Hey…is that really your mom?"

Janus nodded. "Uh-huh…but I've never seen her so pissed off before…right now she's scaring me."

Presently Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki held the phone to her ear while it buzzed. Then: "Hello…this is Alexis Rhodes-Yuki. Could you patch me through to Mr. Chazz Princeton, please…?"

"What the—" Cassius started to shout, but one of the suits immediately clapped a hand over his mouth. But the terror now on his face was clear. _Oh, shit—not my dad! Please, God, anybody but HIM!_

Again Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki waited for a moment. Then she spoke again: "Chazz? Yes, I know it's been a while since we last spoke to each other…yes, Jaden is doing quite well, and so is Janus…yes, listen, there's a reason I'm calling now. It would appear that Cassius is in trouble…" Her face darkened as she waited. "Yes, I'm sorry to say the trouble is much deeper than usual. Cassius…is involved with a very dangerous gang. He just got busted right here at the Dueltropolis World Championship tournament."

Tears of terror were now pouring out of Cassius's eyes like waterfalls. _I'm so dead…_

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki was still talking. "Okay, I see…well, as vice-principal for the Academy, I wouldn't suggest you do something so harsh, even though you are his father…at least, not just yet." She glanced over at Cassius. "Let me deal with him first…then you can do whatever you like. Yes, I understand…okay. Give my regards to the wife...no, don't tell her anything just yet. Okay…all right then, thanks. Bye-bye."

She hung up the cell-phone and put it back in her pocket, then turned her full attention on Cassius once again. He looked up at her, the terror still printed all over his countenance. "Man, why'd you have to call my dad? He's gonna sack me for this!" he moaned.

"Young man…" Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki spoke in a very venomous tone. "Whatever your father's got planned for you should be the least of your worries right now. Now, I want answers…and I want information. About the group you've joined."

Cassius looked at her with disbelief on his face. For a moment he became defiant. "Hell no, lady! I can't tell you that—even if you did just call my father, THAT is the last thing I'm gonna tell you or anybody else!"

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki reached forward with one hand and grabbed his lower jaw, holding it in a tight grip so his face was looking up into hers. "Perhaps you don't understand the severity of your situation," she said in a very soft voice. "Therefore, let me put it to you in terms you can understand. Right now you only have two options available to you. If you tell me and the members of the World Tournament Committee whatever we want to know, then I'll personally see if I can talk your father into giving you a light punishment, and also talk the Academy principal into keeping you safe from expulsion from the school.

"However…if you continue being stubborn…not only will you be expelled, but I will personally see to it that no dueling school ever accepts you, no company ever hires you, and no dueling tournament ever admits you. And, in addition to that, you'll be looking at a lifelong ban from playing Duel Monsters in any way, shape or form. Plus, your father was just saying something about putting you in military school, an idea he tells me you've always hated…I will have him put you in the most degrading military school I can find, where nobody cares about your social status or financial background. You'll be scrubbing pots, washing other's clothes, polishing boots, and enduring embarrassment from a hard-nosed commander who will take a very sadistic delight in tormenting guys like you who insist on having their own superiority over everyone else. So…what's it gonna be?"

Cassius shivered. "Um…what exactly do you want to know?"

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki smiled smugly. "That's what I thought you'd say."

Releasing Cassius's jaw, she addressed the guards, "Take him back to Pegasus's castle. Tell the other Committee members I'll meet them back there later."

"Yes, ma'am!" the suits replied. And with that, they herded the now-yielding Cassius into the jeep, and a moment later they sped off.

Marcus shook his head as he observed all of this. _And I thought my base commander was intimidating…_

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki watched as the jeep drove away in the direction of Pegasus's castle, her back turned to Janus and the others. Then, without turning, she called to him. "Janus."

"Ah—yes, Mom!" Janus answered.

She didn't say anything else for a moment. Then: "You said you made acquaintances with that boy, Yugo Muto, correct?"

"Um…yeah…" Janus looked at her, puzzled.

"Okay. Now…" Here she turned her head slightly, looking over her shoulder at him. "If you should run into him at any time during the tournament, tell him to watch his back. There are more people like Cassius in this tournament, and something tells me that at any given time, they could come after him. So…just let him know, if you see him."

"Sure thing, Mom," Janus answered.

"Good boy. And, as for you…" She smiled a little. "You did good today, and I'm very proud of you. Keep it up—because I'll be watching your matches." And with that, she strode off.

Janus looked on as his mother walked away. _Mom…_

"Hey, Janus!" Flora interrupted his train of thought. "Let's get back inside—our food should be waiting on us!"

"Oh—oh, yeah, right!" replied Janus. "Let's go eat, then!"

"Super!" Flora then beckoned to Marcus. "You too, Marcus! Come on and eat with us!"

"Yeah, well…I guess I could use a bite…" Marcus shrugged resignedly, turning and following Janus and Flora back into the diner even as the other spectators went back inside as well.

----------

PEGASUS'S CASTLE, AT THAT MOMENT

"Yes…you're on your way back with him? Okay, we'll be here. Thank you."

Mr. Devlin hung up his cell-phone. "Well, that's that. They're bringing that Cassius kid back here now…and now I know _somebody's_ gonna want to do some interrogating."

"You mean our good friend Mr. Truesdale?" asked Mr. Von Schroeder. "Well…considering that one of the Zodiacs has just turned out to be somebody from his Alma Mater, it makes perfect sense."

Just at that moment Mr. Truesdale himself emerged. "Oh, good, Zane, you're back with us," Pegasus greeted him. "You spent quite a while outside of here, I dare say."

There was no humor whatsoever on Mr. Truesdale's face. "I just got a call on my cell-phone from Alexis," he told them. "She tells me that one of Obelisk Blue's students was discovered to be a member of these Zodiacs, and that he's on his way here now."

"Yes, all of that is true," acknowledged Pegasus.

Mr. Truesdale's eyes narrowed. "I want to question him once he arrives here, before he's put into any cell. I want some questions answered, pronto—and from what Alexis told me, he'll be far more pliable than those other two we've got locked up."

"We'll all question him, Zane, don't worry," Mr. Devlin assured him. "And then we'll get some answers, definitely."

----------

ELSEWHERE IN DUELTROPOLIS, IN THE MEANTIME

"OOOOOOOOHHHHHHHH!" Honey's eyes turned into hearts. "SHOPPING MALL!"

Raven groaned. "Oh, man…why'd Dad have to build all this…"

They, Seta and Shigeo were standing just outside the entrance to a large shopping complex, built in the middle of a meadow as part of the Dueltropolis sights. "Gentlemen, watch your pockets," Raven warned the other two. "Honey might trick you into cleaning out whatever cash you have on you…"

"Don't be so childish!" Honey scolded him. "I'm going to be the one who's purchasing—you big, strong guys will be the ones carrying my bags!"

"To where, exactly?" asked Seta, scratching his head. "Isn't your dad's castle a good distance from here? Surely you're not thinking of having us lug everything you buy all the way back there…"

"Is there a problem you have with that?" Honey asked sweetly, batting her eyelashes at Seta—but one look and he saw the malevolence in her eyes.

"Uh…no…of course not…" He gulped and sweat-dropped.

"Well, time to do some shopping, I guess," said Shigeo. "But I warn you, I'm not versed on the art of shopping for longer than half an hour…"

"Then just watch and observe, and you'll see why shopping with my sister is such a pain in the ass," Raven whispered.

A moment later Raven had to nurse numerous bumps on his head after Honey pummeled him. "Don't diss the thrill of shopping!" Honey yelled, horns on her head and fire in her eyes.

"O…kay…" Seta and Shigeo sweat-dropped.

"Now, gentlemen, shall we go in?" Honey asked, her sweet demeanor having returned to normal instantaneously. Shivering, the three boys followed after her.

----------

Several minutes later found the four teens in the middle of a gigantic shopping mall. "Hmmm…where to first…?" Honey wondered, looking around. "Oh, I know! Let's go to the toy store over there first! They've got the cutest plushie dolls anyone can get from anywhere!"

"Don't you think you've got more than enough of those in your room?" wondered Raven.

"Nonsense! They always come out with new ones every day—and Dad always promises to have our store here on Duelist Kingdom Island import the newest ones from Japan!" said Honey ecstatically. "Now, let's go!"

With that, she ran toward the store, the three boys following after her rather reluctantly. Honey got to the door and pushed it open – and her eyes turned into hearts once again as she beheld all the plushies on the shelves. "AWWWWWW…THEY'RE ALL SO CUUUUUUUUUUUTE!" she shrieked.

"Does your sister get so hyper over simple toys?" Shigeo marveled.

"It's worse than that, trust me," Raven whispered to him.

Presently Honey turned to the three and pulled a slip of paper out of her pocket. "Okay, time to divide the duties," she announced. "Shigeo, Raven, you two go look for these plushies that I've listed here. Seta, you come with me and help me look for some other plushies that I've had my eye on for a while."

Shigeo and Raven looked at the list that Honey gave them – and their jaws dropped. "This…is a lot of plushies…" Shigeo muttered.

"Get going!" Honey snapped, shaking her fist. Scared by her threatening mood, Raven and Shigeo immediately turned and bolted away down the aisles.

Seta blinked. "Uh…shall we get going?"

----------

Several more minutes later…

"Awww…these are so cute! Aren't you, my little babies?" Honey cooed to plushies of a Flame Swordsman and an Elemental Hero Avian that she was carrying in her arms. Seta, trailing behind her, was carrying a shopping basket full of more plushies.

They passed by a shelf with even more plushies—and then Honey stopped. "Uh, Seta…can we backtrack a bit?" she asked. "I thought I saw something just now…"

"Um…okay, I guess," said Seta, rolling his eyes and hoping Honey didn't notice.

Together they went back to the aforementioned shelf. Honey scanned the shelf carefully…and then her eyes fell on two plushie dolls sitting side-by-side. "Wow…" she breathed.

The plushies were of Mirage Knight and the Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon.

"Hmmm…" Seta looked at the plushies. "Heh…Guess the Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon is a bit more well-known than I thought…Oh, well, let's go. We've got all the plushies you wanted."

He started to walk off with the shopping basket – and only then noticed that Honey hadn't budged. "Um…Honey…?"

But now Honey wasn't even paying attention. Her eyes were fixed squarely on the Mirage Knight and Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon plushies…and as she continued to look at them, a memory came to the front of her mind…

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EGYPT, SOMETIME EARLIER

_Honey then turned her head to look at the Blue-Eyes White Chopper, flying a couple dozen meters away. She could see Seta and Yugo laughing and talking…and immediately her memory flashed back to the two monsters she'd seen them use against Zork Necrophades…the Mirage Knight and the Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon._

_And with that thought came a reminder of the prophecy Judith had left her: _**"From the ashes of death, the strongest will be revived…and from the shielding cocoon, the mightiest will be reborn…and these will clash in a blaze of power and light…and only one shall remain."**

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DUELTROPOLIS, BACK IN THE PRESENT

_I'd almost forgotten about that…but…looking at these plushies right here…_ Honey's hair overshadowed her eyes.

"Honey…?"

"Huh?" Honey snapped out of her thoughts and looked up at Seta. "Yes?"

He looked at the two plushies, then back at her. "Hey…these two plushies…let me buy them for you."

She looked at him in utter surprise. "H-huh? Seta…what are you saying…?"

"I'm saying, I want to buy them for you." He smiled at her. "From the look on your face, I can tell you must really want them. And…you should save your cash, especially after all the plushies you're gonna be buying today. I'll take care of the cost of these two for you." And with that, he reached toward the shelf, picked up the two plushies, and gave them to her. "Here you go."

Honey looked at the two plushies in her arms…then looked up at Seta. "Seta…"

"Hmmm?"

Honey blushed a bit. "Thank you." And then—catching Seta by surprise—she reached up on tiptoe and kissed him full on the lips.

Seta was truly astonished at this sudden gesture—it was his first kiss, after all. But he wasn't about to spoil a good thing. So, very gently, he leaned forward and started to kiss her back; he heard her quiet moan as his lips pressed a little harder against hers.

"Seta and Honey, sitting in a tree!"

Both kids' eyes snapped open at that. Turning automatically, they saw Shigeo and Raven standing there with grins on their faces.

"K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" Shigeo laughed.

"First comes love, then comes marriage!" Raven teased.

Then both of them spoke together: "Then comes a baby in a baby car—"

They never finished the rhyme…for just at that moment Seta flattened them both with a mighty fist. "NONE OF YOUR GODDAMN BUSINESS!" Seta roared.

"Yeah…right…" Raven groaned, lumps on his head and swirls in his eyes.

"Gotcha…" Shigeo babbled, in the same condition as Raven.

Honey, standing only a few feet away, couldn't help but smile. _At least Raven is acting more accepting toward the idea of me and Seta together…and I got my true first kiss with Seta himself…and…_ She looked down at the Mirage Knight and Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon plushies, and a wave of happiness flooded her heart.

----------

**_neomage:_** As the Japanese would say: "KAWAII!" Well, next chapter the Dueltropolis action continues, and there'll be more duels coming up! And, of course, my extravaganza's only one chapter away now—the next chapter coming up! Look out for it to see what it entails, people!


	200. Chapter 200

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER:200th anniversary, everybody! **(Flings confetti and blows noisemaker) **And, as always, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!)

**CHAPTER 200**

DUELTROPOLIS

How was the tournament progressing for other competitors? Well…

Blaze Redman was walking through a field of seemingly endless flowers. _Where am I, a garden?_ she asked herself as she observed the numerous flowers, their varying colors creating a rainbow on the ground right before her eyes.

"Hey, Blaze! That you? Wait up!"

Turning, Blaze saw none other than Wade Ocean running a distance behind her, trying to catch up. "Well, well, if it isn't my ever-so-famous rival…what do you want?" she asked, pausing so he could catch up to her.

A moment later Wade was beside her, leaning forward with his hands on his knees, panting from the exertion. "I've…been keeping an eye out for you ever since…ever since we got onto this island," he replied.

"Oh, I wonder why?" Blaze asked sarcastically. "Don't tell me you missed me _that_ much, Wade?"

"Whatever." He gave her a playful shove.

"Hey, watch who you're shoving!" Blaze snapped, shoving him back and causing him to fall on his behind in the flowers.

"Heh…some things never do change, do they?" Wade remained where he was on the ground.

Blaze stood before him, hands on her hips. "I've been looking for my opponent for a while now, and so far I haven't sighted anybody who I'm supposed to duel," she revealed. Then she pulled out the two number plates, the one with her own number and the one with her opponent's. "So, tell me right now – are you Duelist number 27?"

Wade shook his head as he picked himself up. "Nope. Wrong number, sorry."

"I see." Blaze gave him a searching look. "So…why were you looking for me, then, if you and I aren't supposed to duel each other?"

"Actually…" Wade scratched the back of his head. "Hey, Blaze, may I walk with you a while? I just wanna talk for a bit."

"Uh…okay, I guess." Blaze shrugged.

Wade nodded, and the two began to walk again. "So, what is it you want to talk about?" Blaze quizzed him.

"Heh…to the point, as always." Wade chuckled. "All right. I wanted to talk to you about…us."

Blaze looked at him, puzzled. "Us? What do you mean?"

"Blaze…how long have we known each other by now?" Wade asked.

She seemed a bit surprised by the question. "About a couple of years by now, that would be my guess."

"And in all that time, we've built reputations for being each other's greatest rival," continued Wade. "I guess it's only natural that that would happen, though…after all, you're known for your Fire strategy, I'm known for my Water strategy…and fire and water are each other's greatest opponents in nature. And yet…they're evenly balanced out. You can't have one without the other."

"So now you're a philosopher, huh?" said Blaze. "But, Wade…exactly where is this line of argument going?"

Wade looked away from Blaze; his gaze became distant. "It's just…I've had a lot of time to think about things, after our little adventure in Egypt a while back…I've been seriously contemplating a lot of issues I've had on my mind…"

"Such as?" prompted Blaze.

"Such as…" Wade now held his head down so his hair overshadowed his brow. "My feelings for you."

Blaze stopped walking. Slowly she turned to look at him. "…what?"

"Yeah, that's right." He turned to face her. "Blaze…in all the time I've known you, in spite of our rivalry…I've always considered you my friend. And…now…since recently…I've begun feeling something more."

Blaze blinked. "Something…more?"

"Yes." Wade nodded. "I know this may be a real surprise to you, Blaze, and it's gonna sound clumsy, but…I think I like you as…more than just friends. In fact…I want to show you how much so." He reached into a pocket.

Blaze raised her eyebrows. "What're you doing?"

Then, to her amazement, Wade pulled out a small blue velvet box. "I got this shortly before the announcement of the tournament," he told her. "I got it for you, Blaze…and I figured, if I was gonna find you anywhere, here at the World Championships would be the best place to look. So…go ahead. Open it." He held out the box to her.

Cocking an eyebrow, Blaze took the box from Wade and opened its cover. Her eyes widened when she saw what was inside – a two-piece red-and-blue diamond set in a ring. The blue piece looked like two dolphins; the red piece, in the middle, looked like a flame. "Wade…this is…"

"Yeah, Blaze. It is."

Blaze stared at the ring for a long moment. Then she looked at Wade, confusion written all over her face. "Are you…proposing…? To me?"

"Yes." Wade nodded. "But…I understand that it's a little sudden for you, so…" He reached forward and closed the box with his fingertips. "I won't take your answer right now…I'll give you some time to think it over, if you want."

Blaze looked long and hard at him. "Wade…you barely even know me. And I hardly really know you."

"Well…I think we know enough about each other's pasts and lives," he answered softly. "For instance…I know everything that happened in your life, with your being an orphan, and everything that happened with your adopted mother, Samantha…just the way you told Yugo back during the Kaibacorp Challenge Cup, and with what we learned while in Egypt. And you know that I lost my sister years ago, when the cruise ship she was on sank. And I know…that underneath your thick-skinned exterior is a soft heart, a heart that's afraid of being hurt. That's why I said I'll give you time to think about…this proposal."

Blaze sighed and looked away. Her fingers closed around the box. "Well…at the very least…I'll consider it. And then, next time we see each other, you should hear my answer." Then she handed the box back to Wade. "I can't promise you anything, though."

He took the box back from her, rather slowly. "That's okay. I'll wait…for as long as you need." He nodded to her. "Well, I…guess I'd better be going right now. See you around, Blaze."

With that Wade turned and walked away, off into the flower field. Blaze just stood there as she watched him go. "Wade…" she whispered.

----------

ELSEWHERE IN DUELTROPOLIS, IN THE MEANTIME

Miriam Jordan walked along the road, noting the high-rise buildings around her. "Hmmm…this must be where all the key work for Dueltropolis is done," she surmised. "And these buildings add a nice touch to the whole scenery – make this really seem like a dueling metropolis."

She chuckled as she continued to walk along. "I only wish I could meet up on my opponent soon…"

"Excuse me, miss?"

"Huh?" Startled a little, Miriam turned to see a young man beckoning to her from the entrance of one of the buildings. "Did you call me?"

"Yes, I did," the man replied. "So, you're one of the competitors in this Dueltropolis tournament, aren't you?"

"Yes, that I am, but…" Miriam cocked her head. "Who are _you?"_

"Oh…nobody special," the man replied. "I'm just one of Industrial Illusions' many employees here on this island. As you can tell, I've been assigned to these high-rises here, to take care of the company's regular business while the tournament goes on."

"So, why leave your job unattended, then?" Miriam questioned him.

"Actually, I'm on my break right now," the man told her. "I came outside to see if any competitors would be passing by here…and now, I've seen you."

"I see." Miriam waited. "So…does it get boring, working here in these offices all day?"

"Sometimes," the man admitted. "In fact, sometimes I wish I could be like you duelists and have an exciting life, entering tournaments and all that, instead of working in an office. But whenever thoughts like that enter my head, I just remind myself that I'm working for one of the richest businessmen on the planet, and that I'm employed to a really powerful company, and that in spite of the sameness of my day-to-day routine, at the end of it all I end up with a nice fat paycheck."

"And that should be more than enough to satisfy you, I guess," said Miriam.

"Oh, it is, believe me," the man acknowledged. "So, sure, I might envy duelists for the exciting lives they lead, but in the end I'm more than happy to just sit on the sidelines and watch while they do what they do. My life, as dull as it may appear sometimes, is comfortable nonetheless."

Miriam chuckled. "Well, sir…as much as it may surprise you…it is I who should envy you."

"Huh? Why do you say that?" queried the man.

"Well…my life has been anything but normal for as long as I can remember," said Miriam. She sighed and looked up at the sky. "I look at some people who lead 9-to-5 lives, and I can't help but wonder what it would be like to be in their shoes. You see, a duelist's life may appear glamorous…but for many of us, the reality is completely different. So…don't envy us. Just be glad you have the privileges that you have."

"I guess so," the man answered. "Well, anyway, I better get back to work, but—you just keep on fighting the good fight, you hear?"

"Sure, mister. Thanks." Miriam nodded respectfully.

The man nodded back, then turned and headed back inside the building. Miriam chuckled and continued on her way. "Odd character, but he's okay, I guess," she murmured.

"Duelist number 15…"

Miriam immediately snapped to attention. "Huh?" She glanced around—but saw nobody in sight. "Who said that?"

The voice spoke again. "Are you Duelist number 15?"

This time, listening carefully, Miriam was better able to pinpoint the voice's location – a nearby alleyway on the other side of the road. Turning in that direction, she shouted, "Yeah, I'm Duelist number 15! And who the heck are you supposed to be?"

Then all of a sudden—from that alley emerged a guy wearing an impressive-looking green tuxedo. He held his head down, however, so Miriam couldn't properly see his face. "At last…I have my prey in my sights…" He chuckled.

Miriam was on her guard. "Who are you?" she demanded.

The stranger chuckled again. "If you really want to know…go to the top of the high-rise tower over there." He pointed to his right, and Miriam saw _two_ high-rises. "Specifically, the one on the left. I'll be waiting for you there."

"Now, wait just a minute," Miriam started, turning from looking at the towers to look back at the stranger—but to her utter astonishment, he'd mysteriously disappeared! There wasn't even a trace of evidence to say he'd been there in the first place!

A breeze blew past Miriam, lifting her hair across her face. _What is this feeling I'm having…as though something seriously wrong is about to happen…?_

----------

ELSEWHERE IN DUELTROPOLIS, AT THAT VERY MOMENT

David Jericho took a look at the sign on the door on the building in front of him: _Funhouse Playhouse, My House is Your House!_ "Corny sign," he sighed. "Oh, well, let's see what this 'funhouse' has to offer…"

So saying, he pushed the door open and went inside—and was amazed at what he saw. On either side of the room, going down several feet, were numerous arcade game boxes! "WHOA! All right—now THIS is _my_ kind of place!" he exclaimed, stepping inside.

"Oy, David, that you? Man, who would've guessed!" a familiar voice called to him.

"Hey, Luke, that you, bro? Where you at?" David called.

"Over here," Luke answered; and, following the sound of the voice, David soon found his brother. "Check out these video games, bro!"

Luke was currently engaged in a boat-racing video game; with extreme precision, he steered his craft through the virtual waters. "So, David, how'd you manage to find this place?" he asked.

"Well, when I woke up this morning, I just decided to do some exploring," said David. "I figured that looking for my opponent in this bloody big tournament could wait till later."

"Hmph…putting things off till the last minute isn't good for you, you know," Luke remarked, passing by several boats as he continued to play the game.

"Don't worry – I kept an eye out for competitors while I was exploring," said David. "My opponent's number is supposed to be 23."

"Well, that's not my number," said Luke. "Too bad…I've been playing every game in this place since I found here, and now I'm getting bored."

David looked at his brother suspiciously. "And…exactly how long have you been here now?"

"Oh, since 6:00 this morning," Luke answered. "Did my morning jogging, that I did…and I found this place. So I said what the hell, came inside, and here I've been ever since."

"Well, it's only a little ways till noon," David told him. "Do you know how long that is? From 6:00 this morning to now—Lord, Luke, that's far too long just to be playing video games!"

"Well, hey—you play music on your headphones for about the same amount of time, and you don't hear _me_ bellyaching about it," grunted Luke.

"I do not!" David exclaimed.

"You do too!"

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"Do not, do not, do not!" Steam started hissing out of David's ears.

"Do too, do too, do too!" Luke's eyes went wide and fangs were in his mouth. Then suddenly a loud BANG from the video game caught his attention. "Aw, hell, now look what you made me do—my boat crashed!"

"I didn't do anything! You're just a bad driver!" David grinned maliciously as he said this last bit.

"Wanna say that again?" Luke threatened, getting up and shaking his fist in David's face.

"Excuse me, ladies…which one of you is Duelist number 13?"

Both brothers looked up as one. Standing in the doorway to the funhouse was a man with bright golden hair, in a purple jacket with zigzag lightning on it. On his face was a small smirk. "I'm sorry I cut into your bonding time, little girls, but I don't have a lot of time to waste. So, if one of you is number 13, talk now."

"I'm number 13, you bastard!" David exploded, his face red with his rage at being insulted in such a manner. "You want a piece of me, prick? Then come get some!"

The guy smirked and reached into his jacket, pulling out a Duel-Disk. The brothers' attention was instantly drawn to the item in question—unlike regular Duel-Disks, this one was painted in purple, and was covered with black and red spots. "What a weird Duel-Disk," muttered David.

"Oh, believe me, my Duel-Disk is gonna be the least of your worries shortly," said the guy, and he smirked with great confidence…

----------

**_neomage:_** Remember Stephen Ingram, everybody? Well, here he and David are gonna have it out! And…that guy in the green suit who confronted Miriam earlier…just who _is _he? More to come, very soon! But first…

(All the guests have arrived at the extravaganza, and are milling around the table piled high with food and drink)

kRiZ: Everyone, thank you all for coming. Now, I have set up this extravaganza for a very special reason, and now I'm going to have the others explain that reason…

rampagerkriz: Now, neomage wants to show his true appreciation to all of you who have gathered here, for you have all given him inspiration to continue writing this fanfic. Now, all of you, please enjoy the food, drinks and games that we have prepared for you.

yamikriz: (aside, to himself) Hee, hee, hee…Smirnoff Ice, Heineken, Appleton, kegs of champagne…oh, we all know who's gonna have a ball! (evil snicker)

krizrampage: But before we begin eating or drinking, we have a little something to whet your appetites…

(kriztrigun, a distance away, lowers one end of a rope, effectively lowering a giant piñata)

kriztrigun: See this piñata, everyone? All the guests will have a go at whacking it, for inside it are…USELESS FLAMERS WHO CONSTANTLY INSULT NEOMAGE AND, BY EXTENSION, THOSE OF YOU WHO TAKE THE TIME TO READ HIS WORK AND GIVE POSITIVE, CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM!

(all the guests look with big grins at the piñata)

kriztrigun: Step right up, step right up, step right up! Baseball bats, metal pipes, crowbars, mallets and hammers, whatever you want to use – I have them right here!

(all the guests rush up and grab weapons, immediately pelting the piñata while the flamers inside howl for mercy)

Lt. Doom: (bashing the piñata with a cricket bat) Stupid flamers—you dared to insult our favorite writer? Take THIS! And THIS!

Miriku and Kimiru: (both hitting the piñata with massive mallets) How dare you insult neomage? We'll kick your asses good!

Metaldix and Neverclaw: (hitting the piñata with crowbars) You dared to impersonate us in order to flame neomage? We'll teach you a lesson! (whacking without mercy)

(thehyperactivecow, cantdueldontaskme, Blue-Eyes White Knight, Tymy, emily-fire-element and several other faithful readers howl war cries while bashing the piñata with clubs)

Flamers inside piñata: OW! OW! OW! STOP! PLEASE HAVE MERCY! WE BEG YOU!

(neomage calmly steps forward, typing on the Millennium Keyboard…and all the guests step back upon seeing him)

neomage: (calmly) You flamers called my work something that sucks ass…some of you called me gay and a fag…one or two of you impersonated me and insinuated some really awful things…and then, to put the icing on the cake, you threatened to kill me…all this because you didn't like my story? If you didn't like my story, you could have at least said WHY you didn't like my story…or you could have just quietly stopped reading and never commented again altogether…but y'all had to go the extra mile and push my buttons, huh? Well… (suddenly screaming) **PUSH THIS!**

(neomage pushes the Enter key on the Millennium Keyboard—and a steamroller falls from the sky, crushing the piñata flatter than a pancake)

Guests: O.O;;;;;

yamikriz: PARTY TIME! (immediately all the guests swarm back around the table with smiles on all their faces)

neomage: Those of you who sent suggestions to punish the flamers, and those of you who were asking when I'd get around to it…HERE'S YOUR JUST REWARD! Now—enjoy the festivities right here, and also enjoy the next set of chapters coming up! Happy 200th anniversary, faithful readers!

NEXT CHAPTER'S COMING UP! ENJOY!


	201. Chapter 201

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER:Hope you all enjoyed the extravaganza last chapter! And, naturally, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!)

**CHAPTER 201**

DUELTROPOLIS

"David…be careful, this guy looks suspicious," Luke whispered to David.

"Bah! I'll crush him flat!" David declared. "I've been practicing plenty over the last couple of days, remember? He's not gonna beat me just like that!"

The stranger chuckled and stepped further inside the arcade funhouse. "Pretty confident, aren't you?" he quipped. "Well, from what I can see, there's a bit of space behind you. Let's step back there and have our duel."

"You're on!" David agreed, stepping toward the designated space. "Hey, Luke, just sit tight and watch—I'll beat this guy real easy!"

"If you say so," said Luke. _And yet…I'm getting a seriously bad vibe from this character…_

The stranger stepped forward, facing off against David. "The name's Stephen Ingram," he introduced himself. "Remember that name, kid, because it's gonna haunt your dreams after I grind you into powder."

"Oh, cocky one, aren't you?" David smirked. "Show me what you've got, mister!"

As both of them activated their Duel-Disks, the holographic coin emerged and was flipped. "I'll call it! Tails!" David cried.

But when the coin landed again…to David's dismay, it was heads. "Aw, damn!" he groaned.

"Looks like I'm going first, then," said Stephen, and he smirked.

Both of them drew their first five cards to start off the duel; then Stephen drew a sixth. "All right…to start this duel, I'll set one monster facedown, and one card facedown…and then I'll end my turn. Go ahead, then—try doing something against me, if you can."

"Don't mind if I do!" David quickly drew a card. "All right! I summon the Enraged Battle Ox (ATK 1700, DEF 1100) in Attack Mode!" And then, on his side of the field emerged a snarling minotaur in glowing red armor with a massive axe in one hand. "Now, go get his facedown monster with Minotaur Barrage Attack!"

The Enraged Battle Ox, bellowing with all its might, rushed forward and swung its axe downward at Stephen's facedown monster – but suddenly a huge backlash sent the monster flying! "Whoa now!" David exclaimed as his life points were reduced to 7900.

Having been flipped face-up by the attack, Stephen's monster was revealed to be a grotesque-looking fiend that somehow resembled a tower. "This is my Desrook Archfiend (ATK 1100, DEF 1800)," said Stephen. "Too bad your monster was so weak that he couldn't destroy my creature."

"You just got lucky, that's all," snorted David. "Next turn, though, I'll really pulverize you!"

"Hmph. We'll see," replied Stephen.

With that Stephen drew a card again – and suddenly winced as his life points dropped to 7500! "Hey, man, what's up with that?" wondered David.

"It's…it's the effect of Desrook Archfiend," sighed Stephen. "During each of my Standby Phases, it'll sap 500 points from my life points. But…" He put on a nasty grin. "Frankly speaking, I doubt it'll hurt as much as what I'm about to do to you will!"

He swiftly selected a card from his hand. "And now…I'll summon my powerful Terrorking Archfiend (ATK 2000, DEF 1500), in Attack Mode!"

Suddenly a very frightful fiend appeared, wearing a large crown and wielding a massive sword. "And that's not all I aim to do," said Stephen, smiling very maliciously. "Next, I'll equip Terrorking Archfiend with this magic card, the Sword of Deep-Seated, to increase his ATK and DEF by 500 points!" And then, one moment later, Terrorking Archfiend flipped his own sword into his right hand, while a sinister black blade materialized in his left, increasing his ATK and DEF to 2500 and 2000 respectively!

Luke, watching from a distance, bit his lip. _Damn it, this is so gonna suck…_

Then Stephen selected one more card from his hand and played it. "And lastly, I'll activate the magic card, Checkmate! By tributing one Archfiend monster on my side of the field, I can have Terrorking Archfiend attack your life points directly even if you have a monster on the field!" And then, as if to capitalize on the point, Desrook Archfiend vanished completely from the field, without the slightest trace!

"Oh, crap!" David cried.

"Go then, Terrorking Archfiend! Bypass his monster and attack directly!" Stephen laughed out loud. In response, Terrorking Archfiend jumped up high in the air – way over the Enraged Battle Ox's head – and landed right in front of David, stabbing him through the gut with both of its swords! David gagged and coughed blood as his life points sharply shot down to 5500!

"David!" Luke cried out. "Are you okay? C'mon, little bro, talk to me!"

Having doubled over from the attack, David slowly and painfully stood back up, clutching his middle. "Uhhhh…I…I think I'll live," he managed to groan out.

But Stephen shook his head and smirked as Terrorking Archfiend jumped back over to his side of the field. "You're welcome to try counterattacking, if you want," he said snidely, "but believe me, it won't do you one whit of good. Well?"

David wrinkled his nose. "Screw you."

The score now stood at David with 5500 life points and Stephen with 7500. Stephen held two cards in his hand; David, on the other hand, had five. On the field David had his Enraged Battle Ox in Attack Mode; Stephen, meanwhile, had Terrorking Archfiend equipped with the Sword of Deep-Seated, and one other card facedown.

With as much energy as he could muster, David drew another card from his deck. "All right, punk…I'll offer my Enraged Battle Ox as a tribute to summon the Manticore of Darkness (ATK 2300, DEF 1000)!" And then, as the Enraged Battle Ox vanished from the field, in its place stood a winged lion-like beast standing on its hind legs. This monster let out a ferocious roar upon seeing Stephen and his Terrorking Archfiend, causing the room to shake violently!

But evidently Stephen wasn't impressed. "And that's supposed to shake me up because…why?"

"Maybe that doesn't rattle you, but THIS will!" said David. "I'll equip the Manticore of Darkness with the magic card Mystical Moon, to increase his ATK and DEF by 300 points!"

All at once a full moon appeared above the Manticore, and as its ATK and DEF went up to 2600 and 1300, its fangs, claws and muscles became far more pronounced! "And he's gonna rip your Terrorking Archfiend to shreds!" David grinned. "Go, Manticore of Darkness!"

Flapping its wings, Manticore rushed forward at top speed toward Terrorking Archfiend—but Stephen shook his head. "Getting senile before your time? You've forgotten my facedown card – the trap card, Bark of Dark Ruler!"

The card got flipped face-up. "Now, I can pay any number of life points in multiples of 100 to decrease your monster's ATK and DEF by the same amount till the end of this turn!" Stephen laughed loudly. "Now, take THIS!"

From his flipped trap card came a blast of energy that hit the Manticore of Darkness head-on, reducing its ATK and DEF to 2000 and 700 respectively even as Stephen's own life points dropped to 6900! Readying himself, Terrorking Archfiend lunged forward and impaled the Manticore through its chest, immediately splitting it in two and reducing David further to 5000!

_Shit!_ Luke's mind raced as he watched helplessly. _This guy's making work of David as if he was putty!_

"Damn it…" David growled in his throat. Then, straightening up, he took a deep breath. "Okay. I end my turn."

Suddenly David's Graveyard began to shine! "Hey—what the hell's going on here?" asked Stephen, raising an eyebrow.

"It's the effect of the Manticore of Darkness," and now David was grinning widely. "During the End Phase of the turn the Manticore was sent to the Graveyard, I can send one Beast, Beast-Warrior, or Winged-Beast-type monster card from my hand or my side of the field to the Graveyard to Special Summon the Manticore from the Graveyard." And he sent a card from his hand to the Graveyard – and in a moment the Manticore re-emerged on his side of the field, snarling in rage.

"Good for you, bro!" Luke cheered, and David gave him a thumbs-up.

Stephen, however, merely scowled. "You don't impress me at all. I'll show you just what I mean."

With that said, he drew another card – and suddenly, Terrorking Archfiend stabbed his sword in the ground, creating a small tremor that reduced Stephen's life points to 6100. "Ugh…Terrorking Archfiend saps me of 800 life points during each of my Standby Phases," he explained. "But again, that'll pale in comparison to what I have in store for your pathetic ass!"

He held up the three cards he now held in his hand. "I summon Shadowknight Archfiend (ATK 2000, DEF 1600) in Attack Mode!" And he called forth a winged fiend with blue hair and limbs, a red blade for an arm, and red claws on the other arm. "And I hope you're ready to face more agony…"

David looked at him with great suspicion. "What?"

Stephen held up the two cards he had left. "Next, I'll set one card facedown, and then I'll activate a magic card from my hand – another Checkmate card! And I'm gonna offer Shadowknight Archfiend as a tribute to allow Terrorking Archfiend to attack you directly!"

"Aw, shit…as if once wasn't bad enough…" David groaned, flinching.

"David, get away from there!" Luke cried, flailing an arm.

But already Stephen had declared his attack! "Terrorking Archfiend, get him!" And Terrorking Archfiend, in response, jumped over the Manticore of Darkness and used its own sword and the Sword of Deep-Seated to stab David in both shoulders, crippling him more and bringing his life point total down to 2500!

"DAVID!" cried Luke.

"Gosh, you sure sound like a little girl over there," remarked Stephen, chuckling cruelly, even as Terrorking Archfiend jumped back over to his side of the field.

"You son-of-a-bitch…you hurt my brother any more, and I swear I'll make you pay!" Luke roared.

"Luke…stop…"

Luke's rage was immediately defused. "David…!"

David was slowly standing up; his breath was coming in shallow gasps, but he was standing nonetheless. "This…is my fight!" he declared. "I'm not gonna let this prick dominate me like this! Just…just watch!"

"David…you sure about this…?" Luke asked uncertainly.

"Definitely." David flashed a look at his brother. "You'll see, bro. I'll clean his clock good."

Now the score had changed, with David's life points low at 2500 and Stephen's at 6100. David held three cards in hand; Stephen held none. On the field David had his Manticore of Darkness in Attack Mode; Stephen had Terrorking Archfiend, still equipped with the Sword of Deep-Seated, in Attack Mode, and one other card facedown.

The pain from his earlier injuries was very evident on David's face; and yet, he drew another card. "I'll now activate the field magic of Sogen! This'll increase the ATK and DEF of all Beast-Warrior and Warrior-type monsters on the field by 200 points!"

Instantaneously a holographic image of a lush, green meadow emerged all around them…and the Manticore of Darkness stood up tall and proud as its ATK and DEF went up to 2500 and 1200 respectively! "Okay, so now your Manticore's on equal standing with Terrorking Archfiend, but it still doesn't mean shit to me," said Stephen.

"Well, maybe it ought to," David told him. "Because here's what I'm gonna do next: I'm gonna activate the magic card Monster Reborn, to revive to my side of the field the monster I discarded for Manticore of Darkness's effect earlier – Sengenjin (ATK 2750, DEF 2500)!"

Suddenly, a large cross-shaped symbol emerged on the field…and from it stepped a massive one-eyed, blue-skinned brute with a golden axe strapped to his back. Sogen's effect swiftly increased his ATK and DEF to 2950 and 2700! "Feeling scared yet, mate?" David chuckled. "Well, it's only gonna get worse from here on out!"

"And why is that?" asked Stephen, raising an eyebrow.

"Because…I'm gonna summon another monster to deal with your case! I summon from my hand the powerful Cybernetic Cyclopean (ATK 1400, DEF 200)!" And then David brought forth a cyborg monster, with a metallic helmet and gauntlets. "And now, time for the punishment to start! Sengenjin, attack!"

Drawing his axe from his back, Sengenjin let out a loud howl as he rushed at Terrorking Archfiend. But Stephen was looking extremely bored by now. "Premature senility again," he grunted. "I activate my trap card – Mirror Force!"

"WHAT!" David and Luke cried simultaneously.

But already a massive force-field had erected itself in front of Terrorking Archfiend, causing Sengenjin's swinging axe to bounce off with such force that it pulled the giant monster back – and he crashed into Cybernetic Cyclopean and the Manticore of Darkness, destroying them all with one go!

"No…damn…my monsters…all of them, gone just like that," moaned David, sinking to his knees.

"Pfffft…this is too easy," Stephen sighed, drawing his next card. "Terrorking Archfiend, end it!"

"David! David, snap out of it! Get away from there!" Luke screamed.

But David was still lost in his own mind. "After all that time I spent…prepping myself for this tournament…I couldn't even beat my first opponent…" David whispered, even as Terrorking Archfiend continued to charge.

And then—a sudden sword thrust into his chest filled David with a world of pain. His mouth hung open in a silent scream as the agony wracking his body became too much…and he passed out right there, even as his life points dropped to 0.

In an instant Luke ran to his brother. "David! David, please, wake up! Don't you dare do this to me, you brat!" he cried out, shaking David hard.

"Heh…at the very least, he provided a warm-up for my next duel," and Stephen shrugged. "For that he should be grateful."

Luke turned on him in an instant. "BASTARD!" he exploded, dashing toward Stephen—but he didn't expect Stephen to reach out, grab him by his face, and violently shove him to the ground with little to no effort!

"Stay right there, on the floor. That's where weak-ass people like you belong." Stephen spat on the ground. "As for me…my duel here is done. And I am gone." And he walked out of there with quick strides.

Luke glared at Stephen's back as the other guy made his exit…then his attention returned to his fallen brother. "Davey…Davey-boy, you stay with me, you hear me?" he urged, shaking David again. "C'mon, bro, wake up…please…wake up already…"

"Uhhhh…"

Luke stopped shaking David. "Bro?"

Slowly David's eyes parted open. He looked up at Luke. "Oy…Luke…you still suck at driving, you know that…?"

"Hey, hey, don't say anything now," Luke urged. "You…took a real beating just now."

"…guess I…guess I did." David looked away with downcast eyes. "Luke…"

"No, David, don't be looking like that now," Luke said quietly. "You did good, man; you did real good. All that time practicing wasn't in vain, bro…trust me on that. You did real good. Don't let anybody tell you differently, you hear?"

David nodded. "Thanks."

Luke chuckled. "No need. Just telling you the truth, that's all."

There was a moment of silence. Then Luke asked: "Hey…can you stand?"

"Y-yeah, I think so," and David attempted to sit up. "Ow. Ow. Ow. A little help…?"

"Sure." Luke slung David's arm over his own shoulder and eased him to his feet. "C'mon, then, let's get out of here."

The two slowly began to walk out of the arcade funhouse…but Luke's thoughts would not leave what had just happened alone. _That son-of-a-bitch…how dare he do this to my brother! If I see him again…!_

----------

**_neomage:_** Poor David…he can never get a break, can he? Well…next chapter the duels continue! Stay tuned till then!

(the guests stumble away from the party, partially drunk)

rampagerkriz: Uhhhh…note to self: never drink Heineken and grapefruit juice at the same time again.

neomage: I'll just pretend you didn't say that.

krizrampage: Well…at least some of the guests didn't get TOO drunk. Some of them were designated drivers, after all.

(in the flattened piñata, some flamers are trying to wiggle out)

neomage: Uh-uh. (types on Millennium Keyboard)

(a hole inexplicably opens up underneath the piñata, swallowing the flamers…and the steamroller on top of them follows)

Steamroller: (in hole) **(CRASH!)**

krizrampage: Note to self: Never flame anybody without offering sensible reasons or just explanations.

neomage: That goes for everybody! Review soon, please!


	202. Chapter 202

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER:Naturally, as usual, neomage doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**CHAPTER 202**

_Characters' First Appearance in Story_

_KYLE_

_NAME: Kyle Welling_

_AGE: 18_

_HAIR: Blond_

_EYES: Blue (wears a mask covering the bottom half of his face)_

_CLOTHES: Green ninja outfit, black sheepskin boots_

ELSEWHERE IN DUELTROPOLIS, IN THE MEANTIME

Miriam stood a hundred meters away from the front entrance to the high-rise tower where the mysterious tuxedoed stranger had instructed her to go. She looked up, and beheld the height of the tower. _Well…nowhere to go from here but up,_ she thought ruefully.

She hurried to the building's entrance and went through the door. Inside, she saw a comfortable-looking hotel lobby, and right at the front desk was a middle-aged man attending to his work. He looked up as Miriam made her entrance.

"Ah, hello, young lady," he greeted her. "May I help you?"

"Could you direct me to the elevator, please?" Miriam inquired.

"Sure thing! Just go down that corridor…" The man pointed in a direction. "…then turn left, and the elevator's right past the vending machine."

"Thanks, mister!" Miriam nodded and ran down the corridor, taking the directions as she'd been given them. Then, a moment later she located the elevator doors and pushed the "call" button. It didn't take very long before the elevator came down to her level; as soon as the doors were open, she hurried inside and pushed the button for Floor 19, the highest available right there.

But as the elevator went up, Miriam leaned against the wall, troubling thoughts invading her mind. _That weirdo in the green tuxedo…who was he?_

All too soon the elevator bell made a light 'ding' and the doors opened. Stepping out, Miriam beheld a cleaning lady at work. "Excuse me, miss," she hailed her, "but I need to get to the roof of this building."

The cleaning lady paused and raised an eyebrow at her. "The roof? Whatever for?" she asked.

"Well…I'm supposed to meet someone up there," Miriam explained.

The cleaning lady shrugged. "Well…just head down that way, and there on your left you should see a flight of stairs."

"Thank you!" Miriam replied, and headed down the corridor.

In a moment she'd located the stairs, and started heading up, up, up. _All right, strange guy…here I come!_

----------

A MOMENT LATER

The mysterious tuxedoed guy stood near the railing at the rooftop's edge, looking out at the horizon. "Almost here…" he muttered.

Just at that moment the doorway leading to the roof banged open, and Miriam stepped outside. "There you are," she addressed him.

"Took you long enough," said the guy, and he slowly turned to face her. His head was still down, so Miriam couldn't see his face properly from where she stood.

"All right, start talking! Who the bloody hell are you?" Miriam demanded.

"My, my, such language from a girl…it's so unbecoming," said the stranger. "Well, all right. I am Kyle Welling…also known by the nickname Taurus the Gamekeeper."

"Taurus the Gamekeeper? What kind of name is that supposed to be?" Miriam made a face. "And why make me come all the way up here, when we could've just as easily dueled back down on the ground?"

"It's a rule for me," Kyle replied. "I never let anyone see my face, and I don't reveal my presence to anyone, unless it's the prey I'm hunting, or any of my comrades. And you…you are my prey in this first part of this tournament."

"Prey, huh? So you consider yourself a hunter or something?" asked Miriam.

"You could say that," replied Kyle. "And now…"

He reached for the shoulder of his jacket – and then, to Miriam's surprise, he ripped the whole tuxedo off in one piece, revealing a strange green ninja outfit underneath! "Now…I'm in my battle attire…and the attire that I use when hunting my prey," he announced, fixing in its place a small mask that covered the bottom half of his face.

"Well, if I'm your prey, then I'm going to be the prey that puts up a fight to the death!" declared Miriam, activating her Duel-Disk.

"Your choice." Kyle nodded.

He reached behind him and drew out a Duel-Disk – and Miriam stared at it in disbelief. Unlike conventional disks, this one was shaped to somehow resemble a crossbow. "Hey – what kind of crazy-looking Duel-Disk is that?" she demanded.

"It's a Duel-Disk that shows the kind of personality I have – that of a hunter," answered Kyle, strapping the Duel-Disk onto his wrist. "Now, let's do this!"

The holographic coin appeared and was flipped. "I will call it! Heads!" Miriam announced. And then…the coin fell back down…and indeed it was heads.

"Congratulations, you get to go first," said Kyle. Then he smirked underneath his mask. "But it won't change the eventual outcome of this duel."

Both of them drew their first five cards; Miriam then drew a sixth. "I'll set one monster in Defense Mode…and that'll do it for now."

"A simple start – but it still won't change the outcome," declared Kyle as he drew his card. "Now, let's see here, hmmm…I'll set five cards facedown, and end my turn."

_Five facedown cards? And no monsters?_ Miriam raised an eyebrow at this. _This looks like an invitation…one that I'm not accepting!_

"All right!" she announced as she drew her next card. "I activate the magic card, Dark Snake Syndrome! During each of my Standby Phases, we'll both take damage to our life points, starting at 200 points and then doubling following each of my Standby Phases!"

But as her shadowy snake appeared and began circling the field—Kyle smirked. "And now I'll counter that by activating my trap card, Imperial Order! As long as this card remains on the field, it will negate the effects of Magic cards on the field!"

"Huh?" Miriam reared up in alarm. "Oh, crap!"

But true to Kyle's word, a white-haired emperor with a majestic crown emerged from the Imperial Order trap card, and spread his hands out. Immediately, some invisible force pressed down on Miriam's Dark Snake Syndrome, forcing the shadow snake to the ground! "So, there'll be no damage dealt to anybody's life points by that card of yours."

"Geez…this is bad…" hissed Miriam.

"And that's not all," went on Kyle. "Next, I'll activate the trap card, Skill Drain!"

Another of his cards flipped face-up – and his life points dropped to 7000! "I can only activate this card by paying 1000 life points," Kyle explained. "But now, as long as Skill Drain remains on the field, the effects of all Effect Monsters on the field are negated."

Miriam automatically cast a glance at her facedown monster. _Damn…he's really got me in a bind here!_

"So…what will you do now?" Kyle asked, looking at her expectantly.

"Grrr…fine, I'll end my turn now," Miriam answered icily.

"Why such a tone of voice?" asked Kyle. "Unless…" Then he chuckled. "Oh, I see. Your deck strategy must somehow be badly affected by my Imperial Order and Skill Drain trap cards…so, therefore, my prey has been more critically crippled by my series of traps than even I anticipated." He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. "Ahhhh…this will make my victory here all the sweeter."

He quickly drew a card – and the Imperial Order emperor lifted a hand toward himself. Immediately Kyle winced visibly as his life points dropped to 6300! "Heh…that's the one thing about the Imperial Order trap card," he explained. "It requires a cost of 700 life points during each of my Standby Phases in order to maintain it, otherwise it'll be destroyed."

"Hmmm…so your life points will be whittled down bit by bit…I can live with that," remarked Miriam.

"Unless I cut your life points down to size before mine run out!" Kyle declared. "Now, where to begin…oh, I know! I'll activate another of my trap cards: Robbin' Goblin! Now, each time one of my monsters inflicts damage to your life points, one card will randomly be discarded from your hand to the Graveyard!"

In a moment a dark goblin with a bag slung over one shoulder and a machete in one hand appeared on the field. "And there's more where that came from, too," continued Kyle. "Now, I'll activate yet another trap card, Magic Thorn! Now, each time you discard cards by the effects of Monster, Magic or Trap cards, this card will inflict 500 points of damage to your life points!"

Miriam sucked in air between her teeth as she watched a mass multitude of thorny vines grow out of the ground beside Kyle. "Are you done?"

"Nope! Next, I'll activate my last trap card, and summon a Trap Monster – Embodiment of Apophis!" And Kyle laughed loudly, even as his card flipped face-up to unveil a serpent creature wielding a sword and shield, with 1600 ATK and 1800 DEF!

Miriam's eyes widened at this development. "I see…I've heard of these Trap Monsters…but this is the first time I've actually seen one in action…"

"Well, now you're going to get an up-close-and-personal view of what this kind of creature is capable of!" said Kyle. "And _finally…_I'll summon a monster from my hand: Zombyra the Dark (ATK 2100, DEF 500)!"

One second later a blue-skinned warrior wearing a red cape and bone armaments appeared beside the Embodiment of Apophis trap monster. "Now, here's the best part," said Kyle smugly. "Normally, Zombyra's effect prevents him from attacking directly, and every time he destroys a monster in battle, his ATK is decreased by 200 points…but now, with my Skill Drain trap card active and sapping monsters of their effects, Zombyra is actually at full power! So…"

"Shit!" Miriam gritted her teeth.

"Go, Embodiment of Apophis – kill that facedown monster of hers!" ordered Kyle. And then the snake monster slithered forward and chopped Miriam's facedown monster cleanly in two, revealing it to be the Dice Jar (ATK 200, DEF 300). Because of Skill Drain, Dice Jar's flip effect didn't activate – and that aggravated Miriam to no end.

"And now, time to take a serious blow at your life points!" said Kyle. "Zombyra the Dark, attack directly with Shadow Bonecrusher Fist!"

Immediately Zombyra disappeared inside his own shadow! "Huh?" Miriam exclaimed in disbelief—but before she could get her wits about her, the next thing she knew she felt the breath forcibly knocked out of her as Zombyra, mysteriously from out of nowhere, slammed one foot into her gut! She flew back and landed on the ground hard, even as her life points went down to 5900!

"Zombyra did damage to you—so now my Robbin' Goblin trap comes into play!" announced Kyle. On cue, the Robbin' Goblin dashed forward and slashed at Miriam's hand, effectively sending one card to the Graveyard. Then, even as Miriam was still trying to register what had happened, the vines from Kyle's Magic Thorn trap card slithered forward in numerous bundles, slashing at her on every part of her body! She cried out in pain as her life points went down further to 5400—then she fell to the ground again!

"And with that, I end my turn," said Kyle. "Face it, girl—you're being seriously overwhelmed by my traps, and there's nothing you can do about it!"

Slowly, gingerly, Miriam climbed back to her feet. _Just great…with that Imperial Order trap card active, my deck's power has been seriously cut down by 95 per cent…and I barely carry any monsters in my deck, so he's completely free to do away with my life points as he sees fit! Man, oh man, I am so screwed…unless…_

Her eyes narrowed. _Unless I can get one of THOSE cards…_

----------

A FEW DAYS EARLIER, IN MIRIAM'S MEMORY

_Miriam was going through her deck in preparation for the World Championships. "Hmmm…gotta stay consistent with this deck theme," she grunted, pulling card after card out of her stock._

_"Oy, Miriam, going through your deck again?"_

_"Hmmm?" Turning, Miriam saw three familiar figures standing there. "Oh, hey, you guys. I thought you were training?"_

_"Well, we just decided to take a break, that's all," said Luke. "So, love, how's the deck strategy coming along?"_

_"Yeah, c'mon, show us!" pressed David._

_Miriam laughed. "Okay, okay, if you insist. You guys all are intimate with my cards, anyway." And she held up her deck for them to see._

_Silently taking the deck from his sister, Malachi thumbed through the cards as David and Luke looked at them over his shoulder. "Aw, Miriam, you're using mainly Magic cards again?" sighed David. "I barely see any Monster or Trap cards in here!"_

_"Well, at least my Magic deck has kicked your ass lots of times, in spite of your strong monsters," Miriam jeered him._

_"Hey! I resent that!" David cried._

_"Seriously, though, Miriam, David raises a good point," said Luke thoughtfully. "Magic cards by themselves can only go so far. With the strategy you have here, it's understandable, but…what if, one day, somebody uses a card effect that, like, immobilizes your magic cards altogether? Then you'd be in really hot water, you know what I mean?"_

_"Well…do you have anything that can help?" Miriam challenged._

_Luke's eye twinkled. "As a matter of fact, I do. Here, one sec…" He reached into a pocket and pulled out a set of cards._

_"Aww, how cute! You're gonna give her a card from your own deck!" David grinned._

_"Well…the card I'm gonna give her works pretty well in tough situations. Ah, here we are." Luke pulled the card in question out of the set and gave it to her. "Consider it a good-luck charm from me."_

_Miriam looked carefully at it. "Destroyer Golem _(ATK 1500, DEF 1000)_…that's really sweet of you, Luke…"_

_David leaned over and looked at the card. "Heh, I've seen better.."_

_"So now you're an expert? Everyone, come see Dr. David Jericho, world-renowned expert on Duel Monsters!" Miriam jabbed at him._

_"Ha, ha. Well, in any case…if Luke's gonna be giving you cards, I guess I may as well, too. I've got one right here that I'm not using at the moment." David reached into his pocket._

_"Since when did you become so concerned with Miriam's deck strength?" Luke asked curiously._

_"Hey, I just want for her to be prepared, that's all." David pulled out a card from his pocket and gave it to Miriam. "Here you go."_

_"Gravity Bind," said Miriam, looking at the trap card David had given her. "Well, thanks…I think."_

_All this time Malachi hadn't uttered a word, but had watched the proceedings in silence. Now he stepped forward, reaching into his own pocket as well. "Miriam…"_

_"Malachi?" Miriam looked up at him, raising an eyebrow._

_Quietly he pulled out a card and handed it to her. Blinking, she reached out and took it. "The Dust Tornado trap card…Malachi, isn't this one of yours…?"_

_"Don't worry about it. Just keep it." Malachi turned and began to walk out of the room. "David, Luke, back to training."_

_"Right, boss!" David ran out after Malachi. Luke went after them, but paused at the doorway and looked back at Miriam._

_"Luke, what's wrong?" Miriam asked him._

_"Miriam…at least use those cards in your deck once, eh? I doubt you'll regret it." Luke nodded at her, then went out after Malachi and David._

_Miriam looked on as Luke's form disappeared from the doorway. Then she looked at the three cards. "You guys…"_

----------

DUELTROPOLIS, THE PRESENT DAY

"You guys…" Miriam whispered.

"Talking to yourself? Have you gotten so nervous that you've gone crazy?" Kyle taunted her.

"Shut up." Then Miriam placed her hand on her deck, and prepared to draw…

----------

**_neomage:_** Looks like Miriam is in a tight spot, isn't she? Well, let's see how this duel turns out in the next chapter as she continues to face off against the traps of Taurus the Gamekeeper! On to the next chapter!


	203. Chapter 203

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER:BING BANG BOOM! neomage owns only this story!)

**CHAPTER 203**

PEGASUS'S CASTLE

"Goddammit…they're taking a little too long to come back with that Cassius Princeton boy!" Mr. Truesdale growled, flexing his fingers in a mighty effort to keep himself calm.

"Don't fret so much, my friend," Pegasus told him. "The security personnel will be here with him soon, don't worry. After all, it's a high priority that he is to be brought here without a hindrance. If what Alex-girl told us before is true, he's perhaps our best chance to find out for certain who's who among the Zodiacs…and she's never steered us wrong before."

"Hey, Pegasus! Come check out this action!"

"Huh?" Pegasus looked up in the direction of Mr. Devlin's call, coming from the doorway. "Devlin-boy, what are you on about?"

"Come to the watchtower with the telescope! There's a duel going on that you just gotta see!"

"Duel?" wondered Pegasus. "But—the big-screen is on right now inside here! Should I not be able to see it?"

"Well, this one is taking place on the roof of one of those high-rise buildings where your company runs its business," Mr. Devlin told him. "Zigfried's up there in the watchtower watching the duel now."

Pegasus started. "The _high-rise buildings?_ That can't be!"

He flew out of the room even as Mr. Devlin and Mr. Truesdale watched in surprised confusion. Dashing outside like a madman, Pegasus ran up several flights of stairs, eventually reaching the watchtower in question where Mr. Von Schroeder was looking out in the distance through the telescope, at the high-rise towers.

"Zigfried, relinquish that telescope NOW!" Pegasus roared.

Startled out of his wits, Mr. Von Schroeder quickly moved away. "Pegasus, what's wrong all of a sudden?" he exclaimed. "What's gotten you so worked up?"

Pegasus gazed hard through the telescope, turning the lens carefully so he could get a good view of the high-rise towers. His eye widened when he saw what was going on. "This is not good!" he cried.

By this time Mr. Devlin and Mr. Truesdale had arrived in the watchtower, both out of breath. "What happened?" Mr. Truesdale demanded. "Pegasus, you just ran out of the room like something was coming to get you. What's happening?"

"Yeah…you just flipped when I told you about the duel on top of your high-rise buildings…" Mr. Devlin eyed Pegasus. "Is there something we should know, Pegasus?"

Pegasus began to breathe heavily. "Fellows…that area over there was supposed to be off-limits for dueling! _Company business alone_ is supposed to go on over there—and because of that, I didn't install any cameras that would specifically be needed for recording and broadcasting duels over in that area!"

The other three stared at him. "WHAT?" cried Mr. Devlin. "Wait, you don't think…"

Pegasus's face was grim. "One of the Zodiacs may be over there."

Mr. Von Schroeder's eyes widened in horror. "Then what are we waiting for? We have to get over there quickly!"

"No, we can't leave—Cassius Princeton is being brought here for questioning, remember?" Mr. Truesdale objected.

"And we wouldn't get there fast enough, anyway," said Mr. Devlin. "What can we do?"

Pegasus's brow furrowed in deep thought. "I think I know what to do."

----------

DUELTROPOLIS, MEANWHILE

The duel's stats now stood with Kyle having 6300 life points and Miriam having 5400. Kyle held one card in his hand; Miriam held four in hers. On the field Kyle had his Skill Drain, Imperial Order, Magic Thorn, Robbin' Goblin and Embodiment of Apophis traps active, with the last serving double-duty as a Trap Monster in Attack Mode, and he also had Zombyra the Dark in Attack Mode; Miriam, on the other hand, only had her Dark Snake Syndrome magic card on the field, disabled by Kyle's Imperial Order trap.

Now Miriam prepared to draw her next card. _Please…please…please…_

Then she drew. She looked at the card…and sighed. "Okay…I'll set this card facedown…and end my turn."

"Whatever you try is useless," said Kyle, drawing another card. Immediately his Imperial Order's emperor sapped him of 700 life points again, leaving him with 5600. "Okay, that was unpleasant…but still! Zombyra the Dark and Embodiment of Apophis…attack directly once again!"

But as Zombyra began to disappear into his own shadow and as Embodiment of Apophis slithered forward— "HOLD IT!" Miriam exploded. "I activate the trap card, Gravity Bind!"

All at once, a massive surge of gravity forced both of Kyle's monsters to the ground, both of them struggling not to be crushed by the weight of gravity! "Wh-wh-wh-what? What's the meaning of this?" Kyle exclaimed.

"Heh…" Miriam chuckled in relief. "As long as Gravity Bind is active on the field, monsters of Level 4 or higher can't attack at all, but they CAN still change their battle positions." She smirked. "You may have incapacitated the effects of monsters and of Magic cards, but you forgot to deal with Traps as well…because, perhaps, doing so would have shot down your own strategy?"

Kyle was livid. "Why…you…little…" He was so mad he could scarcely talk. "I end my turn, dammit!"

Smiling a little now, Miriam drew her next card. "Hmmm…well, I'll end my turn again."

Gritting his teeth, Kyle drew another card – and flinched as Imperial Order sapped him of 700 life points once again, leaving him with 4900. "Shit…this bites!"

"What's the matter—losing your cool so soon?" Miriam teased him. "Oh, I get it – your strategy revolves mainly around traps, right? Heh…and I'll bet that all you have in your hand right now are nothing but trap cards – and right now all the slots in your Magic/Trap zone are full to the brim!"

_Damn you, bitch…if you hadn't activated that damn Gravity Bind trap card, I'd have ended this duel already!_ Kyle closed his eyes and inhaled deep. "All right…I'll end my turn once again. But mark my words, girl…mark my words…I'll get you yet…!"

Quickly Miriam drew another card—now she held six in her hand. Then she looked sideways at her still-negated Dark Snake Syndrome magic card. _Only three of my Standby Phases have passed by now since I activated this card…if it were still active now, it would be doing 800 points of damage to both of us…I guess I SHOULD be glad I'm not taking more damage than I have been taking up to now…_ "I'll end my turn once again."

Scowling, Kyle drew his next card, so now he held four – and again Imperial Order's emperor drained him of 700 more life points, leaving him with 4200. "I know what you want to do," he growled. "You want to make my life points gradually drain down to zero through my own trap card, but guess what? I'll kill you before that happens!"

"Well, no matter how you look at it, my friend, it would seem your own plan has backfired on you," said Miriam. "I had to throw a spanner in the works, and…guess what? It's costing you plenty now!"

Kyle glared daggers at her. "I end my turn," he announced flatly.

Again Miriam drew from her deck, so now she held seven – and she smiled a little more broadly. "I'll set one monster in Defense Mode, and end my turn."

It was obvious by now that Kyle was struggling to maintain some level of composure as he drew again from his deck – and as Imperial Order drained him yet again of 700 life points, to leave him with 3500. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?" he snarled.

"A little," chuckled Miriam. "But, of course…all good things must eventually come to an end. Just wait and see."

"Arrrgh…JUST GREAT! Okay…I end my turn again!"

Once more Miriam drew her card…and this time when she saw what it was, she stopped smiling. "All right…time to stop clowning around now. I'll set one card facedown…and end my turn."

Again Kyle drew…and again Imperial Order sapped him of 700 life points, to leave him with 2800. "You little witch…when I get my monsters free from your Gravity Bind trap card, you'll be sorry!" he yelled.

"Well, sorry, but they won't ever see that opportunity," said Miriam, speaking in a voice full of winter frost. "You'll soon see why, too."

His eyebrow twitching, Kyle fingered his cards. "Well, fine, then! I'll end my turn! Mark my words, though, you bitch – the first opportunity I get, you're finished!"

"Sorry…but as I said, there will be no opportunity for you," Miriam announced. "I'll soon show you what I mean. Just be patient."

Now the stats were changing, slowly but surely, for while Miriam's life points remained at 5400, Kyle's now stood at 2800. Miriam held six cards in hand; Kyle held six in his hand also. On the field Kyle still had his Skill Drain, Imperial Order, Magic Thorn, Robbin' Goblin and Embodiment of Apophis traps active, the last still acting as a Trap Monster in Attack Mode, and he also had Zombyra the Dark in Attack Mode; Miriam now had one facedown card, plus her negated Dark Snake Syndrome magic card and her active Gravity Bind trap card, and she had one monster facedown in Defense Mode.

Miriam drew yet again. "And now, I officially have a good hand—and the very cards that'll spell your demise," she declared. "First things first…I'll activate the trap card, Dust Tornado! This will destroy one Magic or Trap card on your side of the field, after which I can choose to set one Magic or Trap card of my own…and I'll use it to destroy your Imperial Order card!"

"WHAT!" Kyle cried.

Suddenly, from out of Miriam's trap card emerged a tornado filled with dust and dirt, ripping across the field toward the Imperial Order trap. Imperial Order's emperor tried to duck down, but still got split into several pieces as the tornado tore him asunder!

"Oh, crap…now Magic cards' effects are no longer negated…!" Kyle whispered through clenched teeth.

"Exactly!" Miriam grinned. "And next, I'll activate the magic card Raigeki, to destroy all of your monsters on the field!"

Suddenly a rain of lightning bolts shot down from the sky, blasting Zombyra the Dark and Embodiment of Apophis into burnt crisps. "ACK! My monsters!" cried Kyle in utter dismay.

"But I'm not done yet! Next, I'll activate the magic card Emergency Provisions!" Miriam played yet another card. "Now, I can send Magic and Trap cards on my side of the field to the Graveyard to increase my life points by 1000 per card—excluding Emergency Provisions itself, of course!"

In the blink of an eye the Dark Snake Syndrome magic card and Gravity Bind trap card were whisked off the field—and Miriam's life points went up to 7400! "All that effort before…for nothing," she scoffed.

Then Miriam looked at the five cards she had left in her hand. "And now, it's the beginning of the end!" she declared. "I now activate the magic of Monster Reborn, to revive your Zombyra the Dark to my side of the field!"

A sinister shadow appeared on Miriam's side of the field at that moment…and then Zombyra reemerged. "And last but not least, I'll Flip summon my own monster," concluded Miriam. "Destroyer Golem (ATK 1500, DEF 1000)!"

Her monster card flipped face-up—revealing a stone giant with a massive muscular arm! "And, here's the best part," said Miriam. "I'm going to attack you directly…and since your Skill Drain trap card _is_ still in effect, Zombyra's effect that prevents him from attacking directly is negated, yes? So…" She shook her head. "Time to fall down."

"Damn it…this bites…!" Kyle groaned, his eyes wide with impending horror.

"Go, Zombyra the Dark and Destroyer Golem! Attack directly and end it now!" Miriam commanded. Immediately the two monsters attacked—Zombyra flew forward in one powerful bound and spin-kicked Kyle in the face, knocking him back and reducing his life points to 700. Then Destroyer Golem sent one massive fist flying at Kyle, hitting him square in the chest and sending him slamming into the roof railing—and his life points shot down to 0!

Kyle slumped to the ground, his face a real mask of hostility. "Shit…I can't believe it…I manipulated my target, and ended up being manipulated myself by the target!" he hissed. "The other Zodiacs will never let me live this down…!"

_Zodiacs?_ Miriam raised a questioning eyebrow.

Suddenly a peculiar sound caused both of them to look up—the sound of helicopter blades. "Who…?" Miriam wondered.

Kyle looked at the helicopter—and he turned pale. _That is…!_

It was Seto Kaiba's helicopter, having finally arrived at Duelist Kingdom Island! Kaiba himself was kneeling near the open helicopter door, looking out at the two duelists. "You two there! Stay right where you are!" he hollered to them.

"Shit!" Kyle grunted. "Like hell I'm gonna listen to YOU!" And then—he began to sprint toward the rooftop doorway!

"Hey—stop him! Don't let him get away!" Kaiba yelled out to Miriam.

Just as Kaiba gave Miriam the command, Kyle was rushing past her, toward the door. But Miriam responded quickly—turning, she lunged forward and managed to grab his ankle, causing both of them to fall to the ground with a crash! "Wait a minute, now!" she exclaimed.

"Hey, let me go!" Kyle yelled, kicking out at her with his free foot. His heel badly grazed her cheek, and she flinched at the stinging pain—but still she didn't let go of him. Furious, Kyle kicked at her again and again…

…and suddenly a heavy foot stomped down on his back, pinning him there. "Aaaaagh! Damn it—get off me!" Kyle roared.

Miriam looked up and was surprised. "You…!"

It was Kaiba himself, leaning heavily on his foot to keep Kyle pinned down. "Good thing I jumped down here just now—he might've escaped otherwise, the way he was resisting you," he remarked. "Hey, pilot! Get over here and bring something to keep this kid restrained!"

The helicopter had just made its landing there on the roof. Now the pilot jumped out of the cockpit – and with him he carried a length of rope. Forcing Kyle to his feet, Kaiba held him steady while the pilot tied his hands behind his back. Kyle had a major scowl on his face, but didn't offer any further resistance.

Meanwhile, Miriam was looking at Kaiba in awe. "You're…you're Seta Kaiba's father, aren't you?" she asked. "How'd you find us here?"

He looked squarely at her. "Yes, I am…and Maximillion Pegasus called me a little while back to let me know that something fishy was taking place on top of his company towers. Since I was coming here to Duelist Kingdom Island anyway, he saw it fit to contact me and ask if there was anything I could do to assist. Now…" Kaiba chuckled as he continued to talk. "Pegasus owes me big-time."

"Um, okay…" Miriam nodded. "So, what now?"

"What now?" Kaiba repeated. "You're going to get into that helicopter with us, and you're going to come with us to Pegasus's castle. I believe he's going to have a few questions to ask you—for instance, what you were doing up here on top of one of his high-rises in the first place."

"Well, Mr. Pegasus knows me, sir," Miriam told him. "I'll gladly go with you to explain my case to him, if that's what I have to do. And personally, I'd like to leave this area now, anyway."

"Then let's get going," said Kaiba. And with that the group headed for the helicopter, the pilot pushing a bound and sullen Kyle ahead of him.

----------

PEGASUS'S CASTLE, AT THAT MOMENT

Pegasus's cell-phone rang, and he quickly answered it. "Yes?"

"It's me," Kaiba's voice replied. "I've got the two duelists who were on your high-rise, right next to me in my helicopter. One of them says her name's Miriam Jordan, and that she knows you."

"Miriam Jordan? Ah, yes, the sister of the former Intercontinental champion," said Pegasus with a smile. "Of course we know each other—she, her brother, and their two friends have stayed here previously at Duelist Kingdom Island, training under my tutelage. I can vouch for her quite easily."

"Well, okay, if you say so," said Kaiba. "The other duelist is not talking to anyone right now…although…" His voice dropped to almost a whisper. "The way he was trying to resist and escape when he saw me, I'm willing to bet that he could be one of…_them."_

Pegasus scowled when he heard that. "I see. Well, this will bring to three the number of _them _we have in our custody…and our security personnel is still en route to bring another one here to the castle, so that'll make four."

"Better than having none of them at all," said Kaiba. "Well, I'll be there in a few." And the line went dead.

Pegasus hung up the cell-phone and chuckled…and just at that moment Mr. Devlin and Mr. Truesdale entered the room, their faces grave. "Pegasus…"

"What is it, fellows?" asked Pegasus.

Mr. Truesdale's mouth was set in a grim line. "Cassius Princeton has arrived."

----------

**_neomage:_** Yes, I chose to draw out the duel sequence between Miriam and Kyle in that particular section of this chapter where all they were doing was drawing, ending turns, drawing, ending turns, etc. Because, seriously, one can't expect to get one good or wanted card after another each and every single draw, right? Then again, that's just my opinion. So, anyway…by my count, eight of the sixteen first-round duels in the Dueltropolis tournament are now over, and eight still remain! And no worries, I haven't forgotten certain people…I'll get to them in very due time!

Keep reading and reviewing, faithful readers!


	204. Chapter 204

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER:Judgment arrives for certain people in this story's chapter! And…only Kazuki Takahashi owns Yu-Gi-Oh!)

**CHAPTER 204**

PEGASUS'S CASTLE

Pegasus, Mr. Devlin and Mr. Truesdale went out to the balcony. Looking down to the ground, they were just in time to see the jeep pulling up even as Mr. Von Schroeder stood at the castle's entrance to greet them. "Zigfried!" Pegasus called down to him. "Have them bring the boy into the dining hall!"

"Certainly!" Mr. Von Schroeder called back. Then, to the suits coming out of the jeep with Cassius Princeton, he ordered, "Bring him to Mr. Pegasus's dining room! The Committee members are waiting to speak to him!"

----------

A little while later Cassius found himself seated at Pegasus's table. Seated nearby, Mr. Devlin, Mr. Truesdale, Mr. Von Schroeder and Pegasus himself were looking expectantly at him. Near the doorway stood two burly-looking guards.

"All right, young man, start talking," said Pegasus firmly.

Cassius smirked. "Gotta be a little more specific, old man—there's lots of things we can talk about," he replied.

"Don't be giving any lip, boy!" Mr. Devlin snapped.

"Hold on, hold on, gentlemen," Mr. Von Schroeder waved his hands. "Let's not get too rough, or else he'll really clam up. So…"

He looked squarely at Cassius. "Cassius, was it? You want us to be specific? Okay…how about we start by you telling us how many of the Zodiacs are here at the tournament now?"

"All of us are here. All twelve members are here." Cassius said this bluntly.

The men looked at one another. "I see…so it's a case of elimination by knowledge now, isn't it?" Mr. Devlin asked. "Because there are some people here at the tournament we KNOW couldn't be involved with the Zodiacs in any way…"

"Moving on: what are your plans?" asked Mr. Von Schroeder.

Cassius sighed. "We're supposed to retrieve Seta Kaiba and bring him back to our fold."

"As we suspected," said Pegasus. "Except…how long ago did Seta break away from you guys?"

"Heh…it's been a little over four years by now," acknowledged Cassius.

"And in all that time you made no attempt to reclaim him…so why now?" asked Pegasus.

"Hey, even I don't know the answer to that," said Cassius. "Only our leader knows…and he's extremely secretive about things, even with us."

"Who is your leader?" Mr. Devlin asked point-blank.

Cassius sighed. "I don't know. What I mean is, I don't know his real name or even what he looks like. We all only know him as 'Master Orion'…and he always contacts our commander by phone, gives him instructions, and then our commander passes the instructions on to us."

"I see…pretty good way to keep anonymity, if even one's own henchmen don't know what one looks like," remarked Mr. Von Schroeder.

"So, can you tell us your commander's name, then?" asked Pegasus.

"I can tell you his codename," said Cassius. "Capricorn the Blitzflash."

"And he's the strongest in your group?" asked Pegasus.

"That's right. Of course, he was second-strongest when Seta was with us; back then, Seta was the best duelist out of all of us, and he was called 'Ophiuchus the Imperial.' We called him that because, for us, out of all of us he was the king of dueling."

Throughout the interrogation Mr. Truesdale hadn't uttered a word. Now he asked, "One thing I can't understand…how is it that a student of Duel Academy wound up being a Zodiac?"

"Well…now that's a really funny story," said Cassius. "It was five years ago when I first joined the Zodiacs. That was almost the same time that Principal Yuki – principal of Duel Academy now – changed the dorm regulations for our school. It was during my first year in Osiris Red…"

----------

FIVE YEARS EARLIER, IN CASSIUS'S MEMORY

_"This bites!" Cassius growled low in his throat. "I can't believe I have to be stuck here in Osiris Red for two years! Osiris Red, of all places! Man, why couldn't I have been put in Ra Yellow? Even that wouldn't have been half as bad as this! But no, my GPA just had to be five points off…"_

_"Dude, quite bellyaching about it already!" his dorm roommate snapped from the bunk-bed above him. "Geez…ever since we got you as our roommate, all we've heard is griping, griping, griping…and now I'm getting sick of it!"_

_"Damn right, man," another guy across the room put in. "Grin and bear it, rich boy. Just two years, and then you'll go to Ra Yellow…then another two years, and you'll be back in your precious Obelisk Blue."_

_"You just don't get it, do you?" Cassius cried. "I'm a prince who's been exiled from his kingdom!"_

_"Prince, my ass," the first roommate scoffed. "Look, I was in Obelisk Blue, too, when Principal Yuki first became principal and announced the new school regulations…and yet do you hear ME complaining?"_

_"As for me, the fact that I'm in Osiris Red now is just my own fault," the second roommate added. "I was in Ra Yellow before the new regulations came into effect…and then, when I took the entrance exams again, I hadn't studied hard enough, so I ended up here. I was lazy, lackadaisical…and the end result has taught me a lesson for sure." He eyed Cassius. "Maybe this could teach you a lesson in humility."_

_"Talk all you want, man—I'm NOT changing my mind for anyone," Cassius replied stubbornly._

_"Cripes…hey, man, let's get outta here before this idiot pisses me off any more," the first roommate grunted in disgust._

_"Maybe we could go to the cafeteria…hope they've got cheese spaghetti today," remarked the second roommate._

_"You still eat that crap? You're gonna clog your arteries before you ever reach 30!" laughed the first roommate._

_The two boys hurried out of the room, leaving Cassius alone. He flopped down on his bed, a sour look on his face. "What the hell do THEY know?" he muttered under his breath._

_"My, my…a very angry soul, aren't we now?"_

_"H-huh?" Cassius shot up in bed and looked around. "Who said that?"_

_"Over here, by your window," the voice replied. "I want a word with you, Cassius Princeton."_

_Puzzled, Cassius went over to the window and looked out—and standing there was a guy with red hair, in a blue trench-coat and blue jeans. "Who the hell are you—and how do you know my name?" Cassius demanded. "And what do you want with me, anyway?"_

_"Such a lot of questions," the red-haired stranger chuckled. "Well…who I am isn't relevant right now. How do I know you? Everybody knows your father, Chazz Princeton, a well-respected figurehead in the business world. And as for what I want with you—I'm here to make you an offer I doubt you can refuse."_

_"What kind of offer?" wondered Cassius._

_The stranger smiled a little. "You have incredible power, Cassius…power that is in danger of going to waste as long as you are a mere anonymous student here at this school."_

_"Power, huh?" Cassius raised an eyebrow. "Look, mister, there's only one thing I care about. I was one of the top students of the Obelisk Blue dorm…and then, next thing I know, I'm floundering in this goddamn Osiris Red dorm like a commoner! Shit…these people don't seem to know who I am, do they?"_

_"So, you're looking to reclaim the pride you once held before this point, yes?" the stranger asked._

_"Yes!" replied Cassius._

_"Then hear my offer, Cassius," and now the stranger narrowed his eyes. "I am gathering people with incredible potential, like you and me, in order to put into motion a plan that will make the world grovel at our feet. Already a chosen few have responded to the call…people who have had their rightful positions of power stolen from them, or who have been displaced and disregarded by society, or who simply seek to become stronger. You have had your pride stripped away from you, as you say…but I am offering you a chance to reclaim that pride, and more besides."_

_"Hmmm…a plan to make the world grovel, eh?" said Cassius. "What could that be?"_

_The stranger smirked. "If you really want to know…and if you really want to reclaim everything you lost when you were displaced," he said, "then come down to Duel Academy's harbor tonight at midnight. Of course, it's your choice whether you want to come or not, and I will not force your decision. But…" His eyes twinkled. "If you don't show up, that will simply mean that you're contented to wallow in self-pity and misery with the memory of your shame as a student of Osiris Red for as long as you live. Again, though, it's up to you."_

_Cassius looked down at his hands. "Hmmm…"_

----------

PEGASUS'S CASTLE, THE PRESENT DAY

"…and from there, the rest is history," said Cassius. "I kept that encounter to myself…and that night, I sneaked out of my room and went down to the harbor. He was waiting for me there, along with a few others…and they welcomed me into the fold, made me feel as though I truly belonged."

"As though you belonged…" Mr. Truesdale whispered this in a tight voice.

"Of course, in order to avoid arousing suspicion, I had to continue my course of study in Osiris Red, and then in Ra Yellow," added Cassius. "Therefore, I was mainly active as a Zodiac during school vacations…but at least I always pulled my own weight. And then, too, now that I'm a member of Obelisk Blue once again, I have a lot more freedom to come and go from Duel Academy as I like, so I've been able since recently to do more work as a Zodiac."

"And what sort of work do you usually do?" asked Mr. Von Schroeder.

Cassius chuckled. "A little spying here, a bit of blackmailing there…but up to now it's been mainly collecting information on various duelists around the world, in order to bring Master Orion's master plan to fruition."

"Do you know what that master plan is?" asked Mr. Devlin.

"I don't know much myself," admitted Cassius. "All I do know is, it definitely needs Seta Kaiba in order to succeed. That's why we've been commissioned to bring him back."

The men looked at one another. "Okay…so now what?" asked Mr. Devlin.

"I say we keep him locked up in a cell for now," said Mr. Truesdale. "He _is_ a Zodiac, after all; if we give him too much free reign, who knows what he may do."

Suddenly, while they were talking, one of the guards put a hand to his comm.-link. He listened for a moment, then announced, "Sirs, Mr. Kaiba has arrived."

"Oh, has he?" said Pegasus. "Let's go meet him, then."

The guards turned and opened the door—and who should step in but Kaiba himself. "No need to leave your seats, gentlemen."

Behind him came Miriam Jordan. "Um…hello, Mr. Pegasus."

"It's been a while, Ms. Jordan," Pegasus addressed her. "Seems you got lucky, getting a chance to come to my castle again and all."

A guard then entered the room, with the still-bound and still-sullen Kyle Welling in tow. Cassius started upon seeing him. "Taurus!" he exclaimed.

Kyle looked up on hearing the familiar voice. Seeing Cassius, his face hardened. "What have you told them?" he demanded.

"Um…" Cassius twiddled his fingers.

**_"You traitor!"_** Kyle exploded, and he would have charged forward in spite of his hands being tied if the guard hadn't held on to his rope. "Trying to sell out the rest of us to save your own damn skin? I always knew you were a little chicken-shit! Wait'll I get free – I'm gonna snap your worthless neck!"

"Okay, that will be enough of that," Pegasus announced in a sharp voice. "Little man…" He turned upon Kyle, a very ugly look on his face. "The only one allowed to make threats to anyone inside my house is me. And I'm going to make one right now: _Either be quiet, or else I'll inflict upon your person a torture so horrific your descendants will have nightmares about it!"_

Properly subdued by Pegasus's ominous tone, Kyle immediately pursed his lips.

"Um…have you ever known Pegasus to be so scary?" Mr. Von Schroeder whispered.

"Uh-uh," Mr. Truesdale shook his head, even as a tiny sweat-drop rolled down his face. "For a minute there he scared even me."

Pegasus sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Then he straightened up and pointed to two of the guards in the room. "Guards…take these boys and put them in confinement. Far, far away from each other, might I add."

The suits nodded, and one led Kyle away while the other held Cassius by the arm and pulled him out of the room. Pegasus then turned to Miriam. "Ms. Jordan…I have a little favor to ask you."

"Yes, Mr. Pegasus?" she turned her face to him, a questioning look in her eyes.

"You won your duel against that guy, right?"

"I did…but barely."

"All right. I want you to head back out into Dueltropolis…and until the second round of the competition is announced, keep what you've observed here to yourself. We don't want to cause any unnecessary panic amongst the other competitors…understand?"

"Got it." Miriam nodded solemnly. "My lips are sealed."

"Good. The guard will show you out, then." Pegasus nodded to the remaining guard.

The Committee members watched as the guard left the room, followed by Miriam. "Um, Pegasus…just out of curiosity…what was that horrific torture you were going to impose on that boy?" Mr. Devlin asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Yes, please; I need to hear this," Kaiba smirked.

Pegasus fixed his tie. Then he looked up with a grin. "There was no such torture. It was just a scare tactic!"

Kaiba face-faulted. Mr. Devlin's eyes were wide as saucers and his jaw was nearly hitting the floor. And Mr. Truesdale and Mr. Von Schroeder had already fallen over in disbelief. "…a…scare…tactic…" Mr. Von Schroeder managed to gasp from where he was on the floor.

----------

DUELTROPOLIS, AT THAT VERY MOMENT

Zander Zabel was sitting in a quaint little café close to a lake somewhere else on the island. He was calmly sipping on a glass of soy milk on ice, and a plate of split peas and dumplings was before him. "How sumptuous," he sighed as he looked at the food before him.

Then suddenly his cell-phone rang, and without missing a beat he answered it. "Yes?"

It was Master Orion. "Capricorn…already four of the Zodiacs have fallen. Two of the ones responsible are two of those closest to Ophiuchus. They are becoming more than a minor hurdle now, and frankly, it annoys me. They must be disposed of—all of them!"

Zander chuckled. "Patience, Master, patience," he replied. "They will be dealt with, in due time. In fact, I already have a plan of my own to take care of Ophiuchus's little friends…all I ask is that you be a little more patient."

There was a long silence. Then: "A plan, you say?"

"Quite so, Master."

"Hmmm…well, Capricorn, in all the time you have served me, you have yet to disappoint me," said Master Orion. "Very well, then. Just make sure it gets done, whatever your plan is."

"Thank you, Master." Zander narrowed his eyes and smiled maliciously.

----------

**_neomage:_** Uh…okay…doesn't sound good at all, Zander's intention! Well, stick around—the next chapter promises to be extremely rewarding!


	205. Chapter 205

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER:For the 205th time, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**CHAPTER 205**

_Characters' First Appearance in Story_

_CHRIS_

_NAME: Chris Gear_

_AGE: 22_

_HAIR: Brown_

_EYES: Brown (wears glasses)_

_CLOTHES: Cream shirt, brown tie, dark brown pants and suspenders, black shoes_

DUELTROPOLIS

Miki and Ms. Wong were walking through a grove of tall trees. "Wow…Mr. Pegasus sure has some pretty impressive scenery here on Duelist Kingdom Island," Miki remarked, looking up at the trees in awe.

"That's Pegasus for you," said Ms. Wong. "He's a man who favors variety in everything. Here you're seeing trees so tall you can barely see the tops from the ground; elsewhere you may find lots of small bushes with flowers of various colors. And…it'll appeal to you competitors, as well, to keep you from being bored."

"Okay," said Miki. "Well…"

Ms. Wong regarded her younger companion. "What?"

Miki sighed. "I just…I hope we find one of my friends soon. I wonder if any of them have finished their duels already?"

"Well, let's hurry and find them, then," said Ms. Wong. "I'm particularly interested to see your friend Kyo duel. You told me he uses Fairy-type monsters, right?"

"Yeah," said Miki. "I know some people think that makes him a sissy or something, but…I think it's really cool that he uses them."

Ms. Wong chuckled. "So do I, dear. So do I."

----------

ELSEWHERE IN DUELTROPOLIS, AT THAT MOMENT

Speaking of Kyo, where was he? Well…at this moment he was walking in a thick forested area, covered in vines and shrubs of various kinds. "Hmmm…our biological science teacher would have a field day in this place," he sighed as he picked his way through the vegetation.

Then, a moment later, he broke through the forest—and beheld a wide river several meters away. "Okaaaaaaay…how do I cross this?" he wondered. "Maybe there's a bridge or something close by."

But much to his disappointment, no matter how hard he looked both ways, he saw no sign of even a fallen tree stretching across the river. "Great…guess I'm gonna have to take the long way around to get across this river," he muttered. "Or…perhaps I could swim across…"

"Swimming across is not advised, friend," a nearby voice spoke up. Startled, Kyo turned to see someone vaguely familiar—the nerd with glasses, a formal shirt and tie and suspenders, one of the new competitors Kyo and company had sighted on the ship.

"Um, okay…why not?" asked Kyo.

"Think about it—you don't _really_ want to get wet if you don't have to, do you?" the guy pointed out. "It's not like you were planning to take a dip—you just want to get across, right? And, too, the water looks pretty deep and it's moving along rather swiftly. Who's to say you won't be swept away by the current? And besides, even if the current's not so strong that you can't swim across, you've no means to dry yourself once you're out of the water…you'd likely catch cold long before you reached one of the establishments built here for us duelists, and who knows how near the next one could be from here."

Kyo looked at the rushing waters of the river, then back at the stranger. "Well…when you put it that way, I guess it makes sense," he answered. "I suppose that means now I'm stuck looking for an alternate route on dry land. But thanks for the caution…um…"

"The name's Chris…Chris Gear," the stranger introduced himself. "And you are?"

"Kyo Bakura," Kyo introduced himself.

"I see," said Chris. He studied Kyo intensely. "Tell me something…have you had any luck finding your first-round opponent yet?"

"No," and Kyo hung his head and sighed in dejection. "It's well past midday by now, and I haven't seen a single soul who could be a duelist…other than you."

"Well, I guess we're in the same boat, my friend," replied Chris. "I've been looking for my designated opponent all day so far, and…well, absolutely no luck."

Then suddenly he paused. "Unless…" He looked hard at Kyo. "What's your number?"

Kyo raised an eyebrow. "Hmmm…I'm Duelist number 3."

Chris smiled a little. "And the duelist you're looking for…his number is 25?"

"Yeah, that's right…" Kyo paused and looked at Chris. "You?"

"Yep!" Chris answered brightly. "Man, I'm so excited! Now I can finally duel somebody! So…let's get down to it!"

"Well, I don't mind dueling now," said Kyo, pulling out his Duel-Disk. "So, let's get busy, then. Then after we're done, we can try to find a way across this river."

Suddenly—a loud _rriii-iii-iii-ng_ could be heard. "Oh…that's my cell-phone," said Chris, somewhat apologetic. "Excuse me for a minute, would you? I'll be right back...and I need to retrieve my Duel-Disk from over there, anyway," and he pointed to the tree-line.

"Hey, take your time," Kyo assured him. "I'm not in any big hurry to cross the river now, anyway."

Nodding, Chris stepped away toward the trees. Kyo then turned his attention to the river. "Man…if only there was a bridge here or something," he grumbled.

----------

Not too far away, Chris tramped toward a series of bushes within the tree-line even as his phone continued to ring. Then, stopping by a particular bush lined with blue flowers, he pulled out the phone and answered it. "Yes?"

A familiar voice spoke up. _"Operation Zeus commences now."_

Chris's expression suddenly darkened. "Understood."

He then hung up, then looked up and chuckled with amusement…and right above his head was a security camera. Smirking, Chris held up his middle finger to the camera. "You watching this, you pricks? Well, keep watching," he said in a loud whisper.

----------

Kyo picked up a stone and flung it across the river. "Hmmm…that didn't go very far," he sighed.

He heard footsteps behind him; turning, he saw Chris re-emerging from the trees. "Oh, you're back! You found that Duel-Disk of yours?"

Chris had had an arm behind him from the time he came out of the trees; now he held it up—and Kyo stared in amazement. "Whoa…that's a strange-looking Duel-Disk you've got there," he remarked.

The Duel-Disk that Chris wore was certainly out of the ordinary – it was actually two Duel-Disks, one directly built above the other, with two inches of space in between them and the edge of the bottom Disk hanging one inch further out. "Impressed?" said Chris. "Well, don't be for too long…for it's this Duel-Disk that'll be instrumental in your defeat, Kyo Bakura."

"Is that right, Chris Gear? We'll see, won't we?" said Kyo confidently, activating his own Duel-Disk as he spoke.

The holographic coin emerged at that moment and was flipped. "I will call it! Heads!" Chris exclaimed.

Then the coin landed…and it was heads. "Okay…you get to go first. All right, I can live with that," said Kyo.

They both drew their first five cards—then Chris spoke up. "Before I make my first move, I believe it's fair that I warn you…there's a solid reason why I'm called Chris Gear…and there's also a reason why I'm known by my other name…"

"And what would your other name be?" asked Kyo.

Chris adjusted his glasses and smirked. "Gemini the Strife."

_Huh? Well, that IS an odd name…_ "So, show me!" Kyo challenged.

"As you wish…" Chris then drew his sixth card to begin the game. "Now…I'll set two cards facedown…" He set the two cards on the bottom piece of his strange Duel-Disk. "…and summon Injection Fairy Lily (ATK 400, DEF 1500) in Attack Mode!" And he played this card on his Disk's top piece.

Suddenly, much to Kyo's surprise, a cute nurse appeared on Chris's side of the field, riding a floating hypodermic needle. "And with that, I'll end my turn for now," said Chris.

_He's GOT to be kidding! That monster's so weak, any of my strongest monsters can wipe her out!_ Then Kyo's eyes narrowed. _Unless…those facedown cards Chris has on the field…maybe he'll be expecting me to attack! Well…I'm not gonna bite the bait!_

"Ha! I know what you're planning to do with those cards of yours…and it's not gonna work!" Kyo drew his card with a flourish. "Now, where to begin with this…oh, I know! I'll summon one of my newest monsters – Bountiful Artemis (ATK 1600, DEF 1700) in Attack Mode!"

A moment later a mechanical being of light, with huge wings and a purple cape, appeared on Kyo's side of the field. "But…I'm not gonna attack for now," Kyo informed Chris. "I'll just set one card facedown, and end my turn."

"Playing very strategically, now, are we?" said Chris, drawing his next card. "Well, in that case, I guess I'll have to do something about that, won't I?"

"Like what?" asked Kyo.

"Like this! I'll activate my trap card – Solemn Wishes!"

All at once, one of Chris's facedown cards flipped face-up. "Now, for every occasion where I draw a card or cards from my deck, I'll increase my life points by 500 points!" he explained. "And now, moving on…I summon Fire Princess (ATK 1300, DEF 1500) in Attack Mode!"

Moments later a girl in a dress made completely of flames emerged on the field; Kyo involuntarily stepped back from the heat she exhibited, but Chris didn't seem much bothered. "Heat getting to you, no pun intended?" Chris inquired. "Well, when you've been around the Fire Princess hologram for as often as I have, you get used to it."

"Yeah…I guess…" said Kyo.

"But it's going to get worse—for you, that is!" added Chris. "Allow me to show you why! I'll now activate the magic card Dian Keto the Cure Master, which will increase my life points by 1000 points!"

A light momentarily shone on Chris, and his life points went up to 9000—but suddenly Fire Princess blasted a wave of fire at a startled Kyo, hitting him in the chest and knocking him down—and reducing his life points to 7500 at the same time!

"Whoa!" Kyo cried out, wildly brushing his chest to clear off the flames. "What the hell was that just now?"

"Oh, that was Fire Princess's effect at work," said Chris, a grin on his face. "Each time I recover my own life points, she does 500 points of damage to my opponent's life points."

"Damn…that really, truly hurt…" Kyo got back up, gingerly rubbing his chest where the fire had scorched him. Then realization hit him. "Oh, shit…if that's Fire Princess's effect, then…"

"Exactly! I'm glad to see you're figuring it out!" said Chris. "Each time I have occasion to draw from my deck, my Solemn Wishes trap will increase my life points…and in the same moment, Fire Princess will _decrease_ yours! Pretty raw deal, I know, but…oh well."

He then examined the two cards he had left in his hand. "Hmmm…I see…well, then, I'll attack now! And—I'll attack your Bountiful Artemis with Injection Fairy Lily!"

"WHAT?" Kyo shouted. _Is he NUTS?_

Injection Fairy Lily rocketed forward on her injection needle, straight toward a bracing Bountiful Artemis. But—much to Kyo's utter astonishment—suddenly Lily's ATK skyrocketed to 3400! "What in the—" but before Kyo could finish, the needle tore through Artemis and went straight at him, piercing him straight through the gut! He gasped and groaned out loud as his life points went down to 5700!

Kyo collapsed to the ground, writhing in agony and holding himself where the needle had stabbed him…and Chris just laughed. "Wondering what just happened, are you?" he inquired. "Well, look at my life points…"

Weakly, Kyo looked at his opponent's life point gauge on his Duel-Disk…and saw that Chris's life points were now inexplicably at 7000! "But…what…" he gasped out.

"You're a slow one, aren't you?" Chris raised a disapproving eyebrow. "All right, I'll explain. During the Damage Step when Injection Fairy Lily attacks or is attacked, I can pay 2000 life points to increase Lily's ATK by 3000 points during that Damage Step only."

"Damn it…" Kyo slowly rose to his feet, wincing all the while as he still held his belly.

"Oh, no, no, no, no, don't get up just yet – I'm not finished!" said Chris. "For now it's Fire Princess's turn to attack! Go, my Fire Princess – get him directly with Inferno Baptism!"

Fire Princess placed her hands on the ground, palms down. Kyo looked at her in confusion—and suddenly howled in pain as a rush of fire suddenly burst out from below his feet, consuming him and bringing his life points down sharply to 4400!

"NOW you must be feeling the heat – plenty of puns intended there!" Chris laughed loudly.

In only a moment, miraculously, the flames disintegrated—but Kyo was still writhing on the ground from the pain of the attack. "Shit…this is so not nice…" he grimaced.

"Boy, it sure must suck, huh?" remarked Chris. "Having your life points brought down almost to half in only a few turns…but fret not, for I will soon release you from the pain you're feeling…very, very soon, in fact. For the time being, though, I end my turn."

Slowly picking himself up, Kyo drew his next card so he now held five. "All right…I'll set one monster in Defense Mode, and end my turn."

"Pretty careful playing you're doing, I'll grant you that," said Chris. "But right about now…it's time I showed you why they call me Chris Gear—and also why they call me Gemini the Strife!"

So saying, he drew his next card – and Solemn Wishes' rain fell on him from above, quickly increasing his life points to 7500. Simultaneously, however, Fire Princess blasted Kyo with another burst of flame, bringing his life points down further to 3900! "Ow…ow…ow…" Kyo smarted from being burned.

"And now, I'm all set," Chris chuckled. "Now…I'll activate the magic of Ancient Gear Castle!"

Suddenly the ground began to rumble—then all at once a massive castle, armed with every type of mechanical weapon available, shot up behind Chris! Kyo stared at it in awe. "Whoa…that's one frickin' big castle…"

"If you think the castle is impressive, wait'll you see what comes out of it!" replied Chris. "First things first, though…allow me to explain something to you. As long as this card, Ancient Gear Castle, stays on the field, it increases the ATK of any monster on the field that includes 'Ancient Gear' in its card name by 300 points. Now…I summon to the field the Ancient Gear Soldier (ATK 1300, DEF 1300)!"

The doors to the Ancient Gear Castle opened suddenly…and out popped a massive mechanical soldier with a gatling gun for an arm…and due to the Ancient Gear Castle's power, the Ancient Gear Soldier's ATK quickly rose to 1600. Then—much to Kyo's further astonishment—one of the cannons at the top of the Castle began to power up, its impending blast looking like a big yellow orb!

"Heh…I suppose I should explain that as well," said Chris. "Each time a monster is Normal Summoned or Set—no matter which player is doing it—the Ancient Gear Castle will get one counter. What are those counters for, you ask? Well, fret not – you'll find out in due time."

"And me finding out will be detrimental to my health, I take it," Kyo grunted.

Chris merely smiled. "Well, anyway, I won't take any further action for now. I don't want to run any risks with that facedown monster of yours. So…for now…I'll end my turn."

Then he lowered his eyes and chuckled. "Although frankly speaking, I'm a tad bit disappointed. I expected a lot more from you…seeing as you're one of the kids responsible for taking down the big bad JUDAS organization."

Kyo's head snapped up at that. "Wha—wait a second! How do you know about JUDAS?"

Chris smirked. "Oh, believe me, I know more about you than you'd want me to tell you—you _and_ your little bunch of friends." His eyes then narrowed. "Which is why…I have been commissioned to take you and your friends down. Oh, if I had wanted to, I could easily have disposed of the lot of you while we were still on the boat en route to this tournament, but…this is so much better, wouldn't you say? Now…let's go, Kyo Bakura!"

----------

**_neomage:_** I see it absolutely necessary at this time to address a very serious problem. In the most recent set of reviews I've received, there are some…AHEM…attempts at reviews/useless flames that have utilized some of my biggest supporters' names in an attempt to, presumably, frame them. It is very clear for me to see that the (censored) perpetrator(s) of this act are the same ones who I've told repeatedly, over and over, to stop reading my story if they don't like it…and this scenario is so bad that two anonymous reviewers have actually seen these frame-ups and assumed that it's the actual reviewers who are saying such bad things.

Now…there is only so much I'm going to tolerate. It was bad enough when these (censored) pigs, a.k.a. flamers, targeted me. But using my most faithful reviewers' names in the reviews to make it seem as though the flames came from said faithful reviewers…**_I AM DRAWING THE LINE WHERE THAT IS CONCERNED._** So…effective once this chapter goes up…

I will be blocking anonymous reviewing.

Yes, folks, you heard me correctly. In addition to deleting those flames, I will block anonymous reviewing. That means that anybody who wishes to review my story must now sign in to the site in order to do so. Tragically, genuine anonymous reviewers will have to deal with this as well. I did not want it to come to this, but now those (censored) have left me no choice.

(heaves a sad and heavy sigh) So, to all genuine anonymous reviewers, I am very deeply remorseful about this decision I have been brought to make. If you wish to blame anyone, blame the (censored) jerks who only flame, flame, flame and make life hard for us writers. And to the three whose names were slandered, I do sincerely hope that this plea clears all your names.

And to all flamers out there, if you happen to be reading this (though only God knows why you still are at this point), then know this: **YOUR CYBER-BULLYING IS NOT GONNA STOP ME FROM WRITING THIS STORY! I'M GONNA CONTINUE WRITING IT TILL IT'S FINISHED, AND THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN DO TO STOP IT! HAVE THAT!**

Now…the next chapter's coming up soon…once I get my emotional train of thought back on track…look out for it, faithful readers! (manages a smile) It's because of all of you and because of God's grace and mercy that I have the strength to keep writing, after all!


	206. Chapter 206

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER:Having recovered from my bout of depression following the end of the last chapter, I can get back to business! And first things first—I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!)

**CHAPTER 206**

DUELTROPOLIS

Kyo stared at Chris. "You were…commissioned…to take me and my friends down? Why? By who?"

"Heh…by who, I cannot tell you. That's for me to know." Chris chuckled. "I _can_ tell you why, though. The whole bunch of you may very well be a threat to our plans…so it's better for us to get you out of the way now than to have to deal with you."

"Us…" Kyo narrowed his eyes. "Are you an old member of JUDAS?"

"A member of JUDAS? Me? Please." Chris shook his head even as a massive grin played all over his face. "JUDAS is like kid's play, or chump change, compared to us. That's as much as I'm willing to say."

"I see." Kyo narrowed his eyes. "It'll probably not do me any use to try talking any more to you about this, then. So…" He held up his Duel-Disk. "Let's finish this duel."

"Now you're talking my language…although, to correct your interpretation, it is I who will finish you." Chris ran his thumb across his nose bridge. "Come on."

Kyo's life points were at 3900, while Chris was in the lead with 7500. Kyo had four cards in his hand; Chris had one. On the field Kyo had only one facedown monster in Defense Mode and one facedown card in the magic/trap slot; Chris had his Ancient Gear Castle magic card with one counter on it and the active Solemn Wishes trap card, plus one facedown card, and he also had Injection Fairy Lily, Fire Princess, and Ancient Gear Soldier in Attack Mode; Ancient Gear Soldier's ATK was still increased to 1600 due to the effect of the Ancient Gear Castle.

Now Kyo drew another card. "Hmmm…I definitely could use this right about now! So…I'll activate the magic card, Celestial Transformation, which will allow me to Special Summon one Fairy-type monster from my hand – and I choose to summon Shining Abyss (ATK 1600, DEF 1800) using this effect!"

A bright light shone down from the sky over Kyo's side of the field…and then his massive robotic angel appeared – but its ATK had shrunk down to 800! "In exchange for allowing me to Special Summon my Fairy-type monster from my hand, Celestial Transformation cuts that monster's ATK by half, and then the monster is destroyed at the end of my turn," said Kyo. Then he smirked. "But that doesn't bother me, for now I'll offer Shining Abyss as a tribute to summon another new monster: my Majestic Mech – Ohka (ATK 2400, DEF 1400)!"

Shining Abyss vanished in a flash of light – and in its place was a red-and-white, four-legged mechanical creature with majestic wings. "And now, I've got a creature with more attack strength than any of your monsters!" announced Kyo. "Go now, Ohka! Blast his Fire Princess with Divine Roar!"

Majestic Mech – Ohka opened its mouth and let out a roar – and a huge blast of light shot forward toward the Fire Princess. But Chris wasn't concerned much. "Bad move, boy! I'll activate my trap card – Draining Shield!"

All at once, as Chris's facedown card finally flipped face-up, a massive force field popped up in front of Fire Princess! It completely blocked Ohka's attack, keeping the Princess safe from harm – and, in the process, Chris's life points suddenly shot up to 9900! "WHAT!" Kyo exclaimed.

"Draining Shield, when activated, negates one attack and increases my life points by an amount equal to the ATK of the attacking monster," said Chris smugly. "And let's not forget what Fire Princess's effect does each time I increase my life points!" And in response, Fire Princess blasted Kyo with yet another wave of fire, reducing him to 3400!

Smarting from the blast, Kyo got back up—and now his face was peevish. "Okay…now I am getting annoyed," he declared, a definite edge in his voice.

"Like I care," returned Chris. "Face it – as long as this keeps up, you won't stand a chance against me in the slightest. Of course, you can try all you want—at least it'll be a source of amusement for me."

"Grrr…all right, I'll end my turn now," Kyo said huffily.

With a twinkle in his eye, Chris drew another card. Immediately Solemn Wishes' rain fell on him again, increasing his life points to 10,400—and again Fire Princess blasted a ball of fire at Kyo, bringing his life points down to 2900! "Humiliating, isn't it?" asked Chris. "Your life points are coming down, little by little, and what can you do except stand there and watch helplessly?"

Then he took a look at the two cards in his hand. "Heh…all right. Now I'll activate the magic card, Ancient Gear Drill!"

Suddenly a large drilling machine emerged on the field, its massive drill spinning wildly. "I can only activate this card by discarding one card from my hand while a monster that includes 'Ancient Gear' in its card name is face-up on my side of the field," said Chris, and he discarded his last card from his hand. "Now, I get to select one Magic card from my deck and set it on the field…unfortunately, I can't use that Magic card this turn. But, oh well."

Ancient Gear Drill immediately got to work, its drill tearing into the ground right next to the Ancient Gear Soldier. As the pieces of earth flew all about, inexplicably a card popped out of the ground where the drilling was taking place. Kyo immediately saw that the card in question was the Pot of Greed card—and it got set facedown in Chris's magic/trap slot. "I'm saving that little guy for later," Chris remarked. "For right now, though…Injection Fairy Lily, attack and destroy his Majestic Mech – Ohka!"

Again the hypodermic needle flew forward, and as Chris's life points dropped to 8400, Lily's ATK shot up to 3400 once again—right before the needle tip tore straight through Ohka! Kyo, seeing it coming this time, ducked down low to the ground, and the needle flew just inches over his head – but his life point count still dropped down to 1900!

"Aw, damn, I missed you this time," sighed Chris. "Oh, well…next time."

Getting up from where he'd ducked down, Kyo wiped some dirt from the ground off his cheek. _Okay, just stay calm, stay cool…what's the best way to deal with his monsters without getting damaged myself? Hmmm…_

He carefully examined the field. _Right now my biggest worry is that little combo he's pulling off on me…every time he increases his life points, Fire Princess's effect damages me…and every time he increases his life points by a certain amount, he gives himself enough to sacrifice for his Injection Fairy Lily's effect…_

Then realization dawned on him. _OF COURSE! That is his secret – in order to maintain that kind of strategy, he HAS to keep his life points high! So…_ His eyes narrowed. _If I had a card that could put a stop to that…which I know I do…then I'd be in business! So, in that case…_

Carefully he drew his next card, giving him three in all…and his eyebrows raised. _Hmmm…not exactly what I was looking for, but good enough for the present!_

"All right!" Kyo announced aloud. "First, I'll activate the magic card Pot of Greed, which will let me draw two more cards!" And, very swiftly, he drew his two cards. "And now…"

"What? You actually think you can _stop_ me at this point in the game? It's not worth the effort, kid!" Chris scoffed.

"Oh, but with what I've got in my hand, I think it is," and Kyo smiled broadly. "Here, let me show you what I'm talking about! I summon Warrior of Zera (ATK 1600, DEF 1600)!"

One moment later his green-armored warrior appeared on the field, armed with his sword. "Pffft…and just what is THAT gonna do against me, pray tell?" laughed Chris.

"Plenty of damage, you'd best believe it," replied Kyo. "Especially when I play this Field Magic card – the Sanctuary in the Sky!"

All at once, as Kyo played the card, a bright light shone from the sky above them. Puzzled, Chris looked up—and was well and truly amazed. "Whoa…would you look at that…"

----------

Miki and Ms. Wong were still walking along together. "No trace of anyone else up to this point," Miki sighed.

"They must all be scattered far and wide throughout Dueltropolis," noted Ms. Wong. "But don't worry, dear—I'm sure we'll find your friends shortly."

Then suddenly she paused and looked to one side. "Hmmm?"

"What is it?" Miki wondered, looking in the same direction.

A little ways from their current position, they could see a bright light engulfing something that was otherwise overshadowing an area. "I wonder what that could be, now," remarked Ms. Wong.

Miki's eyes widened in recognition. "It's Kyo dueling, that's what it is! Come on!" And she sprinted forward into the bushes. Startled, Ms. Wong hurried after her.

----------

"This, my friend, is the Sanctuary in the Sky…and it's got immense power unlike anything you've ever seen in your life," Kyo told Chris. "And now…Warrior of Zera, be transformed by the Sanctuary!"

A beam of light shot down and engulfed Warrior of Zera in a blinding flash, so bright that Chris actually had to turn his face completely in the opposite direction and cover his eyes at the same time. "Whoa! That's way too bright!" he cried.

"Hey, pal…better turn around now," Kyo's voice reached him.

Ever so slowly removing his hands from his eyes, Chris turned around to face his opponent—and what he saw stunned him considerably. "What…the…where'd THAT come from?"

Where Warrior of Zera had been standing, there now stood a being in white armor, with wings and a big sword. "Chris Gear…I introduce you to Archlord Zerato (ATK 2800, DEF 2300), the master of the Sanctuary in the Sky," said Kyo. "I could only Special Summon him by tributing Warrior of Zera while the Sanctuary was active on the field. And now, I'll show you his ultimate power: if the Sanctuary in the Sky is active on the field, by discarding one Light Monster card from my hand to the Graveyard, I can have Archlord Zerato destroy every monster on your side of the field!"

Chris turned pale. "…shit…!"

Archlord Zerato flew up into the air, parallel to the position of the Sanctuary, as his sword began to glow with a bright light. Then, with as much force as he could, he swung downward, releasing numerous blades of light onto Chris's side of the field that consumed and cut apart his monsters!

"Damn it! Now I'm wide open for an attack…!" Chris hissed.

"Right you are!" said Kyo. "But I'm not gonna attack just yet. First, I'll Flip Summon the monster I've been keeping facedown for so long…allow me to introduce you to Kelbek (ATK 1500, DEF 1800)!" And his card got flipped face-up, revealing his orange robotic fairy.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it…that's a hell of a lot of muscle just to deal with little old me, don't you think?" Chris asked.

"Save it!" said Kyo. "Now, Archlord Zerato and Kelbek – attack directly!"

Archlord Zerato flew forward and slashed hard at Chris's shoulder, sharply bringing his life points down to 5600. Then, the eye in the middle of Kelbek's face shone bright, and it blasted a laser at Chris, knocking him back and reducing his life points further to 4100. "Ungh!" Chris grunted as he fell backward onto the ground.

"Heh…too bad," remarked Kyo.

"Kyo! Kyo, is that you? Over here!"

Kyo turned automatically – and was surprised. "Miki!"

Indeed it was Miki, accompanied by an older lady, both standing several yards away from the duel site. "I saw when you activated your Sanctuary in the Sky magic card," Miki explained, "and followed the light to this spot. How are you?"

"A little worn for wear, but I'm okay," replied Kyo. "Who's your friend?"

"Vivian Wong, member of the Duel Monsters World Tournament Committee," the woman introduced herself. "That's about all I can tell you about me for the present, but your girlfriend's told me plenty about you. We'll have time to do proper introductions later, though—first you have a duel to finish up."

"Yeah—right!" Kyo nodded assent, then turned to face Chris again.

Chris, meanwhile, was just standing back up. "You…tore through my strategy," he growled. "I do not LIKE when someone takes down my strategy—as if it's nothing!"

Kyo narrowed his eyes. "Then try taking your revenge against me, you bastard. I'm not gonna run away – bring it on."

Now the score had sharply shifted – Chris's life points were now low at 4100, but Kyo was still behind with 1900. Neither duelist had any cards left in hand. On the field Kyo now had Kelbek and Archlord Zerato in Attack Mode, with the Sanctuary in the Sky active and with one other card still facedown; Chris had his active Solemn Wishes trap card, his facedown Pot of Greed, and his face-up Ancient Gear Castle with—three counters!

"What the…!" Kyo exploded. "Wait a sec—when did that thing sport three counters? Didn't it have just one a while ago?"

"What, did you forget already?" Chris taunted him. "Ancient Gear Castle gets counters each time either player Normal Summons or Sets a monster – and you recently summoned two monsters in such a fashion: your Majestic Mech – Ohka and your Warrior of Zera. And so, once I have the proper cards in my hand, my real show of power can begin…"

With that he drew his next card – and Solemn Wishes rained on him once again, increasing his life points to 4600. "And now, it's time for me to activate the magic of my facedown card, Pot of Greed, so that I may draw two more cards from my deck!" Chris announced.

Immediately he drew two more cards, and Solemn Wishes rained on him again, giving him 500 more points to put him at 5100 life points. "I always say it's too bad I don't get 500 life points for every single card I draw, instead of every drawing opportunity in and of itself, but hey – as long as I'm getting life points, who am I to complain?" he chuckled.

"Just get on with it," Kyo said darkly.

Chris glanced at the three cards he now held – and did a double-take. Then slowly a grin spread across his face. "Okay…I'll set one monster in Defense Mode, for a start." And as he did this, one more counter appeared on the Ancient Gear Castle, so now it had four. "Then I'll set one card facedown, and end my turn for the present."

_I don't like that look that was on his face a while ago,_ Kyo thought to himself. _He's up to something…I don't know what it is, but I have to be doubly on my guard now…and especially since I don't know what those counters on his Ancient Gear Castle are for—maybe he's gonna use them against me as a weapon or something!_

He looked at his deck as he prepared to draw. _Come on…give me a good card…give me a good card…!_

Then he drew. And his eyes widened when he looked at the card. _ALL RIGHT! Just what the doctor ordered!_

Chris raised a questioning eyebrow. "Well?"

"Well…" Kyo chuckled. "I'll just set this card facedown, and end my turn for now."

Chris frowned. "Hmmm…all right…" He drew again, and once more Solemn Wishes increased his life points, this time to 5600. "I will set one more monster in Defense Mode…and end my turn." And as he set the monster, Ancient Gear Castle got one more counter, so in total it now held five.

Kyo drew again, replenishing his hand. "All right, Mr. Gemini the Strife…it's time for me to whip you!"

Only a little distance away, Ms. Wong looked up on hearing that. _Gemini…the Strife…? Damn it – not ANOTHER of them!_

Kyo pointed to the facedown card he'd only recently set. "Now I activate my trap card – Bad Reaction to Simochi!"

Suddenly, as his trap card flipped face-up, a sinister mist surrounded both players. "Huh? What on earth is this supposed to be?" asked Chris, looking around in confusion.

"Hmph…you claim to know about me and my friends, yet you don't know about my cards?" scoffed Kyo. "Well, don't worry…considering your deck strategy, you'll see what this card does soon enough. Now – Archlord Zerato, he's got two facedown monsters on the field – attack the one on the right!"

Archlord Zerato drew his sword again and flew forward—but Chris laughed loudly. "I anticipated that you'd do that!" he exclaimed. "So now, I activate my trap card, Enchanted Javelin! When your monster attacks, this trap increases my life points by an amount equal to that monster's ATK!"

The card flipped face-up, revealing a bejeweled spear that shone with bright light – but suddenly, the dark mist from Kyo's Bad Reaction to Simochi trap card closed in, forcing Chris to his knees! "W-W-W-What! But—I don't understand—what the hell's happening? I feel…so…weak…all of a sudden!"

_"That,_ friend, is the effect of my Bad Reaction to Simochi at work," chuckled Kyo. "As long as it remains on the field, any effect that increases your life points is changed to inflict the same amount of points in damage to your life points instead. So, Enchanted Javelin would've increased your life points by an amount equal to Archlord Zerato's ATK – but now you'll LOSE life points equal to that same amount!"

"Ugh…" Chris sagged forward on the ground as the mist sapped him of even more strength, draining his life points to 2800!

"Now, Archlord Zerato, continue the attack!" Kyo cried. And Archlord Zerato, flying high into the sky, swooped down and slashed at the facedown monster target—

—but all of a sudden, a pink wormlike creature wrapped itself around Zerato's torso! "Huh?" Kyo exclaimed, as Zerato tried to pull the creature off in vain.

"That…is my Kiseitai (ATK 300, DEF 800)," replied Chris. "When it's facedown and attacked, damage calculation is negated and Kiseitai is treated as an Equip card to the monster that attacked it…and then during each of your Standby Phases, it would increase my life points by an amount equal to half the equipped monster's ATK." His eyes narrowed. "Only, now…because of that Bad Reaction trap card of yours…now I'll lose life points equal to half your Archlord's ATK instead of gaining!"

"Damn right." Kyo smirked and adjusted his glasses.

"All right! Kyo's got him now! Beat him, Kyo!" Miki cheered.

But Ms. Wong frowned. _Hmmm…maybe he has the advantage now, but…he still needs to be very careful…especially with that Ancient Gear Castle still active, and with so many counters on it too…_

"Now, Kelbek, it's your turn! Attack his remaining facedown monster!" Kyo commanded. And Kelbek flew forward, slashing downward with its clawed fingertips, flipping the monster face-up and revealing it to be a sort of flying squirrel.

"Nimble Momonga (ATK 1000, DEF 100)," growled Chris. "Normally, when it's destroyed and sent to the Graveyard via battle, it's effect increases my life points by 1000…"

"…but because of Bad Reaction to Simochi, you are gonna lose 1000 life points instead," Kyo summed up, even as Chris's life points swiftly went down to 1800.

"But there's more," Chris went on…and a small grin emerged on his face. "In addition to that, I can take any additional Nimble Momonga cards from my deck and Special Summon them facedown in Defense Mode, after which I must shuffle my deck." He quickly thumbed through the deck, found two cards and held them up for Kyo to see that they were indeed the two cards he wanted; then a moment later the two monster cards emerged facedown on Chris's side of the field, and then he shuffled his deck.

"Well…now I'll end my turn, I guess," Kyo shrugged.

Chris growled and looked at his deck again, ready to draw. _This sucks…now I don't have a lot of life points left…I have to make this one draw count! Oh, but if it does…that kid is SO gonna pay for humiliating me!_

Then he put his fingers on his deck, and he drew…

----------

**_neomage:_** MWAH! A nice little cliffie for everyone!

NEXT CHAPTER'S COMING UP, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!


	207. Chapter 207

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER:neomage doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh! **(cues the Rocky theme music) **And I deliver a knockout punch to all flamers!)

**CHAPTER 207**

DUELTROPOLIS

Kyo's life points stood at 1900, and Chris was close with 1800. On the field Kyo had Archlord Zerato equipped with Chris's Kiseitai monster card, and also the monster Kelbek—both in Attack Mode—and in his magic/trap slot, in addition to the aforementioned Kiseitai, he had his Bad Reaction to Simochi trap card active and one other card facedown, and his Sanctuary in the Sky was still active on the field as well. By contrast, Chris had his Ancient Gear Castle magic card with five counters on it, his active Solemn Wishes trap card, and two facedown Nimble Momongas in Defense Mode. Each had one card in hand at present.

And now, Chris was drawing…and the card slid out of his deck slot with ease.

_Do I have it?_ Chris wondered to himself, even as he flinched while Solemn Wishes, its effect drastically reversed by Kyo's Bad Reaction to Simochi, rained down on him—reducing his life points by 500 this time, to 1300.

Then he looked at the card…and a huge smile crossed his face. "Now…it's time I took back this duel!" he declared. "And the Ancient Gear Castle is what'll help me to do so!"

"How do you figure that?" asked Kyo.

"There's one more effect that the Ancient Gear Castle has, that I purposely neglected to mention earlier," Chris told him. "If I Tribute Summon a monster that includes 'Ancient Gear' in its card name, then I can substitute the Ancient Gear Castle itself for tributes, as long as the number of counters that the Castle has is equal to or greater than the number of required tributes for that Tribute Summon. And so…"

Suddenly the ground began to quake—and the Ancient Gear Castle began to crumble. "I will offer the Ancient Gear Castle, with the five counters now on it," Chris announced, "as tributes to summon my ultimate Ancient Gear monster – the Ancient Gear Golem (ATK 3000, DEF 3000)!"

And then—suddenly all the walls of the Castle burst outward, as a massive iron giant with a huge cannon on one arm rose up out of the ground! The Castle's wall fragments flew everywhere; Miki and Ms. Wong had to run for cover. "Ack! This is NOT what I was hoping for!" Miki screamed out.

Only Kyo seemed unmoved by the Golem's appearance. "And you, sir, seem to have forgotten about the facedown card I've been holding on to for so long!" And he indicated the facedown card in his magic/trap slot that had been sitting there all this time. "Now…it's time for me to activate its power, at long last!"

"Huh?" Chris looked up in surprise.

"And now," Kyo declared in a loud voice as his facedown card finally flipped face-up, "I activate my trap card—Solemn Judgment!"

Suddenly a massive light shone from Kyo's side of the field—and his life points dropped to 950! "By paying half my life points when you activate a Magic or Trap card or summon a monster," he announced, "I can negate the action and destroy the cards involved! And so…say farewell to your Ancient Gear Golem!"

And then from the activated trap card shot a beam of light that tore through the newly-summoned Ancient Gear Golem! The gigantic iron behemoth immediately burst into white flames, its body swiftly coming apart as it crumbled to the ground! "AAAAHHH! LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE!" screamed Chris. "MY PRECIOUS, PRECIOUS GOLEM!"

"Cry me a river," Kyo said coldly.

Then suddenly…the single card in Kyo's hand began to shine. "Oh, crap…now what?" Chris asked, truly bewildered.

"Heh…" Kyo snickered. "This card I'm holding in my hand…part of its summoning condition has now been fulfilled…when one of my Counter Traps has been activated and resolved, by tributing every single monster on my side of the field, I can Special Summon it. And now, come to the field…Voltanis the Adjudicator (ATK 2800, DEF 1400)!"

In that moment, Kelbek and Archlord Zerato vanished from the field, along with Chris's Kiseitai that had been equipped to Zerato. A bright blue light shone on Kyo's side of the field…and from it stepped a dark blue robotic fairy with massive black wings, wielding a scepter that shone with immense power.

Looking at the field, both Miki and Ms. Wong were astounded. "My dear…your boyfriend over there definitely has a solid deck strategy, to be able to summon a monster like _that…"_

"I'll say…" Miki gulped.

Chris, too, was shocked. "This is…"

"This is the end of you," Kyo declared flatly. "For you see, when Voltanis the Adjudicator is Special Summoned in the manner I just used, his effect destroys a number of cards on your side of the field equal to the number of Fairy-type monsters I tributed when I Special Summoned him. And since I tributed two Fairy-type monsters, I can destroy two cards on your side of the field—and my sights are on your two facedown monsters!"

"Oh, crap!" Chris bellowed.

But Voltanis raised his scepter only slightly…and two small wisps of light floated out toward Chris's facedown monsters. And then, when those wisps of light touched the facedown monster cards – there was a _deafening_ explosion that flung Chris far back as the two facedown monsters got blown to smithereens!

Miki and Ms. Wong stared with eyes wide as saucers. "Okay…now I'm really glad I'm not the one Kyo's supposed to duel," said Miki softly.

Amidst the smoke, Chris got back up. "This…is…impossible…" he whispered. "I got outplayed…by some _boy?"_

"Considering who's about to win here, I think you're the boy here," said Kyo. "Now…it's my turn…"

Quickly he drew from his deck. "And now, Voltanis the Adjudicator, finish it! Angelic Judgment!"

Voltanis raised his scepter again – and this time he fired a massive blast that shot across the field and hit Chris square in the chest, reducing his life points to 0! The impact of the attack sent him flying even further back, and when he hit the ground it was with a massive impact!

"Um…okay…maybe I hit him a little too hard…" Kyo muttered sheepishly, scratching the back of his head even as the holograms on the field disappeared.

"You did it, Kyo! Way to go!" Miki cried out, running up to him.

"Yes, that was a very impressive display," said Ms. Wong. "That you were able to defeat a Zodiac certainly says something."

Kyo raised an eyebrow, and Miki looked at Ms. Wong. "Zodiac?" they asked with one voice.

Ms. Wong nodded gravely. "He's one of a group of dangerous people who have entered this tournament for some very sinister purposes."

Then she turned to Miki. "Miki, dear, do you remember that girl you dueled against last night—that girl who called herself Sagittarius the Vermillion? She and this guy, who calls himself Gemini the Strife, are from the same group."

"I see…" Miki nodded with understanding.

"Sinister purposes, you said?" said Kyo. "Now that I think about it…during our duel, that guy said he'd been commissioned to take down our group of friends—and all he said was that it was because we're seen as a threat to their plans…whatever those are."

His face darkened. "And…somehow…he seemed to know about our adventure in Egypt…"

"WHAT?" Miki exclaimed. "Then that means…could they be JUDAS agents out for revenge?"

"No, it didn't seem like it," replied Kyo.

"JUDAS…we, the members of the Committee, know all about that expedition from Seta Kaiba," Ms. Wong told them. "But…how could these Zodiacs know about them, if they're not affiliated with them?"

"Maybe we can ask the guy Kyo just beat…um, where'd he go?" Miki asked.

All of them looked around wildly for Chris—but it was no use. "Damn it…he's already escaped…!" Kyo gritted his teeth in anger.

"Well, never mind him for now," said Ms. Wong. "Right now, if what he said is true…our first priority should be finding your friends."

"Got that right!" said Miki. "So, let's hurry and get going!"

"Sure, except…how do we cross this river?" Kyo inquired. "From what I've been able to see, there doesn't seem to be a bridge anywhere close by."

"Then we'll just have to walk the long way around till we find a path across the river," said Ms. Wong. "Come, kids, let's not waste any more time here now."

"Right!" Kyo and Miki nodded.

----------

ELSEWHERE IN DUELTROPOLIS, AT THAT MOMENT

While all of this was going on, Yugo and Natasha had still been walking together. Both had been rather quiet, Natasha keeping her eyes on the ground and Yugo glancing worriedly at her now and again. And in Yugo's mind he was thinking, _Natasha…I hope you'll be okay, especially after what happened…_

Presently Natasha looked at him out of the corner of her eye. "Yugo…"

"Hmmm? What is it?" he answered.

"Are you…still angry at my brother?"

He looked at her for a long moment…then looked away and sighed. "Natasha…I'd be lying if I said no. Really, I still can't fathom how or why he could have acted toward you the way he did…your own brother."

"Well, that can be explained pretty easily," said Natasha. "It's not really a specific, direct hatred toward me—it is just that he hates everything to do with Osiris Red. A lot of people in Obelisk Blue do."

Looking at her body movement at that moment, however, Yugo could see that she was a bit uncomfortable talking about it. So he just shrugged and sighed. "I see."

Then Natasha looked up—and her mood brightened. "Hey, Yugo, look—it's an inn!"

Several hundred feet away was a modest-looking structure, shaded by some tall trees with branches thickly covered in leaves. "C'mon, let's get something to eat—I'm starving!" Natasha exclaimed, and she broke into a run.

"H-hey, wait a minute! Don't leave me behind!" Yugo cried, taking off after her.

----------

The inn was bustling with activity. There were numerous tables strategically placed across the room, each accompanied by four chairs. At one end of the room was a bar, and on the wall shelves behind said bar were bottles and cans of every drinkable liquid imaginable—from tomato juice to Heineken. Waiters and waitresses came and went, bearing trays of drinks or food. Soft radio music and the low hum of numerous simultaneous conversations from the patrons filled the air.

Then the door was opened, and in stepped Yugo and Natasha. "Hmmm…looks pretty quiet," Yugo observed.

"This is my kind of place, then," replied Natasha. "Hey, I'm going to find the restroom—can you hold a table for us?"

"Yeah, sure, you go ahead," Yugo assured her.

Nodding, Natasha headed across the room. Yugo, meanwhile, looked around for a suitable table—and eventually decided on one empty one that was closest to the bar. "Now…let's get me something to drink at this bar!" he decided as he took off his jacket and draped it over one of the chairs at the table, then pulled up a stool at the bar and sat down.

"Hello there, sir," the barmaid greeted him. "What'll you have?"

"Let me have a cherry soda, please," said Yugo.

The barmaid nodded and got to work. Sighing, Yugo rested his elbow on the bar and propped his chin on his hand. _Damn it…I still can't get it out of my head…_

In his mind he replayed the events of the duel between James and Natasha, over and over…and every time he saw the cruel look on James's face, his own look darkened. _That bastard…why? Why? Why? Why is it that he could come close to hitting his own flesh and blood without flinching? Why?_

So absorbed in his own thoughts was he that he failed to take note of the footsteps approaching the bar. Until, that is, he heard a voice call his name. "Yugo Muto?"

"Huh?" Snapping out of his trance, Yugo turned—and beheld a woman with long blond hair, glasses, and a quiet sense of authority in her eyes. "Um…yeah…and you are…?"

She nodded. "Alexis Rhodes-Yuki." She held out a hand for him to shake.

_Yuki…WHOA! No way!_ Swiftly Yugo took her hand and shook it. "You're Janus's mom, aren't you?" he exclaimed.

Now Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki allowed a smile. "That I am, dear. I'm impressed you caught on to that so quickly. You really are the son of Rebecca Hawkins."

Yugo raised an eyebrow. "You…knew my mother?"

"Indeed. I knew both of your parents, in fact," Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki told him. "Your father hadn't told you?"

"Well, actually, yeah, he did tell me he knew you and your husband," admitted Yugo. "But…to think that I'm actually meeting one of Janus's parents…it's just such an honor. I'm…overwhelmed!"

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki chuckled. "So, tell me, how much has your father told you about our family?"

Yugo grinned. "That you're a member of the Duel Monsters World Tournament Committee, and that your husband's the principal of Duel Academy."

"Where I also serve as vice-principal," Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki nodded. "And I, in turn, know quite a lot about you, young man—for instance, that you won the Kaibacorp Challenge Cup and the Intercontinental tournament in London…and also that you took on the criminal group JUDAS and defeated them."

Yugo looked at her in surprise on hearing that last bit. "Um…"

"Seta Kaiba told his father, and his father in turn told us," Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki clarified. "Seto Kaiba is on the Committee, too, you know."

"Oh, I see…that explains a few things right away," and Yugo was smiling more easily now.

"So, Yugo, did you come here by yourself?" Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki queried.

"To the island, or here to this inn?" Yugo asked.

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki laughed. "Here to the island."

"Nah—I came with my friends," said Yugo. "I assume Janus told you about them?"

"Ah, yes, your three friends Kyo, Jenna and Miki…yes, he did mention them," remarked Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki. "And all of you are competing?"

"Yep! I'm just hoping I can find them soon…I wonder how they're doing in this first part of the tournament, anyway?" Yugo frowned a little.

"So, you've been on your own since you arrived, then?" Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki inquired.

"Actually, no…I ran into one of Duel Academy's students…Natasha Truesdale," said Yugo. "She and I came here together…and speaking of which, she hasn't come back from the restroom yet." He looked around, puzzled.

"I'll go find her," offered Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki.

"Okay, thanks," said Yugo. "Our table's right here, near the bar, in case you'd like to join us," and he indicated the table where his jacket was slung over the chair.

"Young man, I graciously accept the invitation," and Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki smiled again. Then: "Excuse me now, I need to go fetch Natasha."

Yugo watched as the older woman got up from the bar and walked across the room. "A pleasant lady, for sure," he remarked. "Janus is lucky to have her as his mom."

Just at that moment the barmaid came to Yugo again, bearing a glass of cherry soda. "Here you go," and she placed it before him.

"Thanks," said Yugo.

Suddenly the inn door opened again—and heavy footsteps caused some people to look up, Yugo included. _Whoa…_

Standing in the doorway was someone dressed in black from head to toe, with a black hat—it was the Zorro look-alike from the ship. His head was tilted down so that the hat brim overshadowed his face; but presently he lifted his head slightly, revealing a smirking mouth.

Yugo watched this person with curiosity. _Interesting…_

----------

**_neomage:_** So, Kyo has defeated a Zodiac…and one of the new players has just shown his face! I wonder what'll happen next, hmm? Read on and find out!


	208. Chapter 208

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER:** (takes Zorro's sword and cuts out own name into a wall Zorro-style) **neomage doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh or Zorro!)

**CHAPTER 208**

_Characters' First Appearance in Story_

_FELIX_

_NAME: Felix Sanchez_

_AGE: 23_

_HAIR: Black (sports a thin mustache)_

_EYES: Hazel_

_CLOTHES: Black hat, black long-sleeved shirt and trousers, black knee boots_

DUELTROPOLIS

The dark stranger stepped into the inn, closing the door behind him. As curious onlookers watched, he strolled across the floor and over to the bar, sitting down on a stool next to Yugo. _"Buenos tardes, señorita," _he addressed the barmaid, in a definite Spanish accent.

"Ah—_buenos tardes, señor,"_ she answered. _"¿Quieres beber?"_

_"Un jugo de piña con Appleton, por favor,"_ the man replied.

_"Sí, señor," _the barmaid nodded. _"Un momento."_

The man nodded, and watched as the barmaid went about preparing his order. Then he looked at Yugo. _"Perdónes mi, señor, pero hables Español?"_

"Um…" Yugo blushed. _"No mucho, lo siento. Hables Ingles?"_

The man chuckled. "Perfectly."

"Ah—that's a relief," Yugo grinned.

"It pays to be able to speak two languages, especially in our developing and diverse world." The man took off his hat and rested it on the bar, then offered a hand to Yugo. "Felix Sanchez."

"Yugo Muto," and Yugo shook his hand.

Felix nodded. "So, you're a competitor in this Dueltropolis tournament, too…I actually saw you on the boat coming here to Duelist Kingdom Island."

"Yeah, I saw you, too," Yugo acknowledged. "My friends and I were saying how you reminded us of Zorro, especially with your hat on—all you need now is the mask."

"I get that a lot," and Felix laughed.

"So…what were you ordering a while ago, if you don't mind me asking?" queried Yugo.

"Well…I asked the barmaid for pineapple juice with Appleton," explained Felix. "Appleton's a pretty strong alcoholic drink…mix it into any regular beverage, and the difference in the taste is immediately apparent—more so if the regular beverage in question is one you're used to."

"Well, don't wind up having to go to Alcoholics Anonymous," joked Yugo.

"No worries about that," Felix assured him. "I only drink alcohol if I feel like relaxing, and never if I have to drive. It's a common sense rule of thumb for me."

There was a moment's silence as Yugo picked up his soda and took a few mouthfuls of it. Then, setting the glass back on the bar, he spoke to Felix again. "So, Felix…have you dueled yet?"

"Unfortunately, no," answered Felix. "My opponent's number is 1, but so far nobody I've met has that number."

Yugo's ears perked up at that. "Well, well, well…you just might be in luck, then! Because you're actually speaking to Duelist number 1 right now!"

"Oh?" said Felix, looking immediately interested.

"For sure! Hey…you wanna duel now? I'm up for that!" Yugo said eagerly.

But Felix shook his head. "Well, thanks, but I'm not in the mood right now. I'd rather relax and take it easy for a while…especially when I've been walking a good distance all day. Perhaps later tonight, when it's cooler?"

"Oh, sure—I've no problem with that arrangement, either," Yugo nodded.

Presently the barmaid placed a tall glass in front of Felix. _"Gracias, señorita,"_ he nodded respectfully.

Then he picked up his glass and held it up before Yugo. "So, _mi amigo…_a toast to our coming duel…and may the better duelist win!"

"Hear, hear," Yugo agreed, holding up his soda glass.

----------

"Damn it…where's the restroom in this place?" Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki grumbled.

She was standing in a small corridor, and around her were several doors. And so far, most of the doors she'd looked in were doors to bedrooms or closets. "Ugh…" she sighed in disgust.

Presently she turned a corner…and beheld two doors, one with a male icon on it, the other with a female icon. Immediately stars appeared in her eyes. "Finally!" she exclaimed.

Opening the door with the female icon, she looked in and saw…nobody. Frowning, she looked toward the stalls and almost called Natasha's name—and then paused. _I thought I heard something…_

Stepping in, she pushed up the door and listened keenly. "Natasha?"

Then, from the stall at the very end: "Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki? Is that you…?"

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki smiled. "Yes, dear, it's me. Yugo was wondering what was taking you so long, so I offered to come look for you. And now, I have found you."

Then Natasha emerged; she hurried from the stall door to the bathroom sink. "Sorry," she whispered. "I'll just wash up now."

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki looked squarely at her…and frowned. She walked over to where Natasha stood, just as the young girl was turning on the faucet and wetting her hands. "Natasha…"

Not looking at her, Natasha caught some water in her hands, ready to splash over her face—but suddenly both her hands got caught in a firm grip. "Natasha…look at me," Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki said to her, using her free hand to turn off the faucet.

Natasha didn't comply. Frowning some more, Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki let go of the faucet handle and put her fingers under Natasha's chin, tilting the girl's face so she could see it. Her eyes widened a little. "Natasha…have you been…crying…?"

The telltale marks were there: the stains of tears in Natasha's eyes and on her cheeks. "Ma'am…" she whispered, her voice choked.

"C'mon, talk to me," Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki gently urged. "What's wrong?"

Natasha's eyes were overshadowed. "I…I've failed…" she managed to speak. "I'm a Truesdale, and yet…I'm so weak…even the other Osiris Red students laugh at me…" The water she'd caught in her hands from the faucet drained from between her fingers.

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki waited.

"…and now…I won't get a good grade, now that I've failed…" Natasha's voice was becoming more and more strained, and fresh tears were welling up in her eyes. "James hates me so much already…and I don't even know why he hates _me…_and Daddy…what will he think of me…" Her breathing was now coming in hard gasps.

Immediately Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki pulled the girl to her, in a tight, motherly embrace. "Natasha…" she whispered

Involuntarily Natasha wrapped her arms around Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki's neck even as she sobbed. "I'm nothing…I'm nobody…I'm worthless…"

"Shhh, shhh, shhh…Natasha…" Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki's mind scrambled for the right thing to say, even as she fondly rubbed Natasha's head. "Hey…tell me the truth. Does _everyone_ think you're worth nothing?"

Silence. But the older woman didn't press Natasha; she just waited for her to answer on her own.

"…no…"

"Exactly." Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki smiled a bittersweet smile. "I believe in you, Natasha…so does Principal Yuki…and then there's Janus. You've never known him to laugh at others with scorn or to look down on others, true?"

Natasha nodded.

"That's right," said Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki. "Listen, sweetie. No matter what anybody says, remember that you'll always have a few real friends. And don't let the fact that you're a Truesdale get you down—at the end of the day, the only one you can truly please is yourself." Her embrace became tighter. "You _are_ something, Natasha. You _do_ have worth. You _are_ somebody. Don't ever let anybody—ANYBODY—try to convince you otherwise. Promise?"

Natasha sniffed. "I…promise…" Then her voice choked and she buried her face into Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki's shoulder, weeping again.

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki said nothing; she just let the girl cry on her shoulder. And now her own hair was overshadowing her eyes. _Zane…when I get back, you and I need to have a long talk…_

----------

"No way! So you're the Duel Monsters national champion of Spain, for real?"

_"Sí, sí, amigo."_

Yugo and Felix were laughing and chattering away at the bar like old friends, with a few empty glasses in front of them. They'd ordered more of their respective drinks—soda for Yugo, pineapple juice with Appleton for Felix—and now both of them had loosened up plenty…perhaps too much so, for everybody else in the inn was staring at them.

"Well, I'm higher than you, then! 'Cause I'm the Intercontinental champ now!" Yugo boasted.

"Noooo…that doesn't make you higher than me!" Felix declared, wagging a finger.

"Does too!"

"Does not!"

"You're just jealous 'cause I'm capable of beating two world-class duelists with both hands behind my back!" Yugo stuck his tongue out at Felix tauntingly.

"Bah! I can beat you with just my nose!" Felix countered, pointing to his own nose for emphasis.

"Not while you're drunk, you can't!"

"Heeeeeeey—I'm not drunk! I'm just a little loosened up from my drinks, that's all!" Felix defended himself, even as a vein popped up on his head. "And anyway, you're one to talk—you're on a serious sugar high!"

"Am not!"

"Are too! And I can prove it!"

"So prove it!"

"How many sodas did you just finish drinking?"

"Uh…" Yugo looked at the glasses before him. "One, two, three…"

"Seven! That's how many glasses of soda you've had up to now—seven!" Felix brayed triumphantly. "And what does soda have in it except a truckload of calories and enough sugar to give you diabetes in one dose?"

"Well, at least I'm _sober!" _Yugo jeered him.

"Blah, blah, blah! I'm not drunk—I'm as sober as they come!" Felix snorted. "Anyway, _I _can hold my liquor—but if _you_ get high on sugar alone, only the heavens know what kind of result you'll get from alcohol!"

"Well, I can't drink alcohol—I'm not at the legal age in Japan," and now waterfalls spouted from Yugo's eyes.

Waterfalls spouted from Felix's eyes too. "BWAAAAH! That's not fair…everybody should know the pleasure of intoxicating beverages!" He held up one of his empty glasses. "Let's drink to the honor of soda and alcohol!"

"The sentiment is repeated ten times over!" Yugo took up one of his own empty glasses and clinked it against Felix's. Then both of them raised their glasses to their mouths—and toppled off their stools onto the ground with a CRASH!

Everyone stared in astonishment as the two lay on the floor, swirls in their eyes from dizziness. One of the waiters bent down and poked both of them. "Um…gentlemen…are you all right?" he asked cautiously.

"Uh…yeah…we're still alive…I think…" Yugo babbled.

"Yeah…yeah…alive and kicking…" Felix kicked one foot into the air to emphasize the point.

Just then a familiar face hovered above them. "Um…Yugo…you okay? And your drinking friend okay, too?" asked Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki, blinking in bemusement.

"Uh…yes, ma'am, we're just fine," Yugo assured her, sweat-dropping at the thought that she'd found him like this. "Just clowning around, that's all. Oh, you found Natasha?"

"Yep! Right here, present and accounted for!" Natasha's face appeared over him, all smiles.

Slowly Yugo and Felix picked themselves up. "Felix, my friend, it pays not to be drunk when beautiful women are around," Yugo remarked.

"I'll definitely remember that in future," agreed Felix.

Shaking his head, Yugo then turned to Natasha. "Welcome back…I got worried about you for a little bit."

"Awww, that's so sweet," Natasha smiled playfully.

Only at that moment did Yugo notice something: Natasha's eyes were red and slightly puffy. _Huh? Was she…_ "So, everything okay now, Natasha?"

"Yes! Yes of course!" she nodded vigorously, blushing a tiny bit.

Out of the corner of his eye, Yugo saw Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki looking at him and shaking her head slightly. He got the message immediately and didn't push the issue. "Well, anyway…I should introduce you to this guy…Felix Sanchez, the national Duel Monsters champion of Spain!"

Felix swiped his hat off the bar in one swift movement and held it to his chest. "It is a pleasure," he said softly, in a semi-seductive voice.

"I've heard of you—you're quite a sensation where you're from," said Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki, and she held out her hand for him to shake. "Alexis Rhodes-Yuki."

He took her hand and kissed it. "I am honored."

While Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki blushed, Natasha introduced herself. "Um…I'm Natasha Truesdale…"

Felix bent down slightly, took her hand and kissed it too. "Two pretty ladies in one day—I must be blessed," and he grinned a little—and for effect, one of his teeth sparkled.

"Man, you're such a showoff," Yugo laughingly complained. "So, anyway, let's order something to eat—I'm famished!"

They all sat down at their designated table, Yugo slipping his jacket off the back of his chair and putting it back on. "So, what will we have?" asked Yugo.

"Let's let the ladies decide first," suggested Felix.

"Thank you, sir," said Natasha. "Ummm…I think I'd like some spaghetti and meatballs, and some lemonade."

"I think I'll have a turkey sandwich, and grape juice," said Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki. "Now, fellows, what will you have?"

Felix chuckled. "Mackerel and roasted potatoes will work for me…and to be on the safe side this time, I'll just have a glass of milk." He grinned sheepishly and sweat-dropped, remembering what had just happened with him and Yugo.

"Fried chicken and dumplings…and to be on the even safer side, I'll just have some water," and Yugo grinned sheepishly and sweat-dropped as well.

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki and Natasha laughed. "You're both so funny!" Natasha exclaimed.

"Yes, indeed," nodded Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki.

----------

**_neomage:_** Well, now…so this chapter introduces Felix Sanchez, one of the competitors…and there's a nice combo of humor and sadness in this one, as well. So now, the only question is…what's bound to happen when Felix and Yugo are finally ready to duel? Stay tuned!


	209. Chapter 209

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Well, once again for another chapter, I don't own anything to do with Yu-Gi-Oh except this fanfic.)

**CHAPTER 209**

DUELTROPOLIS, IN THE MEANTIME

Kyo and Miki were walking together along a beaten path; Ms. Wong was walking a few steps ahead of them. Ms. Wong was on a cell-phone. "Yes, Duke, Kyo Bakura was in a duel with one of the Zodiacs a while ago…he gave his name as Chris Gear, and also called himself Gemini the Strife…no, we don't have him with us—he escaped shortly afterward. But for the record, Kyo defeated him, so he gets to advance in the tournament. Yes…okay, I'll keep you informed of any new developments. You do the same for me, all right?"

"So, Miki, you dueled last night—as soon as we came onto the island?" Kyo remarked. "Lucky you."

"I wouldn't quite say I was lucky," Miki replied. "I mean, that girl—Sagittarius the Vermillion—she was extremely tough. It took just about everything I could pull out of the hat to defeat her. Same for you with this Gemini the Strife character just now, I take it."

Presently Ms. Wong hung up the cell-phone and slowed her pace to allow the kids to catch up to her. "Well, Mr. Devlin's going to inform the other members of the Committee of what's just happened…and security's going to be thoroughly dispatched throughout the island to find Chris Gear."

"Good news, at least," said Kyo.

"In any case, let's keep going," said Ms. Wong. "Mr. Devlin tells me that Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki, one of the other members of the Committee, is out here in the field as well…hopefully we'll find her soon, or one of your other friends."

"Okay, so let's push on, then," agreed Miki. And with that, the three continued on in silence.

----------

PEGASUS'S CASTLE

Mr. Truesdale sat at Pegasus's table, lost in deep contemplation. _James…Natasha…_

Just at that moment Mr. Devlin entered the room. "Yo, Zane…"

"What is it?" Mr. Truesdale asked, immediately all business.

Mr. Devlin's voice was grim. "I just got off the phone with Vivian…and it seems one of the competitors had a run-in with another Zodiac."

Mr. Truesdale snapped to attention at that. "Another Zodiac? Well, has he been apprehended?"

"That's the trouble," said Mr. Devlin. "Apparently, he was defeated, but escaped shortly afterwards."

"DAMN IT!" Mr. Truesdale slammed both fists on the table. "So that makes four Zodiacs we have in our custody, one's on the run, and seven are still unaccounted for—NOT GOOD ENOUGH!"

"Hey, hey, calm down—it's all we can do right now without disrupting the process of the tournament," said Mr. Devlin. "The best we can do for the present is hope that the Zodiacs all get eliminated one by one, before things get out of hand. And, look at the bright side of things—at least now we know that five of them have been knocked out of the tournament."

"That still doesn't say—tournament or no tournament, what's to stop them from fulfilling their mission objectives?" growled Mr. Truesdale. "And all we know definitely is that they're after Seta Kaiba—only, we don't know why they've chosen to strike now, when they've undoubtedly had so many chances over the last four years."

"Seta's not the only one in danger now," said Mr. Devlin thoughtfully. "Vivian told me something else when she was on the phone just now. Based on what Kyo told her, the Zodiacs may target him and his group of friends as well. Evidently the Zodiacs see the four of them as threats to their overall plans."

"And these four…how close are they to Seta for the Zodiacs to make such an assumption?" inquired Mr. Truesdale.

"Oh, quite close, actually," Kaiba's voice sounded in the room. Looking up, Mr. Devlin and Mr. Truesdale saw him standing at the doorway.

"How long have you been there?" asked Mr. Devlin.

"Long enough to know what the conversation is about," said Kaiba.

"Okay, so…these four kids…you've mentioned them before, especially when you were relating the events of JUDAS and Egypt to us," said Mr. Truesdale. "What is there for us to know, other than what you've already told us?"

"Quite simple," replied Kaiba. "Now, Kyo Bakura, Jenna Wheeler, and Miki Taylor…Seta's friendly enough with the three of them. With Yugo Muto, though, it's…a bit more than just being friendly…" He held his head down. "Seta considers Yugo his best friend—no, his _brother."_

Mr. Devlin and Mr. Truesdale looked at each other. "His brother?" asked Mr. Devlin.

"Yeah." Kaiba's tone was grave. "This is something I've observed over the time that those two boys have known each other. In many ways, they're almost like…mirror reflections of each other. They're able to relate to each other on completely different levels…it's almost like they have some sort of invisible connection, one that nobody else can truly comprehend. Seta has personally told me that, out of all the rivals he's had in Duel Monsters over the years, nobody has been able to push him to do his best as hard as Yugo has done…and none of his rivals have understood him as well as Yugo has understood him."

Mr. Devlin nodded. "So, if the Zodiacs know anything of what you've just said here, they'll probably hunt down Yugo harder than anyone else. Well…when I spoke to Vivian on the phone just now, she assured me that she, Kyo, and Miki will be searching for the others together, and thoroughly."

"Somebody should call Alexis and give her the same heads-up," said Mr. Truesdale, standing up. "Let me call her and see what she can do."

----------

DUELTROPOLIS, AT THAT MOMENT

"So, you say there was a time early into your dueling career when you got chased by a stampeding herd of bulls?" asked Natasha. "I wanna hear about that!"

She, Felix, Yugo, and Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki were still sitting together in the inn. Their orders had been placed moments before, and now they were chatting while they waited for their food. "Well, I don't know if you really want to hear it—it's a boring old story," Felix said modestly.

"No, please, do tell us!" urged Yugo.

Suddenly Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki's cell-phone went off. "Hold that thought—I'll be right back," she said, and excused herself from the table.

Heading around a corner, she pulled out her phone and answered it. "Yes, hello?"

It was Mr. Truesdale. "Alexis, we have some news here for you," and he related to her what Ms. Wong had previously told Mr. Devlin.

"Target Yugo Muto and his friends?" Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki asked incredulously when she'd heard the tale. "Is that possible?"

"Not just possible—likely," Mr. Truesdale told her. "They'll very likely go after Yugo Muto and his friends to get to Seta Kaiba. So, if you see any of those kids, don't let them out of your sight."

"Well, I'm way ahead of you in that regard, then," Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki informed him. "I'm actually in a little restaurant with Yugo right now, sharing the same table…and Natasha's here with us, too."

There was a moment's pause. "I see," said Mr. Truesdale. "Is she okay?"

"She's putting on a convincing front, but…" Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki sighed. "Zane, I won't lie to you. When I came here and met Yugo, I found Natasha crying in the bathroom—and the poor girl ended up shedding tears on my shoulder. Even now my blouse is still wet where she was crying against me. She's terribly upset, Zane—about so many things."

Another moment's pause. "I…don't know what to say, Alexis," Mr. Truesdale said finally. "Just now I was thinking about her and James, and…well…I admit it. I've blown it. Alexis, it's extremely ironic – I've succeeded in so many areas of my life except in the one area where it mattered most…with my family."

"Why do you say that?" queried Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki.

"Well, ever since their mother…passed away, Natasha's had really low confidence in herself, James has been extremely angry, and I…I haven't been as much of a father to them as I ought to have been," sighed Mr. Truesdale. "I don't know what to do…truly I don't."

"Well…I don't know what to tell you, since I don't know what your family's gone through," said Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki quietly. "But here's what I _do_ think you ought to do: The next opportunity you have to talk face-to-face to your children, do so." She sighed. "Natasha needs assurance from you, her father, that you still love her in spite of whatever shortcomings she has, Zane…and James needs to be set back on a path of decency. As vice-principal of Duel Academy, it's my responsibility to ensure that the students under my care do not suffer needlessly for any reason…and both of these children are suffering, right under everyone's noses. And I will not have it."

Yet another pause. Then Mr. Truesdale chuckled. "This is definitely why they elected you and Jaden for your current positions at Duel Academy…you both were always able to relate to people in every way. You're almost like…surrogate parents to those students."

"I'm flattered." Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki smiled a little. "Look, we'll talk more about this when I get back to Pegasus's castle. Keep me posted, okay?"

"Will do. We'll see you back here later, then. And…I really want to make things better for the kids, Alexis. Believe me, I do."

"I know."

And then the line went dead.

Hanging up the cell-phone, Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki went back to the table, where the other three were waiting on her. "Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki, what kept you so long? We've all been here waiting on you!" Natasha pouted.

"Sorry, sorry," said Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki, putting up her hands in surrender. "It was Committee business, that's all."

"Uh-huh," said Yugo. "Well, anyway, sit down, ma'am. I wanna hear Felix's story now!"

"It's no rush…we've got all afternoon and evening," Felix assured them.

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki simply smiled. "Let's hear it then, Felix."

----------

ELSEWHERE IN DUELTROPOLIS, IN THE MEANTIME

"So, David…you sure you can walk on your own?"

"Luke—how many bloody times are you gonna ask me that? I'm fine, fine, FINE!"

The brothers were walking together alongside a river. Up ahead they could see a small waterfall. "That looks like a decent place to stop and rest," said Luke. "My legs are killing me from all this walking."

"Yeah, sure, let's stop a while and rest," agreed David.

"Hey! Luke! David! You fellows, over here!"

Both boys started at the sound of the voice. Then Luke looked over in the direction the voice had called from, and smiled. "Well, well – Miriam, good to see you!"

Indeed, it was Miriam Jordan, standing only a few yards away from where the boys were. She ran up to them, catching them both in a tight embrace. "I missed you guys so bad," she said.

"How's the tournament been to you so far, Miriam?" Luke asked.

Remembering the admonition Pegasus had given her to keep silent about the specifics of the recent events she'd witnessed, Miriam just smiled. "My first match was something else, I'll tell you that!" she replied. "And I have to say…the cards you guys gave me before…they really helped me out in that duel!"

"Hey, that's great to hear!" Luke exclaimed, wrapping an arm around Miriam's shoulders. "Congrats, Miriam!"

"And what about you guys? Any luck winning your duels?" inquired Miriam.

David's shoulders slumped. "Not for me," he admitted. "I got my ass kicked…royally."

"Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that," Miriam said sympathetically.

"I saw that duel," said Luke, his jaw set. "David's opponent was brutal…hurt him real bad. And then, when I rushed him, he shoved me away like I was nothing. He humiliated both of us right there!" His eyes narrowed. "But believe me, if I see that bastard again…"

"Looking for a little revenge, are we?" Miriam giggled and playfully tapped her fingers on Luke's chest. "Well, baby, the only way you'll get it against that guy is if he happens to be your opponent in the next round…so have a little patience till then. And as for now, have you found _your_ opponent yet?"

"Nope," sighed Luke. "Not yet."

Suddenly there was a rumble of thunder, causing all three to look up. "Shit…it's gonna rain, you guys," groaned David. "We'd better find shelter quick."

"Oy, David, we're in the middle of an open area—where do you expect us to find shelter on such short notice?" demanded Luke. "Maybe you'd like to sit underneath one of these trees around here—and get zapped by lightning?"

Miriam glanced around. "Boys…I think I've found the answer to our problem." And she pointed in the direction of the waterfall…to a nearby cave opening a few yards away from the riverbank.

"What good luck!" Luke cheered. "So let's hurry and get into that cave, then!"

With that, the three of them hurried for the cave mouth and went in…and not a moment too soon, for only a few minutes after they went in, it started to rain outside. "Hey, Miriam…if you hadn't spotted this cave, we'd probably get drenched right now," remarked David.

"Aw, don't think anything of it, Davie-boy," Miriam chuckled.

Luke examined the walls of the cave. "Hey, you guys…this isn't a natural cave," he reported. "It seems more man-made than anything. Look at how carefully shaped out the walls are—the stone is really well-cut."

"Hey, yeah, that's true," said David. "So we don't have to worry about this place caving in on us or anything."

"Now, all we have to do is wait out the rain," said Miriam, and she settled down against the wall, looking outside at the rain that was now pouring down in bucketfuls.

_"Hee, hee, hee…"_

A sudden eerie, high-pitched laugh caused all three to jump up in surprise. "Uh…hello? Somebody there?" David asked, looking wildly around.

"Maybe someone beat us to this cave already," suggested Miriam. "Hey, whoever you are, come on out!"

"Guys…that laughter just now…it didn't sound natural at all," Luke whispered.

_"Hee, hee, hee…"_

"There it is again!" said David.

"Man, I am TELLING you, that does not sound natural at all!" Luke hissed.

And then…the three heard loud footsteps approaching them…from deeper inside the cave. "Get ready…we'll soon see who or what this is," said Miriam, and David and Luke nodded.

The footsteps got louder and louder…and suddenly a chilling voice spoke. "Foolish little children…you've entered my domain…now none of you will ever leave here alive!" And then—from the darkness emerged a pair of blazing amber eyes and shining fangs set in a ghastly-looking face!

"GYAAAAAAAA! A GHOST!" Miriam and Luke screamed, hugging each other tightly out of fear, their eyes wide in horror.

"Lemme outta here!" David cried, turning to run out of the cave—but suddenly a blinding flash of lightning and a deafening BOOM of thunder from outside momentarily immobilized him! "Shit…forgot it's still raining out there…"

The ghastly face grinned. "I have been in this cave for so long, waiting for the first person foolish enough to come in here, so I could have a little fun...and now, you three are conveniently trapped in here with me! So…which one of you shall I swallow up in my darkness first…?"

----------

**_neomage:_** Luke, Miriam and David are reunited—and in trouble! Read the next chapter and see what happens next!


	210. Chapter 210

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: **(eerie wailing) **ne-e-e-o-ma-a-a-ge doesn't o-o-o-o-wn Yu-Gi-O-o-o-o-o-oh!)

**CHAPTER 210**

_Characters' First Appearance in Story_

_VICTOR_

_NAME: Victor Greaves_

_AGE: 26_

_HAIR: Black (done in a wild and creepy fashion, similar to Panik)_

_EYES: Amber (face is done with extreme Gothic makeup)_

_CLOTHES: Black merino, black leather pants, black boots_

DUELTROPOLIS

The eerie-looking face grinned, exposing more of its sharp teeth. "You idiots should see your faces right now…like you're going to piss yourselves!" it spoke.

"W-W-We're not scared of you, m-m-man! C'mon out here where we can see you!" David challenged.

"As you wish." The figure then stepped forward into the light, revealing more of himself: wearing Gothic makeup and clothing to match. On his arm he wore what seemed to be a big cross.

"Goddamn…he's more Gothic than _you,_ Miriam," David whispered.

"He looks like a seriously charged-up heavy metal person," said Luke.

"Or like he's possessed—just look at those eyes and teeth!" Miriam added.

"Oh, commenting on my looks, now, are you?" the guy asked, evidently flattered. "Heh…well, I can't help it if I was born this way. At least it serves to intimidate my opponents…and the makeup enhances the scare factor."

"Um, don't you mean _fear_ factor?" wondered Miriam.

"Nope. Just what I said—_scare_ factor. You'll soon know what I mean," and the guy grinned even more.

Luke shook his head. "Dude, just who the heck are you, anyway?"

"Victor Greaves…also known as Aquarius the Tombstone," and the guy chuckled. "And as you'll see, it's a very fitting nickname."

Miriam raised an eyebrow. "Hey—the guy I dueled against—he introduced himself in a similar fashion!" she cried. "Called himself Taurus the Gamekeeper, or something similar…"

Victor started for a moment. "What? Taurus?"

Miriam, Luke and David looked at him. "So, you know him, then?" said Miriam suspiciously.

Victor then chuckled. "It doesn't matter," he answered. "All that matters is, your graves will all be dug right here in this cave. Not one of you will escape the horror I have in store for you!"

"But wait—if you're here, on this island, that means you're in the tournament, right?" protested David. "Which means you have to duel only the person whose number you've been given!"

"So? True, I'm a duelist in this dumb competition," acknowledged Victor, "and true, I've been assigned a number for my opponent—doesn't mean I have to follow every single rule I'm faced with, though."

Luke frowned. "Well, just out of curiosity, then, what's your duelist number in the tournament?"

Victor shrugged. "Not that it'll change anything, bub…but my number is 29."

Luke's eyes widened. Then slowly a grin spread across his face. "How about that? That's the number my designated opponent has!" he announced.

Miriam and David stared at him. "Huh? You mean—you have to duel this creep?" David asked incredulously.

"Hey, once I know who my opponent is, there's no way I'm gonna run," said Luke. Then he stepped forward, activating his Duel-Disk. "So, mate, come on! Go fetch your Duel-Disk!"

Victor laughed loudly. "Kid…" He patted the cross attached to his arm. _"This_ is my Duel-Disk!"

The trio stared at him. "You're kidding, right?" David muttered.

"Well, actually, I shouldn't be too surprised," said Miriam. "That Taurus guy who I dueled—he had a weird Duel-Disk that looked like a crossbow."

"Yeah, David, and the guy who kicked your ass had a purple Duel-Disk, remember?" Luke reminded his brother.

Victor's eyes narrowed as he heard this information. _I see…_

"So, ready to do this?" said Luke.

"Yeah, sure…but don't get your hopes too high, because before I'm done you'll be wallowing in absolute terror!" replied Victor, grinning again.

Then the holographic coin appeared on the field and was flipped. "Tails!" called Luke.

Then the coin landed…and it was indeed tails. "I'll go first!" announced Luke.

Victor merely smirked as both of them drew their first five cards. _Savor this moment, punk…before long, I'll teach you a lesson in terror that you'll never forget!_

Standing a little distance away, David looked around the cave. "Well, at least they'll have ample space to duel inside here…but what do you think Luke's chances are gonna be?"

"Don't sell your own brother short, David," Miriam said reproachfully. "Luke's not gonna fall just like that. You'll see. Plus, remember he's fortified his deck in preparation for this tournament, just like we all did."

Luke drew his sixth card to begin. "All right, I've got a good hand here!" he grinned. "Now, first, I'll set one monster facedown in Defense Mode…and then I'll activate the Field Magic card, Canyon!"

All at once the surroundings of the cave interior were altered…and now it appeared that they were standing in the middle of a deep gorge! "Now," explained Luke, "as long as this card is on the field, each time a Rock-type monster that's in Defense Mode is attacked, any battle damage done to the controller of the attacking monster is doubled!"

Victor chuckled. "Oh, I see…so you use Rock-type monsters, eh? Well, this should be interesting…"

"Well, now I end my turn," said Luke. "Come on—show me what you're capable of!"

"Oh, I will," said Victor as he drew a card. "And I'll do more than that, too—I'll show you just WHY they call me Aquarius the Tombstone!"

He looked at the cards in his hand. "Okay…I will also set one monster in Defense Mode, and I'll set one other card facedown. That'll end my turn for the present."

_He's keeping his deck strategy somewhat secret from me…but he'll have to expose himself sooner or later! In the meantime…_ Luke drew another card. "Now, I'll set another monster facedown in Defense Mode…and then I'll activate the magic card, Shifting Shadows!"

All at once, numerous shadowy clouds drifted here and there throughout the holographic gorge. "Now, as long as this card remains on the field," said Luke, "once per turn I can pay 300 life points to rearrange the order of the facedown Defense Mode monsters on my side of the field however I choose, as long as I have more than one facedown monster! So…Shifting Shadows, change the order of the monsters on my side of the field!"

As Luke's life points dropped to 7700, the dark shadows around him floated swiftly around his facedown monsters…and then both monster cards were shuffled around. Then, at the end of the shuffling, the mysterious shadows set the two monster cards back on the field.

"Wicked cool!" David gushed. "Now that Victor guy will really have to watch himself when he attacks!"

"True—he won't have any idea what he's targeting," agreed Miriam.

"So, Mr. Tombstone or whatever, wanna try your luck?" Luke grinned now.

Victor's eyes narrowed as he scrutinized the scene before him. "And these shadows are supposed to frighten me?" he asked. "Pal, I alone am the master of _fear!_ And it's time I proved it, too!"

So saying, he drew another card. "Now…I'll Flip summon my facedown monster and reveal – Poison Mummy (ATK 1000, DEF 1800)!" And then, when his monster was revealed—it turned out to be a rotting corpse, with messed-up bandages!

"EEEWWWW!" Miriam held her hand over her nose and mouth and stared in disgust at the new creature.

"I second that!" said David, who was suddenly looking very green.

"And before I forget, now—when Poison Mummy is flipped face-up, he does 500 points of damage to my opponent's life points!" said Victor—and just then Poison Mummy rushed forward at surprising speed and latched on to Luke, biting him hard on the shoulder!

"AAAAAGH! GET IT OFF ME!" Luke screamed, flailing around in a wild attempt to dislodge Poison Mummy even as his life points went down to 7200 by the creature's effect. In a moment, though, the creature detached itself from Luke and went back to its rightful master, even as Luke grimaced at the pain of being bitten.

"Oy, Luke! You okay?" Miriam asked worriedly.

"Yeah…if you can consider being bitten by a damn corpse 'normal'," grunted Luke.

"Well…at least let's hope now that you don't turn into the undead yourself—you were bitten by a zombie, after all!" chuckled David. Then he noticed Miriam glaring at him. "What?"

The score now stood at Luke with 7200 life points and Victor with an untouched 8000. Luke held three cards in his hand; Victor had five. On the field Luke had two facedown monsters, the Canyon field magic card and the Shifting Shadows magic card; Victor, on the other hand, had one facedown card in his magic/trap slot, and his Poison Mummy that he'd just Flip Summoned…and, of course, it was still Victor's turn.

"Hmmm…now, what to do next, what to do next…" Suddenly Victor's ultra-Gothic face broke out in a big grin. "Oh, I know! I'll offer Poison Mummy as a tribute to summon my fearsome Ryu Kokki (ATK 2400, DEF 2000)!"

All at once, from below Poison Mummy came a frightful set of jagged teeth as the Mummy got swallowed in one massive gulp by something tearing out of the ground! "Holy—" but before Luke could finish the statement, the monster finished coming out of the ground…and was revealed to be a huge zombie composed of hundreds of skulls and bones, with one massive mouth filled with sharp canines!

"Now, I've got enough power here to wipe out whatever you've got to defend you," gloated Victor. "Only question now is, which of your monsters should I destroy? Hmmm…okay, Ryu Kokki, chew up the monster on the right!"

Ryu Kokki shot forward with a loud rumbling noise, its teeth crushing the designated facedown monster—a muscular man in a white martial arts gi with a black belt. But even as Luke watched his monster being crunched…he smiled. "The monster you just attacked is my Legendary Jujitsu Master (ATK 1300, DEF 1800)…and any monster that battles with him is returned to the top of its owner's deck at the end of the damage calculation!"

"What?" Victor's eyes widened in surprise.

Suddenly there was a sickening wrenching noise as, yelling loudly, the Jujitsu Master forced Ryu Kokki's jaws open. Leaping out, he spun around and delivered two solid punches to the zombie's face, sending it flying with such force that the card itself got shot off Victor's Duel-Disk and right back into his hand! "Damn…that was unexpected…" Victor muttered as he put the card back on top of his deck.

Luke sighed as the Jujitsu Master then slumped to his knees, vanishing into numerous sparks. "Sorry, Jujitsu Master…but at least you fought a good fight," he whispered respectfully. "I shall avenge you, don't worry."

He took his turn and drew a card. "Here now, I'll set another monster facedown in Defense Mode…and I'll invoke the power of the Shifting Shadows once again!" And as his life points dropped to 6900, the shadows in the gorge shuffled his facedown monster cards once again. "And now, I'll end my turn. You'd better be more careful the next time you think of attacking me, you hear?"

Victor bit his lip in annoyance. _This little bastard…he's trying to fool me, isn't he? Well…before too long I'll show him the folly in underestimating my skill, or of the real power of my zombies!_

So Victor drew his next card – effectively re-drawing his Ryu Kokki card. "Okay, you brat…I'll summon Fear from the Dark (ATK 1700, DEF 1500) in Attack Mode!"

All at once a chilling wail could be heard as, from seemingly empty space, a black specter emerged with a hideous grin on its shadowed face. "And now, I know what you're thinking," challenged Victor. "You're thinking that I should attack one of your facedown monsters now, isn't that right? But I'm not gonna fall into your trap…so I'll just end my turn!"

"Hmmm…" David frowned as he observed this. "D'you think he should've done that?"

"Maybe…maybe not," replied Miriam. "It's all up to what Luke's got planned…"

And indeed, just by looking at him it seemed that Luke did have a plan, for he was smiling broadly as he drew his next card. "You're gonna regret that decision of yours, mate," he informed Victor. "For now…I'll summon Grave Ohja (ATK 1600, DEF 1500) in Attack Mode!"

Then, out of the ground burst a purple-skinned, muscle-bound being. "That makes three monsters I have on the field now," chuckled Luke. "And now…my two facedown monsters…it's time I showed you what they are!"

Victor gritted his teeth. "Why am I getting the distinct feeling that I'm not going to like this…?"

Luke pointed to one of his facedown monsters. "I now Flip Summon my Medusa Worm (ATK 500, DEF 600)!" And suddenly, as that card got flipped, there appeared a red worm with brown spines all over its body! And—suddenly Grave Ohja leaped forward, punching an astonished Victor in the face and sending him flying back, his life points dropping to 7700!

"Whoa, man!" Victor yelled, rubbing his bruised cheek where Grave Ohja had struck him. "What the hell gives?"

"Well…each time I Flip Summon a monster," said Luke, "Grave Ohja inflicts 300 points of damage to my opponent's life points. And there's more, too…when Medusa Worm is Flip Summoned, one monster on my opponent's side of the field is destroyed – right now, it's going to be your Fear from the Dark!"

As Victor stared in utter shock, Medusa Worm burrowed into the ground—then a few seconds later ripped through the ground underneath Fear from the Dark, tearing the ghost in two! "Shit…that a mere worm could do something like this…!" Victor seethed.

"And finally, I'll Flip Summon my Moai Interceptor Cannons (ATK 1100, DEF 2000)!" Luke's other facedown monster then got flipped face-up, to reveal several large statues of heads with wide-open mouths. Immediately Grave Ohja's effect kicked in again, and it rushed at Victor, this time slamming him with its elbow and reducing his life points further to 7400!

"And your life points are now wide open for a direct assault! So…go, my rock-solid monsters – smash him!" Luke commanded.

Grave Ohja rushed forward, punching Victor again and sending him flying, reducing his life points to 5800. Then Medusa Worm burrowed underground again—and came up underneath Victor, knocking him off his feet just as he was getting back up and reducing his life points further to 5300. Finally, the Moai Interceptor Cannons blasted beams of light from their mouths, knocking Victor down completely and bringing him further still to 4200! "Oooof!" Victor grunted as he landed on the ground.

Then, as he looked up, he got another surprise: the Moai Interceptor Cannons and Medusa Worm were being flipped back facedown in Defense Mode! "HEY! You can't do that! That's cheating!" he shouted.

"Oh, but it's very legitimate," and Luke smirked. "See, both Medusa Worm and the Moai Interceptor Cannons can be flipped facedown once per turn during my Main Phase – and this is currently my Main Phase 2. And also, as long as there's at least one facedown monster on my side of the field, Grave Ohja can't be selected as an attack target. Pretty useful combo, if I do say so myself."

"Way to go, Luke! You got the bugger where you want him now!" David hailed.

"And it's about to get even more confusing for you, Mr. Not-So-Scary-Goth-Guy, for now I'll invoke the power of the Shifting Shadows yet again!" And Luke's life points went down to 6600 as the shadows came and shuffled the facedown monsters on his side of the field once again.

"Are you done?" Victor growled.

"Yeah, yeah, sure. Just try to beat me now, if you can." Luke scowled. "Honestly, though, so far the only thing scary enough to give me the willies in here is your ugly face. Your deck strategy has yet to impress me."

Victor's eye twitched. _Did this son-of-a-bitch just diss my deck strategy? Why, that impudent little…he is going to DIE for this!_

Barely able to compose himself, Victor drew his next card. Then he paused and looked at the card he'd just drawn…and began to grin. "Well, now…you mocked me a while ago, little man…but now…"

"Hmmm?" Luke raised an eyebrow.

"…now…" Victor grinned like crazy. "…now…you will scream…in absolute horror…and nobody will hear your screams…and then even those screams will drive you to insanity, if not to death itself!"

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**_neomage:_** Pop quiz: when people seemingly babble threats like Victor's doing, what do you think it entails? Next chapter, we'll find out!


	211. Chapter 211

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: 211 bottles of beer on the wall, 211 bottles of beer…oh yeah, and I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**CHAPTER 211**

DUELTROPOLIS

While the rain poured down outside the cave where Luke, Miriam and David had sought shelter, inside said cave the duel between Luke and Victor was still going on. Luke now had 6600 life points, while Victor held on with 4200. On the field Luke had his Canyon field magic card active, plus his continuous magic card Shifting Shadows, and as for monsters he had Grave Ohja in Attack Mode, and his Moai Interceptor Cannons and Medusa Worm facedown in Defense Mode; Victor, by contrast, had only one facedown card in his magic/trap slot. Luke held three cards in hand; Victor held five cards, including his Ryu Kokki monster card—and it was Victor's turn afresh, since he'd just drawn.

"You know something? Those threats that guy just made…they're starting to sound real clichéd and corny," David grunted.

"But if he can actually back up his threats, we'll have problems," replied Miriam.

"Time to take back this duel from you!" Victor spoke to Luke. "For now…I'll activate the magic card, Call of the Mummy!"

At once his magic card emerged on the field—and underneath it appeared a deep pit, with smoke rising from it! "As long as this card remains on the field, if there are no monsters on my side of the field, then I can Special Summon one Zombie-type monster from my hand, once per turn!" declared Victor.

"And let me guess…you're going to Special Summon your Ryu Kokki back to the field?" Luke cocked an eyebrow.

"Good guess, but I'm going for something far worse than that!" said Victor. He then picked one of the four cards left in his hand. "Now…I'll Special Summon my terrible Despair from the Dark (ATK 2800, DEF 3000) in Attack Mode!"

All at once a horrific wailing noise echoed throughout the cave as, seemingly from the very same pit that opened underneath the Call of the Mummy magic card, a huge, menacing specter emerged and stood on the field. This creature was, for lack of better description, a giant-sized version of Fear from the Dark, with massive tentacles and sharp claws and teeth, and a hideous grin. "Okaaaaaay…but you can still only attack one of my facedown monsters, remember?" Luke reminded Victor. "And you have no way of knowing which one to target…"

"Oh, but I think I _will_ know which one to target—because now I'll Normal Summon another monster: Pyramid Turtle (ATK 1200, DEF 1400) in Attack Mode!" And then, with a laugh, Victor summoned a massive turtle with a pyramid for a shell on its back.

"He's got two monsters on the field—but he still has to watch out for which monster he attacks, won't he?" wondered Miriam.

"I don't think watching out for anything is the point right now," said David, frowning.

Luke chuckled when he saw what Victor was doing. "Oh, I see what you're trying to accomplish…you're thinking of trying to uncover which of these facedown monsters is my Medusa Worm, so you can destroy it and prevent me from using its effect on my next turn."

"And it's a one-in-two chance that I'll actually be able to destroy it in one shot!" gloated Victor. "Now, to start off…Despair from the Dark, attack the facedown monster on the left!"

Despair from the Dark raised one clawed hand and slashed downward, tearing the facedown monster to pieces—and revealing it to be the Medusa Worm. "Which means, then, that the other facedown monster is actually the Moai Interceptor Cannons," said Victor gleefully. "And that hasn't been able to do any significant damage to me other than in battle so far. So, I'll gladly end my turn!"

Luke shook his head in disappointment. "So, you got lucky and found my Medusa Worm," he remarked. "But at least fortune's still on my side—Grave Ohja still can't be selected for an attack if I have at least one facedown monster on my side of the field, as I told you before. So, for now, he is safe."

"Not for long, he won't be," Victor vowed.

Luke took his turn, drawing his next card so now he held four. "Okay…I summon Monk Fighter (ATK 1300, DEF 1000) to the field!" And a moment his martial arts brawler appeared, ready to do battle. "Attack and destroy Pyramid Turtle!"

Monk Fighter rushed forward and slammed his fist into Pyramid Turtle's strangely-shaped shell, smashing it open and destroying the turtle in the process, and reducing Victor's life points to 4100—but now Victor just smiled. "Fool!" he cried. "When Pyramid Turtle is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard as a result of battle, I can Special Summon one Zombie-type monster with a DEF of 2000 or less from my deck to the field, after which I must shuffle my deck. And I choose…Patrician of Darkness (ATK 2000, DEF 1400)!"

Suddenly a large coffin emerged out of the ground where Pyramid Turtle had been standing…and from that coffin emerged a blue-skinned vampire with long white hair and evil red eyes. "Oh, and while I'm at it," continued Victor, grinning and showing his sharp teeth off, "I'll activate my trap card – Destiny Board!"

All at once a giant Ouija board emerged on the field, and a ghostly apparition emerged above it wielding a giant letter "F." Victor chuckled as he spoke again: "So, are you feeling scared yet, kid? Huh? Are you?"

Luke snarled as he looked at the Destiny Board. "Damn it…I never thought I'd be seeing something like this again…"

"So, you're familiar with it, then?" Victor raised his eyebrows eagerly.

"Yeah…from now on, each time I end my turn, one letter will appear on that Destiny Board," growled Luke. "You can put one card carrying each letter from your hand or deck onto the field during each of those times…and if the card comes from your deck, then you shuffle your deck. And…if the letters I, N, A and L get onto the field in their proper order, you automatically win."

David and Miriam looked at each other. "Miriam…there's only one person I can recall who ever used _that,"_ David whispered.

Miriam nodded gravely. "Yeah…Abel Drake."

The memory of their hated "benefactor" of long ago was rushing through Luke's mind at that moment, too. "So…you actually use the Destiny Board," he said, his voice becoming very frost-like. "You had that card there on the field all this time…and only waited till now to activate it?"

"I think of cards like this as extra insurance," said Victor. "Now, it's become a question of which will do you in faster – the Destiny Board or my monsters' attacking assaults?"

Luke spat to the side. "Actually, punk…the answer is neither. Because I'm gonna stop you long before you can try to do me in."

"Bold words," Victor remarked. "But talk is cheap. You have to show me some action before I can believe you!"

"Yeah, sure, whatever. So, I'll end my turn now," announced Luke…

…and suddenly, the letter "I" appeared on the Destiny Board, held by another ghost. "Better hurry if you want to beat me—you don't have much time left," Victor told Luke, grinning sadistically.

Both players eyed the field keenly—Luke still had his Canyon field magic card and his Shifting Shadows continuous magic card active, plus he had Grave Ohja and Monk Fighter in Attack Mode, and the Moai Interceptor Cannons facedown in Defense Mode, plus he had three cards in his hand. Victor had Despair from the Dark and Patrician of Darkness in Attack Mode, plus he had his Call of the Mummy magic card active, as well as his Destiny Board trap card with the letters F and I hovering over it, and he himself held two cards in his hand, one of them being his Ryu Kokki monster card. As for life points, Luke still had 6600, while Victor's now stood at 4100.

Luke then noticed something—and was barely able to hold in his smile when he saw it. _In order for the Destiny Board's power to be effective, all five of the magic/trap slots have to be empty in order to accommodate the five letters of the Board's message…and he's got his Call of the Mummy magic card right there, so it'll block the last letter of the message…man, I can't believe he hasn't seen that!_

But as Victor drew his card, he sneered at Luke, "Hey, stupid—do I have 'dumb' written on my face? I know what you're thinking—and I'm already well prepared for that! Behold my magic card—Mystical Space Typhoon, which I'll use to destroy my own Call of the Mummy!"

A moment later a massive tornado swept across Victor's side of the field, wiping out the Call of the Mummy magic card. "There, see? Now I have space for all five letters of the Destiny Board!" Victor crowed triumphantly.

"Damn it—now that means Luke's gonna really have to pull his weight if he expects to win this!" David cried, pulling on his hair with his fingers in exasperation.

Miriam looked intently at the playing field. _Luke…_

"And now…I'll offer Patrician of Darkness as a tribute to re-summon my Ryu Kokki to the field!" Victor declared. And then, moments later, Ryu Kokki again tore out of the ground, swallowing up the Patrician in one gulp before establishing itself on the field once again.

Luke flinched as he saw all this. "This is bad…"

"You think it's bad now? Then wait until you see what I'm going to do next!" Victor fiddled with the last card left in his hand. "I'll activate the magic card, Book of Life! This will allow me to Special Summon one Zombie-type monster from my Graveyard and remove one monster in your Graveyard from play – and the monster I'll revive is my Patrician of Darkness!"

A massive green-covered book appeared on Victor's side of the field, and its pages turned rapidly. Then in a moment the Patrician reappeared, spreading his bat-like wings—and to Luke's consternation, his Medusa Worm vanished from his Graveyard! "This bites…"

"Now my zombies will destroy every monster on your side of the field!" Victor howled. "Go, Patrician of Darkness – destroy his pathetic Monk Fighter!"

The Patrician flew forward, decapitating Monk Fighter with one of his wings – but strange to say, Luke's life points didn't fall! "Any battle damage I get from a battle involving Monk Fighter becomes zero," Luke told his opponent.

"Well, let's see if your other monsters will protect you so well! Ryu Kokki, take out his facedown monster!" cried Victor. And Ryu Kokki slid forward, chomping down the facedown Moai Interceptor Cannons with one massive gulp.

"And now, your Grave Ohja's effect is useless! Despair from the Dark…" Victor paused for effect. "Attack with Dark Possession Claw!" And in response, Despair from the Dark lunged one arm forward, stabbing Grave Ohja through with its fingernails…and Luke's life points went down to 5400!

"Shit! Now Luke hasn't got any monsters left on the field!" David exclaimed.

"Hush, David," said Miriam. "At the very least, he does still have more life points. And you know him already—he's not going to back down just because of something like this."

"And now, I end my turn," Victor finished. "So, what was that you were saying about stopping me before I took you down?"

Luke just drew another card, so now he held four in his hand again. _Damn it…all of his monsters on the field are strong…if I don't find some way to get back at him, he'll wipe out my life points in one go! But…_ He cast an apprehensive glance at the Destiny Board. _Even if I can find a way to stall for time, if I don't do something quickly, that Destiny Board will take me down anyway!_

Then he took a look at the cards he held in his hand. _Hmmm…not the best I was hoping for, but still, this is better than nothing! _"All right…I'll set one monster in Defense Mode, and set one card facedown…and with that I'll end my turn, for now."

Almost as he finished saying that, the letter "N" popped up on the Destiny Board. "Heh…you don't have very many turns left, my friend," Victor said scornfully. "Then again, who's to say I won't finish you off by attacking you during my coming turn?"

Laughing, Victor drew another card. "And now, time to wipe you out for good! Patrician of Darkness, deal with that annoying facedown monster!"

Patrician of Darkness flew forward, slicing the facedown monster card with his razor-sharp wing, revealing the monster in question to be a stone golem with gun turrets on its shoulders. But then, all of a sudden, even as the golem's stone pieces crumbled to dust, its gun turrets fired at Victor, hitting him dead-on and reducing his life points to 3600! "Ugh! But—what the hell…!" Victor sputtered.

"That monster you just destroyed was my Mine Golem (ATK 1000, DEF 1900)," said Luke. "When it's destroyed and sent to the Graveyard as a result of battle, it inflicts 500 points of damage to my opponent's life points."

"Well…even so, your life points are wide open for a direct assault now! Go, my Despair from the Dark and Ryu Kokki – attack directly!" Victor shouted. And in response, Despair from the Dark gave Luke a powerful backhand that spun him around and sharply reduced him to 2600 life points…then, Ryu Kokki rushed forward and rammed Luke hard, knocking him several feet back and reducing him to a mere 200 life points!"

"Ack! Luke!" Miriam shrieked.

"Hey, man, you okay?" David cried.

Luke slowly got up from where he'd fallen down. "I'm…I'm okay," he grunted.

"Are you?" jeered Victor. "My ghouls are making very swift work of you…I'd say you're either hallucinating or you've gone mad. Oh well, who am I to stop people from dreaming?"

Glaring at Victor, Luke drew another card—and looked at it in surprise. _Whoa—well, now! Who would've thought I'd actually get THIS card? First things first, though…_

"Okay, you freak!" Luke shouted, holding up the three cards in his hand. "Now, I'll summon another Mine Golem to the field—this time in Attack Mode!"

A moment later a second Mine Golem emerged, its gun turrets at the ready. "But—that monster's far weaker than any of those zombies! He'll be killed!" Miriam exclaimed.

"Unless…" David's eyes narrowed.

Then Luke pointed to the facedown card in his magic/trap slot. "Now, I'll activate my trap card, Minefield Eruption! This will inflict 1000 points of damage to your life points for every face-up Mine Golem monster on my side of the field!"

As Victor stared in shock, Luke's card flipped face-up—and the Mine Golem suddenly exploded, its turrets inadvertently going off and firing a blast at Victor that knocked him down and reduced his life points sharply to 2600! "AAGH!" Victor screamed out.

"Also, after Minefield Eruption does its nasty work, all face-up Mine Golems on my side of the field are destroyed, as you just saw," added Luke. "But that's going to be the least of your concerns now…for I hold in my hand something that'll definitely bring you down."

"Like what?" snarled Victor.

"Like this! I'll now Special Summon my ultimate beast…" Luke grinned. "Come forth, Megarock Dragon (ATK ? DEF ?)!"

Suddenly, the sides of the virtual gorge they stood in began to shake violently, as from the ground burst a massive dragon made entirely of rock! Stone fragments showered all over the field, so much so that everyone had to duck down and cover their heads to shield against the rain of rocks. "Ow! Ow! Ow! Dammit, Luke, it's all jolly well that you've got another monster on the field, but you could at least teach it not to rain stones on us!" David yelled.

"Sorry!" Luke yelled back.

At length the rock shower subsided, and all of them stood up—and only then did anyone notice that there were six ghostly apparitions hovering over the field! "GACK! GHOSTS!" David freaked out.

"Chill out, bro," Luke spoke up. "Those 'ghosts' are the spirits of the monsters that were in my Graveyard. You see…" and here he turned his attention back to Victor, "I could only Special Summon my Megarock Dragon by removing from play any number of Rock-type monsters from my Graveyard. And I had six in my Graveyard a moment ago, all of which you callously destroyed throughout this duel…"

He then looked up and identified the six spirits. "Legendary Jujitsu Master, Grave Ohja, Monk Fighter, Moai Interceptor Cannons, and my two Mine Golems. They're all looking for some payback…and they'll get it, too. Because when I summoned my Megarock Dragon, its ATK and DEF became 700 times the number of Rock-type monsters I removed from play to summon it! And, 700 times six equals…"

"4200…" Victor turned pale. "Shit! That's way too much!"

"You ain't seen nothing yet! Go, Megarock Dragon – destroy his Patrician of Darkness with Stonecutter Shower!" Luke ordered.

All at once numerous sharp stones flew off Megarock Dragon's body toward the Patrician—but suddenly, with casual ease, the vampire raised his wing and used it as a shield, deflecting all of the stones in another direction! Those stones then went straight toward a flinching Despair from the Dark, cutting it down to size and reducing Victor to 1200 life points!

"Whoa! What on earth happened? Didn't Luke target that vampire thing?" Miriam asked in disbelief.

"I could've sworn I did!" Luke exclaimed, equally bewildered.

"You certainly did," said Victor. "But what just happened was Patrician of Darkness's effect – as long as he's face-up on my side of the field, and as long as I have at least one other monster on my side of the field, I can choose the target of my opponent's attacks."

"Hmmm…pretty decent trick, I have to admit," acknowledged David.

"And since that's all I can do for the present, I'll end my turn now," finished Luke…and then, just like that, the letter "A" appeared on the Destiny Board!

Victor grinned nastily. "All right, so I may not be able to finish you off using combat tactics," he admitted, "but my Destiny Board will definitely do what my monsters have not been able to do! It will utterly destroy you and your monsters, and drag you to hell!"

"Sorry, but I haven't made any reservations for hell," Luke said sourly. "I do think they'd be more than willing to take _you,_ though. Now…let's bring this to an end."

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**_neomage:_** Only one letter left on the Destiny Board! Will Victor take Luke through hell…or will Luke pull through? Read on and see!


	212. Chapter 212

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: 212 and still going strong…neomage doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**CHAPTER 212**

DUELTROPOLIS

The scores of the duel between Luke and Victor had by this time changed dramatically: Victor now had 1200 life points, while Luke was barely holding on with 200. Luke still had his Canyon field magic card influencing the field, plus he still had his Shifting Shadows magic card active, and he had Megarock Dragon in Attack Mode with an ATK and DEF of 4200 each. Victor, on the other hand, had Patrician of Darkness and Ryu Kokki in Attack Mode, plus he had the Destiny Board with the letters F, I, N and A occupying four of his magic/trap slots. Luke now held only one card in his hand; Victor held only one also, but now it was his turn again.

Carefully, Victor drew a card, so now he held two. "Now, then…I'll shift Patrician of Darkness and Ryu Kokki into Defense Mode…" And as he did this, both of his monsters lowered themselves down in protective stances. "…and then I'll just end my turn. You're welcome to try whatever you want—it won't change your eventual fate."

"This is not good…this is the last turn Luke has to do something," Miriam whispered anxiously.

"And he'd better do it fast, or else…well, who knows what'll happen if he fails?" David whispered back.

Luke looked down at his deck. _Everything's riding on this one draw…and if I fail, that Destiny Board will claim me…but I'm damned before I let that happen!_

With great care, he drew his card…and held his breath expectantly. Then…gingerly…he lifted the card up so he could see what it was.

And then— "WHOOP!"

The others all looked at Luke. "Huh?" David and Miriam said as one.

"Hey, mate—this is definitely the turn that'll end it all!" declared Luke, with a triumphant grin on his face. "Watch this! I'm gonna equip my Megarock Dragon with a magic card – Big Bang Shot, which will increase my monster's ATK by 400 points!"

A moment later Megarock Dragon began to glow with orange energy as its ATK went up to 4600! "Um…how exactly is that going to help Luke right about now?" wondered Miriam.

Then David narrowed his eyes. "Wait…I think I've seen that card before…"

"And just how is that little equipment card supposed to frighten me, pray tell?" asked Victor, chuckling.

"Just like this," said Luke, not smiling. "When a monster equipped with the Big Bang Shot card attacks a Defense Mode monster, and the ATK of the attacking monster is higher than the DEF of the defending monster, the difference is calculated as battle damage to my opponent's life points!"

Victor's eyes widened in sudden horror. "You've got to be shittin' me!"

"Deal with it! Now, Megarock Dragon – attack and destroy Ryu Kokki!" Luke commanded. And in reply, Megarock Dragon fired a multitude of sharp rocks that not only cut Ryu Kokki down to size—they also sliced the Patrician of Darkness and the Destiny Board into pieces, and several of the rocks hit Victor with immense force, sending him flying back and bringing his life points down to 0!

"All right! That's the way, bro!" David cheered.

"You did it, Luke! Oh, you're so cool!" Miriam cried.

Luke walked over to where Victor lay on the ground…and was met with an odd sight. One of Victor's eyes was amber, the other was blue…and on the ground beside him were fangs and a round yellow object! "Well, well, what have we here?" Luke quipped as he bent down.

"Uhhhh…" Victor was in a dazed state.

"Fake fangs and contact lenses, eh?" Luke held up the items for David and Miriam to see. "I tell you, pal, you're a real piece of work…but now it's time for you to pay! Hey, David, how's the weather outside?"

"Still raining cats and dogs," David reported, grinning.

"That's perfect for a snake like this!" And with one movement Luke grabbed Victor by the scruff of his neck and dragged him to the cave entrance. Then he shoved him outside, kicking him in the ass in the process to send him even further. "And don't come back!"

Stumbling forward from Luke's kick, Victor tumbled and landed face-first in mud. In a moment, though, he jumped up and turned, his face red with rage. "You bastards! You can't do this to me! You know who I am? I'm Aquarius the Tombstone! You'll not get away with this insult!"

"Boo-hoo, I feel your pain," Luke said mockingly, holding up the finger. "Now I'd advise you to go find somewhere else to haunt—because you'd better believe we're not letting you back in here."

Snarling, Victor turned and raced away into the rain. Shaking his head as he watched the Goth go, Luke presently turned back to Miriam and David. "Now, mates, how about we get a little more comfortable until the rain calls it quits?"

"I still can't believe that guy was wearing yellow contacts and false teeth—that was just so cheap-o!" David declared. "Trying to scare us with lame stuff like that!"

"Well, he _did_ manage to fool you, at least," Miriam jabbed at him.

"Heeeeeey! That's not fair!" David pouted while Miriam and Luke laughed at his expense.

----------

PEGASUS'S CASTLE

"I see…you haven't found him yet…well, keep on the lookout for another confirmed Zodiac, would you? He goes by the name of Victor Greaves, and should be wearing Goth makeup. Understood? Good. Keep us posted, then."

Pegasus closed his cell-phone and snorted in disappointment. "The island's security personnel still haven't been able to find that Chris Gear character," he told the others. "And now they have to be searching for another Zodiac on top of it. Plus, there's still six others of the group in the tournament…"

"…and any of them could do something extremely underhanded at the most opportune moment," finished Mr. Von Schroeder.

"Well, at least we don't have to worry about them going after Yugo Muto's group of friends too much," said Mr. Truesdale. "Vivian is with two of them, Kyo and Miki, and Alexis is with Yugo himself."

"That still leaves Jenna unaccounted for," Kaiba growled.

"Well, even without Alexis and Vivian to watch over them, those kids can take care of themselves pretty well," Mr. Devlin remarked. "Or how else would they have been able to survive their trip to Egypt, when they had to go up against JUDAS?"

"Let's hope they can this time," sighed Kaiba. "Because, personally speaking, their parents would be after my throat if I allowed anything to happen to their children – especially Jenna and Miki's parents."

"Nothing will happen to them," Pegasus said confidently. "All of them are exceptional duelists – I've seen it for myself. And, besides, we do have security cameras set up in many places all over the island – we can keep track of the competitors' movements fairly easily."

"Even so, we shouldn't leave anything to chance," Mr. Truesdale cautioned. "They may be skilful, but this is the Zodiacs we're talking about – we have no way of knowing just how far they're willing to go to complete whatever objectives they have. So, we have to take whatever extra precautions we can to ensure that nothing happens to those four kids."

"And let's not forget about Seta himself—who's to say that the Zodiacs won't just reach out and grab him, the first chance they get? He IS the one they're after," Mr. Von Schroeder reminded the men.

"Well, at least the information we got from Cassius Princeton was somewhat helpful," said Mr. Devlin. "But now what do we do with him and the other three Zodiacs that we've got in confinement?"

"Let's wait until all the first-round matches have played out, gentlemen," said Pegasus. "Once all of these first sets of duels are finished, I want to call a certain bunch of individuals here to Duelist Kingdom Island to help in our investigations."

"Who?" Kaiba wondered.

"You'll soon find out," Pegasus assured him. "Which reminds me, Zane-boy—that gentleman you brought over from Duel Academy…Dr. Vellian Crowler, was it? Where is he?"

"He said he was going to stay on the liner and watch the matches on his television from there," said Mr. Truesdale.

"Well, as soon as the rain outside eases up, I'd like it very much if you could go fetch him and bring him here to my castle…after all, students from Duel Academy are involved in this too, so I'd like to think he would want to see this whole matter resolved quickly," said Pegasus. "He should at least be willing to help in any way he can."

"Agreed," said Mr. Truesdale, nodding. "I'll head out as soon as the rain stops."

Kaiba sighed and lowered his eyes. _Seta…Yugo…kids…all of you, be careful out there…_

----------

DUELTROPOLIS, AT THAT MOMENT

Chris Gear huddled at the foot of a massive tree, tightly clutching himself and shivering even as the rain continued to pour down. "Shit…this bites," he muttered.

He looked up at the sky; in the distance lightning flashed, and moments later thunder rumbled menacingly. "If lightning doesn't strike this tree, I'm lucky," he thought wryly.

"Gemini! That you? Man, am I glad to see you!"

Chris looked up at the sound of the voice. "Geez, Aquarius…I didn't think I'd see you all the way out here."

Running toward him, trying to dodge the rain and failing miserably, was Victor Greaves. The rain had soaked through his clothes and his hair, and he was slightly muddy in some places, but somehow his Goth makeup managed to stay on. "Heh…you're truly living up to your name, Aquarius – you look like a drowned rat out here," Chris couldn't help but chuckle.

"Shut up," Victor growled. "And make some room under this tree. At least the leaves and branches are keeping out the rain somewhat."

Chris shifted over a little, and Victor promptly sat down. "So, why are you out here now?" Chris asked.

"I wanted to ask you the same thing," Victor remarked. "But to answer your question, I was in a nice little cave, dry and warm…then I tried my scare tactics on a bunch of punks that happened along…turns out, one of them was my designated opponent for the first round of the tournament…"

"And he kicked your ass and pitched you outside in the rain," Chris grinned.

"Whatever, man. What about you?"

Now Chris frowned. "Well, I was dueling against this kid…and he BEAT me! He beat ME, Gemini the Strife!"

"Not a rookie, I hope?" Victor chuckled.

"Laugh it up, dude…but this kid was one of _Ophiuchus's_ little friends…one of those kids we were supposed to target for Operation Zeus."

Now Victor's face became serious. "I see…so, which one was it that beat you?"

"Kyo Bakura."

"Well…I guess I shouldn't be too surprised—he's a damn good duelist, as far as we were briefed," Victor sighed.

Chris nodded. "The only question now is, how soon will we be able to do our part for the operation?"

"There is no room in Operation Zeus for rejects like you," a cold voice announced.

Understandably startled, both Victor and Chris jumped up and looked wildly around. "Who said that? Who's there?" demanded Chris.

"Who else, you little bitch?" And then, only a few feet away, from behind a tree stepped someone in a raincoat. He raised his head and glared at them…and both of them recoiled when they saw who it was.

"Oh, shit…it's James…" whispered Victor, visibly ashen.

"I don't recall giving you permission to use my true name," James said icily.

"Ah—sorry, sorry, Aries," Victor waved his hands in surrender. "But…what brings you to these parts? Out for a stroll in the rain, heh, heh…?"

"Don't try to flatter me, punk," James glared at him. "Master Orion has been watching your progress in this damn tournament, and he is _not_ pleased with your performance."

"You…spoke…to Master Orion…?" Chris asked weakly.

"Don't be stupid," Victor grunted, hitting Chris on the shoulder. "Only Capricorn gets the privilege of talking directly to Master Orion! Hey, Aries, you gotta stop joking around like that! That WAS a good one, though."

"Dude…since when…have you ever known Aries the Everstrong…to make even a bad joke…?" Chris asked, very slowly, out of the corner of his mouth.

James curled one hand into a fist. "Let me outline it for you two clowns," he said softly. "Operation Zeus demands that we all do our best to advance in the tournament, in order to carry out Master Orion's orders as he gives them to us. He does not and will not tolerate failure in this mission. And so far, four of our own have been captured and are being held prisoner by the Duel Monsters World Tournament Committee…and have very likely betrayed us. So, only moments ago, Master Orion sent out the order that those of us Zodiacs who are still in the tournament should, in addition to our original mission, seek out and _silence_ any of our number who have been found out to be Zodiacs. And…you two are currently being hunted by the island's security."

"Wait—I'M being hunted? But—how do they—" started Victor.

James cut him off. "Dip-shit, there was a video camera inside that cave where you lost your duel. Or didn't you see it?"

"…shit…" Victor whispered.

"The rest of us who remain may already be under heavy scrutiny by the Committee," James added, his voice becoming even more poisonous. "If you're going to declare to everyone you see and challenge that you're Zodiacs, at least have the common sense to win your duels so that the Committee will have no choice but to allow you to resume competing for the sake of the tournament's progression. But you are NOT going to screw up the plans that Master Orion has so carefully mapped out."

"Wait, Aries! We can still help you guys with Operation Zeus and recapturing Ophiuchus! Just give us another chance!" Chris exclaimed.

"No. Master Orion doesn't give out second chances…and neither will I." With that, James stepped back so he was underneath the shade of the tree where he'd stepped out from, sheltered somewhat from the rain—and he pulled up his raincoat's big sleeve, exposing his Duel-Disk!

Victor's and Chris's eyes widened when they saw this. "Damn it—so that's how it is, eh?" cried Victor. "Well, we won't go down without a fight! Come out, Despair from the Dark (ATK 2800, DEF 3000)!" And he swiftly activated his Duel-Disk, slapping a card down.

"You too, Ancient Gear Golem (ATK 3000, DEF 3000)!" Chris quickly activated his own Duel-Disk and played a card as well.

Moments later Despair from the Dark and Ancient Gear Golem appeared in the open, readying themselves against James. But he merely shook his head. "Weak-asses." And he played his own card—or rather, series of cards.

Suddenly a large magic portal opened behind James, causing the Ancient Gear Golem and Despair from the Dark to look on in bewilderment. Victor and Chris were stunned, too—and very scared. "This can't be…" Chris whispered.

"What did you expect, if you were going to resist **_me?"_** James demanded—and then, from that magic circle appeared Exodia the Forbidden One, his body at full power, with a ball of fire in between his palms! "Now…Exodia, obliterate them!"

Exodia swiftly thrust one hand forward—and a blast of explosive energy consumed Ancient Gear Golem and Despair from the Dark! That same blast also knocked the screaming Victor and Chris right off their feet – and utterly destroyed the tree they'd been standing under, as well as anything else in the way of Exodia's attack!

Then…At length the energy died down, and Exodia vanished…and all that stood in front of James was an empty, smoldering plot of ground—no trees, no rocks, no grass, and definitely no Victor or Chris. The ground was burned for several hundred feet, where Exodia's attack had struck. James merely switched off his Duel-Disk as he observed this.

"I have no respect for weaklings," he whispered callously. "What made you two fools think I would therefore show you any mercy?" And with that, he turned and walked off, leaving the smoking ground behind him even as the rain continued to fall, extinguishing the fire little by little.

----------

**_neomage:_** So now it's official, everybody – James is indeed Aries the Everstrong! And…only six matches left in the first round of the Dueltropolis tournament! Yippee!

rampagerkriz: What James just did…that's overkill, don't you think?

kriztrigun: Nah. I think it fits his personality well.

yamikriz: Whatever, man—I'm getting BORED here! I wanna see Felix duel Yugo…and don't forget, SOME people have been clamoring for Zander's time to duel!

krizrampage: Patience, my friend, patience. Sure, the writing may seem to get old and stale after a while…but that's exactly the same thing neomage was thinking when he wrote the Intercontinental and JUDAS sagas, and look how those turned out—FANTASTIC! Have patience, go through these last sets of matches, and your waiting will definitely be rewarded!

kRiZ: I know for certain that there are going to be those readers who'll definitely love how these latest chapters have turned out! But…in order to save time and space, neomage, could you maybe make some of these duels one-chapter affairs, like you did in the Intercontinental saga?

neomage: Yeah, I've been trying to do that, too. But then again, good things aren't rushed, you know…I definitely have to take my time and write each chapter as they come along, and do my editing here and there. That's the only way to make the story come out good.

Others: GOT THAT RIGHT!

REVIEW SOON, EVERYBODY!


	213. Chapter 213

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: **(sighs)** Okay, neomage, time to really give this story more of your all! And, for everybody else, neomage doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh!)

**CHAPTER 213**

_Characters' First Appearance in Story_

_FORREST_

_NAME: Forrest Wiles_

_AGE: 23_

_HAIR: Brown (shoulder-length)_

_EYES: Hazel_

_CLOTHES: Gray fur coat, brown jeans, brown hiking boots_

DUELTROPOLIS

There was a quaint little coffee house on the northern end of Duelist Kingdom Island, on a cliff overlooking the sea. Normally, on clear sunny days, the smell of coffee, hot chocolate, and cappuccinos of various flavors would be wafting from this open-air structure for at least a quarter of a mile…but right now, since it was still raining, such a scent would be replaced by the general freshness of nature being cleansed.

Nevertheless, it was here that Jillian Uriah now sat, at one of the tables closest to the best view of the sea, sipping on a mug of cocoa. She lightly nipped at one of the marshmallow cubes in the cocoa, and sighed.

_Sir Seta…I wonder how you're doing in this tournament so far?_

Truth be told, Jillian was worried about her young employer. Ever since a few days ago, when he'd just rushed away from Kaibacorp in urgency, and then returned a little later looking distracted and upset and acting distant when asked about it, she couldn't help but worry. _Isn't there any way I could help him somehow? And…he said that somebody threatened his friends' lives if he didn't back out of this tournament, but…I don't know…_

She sighed again, taking another sip of her cocoa. _Well…I guess there's no use in worrying about it now. What can I do, anyway, being so far from Sir Seta? He can take care of himself, if need be, in any case…and I'm sure his friends can manage themselves, too._ With this thought to reassure herself, she sipped at her cocoa again, taking one marshmallow into her mouth in the process, while watching as the rain continued to fall outside.

"Hey, cutie…mind if I join you?"

Looking sideways out of the corner of her eye, Jillian noticed a brown-haired guy sitting down next to her, when only moments ago that space had been empty. "I'm Forrest Wiles," the guy introduced himself. "And you are…?"

"Not interested," Jillian declared flatly, sipping at her cocoa nonchalantly. "And you asked if you could join me…well, you sat down before I gave you permission to do so. That, in my book, constitutes rudeness."

"Ah, well, I just saw you over here and just HAD to come over and say hello," said Forrest, smirking. "A pretty thing like you, all alone—you definitely need some company. And for myself, I wouldn't mind being one of those marshmallows in your cocoa right now." And he grinned.

Jillian swung around and shot him a stinging glare. "That has got to be one of the _stupidest_ pick-up lines I've ever heard. And I don't like being referred to as a pretty _thing,_ thank you very much. Now…I suggest you get lost before I dump the rest of this HOT cocoa on something I know you'll regret me dumping it on." And she shook her mug ominously.

Forrest shook his head. "Whatever, babe. You'll come around eventually. No girl can resist hot studs like me, anyway." And he got up and waltzed away.

"Keep dreaming, prick," Jillian muttered as she resumed sipping her cocoa.

----------

ELSEWHERE IN DUELTROPOLIS

"Man, I hate rainy days!" Janus groaned gloomily.

He, Flora and Marcus were still together at the same restaurant where Janus had had his duel with Cassius. After that duel, the trio had been eating together, had stayed for a few drinks, and then had just been about to leave when the first rain clouds appeared in the sky, making it necessary for them to stay there till the showers were through.

"Oh, there's no need to be pessimistic about a little rain," Flora replied. "Personally, I think of it as just nature's way of taking a shower or a bath."

"But it's holding up the progress of the tournament!" Janus whined.

"I have to agree with him on that one." Marcus was leaning against the wall, looking out the window as the rain continued to fall. "I still need to go find my opponent soon, and preferably before nightfall. And look—it's already late."

"Well, I haven't dueled yet, either, but I'm in no rush," Flora answered. "Have a little more patience, Marcus—you'll soon get your chance. And Janus, you shouldn't be complaining—you had your own duel not very long ago, didn't you?"

"Yeah…" Janus sighed in defeat. "But I hate having to wait for the rain to stop!"

----------

ELSEWHERE IN DUELTROPOLIS

Somewhere else on the island, Jenna was sitting on the verandah of a small wooden house, watching the rain as it pelted down. She'd found this spot several hours earlier, one of the many rest-stops for tournament participants…and now she was taking a break from tournament activity.

"I wonder how Yugo and the others are doing?" Jenna wondered to herself. "I hope all of them got to advance…but I won't be able to find out until after this rain eases up…"

----------

ELSEWHERE IN DUELTROPOLIS

Seta, Honey, Raven and Shigeo were still at the shopping mall, waiting out the rain. Against the boys' wishes, Honey had gone to all the other stores at the mall, checking out bargains and trying on clothes…and then, just when she'd FINALLY been ready to leave, the rain had decided to fall. Naturally, none of the three boys had been pleased about that—but none of them had dared to voice their thoughts or opinions, lest they end up nursing bruises sustained from having to fend off Honey's fists.

So now all four were seated at a table in the mall's eatery, looking through menus and trying to decide what they'd like to have. "There must be dozens of restaurants like this one all over the island," noted Shigeo. "Pegasus must have a field day paying all his chefs and cooks, not to mention the rest of his staff working here on the island."

"Oh, Father can manage easily," Honey chuckled. "You forget, he's owner of a multi-billion-dollar company. The money he put into setting up all these facilities here on Duelist Kingdom Island would be like chump change to him."

"No question about that," Raven chuckled heartily. "So, everybody, what'll we have?"

"Let's see what these menus have to offer," said Shigeo, and with that they all took up their respective menus and began browsing.

"Hey, the spaghetti and stewed beef looks good!" Raven exclaimed.

"Of course it would—it's all you ever order when we go out to eat," Honey needled him.

"Hey! I do not!" Raven snapped indignantly.

"While you guys argue, I'll be picking what I want to eat," and Shigeo buried his nose into his own menu.

All this while Seta hadn't said a single word. In fact, as he absently began to handle his menu, his eyes were on the window at the other end of the room, and on the rain outside…and his thoughts were slowly going elsewhere…in another place and time…

----------

TWELVE YEARS AGO, 2006, IN SETA'S MEMORY

_The limousine pulled up outside the school gates as rain drizzled down on everything. "Aww, do I have to go in THERE?" four-year-old Seta whined._

_"There, there, sweetheart," his mother whispered, tenderly stroking his hair. A beauty, she was, with long dark hair that went past her shoulders, and a beautiful coffee-colored complexion that was the mark of her Egyptian heritage. "Remember what Daddy and I told you before. This school is a good place for you to be—you'll be able to learn all sorts of things that will help you become a great man someday."_

_"Yeah, Seta, and don't forget…you've got lots and lots of riches coming to you when you grow up, and you need to learn plenty in order to manage it all," his Uncle Mokuba, seated opposite the mother and child, remarked. A handsome man, he was, with his hair tied back in a long ponytail. "And anyway, you'll be getting a lot of privileges at this place, little guy—for one thing, school will only be for four days each week, and that means you get Friday, Saturday, and Sunday to be at home with us!"_

_"But it'll be boring not being with Daddy at his workplace!" complained Seta._

_"Well, you know how Daddy is these days, dear—he's very busy when he's at the office, and he won't have as much time to play with you as he used to," said Mrs. Kaiba, somewhat apologetic. "But don't fret—he's promised that he'll make extra effort to be around when you're at home, during the weekend."_

_"Really, Mommy?" Seta's eyes lit up hopefully as he looked at his mother._

_"Sure thing!" Mrs. Kaiba smiled._

_"And just between us, big guy," Uncle Mokuba whispered conspiratorially, "I'll personally drive here to see you every day—and I'll take you to Burger King, or KFC, or even…" He paused and winked._

_"Wendy's!" Seta clapped his little hands gleefully._

_"You got it!" Uncle Mokuba nodded._

_"So, dear, let's climb out of the car and see what the school looks like, eh?" offered Mrs. Kaiba._

_It seemed no time at all before the chauffer opened the door with an open umbrella held high for his employers; before Seta, his mother and his uncle went through the school's front gate quickly to avoid the rain as much as possible, hurrying for the front door to the main lobby; before the receptionist at the front desk had them comfortably seated in the parlor. "The headmaster will be with you shortly, Mrs. Kaiba," she said._

_Mrs. Kaiba nodded. "Thank you."_

_Soon the family was alone. Mrs. Kaiba got up from where she'd been seated and kneeled down before Seta. She put her hands on his shoulders and pulled him in for a tender embrace. "Now, sweetheart," she spoke to him. "Remember, we'll call every day to check up on you, and Uncle Mokuba will come to see you. Okay?"_

_"Yes, Mommy," said Seta._

_"Make sure you stay out of trouble, okay, you little scamp?" said Uncle Mokuba, patting Seta's head._

_"Yes, Uncle Mokuba," answered Seta. "And don't forget your promise of Wendy's and KFC and Burger King!"_

_"Then it's a deal," said Uncle Mokuba, and the two shook hands to seal the deal. Mrs. Kaiba just watched, a smile on her face._

----------

DUELTROPOLIS, THE PRESENT DAY

"…Seta…Seta…SETA!"

"H-huh?" Seta was jerked out of his train of thought—and looking up, he saw his companions staring at him. Standing over their table was a waiter with a pencil and notepad, waiting expectantly.

"We're about ready for you to order, man," said Shigeo.

"Oh…sorry." Seta quickly scanned his menu. "Uh, I'll have the fried fish special…and a Pepsi."

The waiter nodded, wrote the order down on his notepad, and went off. "Hey, Seta…did you really not see the waiter or hear us ordering just now?" Honey asked quizzically.

"Sorry," Seta apologized. "I guess my mind was elsewhere just now."

"It must have been—just a while ago we were calling your name about six or seven times before you responded," Shigeo informed him. "You were staring off into space with a really serious look on your face and all."

"Was I?" Seta looked surprised.

Raven cocked an eyebrow at him. "Anything you want to tell us?"

"Ah…no, no. It's okay," Seta shook his head and gave a reassuring smile.

Raven frowned, but said nothing. Seta, meanwhile, looked away momentarily, back toward the window where he could see outside…and a shadow crossed his face. _It's raining still…just like it was that day, when my whole life began to change for the worse… _He closed his eyes and released a sigh. _Mom…Uncle Mokuba…you guys were still alive back then…if only I'd known for how long you would be, though…_

----------

ELSEWHERE IN DUELTROPOLIS, AT THAT MOMENT

There was a series of huts situated a few minutes' walk from the beach, on the eastern tip of the island—more rest stops for the tournament participants. These huts were made of carefully cut and crafted bamboo, grown here on Duelist Kingdom Island from shoots that had been imported straight from China. All around these huts, the bamboo plants from which they'd been made grew tall and thick, swaying a little as the wind and rain rushed against them.

Inside one of these huts, Blaze sat at the window, looking out to the ocean beyond. Her thoughts were jumbled, but at least one was consistent—the conversation she'd had with Wade earlier that day.

_"I know this may be a real surprise to you, Blaze, and it's gonna sound clumsy, but…I think I like you as…more than just friends."_

_"Are you…proposing…? To me?"_

_"Yes. But…I understand that it's a little sudden for you, so…I won't take your answer right now…I'll give you some time to think it over, if you want."_

Blaze closed her eyes…and felt an ache in her soul. And with that ache came the memory of something Vivian Wong had told her recently.

_"Your time with me has only been a single phase of your life, my dear…I only want for you to be happy…and to be able to express your love for him, and to make him capable of loving you back. Win his heart and be happy, Blaze Redman."_

Blaze opened her eyes again and looked out at the sea once more. _Wade…why me? There are so many girls out there who'd doubtless do anything to be with a guy like you…and yet, out of all the girls in the world that you could have for yourself, you want me, your rival…why? What could you possibly see in me that could attract you so?_

She leaned against the windowsill, resting her head on her crossed arms as she continued to look outside at the falling rain altering the view of the scenery. _I have to know your reason, Wade…I have to know, before I can say yes or no to your request…and I have to find out the next time we meet, for certain…_

----------

ELSEWHERE IN DUELTROPOLIS, HALF AN HOUR LATER

The rain clouds covering Duelist Kingdom Island gradually began to move away. In various places on the island, the rain was slowly but surely clearing up; it seemed to do so stealthily, so that one wouldn't even know the rain was stopping unless one looked outside. Nevertheless, the clouds continued to shift away, taking the rain away.

And then, with the rain having finally stopped…everything smelled fresh and clean. Butterflies began to fly around the numerous flowers growing here and there; gulls squawked as they took flight into the clearing sky. The sun broke through, pouring its rays on everything, warming what had been made cold by the rain.

Jillian noted all this with satisfaction, even as her fingers played idly with her now-empty cocoa mug. "Okay…time to get back to business and find my opponent before the day ends," she whispered to herself.

She got up and started for the door—only, when she got there, suddenly somebody stepped in her way. "Hello again, you fine lady, you," Forrest Wiles spoke up.

Jillian rolled her eyes and groaned. "Didn't I tell you to get lost? Or are you brain-dead or something?"

"Well, you can't get rid of me that easily," replied Forrest, leering at her as he spoke. "Admit it—you really want me around, you're just shy." He put a hand on her arm.

In one swift movement Jillian grabbed Forrest's hand, twisted it, and sent a punch to his face that had him staggering back. "That's your LAST warning, jerk-ass," she threatened. "Keep it up, and I'll break more than just your face—a hell of a lot more!"

Forrest gingerly wiped the blood from his mouth—but he was still grinning. "Ooooh, you're a feisty one," he remarked. "I love 'em when they're feisty. Oh, that reminds me—what's your duelist number?"

"Excuse me?" Jillian raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, that's right, sweet-cheeks – I'm an official participant in Dueltropolis as well," Forrest told her. "So, what's that number?"

"If the number I call is not the one you're assigned to look for, will you leave me the hell alone?" asked Jillian.

"Hmmm…I'll think about it," said Forrest, winking at her.

"All right. My duelist number is 17."

Forrest looked at her, elation on his face. "All right! That means you and I _are_ destined for each other!"

"WHAT?" Jillian stared hard at him. "You mean to tell me you're Duelist number…" She dug into a pocket and pulled out her assigned opponent's number plate. "…31?"

"Got that right, baby!" Forrest nodded gleefully.

_Shit…I can't believe I have to duel this lecher!_ Jillian groaned in contemptuous disgust.

"So, let's have a duel right now!" said Forrest. "And, on top of that, let's have a bet! If you win, I leave you alone…if I win, you have to go out with me!"

Jillian frowned as she considered this. Then slowly she began to smile. "How about I make a better offer? If I win, I get to beat the crap out of you, and _then_ you have to never let me see your face again…" Her voice dropped to almost a whisper. "But if you win, not only will I go out with you, but I'll do _anything_ you ask of me…_anything at all."_

Forrest's eyes and mouth were wide as saucers. "You…you mean that? Really?"

"I never back down from a good bet," Jillian smirked.

"Well…as much as the part about you beating me up if you win doesn't sound very appealing…" Forrest grinned more widely. "I like the conditions if I win! Okay—I accept!"

_I better not lose to this pervert,_ Jillian thought ruefully. _I've just put my dignity on the line…time for me to defend it with everything I have!_

----------

**_neomage:_** Heh…so, next chapter Jillian and Forrest are gonna duel each other! And as for the musings that went on in this chapter—what did y'all think? Let me know in your next set of reviews! Sooo…on to the next chapter, then!


	214. Chapter 214

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: I AM NEOMAGE! HEAR ME ROAR! And I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**CHAPTER 214**

DUELTROPOLIS

Moments later found Jillian and Forrest in the woods a little distance from the coffee house. "Prepare to lose this duel, sweet-cheeks—and to win a date with me!" Forrest announced as he reached into his coat for his Duel-Disk.

Jillian already had her own Duel-Disk on, and she slotted her deck into its place. "Uh-huh."

Then Forrest pulled out his Duel-Disk—and immediately it caught Jillian's eye. The Duel-Disk was brown, unlike standard Disks, and its deck slot was shaped to look like a lion's head, complete with fur for a mane. "Um…is that Duel-Disk legal?" Jillian wanted to know.

"Oh, it's just a regular Duel-Disk that I personally customized," Forrest said proudly. "I've won many a duel with this Duel-Disk…in fact, this Duel-Disk is why, in some dueling circles, I'm known as Leo the Wildmaster."

"Hmph…well, I don't care. Let's just get this duel over with," said Jillian.

The holographic coin emerged and was flipped. "I'll let you call it," smirked Forrest.

"I'll call heads!" Jillian announced.

The coin landed…and it was tails. "Too bad—but it looks like I'll be the one to go first," Forrest declared, grinning.

"Whatever. Just do what you have to do," Jillian sighed, rolling her eyes.

Both drew the first five cards…then Forrest drew his sixth card. "Now…I'll set one monster in Defense Mode…and end my turn for the present."

Shaking her head, Jillian drew her card. "I summon Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress #2 (ATK 1200, DEF 1000) in Attack Mode!" And she summoned a great red dragon. "Go attack his facedown monster with Wing Tornado!"

The dragon flapped its wings rapidly, generating a massive tornado that swept Forrest's facedown monster card face-up. It was revealed to be an orange porcupine—but all of a sudden that porcupine shot numerous spines at Guardian of the Fortress #2, skewering it into pieces! "Gyaaa!" Jillian cried, flinching as her life points went down to 7400!

"This monster that you just attacked is called Thousand Needles (ATK 1000, DEF 1800)," said Forrest. "When it's attacked while in Defense Mode, and its DEF is higher than the attacking monster's ATK, after damage calculation the attacking monster is destroyed." And to prove the point, Thousand Needles fired more spines at what was left of Guardian of the Fortress #2, cutting it down to pieces!

"Damn it…" Jillian gritted her teeth. _This could be a little harder than I thought…_ "I'll set one card facedown…and end my turn."

"Don't look so upset," Forrest told her. "At the very least, even if you lose this duel, at least you'll have won ME!"

"In my nightmares," grunted Jillian.

Forrest merely smiled as he drew another card. "All right…now I'll activate the magic card, Poison Fangs!"

Suddenly a set of sharp fangs dripping a green substance appeared on the field. "Now, each time a Beast-type monster inflicts battle damage to your life points, Poison Fangs will deal an additional 500 points of damage to you!" Forrest told Jillian. "And next…I'll summon Leogun (ATK 1750, DEF 1550), offering Thousand Needles as a tribute!"

Thousand Needles momentarily vanished—and then in its place appeared a massive lion with a ferocious mane and a mean-looking face. "Sorry, now," said Forrest, "but in life we sometimes have to hurt the ones we like the best! So—Leogun, attack directly with Saber Lion Pounce!"

Leogun bounded forward, lunging at Jillian with claws extended. She managed to sidestep the attack—but in the process a piece of her shirt got torn, and her life points shot down to 5650! "Okay, _that_ wasn't good," she growled.

"The ordeal isn't over—now you have to contend with the Poison Fangs!" laughed Forrest. And, like clockwork, the Poison Fangs floated forward and snapped at Jillian, ripping her sleeve and bringing her life points down lower to 5150!

"Damn it…" Jillian held onto her clothes where they'd gotten torn. "You're tearing my clothes on purpose, aren't you?" she demanded.

"My, my, such an accusation! I have no clue what you're talking about!" Forrest's face had a look of utter astonishment on it.

"Sure you do…pervert," Jillian spat.

Forrest merely grinned. "Okay, so I'd like to see what you look like underneath those sexy clothes of yours. So what? It's every man's right to know things like this. So now, I'll end my turn."

"Okay, I'm not going to just hurt you—I'm going to KILL you," Jillian seethed.

The score now looked like this: Jillian had 5150 life points, while Forrest had an untouched 8000. Each held four cards in hand. On the field Jillian only had one facedown card in her magic/trap slot; Forrest had Leogun in Attack Mode, and his Poison Fangs magic card was active.

Jillian drew another card. "Now, then…I summon Guardian of the Labyrinth (ATK 1000, DEF 1200) in Attack Mode!" Then a purple portal opened on the field, and from it stepped her guardian warrior, ready to do battle.

"Poor choice of cards to play, sweetie-pie," said Forrest. "Why, he's far weaker than Leogun!"

"If you'd shut your trap for a minute and let me continue, then you'd see what I'm thinking of doing," said Jillian icily. "Now, next I'll activate the magic card Pot of Greed, to draw two cards from my deck!"

A moment later she'd drawn her two cards, so now she held five. "Now…I'll equip Guardian of the Labyrinth with the Wicked Breaking Flamberge – Baou, and I'll send one card from my hand to the Graveyard to activate it!" She discarded a card from her hand to the Graveyard. "This Flamberge will increase the ATK of the monster it's equipped to by 500 points!"

Guardian of the Labyrinth was soon holding a massive black sword even as his ATK increased to 1500. "Okay, but he's still weaker than my lion," Forrest pointed out.

"And, stupid, I'm still not done!" retorted Jillian—she was starting to get very annoyed with him by now. "Next I'll activate the magic card Premature Burial, paying 800 life points to resurrect the monster I discarded to activate the Wicked Breaking Flamberge – Baou card…Guardian Baou (ATK 800, DEF 400)!"

Suddenly, from a tombstone that mysteriously appeared from nowhere, a blue-skinned, spiky-haired fiend emerged, wielding a sword strangely similar to the Wicked Breaking Flamberge, even as Jillian's life points went down to 4350. "Next," continued Jillian, "I'll equip Guardian of the Labyrinth with the magic card, Gravity Axe – Grarl, to further increase his ATK by 500 points!"

Holding the Wicked Breaking Flamberge in one hand, Guardian of the Labyrinth soon found himself holding a massive axe in his other hand as his ATK soared to 2000. "Hmmm…okay…that's actually pretty good," Forrest remarked.

"And still I'm not finished," Jillian informed him, fiddling the last card left in her hand. "Now, if this card is the only card in my hand, I can Special Summon it to my side of the field…be summoned, Guardian Grarl (ATK 2500, DEF 1000)!"

Soon her heavy-set monster emerged on the field, wielding his massive axe. "And _finally,"_ and here Jillian pointed to her facedown card, "I'll activate the trap card—Collected Power! By selecting face-up monster on the field, I can equip that monster with every available Equip Magic card that's active on the field…and I select my Guardian Baou to be equipped with all the Equip Magic cards on the field!"

As Forrest watched in awe, Guardian of the Labyrinth flung the Wicked Breaking Flamberge – Baou and the Gravity Axe – Grarl into the air, his ATK shooting back down to 1000. Guardian Baou, in turn, jumped into the air, wielding his own natural sword in one hand—and caught the Gravity Axe in his other hand and the Wicked Breaking Flamberge by its handle with his teeth! Then, as he landed, his ATK soared to 1800!

"Whoa…now THAT is skill…" Forrest breathed.

"Now, it's MY turn to fight back! Guardian Baou, destroy Leogun!" commanded Jillian. And Guardian Baou rushed forward, slicing the lion to pieces with his weapons, bringing Forrest's life points down to 7950.

"Damn, that was harsh," Forrest remarked.

All at once Guardian Baou's ATK shot up to a whopping 2800! "Each time Guardian Baou destroys a monster in battle, his ATK is increased by 1000 points," explained Jillian. "And that's going to come in handy for later! Now, Guardian Grarl and Guardian of the Labyrinth, attack directly!"

Guardian of the Labyrinth rushed forward, his sword at the ready, and sliced at Forrest's head. Forrest narrowly managed to duck to avoid contact with the sword—but his life points nevertheless went down to 6950. Then Guardian Grarl stampeded forward, swinging his axe downward and burying it in Forrest's shoulder, reducing his life points even further to 4450!

Grimacing in pain, Forrest managed to wrestle the axe out of his shoulder. "Argh…that hurt…but hey, like I said, sometimes we have to hurt the ones we like," he chuckled.

"And who told you that I like you? Boy, you need a serious reality check," groaned Jillian. "Well, whatever. Just take your turn now."

Wincing from the pain of his most recent injuries, Forrest drew another card, so now he held five. "Heh…fortune favors the one who must fight for love!" he said cheerfully. "Now prepare yourself…although, what I'm about to do will hurt me worse than it'll hurt you."

"Oh, gee, I wonder what that could be?" Jillian wondered sarcastically.

Then Forrest held up a card from his hand. "Now, I'll activate the magic of Polymerization! This will allow me to fuse together two monsters from my hand – Big Koala (ATK 2700, DEF 2000) and Des Kangaroo (ATK 1500, DEF 1700) – to form my ultimate monster…Master of Oz (ATK 4200, DEF 3700)!"

As Forrest raised the cards over his head, the silhouetted forms of Big Koala, a massive koala wielding a bamboo shoot in its mouth, and Des Kangaroo, a green kangaroo wearing red boxing gloves, emerged and began to swirl together into one form. Jillian raised an eyebrow as she watched the fusion take place. "What is this…?"

Then suddenly, from out of nowhere—a massive monster that looked like a bear with green skin, a long tail, and boxing gloves on its front paws crashed down on the field, rocking the earth underneath its feet so much Jillian nearly fell over! "What the hell—!" she exclaimed.

"Yes, sweetie-pie, say hello to the most powerful monster in my arsenal," said Forrest triumphantly. "The only monster that can topple it in terms of attack strength is the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon – but somehow I doubt you have that monster in your deck! Now…let's continue!"

He held up one of the two cards left in his hand. "And now, I'll summon Berserk Gorilla (ATK 2000, DEF 1000) in Attack Mode!" Then, one moment later an orange gorilla emerged beside the Master of Oz, in an obviously bad humor. "But that's only the tip of the iceberg…"

"Huh?" Jillian looked on in real surprise.

"Now, I'll activate the magic card, Wild Nature's Release!" Forrest played the last card left in his hand. "This card allows me to increase the ATK of one Beast or Beast-Warrior-type monster on the field by an amount equal to its DEF, but then that monster will be destroyed at the end of this turn. And…I COULD use this on my Master of Oz, but I'm having too much fun with you to end this prematurely. So, instead, I choose to use this effect on Berserk Gorilla!"

Berserk Gorilla puffed out its chest and roared as a massive surge of electrical energy poured out from its body, and its ATK rose to 3000! "Okay, then – Berserk Gorilla, blast Guardian of the Labyrinth with Primal Rage!" ordered Forrest. And Berserk Gorilla did just that—it blasted a wave of fire from its mouth, incinerating Guardian of the Labyrinth and reducing Jillian sharply to 3350 life points. At that moment Forrest's Poison Fangs activated again, snapping at Jillian and bringing her life points to 2850.

"And now, Master of Oz, show your opponents who the true master is! Give Guardian Grarl a good wallop!" cried Forrest. In turn, Master of Oz raised a mighty fist, then sent it crashing down on the spot where Guardian Grarl stood—and the result was a mighty explosion of the ground that threw up much dirt and flung Jillian back even as her life points sharply went down further to 1150—and the Poison Fangs flew forward and snapped at Jillian again, bringing her life points right down to 650!

"And now, I'll end my turn," said Forrest—and suddenly Berserk Gorilla howled in pain as it spontaneously combusted due to the effect of Wild Nature's Release!

Sitting up where she'd fallen, Jillian was just in time to see Berserk Gorilla's destruction. "I can't believe you," she said softly. "How can you just stand there and watch your own monster die without caring?"

"Hey—Duel Monsters are just Duel Monsters, baby; they come and go," Forrest shrugged indifferently. "The only question you should be asking now is, where do you want to go on our soon-coming date?"

Jillian glared at him. _You unfeeling dirt-bag!_

Now Jillian's life points were at 650, while Forrest's were at 4450. On the field Jillian had only her Guardian Baou powered by the Premature Burial card and equipped with the Wicked Breaking Flamberge – Baou and Gravity Axe – Grarl; Forrest had the Master of Oz in Attack Mode, and his Poison Fangs magic card was still active. Neither of them had any cards left in hand.

Carefully, Jillian drew her next card. "Okay—I'll now activate the magic card Graceful Charity, which will allow me to draw three cards and then discard two from my hand!" And almost immediately a green-robed angel appeared, bearing three cards for Jillian.

"Pretty angel—almost as pretty as you," Forrest remarked.

Ignoring him, Jillian examined the cards she'd gotten. _I see…well, if this is what I have to do, so be it…_ Immediately she chose her two cards to discard for Graceful Charity's effect, and they were immediately sent to her Graveyard. "Now, I'll set one card facedown…shift Guardian Baou into Defense Mode…and end my turn for the present."

"Tactically, that's a good move," Forrest nodded as he drew his card. "But when I'm done, you won't have any monsters left, and your life points will be wide open for me to strike at next turn! So, Master of Oz, attack and destroy Guardian Baou!"

But as Master of Oz raised his fist— "Wait right there! I activate my trap card, Call of the Haunted!" Jillian held out a hand to her facedown card, and at once a row of tombstones emerged on her side of the field. "And I'll use its effect to call forth a monster that I'd just discarded for my Graceful Charity's effect – Sanga of the Thunder (ATK 2600, DEF 2200)!"

From one of the tombs rose a brown-colored entity that crackled lightning, even as Master of Oz stopped in its tracks. "Hey…listen…Guardian Baou's got sentimental value to me," Jillian said quietly. "I'd hate to see him killed in some stupid battle. So…I decided I'd offer you something else in his place."

Forrest looked at the resurrected Sanga. _Hmmm…well, Guardian Baou's in Defense Mode, but this guy's in Attack Mode…and she doesn't have a lot of life points left, anyway, so…_ "As you wish, baby doll! Master of Oz, replay your attack and destroy Sanga of the Thunder!"

Master of Oz raised its fist again and sent it flying at Sanga—but suddenly a massive electric shock coursed through the beast's arm, right through its entire body, frying it and blowing it to pieces! "WHAT THE HELL?" Forrest cried as, much to his shock, his life points shot down to 1850.

"It's the effect of Sanga of the Thunder," explained Jillian. "During the damage calculation when you attack Sanga, its effect reduces the attacking monster's ATK to zero. The only thing about it is that that effect can only be used once as long as Sanga is on the field…but that's nothing compared to what's gonna happen next."

She took her turn and drew again. "Sanga of the Thunder…one of a series of cards that I got specifically for this tournament…but it would be a waste to finish you with an attack from Sanga, so…I'll shift Guardian Baou back into Attack Mode…" And immediately Baou rose, ready to do battle again. "Now, Guardian Baou, finish this leech right now!"

"H-h-hey, wait! Don't be so hasty!" Forrest cried out. But already Guardian Baou was all over him, slashing and slicing at him with his weapons—and the assault was so forceful Forrest got flung back even as his life points dropped to 0!

Jillian switched off her Duel-Disk; immediately everything on her side of the field vanished. "I tell you, I've met a lot of guys in my time whose brains reside in their crotches, but you—you make them look like saints," she announced acidly. "And I really, really, _really,_ REALLY hate guys like you, who just want to get into a girl's pants and then drop her like trash." She cracked her knuckles. "I'm going to enjoy beating the pulp out of that so-called pretty face of yours."

Eyes wide, Forrest backed up. "Hey, c'mon, baby-doll! Can't we talk about this?"

Jillian reached down and grabbed him by the throat. "Don't…call…me…_baby-doll."_ Then she raised her fist—and Forrest started screaming out loud and long even before the blows started raining down on his person…

----------

ELSEWHERE IN DUELTROPOLIS, AT THAT VERY MOMENT

"Pack Leader to all teams…status report. Over."

The big, heavy-set suit scowled as he held a finger to his comm.-link and waited for a response. He was leading the security personnel that the Committee had sent out to search for Chris Gear and Victor Greaves, two tournament participants that the personnel had been warned were with the Zodiacs infiltrating the tournament. They had been out here for a good while, even during the brief rain that had ended some moments ago, and so far they were having no luck.

"Team A to Pack Leader…nothing so far. Over."

"Team B to Pack Leader…all clear. Over."

"Team C to Pack Leader…no sign of anything out of place. Over."

"Team D to Pack Leader…we haven't found a thing—hey, wait! Pack Leader, we just discovered something here! Over!"

Pack Leader was immediately attentive. "Report, Team D! Over!"

"It looks like…a big burnt-out patch of land, Pack Leader. Like somebody did this place with a dozen blowtorches. Over."

"Any sign of those two participants we were told to find? Over," said Pack Leader.

"Hmmm…yes, we have a visual of both of them, Pack Leader. Both appear unconscious…but they seem to still be alive. Over."

"What's your position? Over."

"Half a mile south and southeast of your current position, Pack Leader. Over."

"Roger that." Pack Leader's eyes narrowed. "All teams, report to Team D's position on the double! Those Zodiacs are to be returned to Mr. Pegasus and the Committee at once! Over and out!"

----------

**_neomage:_** Err…heh, heh…Jillian's a violent one, isn't she? Well…next chapter, please!

UPDATED 02/07/2006: Made an error regarding Jillian's life points, so I went back and re-checked it all. Thanks to Ultimate Legendary Master for pointing this out.


	215. Chapter 215

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Blah, blah, blah, yakkity-schmakity…neomage doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh. Happy now?)

**CHAPTER 215**

PEGASUS'S CASTLE

Pegasus, Kaiba and Mr. Von Schroeder all sat together in the dining room, watching the most recent duel unfold on their screen. "So…another Zodiac reveals himself," Kaiba muttered. "Leo the Wildmaster…sheesh, can't these guys come up with better codenames at least?"

"I've seen that particular duelist before," remarked Pegasus. "Forrest Wiles…notorious for his Beast strategy _and_ for his lecherous ways with the ladies. I must say, though, Kaiba, that girl is certainly something else if she could intimidate him."

"If by _intimidate_ you mean beating the crap out of him, then Jillian's the one to do that—she's my son's bodyguard, after all," replied Kaiba.

"More importantly, security should be heading to apprehend that fellow before he can escape," Mr. Von Schroeder pointed out.

"Heh…with that beating Jillian just gave him, I doubt he'll be going anywhere for a while," Kaiba chuckled.

"I'm only sorry that good old Zane wasn't here to see this," said Pegasus. "Or Vivian or Alexis, for that matter."

"Well, Truesdale did leave right after the rain eased up to go find that Dr. Crowler…and we already know where Vivian and Alexis are—with the kids out in Dueltropolis," said Kaiba.

At that moment Mr. Devlin entered the room. "I have news, everyone," he announced. "The security teams found Chris Gear and Victor Greaves…and it wasn't a pretty sight when they found them. The whole area where they were located was scorched—like someone poured gasoline over the place and set a match to it."

"And those two boys, Gear and Greaves?" asked Mr. Von Schroeder.

"Unconscious when they were found, but alive," said Mr. Devlin.

"Well, let security know that they've got one more confirmed Zodiac to go pick up – one Forrest Wiles," said Pegasus.

"Will do," nodded Mr. Devlin, and he withdrew.

"Now that'll make six Zodiacs we have in our custody by now," sighed Mr. Von Schroeder.

"And there are still five matches left in the first round of this tournament now," said Pegasus. "All we can do now is bide our time and hope for the best."

"Look, I don't like this whole waiting bit," grumbled Kaiba. "We've been able to determine one thing about these Zodiacs so far, and that is that in addition to their codenames, just their Duel-Disks alone make them stand out. I say we should have the security teams arrest every duelist whose Duel-Disk is out of the ordinary, and save ourselves major trouble later on."

"Well, Kaiba-boy, it's like Ziggy-boy said earlier—we can't pull the plug on Dueltropolis, even because of these people. The tournament is being broadcasted across the globe right now, and a lot of fans would be sorely disappointed. For the same reason, we can't just get up and pull whoever we want out of the competition for one reason or another—some of the Zodiacs could very well be duelists with large fan-bases, and so we cannot take that risk."

"So are we to just stand by and do nothing?" Kaiba demanded angrily.

"No, I'm not saying that at all," Pegasus replied coolly.

Mr. Von Schroeder stood up. "Sir Kaiba, Sir Pegasus, might I make a suggestion?" he asked. "We could, perhaps, do interrogation of our Zodiac prisoners again, but in a different format this time."

"A different format? What do you mean?" asked Pegasus, perplexed.

"Well…" Mr. Von Schroeder turned to Kaiba. "When I was at Kaibacorp the other day, to show you my Adventure Monsters game, you had a computer program that allowed us to view the players' mental progress—GINA, was it?"

"Yes, I remember—but what does that have to do with our current situation?" asked Kaiba, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, I'm thinking, what if we have GINA do the interrogating for us?" said Mr. Von Schroeder. "And since she's a computer program, she can perhaps act as a sort of lie detector. More and more lie detector tests these days are being done using computer software…perhaps GINA was programmed with that feature added."

Kaiba frowned as he considered this. "Hmmm…I've never tried that with GINA before, but given our need for information at this time, it's worth a try. In fact, I'll call Kaibacorp headquarters right now and have them send my laptop with GINA's software information."

"Have them bring over Yugi-boy and his friends, as well," said Pegasus.

"Yugi?" asked Kaiba.

"That's right," said Pegasus. "You remember me saying that I was going to call on a certain group of people to aid us? Well…you can bring them over here to Dueltropolis, straight from home."

"Yugi Muto and his group of friends from back in the day…" Mr. Von Schroeder chuckled. "I haven't seen them in such a long time. It'll be good to catch up on olden days with them."

"All right—I'll contact Kaibacorp right now," and Kaiba pulled out his cell-phone and speed-dialed a number. Then: "Yes, it's Mr. Kaiba. Listen, I need you to do something for me…I'm going to give you a list of people to contact. Tell them to come to Pegasus's island via Kaibacorp transport…and send my laptop with them, please. Okay, very good. Now, here are their names…"

----------

DUELTROPOLIS, IN THE MEANTIME

The liner that had brought all of the Dueltropolis participants to Duelist Kingdom Island was safely anchored a few meters from shore. Dr. Vellian Crowler was on the ship's main deck at this time, basking in the newly-reemerged sun on a recliner while sipping at a glass of wine. An umbrella was positioned over him, an umbrella that had only moments ago protected his resting spot from the rain while he patiently waited inside; now that umbrella served to keep him safe from the sun's rays. "Ahhh…now this is simply perfect," he sighed.

Then the sound of rotating helicopter blades reached his ears. "Hmmm?" he wondered, sitting up and looking skyward.

It was a small Industrial Illusions chopper, manned by someone in a screened helmet. As Dr. Crowler watched, the chopper landed on a heliport just on the ship's deck…then moments later the pilot climbed out, removing his helmet.

"Why, Zane Truesdale! What brings you here to the ship?" Dr. Crowler asked, a pleased smile on his face.

"Good afternoon, Dr. Crowler," said Mr. Truesdale, walking up the steps to Dr. Crowler's recliner. "Enjoying yourself, I hope?"

"Quite so, quite so," Dr. Crowler nodded. "Really, my friend, I'm honored that you invited me here as a special guest—I'm actually being treated with courtesy fit for royalty!"

Next to Dr. Crowler's recliner, shaded by the umbrella, was a small table, on which his wine glass now stood. Next to the glass was a small plate of fruit slices, and next to that was a bigger plate of sliced fish, meatballs in tomato sauce and rice balls, along with slices of avocado. Nearby was another table on which rested a TV. "Yes…you're living the big life right now, indeed," nodded Mr. Truesdale. "I take it you've been following the first-round matches up to the point?"

"Indeed I have—and I hope the next one starts soon," acknowledged Dr. Crowler.

Mr. Truesdale's look darkened. "Then you know about Cassius and James's matches, and the outcome of each…"

"I saw those…" Dr. Crowler sighed. "And I won't hide and talk, Zane. I'm truly ashamed at their behavior. To think, Cassius would cheat during his match…and James's cruelty toward his little sister…it makes me so ashamed to call them Obelisk Blue students."

"Indeed," said Mr. Truesdale. "But, Dr. Crowler, I won't beat around the bush. Their extreme hatred for Osiris Red…there's only one place they could've gotten it from." He fixed the older man with a piercing look.

Dr. Crowler ran a hand through his hair. "Look, I admit I've never been Osiris Red's biggest supporter, but…I've never taught any of my students to be intolerant, either. The time I've had to interact with Jaden and his former Osiris Red classmates…plus most of the times I've had occasion to spend away from the Academy…have caused me to seriously think back on my past attitudes and behaviors, and I often have to wonder now why I behaved as reprehensibly as I did."

"Maybe you don't preach intolerance through direct words, Doctor," said Mr. Truesdale. "You're an extremely influential man at Duel Academy, being the head teacher of the Obelisk Blue dorm and all. But…I know for a fact that you were among those, ahem, old-time purists who did not entirely approve of the new system instituted at the school—plus, you do have that very bad habit of harping on and on about the 'good old days' of Duel Academy before Jaden Yuki became principal of the institute, whether you do it consciously or not. Such careless talk on your part can be easily misconstrued by people who genuinely pine for the old class system of the past, particularly those students who look up to you and your exploits the most. I'm sorry if it sounds condemning, but I have to tell it as I see it."

"Zane…you always were one of my best students," acknowledged Dr. Crowler. "Therefore, I hold more respect for you than I ever have for any of my other past students. But I do wish to say—respectfully, mind you—that what you're saying to my face right now is bordering on insulting."

"And again, I must apologize if that's how it seems…but think about what others who view your actions may think and assume about you," said Mr. Truesdale calmly.

"Ahem…well…" Dr. Crowler tugged casually at his collar. "Well, in any case, I'm sure you didn't come here to the ship just to talk about what I should or shouldn't do as an Obelisk Blue instructor."

"True," admitted Mr. Truesdale, secretly glad to leave the topic of bias alone, for it had begun to make him feel rather uncomfortable to confront his old teacher like this. "Mr. Pegasus wants for you to join us, the Committee, up at the castle to discuss the most recent piece of news regarding the tournament. I assume you've heard something of a group of duelists calling themselves the Zodiacs?"

"Hmmm…" Dr. Crowler fingered his chin thoughtfully. "Well, come to think of it, I _have_ heard a few things through the grapevine the last couple of months. And that's what troubles me especially about Cassius's match—he introduced himself by calling himself by the name of one of the zodiac signs, didn't he?"

"Yes," nodded Mr. Truesdale. "He called himself Scorpio the Venom—and so far we've managed to apprehend six duelists, including Cassius, who introduced themselves to their opponents in a similar fashion. Since a Duel Academy student has been found to be involved with them, Mr. Pegasus figured you should come to give your input on what can be done to remedy the situation."

"But of course! Anything I can do to help!" Dr. Crowler nodded eagerly. "Because the last thing I'm going to stand for is a bunch of hooligans infiltrating my Alma Mater! Just one thing, Zane…"

"What is it, Dr. Crowler?"

Whereupon Dr. Crowler indicated his food and drink. "Is it possible I could take these with me? The chefs on board the liner went to so much trouble to prepare this for me, and I'd hate to see it just go to waste."

Mr. Truesdale sweat-dropped. "Um…sure…I guess."

----------

ELSEWHERE IN DUELTROPOLIS, AT THAT MOMENT

"Ahhhhh…goodbye, rain clouds—and hello, sunshine!" Janus exclaimed, stretching for the sky as he stepped outside.

"The rain actually stopped a good while ago, you know," Flora reminded him. "The only reason you wanted to stay inside after the fact was because you were chatting it up with that pretty girl who served us our lunch."

"Awww, don't say it like that!" protested Janus, now red in the face. "And what about you, huh? Why didn't you leave immediately after the rain stopped falling?"

"Because it was so much fun watching your amusing little antics when you were flirting with the girl," Flora giggled. "And besides, Marcus had decided to fall asleep while the rain was falling, and he was still sleeping when it stopped…and I didn't want to go off and leave him here by himself."

"Thanks a lot, Mom," Marcus said sarcastically, stepping outside after the two of them. "I'm a grown man, Flora—I don't need anybody to baby-sit me."

"I'm not baby-sitting you, Marcus—I just like being in your company. I thought you knew that already," and Flora gave him a cute smile.

"Uh…yeah…anyway, we better get going and find our opponents before the day gives out completely," said Marcus. "Already the sky's starting to get dark. But if we hurry, even if we don't find our assigned opponents for the first round, at least we should be able to find somewhere to crash for the night."

"Well, you guys take care, then," said Janus. "I'm gonna go see if I can find any of my friends from Duel Academy. But it was really great meeting you two."

"The pleasure was ours, Janus," Flora nodded to him. "Good luck with the tournament, now, you hear?"

"You too!" Janus grinned.

"Yeah…you take care, kid." Marcus turned and walked off. "I'm leaving now. Flora, you coming?"

"But of course!" Flora nodded again to Janus, then turned and trotted after Marcus. "You're not leaving me behind just like that, Mr. Ironside! I hope you remember that!"

"Yep…an interesting pair, those two," Janus chuckled as he turned and headed off on his own, in the opposite direction.

----------

ELSEWHERE IN DUELTROPOLIS, AT THAT MOMENT

Ricardo Misawa stood at the edge of a wooded area, looking up at the sky. "It's getting late," he murmured. "Gotta find someplace to bunk down for the night…"

He'd been tramping through these woods for the last half-hour, but all he'd seen up to that point were birds, bugs and plants. Now, having just emerged from the forest, he was standing several hundred feet away from a sandy beach, and beyond that was the ocean—and the water reflected the fiery red of the sky as sunset prepared to set in.

"What a picturesque scene," Ricardo sighed.

"Ahoy there, friend! Enjoying the beginnings of the sunset on the water, are you?"

Startled out of his momentary daydreaming, Ricardo turned to see a man approaching him. "Hey…I know who you are! You're Wade Ocean, the Water duelist!" he said in amazement.

"That I am," Wade chuckled. "Hey, mind if I join you and watch the water for a while?"

"Suit yourself, man," Ricardo chuckled.

Wade jogged up to Ricardo. "Thanks," he replied, and then turned to face the ocean. "Just look at this…it's lovely, isn't it?"

"It sure is," said Ricardo. "You hardly see anything like it these days."

"Quite so, quite so. So, what's your name, friend, and where do you hail from?" asked Wade.

"Ricardo Misawa—and I'm from Duel Academy," Ricardo chuckled, and he tugged proudly on his Ra Yellow jacket.

"Heh…Duel Academy, huh? So what brings you to this tournament?" Wade inquired.

"Oh, I entered the tournament as part of a school assignment some friends and I are expected to take," explained Ricardo. "How well we do here will influence our final grade."

"I see…well, you'll do good, that much I'm sure of," said Wade. "Just don't give up at any point, that's all."

"Thanks…that means a lot, coming from a champion duelist like yourself," remarked Ricardo.

"So tell me, have you dueled anyone yet, by any chance?" asked Wade.

"No," Ricardo shook his head. "You?"

"I haven't been able to find my assigned opponent anywhere," lamented Wade. "Duelist number 21…that's who I'm supposed to find."

Ricardo raised an eyebrow. "Duelist number 21, you said? What's your number?"

Wade looked him squarely in the eye. "I'm number 7."

The two looked at each other for the longest moment. Then slowly both started to grin. "Who would've thought! I, a student from Duel Academy, am about to do battle against one of the top duelists in the world!" Ricardo cried.

"Let's head down to the beach," suggested Wade. "I should be able to get more into the feel of the duel if I'm closer to my element. That cool with you?"

"Sure thing!" said Ricardo. He reached into his jacket and pulled out his Duel-Disk. "Let's do this, then!"

"You said you entered this tournament to earn yourself some marks for your final grade…" Wade pulled out his own Duel-Disk, too. "Well, my friend, consider this your first test for the assignment!"

"Definitely! So, let's do this!" Ricardo nodded. And with that, the two headed down to the beach, their Duel-Disks at the ready…

----------

**_neomage:_** One of the things that pisses me off almost as much as flamers: not being able to upload chapter updates to the site when I'm ready to do so. The other day I had this chapter and a few other updates ready to upload—and I had to contend with an uploading error for the better part of three hours! Grr! Well, fortunately, I let the big guys at the top know what was happening, so hopefully that problem will be corrected soon…and at least one benefit to the delay is that I have gotten a chance to change a few things in this particular chapter to make the story a little better and also to fit more with the most recent developments for Yu-Gi-Oh GX as I've gotten them from Wikipedia. (chuckles in satisfaction)

On a lighter note, I have news, everyone. I went for an interview for a summer job program, and am currently waiting on a reply from those good folks! Wish me luck! Awww, don't give me those sad looks…I won't forsake this story, not when the first-round duels are almost done! You'll definitely hear more from me in due time!

Next chapter's coming up soon! Look out for it!


	216. Chapter 216

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Splish, splash, let this duel begin! And I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**CHAPTER 216**

DUELTROPOLIS

In a moment Wade and Ricardo were standing on the sand, a few feet away from each other, with their Duel-Disks at the ready, while the waves crashed onto the shore not very far away. "I'm really honored that I can have this chance to duel against somebody like you," Ricardo commented. "Just don't go easy on me because I'm a fan."

"What made you think I was going to?" Wade asked, smirking good-naturedly. "I'm curious to see how a student of Duel Academy battles…so I won't take any chances, even if this does turn out to be an easy win!"

"Which it won't, I guarantee that," said Ricardo.

"Just what I hoped you'd say! Now, let's duel!" said Wade.

The holographic coin was tossed. "I'll call heads!" Ricardo announced.

Then the coin landed…but it was tails. "Shoot! Oh, well, you get to go first, then," sighed Ricardo.

Both drew their first five cards…then Wade drew his sixth. "My, my—I've gotten a good hand right on my very first turn!" he exclaimed gleefully. "Well…first, I'll activate the Field magic card, Umiiruka! This will decrease the DEF of all Water monsters by 400 points—but their ATK will be increased by 500!"

Suddenly, the waves from the nearby ocean seemed to surround both players—and moments later water towered all around them, forming wet walls that offered no chance of escape. "Hmmm…" Ricardo looked around. "An aquatic battlefield. Nice."

Wade then held up another card. "Now, I'll activate the magic of Fortress Whale's Oath! This will allow me to Ritual Summon a monster of great power, as long as I offer monsters whose levels equal 7 or more, from the field or my hand…and I'll offer one monster from my hand to summon my almighty Fortress Whale (ATK 2350, DEF 2150)!"

Then suddenly, from the water rushing around both of them, a massive snort could be heard as a gigantic whale appeared behind Wade, wielding massive gun turrets on its back. Its DEF went down to 1750, due to Umiiruka's effect—but its ATK shot up to 2850! "Impressive, isn't he?" Wade asked. "But he's not the only thing you'll need to prepare yourself for…"

Wade then looked at the two cards he had left. "Next, I'll activate the magic of Monster Reborn, to revive the monster I tributed from my hand to Ritual summon the Fortress Whale—come forth, Levia-Dragon – Daedalus (ATK 2600, DEF 1500)!"

Moments later the gigantic sea serpent emerged from the water beside the Fortress Whale, as Umiiruka weakened its DEF to 1100 and strengthened its ATK to 3100. "Unfortunately, since this is the very first turn of the duel, I can't attack you," remarked Wade. "So, for now, I'll end my turn. My question to you is, though…what will you do against my mighty ocean beasts?"

Ricardo chuckled as he drew his own card. "Oh, I can do quite a bit against your monsters, actually," he remarked. "Let me show you! I summon Rescue Cat (ATK 300, DEF 100) in Attack Mode!"

A moment later a very cute kitty appeared on Ricardo's side of the field. Wade snickered…then laughed outright. "Are you serious? Oh, look, the pretty kitty's gonna bite me!" he cried in mock fear.

"You _should_ be afraid, for sure," Ricardo told him. "Because Rescue Cat has a very useful effect: I can send it from my side of the field to the Graveyard to Special Summon two Level 3 or lower Beast-type monsters from my deck to the field…even though those monsters will then be destroyed during the End Phase of my turn…but that won't matter in a moment! Now…"

As Rescue Cat licked itself even while it disappeared in a gentle flash of light, Ricardo searched his deck—and soon found what he was looking for. "Now…I'll Special Summon in Defense Mode…Ojama Green (ATK 0, DEF 1000) and Ojama Black (ATK 0, DEF 1000)!"

To Wade's surprise, there materialized on the field two of the strangest beings he'd ever seen: a green blob and a black blob, both with funny faces and wearing briefs. "Okay…I don't know whether to laugh or mock you," he confessed, shaking his head.

"You won't have to do either, once you see what my Ojamas can do," Ricardo assured him. "Now…I'll activate the effect of a monster in my hand—the King of the Swamp (ATK 500, DEF 1100)! I can discard this card from my hand to the Graveyard to take one Polymerization card from my deck and add it to my hand, after which I must shuffle my deck."

A silhouetted shadow of a slimy creature appeared momentarily behind Ricardo as he searched his deck for the Polymerization card and added it to his existing hand. "And now…" Ricardo held up the Polymerization card. "I'll activate Polymerization, and fuse together three monsters—Ojama Green, Ojama Black, and the Ojama Yellow (ATK 0, DEF 1000) in my hand—to form my great beast…Ojama King (ATK 0, DEF 3000)!"

A silhouetted version of Ojama Yellow, a yellow blob in briefs, appeared on the field beside Ojama Green and Ojama Black…then suddenly all three merged together into one massive blob. Wade watched, bemused, as that blob slowly took form…into a giant walking stack of white jell-o wearing briefs and a green cape, with big lips and beady eyes that stretched out of its head on sting-like antennae!

"Um…okay…and that's frightening because…?" Wade cocked an eyebrow.

"You'll see," said Ricardo coolly. "First, though, Ojama King's effect—I can select up to three of your Monster card zones, and as long as he stays on the field, you can't use any of those chosen zones. But…I'm not gonna be needing that effect for now. So…"

He picked one of the three cards he had left in his hand. "Next, I'll activate the magic card, De-Fusion! This will allow me to return one Fusion monster on the field to the Fusion deck…and if all the monsters that were used in that Fusion are in my Graveyard, I can Special Summon them all to the field. So, return to the field in Defense Mode, Ojama Green, Ojama Yellow, and Ojama Black!"

Ojama King suddenly split into three pieces…and those pieces turned green, yellow and black as the three Ojamas returned to themselves. "And I fail to see where this is going," said Wade, becoming more than a tad impatient now.

"Just watch," chuckled Ricardo. "Finally…I'll activate this magic card…Ojama Delta Hurricane!"

All at once Ojamas Green, Yellow and Black got into a triangular formation – and the space between them started to glow. "I could only activate Ojama Delta Hurricane when all three of my Ojamas were together on the field," explained Ricardo, a triumphant smirk on his face. "Well…now that they're all together…their combined power will destroy _every single card_ on your side of the field!"

"What! No way!" Wade shouted, realizing what would happen next.

Just at that moment, a massive cannon-like blast of energy poured out from the space between the three Ojamas! It consumed everything on Wade's side of the field – the Fortress Whale, the Levia-Dragon – Daedalus, and even the Umiiruka field magic card – and the blast itself was so forceful that Wade had to hold his ground fiercely lest he be blasted away! "Crap!" he exploded.

Then at last the power died down…and when it finally dissipated, there was absolutely nothing left on Wade's side of the field. "Wow…your side's about as empty as night," Ricardo remarked.

Wade whistled appreciatively, in spite of himself. "Well, I guess I underestimated you," he admitted. "Now I'll really have to watch myself."

"Yeah, I guess you will," replied Ricardo. "Now…I'll end my turn."

The score had both guys' life points untouched at 8000 apiece. Wade had one card in his hand, and absolutely nothing at all on the field; Ricardo also had one card in hand, and on the field he had Ojama Green, Ojama Yellow, and Ojama Black, all in Defense Mode.

"I'll admit, that was some clever strategizing on your part," Wade told his opponent. "You got to summon those two monsters using your Rescue Cat's effect…then you fused those two monsters together with a third…then you used your De-Fusion card to split the resulting Fusion monster back into three…and then, once you had all three on the field, you used a card that would utterly destroy everything I had on the field. And best of all for you, since the two monsters you Special Summoned with Rescue Cat's effect got sent to the Graveyard and then got brought back onto the field, they won't be destroyed by Rescue Cat's power after all."

"Yeah, I had it mapped out in my head from the moment I saw what my opening hand looked like," Ricardo confessed. "I'm something of a genius in the Ra Yellow dorm at Duel Academy, when it comes to thinking and planning ahead."

"Then let's see some more of that genius at work, then!" Wade challenged as he drew his next card. "Now…I summon Abyss Soldier (ATK 1800, DEF 1300) in Attack Mode!"

In a moment he summoned a blue whale creature with arms and legs, wielding a spear as a weapon. "Now, Abyss Soldier, destroy Ojama Green!" ordered Wade. And Abyss Soldier did just that, pouncing forward and skewering the hapless Ojama Green right through with the spear.

"Awww…" Ricardo flinched.

"You seem to have a thing for these Ojamas," remarked Wade thoughtfully.

"Yeah, well…I did used to look up to Chazz Princeton, one of Duel Academy's former Obelisk Blue students," admitted Ricardo. "So I built a deck in his honor…but in that deck is a little of my own strategy, too, which I'll soon show you."

"Very well, then, show me. I'll end my turn now," replied Wade.

Ricardo drew another card. "Now, I CAN show you, after all!" he exclaimed. "I'll now offer Ojama Yellow and Ojama Black as tributes to summon my powerful B.E.S. Covered Core (ATK 2500, DEF 800)!"

Ojama Yellow and Ojama Black vanished in a moment—and suddenly, coming down from the sky was something resembling a massive cross between a flying saucer and a tank, armed with plenty of missiles and lasers! "Whoa…now THAT is heavy-duty…" Wade whispered.

Then two orbs of light appeared and began to spin around the Covered Core. "Those orbs of light that you see there are counters," explained Ricardo. "They serve a very important function, which I will now show you. B.E.S. Covered Core, attack and destroy the Abyss Soldier!"

The Covered Core promptly rained missiles down on the poor whale-creature, reducing it to sushi before Wade's eyes and reducing his life points to 7300. "And now, at the end of the damage step, I have to toss a coin and call it for the Covered Core," continued Ricardo. "And if I call it wrong, I must remove one counter from my machine monster."

A holographic coin appeared at that instant, and Ricardo tossed it. "Heads!" he cried, watching it anxiously as it spun…spun…spun…and then came back to the ground…

…and it was heads. "ALL RIGHT!" Ricardo cheered.

"Good for you," commended Wade. "But why the tossing of the coin? I don't get it."

"I only have to toss coins for the Covered Core each time it battles a monster," said Ricardo. "If I call it wrong, as I said, I have to remove one counter from my monster…and if it battles without a counter, it's destroyed at the end of the damage step. Clearer?"

"Somewhat," admitted Wade. "So, end your turn?"

"Yep."

Wade nodded and drew another card. And he flinched. _Damn…this is not working in my favor at all!_ "Okay…I end my turn for the present."

"What's wrong? Not getting the cards you want?" Ricardo inquired as he drew another card himself. "In that case, forgive me if I take this as an opportunity to improve my winning chances! B.E.S. Covered Core, attack directly!"

The Covered Core promptly fired lasers at Wade; one of them hit him on the shoulder, and he grimaced and held the injured area even as his life points went down rapidly to 4800. "That stings!" he cried.

"It's not meant to feel nice, trust me," Ricardo replied. "Now I'll end my turn."

Now the score had drastically changed, with Wade at 4800 life points and Ricardo at a still-intact 8000. Wade held two cards in hand; Ricardo held two cards also. On the field Wade still had nothing whatsoever; Ricardo had his B.E.S. Covered Core in Attack Mode with two counters still on it.

Wade drew his next card with a hint of worry on his face. On seeing what he'd drawn, though, he lightened up a bit. _Okay! I can use this to my greatest advantage! Now, I'll have to depend on his next movement for this to work… _"I'll set one card facedown, and end my turn."

Ricardo looked at his own hand, noting the cards he held with a small smile. _If I can get that one card now, I'll win! Just that one card is all I'll need…_

Slowly he drew his next card…and then looked at it. "Okay!" he beamed happily. "Now, Mr. Wade Ocean, time to knock you out of the tournament! I summon Victory Viper XX03 (ATK 1200, DEF 1000)!" And he brought forth a space fighter jet to the field.

But suddenly Wade started to laugh. "Just what I hoped you'd do! Now I activate my trap card, Torrential Tribute!"

Suddenly the ground beneath them began to quake. "When a monster is summoned," said Wade with a triumphant grin, "Torrential Tribute destroys all monsters on the field!" And then—just as he finished saying that, a large blast of water tore from out of the ground, consuming both B.E.S. Covered Core and the just-summoned Victory Viper XX03!

"ACK! Damn it!" cried Ricardo in dismay. "Aw, crud…fine. I'll end my turn…since there's nothing else I can do for now."

"Well, I'll say this at least—you've been playing quite a good game so far," acknowledged Wade. "But there's only so much you can do when playing against me! Now, I draw!"

He drew his next card swiftly. "Okay…time to shift things back in my favor!" he announced proudly. "First, I'll activate the field magic of Umi! This will increase the ATK and DEF of all Fish, Sea Serpent, Thunder and Aqua-type monsters by 200 points, and decrease the ATK and DEF of all Machine and Pyro-type monsters by 200 points!"

Suddenly, all around them swirled the very ocean itself! "Now, here's where things will get interesting!" announced Wade. "First, I'll remove one Water monster in my Graveyard from play to Special Summon this creature – the Aqua Spirit (ATK 1600, DEF 1200)!" And then—from the water around them appeared Wade's blue, transparent maiden, her ATK and DEF increased to 1800 and 1400 by Umi's power.

"Then," continued Wade, "I'll summon the great Mermaid Knight (ATK 1500, DEF 700) in Attack Mode!" He then brought forth a colorful mermaid wielding a rainbow sword and shield, and her ATK and DEF went up to 1700 and 900 through Umi's effect. "And now, my monsters, attack directly!"

The Aqua Spirit raised one hand – and a wave of water rushed at Ricardo, knocking him down and reducing his life points to 6200. Then: "Mermaid Knight, go!" And Mermaid Knight swam forward at astonishing speed, slashing at Ricardo's legs with her sword and bringing his life points to 4500. Then suddenly—to Ricardo's shock—Mermaid Knight swam around, ready to come back again!

"As long as Umi is on the field, Mermaid Knight can attack twice during the same battle phase," explained Wade, with a great big grin on his face. "Do it again, Mermaid Knight!" And she did just that, slashing at Ricardo with immense force that caused him to fall backwards, reducing him further to 2800 life points!

"Seems your life points are lower than mine now," Wade remarked good-naturedly. "So…in any case, I'll end my turn now. What will you do?"

Carefully Ricardo picked himself up and drew another card. He looked long and hard at his hand…then he looked up at Wade. "Heh…looks like I'm cornered."

"Cornered?" asked Wade.

"Yeah. I haven't got a single move left that will help me win at this point. So…you win, Mr. Ocean." And with that Ricardo put his hand over his deck, signaling his surrender.

"Well…um…wow." Wade switched off his Duel-Disk, and all the holograms vanished. "I wasn't expecting you to forfeit, honestly…what kind of cards were you holding that made it impossible to win?"

Ricardo walked up to him and showed him the three cards in his hand – two Power Capsule magic cards and the monster card Big Core (ATK 2300, DEF 1100). "If you hadn't activated your Torrential Tribute trap card when you did, I might have still had a chance of winning," he remarked.

"I see," said Wade thoughtfully. "Well, even so, it was a good duel."

"It sure was," agreed Ricardo. "I'm just glad I was able to duel against a famous guy like you. Next time, maybe…next time, I'll definitely be better."

"I look forward to that," said Wade. "Put 'er there, man," and he held out a hand.

Grinning, Ricardo shook Wade's outstretched hand. "Good luck with the rest of the tournament, then," he nodded.

"And good luck with the rest of your studies at Duel Academy," said Wade. "I just hope this loss doesn't impact too badly on your final grade…"

"We'll have to wait and see," said Ricardo. "Next time we meet, I'll let you know how it went. So, till then—later!"

Wade chuckled and watched as Ricardo turned and headed off. _There goes a truly promising duelist of the future…_

----------

**_neomage:_** I admit, originally I'd intended for Ricardo to win this encounter, but…in a strange twist of authoring fate, Wade wins instead. This'll open up a whole new realm of possibilities regarding the structure of the rest of this story, as far as I'm concerned.

Now, as some of you good readers out there may have noticed, several past chapters have been revamped. Which ones? Chapters 58, 63, 64, 67, 68, 69, 139, 140, and 141. Why? Well…I made a tiny bit of a mistake where Malachi and his Pyramid of Light strategy are concerned. I always thought Andro Sphinx and Sphinx Teleia could be Special Summoned from the deck, but…it's appearing to me now that they're not. So, the changes have been made, including a few that will be obvious. My apologies to anyone who may have noticed this previous lapse before the corrections were made.

…well, anyway, only four more duels left in the first round of the tournament, everybody!


	217. Chapter 217

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: I'm running out of witty ways to say this…but let's just be assured that I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**CHAPTER 217**

DUELTROPOLIS

For most of the day, Malachi Jordan had been tramping around, looking for whoever could be his designated opponent…but so far, no luck. Now, as he walked across a grassy plain, he looked up at the sky and noted its orange color. "Crud," he muttered. "The day's almost over, and I still haven't found who I'm supposed to duel against yet…"

He hung his head slightly, looking down at his Duel-Disk. "Yes…you're starting to get impatient, too, aren't you? Fret not…very soon, we'll find our opponent…very soon, I assure you…"

----------

Flora and Marcus were walking along a grassy path, where small bushes grew on either side. Ever since they'd parted ways with Janus Yuki, they hadn't said a word to each other; or, more correctly, Marcus had been maintaining a diligent silence, while Flora had been thinking of something to say for the sake of conversation.

"Um, Marcus…"

"Hmmm?" He cocked one eye at her.

"Well…" Flora twiddled her fingers. "I've been wondering about something…ever since our trip to Egypt."

"What is it?" asked Marcus coolly.

Flora blushed a little. "I…I've been wondering…what you really think of me."

At that Marcus turned all of his attention on her. "What I really think of you? What do you mean?"

"How do you feel about me, Marcus?" Flora turned and looked him straight in the eye. "That's as straightforward as I can put it…so answer as straightforward as you can."

Marcus gave her a long look…then sighed and turned away. "Honestly, Flora…I don't know how to answer that sort of question."

"Just say what you know is true," Flora insisted. "That's all."

Marcus sighed again. The truth was, after everything they'd been through together in Egypt, what with going up against JUDAS and all, Marcus had begun to feel…something…for Flora. He'd always found her a bit of a zealot when it came to her environmentalist beliefs, but otherwise she'd always been a nice enough person in his point of view. More than that: he'd always seen her as a good friend, in fact the only real friend he had since he'd lost his mother; and after almost losing Flora during their most recent adventure, she'd become more precious to him than previously.

But he honestly didn't know how to tell her that.

"Well…I…" And in his mind, Marcus was berating himself for not being able to come out and say it. _C'mon, how hard can it be? Surely it can't be so difficult to say something as simple as that? Lots of guys say that kind of thing to their lady friends—why can't you?_

"Yes?" Flora looked at him expectantly.

"I…" Marcus looked ahead, toward a nearby clearing at the end of the path. "I think I see Malachi Jordan ahead."

"Huh?" Raising an eyebrow, Flora looked in the direction Marcus was facing…

…and indeed, there was Malachi Jordan, standing in the middle of the clearing. "Oh, yes, you're right, Marcus!" Flora exclaimed. "But—what's he doing there all by himself? We should go over and say hi, don't you think?"

"Yeah…maybe we should…" Although Marcus felt more like ramming his head into a tree at that moment.

----------

"Eh?"

Hearing the bits and pieces of conversation a little distance away, Malachi turned…and there they were—the plant-user and machine-wielder. Flora and Marcus, if he remembered their actual names correctly.

"Malachi Jordan! Over here—how're you doing?" Flora called, waving eagerly even as she and Marcus headed over to where Malachi stood.

"Fine," Malachi replied nonchalantly. "Have you two dueled your opponents in this tournament yet?"

"Unfortunately not," sighed Flora. "Neither I nor Marcus have been able to find our designated opponents. You?"

Malachi shook his head. "Zilch."

"Oh, well," grunted Marcus, "guess we'll all have to wait till tomorrow."

"You can wait if you want—I have no intention of doing so," replied Malachi sternly. "In fact, I'll comb the rest of this island if I have to—but my opponent will be found before I bother to take a break."

"Dedicated, aren't you?" Flora asked.

"Call it what you want, plant-user," Malachi shrugged.

Then he looked intently at both of them. "Say…what are your assigned numbers? Maybe one of _you_ is to be my opponent."

Marcus and Flora looked at each other. "Well…my number's 9," said Marcus.

Malachi shook his head. "Then it's not you. My opponent's number is 8."

Flora jumped when she heard that. "That's MY number!" she cried.

Both guys turned to look at her. "Flora? YOU are Malachi's opponent?" asked Marcus, very surprised.

"Seems that way," replied Flora.

Malachi's eyes narrowed. "Well…at last…after searching all day for my opponent…I find that it's actually a girl…and the famous Flora Green, at that." He chuckled. "This should be interesting…"

"You sure you're in a condition to duel? Because last time I recall, you were…how should I put it…more than a little disturbed," Marcus muttered.

"Marcus! That's not nice!" Flora scolded. "Didn't you say Malachi helped out when we were all in Egypt, against the JUDAS group? Surely he's a much nicer guy now!"

"Little lady, I don't consider myself 'nice'," replied Malachi. "I only helped out then because the guy I was after happened to be a member of JUDAS. Now that that's over and done with, I work for myself. And I'm here in this tournament for my own reasons. And, too…I've been looking around for my opponent all day, and now, here you stand before me. So don't think I'll be giving you any gentle treatment just because you're a girl."

"I'm not expecting any from you," Flora answered calmly. "In fact…I only hope that our duel will be an honorable one, yes?"

"Fine, fine. Now can we get on with it?" asked Malachi.

"Flora, you sure about doing this?" Marcus asked.

"It's okay, don't worry," Flora assured him. "I've got a number of new cards that I've just been dying to try out. Now's as good a time as any to put them to the test, I guess."

"Well, all right, then. I'll just watch from over here." And Marcus walked a little distance off, away from the other two.

----------

PEGASUS'S CASTLE, AT THAT VERY MOMENT

"What is it with security and punctuality?" Mr. Devlin asked crossly. He was back in the dining room with the others, with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face. "We got the news of the two Zodiacs' capture not too long ago, and they aren't even here yet!"

"Well, consider that they have to be moving them carefully—you did say that those boys, Victor Greaves and Chris Gear, were found in bad shape," Kaiba reminded him. "But I do agree, they need to bring those Zodiacs here soon. And they also need to call in and say whether they've found Forrest Wiles as yet."

"We've barely taken any time to sit and watch the most recent matches," complained Mr. Von Schroeder. "Pegasus, could you turn on the screen and show which match is on now?"

"Certainly—I could use a little entertainment myself," said Pegasus, and he switched on the big-screen.

Immediately they were shown a shot of a clearing, where Malachi Jordan and Flora Green were preparing to face off. "Oh, look at that! The former Intercontinental champion is going to duel the famous Nature Duelist!" exclaimed Pegasus gleefully.

Just then the door burst in—and in strode Mr. Truesdale, followed by Dr. Crowler. "Hello, everyone," the latter greeted them.

"Welcome, welcome, Dr. Crowler—and please, both of you, have a seat! A seriously good duel is about to begin!" Pegasus said urgently.

Mr. Truesdale pulled out a chair for Dr. Crowler before sitting down himself. "So…this match features Malachi Jordan and Flora Green," he remarked. "Looks like we got back in time, then."

"Shhh…it's gonna start!" Mr. Devlin chided.

----------

DUELTROPOLIS

Malachi activated his Duel-Disk. "Let's get started, then."

Flora walked away from him, activating her Duel-Disk as well. "Malachi…before we do begin, I just want you to know something. Considering your level of skill, I don't expect to win against you…I just want for us to do our best."

Malachi's expression didn't change, but he just nodded. "All right, all right. Now…let's do this."

Standing a little ways off, Marcus watched the field with a keen eye. "I wonder how this will go," he mumbled.

The holographic coin appeared and was flipped. "I call tails!" Malachi declared.

Then the coin landed…and it was indeed tails. "Good for you!" Flora nodded.

"Uh-huh," said Malachi, even as both of them drew their first five cards. Then he drew his sixth. "All right…to begin, I'll set one monster facedown, and one card facedown. Then I will end my turn."

Flora wasted no time in drawing her card. "I summon Chainsaw Insect (ATK 2400, DEF 0) in Attack Mode!" And then she summoned an insect with chainsaws for pincers!

Marcus, on the sidelines, was amazed. _WHOA—where'd Flora get something like _that?

"Next, I'll set two cards facedown…" and Flora did just that. "And then I'll send those two facedown cards to the Graveyard to Special Summon another new monster—my mighty Anteatereatingant (ATK 2000, DEF 500)!"

At once her two facedown cards got sent to the Graveyard from her magic/trap slots—and suddenly there was a loud noise as a massive black ant appeared, towering over the entire field! Malachi looked up at it, eyebrows raised. "Okaaaaaay…"

"Now, then! Chainsaw Insect, attack and destroy his facedown monster!" commanded Flora. And the Chainsaw Insect complied, its chainsaw pincers whirring with deadly intent as it scurried forward. It sliced and diced the facedown monster to pieces, only briefly revealing it to be the Gravekeeper's Spy (ATK 1200, DEF 2000).

"Now, time to resolve the effect of Gravekeeper's Spy," said Malachi calmly. "When he's flipped face-up, his effect allows me to Special Summon from my deck one Gravekeeper that has an ATK of 1500 or less, in face-up Attack or Defense Mode, after which I must shuffle my deck." He pulled out his deck from its slot and thumbed through it. "And the card I choose is—a second Gravekeeper's Spy, in Defense Mode!" And as he finished speaking, the second Gravekeeper's Spy emerged, crouched in a defensive stance.

"And now it's time to resolve Chainsaw Insect's effect," replied Flora. "If Chainsaw Insect does battle with a monster, then after the Damage Step my opponent is allowed to draw one card from the deck."

"Ah, how generous of you," and Malachi drew the card for Chainsaw Insect's effect.

"And now, I'll end my turn," said Flora. "Well, Malachi, show me just how much more powerful you've become since last time."

"As you wish." Malachi took his turn and drew his card, so now he held six once again. "As I told you, I will not be holding back for your benefit, so now…I will activate my trap card—Pyramid of Light!"

Flora started. _Okay—so he's decided to activate this thing early on in this duel, has he? Well, in that case…_

The familiar blue light shot up into the sky, forming the pyramid outline around the players. "Now, everything is about to be set in place," declared Malachi. "First, though, I'll activate the magic card Smashing Ground, to destroy one monster on your side of the field with the highest DEF – and that'll be your Anteatereatingant!"

Suddenly a massive golden fist shot down from the sky, slamming into the hapless Anteatereatingant and crushing it altogether—but even as it got ground into pulp, Malachi was busily fiddling with another card from his hand. "Like that? Then have another one! I activate a second Smashing Ground card, to destroy your Chainsaw Insect this time!"

Another golden fist came crashing down, crushing the Chainsaw Insect into almost nothing. "Damn…both my insects, gone in one fell swoop!" groaned Flora.

Malachi held up one of the four cards left in his hand. "I will now pay 500 life points to Special Summon my Andro Sphinx (ATK 3000, DEF 2500) from my hand in Attack Mode!"

Moments later Andro Sphinx appeared, grinning in a feral manner at Flora even as Malachi's life points went down to 7500, while the Pyramid of Light shone with power. "Then, I'll set one monster facedown," and here a facedown monster card appeared between Andro Sphinx and the defending Gravekeeper's Spy, even as Malachi scrutinized the field keenly. "And I'll now end my turn."

Flora looked at the field with a keen eye, too. "You can't attack with Andro Sphinx the same turn he's Normal Summoned or Special Summoned, that I can understand…but you could've taken a shot at me with your Gravekeeper's Spy—why didn't you?" she inquired.

"Playing it safe, is all," replied Malachi. "Not all victories come only from attacking one's opponent, that much I've learned."

"I see. Well, then, let me take this initiative," and with that Flora drew another card to give herself a total of three in hand. "Now…I'll set one monster facedown in Defense Mode…and end my turn."

Malachi folded his arms, tapping one finger on his elbow as he did this. "Plant-user…make no mistake, I have a good share of respect for your skill. But there are two good reasons why I am in this tournament, and why I will win this match. Can you figure out what those two reasons are?"

"Well…knowing you, it's probably not the Championship title, or any of the fame or glory that come with the title," remarked Flora. "So, are you planning to tell me what your reasons are?"

Malachi nodded. "Yugo Muto and Seta Kaiba."

"Hmmm?" Flora raised an eyebrow.

"You seem confused," said Malachi. "Many duelists worldwide see this game as just that: a game. For them, it's a trendy form of recreation, a way to have fun, and at the most to have friendly competition. But…there are duelists, like me, who see Duel Monsters as having far more meaning than that—for us, it's the only thing we know, the only thing that keeps us going. Just the thrill of being able to do battle against a powerful opponent is what gives us our drive to live. Seta Kaiba and Yugo Muto understand this…and it is because they understand this why I thirst for a duel with one, or perhaps both, of them."

"So…the thrill of dueling, eh?" Flora commented. "Well, I do have to admit…Yugo and Seta are two of the best duelists I've ever witnessed in action. If they can aid you in satisfying your craving for strong challengers, then good luck...if you can get past me first, that is!"

"Maybe I will, maybe I won't. The question is, can you give me enough of a thrill in this duel, plant-user?" asked Malachi.

"Only one way to find out for sure," said Flora. "Now, let's carry on!"

----------

**_neomage:_** The duel between Flora and Malachi continues next chapter! And yes, I know a lot of you are impatient to see Zander duel—I know I am—but hold on a while longer, because as they say, "Good things come to those who wait!"

Review soon, please!


	218. Chapter 218

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: **(slaps a mosquito)** I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! Oops, did I just kill a mosquito? Heh, heh…hope Weevil doesn't try to sue me…)

**CHAPTER 218**

DUELTROPOLIS

Standing on the sidelines, watching the duel between Malachi and Flora, Marcus noted the stats with interest. Flora's life points were intact at 8000, while Malachi's stood at 7500. On the field Flora had only one monster facedown in Defense Mode; on the other hand, Malachi had Andro Sphinx in Attack Mode, and both Gravekeeper's Spy and a facedown monster in Defense Mode, plus his Pyramid of Light was still active. Flora had two cards in her hand; Malachi had two as well.

_This should be good, at least,_ Marcus mused. _Already Flora's demonstrated a few new cards I've never seen her use…let's see how this duel turns out!_

Malachi took his turn and drew again. "All right…now, I'll Flip summon my facedown monster—Magician of Faith (ATK 300, DEF 400)!" And in a moment his maiden spellcaster emerged from the facedown card, staff at the ready. "When she's flipped face-up, her effect allows me to take back one Magic card from my Graveyard to my hand—and I choose Smashing Ground!"

As Flora watched, Malachi searched his Graveyard and pulled out one of the two Smashing Ground cards that had ended up there. "Keeping all your bases covered," she noted.

"You could say that," agreed Malachi. "Now, I'll offer Magician of Faith as a tribute to summon a stronger monster: Gravekeeper's Chief (ATK 1900, DEF 1200)!"

Magician of Faith vanished…and then in her place stood the leader of the Gravekeepers. "And, when he is Tribute Summoned, I can Special Summon one Gravekeeper from my Graveyard – and I choose the Gravekeeper's Spy that you destroyed earlier, to be summoned in Defense Mode!"

One moment later his first Gravekeeper's Spy emerged in Defense Mode, crouched beside its twin Spy. "All right…time to clear the field!" Malachi declared. "Gravekeeper's Chief, destroy her facedown monster! Gravekeeper's Vengeance!"

Gravekeeper's Chief formed a massive purple ball of flame in his hands, flinging it at Flora's facedown monster. It incinerated the card, flipping it partially face-up—and revealing it to be the dreaded Man-Eater Bug (ATK 450, DEF 600)!

"You fell for it!" Flora smiled happily. "When Man-Eater Bug is flipped face-up, its effect destroys one monster on the field—and I choose your Andro Sphinx!"

"What? No!" cried Malachi.

But, still ablaze with the fire of the Chief's attack, the Man-Eater Bug jumped onto a surprised Andro Sphinx—and with several massive bites it chomped off the Sphinx's head, causing its thrashing body to fall to the ground! "Too bad," Flora said sweetly.

"Grrr…fine. I'll set one card facedown, and end my turn, then." Malachi sighed heavily, still mourning the loss of Andro Sphinx.

With a grand flourish, Flora drew another card. _He's gotten back one of his Smashing Ground cards…considering what it does, I have to be very, very careful what monsters I play…_

"Okay, then…I'll set one more monster in Defense Mode…and I'll set one other card facedown. Then I'll end my turn." Flora ran a hand through her hair. "So, Malachi, care to try again?"

Malachi's eyes narrowed. _I can't take that chance…_ He drew another card. "I'll set one card facedown, and end my turn for now."

"Your loss." Flora drew again. "For now, I'll summon the Archane Archer of the Forest (ATK 900, DEF 1400) in Attack Mode!"

A large tree suddenly sprouted from the ground…and from its leaves emerged a young-looking archer, an arrow already fitted to his bow. But Flora wasn't finished. "Next…I'll Flip summon Des Dendle (ATK 300, DEF 2000)!" And she brought forth her living tree fungus, bubbling with life and activity.

Malachi cocked an eyebrow. "And what are those supposed to do, frighten me in some way? Because they're much too weak to do battle with any monster on my side of the field…"

"Not all victories come only from attacking one's opponent," Flora reminded him, repeating his own words from earlier. "Let me show you what I mean. By offering one Plant-type monster on my side of the field as a tribute, I can have my Archane Archer of the Forest destroy one Magic or Trap card on the field…and from what I've been seeing, your facedown cards are likely to be a bother, so I'm getting rid of one of them from early! And I choose the one on my right!"

As Des Dendle disappeared from the field, the Archane Archer readied his bow—and fired a deadly-looking arrow at one of Malachi's facedown cards in his magic/trap slot. The arrow split the card cleanly in two—but when Malachi looked and saw what it was, his eyes went wide. "Plant-user, I'm afraid you've sprung my trap!"

"Huh?" Flora exclaimed.

"That card you just destroyed was my Dark Coffin trap card," Malachi told her. "It could only be activated when it was destroyed while still facedown. But now, you must either discard one card in your hand to the Graveyard, or destroy one selected monster on your side of the field. So…what's it going to be?"

_Crud – he's got me between a rock and a hard place!_ Flora looked at the single card she had left in her hand. _I can't, under ANY circumstances, send this to the Graveyard—I need this! But if I allow my Archane Archer to be destroyed, my life points will be wide open for a direct assault on his coming turn, and who knows if I'll be able to find anything to protect myself after that…what can I do?_

Watching the duel still, Marcus could see the anxiety on Flora's face. He couldn't interfere, of course, but he certainly didn't want to see her fall into a panic over a situation such as this.

"Flora."

"Huh?" Flora turned to look at Marcus. "What is it?"

Marcus sighed. "I know it'll sound a bit odd, coming from me, but—you need to lighten up a little. Whatever you decide right now, you'll lose life points anyway—it's how you handle the rest of this duel that'll make the difference between whether you win or lose." He smirked a little. "Already you managed to surprise me by showing a few new cards nobody's seen before…do you think you can surprise me again?"

Flora blinked…then a tiny smile appeared on her face. "Sure thing, Marcus. Just watch me!"

"Sorry to interrupt, but the duel's over _here,"_ Malachi's bored voice reached her.

"Oh—sorry." Flora cleared her throat. "Okay, to resolve your Dark Coffin's effect…I'll allow my Archane Archer to be destroyed."

All at once a massive coffin emerged as from nowhere, and it closed up around the Archane Archer's tree and sank down into the ground. Flora lowered her eyes a little bit. "And I end my turn."

Marcus knitted his brow tightly. _Hang in there, Flora…_

Swiftly, Malachi drew another card. "Now, then…I'll summon Pharaonic Protector (ATK 900, DEF 0) in Attack Mode!" And at his call, one of his mummified soldiers popped up on the field. "And next, I'll shift both of my Gravekeeper's Spies into Attack Mode. Now, all of my monsters—attack her life points directly!"

One Gravekeeper's Spy slid forward, as smoothly and silently as a dark shadow, towards Flora – and shoved a hard palm into her stomach, violently pushing her back and bringing her life points down to 6800. Then the other Gravekeeper's Spy attacked in the same manner, and her life points came down further to 5600. Next, Gravekeeper's Chief fired a ball of magic at her, knocking her down and reducing her even further to 3700. Finally, the Pharaonic Protector's bandaged arms inexplicably shot forward on those bandages, hitting her while she was getting up, knocking her back down and bringing her total to 2800.

And…every time Flora got hit, Marcus winced. _Flora…you still have life points…this duel isn't over yet!_

Gingerly Flora stood up again, carefully brushing herself off. "Pretty good," she admitted. "But…there's still a ways to go before you can really bring me down!"

"You're persistent…I respect that in a duelist," Malachi nodded to her. "All right, I'll end my turn now. If you have any good moves left to show me, then show me."

Now Flora's life points were at a somewhat low 2800, while Malachi's still stood at 7500. On the field Malachi had his two Gravekeeper's Spies, his Gravekeeper's Chief, and his Pharaonic Protector in Attack Mode, along with his still-active Pyramid of Light trap card and one other card facedown; Flora, in the meantime, had only one facedown card in her magic/trap slot. Malachi held two cards in his hand; Flora held only one.

Flora drew her next card—and she looked on in surprise when she saw what it was. "Okay, Malachi! I'm going to reclaim this duel now!" she cried. "For now I activate the magic card Pot of Greed, to draw two cards from my deck!"

Now Malachi looked on with interest as Flora drew her two cards. _Okay, plant-user, it seems you may have gotten a break…now let's see what you will do next!_

Flora now examined the three cards she held. "Okay…I'll set one monster facedown…and activate the magic card, Insect Barrier! Now, as long as this card remains on the field, you can't declare any attacks with any Insect-type monsters that you possess on your side of the field!" And then, several beams of light shone all around her side of the field.

Malachi looked puzzled. _Insect-type monsters? But I don't have any Insect-type monsters in my deck strategy…_

Marcus, too, was dumbfounded. _What is Flora doing? She's seen Malachi duel before, and she KNOWS he doesn't possess anything remotely to do with insects…unless…!_

"You seem puzzled as to why I activated this card, Malachi," Flora addressed him. "But I'll show you, very shortly. So, for now, I'll end my turn."

Still wearing a puzzled look on his face, Malachi drew his next card. "Are you up to something?" he asked suspiciously.

"Maaaaayyyyyybe," Flora shrugged.

Frowning at her, Malachi considered the three cards in his hand. "Hmmm…all right. Now I summon Gravekeeper's Vassal (ATK 700, DEF 500) in Attack Mode!"

One moment later a crafty-looking old crone wearing a green shawl appeared on the field. "Now, time to wipe you out! Gravekeeper's Chief, take her facedown monster out!" commanded Malachi.

"Not so fast!" Flora shouted suddenly. "Now I activate my trap card—DNA Surgery! Now I get to declare one monster type, and as long as this card remains on the field all face-up monsters will be treated as the type I select – and I choose Insect-type!"

To Malachi's great consternation, all of his monsters on the field suddenly took on insect-like properties—both of his Gravekeeper's Spies looked like walking centipedes, Gravekeeper's Vassal looked like a mini-cockroach, Gravekeeper's Chief resembled a fuzzy caterpillar, and Pharaonic Protector looked like a grasshopper! "Arrrrgh!" he groaned in disgust.

"Now you've got Insect-type monsters on your end," Flora giggled playfully. "And remember what I said – as long as the Insect Barrier remains on the field, you can't attack me with any Insects."

Malachi grimaced. _I see…she knows how to utilize her strategy well…_ "Very well, then. I will end my turn for now."

Nodding, Flora drew another card. "Heh…looks like I really am going to win this one!" she chirped. "Now I activate the magic of Premature Burial, paying 800 life points to Special Summon my Chainsaw Insect from the Graveyard!"

As Flora's life points dipped to 2000 flat, Premature Burial revived the Chainsaw Insect in a moment, its deadly chainsaw pincers whirring to life again. "And now…" Flora held up the last card left in her hand. "I'm gonna summon something brand new, something utterly powerful…"

_So stop talking and summon it already!_ Malachi yelled mentally.

Flora grinned. "I'll remove two Insect-type monsters in my Graveyard from play to Special Summon this creature! Come to the field, my mighty Doom Dozer (ATK 2800, DEF 2600)!"

Then all at once, as the departed spirits of Anteatereatingant and Man-Eater Bug vanished from Flora's Graveyard—the ground exploded outward as a massive pink and black centipede emerged! Marcus stared at the new monster in shock. _Holy hell—she didn't have THIS before!_

"And finally, I'll Flip summon my facedown monster," and Flora's facedown monster finally was revealed. "Emerge, my Howling Insect (ATK 1200, DEF 1300)!" And then one second later the Howling Insect, a blue-winged locust, appeared beside its insect brethren.

"Now, my bugs, it's time to do battle! Doom Dozer, take down the Pharaonic Protector!" Flora shouted, and Doom Dozer rushed forward to do the deed.

"No, you don't!" Malachi countered. "I activate my trap card, Shift! When you designate one of my monsters as the target of a Magic or Trap effect or a battle attack, I can shift the target to another monster on my side of the field – and I target my Gravekeeper's Chief!"

Already on a collision course with the Pharaonic Protector, suddenly Doom Dozer shifted course, ramming instead into the Gravekeeper's Chief and destroying it, bringing Malachi's life points to 6600. "Okay, so that didn't go exactly as I'd hoped," mused Flora. "But at least Doom Dozer's effect will come into play! When he does battle damage to you, then one card gets sent from the top of your deck to the Graveyard!"

Scowling, Malachi sent the top card on his deck to the Graveyard. "And now,

my other two monsters won't miss _their_ targets!" announced Flora. "Howling Insect, take out Pharaonic Protector!"

Howling Insect flew forward at rapid speed, its swiftly beating wings, shredding the Pharaonic Protector into ribbons and bringing Malachi's life points to 6300. "And finally, Chainsaw Insect, rip the Gravekeeper's Spy on the left to pieces!" cried Flora, and Chainsaw Insect immediately advanced with its deadly pincers—and a moment later one of the Gravekeeper's Spies got minced up, even as Malachi's life points went down further to 5100.

"Let's not forget your Chainsaw Insect's effect," said Malachi. "If it battles with one of my monsters, after the Damage Step I get to draw a card from my deck." And this he did with great swiftness.

"Indeed," said Flora. "Now, I'll end my turn."

Malachi drew for his standard draw, so now he held four in his hand. "Hey, plant-user…remember the Smashing Ground card that I retrieved from my Graveyard using my Magician of Faith a few turns back? Well—I'm going to activate its power to destroy one of your monsters with the highest DEF – and that would be your Doom Dozer!"

Once again a massive golden fist shot down from the sky, crushing Doom Dozer into pulp when it landed. "Now, moving on…I'll shift Gravekeeper's Vassal and my remaining Gravekeeper's Spy into Defense, set one card facedown, and end my turn," declared Malachi. "I warn you, though…on my next turn, I will bury you."

Marcus frowned as he heard this, but he said nothing.

Again Flora drew a card. "Are you sure about what you just said?" she inquired. "Because what I'm holding in my hand is gonna help me take this duel for sure! Now I'll summon another new monster to the field—Jirai Gumo (ATK 2200, DEF 100)!"

One moment later a large brown spider with a round, fat body, long legs, and a tiny head appeared on the field beside Chainsaw Insect and Howling Insect. "Okay, time to make your defending line empty!" vowed Flora. "Chainsaw Insect, wipe out his last remaining Gravekeeper's Spy!"

In a few swift seconds, Chainsaw Insect's pincers shredded the last Gravekeeper's Spy to ribbons. "Again, after the Damage Step when it battled my monster, Chainsaw Insect's effect allows me to draw a card from my deck," and Malachi drew once more, so now he had three in hand.

"Yes," said Flora. "And now you've only got one monster left to protect you—but not for long! Howling Insect, tear apart the Gravekeeper's Vassal!"

Howling Insect flew forward again, its wings ripping Gravekeeper's Vassal to pieces. "And now…Jirai Gumo, attack directly!" Flora cried—

—and out of the blue, a coin appeared on the field. "What in the world…?" Malachi raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, this…it's Jirai Gumo's effect," said Flora. "When I declare an attack with him, I must flip a coin and call it…and if I call it right, I get to attack as normal—but if I call it wrong, I must reduce my life points by half before attacking. So, go, coin toss—and I call heads!"

The coin was tossed…and Flora watched it anxiously, while Malachi had a raised eyebrow as he looked at it. Marcus, still on the sidelines, had a grim face as he watched the coin.

Then the coin fell back to the ground…and…it was…HEADS!

"YES!" cried Flora. "My life points remain intact! Okay, Jirai Gumo—attack with Bloodsucker Bite!"

Jirai Gumo skittered forward, jumping onto Malachi and chomping on his neck with its pincers—he flinched as he suddenly paled, his life points dropping sharply to 2900! "Get…the hell…OFF!" Malachi roared, managing to wrestle the spider off him, even as he quickly clutched the spot where he'd been bitten.

"Oh, wonderful!" Flora cheered. "Now, just one more turn, and I'll win! I'll actually win!"

Hearing this, Malachi began to chuckle and shook his head. "Sorry, plant-user…but I have to refute that statement!"

"What do you mean?" asked Flora, looking at Malachi in puzzlement.

Malachi continued to chuckle. "True, you did duel well…but what I said before still stands: on my next turn, I will beat you, and beat you thoroughly!"

----------

**_neomage:_** Now, just what _does_ Malachi mean by that statement? Find out next chapter!

(yamikriz lounges on the sofa, fanning himself)

yamikriz: Too…hot…must drink…lots of alcohol…

neomage: And how exactly will alcohol help?

yamikriz: Uhhhh…

neomage: Note to self: get yamikriz to Alcoholics Anonymous as soon as possible. Second note to self: drag rampagerkriz along next time he overindulges, and make Miriku drag Kimiru along to AA meetings as well…I do NOT want a repeat of what happened last time when Miri and Kimi got thrown in jail for driving under the influence… (shudders)


	219. Chapter 219

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: **(eats several smoked mackerels) **Hope Mako doesn't catch me stealing his fish…oh, uh, neomage doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**CHAPTER 219**

DUELTROPOLIS

"You sound sure that you'll beat me…but your life points are only a couple of points higher than mine!" exclaimed Flora. "You're just bluffing—trying to scare me!"

"We'll see, won't we?" answered Malachi.

Marcus, watching the two duelists, frowned deeply. _Hmmm…_

The score now stood at Flora with 2000 life points and Malachi with 2900. Flora no longer had any cards in hand, but Malachi had three. On the field Flora had her DNA Surgery trap card and Insect Barrier magic card active, and she also had Chainsaw Insect in Attack Mode, powered by the Premature Burial magic card, not to mention also having Jirai Gumo and Howling Insect in Attack Mode. Malachi, by sharp contrast, had only the Pyramid of Light trap card active and one other card facedown.

Now Malachi took his turn and drew again. "Now…the end is near," he whispered softly. "I activate the magic of Dark Hole, to destroy all monsters on the field!"

Suddenly a massive black hole opened above them, sucking at everything in sight. While Malachi stood there with arms folded as if nothing was happening, Jirai Gumo, Howling Insect, Chainsaw Insect, and the Premature Burial card that had been powered Chainsaw Insect got lifted up into the sky, and were all absorbed into the blackness of the swirling mass above them! Flora, meanwhile, had to hold her hands in an X above her head, bracing herself for fear of being sucked in. Marcus, too, had a hand over his face, resisting Dark Hole's effect as best he could.

Gradually, though, the black hole disappeared altogether…and all of Flora's monsters with it. "Now, your life points are wide open," said Malachi coolly. "And now…I'll activate my facedown trap card—Rite of Spirit!"

Suddenly his facedown card flipped face-up. "This card allows me to Special Summon one Gravekeeper from my Graveyard in face-up Attack or Defense Mode," explained Malachi. "And the card I'm going for is Gravekeeper's Chief!"

In a heartbeat Gravekeeper's Chief reappeared on the field—but Flora's DNA Surgery trap card gave him insect-like features once again. "That's getting to be annoying now," said Malachi. "But I'll take care of that, quick, fast, and in a hurry!"

He picked one of the three cards left in his hand. "Next, I'll activate the magic of Giant Trunade! This will return all Magic and Trap cards on the field to their respective owner's hands!"

Suddenly a gigantic wind began to blow, and it blew with such force that both Flora and Marcus almost fell over. It did succeed in blowing the DNA Surgery trap card and the Insect Barrier magic card back into Flora's hand, and the Pyramid of Light trap card back into Malachi's. "And now, your defensive shield is completely gone," announced Malachi.

"Yeah…maybe…but your Gravekeeper's Chief is still too weak by 100 points to wipe me out!" Flora said stubbornly.

"I can see that," countered Malachi. "Which is why I have this card—Necrovalley!"

All at once, as he played one of the two cards remaining in his hand, the scenery around them appeared to change into Malachi's famous valley of bones! "As I hope you remember, in addition to negating all card effects involving Graveyards and preventing both of us from removing cards in the Graveyard from play," said Malachi, "Necrovalley will increase the ATK and DEF of all Gravekeepers by 500 points! And, in this case…it'll be enough to wipe you out completely!"

Flora turned white…even as Gravekeeper's Chief's ATK and DEF rose to 2400 and 1700! "No…way…I've lost…?" she whispered.

"Go, Gravekeeper's Chief! Finish it now!" commanded Malachi. And Gravekeeper's Chief did just that, blasting Flora with a massive ball of flame that knocked her back and down and knocked her life points down to 0!

"Ouch…" Flora sat up a little, rubbing her rump where she'd fallen rather roughly. "You could at least be a little gentler with a girl, you know!"

"When you're in the middle of a battle, you can't afford to hold back, even on your own allies," said Malachi calmly, even as he switched off his Duel-Disk and the holographic images disappeared. "At the very least, though, you did put up an interesting fight. I had thought you'd be easy pickings…but I was quite wrong." He turned to leave. "Well…I'm going to look for shelter for the night. I'll see you guys around." And with that he walked away.

Marcus, meanwhile, walked up to where Flora sat. He looked down at her a moment, then held out a hand. "Can you stand?"

"Um…yes, I think so." Flora accepted Marcus's hand, and he eased her up.

"Don't let your loss get you down…you played an impressive game. He just got the better draw, that's all," said Marcus.

Flora smiled a little. "Thanks. And…thanks for the encouragement earlier."

"Hey, it was nothing." Marcus shrugged. "Well…shall we go?"

Flora nodded. _It wasn't merely nothing, Marcus…coming from you, it meant so much to me…_

----------

PEGASUS'S CASTLE, AT THAT MOMENT

"AAAAAAAGH! Flora Green lost? NOOOOOOO!" Mr. Von Schroeder wailed, waterfalls pouring from his eyes.

"Oh, well, we don't always get what we want," sighed Mr. Devlin.

Suddenly Pegasus's cell-phone went off, and he answered it. "Yes?...oh, I see…very good, get them confined quickly…oh, I see. All right, keep me informed."

"Who was that?" Kaiba wondered.

"It was the leader of the security teams that were dispatched," explained Pegasus. "They've just arrived here with Victor Greaves and Chris Gear…but they still have some men out searching for Forrest Wiles…and so far, on that score, they've found nothing."

"This is all terrible business, gentlemen," Dr. Crowler remarked worriedly. "Terrible, terrible business…"

Mr. Truesdale said nothing, just continued to look at the screen with a somber expression on his face.

----------

DUELTROPOLIS, IN THE MEANTIME

Back at the inn where Yugo, Natasha, Felix and Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki had been eating together…

Yugo was sitting just outside the inn's front door, looking up at the slowly darkening sky. _Night seems to come so slowly here…_

He heard a footfall behind him, and looked up into Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki's face. "Oh, hello, ma'am," he greeted her. "Where's Natasha—and speaking of which, have you seen Felix? It's been a little while since we had dinner and since that bit of rain stopped falling…I really want to get into our duel soon!"

"Natasha's still at the bar, having another helping of spaghetti and meatballs—I swear, that girl loves pasta so much it's almost all she'll eat at all," Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki smiled. "And Felix…he's still inside in the guest rooms. Soon after we finished eating, he said he was going to fortify his deck, as well as take a little time to meditate by himself."

"Yeah, I remember he did say that," nodded Yugo. "I just hope he doesn't take too long with his meditation."

"Oh, extremely eager to duel now, are we?" Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki chuckled gently.

"Of course! I really want to know how good he is, being the champion of Spain and all!" Yugo said heartily.

"Yes…well…" Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki's expression became rather thoughtful.

Yugo noticed the change in her temperament. "Um…something wrong?"

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki didn't answer for a moment. Then she looked Yugo square in the eye, no trace of a smile on her face now. "Yugo…there's something I think you ought to know. But what I'm about to tell you is to be kept in the strictest confidence—that means you are NOT, under any circumstances, to even breathe a hint of it to _anyone_ else. Understand?"

Yugo was now very puzzled. "Sure, ma'am. What is it?"

"Here, scoot over."

Raising an eyebrow, Yugo moved over on the bench where he was sitting, making room for Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki to sit down herself. "Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki…how serious is this thing that you want to tell me?" he asked quietly.

"Very." Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki closed her eyes. "My dear…as I speak, there's a bunch of people running around Duelist Kingdom Island who are trying to make trouble. Specifically, trouble for Seta Kaiba and anyone associated with him."

"What? Someone's after Seta?" Yugo asked, surprised.

"Yes." Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki nodded gravely. "It's a group of duelists that call themselves the 'Zodiacs.' They infiltrated the tournament, entering themselves as legitimate participants…but from what we've been able to learn, they have orders to find you and your friends…in order to get to Seta."

"Um…how dangerous are these Zodiacs?" Yugo wanted to know.

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki didn't bat an eye. "As dangerous as JUDAS was, if not more."

A chill ran through Yugo at the mention of JUDAS. "Damn it…can't my life just go normally for once, without a bunch of crazy people running around to screw it up?" he growled, his face slowly contorting in extreme displeasure.

"The feeling is mutual for all of us in the Committee," agreed Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki. "Fortunately, we've managed to detain a number of these Zodiacs after they were defeated in their matches in the Dueltropolis tournament—but there are still a good few of them running around. We have to find them and take whatever steps are readily available to ensure that they don't cause any panic or chaos for any of the other tournament participants. That's why I'm asking you to keep it to yourself for the time being."

"I understand, but…there are two things I'm trying to figure out," said Yugo worriedly.

"Tell me," said Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki.

Now Yugo looked directly at her. "You said these Zodiacs are after Seta…why?"

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki looked back into his eyes. "I can't tell you all the details—I only recently learned about the Zodiacs myself from the other Committee members. But rest assured of one thing—whatever their aim is, it can't be for anyone's good, least of all Seta's."

"Hmmm…okay…" Yugo looked away. "Well, here's my other question. Why did you choose to tell _me_ all of this?"

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki sighed. "Well, dear…you and Seta are rather close, aren't you?"

"Well…yeah…I consider him a really close friend," admitted Yugo.

"The one who understands him best, right?"

"Huh?" Yugo looked up in surprise.

"I've had occasion to speak to Seta before, since his father is on the Committee," said Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki softly. "Shortly after the whole episode with JUDAS, Mr. Kaiba told us what had transpired…and then I personally spoke to Seta to confirm it all. During our chat, Seta spoke very highly of you. From what he told me…you've both had your share of pain…your respective sorrows are similar to each other…and perhaps, also, because you and Seta are each other's greatest rivals, just like your fathers were in their time…it's factors like those that have created a sort of bond between the two of you, a bond that only you two can truly comprehend. Now, this is only speculation on my part, but…I think that the Zodiacs may be somehow aware of this bond that connects you two, and therefore…in order to hurt Seta emotionally…they'll hunt you much more than any of your other friends. Therefore, I'm telling you this so you can be on your guard…so you can be truly fortified should you have to face off against any of the Zodiacs at any time."

"Well…I still don't fully understand about these Zodiacs…but thanks for the heads-up," said Yugo.

"Well, Yugo…to tell the truth, there IS another reason why I've told you this," and now Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki's hair overshadowed her brow.

"Hmmm?" Yugo looked at her, waiting for her to continue.

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki sighed again. "Yugo…a long, long time ago, when you were still only a baby…I made a promise to your mother, and to Seta's mother as well. I promised them…that if anything should happen to them, I…I would do whatever I could to make sure you and Seta would be okay…that I'd ensure nothing happened to you guys."

Her voice was almost distant. "Rebecca and Ishizu loved their precious children very, very much…they wanted the very best for you two…they wanted both of you to have anything they could offer, and more. In fact…the last time I saw them before they died…all they could talk about…was their children."

Yugo didn't know what to say to this revelation. _Mom…_

"Even though Rebecca and Ishizu are no longer with us, I still want to keep my promise to my dear friends," Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki went on. "So, Yugo, I implore you…please be careful in this tournament. Take good care of yourself…and your friends, too. Don't ever lose any of them."

Now Yugo smiled. "I don't have any plans to lose those friends, ma'am," he assured her. "Kyo…Miki…Jenna…and yes, Seta too…they're all the most precious things to me. That's why…" He stood up as he spoke. "…I won't let a bunch of punks do whatever they want while thinking they can get away with it! I'll fight tooth and nail to make sure my friends are safe and okay! And…I have a promise of my own to fulfill as well…"

In his mind he recounted the promise he and Seta had made with each other on the ship—to make it to the finals of this tournament. "Yes…_that_ promise must be kept…that's why I won't let these guys do whatever they want! I'll do everything in my power to honor that promise—and to honor all the other promises I've made to my friends!"

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki had looked on in astonishment at Yugo's vigor; now she smiled. _Rebecca…your little boy's grown strong, for real…if only you could see him now…_

----------

ELSEWHERE IN DUELTROPOLIS, AT THAT VERY MOMENT

Blaze was on the move again. Her Duel-Disk was on her arm securely, and a scowl of determination was on her face as she looked around her surroundings. _I don't know why I'm expecting to see my opponent pop up out of nowhere…the night sky's only begun to come out now…_

She had left her little spot where she'd stop to wait out the rain a good while ago, right after the rain ceased to fall. Now she was walking along a path with numerous rocks and trees on one side and a clear rushing stream on the other, a path that stretched forward and upward on a grassy slope for as far as her eyes could see. "One long straight line," she thought wryly. "Just a little further up this hill, and then…"

"Excuse me…"

Blaze stopped. "Who goes there?" she demanded, looking around.

"No need to get so agitated—I'm right here."

Then, to Blaze's amazement, someone stepped out from behind a big rock. "I hope I didn't scare you," the person spoke quietly, and Blaze quickly ascertained that it was a girl.

"Um…well…I was a little startled, at least," said Blaze. "But why on earth were you hiding behind that rock?"

As she spoke, she examined the stranger before her. The girl was wearing a yellow jacket with a hood; the hood was currently pulled back, so Blaze could see that this girl had long brown hair, hazel eyes, and—oddly enough—a hairpin in the shape of a bird's wing, fasted to her hair just above her ear.

"I wasn't exactly hiding," said the girl. "I stopped in a little spot close to the path to, um, relieve myself…and I was just finishing up when I heard you coming. I thought I'd wait and see if it was someone I knew…but I guess I was wrong."

"Oh, well," shrugged Blaze. "So, kid, are you a tournament participant too, or what?"

"I am," the girl answered. "And I've been looking for my opponent all day, with no luck so far."

"I see…me too." Blaze gave the girl a careful look. "Say. What's your assigned number?"

"27."

Blaze blinked. "27? Are you sure?"

"Yes…why?"

Blaze clenched a fist. "Because, kid…that's the number of the duelist I'm supposed to face off against first!"

The girl's face reflected surprise on hearing this. "No way!"

----------

**_neomage:_** So, Blaze has found her opponent…but who IS this mystery girl? Well, don't worry, folks—next chapter I'll give her biography just for you! And…overall, what did you think of this chapter? Bear in mind, I wrote the latter part of this while a bit sleep-deprived…then I woke up and made some alterations and modifications. I just hope it's satisfactory enough to please you guys! Well, next chapter's coming up soon!


	220. Chapter 220

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Fly, new chapter, fly! And no, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**CHAPTER 220**

_Characters' First Appearance in Story_

_ANGEL_

_NAME: Angel Snow_

_AGE: 15_

_HAIR: Brown (wears a hairpin resembling a bird's wing)_

_EYES: Hazel_

_CLOTHES: Yellow hooded jacket, black blouse, black shorts, black and white sneakers_

DUELTROPOLIS

"Well…I guess I won't have to worry about waiting to duel my opponent anymore," Blaze remarked, a smile coming up over her face as she looked at the girl before her. "You must've become impatient, too, right? Having to walk around all day, not knowing where your designated opponent was…well, you needn't worry anymore."

"Yeah…okay…" the girl whispered.

Blaze readied her Duel-Disk and cards. "I do hope you know who you're up against?"

"Yes, I know who you are," the girl answered. "The legendary Fire duelist, Blaze Redman."

"Then that cuts the introductions reasonably short," said Blaze. "And you?"

The girl ran a hand through her hair. "My name is Angel…Angel Snow."

"Heh…pretty name," remarked Blaze.

"Thank you," said Angel, blushing a little.

"So, where's your Duel-Disk? Take it out so we can get started, while we still have some light in the sky," Blaze told her.

Angel opened her jacket and reached in there for her Duel-Disk. Momentarily she pulled it out—and Blaze stared in amazement at it. "Whoa…I've never seen a Duel-Disk like THAT before…"

The Duel-Disk did look rather strange, for it was shaped like a bird's wing. "True, my Duel-Disk may look odd," Angel admitted, "but it doesn't say anything about my skill at Duel Monsters."

"Then I hope you're good enough to have been pitted against me," replied Blaze.

"I believe I'm good enough, at least—I study at Duel Academy, after all," said Angel.

"Duel Academy? You're a student there?" Blaze asked, surprised.

"Yes," acknowledged Angel. "My jacket testifies to that. I'm in the Ra Yellow dorm."

"I see," said Blaze. "Well, all right, Duel Academy girl. Let's get busy!"

The holographic coin appeared on the field. "I'll be generous and let you call it," said Blaze.

"Okay…then I'll call tails," said Angel.

Then the coin was flipped…and flew into the air…and came back down…and it was heads. "Shucks!" Angel groaned.

"Too bad," said Blaze. "I'll go first, then."

Both girls drew their first five cards…then Blaze drew a sixth. "Now, I will start by summoning Blast Magician (ATK 1400, DEF 1700) in Attack Mode!" And then, in a moment, her red-clad magician appeared on the field. "Then I'll set one card facedown, and end my turn for now."

"Okay, then," said Angel. Then she drew a card. "Um…I'll summon Harpie Girl (ATK 500, DEF 500) in Attack Mode…" And then, much to Blaze's amazement, a young child with wings and talons appeared on the field. "And then I'll end my turn."

_Is she SERIOUS?_ Blaze's face was a picture of perfect disbelief. _Blast Magician's way stronger than that Harpie Girl! And plus, she didn't even try to set any cards in her magic/trap slot—this is way too much! How did she EVER get into Duel Academy, not to mention this tournament?_

Shaking her head, Blaze drew again. "All right…now I'll summon Flame Ruler (ATK 1500, DEF 1600)!" And she summoned her blue-haired fire master. "Destroy that Harpie Girl!"

Flame Ruler blasted a wave of fire at a frightened Harpie Girl, utterly burning her to a crisp and sharply reducing Angel's life points to 7000. "Eeeeeeek! My precious Harpie Girl!" Angel cried in evident despair.

"It was your mistake, playing such a weak monster like that," Blaze reproved her. "Now, Blast Magician, attack directly! Fireball Spell!" And Blast Magician responded by shooting a ball of pure fire from his cane at a flinching Angel, hitting her hard and reducing her further to 5600.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow…" Angel whimpered, gingerly touching her arms where she'd blocked Blast Magician's assault.

"Well…anyway, I end my turn now." Blaze sighed. "Look, kid, this isn't the minor leagues, all right? If you can't afford to play hard with the rest of us, you shouldn't even be here. I'm sorry if it sounds harsh, but that's the way life is."

Without answering, Angel took her turn again and drew another card. "I think I'll summon Harpie Lady (ATK 1300, DEF 1400) in Attack Mode." A moment later she called forth an adult version of the Harpie Girl that had just met her demise. "And I'll end my turn with that."

_Okay…a better attempt than before, I'll grant her that…but still too amateurish! _This thought ran through Blaze's mind as she swiftly drew another card. "Okay…now, I'll summon Fireyarou (ATK 1300, DEF 1000) in Attack Mode!" And then she summoned her malevolently grinning fire spirit.

"Are you gonna attack again?" Angel asked, her body tensing.

"What do you think? Blast Magician, blast that Harpie Lady out of here!" Blaze commanded…and again Blast Magician fired a ball of flame, incinerating a screaming Harpie Lady and dropping Angel's life points further to 5500. Then: "Fireyarou, Flame Ruler, attack directly!" And both monsters blasted Angel with intense fire—first Flame Ruler, reducing her to 4000; then Fireyarou, reducing her even further to 2700.

"Ahhhhhhh…" Angel winced in pain from the heat.

Blaze sighed. _"Ay caramba—_listen here, kid, this is getting nowhere. You may as well forfeit, if this is all you've got to offer. I can't believe you said you're a Duel Academy student."

Angel slowly stood up, still flinching from the pain of the attacks—but she shook her head. "I don't need to forfeit. Because I'm in this tournament for a special reason…and I'm not leaving until I resolve my reason for being here."

"But you're not exactly doing very well against me right now!" protested Blaze. "A few more attacks, and I'll win!"

Slowly Angel lowered her hands. "Well, Ms. Blaze Redman, I have something to tell you first…"

Blaze cocked an eyebrow. "And that is?"

Angel didn't say anything for a long moment. Then she smiled, a slowly developing grin on her lips. "Those attacks didn't hurt at all. I was merely faking it."

"What?" Blaze demanded.

"Don't believe me?" Angel looked her dead in the eye. "Then I'll prove it."

Blaze was way ahead in the lead with an untouched 8000 life points; by sharp contrast, Angel's life points were at 2700. Blaze held four cards in hand; Angel held five. On the field Blaze had Flame Ruler, Blast Magician and Fireyarou in Attack Mode, plus one other card facedown; Angel's side of the field was completely empty.

Now Angel took her turn again, drawing a new card. "Now, I summon Harpie's Pet Baby Dragon (ATK 1200, DEF 600) in Attack Mode!" And a moment later a very cute-looking red dragon with a green ornament on its forehead and a chain around its neck appeared on the field.

_Oh, come on, give me a break!_ Blaze was grumbling inwardly.

Then Angel held up another card. "Next…I'll activate the magic card Premature Burial, paying 800 life points to Special Summon my Harpie Lady back to the field from my Graveyard!" And as her life points went down to 1900, Harpie Lady reappeared on the field…and a magic orb appeared around Blast Magician.

"Blast Magician's effect," explained Blaze. "Each time you or I activate a Magic card, Blast Magician gets one Magic counter." Then she scrutinized Angel's play more carefully. "Hmmm…okay…a better attempt than before…but it's gonna have to be much more than that to convince me," Blaze told her.

"All in good time, don't worry," said Angel—and now Blaze noticed that the fearful naivety that had been in Angel's voice moments earlier was gone.

Then Angel looked through the four cards she had left in her hand. "Now, I activate the magic card, Elegant Egotist! When I have one or more Harpie Lady cards on the field, I can Special Summon something even stronger, either from my hand or my deck…and this time it'll come from my deck! Be Special Summoned, Harpie Lady Sisters (ATK 1950, DEF 2100)!"

All at once, even as the card's activation gave Blast Magician a second Magic counter, a trio of Harpie Ladies emerged on the field, all sporting different colors and hairstyles. Their ATK startled Blaze. _Whoa! Looks like she really was just playing around before—now she means business!_

Then suddenly an even greater shock came home to Blaze—suddenly Harpie's Pet Baby Dragon's ATK and DEF doubled to 2400 and 1200, respectively! "Hey! What's going on all of a sudden?" exclaimed an obviously confused Blaze.

"Harpie's Pet Baby Dragon has a very incredible effect," explained Angel calmly. "You see, it requires me to have alongside it on the field monsters that have the word 'Harpie' in their card names…except for two cards: Harpie's Pet Baby Dragon itself, and another card, Harpie's Brother (ATK 1800, DEF 600). Now, as long as there is at least one monster that meets the requirement on the field alongside Harpie's Pet Baby Dragon, you cannot select any monsters on my side of the field as attack targets if they have 'Harpie' in their card names…and if there are at least two monsters that meet the requirement, then the Pet Baby Dragon's ATK and DEF are doubled!"

Blaze's eyes widened in growing astonishment. "Damn…!"

"And now, it's going to get even worse for you!" continued Angel. "For now I'll activate the Field magic card, Rising Air Current! This will increase the ATK of all Wind monsters by 500 points and decrease their DEF by 400 points!" And as she played the card, suddenly a massive wind began to blow all around the field even as Blast Magician got a third Magic counter—and then Harpie Lady's ATK rose to 1800 as its DEF shrunk to 1000, the ATK of the Harpie Lady Sisters shot up to 2450 even as their DEF went down to 1700, and the Harpie's Pet Baby Dragon had its ATK rise to 2900 while its DEF came down to 800!

Blaze took in the scene at a glance. _She wasn't kidding! That amateur playing was just a front all along—she's planning to hammer me, and hammer me hard!_

"And I don't trust that facedown card of yours," continued Angel, throwing a disdainful look at the card in Blaze's magic/trap slot. "So I'll take care of it by playing this magic card, Triangle Ecstasy Spark! Now, until the end of this turn, you cannot activate any Trap cards, plus any trap cards that you may have already had active on your side would be negated—and the ATK of all Harpie Lady Sisters cards becomes 2700!"

Blast Magician got a fourth Magic counter—and instantly the Harpie Lady Sisters spread their wings as their ATK sharply rose to 2700! Now Blaze was truly in a state of shock. "This…is…crazy…!" she sputtered.

Then Angel held up the very last card left in her hand. "Finally, I'll remove one Wind monster in my Graveyard from play to Special Summon another monster to the field—Garuda the Wind Spirit (ATK 1600, DEF 1200)!" And then, as the spirit of her slain Harpie Girl floated away, out of her Graveyard, there appeared on her side of the field a bird-headed figure with wings on its back—and Rising Air Current raised its ATK to 2100 even as its DEF dropped to 800!

"Now…it's time for me to fight back!" Angel declared. "I may have let you get the upper hand at first…but now I'm really going to show you my real power! Now…Garuda the Wind Spirit, take out Blast Magician!"

Garuda flew forward at lightning speed, cutting Blast Magician's head clean off his shoulders; this act destroyed the four Magic counters that had accumulated on Blast Magician, even as Blaze's own life points dropped to 7300! But Angel wasn't finished. "Now, Harpie Lady, get rid of the Flame Ruler!" And Harpie Lady flew forward swiftly, her talons tearing Flame Ruler to pieces and reducing Blaze further to 7000.

"Next, Harpie's Pet Baby Dragon—blast her Fireyarou!" commanded Angel. The Pet Baby Dragon complied, firing a ball of dragon fire at Fireyarou and disintegrating it while Blaze's life points shot down to 5900. "And…finally…"

_Not good!_ Blaze's mind screamed.

"Harpie Lady Sisters, attack directly!" said Angel. And the three Harpie Lady Sisters flew forward, slashing at Blaze with their sharp talons while her life points swiftly dropped to 3200! The attack was so ferocious, Blaze actually fell down!

"All right…now I'll end my turn," Angel said coolly. And as she said this, the Harpie Lady Sisters' ATK went back down to 2450.

Slowly Blaze got back up. _Damn it…I was way too careless…that's going to cost me dearly, unless…_

She drew again. "Okay, I've had enough of this!" she cried. "I'll set two cards facedown…and activate the magic card, Monster Reborn, to revive Flame Ruler in Attack Mode!"

A second later a burst of flame signaled Flame Ruler's return to the field. Then Blazeheld up one of the two cards left in her hand. "And now…Flame Ruler's effect allows him to be treated as two monsters if I Tribute summon a Fire monster that requires two tributes…so, I'll offer him as a tribute to summon my great and terrible Infernal Flame Emperor (ATK 2700, DEF 1600)!"

Flame Ruler vanished in a gigantic burst of flame…and then, rising from the fire was Blaze's massive lion-like beast. "When the Infernal Flame Emperor is Tribute summoned successfully, I can remove up to five Fire monsters from my Graveyard, to destroy a number of Magic or Trap cards on the field equal to the number of Fire monsters I removed…but I only need to remove one—and it's to destroy your Rising Air Current card!"

As a ghostly image of Fireyarou vanished from Blaze's Graveyard, Infernal Flame Emperor formed a ball of fire in one hand and flung it at Angel's Rising Air Current magic card. The card got incinerated into ashes—and instantly all of Angel's monsters had their respective ATK and DEF readjusted! "And now…Infernal Flame Emperor, destroy Garuda the Wind Spirit!" cried Blaze.

Infernal Flame Emperor promptly flung another ball of fire at Garuda, blowing it up and sending feathers flying, and reducing Angel's life point count to 800. "Now…I end my turn," said Blaze.

Angel's life points now stood at 800, while Blaze's were at 3200. Blaze held one card in hand; Angel had none. On the field Blaze had her Infernal Flame Emperor in Attack Mode, plus she had three facedown cards; meanwhile, Angel had Harpie Lady powered by the Premature Burial card, the Harpie Lady Sisters, and the Harpie's Pet Baby Dragon—and all of them had their ATK and DEF back to normal now that the Rising Air Current card was no longer on the field, with only the Pet Baby Dragon's stats affected because of its own effect..

Angel quickly drew another card. "Okay…I'll set this card facedown, and end my turn."

Blaze eyed Angel's side of the field. _Okay…after her deceptive little performance, I see that she's capable of anything…so…_ She drew her card. "Now…I'll remove one Fire monster in my Graveyard from play to Special Summon my Spirit of Flames (ATK 1700, DEF 1000)!"

The soul of Blast Magician soared out of Blaze's Graveyard as her red-hot flaming spirit appeared on the field beside the Infernal Flame Emperor. "And…Harpie's Pet Baby Dragon protects all your Harpie monsters against being targets of attack, except for itself! So, Infernal Flame Emperor, destroy the Pet Baby Dragon!"

But then Angel exclaimed, "Not so fast—for now I activate my trap card, Icarus Attack! By tributing one Winged-Beast-type monster on my side of the field, I can destroy two cards on the field…so I'll destroy both your Infernal Flame Emperor and your Spirit of Flames!"

Suddenly, as Harpie Lady and her powering Premature Burial card vanished from the field, and Harpie's Pet Baby Dragon's ATK and DEF returned to normal, numerous blades of wind and blasts of light shot simultaneously from Angel's flipped trap, ripping through both of Blaze's monsters with little trouble! "No! Not my monsters!" cried Blaze.

"I'm still in the game, at least," said Angel quietly.

"Grrr…okay, fine. I'll end my turn!" But in her mind Blaze was thinking to herself, _My monsters may have been destroyed, but at least my facedown cards are still here—and they'll put her in her place!_

But as Angel drew another card, she seemed to have a different opinion. "Okay—I'll activate Pot of Greed and draw two new cards!" And this she did. Then: "Then I'll activate the magic card Harpie's Feather Duster, to destroy all of your cards in your magic/trap slots!"

"Bad idea!" Blaze called back. "I activate my trap card, Fake Trap! When you activate an effect that destroys Traps on my side of the field, this card will be destroyed as a substitute for those Traps!"

Already activated, Angel's feather duster wing swept away Blaze's activated Fake Trap—but evidently Angel wasn't about to give up just so. "Well, now I'll offer Harpie's Pet Baby Dragon as a tribute to summon a new monster—Swift Birdman Joe (ATK 2300, DEF 1400)! And if I tribute a Wind monster to summon him, his effect returns all Magic and Trap cards on the field to their owners' hands!"

Blaze reared back in astonishment. "You're not serious…!"

But almost immediately as Harpie's Pet Baby Dragon vanished from the field, in its place stood a birdman with bright yellow and green feathers and a wicked grin on his face. He flapped his wings with great strength—and Blaze's two facedown cards got sent flying off the field and back into her hand! "…no…!" she whispered.

"And now, your life points are wide open! Swift Birdman Joe and Harpie Lady Sisters—finish it now!" Angel cried. And both followed up on the command with lightning swiftness—first, the Harpie Lady Sisters trio flew forward and lashed out at Blaze, bringing her down to 1250; then Swift Birdman Joe flew past her with super-speed, the force of his tail wind blasting her down to the ground as her life points plummeted to 0!

Angel sighed as she switched off her Duel-Disk. "Well…I'm sorry I had to treat you so roughly…but like I said, I'm at this tournament for a reason of my own…and I don't intend to leave until my reason for being here is resolved."

Blaze slowly picked herself up. "Do you…do you play that amateur-attitude trick on everybody you duel?" she asked.

"It has often worked for me," said Angel. "And plus, I find that I conserve cards more readily that way. But…" She looked away, her voice becoming almost distant. "When I see _him…_there'll be no need to hold back…he will know my full power…"

Blaze looked up, a little puzzled. "He…?"

Angel turned her back on Blaze and started to walk away. "Let this duel be a lesson to you, Ms. Redman. Never underestimate even your weakest opponent—it'll cost you, just like it cost you this duel. But…if it's okay with you…I'd like a rematch sometime. After all, I pretty much won this duel through trickery…should we meet again, I hope we can duel on more fair terms. Till then…farewell."

And with that, she continued to walk off into the growing darkness. Blaze shook her head as she watched Angel go. _Angel Snow…_

----------

**_neomage:_** I figure that a few Blaze fans are gonna be disappointed that she lost this duel, but…she lost for a reason…

On a brighter note, come next chapter I'm adding a new feature: outtakes! That's right—you're gonna see bloopers of various scenes from the Yu-Gi-Oh Forever chapters, and the chapters will be chosen at random! Here's a little teaser:

(Chapter 40, opening scene where Yugo and Kyo fight to go to the bathroom)

Miki: (puts hands on hips and pouts) Okay, fine, be that way. Just don't blame me when the dining lounge runs out of food.

(Yugo and Kyo jump out of bed, scramble for the bathroom, scuffle, and then Kyo kicks Yugo away and locks himself inside the bathroom)

Yugo: (gritting teeth) Oh, no, you don't—not this time! (stomps to bathroom door and kicks it open)

Kyo: Hey, what the hell are you doing? This isn't in the script!

Miki: Uh…guys?

Director: Okay, okay, cut, cut, cut! Yugo, quit it at once!

Kyo: (suddenly screaming) AAAAGH! Hey, dude, let go of my head! Oh, shit—NOT THE TOILET BOWL! ANYTHING BUT THE TOILET BOWL! AAAAAAAHHH! (toilet flushes)

Everyone: (sweat-drops)

(end blooper reel)

neomage: So…what do you think? More coming soon!


	221. Chapter 221

YU-GI-OH

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: This story is 221 years—I mean chapters—old, but I still don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**CHAPTER 221**

DUELTROPOLIS

Night was now over Duelist Kingdom Island; the only traces left of day were the beams of light fading away beyond the horizon. In the light of day the grass and the leaves on the trees would have been shown in all their vibrant greenness, and the various flowers that could be found here and there would have proudly shown their myriad of bright, texture-filled colors; now, at twilight, the entire landscape was splashed over with various depressing shades of darkest blue or black.

But the eeriness of the night didn't seem to bother Zander very much as he casually strolled along. He'd gotten on the go a good while ago, and did not appear in the least concerned that his designated opponent hadn't been found before night caught up with him. In fact, his was a poker-faced expression.

His thoughts, however, would have been not so much poker-faced as they would have been sinister had they been given voice. _Operation Zeus…everything is going according to plan, so far…_

Then he paused. He'd heard a sound from not very far away. Stepping behind a tree with ease, he glanced out and beheld two persons walking in his direction…

--

Marcus and Flora were walking along together once again. By now daylight was barely visible on the horizon; the sky was dominated by dark clouds and one or two stars. "Damn it…it's gotten really dark, and I still haven't had a chance to duel my opponent yet," grunted Marcus.

"Um…Marcus…"

"What is it, Flora?"

Flora looked at him worriedly. "Well…are you vexed with me?"

He looked at her, puzzlement on his face. "What? Why do you say that?"

"Well…because I got to duel before you." Flora cast her eyes downward. "I'm thinking maybe you're angry."

"Look, it's not you, okay?" Marcus reproved her. "You got your chance to duel, and you dueled. My not dueling yet is not for you to worry about."

"I guess," said Flora quietly. "I just…"

"Don't worry about it. That's all I'll say on the matter." Marcus nodded his head resolutely.

Suddenly a twig snapped—right ahead of them. "What was that?" Flora asked, in a hushed whisper.

Marcus looked up. "Is someone there? Come on out!" he demanded.

There was no response. Then, from behind a tree only yards ahead came mild laughter. "Oh, forgive me if I startled you," a suave, polite voice spoke up.

"Come on out of there," Marcus repeated.

Then he stepped out—a guy in a trench-coat and jeans. It was hard to determine it in the dulling light, but it seemed that the guy's clothes were some shade of blue, while his hair seemed to be red, or reddish brown—it was hard to say for sure. "I saw you coming a little distance, but I couldn't see who it was," he spoke to them. "So I decided to hide and wait till I was sure I could recognize you."

"And you are…?" Flora questioned warily.

"Oh, please forgive my manners," said the stranger, very apologetic. "My name is Zander Zabel. "And…you are Flora Green and Marcus Ironside, two of the world's greatest duelists to date."

"Flattered that you know us already," said Marcus, without a hint of a smile.

Flora examined Zander closely. "Hey, I think I remember you," she remarked. "You're one of the new challengers that I witnessed on the boat en route here to Dueltropolis. I could never forget you—your hair's kinda hard to forget."

"Now I'm the one who's flattered," answered Zander. "So, let me ask, have either of you gotten an opportunity to duel as yet?"

"Well, he hasn't," and Flora jabbed her thumb at Marcus. "I got to duel a while ago, but unfortunately I lost."

"I see…so you haven't dueled yet, Mr. Ironside?" commented Zander. "Then you and I are in the same boat, so to speak."

"Yeah, that makes me feel a lot better," Marcus replied sarcastically.

"Then perhaps this will lighten your heart a little more. What is your assigned duelist number?" inquired Zander.

"Why?" asked Marcus.

"Well, I don't know…it just seems to me that, perhaps, you may be the opponent that was assigned to me," Zander explained, putting on a most reasonable air. "But if you're not, well…I guess I'll just have to continue searching fruitlessly throughout the night, and hope my luck's better in the morning."

Flora looked at Marcus. "Go ahead, Marcus, tell him your number," she urged. "Who knows—maybe you two _are_ supposed to duel each other!"

"But what if we're not?" countered Marcus. "And anyway, even if he _is_ my designated opponent, there isn't enough light for us to see what we're doing, now is there?"

"You needn't worry about that, Mr. Ironside," Zander interrupted. "Most Duel Monster holograms these days have a built-in software program that illuminates them even in the dark, so by their light we should be able to see just what we're doing, even if that light is somewhat inferior."

Marcus sighed resignedly. "Well…all right, I suppose. My number is 9…and my opponent's is 32."

Zander chuckled. "Right on target, then! I knew it!" he exclaimed. "Sir, you ARE my opponent! Oh, now I don't have to do any more pointless walking around to look for my opponent till the next round of the tournament—because right now my opponent is before me!"

"I just hope you'll be worth the time I spent looking for you," Marcus declared.

"Oh, I'll try to put on a good show for you, then," Zander promised.

"I'll, uh…I'll just step back and watch," said Flora, retreating a few dozen feet behind Marcus.

Readying themselves, Marcus and Zander reached into their respective jackets and pulled out their Duel-Disks—and then Marcus did a double-take. "Hey, Flora, check this out! This guy's got a really, really funny-looking Duel-Disk!"

"I see it—but I've never seen anything like it before!" Flora replied, just as surprised.

Zander looked down at his Duel-Disk, shaped like a lightning bolt. "Oh, this? Well, I get comments like that a lot," he admitted. "I custom built this Duel-Disk myself. I think it says something about my personality, especially when I'm in the middle of a fight like this one."

"We'll see," said Marcus. "Now, let's duel!"

The holographic coin emerged—and true to Zander's earlier statement about the holograms, it shone brightly enough to illuminate everything within a 30-foot radius, including the players' faces and Duel-Disks. "How about you call it?" suggested Zander.

"Don't mind if I do! Heads!" said Marcus.

The coin was flipped…and it flew up high, then fell back down…and indeed it was heads. "All right, Marcus! You won the coin toss!" Flora cheered. "Now do your best in the duel!"

"Uh-huh," Marcus grunted his reply as both he and Zander drew their first five cards.

Now Marcus drew his sixth card to start the duel. "Okay…I'll summon W-Wing Catapult (ATK 1300, DEF 1500) in Attack Mode!" And then a moment later his blue fighter jet appeared, its rocket launch-pads open and prepared to fire. "Then I'll set one card facedown, and end my turn for the present."

"Interesting way to begin," remarked Zander as he drew his card. "Now let's see if I can top that!"

He looked at the cards he now held in his hand. "Hmmm…okay…I'll set one monster facedown in Defense Mode…and end my turn for now. Your move."

"Ha! Like one monster's going to help you any!" Marcus scoffed as he drew again. "Now I'll summon Z-Metal Tank (ATK 1500, DEF 1300) in Attack Mode!" And then he called forth his yellow armored tank. "Attack his facedown monster!"

Z-Metal Tank blasted a shot at Zander's facedown monster—but when the monster got flipped face-up, a sudden surge of electricity deflected the shot right back at Marcus, exploding all over his side of the field! "Holy…!" he exploded as his life points inexplicably dropped to 7600.

"Marcus, you all right?" Flora asked worriedly from behind him.

"Yeah…but I'm guessing that his monster must've had a good DEF…" Marcus replied.

"And your guess would be correct, sir," said Zander. He then indicated his monster, a large yellow and green Duracell look-alike. "This monster, Batteryman D (ATK 0, DEF 1900), has a higher DEF than any monster on your side of the field at present. Plus, as long as Batteryman D remains face-up, you cannot select any other Thunder-type monster on my side of the field as an attack target apart from Batteryman D itself."

"Thunder-type…I see…so that's the type of monster you specialize in, isn't it?" Marcus remarked.

"Quite right, quite right," agreed Zander.

"So…this could be a little more difficult than I expected…well, now I'll end my turn for the time being," Marcus announced.

Smiling, Zander drew another card. "I'll set another monster in Defense Mode…and end my turn once again."

Cocking an eyebrow, Marcus drew once more. "I'll activate Pot of Greed to draw two cards!" And this he did. "Then I'll summon X-Head Cannon (ATK 1800, DEF 1500) in Attack Mode!"

Moments later his familiar robot appeared, its shoulder-cannons aimed and ready to fire. "Go, X-Head Cannon! Attack his facedown monster now!" shouted Marcus.

_Will this work?_ Flora, watching the duel still, wondered.

X-Head Cannon blasted a shot toward Zander's facedown monster—but again a large surge of electricity deflected the shot, right back at Marcus! It nicked his shoulder, but he still flinched from the heat as his life points dropped a little bit, to 7500! "Holy…what the hell…!" he sputtered.

"Another Batteryman D," remarked Zander casually. "See, I like to set up as good a defense as possible."

"Yeah, I notice," Marcus nodded.

"So, am I making this duel worth your while, Mr. Ironside?" Zander asked hopefully.

"Well…as much as I loathe admitting it…yeah!" Marcus replied. "This just might prove very interesting, indeed! Show me more of what you've got, man!"

Zander grinned knowingly. _Careful, Mr. Ironside…you just might get more than what you asked for…_

The score now stood at Marcus with 7500 life points and Zander with an intact 8000. Each held five cards in hand. On the field Zander had two Batteryman D monsters in Defense Mode; Marcus had X-Head Cannon, W-Wing Catapult and Z-Metal Tank in Attack Mode, plus he also had one card facedown.

Zander took his turn again, drawing his next card for his standard draw. "Okay…now I'll set one monster facedown…and activate the effect of a card from my hand, Thunder Dragon (ATK 1600, DEF 1500)!"

Swiftly he picked out one of the cards from his hand, held it up for Marcus to see what it was, and then discarded it to the Graveyard. "By discarding Thunder Dragon from my hand to the Graveyard," he explained, "I can add up to two more Thunder Dragon cards from my deck to my hand." And he searched through his deck, found the two cards he was looking for, and held them up for Marcus to confirm.

"Hmmm…okay, I suppose…" Marcus frowned.

Then suddenly Zander held up another card. "And now, I activate the magic of Polymerization! This will allow me to fuse together the two Thunder Dragons in my hand to form a new creature – Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon (ATK 2800, DEF 2100)!"

Silhouetted shadows of two green dragons with lightning around them appeared for one moment, then combined into one being…and suddenly there was a burst of lightning that illuminated the entire area! "What on earth…!" Marcus exclaimed, shielding his eyes from the light with one arm.

Shielding her eyes also, Flora managed to peek out at what was happening. "Uh, Marcus…you might wanna take a look at this!" she cried.

For right there on the field was a massive monster: a red-scaled dragon creature with a large mouth just above its head, and a second mouth where a mouth should be. On its forehead, in between its two mouths, a huge horn was charged with lightning energy! "This is my Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon—far more powerful now than ever," Zander's voice reached Marcus. "Allow me to show you what it's capable of! Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon, fry his Z-Metal Tank with Thunder Dragon Roar!"

The Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon let out a massive bellow—and its horn blasted a huge wave of electricity at Z-Metal Tank, ripping it to pieces and reducing Marcus's life points to 6200! But then Marcus shouted, "And now I'll activate my trap card, Time Machine! This will allow me to Special Summon my Z-Metal Tank back to the field in the same battle position it was in when your monster destroyed it in battle!"

Flipped face-up and revealed, the Time Machine's door opened up, hissing as it released a cloud of steam—and then Z-Metal Tank reappeared, as spotless as if it hadn't just been destroyed. "Well done, Mr. Ironside," and Zander applauded. "Only please take note that you have yet to even scratch my life points, while I've taken yours down significantly. Now…I'll set these last three cards facedown, and end my turn."

Marcus narrowed his eyes as what Zander had just said sank in, even as he drew his next card to give him six in hand. "Okay, so I haven't touched your life points yet…but believe you me, I will!" he declared crisply. "Now, I'll activate the magic card Graceful Charity! This will allow me to draw three cards, after which I must randomly discard two from my hand!"

Immediately a green-robed angel appeared and granted him three more cards; he swiftly held up two and discarded them. "Now, I'll summon V-Tiger Jet (ATK 1600, DEF 1800)!" And he then summoned his yellow tiger-headed fighter jet to the field.

Zander smiled as he witnessed this. _He's going to try and summon THAT…_

Then Marcus held up one of the five cards remaining in his hand. "Now, I'll activate the magic card Premature Burial, paying 800 life points to Special Summon one monster form the Graveyard—my Y-Dragon Head (ATK 1500, DEF 1600)!" And as his life points dropped to 5400, his red robot dragon appeared on the field – and now all his monster slots were filled!

"Okay, Mr. Zander Zabel," announced Marcus. "Now, it's time for me to call forth some ultra-powerful monsters! First, I'll remove V-Tiger Jet and W-Wing Catapult on my side of the field from play to summon a monster from my Fusion deck – VW-Tiger Catapult (ATK 2000, DEF 2100)!"

Flora gasped in excitement. _Marcus—you're gonna summon something massive, aren't you?_

All at once V-Tiger Jet rose up and flew about till it was directly over W-Wing Catapult…then gently settled down in a special compartment on the back of the blue fighter jet. "Here's VW-Tiger Catapult, all neatly summoned for you," announced Marcus, now slowly smiling. "But that's not all—next I'll remove X-Head Cannon, Y-Dragon Head, and Z-Metal Tank from play to summon another monster from my Fusion deck – XYZ-Dragon Cannon (ATK 2800, DEF 2600)!"

Y-Dragon Head settled down on top of Z-Metal Tank…then a compartment opened in Y-Dragon Head's back, allowing X-Head Cannon to settle itself in comfortably. "And now I'm gonna activate XYZ-Dragon Cannon's effect," said Marcus, grinning widely. "By discarding one card from my hand, I can destroy one card on your side of the field – and I have four in my hand…so I'll discard all four to destroy the four monsters on your side of the field!"

Marcus swiftly discarded every card in his hand to the Graveyard – and XYZ-Dragon Cannon's shoulder guns blasted every monster on Zander's side of the field into oblivion. Zander himself instinctively put up his arms to block the attack, even while the shockwave of his monsters being destroyed forced him back. "Ugh…too powerful right there…" he grunted.

"Now your side of the field's clear for a direct attack!" cried Marcus triumphantly.

"Is it?" Zander snapped suddenly. "I activate my trap card—Wall of Revealing Light! By paying any multiple of 1000 from my life points, I can prevent any of your monsters with ATK equal to or less than the life points I pay from attacking me at all – and I'll pay 3000 life points!"

All at once, to Marcus's surprise, a large wall of light shot up between his monsters and Zander, even as Zander's life points quickly shot down to 5000! Flora, too, was amazed. "Hey, Marcus, be careful!" she cried.

Marcus only smiled. "Don't worry, Flora…I've got a nice little strategy to beat something this annoying…"

"Hmmm?" Zander raised an eyebrow in puzzlement.

"Yesssss…you'll see what I mean, very shortly…" Marcus smirked with confidence.

--

_**neomage:**_ Bold words, even for Marcus, I dare say! Oh, well…on to a blooper outtake!

(Chapter 135, where Kyo and the group are in the underground cavern)

(The group is walking along quietly, when suddenly a faint beeping can be heard)

Kyo: Um…is that beeping in the script?

(they all look at each other)

Marcus: BOMB! (they all scatter)

Director: Hey, hey, come back here, you guys! We have a scene to shoot! (runs after them)

(Moments later, David Jericho walks in with a beeping metal detector)

David: Awww…I could've sworn there was money or something around here…

(end blooper reel)

neomage: LMAO! Well, anyway, on to the next chapter!


	222. Chapter 222

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Trying to think of more ideas to fill the blooper reels…but anyway, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**CHAPTER 222**

DUELTROPOLIS

Zander looked squarely at Marcus. "You say you have a way to beat my Wall of Revealing Light?"

Marcus's brow was overshadowed. "Oh…yes…yes, I do…" He chuckled. "Just watch and see…for I'm about to summon my ultimate monster yet!"

Zander's eyes narrowed…and on his own lips was a smirk. _I was right…he IS going to go for that…well, have I got a surprise for him!_

Then Marcus pointed to the field. "Now…I'll remove the VW-Tiger Catapult and the XYZ-Dragon Cannon from play to summon one more monster from my Fusion deck…come forth, VWXYZ-Dragon Catapult Cannon (ATK 3000, DEF 2800)!"

All five of the vehicles split apart from their respective fusions—and something incredible happened. W-Wing Catapult split in two, and the two pieces stood upright, forming robot legs. Then Y-Dragon Head settled itself in between the two pieces, spreading its wings out even as X-Head Cannon remained in its place on the red robot dragon's back. Next, V-Tiger Jet flew forward, carefully positioning itself behind X-Head Cannon so that its head served as the head for the developing monster's body. Finally, Z-Metal Tank also split in two, the two pieces joining onto X-Head Cannon's arms. Now…standing there on the field was a war machine!

"Wow…that's SO cool…" Flora whispered, feeling that any higher pitch at this point would be inappropriate.

But Zander didn't seem to think so. "Nice try—but not good enough! For now I'll activate my trap card, Skill Drain!"

Suddenly, as another of his facedown cards flipped face-up, Zander's life points dropped further, putting him at 4000! "I have to pay 1000 life points to activate Skill Drain," he explained. "Now, as long as this card remains on the field, the effects of all Effect monsters on the field are negated!"

"Aw, shit!" Marcus cursed.

"I know what you were planning to do, Mr. Ironside," remarked Zander. "Your VWXYZ-Dragon Catapult Cannon allows you to, once per turn, remove one card on your opponent's side of the field from play…so you were thinking of doing that to my Wall of Revealing Light, clearing the way for you to attack me. Well, it was a good attempt—but you won't be touching my life points for now, sorry."

Marcus groaned. "All right, all right…"

"And while I'm at it, I'll activate my remaining trap card, Solemn Wishes!" declared Zander, even as his last remaining facedown card flipped face-up. "This card will give me 500 life points each time I draw cards from my deck!"

"Whoop-de-doo," grunted Marcus, not in good humor any longer. "Okay, fine. I'll end my turn now."

At this point in the duel, Zander's life points were at 4000 flat, while Marcus's stood at 5400. On the field Marcus had his VWXYZ-Dragon Catapult Cannon in Attack Mode; Zander had three Trap cards face-up and active, his Wall of Revealing Light, Skill Drain, and Solemn Wishes. Neither of them had any cards in hand.

Flora, watching Marcus carefully, bit her lip in worry. _Marcus…please, please be careful…this guy's been able to manipulate the game so well…please…_

Zander drew his next card—and Solemn Wishes raised his life points to 4500. "Now, it seems I will get lucky myself! I'll activate my own Graceful Charity card, to draw three cards and discard two!"

Immediately, as Solemn Wishes once again raised his life points by 500 to put him at 5000, his own green-robed angel appeared and gave him his three cards, and he accepted them graciously. Then his eye caught one of the cards in particular…and slowly a grin spread over his face. "Hee, hee, hee…heh, heh, heh…HA, HA, HA, HA, HA!"

Marcus and Flora looked up at Zander's sudden laughter. "What now?" they both asked suspiciously, in one voice.

"Oh, nothing…" Zander sniggered evilly. "Just that in my hand I hold a weapon of such great power, you'll be trembling on your knees!"

Swiftly he discarded two of his cards to fulfill Graceful Charity's effect; then he stared with malicious intent at Marcus. "And now…prepare yourself, Mr. Ironside! Because what I'm about to do will utterly shock your senses!"

Marcus watched him carefully. _I don't like this!_

"Now…watch carefully, for you might never see a performance like this one again!" Zander told Marcus. "For now…you see these three Trap cards on my end of the field over here? Well…I'll offer all three of them in order to Special Summon a beast of terrible legend…a beast of indescribable power…a beast that will strike absolute terror in your heart and soul!"

He raised his card to the sky and forcefully slapped it onto his Duel-Disk. "I call upon thee to bring me victory in this fight—Uria, Lord of Searing Flames (ATK 0, DEF 0)!"

And then suddenly—from the card Zander had just played, a massive burst of fire shot toward the sky! "WHOA!" Marcus exclaimed, staring in astonishment.

Flora couldn't believe her eyes, either. "Good heavens!"

Then…slowly…from the sky descended a massive red dragon, smoke pouring from its mouth as it growled with immense menace at Marcus. Its body was so long it actually curled around itself several times…and its wings were spread out wide, engulfing nearly the entire playing field. Its ATK and DEF were both shown as 0—but then all of a sudden, its ATK shot up to 4000!

"Uria's ATK is increased by 1000 for every Continuous Trap card in my Graveyard," Zander explained. "And there are four in there right now. Three you know about—my Wall of Revealing Light, Solemn Wishes, and Skill Drain—and the fourth one I discarded for Graceful Charity's effect a while ago—it was my Spirit Barrier trap card. Don't believe me? Then look and see for yourself!"

He promptly touched a button on hid Duel-Disk – and right there before Marcus appeared Zander's Graveyard list. True to Zander's words, there was the Spirit Barrier trap card along with Zander's three other traps. "Oh…holy…hell…" Marcus whispered. "This…makes this thing…stronger than my robot…!"

"Uria!" Zander called to his dragon. "Obliterate the Dragon Catapult Cannon with your Dragon Flame Cannon!"

The Lord of Searing Flames reared its head back, even as a ball of fire formed in its throat—then suddenly it released all of that built-up fire into one massive blast that completely covered Marcus's entire side of the field! The Dragon Catapult Cannon got burned to ashes, and the heat was so intense that Marcus got flung backwards, even as his life points shot down to 4400!

"Marcus!" Flora shrieked. "Are you okay? Please, hang in there!"

Slowly, almost painfully, Marcus stood back up. "Uhhh…damn it…such power…"

"Well? You do still have one chance to save your skin," offered Zander. "So, what will you do?"

"I'll make every effort to beat you, that's what!" Marcus stormed.

So saying, he drew a card. _Perfect! This is just what I need to make even a small comeback! _"Now I'll set one card facedown, and end my turn."

But Zander merely chuckled with amusement. "You seem so sure that that card of yours, whatever it is, will turn things around for you. Well, we'll see about that, won't we?"

Zander promptly drew another card—and his grin became even bigger. "All right…I summon Susa Soldier (ATK 2000, DEF 1600) in Attack Mode!"

A flash of lightning brought down a mighty fighter wielding a giant sword. "And now…time to deal with your facedown card!" declared Zander. "Uria, activate your effect!"

"WHAT?" exclaimed Marcus, in utter disbelief.

Uria took a deep breath—then blasted a wave of fire that completely burned up Marcus's facedown card! "Surprised?" asked Zander. "Well, once per turn, the Lord of Searing Flames can destroy one facedown Magic or Trap card on my opponent's side of the field—and best of all, no Magic or Trap cards can be activated in response to his effect's activation!"

He grinned. "And now…it's time to bring this duel to a close! First—Susa Soldier, attack directly!"

Susa Soldier rushed forward and slashed at Marcus, cutting his jacket—and delivering a massive shock that had Marcus cringing—and his life points dropped to only 3400. "Well, that's one thing I never liked about Susa Soldier—his effect halves any battle damage he delivers to my opponent," remarked Zander. "But now, Uria, Lord of Searing Flames, will finish you off completely!"

Uria raised its head, charging up again for another attack. "Go, Uria! Wipe out the rest of his life points!" cried Zander.

On his knees from Susa Soldier's previous attack, Marcus flinched as he heard Zander give this second order. _I'm not gonna make it…_ He closed his eyes, awaiting the unbearable heat of Uria's attack.

He heard a massive explosion. He felt intense heat…but that heat seemed to be _around_ him, rather than _on_ him. _What…what's going on? I'm supposed to be feeling plenty of pain right now…instead, I feel…somehow…comfortable…but why?_

Then he opened his eyes…and he got his answer.

Ahead of him, Zander chuckled. "Seems you have an effective good luck charm, Mr. Ironside."

All around Marcus was much scorched vegetation; the grass around him was practically burned away, in the shape of a horseshoe. There was fire still burning where the grass had been torched by Uria's attack, and smoke was billowing all around. But incredibly, in spite of this kind of destruction, Marcus himself was unharmed, unscathed…

…because Flora was in front of him, her arms tightly wrapped around him.

Flora was quietly sobbing; her face was buried in Marcus's chest. "No…no…no, no, no…you can't have him…you won't take him from me…" she whispered, her voice choked by her tears.

Marcus looked at her and blinked. He was only barely aware of the holograms vanishing…or of his own life point counter dropping down fast to 0. He only barely registered Zander saying, "You should be grateful, Mr. Ironside. My monsters only attack their intended target…that's how they are. Well, I must now be off. You take care now." And then he heard footsteps, signaling that Zander was leaving the area.

"…Marcus…" Flora whimpered, tears spilling onto Marcus's shirt.

And still Marcus looked at her. A whole range of feelings was racing through him at that moment: anger that Flora had gotten in the way; confusion as to why she had, when she could have gotten hurt or worse; relief that they were both all right after the fact; and...something else that he couldn't quite place his finger on.

He wanted to shove Flora away from him, for she was making him feel really embarrassed to be in such a situation as he was in right now. He wanted to demand to know why she'd done such a foolish thing, when he was quite capable of taking care of himself without assistance from anyone. He wanted to berate her for crying, to tell her she had no reason to do so, for he really wasn't hurt all that badly.

But he didn't do any of that. No, scratch that—he COULDN'T do any of that.

Instead—as awkward as the moment was for him—he put his hands on her shoulders and shook her gently. "Flora…it's okay," he said softly. "I'm fine. We're both fine."

She didn't look up at him. "I was…so frightened for you," she whispered, her speech almost inaudible.

"Yeah."

Now, slowly, Flora lifted her head to look at Marcus. Her tears had stained her cheeks considerably; somehow, the sight made Marcus's whole being ache. Then she spoke again. "Are you…are you…"

He looked at her. "Am I what?"

Then she diverted her eyes. "Are you…angry with me…because I got in the way?"

Marcus felt a lump rise in his throat; with difficulty, he managed to swallow it back down. "You were concerned for me. Why should I be angry at you for that?"

Flora closed her eyes. "I see…"

Marcus sighed. "Flora…"

"Yes?"

Marcus started to speak; then he sighed again. "Do you…do you want to talk about it?"

She shook her head. "Can we just…can we just leave this site, please…?" she whispered.

Marcus nodded. "Yeah, sure. We have to find somewhere to bed down for the night, anyway."

----------

Zander watched from the safety of the trees as Marcus, leading Flora by the arm, turned and walked away from the duel site. His eyes were narrowed a little; his mouth was set in a grim line.

_I never ordered Uria to divert its attack when Flora Green rushed in…so why…?_

----------

ELSEWHERE IN DUELTROPOLIS, AT THAT MOMENT

"Felix? Are you still in there?"

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki knocked on the door and waited. _"Un momento, por favor,"_ she heard Felix call out from inside. _"¿Quién es ése?"_

"It's me, Felix—Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki," she replied. "How much longer will you be? Yugo's starting to get impatient…he's really eager to get to duel against you, you know."

"Ah—_lo siento, Señora,"_ replied Felix. "I'll be right out."

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki leaned against the wall and crossed her arms, waiting patiently. Then a moment later, her patience was rewarded, as Felix emerged from his room, his hat on his head and something wrapped in cloth in one hand. "Forgive me for taking so long," he said apologetically. "When I go through my cards to restructure my deck, I tend to lose all sense of time."

"Well, I'm sure Yugo will understand," replied Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki. "So, are you ready now?"

_"Sí,_ as ready as I'll ever be," replied Felix.

They headed back toward the main hall of the inn—and stopped. And stared. And sweat-dropped. "Holy mother of God…" Felix breathed.

At the bar, Yugo was carefully balancing an empty bottle on his head, another on his nose, one on each outstretched arm, and one more on one knee. Sitting nearby was Natasha, laughing and giggling and enjoying Yugo's antics. "You're so funny, Yugo!" she exclaimed.

The other patrons still there seemed to think so, too; they were egging Yugo's balancing act on. "Way to go, kid!" someone yelled.

"Yugo…what are you doing?" Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki asked, very slowly.

"Oh—hey, guys," Yugo addressed them. "Since Felix was taking so long to come and duel, I decided I'd pass the time by entertaining everybody here. Felix, look what you've brought me to—balancing bottles!"

"Are you sure you didn't drink more soda again?" Felix asked uncertainly.

"Oh, I'm quite sure!" Yugo replied, wobbling a little but maintaining balance.

Felix smirked maliciously. He walked up to Yugo. "You ticklish?"

Yugo shot him a dark look. _"Don't even think about it."_

"Well, ahem…Natasha, dear, could you get rid of those bottles Yugo's balancing? Felix is ready to duel now," explained Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki.

"REALLY?" Yugo cried—and just then the bottle on his knee slipped off. "Whoops!" he cried out as he attempted to catch it with his foot—but in the process he tripped over one leg of a chair and ended up falling flat on his face, the bottles falling and bonking him on the head one after another!

"Yugo! You okay?" Natasha cried.

"Yeah…I'm good…" Yugo babbled, swirls in his eyes, even as the other patrons laughed at his expense.

Felix and Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki sweat-dropped again. "You sure you don't wanna put off this match till tomorrow morning, at least?" Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki asked worriedly.

"Hell no!" Yugo jumped up, immediately attentive. "Everyone—we're gonna duel, right now! And nothing's stopping me—nothing!"

At that the patrons burst into cheering. "All right! We're gonna see a duel!" several of them called out. "C'mon, guys, start the show!"

Felix touched the brim of his hat. "Heh, heh, heh…very well, _amigo._ Let us step outside."

"Right!" Yugo nodded eagerly.

----------

Moments later, Yugo and Felix were on the lawn outside the inn, the shining overhead lamp on the roof of the building lighting the general vicinity. Standing off to one side were Natasha and Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki, while behind them, on the porch, most of the patrons were watching expectantly. "So, um, Felix…you nervous?" inquired Yugo.

"Because of you? Hardly." Felix smirked. "I wonder, though…how will you do against me, _el campeón de España?"_

"Guess we'll just have to see, won't we?" Yugo quipped, activating his Duel-Disk.

Felix began to undo the wrapping on the mysterious item he'd brought out of his room—and what Yugo saw made him blink. "Um…what's that supposed to be?"

Felix was holding a rectangular object, shaped like a mini version of a poker table with all the features thereof. All over its design were numerous red hearts and diamonds, and black spades and clubs, like on playing cards. "This is my Duel-Disk," announced Felix as he strapped it on.

"Whoa…that's so cool! I've never seen a Duel-Disk like that before!" Natasha gushed.

But suddenly Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki frowned. _Wait a minute…Cassius had a strange-looking Duel-Disk, too, and he's— _Suddenly her eyes went wide in realization and her hand flew to her mouth. _It can't be…!_

_"Señora…_I see that look on your face," Felix addressed Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki. His hat brim overshadowed his brow…but on his lips was a smile. "You've figured it out, haven't you?"

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki looked at him, square in the eye. "You…you're…you're one of THEM!"

"Huh?" Yugo turned to look at her. "What're you talking about?"

"Yugo…I assume you have been told about a certain group of people that have entered this tournament, and are after your friend Seta Kaiba?" Felix inquired.

Yugo shot a look at him. "How do you—" Suddenly his own eyes went wide, too. "Unless…"

"Indeed. I am one of them." Felix nodded solemnly. "My title in the Zodiacs is Libra the Blackjack…and by dueling against me, you'll be taking a big gamble—a gamble you cannot win."

----------

**_neomage:_** Here it is—the final duel in the first round of the tournament. And now it's officially been stated…Felix is indeed a Zodiac! What do you guys think of his Duel-Disk and his title? Let me know in your next set of reviews! And now, the outtake:

(Chapter 10, where Kaiba's munching on a granola bar)

(Kaiba comes running all over the set, clutching his throat as he drops the granola bar he's supposed to be eating)

Kaiba: AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH! Mouth—throat—on FIRE!

Director: O.O; Okay, did somebody pepper-spray the food again?

(everyone else immediately drops whatever food items they're holding; off-set, Jude Lassiter pockets a bottle of pepper-spray and laughs evilly)

(end blooper reel)

neomage: Yeah, I know, this was short, but I'm getting past my 9-page limit…review soon, please!


	223. Chapter 223

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Roll the dice! Shuffle the playing cards! Start the slot machines! And no, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!)

**CHAPTER 223**

DUELTROPOLIS

"I…I don't understand…" Yugo spoke very slowly, an evident hint of disbelief in his voice. "Felix…_you…?"_

"Disappointing, isn't it?" Felix asked with a shrug. "To think that the very person you swapped stories with, who you ate and drank with, who you conversed with as though you were old friends, should turn out to be something other than what you believed. I can certainly understand your disappointment…but then again, you never asked me if I was a Zodiac. Had you done so, I may have told you the truth."

Natasha looked from one to the other of them, bemusement on her face. "Um…Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki, what's going on?" she asked.

"Serious trouble, child—that's what," Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki replied grimly. "And part of that trouble is standing right in front of Yugo. Felix is a member of an extremely notorious group of people who have been up to no good in the midst of the Dueltropolis tournament."

Natasha looked at Felix, uncertain. "Are you saying…that he is a bad person?" she queried.

"I'm afraid so, yes," replied Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki.

"But—that can't be right! He was so nice before!" protested Natasha.

Felix held up his Duel-Disk and began to pull out a deck of cards. "I'm truly sorry, little Natasha," he addressed her, "but you can't trust everybody you meet, no matter how nice or friendly they seem at first sight. And…" Here he turned his full attention back to Yugo. "Let's not waste any more time, now. Take out your Duel-Disk so we can begin. This _is_ meant to be an official duel for the tournament."

He looked at Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki out of the corner of his eye. "Unless you, _Señora,_ plan to apprehend me on behalf of the World Tournament Committee, now that you know who I am?"

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki bit her lip. _This guy is a Zodiac…so I have to do something to detain him, but…if I try to have him brought in now, before he gets to duel, it won't sit well with any of the spectators, both those here and those watching the tournament on TV elsewhere…_

She cast an apprehensive glance at the crowd around her; the majority of them were laughing and chatting excitedly about the duel that was about to begin, but she could also clearly hear the grumbles of one or two who were wondering why the duelists didn't just begin already instead of wasting precious time doing nothing but talking. _No…I definitely can't have him brought in before he duels…if he loses, maybe then, but…what if he wins? He's obligated to go on to the next round if he wins this match, and even knowing that he's a Zodiac, there'll be nothing I can do about that!_

Yugo looked at Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki and saw immediately the dilemma she was in; it was written all over her face. He frowned…then he turned to look at Felix again, then back at Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki, and then back at Felix once more.

"Felix…"

"Yes? Oh, you're ready now?" Felix asked.

Yugo pulled out his Duel-Disk and strapped it on. "Tell me something before we start. You said your Zodiac title is Libra the Blackjack, correct?"

"True, true."

Yugo narrowed his eyes. "As far as I know…blackjack is a gambling game, right?"

"Indeed…but what's your point?" Felix asked, one eyebrow raised.

Now Yugo chuckled. "How about we have a little gamble right here…a gamble that'll be riding on the outcome of this duel—a gamble that Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki over there and her colleagues on the Committee will have to conform to as well?"

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki's eyes widened when she heard that. _Yugo, what are you DOING?_

"Hmmm…Sounds _muy interesante,"_ answered Felix, fingering his chin thoughtfully. "What do you propose?"

"Well…" Yugo looked sideways at Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki. "If I win this duel, you'll have to quietly and peacefully turn yourself in to the mercy of the Committee, and cooperate with them in any way they ask…and, perhaps, Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki just might be willing to ask her fellow Committee members to be lenient toward you if you agree to anything and everything they request of you." He looked back at Felix. "On the other hand, if _you_ win…not only will you get to walk away from here scot-free, but regardless of whether you win or lose in the rest of the tournament, you get to leave the island without being apprehended, either by the Committee or any other authorities that have been looking for you Zodiacs—and, furthermore, the Committee will have to arrange it so you can never be touched by the law regarding your Zodiac status."

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki blinked. "Yugo, are you even hearing yourself?" she demanded. "There's no way I or any of the other Committee members would agree to something like THAT!"

"Ma'am, please…trust me on this. I know what I'm doing." Yugo looked at her reassuringly. "Even before he made his little revelation, from the moment I knew he was my opponent I'd determined to myself that I wasn't going to lose to him. And, besides…you remember I told you that there's a promise I made that I intend to keep? Well…I have no plans to back down on that promise…if I lose, I'll be breaking that promise…" His hair overshadowed one eye as he said this.

_I see…_ Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki swallowed the lump in her throat. _That promise…it's particularly important to him that he keeps it…and to keep it, he mustn't back down from even one challenge in this tournament… _She lowered her eyes. _I was a duelist once, myself…so of course I should understand the importance of a duelist's promise…how, then, can I not see him through, if he's so determined not to break that promise?_

"All right, Yugo," she spoke aloud. "I trust you. I agree to the terms."

Natasha stared at the older woman in surprise. "Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki…!"

"It's okay, Natasha," replied Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki. "Yugo's not going to lose just like that. We have to believe in him."

Yugo then turned his full attention back to Felix. "So, Felix?"

"Hmmm…well…it's not a bad offer, actually." Felix chuckled. "Total immunity if I win, total cooperation and a chance at leniency if I lose…I weigh the options on the scale, and the odds are reasonable enough. So…okay, I accept your gamble."

"Then let's do this, then!" And with a grand flourish, Yugo strapped on his Duel-Disk and activated it.

"Come on!" Felix cried back, raising his own decorated Duel-Disk.

The inn's other patrons immediately broke into a cheer—at last, the duel was going to start. "Yeah! All right! Let's see some action!" many of them were yelling.

The holographic coin was flipped. "I'll call it! Tails!" shouted Felix.

Then the coin landed—and indeed it was tails. "All right, then, you get to go first," said Yugo. "Now—let's duel!" And both players' life point counters promptly shot up to 8000 apiece.

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki adjusted her glasses slightly. _All right, Yugo…let's see what you can do!_

Felix drew the first card. "Ah…not a bad hand," he remarked. "Okay, I'll set three cards facedown, and set one monster in Defense Mode. Do you think you can break through this?"

"Never hurts to try!" answered Yugo, drawing his card. "But I won't rush things just yet, though. So, right now I'll set one monster facedown, and set two cards facedown. Then I'll end my turn."

"Oh, a cautious player, now, are you?" said Felix, drawing again. "Well…I can play cautiously, too. I'll set another monster in Defense Mode, and that's all for right now."

"Gosh, they're both playing defensive," remarked Natasha. "But they'll have to attack at some point, won't they?"

"Indeed," agreed Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki. "Right now, though, they're merely gauging each other…each one waiting to see what the other will do, and each taking steps to protect himself as a backup measure."

Yugo drew another card. "All right, then—now I'll summon Neo the Magic Swordsman (ATK 1700, DEF 1000)!" And then his mystic sword-wielding swordsman emerged on the field. "And now, Neo, get ready to attack the facedown monster on my right! Magic Blade Attack!"

Neo raised his sword and rushed headlong into battle, right toward Felix's facedown monster. But suddenly Felix announced, "I activate my trap card, Skull Dice!"

Suddenly a black-clad gremlin appeared, wielding a giant red die. As Neo continued to rush along, the die was cast…and rolled quickly around the field, forcing Neo to jump around in order to avoid being rolled over. Then at last the die stopped moving…and the result shown on its face was 4.

Felix grinned. "Gotcha."

And then—inexplicably—even as Neo resumed rushing toward the targeted facedown monster—his ATK shot down to 1300 and his DEF to 600! "Huh?" Yugo couldn't believe his eyes. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Stop!"

But it was already too late, for Neo was slashing downward with his sword. And the result? As Felix's monster was flipped face-up, it was revealed to be a cunning-looking man in a white shirt—and the man blocked Neo's sword strike, countering with a solid punch to the gut that sent the Magic Swordsman flying back and reduced Yugo's life points to 7700!

"Wow! What on earth just happened?" asked Natasha in disbelief.

"I shall explain," replied Felix. He indicated his now face-up Defense Mode monster that had just blocked Neo's attack. "This monster here is my Sand Gambler (ATK 300, DEF 1600)…and the trap card I just activated was my Skull Dice card. You see, when I activate Skull Dice, I can roll a six-sided die, then multiply the result by 100, and subtract the total from the ATK and DEF of all monsters on my opponent's side of the field till the end of this turn. So, in effect, I made Neo the Magic Swordsman's ATK weaker than the Sand Gambler's DEF."

"Well…that was definitely unexpected…" Yugo admitted.

"So, Yugo, what will you do now?" Felix wanted to know.

"Um…I guess I'll end my turn."

Grinning, Felix drew his next card. "Okay—now I'll activate Sand Gambler's special effect!" he announced. "His power allows me to toss a coin three times…and if all three results are heads, I get to destroy all monsters on your side of the field—but if all three results are tails, all of my monsters will be destroyed instead."

Yugo made a face. "Dude—exactly what do you think the chances of getting all heads or all tails for three coin tosses are?" he asked skeptically.

"I admit, normally it's a one-in-ten chance," confessed Felix. Then he smiled. "Nevertheless…Sand Gambler, flip your coins!"

Sand Gambler pulled three coins out of his pocket and flipped them all simultaneously. Immediately the three coins grew in size, large enough so Yugo could see both faces on each coin. Then, one by one, the three coins began to descend to the ground.

_Will he get lucky?_ Everyone watching the duel at that moment was wondering this.

One by one, the three coins landed and stopped spinning. The first result was heads…the second result was heads…and the third result was—tails. "Ohhh…" Felix flinched as though he'd been slapped.

"Guess it didn't work," Yugo smirked.

"Keep laughing," replied Felix. "As for me, I'll just set one more monster in Defense Mode, and end my turn for the present."

Yugo's life points now stood at 7700, while Felix's were at an intact 8000. On the field Yugo had Neo the Magic Swordsman in Attack Mode, plus one monster facedown in Defense Mode and two other cards facedown; Felix had Sand Gambler in face-up Defense Mode, two other monsters in facedown Defense Mode, and two other cards facedown. Yugo held three cards in hand; Felix, two.

"Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki, I'm a little scared now," Natasha whispered. "Suppose Yugo doesn't win?"

"Have faith, Natasha," Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki replied gently. "Don't give up on Yugo just yet. He'll win, for certain. Remember what he said a little while ago—he made a promise, and he's going to keep that promise no matter what it takes."

Yugo, meanwhile, drew his next card. "Okay…I'll offer Neo the Magic Swordsman as a tribute to summon my powerful Kiryu (ATK 2000, DEF 1500)!" And in a moment Neo the Magic Swordsman vanished from the field, replaced moments later by his great red dragon, snarling in anger. "Destroy the Sand Gambler!"

Kiryu flew forward in a rush, slashing Sand Gambler's head and arms off in one stroke with its sharp wing. "Ugh…_lo siento mucho,_ Sand Gambler," Felix said quietly.

"Well, I'll end my turn now," Yugo told him. "But I doubt your facedown monsters will be able to withstand my next attack, next turn."

"We'll see," replied Felix.

He then drew again—and blinked when he saw what his new card was. "Aha! Now, THIS is certainly something wonderful!" he exulted. "First things first, however…"

He pointed to one of his two facedown monsters. "I will now Flip summon my beautiful and strong Cyber Gymnast (ATK 800, DEF 1800)!" And he flipped over his monster card, revealing a muscular woman with a rather big bust, a long blond ponytail, and a drama mask on her face.

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki started when she saw this. _What in the…this is almost like MY own deck strategy back in the day!_

"And now, I shall activate Cyber Gymnast's effect!" announced Felix, and he promptly discarded a card from his hand. "Once per turn, by discarding one card from my hand, Cyber Gymnast can destroy one face-up Attack Mode monster on my opponent's side of the field!"

"No!" cried Yugo, realizing what was about to happen.

Cyber Gymnast promptly sprinted toward Kiryu, then jumped in the air and did a somersault. As she did, she lashed her ponytail at Kiryu—cutting the dragon in two, much to the surprise of everyone watching! Then, upon landing, she jumped backward, vaulting herself back to Felix's side of the field!

"Very athletic, isn't she?" remarked Felix, looking fondly at Cyber Gymnast. "Well, you'll soon meet someone far more athletic than she! For now I offer Cyber Gymnast as a tribute to summon my beautiful and powerful Cyber Prima (ATK 2300, DEF 1600)!"

As Cyber Gymnast vanished from the field, in her place promptly appeared a silver-haired, blue-clad woman in a red mask, wearing heavy hula-hoop rings, two each on her wrists, shoulders, and around her waist. "Now, once I get rid of your facedown monster, I'll be able to damage your life points in a big way on the next turn! So…Cyber Prima, attack now!"

All of Cyber Prima's hula-hoop rings mysteriously floated off her body, hovering above her head as she prepared to throw them. But then Yugo called out: "Big mistake, Felix! I activate my trap card, Blast Held by a Tribute!"

As one of Yugo's facedown cards flipped face-up—suddenly Cyber Prima looked stricken. "W-what? Cyber Prima, what's wrong with you?" Felix called out, bewildered. "Yugo, what did you do?"

"Heh…it's the effect of my Blast Held by a Tribute trap card taking effect," replied Yugo. "I was only able to activate that card once you'd declared an attack with a monster that had been Tribute summoned or set…now, your Cyber Prima's got a very destructive cancer cell growing rapidly inside her—and once it explodes, every face-up monster on your side of the field will be destroyed and you will lose 1000 life points!"

"…shit…!" Felix whispered under his breath—just at the moment that Cyber Prima exploded into several gory pieces, much to the disgust and shock of the spectators! The blast itself pushed Felix back a considerable distance, his life points dropping to 7000 in the process!

"And so, my facedown monster is kept safe," finished Yugo.

"Aaaargh…my Cyber Prima…forgive my foolishness…" groaned Felix. "Okay, okay. I end my turn."

Yugo regarded him. "You seem to hold high respect for your monsters, Felix. First Sand Gambler, and now Cyber Prima – for every one that's been destroyed, you've been rather remorseful."

Felix snorted. "So I'm being sentimental—is that a crime?"

"No, no, I didn't say that," Yugo answered coolly. "It's perfectly natural—I know a couple of duelists who've felt like it was the end of the world whenever one of their monsters was destroyed in combat. But…" Here he raised an eyebrow. "There _is_ one thing I've been trying to figure out since the start of this duel. You're the Duel Monsters national champion of Spain, correct? Why would you, in such a prestigious position, be affiliated with these Zodiac people?"

Felix's hat brim overshadowed his eyes at this moment. "Oh…so you'd like to know that, wouldn't you? And why should I tell you?"

Yugo leveled his gaze at Felix. "Because, one, I'm asking you as one gentleman and duelist to another…and, two, because you DO owe me an explanation after having revealed yourself to be a Zodiac."

"You shouldn't make judgments without knowing the real facts—you don't know anything about us Zodiacs or why we're doing what we're doing," Felix answered.

"I know you're after Seta Kaiba," countered Yugo, "and THAT is all I need to know."

There was a moment of silence. Then Felix chuckled. "Very well, _mi amigo…_since you ask, I shall tell you…I shall tell you why I am the Zodiac named Libra the Blackjack."

----------

**_neomage:_** Okay…so this, the final duel in the first round of Dueltropolis, continues next chapter! Looking forward to it, that's for sure! Oh, yeah, the blooper:

(Chapter 146, Yugo meets Odachi and challenges him)

Odachi: …of course, you're welcome to try, if you really think you have the balls.

Yugo: Then let's do this!

(all of a sudden, the _Mortal Kombat_ theme plays over the set!)

Yugo and Odachi: O.O

(in the audio-visual room, Raven fools around with the musical score and grins evilly)

(end blooper reel)

neomage: REVIEW SOON, PLEASE!


	224. Chapter 224

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: I'm not affiliated with Kazuki Takahashi, and I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. I only own some cards and this story.)

**CHAPTER 224**

DUELTROPOLIS

Felix quietly reached up and took off his hat. "I've only been Spain's Duel Monsters champ for the last six years," he told Yugo. "Before that…I came from a very affluent family. My father, my two older brothers and my four uncles were all famous _matadors_ in Madrid…plus, my _abuelo—_my grandfather—he acted as manager to the family's _matadors, _in addition to having been a famous bullfighter himself in his youth. So, naturally, as I came of age I was expected to follow in their footsteps and become a bullfighter as well.

"But…I loathed the idea of stepping into an arena to kill bulls. As far as I'm concerned, bulls do not choose to fight—they fight only because they become enraged or are provoked in some way. And, besides, how fair IS a bullfight anyway—where they poke spears and swords into a bull's back and neck while having it confined so it can't move, then release it to have the _matador_ run here and there with a red cape in order to tire out the poor animal, and then have the animal slain when it's too tired to fight anymore?"

He sighed a little as he paused in his story. "Unfortunately, my _abuelo_ was an old-fashioned, patriotic and stubborn man—he could not see or understand why I had such disdain for bullfighting, my own country's national sport. He pressured me badly to come into the 'family business'—nagged me day after day, in spite of my explanations. To endure censure and disapproval from him, a man I'd respected all my life, for not participating in such a bloody sport was torture enough…but the rest of my family and the community did everything to convince me to take up bullfighting, as well."

"But it was _your _decision at the end of the day, wasn't it?" asked Yugo, puzzled.

_"Es necesario que tú comprendes,_ Yugo—you must understand something," said Felix, his voice taking a tiny edge. "In many families in Spain, the oldest person still alive is considered the family's leader—and our family was no exception. In addition, _Abuelo_ was not only our family's patriarch, he was a community leader…and it is considered an insult where I'm from to openly defy your elders, no matter the reason. So, to please his wishes and win back his approval, I took up bullfighting at last.

"But that was the worst mistake I could have made, for my heart was just not into bullfighting," Felix went on. "As it turned out, too, I only played _matador_ in one single bullfight—and in that fight, the bull did everything to me that was violent: He butted me to the ground, juggled me about on his horns, and almost crushed my body when he trampled all over me. Look—see my battle scars here!"

And then, in one movement, he suddenly pulled his shirt apart, exposing several stab scars and two long sets of stitches on his torso! Everyone gasped when they saw the ghastly sight. Yugo flinched; Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki pulled Natasha to her instinctively, turning the girl's face away in the process; the other spectators started talking wildly about what they were seeing.

"I had two broken ribs and several torn ligaments; my hand was crushed, my jaw was dislocated, and my kneecap was in bad shape—I had to be operated on almost immediately," Felix continued, closing up his shirt. "I was unconscious until the afternoon of the next day. When I awoke, I was in extreme pain…it took me just over two months before I could get about on my own, but you know something? Worse than the pain of my body was the pain of my heart—I'd shamed my entire family's legacy by being so badly beaten in my very first bullfight. I couldn't face them, or anyone else, again—I just couldn't. And so…as soon as I was fit enough to travel…I left home. I exiled myself, you could say.

"I kept a very low profile for a while…and then, one day out of the blue, _he_ came to me—a mysterious stranger with an unusual interest in my 'potential,' as he put it. He told me that if I joined him, he could aid me in claiming great power and glory, simply by pursuing a completely different form of competitive entertainment—Duel Monsters! Of course, I was skeptical at first, especially since I had no way to enter any wide-scale tournaments, but he told me not to worry—he'd pay whatever money was needed for entry fees into tournaments, and he'd personally oversee my training, and all he asked in return was that I join his society and swear my loyalty to them.

"It was too good an opportunity to pass up, especially since I was running out of money by then and I was still too ashamed to go back to my family…so I accepted his help. True to his word, he had me undergo much training, alongside some of those who I would eventually call teammates…and I entered several small tournaments, winning each one—and then…there it was: the national Duel Monsters championship of Spain. Determined to win back the respect I lost during that ill-fated bullfight, I was…and so I entered this tournament, and—need I say it? I won!"

"And ever since, you've been successfully defending your Duel Monsters title," finished Yugo, "while at the same time paying back your debt to this person by being a member of his Zodiacs."

"Exactly." Felix nodded.

Having listened to the whole dialogue up to this point, Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki felt she had to say something. "Felix Sanchez…you joined the Zodiacs out of necessity…but have you no idea of just what they have done and are capable of doing?"

"Oh, I'm well aware of what they've done, _Señora,"_ replied Felix. "But even though I know they've done many bad things, and even though my heart aches for the fact that I have tarnished myself by being with them, even so, their leader has given me an opportunity to reclaim respect and fortune! He acknowledged me—and my teammates praise my skill! To be recognized and accepted, even if the person who acknowledges you is not of good character…it means more than anything else ever will!"

Yugo's eyes narrowed as he heard this. "Being acknowledged…I'm afraid to say, he has a valid excuse, Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki."

"HUH?" Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki turned to stare at Yugo, certain she hadn't heard him right.

"Yes, he does." Yugo sighed. "For the longest time…I wanted someone to acknowledge me, too…and, eventually, I met upon a few characters who did…and in their own way, each of them has had an influence on me…but two more so than all the rest…"

Images of Jenna and Seta flashed through his mind. "One, because she was the very first to accept me for who I was, regardless of the fact that I didn't conform to the impossible expectations of everyone else…and the other, because he could relate, almost to a T, to everything I'd been through. So, what Felix has said is truly understandable, even if it doesn't excuse the fact that he's a Zodiac now."

Felix smiled a little and replaced his hat on his head. "I'm glad _someone_ understands."

Yugo looked squarely at Felix. "HOWEVER…Felix…you're wrong about one thing. You ran away from the shame you felt sure your family had for you—but how long do you think running away will help you? The only way to resolve the problem is to face it head-on, not escape from it—because there _is_ no escape from the problems of the world, all said and done! Believe me, I know what I'm talking about!"

He gritted his teeth as he continued to talk; now his hair overshadowed his eyes. "I know…because in trying to escape my own demons, I secretly used my own father as a scapegoat for the shame and rage I felt inside…"

Felix's eyes widened in a bit of surprise. Natasha blinked. Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki looked at Yugo with pitying eyes. _Yugo…_

Then Yugo held up his head again; the look in his eyes was one of determination. "Felix…what I see when I look at you right now, is a noble soul that has simply lost his way. I'm willing to help you find your way again, for I've been there—perhaps not in the exact same scenario as you—but I've been there, nonetheless. Yes, I'll help you…even if that means I'll have to grind your face into the ground in this duel."

Felix sighed. "We'll see. Now…shall we continue the duel now? We've kept everyone waiting long enough." And he gestured to the other spectators, still waiting expectantly for the duel to resume.

"Yes. Let's continue, then," agreed Yugo.

As the duelists got ready to resume their battle, the stats were plain and clear for all the spectators to see: Yugo's life points were still at 7700, while Felix's now stood at 7000. Felix held only one card in hand; Yugo had three. On the field Yugo had one facedown Defense Mode monster and one other card facedown; Felix also had one facedown Defense Mode monster, but he had two other facedown cards.

It was now Yugo's turn, and he drew his next card. "I summon Magician's Valkyrie (ATK 1600, DEF 1800) in Attack Mode!" And then his female mage appeared on the field, staff in hand. "Take a good look at her, Felix—she's going to bring down that monster you have protecting you!"

"How do you know that?" challenged Felix.

"Watch this! I'll equip her with the Book of Secret Arts, to increase her ATK and DEF by 300 points!" Yugo swiftly played the card onto the field—and a moment later Magician's Valkyrie was holding a spell-book in one hand as her ATK and DEF went up to 1900 and 2100 respectively! "And now, Magician's Valkyrie, attack that monster with Mystic Scepter Blast!"

The Valkyrie raised her scepter as a massive green ball of energy burned at its tip, and fired it at Felix's facedown monster. But as the blast connected, and the monster was flipped face-up…all at once there was a backlash that rocked Yugo's life points down to 7600! "Damn!" he exploded.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but the monster you just attacked was my Roulette Barrel (ATK 1000, DEF 2000)," explained Felix, even as the Barrel was fully revealed once the smoke from the attack had cleared. "Its DEF is at least powerful enough to stave off your Magician's Valkyrie for a little bit."

"Hmph," Yugo exhaled sharply. "Well, all right…do your thing, then."

Whereupon Felix drew his next card with a grand flourish. "Now, allow me to show you Roulette Barrel's effect! I can roll two dice, then select one of the results, and destroy one face-up monster on the field whose level is equal to the chosen result!"

Yugo's look darkened. "Cripes…that is not a good thing…"

Instantly two blue dice appeared out of nowhere and rolled all about the field. Everyone watched the dice with curious anxiety. "This is a real serious gamble, here," Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki muttered, almost to herself.

"C'mon, don't let it be a 4…" Natasha whispered. For both Magician's Valkyrie and Roulette Barrel were Level 4 monsters.

Then at length the two dice slowed down…and stopped rolling. One result was 5, and the other result was—4! "Ha! I got you good!" Felix cried triumphantly. "Now, Roulette Barrel, use your effect and destroy Magician's Valkyrie!"

Roulette Barrel turned toward Magician's Valkyrie, immediately firing a massive laser that disintegrated the spellcaster into nothingness! "Oh, no! Yugo's only got one monster left to defend himself now!" Natasha cried, frantic.

Quickly Felix held up one of his two cards. "I summon Etoile Cyber (ATK 1200, DEF 1600)!" And in a moment he brought forth a red-clad, red-haired woman with blue ribbons circling her arms. Then he held up his last remaining card. "And next, I'll activate the magic of Monster Reborn, to revive the monster I discarded earlier for my Cyber Gymnast's effect—Blade Skater (ATK 1400, DEF 1500)!"

One second later, a blue-skinned woman wearing ice skates on her feet and wielding razor-sharp blades on both arms emerged beside Etoile Cyber. Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki flinched when she saw this. _Both of those are monsters I used to use…!_

"Now, attack his facedown monster, Blade Skater!" commanded Felix. "Use your Accel Slicer!"

Immediately Blade Skater skated forward, her ice skates creating their own aerial ice for her to travel on—and she put down one nasty series of lashes that tore through Yugo's facedown monster, revealing it to be a young blond girl with a staff. "And now, your life points are wide open for my Etoile Cyber to wipe you out!" gloated Felix.

"I think not," chuckled Yugo. "See, my monster that you just destroyed was my Apprentice Magician (ATK 400, DEF 800), and when she's destroyed in battle, I can select one Level 2 or lower Spellcaster-type monster from my deck and Special Summon it facedown in Defense Mode." As he spoke, he pulled out his deck and fished through it, eventually finding the card he was looking for. "And the card I choose is a second Apprentice Magician!"

Immediately his chosen monster was Special Summoned facedown. But Felix didn't seem in the least bothered. "No matter! I'll just destroy your new Apprentice Magician and anything else that you summon!" he snorted. "Etoile Cyber, take out his facedown monster!"

Etoile Cyber rushed forward and lashed at the second facedown Apprentice Magician with the ribbons on her arms…but Yugo merely sighed. "And I'll use this Apprentice Magician's effect once more, and Special Summon a third one from my deck, facedown in Defense Mode!" And promptly his third Apprentice Magician appeared on the field, facedown, in Defense Mode.

"You can't keep that up, you know," Felix told him. "That's your last Apprentice Magician, now…so you'd do well to protect her as best you can. Because I _will_ wipe her out, and wipe you out as well."

"I'm sorry, but I can't let you do that," countered Yugo. "There's too much riding on this duel for me to just lose to you. Now…are you done?"

"Quite so," replied Felix. "Now…let me see what you will do."

Yugo quickly drew another card, giving him three in all in his hand. "I'll offer my facedown Apprentice Magician as a tribute to summon my great warrior—Penumbral Soldier Lady (ATK 2100, DEF 1400)!" And as his facedown monster vanished from the field, there appeared the Penumbral Soldier Lady, wielding her crescent-decorated armor and shield, and carrying her sword in hand. "And to avoid any future problems with your Roulette Barrel, I'm destroying that first!"

Penumbral Soldier Lady flashed her sword several times at Roulette Barrel—and because Roulette Barrel was a Light monster, the Soldier Lady's effect sharply increased her ATK to 3100! The attack cut the Barrel into pieces, causing it to crumble! "One problem taken care of…and then, on my next turn I'll wipe out both of your other monsters!" Yugo vowed.

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki's eyes narrowed. _Looks like Yugo's back on a roll…but he's not out of the woods yet, for if Felix has THAT particular card…_

"Wipe out my monsters? I think not, _amigo,_ for I have something that'll fix you soon!" exclaimed Felix. "And here it is—I activate my trap card, Blind Destruction!"

Then…a dark shadow passed over the playing field. "Wh-wh-what's going on?" Natasha asked in a quavering voice.

Felix chuckled and pointed skyward. "Just look up."

Automatically everyone looked to the sky—and several spectators gasped. Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki and Natasha stared wide-eyed at what they were seeing. Yugo couldn't believe his eyes. "What…the hell…is THAT?"

Hovering above all their heads was a massive red and gray craft with numerous gun turrets pointed downward. "See that? It's the effect of my Blind Destruction trap card," explained Felix. "As long as it stays on the field, during each of my Standby Phases I get to roll a die once…and any face-up monster on the field whose level is equal to the die result is swiftly destroyed. And furthermore, if the result is 6, then all Level 6 or higher monsters on the field will be destroyed." He smirked. "True, it does therefore have the capacity to backfire against me when I least need it to, but…that's what gambling is all about, you know? It's all about taking risks to fulfill your objective, to win the game!"

Yugo grunted in distaste at the new circumstances. "All right…I'll end my turn."

Chuckling, Felix drew again—and suddenly Blind Destruction's die appeared on the field and began to roll! "Damn…now it's all down to the luck of the die result," whispered Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki.

Everyone watched with bated breath as the die rolled around. Then, at length it slowed down…and it stopped. And the result on its exposed face was—6!

"GYAH! NO!" Yugo shouted, realizing immediately what was going to happen next.

Blind Destruction's flying craft promptly shot a volley of huge laser blasts down onto Yugo's side of the field! Horrified, the Penumbral Soldier Lady tried to block the assault with her shield—but she got blasted clear through instead! "So much for your monster," Felix scoffed.

"No! Now Yugo's got nothing to protect himself!" Natasha cried.

Then Felix looked at the card he'd drawn…and his lips curled into a sneer when he saw what it was. "I'm sorry to say, _amigo,_ but you won't be able to stand up for long to what I've got next! You're about to become cemetery bait!"

"Cemetery…bait…?" Yugo raised an eyebrow.

Whereupon Felix held up his card. "Now…I'll activate the magic of Polymerization, to fuse Blade Skater and Etoile Cyber into a much stronger monster: Cyber Blader (ATK 2100, DEF 800)!"

Blade Skater and Etoile Cyber got caught together in a massive whirling vortex…and the both of them together transformed into a single warrior with blue hair, a red and purple outfit, and razor-edged skates on her feet. "And now, you're unprotected! Say goodbye to a good portion of your life points!" gloated Felix. "Cyber Blader, attack directly with your Ballerina's Razor Step!"

Cyber Blader flipped into the air, kicking downward toward Yugo in an arc—and her action created a razor-sharp blade of energy that soared straight toward him! Eyes widening, Yugo managed to duck down in time to avoid getting decapitated—but he lost a few strands of hair in the process, and definitely lost life points as his shot down to 5500!

"Geez…Felix has him in a bad spot…" Natasha moaned.

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki gritted her teeth. _This is bad, indeed…_

Felix ran his fingers along the edge of his hat brim. "I expected more from you than this, Yugo," he admitted. "I was told that you have a knack for pulling surprises out of your hat…but even my gambling tactics, which are not completely assured in my favor, have you on your knees before me. Perhaps what I was told was inaccurate, after all…unless you still have what it takes to prove my new assumption wrong?"

Yugo slowly got back up. "Oh, I'll prove you wrong, all right—I'm not someone to be pushed around," he announced darkly. "And, too…what I said before still stands. I truly believe you to be as noble at heart as you presented yourself when you first introduced yourself to me…you just happen to be mixed up with the wrong group of people. And before this duel is done, I will indeed set you straight!"

----------

**_neomage:_** Chapter-wise, this is turning out to be quite a long duel in the first round of Dueltropolis, wouldn't you agree? Well, next chapter there's more action to come!

Now, on to other matters…I won't be giving a blooper reel this chapter because I want to know what your feedback on this new feature is before I continue. So, if you're disappointed, bear with me…just say you want the blooper reels to continue, and I'll continue them!

kRiZ: What? No blooper reel this chapter? NOOOO!

rampagerkriz: Well, it matters not—I'm thinking of inviting Kimiru out again…on a cruise to the Mediterranean…where we'll dine on fine seafood and other good cuisine, bask in the sun and the sea all day…catch up on old times…

neomage: …you're not thinking of using MY Millennium Keyboard to accomplish any of this, are you?

rampagerkriz: (humming innocently)

neomage: Whatever, man…anyway, next chapter's coming up soon!


	225. Chapter 225

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: neomage doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of the old characters in there.)

**CHAPTER 225**

DUELTROPOLIS

The stats of the duel between Yugo and Felix were shown for the spectators: Yugo's life points stood at 5500, while Felix was in the lead with 7000. Yugo had two cards in hand; Felix, none. On the field Yugo only had one facedown card in his magic/trap slot; Felix had Cyber Blader in Attack Mode, plus his Blind Destruction trap card and one other card facedown.

Now it was Yugo's turn, and he drew a card again. "I'm activating the magic card, Pot of Greed, so I can draw two cards from my deck!" And swiftly he did so, so now he held four cards in his hand.

But when he looked at the cards he held, he silently swore. _Damn it…these cards can't help me right now! I've gotta see if I can stall for time…and I think I can do it with my facedown card!_

"All right, Felix, I'll end my turn for the present."

Chuckling, Felix drew from his deck once more. At once the die for the Blind Destruction trap card rolled again, and he merely smiled. "Cyber Blader is a Level 7 monster…and the chances of Blind Destruction rolling an appropriate number to destroy my monster are pretty tight," he remarked—and true to his statement, the die stopped rolling, and on its face was a 3.

But at that very moment Yugo announced, "All right—now I'll activate my trap card, Waboku! During this turn, any battle damage I get from you becomes zero, so now it'll be pointless to try and attack me!"

At once a massive force field formed from Yugo's flipped card and circled all around his side of the field, protecting him from Felix. "Eh, doesn't bother me much," Felix shrugged. "As far as I see it, all you're doing is delaying the inevitable."

"We'll soon see about that," countered Yugo.

Felix looked at the card he'd drawn. "I'll set this monster in Defense Mode, and end my turn for the present. I only hope you can make a better play this coming turn than you did on your last turn."

"Oh, I have every intention of doing so," replied Yugo.

Then he looked at his deck. _I don't have a good hand right now…if I can't get a good card on this draw…_ Carefully he placed his fingers on his deck slot, ready to draw. _Please…give me a good card…!_

Then he drew.

And at that moment Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki jerked a little. _This feeling…it feels so familiar…where have I felt like this before…?_

"Okay, Felix!" Yugo called out. "I'll set this card facedown, and end my turn. So go ahead…do your worst."

"You sure sound bold all of a sudden," Felix remarked, drawing his next card. "But it won't change the eventual outcome of this duel!"

Then he indicated his facedown monster card. "Now…I'll Flip summon my facedown monster—Hiro's Shadow Scout (ATK 650, DEF 500)!" And almost immediately his facedown monster card got flipped, revealing a blue-skinned, one-eyed fiend. "And now, its Flip effect is activated…"

"Flip effect? What're you talking about?" Yugo raised an eyebrow.

"Well, when Hiro's Shadow Scout is flipped face-up," explained Felix, "you're allowed to draw three cards—then we both look at those three cards, and if there are any Magic cards among them, then those Magic cards will be sent to the Graveyard. So, go ahead…draw!"

Biting his lower lip, Yugo quickly drew three cards, then held them up for Felix to see – the trap cards Magical Hats and Frozen Soul, and the monster card Kuriboh (ATK 300, DEF 200). "Sorry, but no magic cards here," he said tauntingly.

"Well, I don't mind," Felix answered. "Because now I can activate my trap card—Gamble!"

All at once his facedown trap card that he'd had for so long finally flipped face-up. "I could only activate this card when I had two cards or less in my hand and you had six or more in yours," he revealed. "Now, I'll get to toss a coin, and if I call it right, I get to draw five cards."

"And what happens if you call it wrong?" pressed Yugo.

Felix sighed. "Then…I must skip my next turn."

"Skip his next turn? But that won't be good for him—especially if Yugo's got any good cards now!" remarked Natasha thoughtfully.

"That's right," nodded Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki. But to herself she added, _But what if he calls it right—and gets a whole new handful of cards that he can use at his own leisure? And, too, Yugo wasn't able to make a good move in his turn before last…yes, this will truly be a gamble to see which of these fellows will be victorious!_

Then a coin appeared on the field. "Now, I'll toss the coin for my Gamble trap card! And I call…tails!" Felix shouted.

Then the coin was flipped…and now all eyes were upon it. All the spectators watching this duel knew what was at stake—either Felix would get more cards into his hand, or he'd have to skip his next turn.

The coin flipped…and flipped…and flipped. And both Yugo and Felix were watching it with keen interest.

Then the coin descended. Natasha was biting her nails in utter anxiety. Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki just watched the coin.

Then the coin landed on the ground…and stayed still. And the result shown on its face was—HEADS!

"ALL RIGHT!" Yugo cheered. "Felix, it looks like the coin toss failed you!"

Felix's face looked pained, but his voice was cool and even. "Oh, well, not every gamble can be won," he remarked. "And, besides, it _is_ still my turn right now, and I have a card ready to play! Now…I'll offer Hiro's Shadow Scout as a tribute to summon my powerful Blowback Dragon (ATK 2300, DEF 1200)!"

Hiro's Shadow Scout immediately disappeared in a mysterious fog of darkness – and then, appearing in its place was a giant laser gun with dinosaur-like legs and a tail. "Now, I don't trust that facedown card of yours, so here's what I'm going to do," said Felix. "Blowback Dragon has a powerful special effect: I get to toss a coin three times, and if two of the three results are heads, I can destroy one card on your side of the field."

Yugo ran a hand over his face. "Crud…more gamble tactics, again?" he moaned.

But even as Yugo was complaining, three coins appeared on Felix's side of the field. "Now, I toss all three coins!" Felix declared—and immediately all three were flipped.

"Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki…suppose he does get the right number of heads on those coin tosses?" Natasha inquired.

"Then Yugo can say goodbye to that facedown card of his…and, of course, to a sizeable portion of his life points," replied Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki. "It's all left to the result of these three coin tosses, now."

By and by all three coins stopped spinning in the sky and came back down to the ground. The first result was tails, the second was heads, and the third was…also tails! "Heh…seems to me your luck's fading fast, Felix," taunted Yugo.

Felix merely scoffed. "And yet, who's got monsters on the field—me or you?"

"Well, if you're so sure of yourself even without your gamble tactics to assist in your favor, then why don't you attack me now? At least that way, you'll be taking a nice big bite out of my life points," Yugo remarked, and chuckled.

Now Felix frowned. _What he says IS true, except…I have no way of knowing what that facedown card is. The turn before he set that card, he didn't seem to have a single thing in his hand that could benefit him—and then, when he got that card, he played it without hesitation…_

"No, Yugo. I think I'll refrain from attacking, and save it for the next turn."

"Only, your next turn will be skipped because you called the coin toss wrong for your Gamble trap card," Yugo reminded him.

"Then it'll be the turn after that," Felix amended. "But my question to you is this: do you feel lucky?"

"Actually…" Yugo slowly drew another card, so by this time he was holding eight in his hand. "Actually…yes, I do. And furthermore, I have some bad news for you…"

"Eh?" Felix looked at him questioningly.

"Felix…you're a gambler, so you know what it is to take dumb risks…but you just took the stupidest risk you could have ever taken in this entire duel," Yugo told him. "For you see, had you attacked me in your turn just ended, you really would have gotten to my life points."

"What? But—your facedown card—!" Felix pointed to Yugo's card.

Yugo smirked. "Not a trap card. And I'll prove it, too. For now I'll activate this card—my magic card, Dark Magic Curtain!"

All at once, to Felix's utter astonishment, the card in Yugo's magic/trap slot flipped face-up—and it wasn't a trap card after all, but the magic card that Yugo had just named! "By paying half my life points, I can Special Summon one Dark Magician (ATK 2500, DEF 2100) from my deck, even though I can't summon any other monsters in the same turn," said Yugo…and just at that moment his life points sharply dropped to 2750.

In that instant a bright purple curtain opened up on Yugo's side of the field, causing several spectators to gasp in amazement. And then—from behind that curtain stepped the purple-clad mage in all his glory. "Now, here's a monster with more power than either of your two monsters currently on the field," Yugo smirked. "And I'll show you just how much power he's really got!"

_"No correcto,_ Yugo—he may be stronger, but at least he can't attack more than one of my monsters at a time," scoffed Felix.

"Even so, I still have an advantage!" Yugo pointed out. "Think about it, Felix…I managed to subtly distract you with my facedown Dark Magic Curtain, and you actually believed it was a trap card, when in fact it was not…I believe that is what gamblers and game players call a 'gambit,' correct? Now, Dark Magician, blow that Blowback Dragon away with Dark Magic Attack!"

Dark Magician promptly charged up a ball of magic on his staff's end—then fired it right at Blowback Dragon, blasting it to pieces and bringing Felix's life points down to 6800. "You still have a long way to go," Felix told him.

"Maybe, but I can wait," said Yugo. "For the present, I'll end this turn." He then discarded two cards from his hand, since he couldn't end his turn having more than six cards in hand.

The score now stood with Yugo having 2750 life points, and Felix having 6800. Felix had no cards in his hand; Yugo now had six. On the field Yugo had his Dark Magician in Attack Mode; Felix had Cyber Blader on the field, plus his Blind Destruction trap card was still active.

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki looked on at the unfolding scene…and a little light was shining in her eyes. _That feeling I had, just moments ago…I don't know what it was, but…I know I've felt it somewhere before…yes! I HAVE felt it somewhere…and I think I know from where! And now…!_

Because of the effect of his Gamble trap card, Felix had to skip this turn. "You remember I can't take my turn this turn," he said. "But even so, I still have an advantage that will see me through."

"Really?" Yugo looked at him.

"Yes. For you see…" Felix grinned. "Cyber Blader has a powerful effect—if my opponent has only one monster on the field, Cyber Blader can't be destroyed in battle. If my opponent only has two monsters on the field, her ATK is doubled. And if my opponent only has three monsters on the field, she negates the effects of all other Effect monsters on the field, and also negates the effects of Magic and Trap cards. So, go ahead, try your worst—it won't make much difference."

"Then I believe I will try something unprecedented," and Yugo drew his next card so now he held seven. "It's time I initiated a variation of a technique I learned some time ago—the Darkfire Illusion!"

"Huh?" Felix's face bore a puzzled look.

"Darkfire Illusion? What is that?" asked Natasha, equally perplexed.

"Well, since he's going to initiate it, let's watch and find out," replied Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki.

Yugo immediately held up all seven of the cards he now held in his hand. "Now…I'll summon the Magical Scientist (ATK 300, DEF 300) in Attack Mode!" And then, moments later an old man emerged wearing a lab coat.

Just at that moment, however, Cyber Blader's ATK sharply rose to 4200! "Remember Cyber Blader's effects that I told you about?" chuckled Felix. "Well, this is the second one at work now!"

Yugo frowned. "Then I'll just have to take care of that before I summon any more monsters, now won't I? So…I'll activate the magic of Knight's Title, which will allow me to offer my Dark Magician as a tribute to Special Summon a new monster from my hand, deck or Graveyard—and he's coming to the field from my hand! Come to battle, Dark Magician Knight (ATK 2500, DEF 2100)!"

A magical mist surrounded Dark Magician—and in the process his robes turned into armor, and his staff into a sword! "And when Dark Magician Knight is Special Summoned successfully," added Yugo, "his effect allows me to select one card on the field and destroy it—and I'm going for your Cyber Blader!"

Felix stared in sudden alarm. "Oh, no!"

But almost immediately Dark Magician Knight rushed forward, his sword shining with bright energy—and that blade cut through Cyber Blader with as much ease as a hot knife through butter! "Aaaagh…my Cyber Blader…" Felix grimaced.

"And, now that that's out of the way, I can safely activate Magical Scientist's effect!" continued Yugo. "By paying 1000 life points, I can Special Summon one Fusion monster from my Fusion deck for this turn only!"

At that moment Yugo's life points dipped to 1750. "And I choose…Flame Swordsman (ATK 1800, DEF 1600)!"—and then, in a massive burst of flame, a warrior emerged wielding a blazing-red sword!

Felix narrowed his eyes. "I see."

"Next, I'll activate the magic of Polymerization!" Yugo swiftly played yet another card from his hand. "This will allow me to fuse the Flame Swordsman on my side of the field with another monster from my hand—Versago the Destroyer (ATK 1100, DEF 900)! Versago's effect allows him to be treated as a substitute for any one Fusion-material monster when I conduct a Fusion – and for right now, he will act as a substitute for the Dark Magician, so that I may fuse him and Flame Swordsman together to form…Dark Flare Knight (ATK 2200, DEF 800)!"

Suddenly, a big burst of black flame surrounded Flame Swordsman…and then, from that flame emerged a black-armored warrior wielding a red and black shield and a blade that burned crimson. "Whoa…check that out…" Natasha breathed.

"And even then I'm still not finished!" went on Yugo, holding up the two cards left in his hand. "Now, I'll use Monster Reborn, to revive Dark Magician to the field in Attack Mode!" And then, as he played one of his cards, seconds later Dark Magician reappeared on the field.

"My God…now you've got enough firepower to wipe me out completely…!" Felix whispered. "And all of it summoned in only one turn!"

"Damn right!" Yugo nodded. "Now, my monsters, finish it! Darkfire Illusion Combo!"

Magical Scientist started off, blasting Felix with a burst of magic energy from the talisman he wore around his neck; Felix's life points dropped to 6500. Then Dark Magician Knight slashed at Felix, reducing him to 4000; after which Dark Magician blasted him with another Dark Magic Attack, reducing him even further to 1500. Finally, Dark Flare Knight raised his sword as black flames surrounded his body, and he blasted those black flames at Felix, scorching him and knocking him further back and to the ground even as his life points went all the way down to 0!

Instantly there was a burst of cheering from the spectators. "Way to go kid!" several shouted.

"Yay! Yugo beat him!" Natasha applauded.

Mrs. Rhdoes-Yuki smiled. _I knew it…this is just like those times I used to watch Jaden duel…when somewhere deep down inside, I'd just KNOW he was going to pull through, even if I couldn't explain how I knew…Yugo Muto, you truly are amazing!_

Yugo switched off his Duel-Disk and walked over to where Felix lay on the ground. "Ungh…I guess I shouldn't have sold you short, _amigo…_you really are extraordinary," Felix breathed.

Yugo looked down at him. "Felix…we had an agreement that if I beat you, you would turn yourself in to the Committee. Now, you must honor your promise."

Felix nodded. "But of course. I am a man of my word, after all."

"And remember something else I said," said Yugo. "You can only run away from your problems for so long—but running away from problems doesn't make them go away. Right now, your biggest problem is fear—fear of rejection by your family for your failure as a bullfighter. Now, I can't tell you the best or easiest way to resolve your family issues, as it's really not my business, but…if I were you, I'd at least go back and see them, and talk to them. For all you know, they could be waiting for you to return home, just like the prodigal you've turned yourself into."

Slowly Felix sat up. "But I disappointed their expectations…how can I look any of them in the face?"

"It's not about them—it's about YOU," Yugo countered. "The only person you can and should truly try to please is yourself. You constantly try to please others, you'll only end up making yourself unhappy."

"Ahem, gentlemen…if the pep talk is finished…?"

Both turned to look at Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki. "Felix…you and I should go to Pegasus's castle, where you can speak to the other Committee members. We'll head there in the morning. For right now, though, I'm going to call tournament security for you—just to stay safe, you understand. After all, you _are_ a Zodiac."

_"Sí, yo comprendo,"_ agreed Felix.

Then he turned back to Yugo. "Yugo Muto…you offered me a choice when we started this duel…and I know you would have been prepared to keep your end of the bargain had I defeated you. You are, indeed, an honorable duelist."

"As are you," replied Yugo.

Felix nodded. "I cannot make any promises to you concerning my family, but…if I should happen to pass that way again, I will take time to see them, at least. The worst that could happen is that they turn me away, but…I've been away from them for so long, I should rather expect that to happen."

"Well, you never know," answered Yugo.

Then Felix's eyes narrowed and he leaned forward to Yugo, his voice becoming barely a whisper. "But I _will_ give you a word of warning. You may have beaten me, but doubtless some of the other Zodiacs will have advanced in the tournament, and may come after you and your friends." His voice was stern, but still low, as he continued to speak. "And two of them are definitely stronger than you. Aries the Everstrong, who wields a Duel-Disk that looks like a shield; and Capricorn the Blitzflash, whose Duel-Disk is like a lightning bolt."

_A Duel-Disk that looks like a shield…_ Yugo's eyes went wide. _Wait a minute—there's only one person I've seen in this tournament with a Duel-Disk like that…_ And then, like a thunderbolt, the memory of James Truesdale flashed through his mind!

"And, one more thing," Felix continued, still in the same barely audible whisper. "If I were you, I would be very careful about who I put my trust in from now on. Because not everything is as it seems…keep that in mind."

"Yugo," Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki interrupted them, "would you and Natasha take Felix back inside now and watch him?"

"Sure," Yugo nodded. Then he beckoned to Natasha. "Hey, Natasha, let's do as Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki says and get Felix inside."

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**_neomage:_** WHEW! At long last, the first round in Dueltropolis is finally over! But there's still a ways to go…keep reading, everybody!


	226. Chapter 226

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: The first round is over at last, and I still don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**CHAPTER 226**

PEGASUS'S CASTLE, A LITTLE WHILE LATER

What was the situation like at Pegasus's castle, while the last of the first-round duels had been reconciled? Well…

Pegasus was currently sitting alone in his dining room, waiting patiently. Just then footsteps sounded at the door; in a moment, Mr. Devlin and Mr. Von Schroeder came into the room. "Any news?" Pegasus inquired.

"None so far up to this point," Mr. Devlin shook his head. "You remember that those two boys, Chris Gear and Victor Greaves, had to be placed under immediate medical care as soon as they were brought here…well, it's been a good while since they arrived, and they still haven't regained consciousness."

"Fortunately, our other prisoners haven't an inkling that two more of their brethren are here," added Mr. Von Schroeder with a smile. "Now, we've officially got six of their number here in custody—before too long, we'll have all of them."

"Well, gentlemen, let's not forget that Forrest Wiles is still at large," Pegasus reminded them. "And apart from him, there are still five Zodiacs unaccounted for."

At that moment Mr. Truesdale entered the room. "I just got a call from Alexis," he reported. "A little while ago she was witness to a duel with a Zodiac – and that Zodiac was defeated by Yugo Muto, no less. Furthermore, the guy voluntarily gave himself up to us…Alexis will be arriving here with him tomorrow morning."

"Any identification on the Zodiac?" asked Mr. Devlin.

"That's what's going to surprise you," said Mr. Truesdale. "It's the Spanish Duel Monsters champion, Felix Sanchez."

At that all the others turned as one to stare at him. "Felix Sanchez? _The_ Felix Sanchez? No way!" exclaimed Mr. Devlin in dismay.

"Alexis wouldn't lie about anything like that," answered Mr. Truesdale. "At the very least, though, we can be thankful Sanchez has voluntarily surrendered."

"Why would he do so voluntarily?" wondered Mr. Von Schroeder.

"That's the funny thing about it," replied Mr. Truesdale. "Apparently, Yugo and he made a sort of agreement that Felix would surrender and cooperate with us if he lost—and, of course, he has lost. Still, Alexis said she'd already called on security to monitor him, just in case."

"Smart move," said Pegasus. "Well, at least now we'll have an opportunity to find out more about the Zodiacs' movements and plans."

Just then Kaiba walked in. "I couldn't help overhearing a while ago," he addressed the men. "So, a famous duelist has fallen from grace, eh?"

"Maybe not too far, if he agrees to cooperate with us fully," replied Pegasus. "And anyway, even if he doesn't, we'll still have your computer program to help us in our investigations—GINA, was it?"

"Speaking of which, when are Yugi and the others arriving?" Mr. Devlin quizzed Kaiba.

"I gave my people at Kaibacorp instructions to inform Yugi and his bunch of friends on the situation, and to send them here with GINA tomorrow morning," answered Kaiba. "And knowing them, once they hear that their kids are potentially in danger, of course they'll come."

"There'll still be a number of hours before morning," said Mr. Von Schroeder thoughtfully. "We need to monitor all those participants who've advanced in Dueltropolis, to ensure that nothing underhanded occurs in between now and tomorrow."

"Agreed," nodded Pegasus.

"Oh, before I forget, Dr. Crowler asked me to pass on a request," Mr. Truesdale spoke up. "He wants to have a little chat with Cassius Princeton tomorrow morning, as well."

"Where's Dr. Crowler now?" asked Pegasus.

"I showed him to his room not too long ago," answered Mr. Truesdale.

"I see. Well, he'll have his interview tomorrow morning, then," and Pegasus nodded in agreement. "By then Yugi-boy and his friends will be here, with Kaiba's little technological wonder."

Kaiba just shrugged.

----------

DUELTROPOLIS, AT THAT VERY MOMENT

"Whew…man, all this walking is doing me in but good…and man, I'm still sore from that beating…!"

So grumbled Forrest Wiles as he made his way through a densely-lit forested area. "I can't believe it…I still can't believe it," he muttered to himself. "I was so close to winning that duel…and then that bitch had to put the bruisin' on my handsome face…"

He was so absorbed in his own misery that he failed to see a shadowy movement to the side. Until, that is, a portentous voice remarked, "Another girl got the drop on you, pervert?"

Forrest froze on the spot when he heard that voice. "Mommy, is that you?" he asked weakly.

"You wish," the voice spat. Then the vegetation rustled…and when Forrest slowly turned to look in that general direction, who should he see but James Truesdale.

"Aw, shit…not YOU…why couldn't it be anybody else?" Forrest moaned.

James slowly stepped toward Forrest. On seeing him approach, Forrest hastily scrambled back—and ended up tripping over an upraised tree root, falling flat on his back. "H-h-hey, Aries, d-d-d-don't d-d-do anything hasty now! L-let's t-t-t-talk this over!" he stuttered.

But by this time James was standing directly over Forrest, feet far apart and on either side of Forrest's torso. James looked down at him, utter disgust in his eyes. "You always did think with your prick instead of your brain, but THIS—THIS is unacceptable to Master Orion!" he growled. "And to add insult to injury, you had the audacity to lose to Ophiuchus's bodyguard, of all people!"

Forrest turned pale. "…how did you know…"

"You think I didn't see your match?" James remarked coldly. "I just happened to be passing by where you were dueling, just in time to see the girl lay waste to you in your duel. Plus, Master Orion has already sent out the word that any Zodiac who has been eliminated from the tournament should be silenced, for the tournament's security will be hunting us. So…here I am now, picking up after you, you filth."

Forrest's face was contorted into a look of disbelief. "So, what—I'm a liability now, is that it?"

"The word 'liability' doesn't even begin to describe you," returned James. "You, Gemini, Aquarius, the others who've been captured by the Committee already—you're all a danger to Master Orion's plans now that you've been defeated in your respective duels. Already I've silenced Gemini and Aquarius…now I'm going to silence you…and after that, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Pisces, Taurus—all four of them will be next, for if they haven't given us up to those Committee snots yet, they probably will soon. And Master Orion will not have that."

Forrest stared at James in dismay. "I can't believe you'd turn your back on your own comrades like this, Aries! After all the time we've spent together as a team, you would do this now?" he exclaimed.

"It's Master Orion's orders, Leo," James replied coolly. "His word, for us, is law."

Forrest continued to stare at James…then slowly he closed his eyes. "Okay, fine. You wanna kill me? Go ahead—kill me. But try considering something before you decide to put my miserable existence to an end, I dare you."

James raised an eyebrow. "And why should I consider listening to anything that weak filth like you has to say?"

"Why? Because it's something you _should_ very well be thinking about!" Forrest snapped, his earlier fear long forgotten.

James narrowed his eyes. "Talk."

Now Forrest grinned. "You call those of us who've been eliminated from the tournament liabilities—but what about you, huh? Suppose you lose at some point—won't you then be considered dead weight, as well? Then you'll be eliminated just as casually as you're eliminating us now!"

On hearing this, James knitted his brow. "Listen, and listen well," he said, very, very softly. "In all the time I've been with the Zodiacs, I have not lost a duel once—_not even once._ And I have no plans to do so anytime in the near future or ever. In any case…the only people who count as 'dead weight,' as you put it, are those in the organization who've failed to live up to the organization's reputation. You and the others who've been defeated are just more weak trash to me…and what do you do with trash? You burn it."

Then—inexplicably—James stepped away from Forrest and turned his back on him. "Even so…you, Leo, have fallen so low that you're not even worth wasting my energy on. I can't even be bothered looking at you anymore."

With that, he started to walk off. Forrest sat up, blinking in surprise—this hadn't been expected. "You're…sparing me…?"

James didn't slow down in his pace. "Who said anything about sparing you?"

Suddenly—right before Forrest's eyes—a massive black shadow appeared, overshadowing everything in the vicinity! "I only said I wasn't going to waste _my_ energy on you," James spoke up, his back still to Forrest. "But before you get burned like the garbage that you are, let me just tell you how worthless you really are: If I felt like it, I could bed more women in six _weeks_ than you'd ever be able to in six _years."_

Forrest's eye twitched. "…you…!"

And then, even as James continued to walk away, the hulking form of Exodia the Forbidden One appeared fully, and Forrest found himself staring into massive glowing red eyes…

----------

ELSEWHERE IN DUELTROPOLIS, IN THE MEANTIME

Ricardo Misawa stood before the small wooden house, studying it with interest. He could see a light on inside; perhaps whoever was inside could let him have a hot meal and a bed for the night. Nodding with determination, he walked up the small steps toward the front door, and knocked on it.

"Coming, coming!" he heard a girl's voice say.

A little while later, the door was opened…and standing there before Ricardo was none other than Jenna Wheeler. "Oh, hello there…Ricardo, was it?" she greeted him. "I remember you from the ship…you're one of Janus's classmates!"

"Great to see you again, too," Ricardo nodded. "May I come in?"

"Oh, certainly! Make yourself at home!" Jenna stepped aside, allowing Ricardo to enter. "I just put on some water to boil…I'm going to have myself some hot cocoa. Want some?"

"I'd like that, thanks," answered Ricardo, slipping off his jacket.

Jenna went over to the stove, checking the kettle that was currently on the fire. "They certainly know how to stock up on goods for us," she remarked. "I looked through and found a whole bunch of stuff to look about for dinner…only, I don't feel very much like cooking in excess, at least not right now. Just a cup of cocoa will suffice for me, so I told myself."

"Well, that's okay," replied Ricardo, sitting down at the table. "Any snacks around?"

"Sure! There's some crackers and cheese in the fridge over there," and Jenna pointed to a refrigerator standing not far away from where Ricardo now sat.

Eagerly Ricardo got up and went over to the fridge; opening it, he was delighted to find it well-stocked with all kinds of food. "Well, at least now we won't starve," he remarked good-naturedly as he took out some crackers and a few slices of cheese.

Just then there was a knock at the door. "I'll get that," said Jenna, hurrying over to the door. "I wonder who it could be this time."

She quickly opened the door—and there stood a familiar figure with black hair and a single red bang hanging over her face. "Well! Come on in, Jillian!" Jenna invited eagerly. "You're the second guest I've had all evening!"

"The second, huh?" remarked Jillian Uriah as she stepped through the door. Then she beheld Ricardo. "Ah, I see what you mean…so, one of the Duel Academy people decided to drop by, eh?"

"Oh, hello," Ricardo greeted her. "Actually, I came here not very long ago myself. Care for some?" And he held up the crackers and cheese in his hand.

Jillian smirked. "Don't mind if I do," and she walked over to the fridge and started looking around inside.

"I've also got some water boiling to make cocoa, in case you want some," Jenna informed the other girl.

"Appreciate it—it was starting to get a little chilly out there," said Jillian, not taking her eyes off the inside of the fridge.

Ricardo sat back down at the table and began to fix his crackers and cheese into mini-sandwiches. "So, ladies," he spoke up, "how has the tournament been to you so far? Good, I hope?"

"Yeah, pretty much," said Jenna. "I beat my opponent, and now I'm going on to the next round!"

"Me, too," said Jillian, emerging from the fridge—and in her arms were lettuce, a tomato, a slice of cheese and a carrot stick. "Any bread around here?"

Jenna turned and opened a cupboard door above her head; reaching up on tiptoe, she pulled out a loaf of sliced bread. "I'm guessing you won, too, Ricardo?" she asked.

"I wish," Ricardo shook his head. "I lost to Wade Ocean."

"Oh, how unfortunate," said Jillian. "Well, at least you can stick around and watch the rest of the tournament."

"But what about your final grade?" Jenna inquired. "Didn't you say that your grade depends on your performance in Dueltropolis?"

"Yeah…well…" Ricardo sighed. "It's not really about how many duels we actually participate in; it's just about how well we do in those duels we participate in."

"And do you think you did well against a top-rated duelist like Wade Ocean?" asked Jillian, taking a knife from a drawer and washing it off at the sink.

"Yeah, I believe I did," Ricardo nodded.

"Well, in that case, you'll probably be fine," Jillian nodded, and with that she began to cut up the lettuce, tomato and carrot stick.

At once the kettle began to whistle. Immediately Jenna turned around and turned off the burner underneath the kettle. "Well, now the water's ready," she announced. "Who's ready for a good hot mug of cocoa?"

----------

PEGASUS'S CASTLE, A LITTLE WHILE LATER

Pegasus now stood at the window of his dining room, a glass of wine in one hand. Sighing, he took a sip from the glass. "Ahhh…at long last, tomorrow morning the second round of this grand tournament commences," he chuckled.

There was a knock at the door. "Come in," Pegasus invited, not turning around.

Footsteps entered the room, then stopped not very far behind the silver-haired millionaire. "Pegasus…I was hoping I could catch you alone for a moment."

Still not turning around, nevertheless Pegasus chuckled. "Good old Zane…what troubles you?"

Standing near the table, Mr. Truesdale emitted a heavy sigh. "I haven't been able to get it out of my head ever since I saw it…the duel between my two children, I mean…"

"And that strange Duel-Disk that your son wore during the battle?" Pegasus still didn't turn around.

Mr. Truesdale frowned. "Then you noticed it, as well…"

"And you suspect that James may well be a Zodiac as well—correct?" Pegasus continued, and here he took a sip of his wine.

"I'm afraid to think so," replied Mr. Truesdale. He sat down slowly, heavily, at the table. "Pegasus, this puts me in a very embarrassing situation right here…I've been trying to figure out how, when and why James could've joined up with those folks. Up to now, though, I can't put a finger on the answer at all."

"Well, what do you want me to do?" Pegasus inquired quietly.

Mr. Truesdale closed his eyes as though he'd been struck. "I don't want to ask for preferential treatment toward him just because he's my son…"

"Yet you feel a need to protect him as best as possible. It's not surprising—he's flesh of your flesh, and blood of your blood, after all." Now Pegasus turned to face Mr. Truesdale. "But I'm going to point out something to you, and forgive me if it sounds damning—no matter his reasons or motivations, the fact remains that your son is a Zodiac, and must be treated as such. This group has been up to no good ever since they decided to reveal themselves…and like it or not, all of them, James included, have to be properly dealt with."

Mr. Truesdale hung his head. "I understand."

Pegasus sighed. Walking over, he put a sympathetic hand on Mr. Truesdale's shoulder. "I'm sorry, truly I am."

"No…you don't have to be." Mr. Truesdale's hair overshadowed his eyes. "I just wish I could find out why he's with _them,_ that's all."

"Well…next time you see him…then you can ask him." And with that, Pegasus sauntered out of the room, leaving Mr. Truesdale alone with his thoughts.

----------

**_neomage:_** The night before…it continues next chapter, as I delve into the thoughts of more characters, including some you might have thought I'd forgotten about.

Oh, and for the bloopers, I'm not going to do one every single chapter as I'd planned…just to keep the jokes fresh. Now, then, enough of this—on to the next chapter!


	227. Chapter 227

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: The night before the resumption of the tournament…and neomage still has no ownership of Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**CHAPTER 227**

DUELTROPOLIS

David, Miriam and Luke were seated around a small fire, inside the cave where they'd taken shelter from the rain earlier that day. "Mm…warmth and light all at once," David grunted comfortably, his hands close to the warmth of the flames.

"Careful, you moron, you'll burn yourself if you don't watch it," Luke advised his brother.

"Well, boys, this may not be a hotel room where we can have all the comforts of the famous…but at least, as long as we're together, everything is comfy," Miriam said softly.

"Yeah, I agree," nodded Luke.

David looked down thoughtfully at the fire. "Only thing is, we're missing someone…Malachi."

There was a moment's silence as this little bit of info sank in. Then Miriam chuckled. "Aye…our little group of weirdos isn't quite complete without him, is it?"

"Hardly anything we do is the same without him to share it…even if all he does is stand to one side and cross his arms and glare," and here Luke imitated Malachi in action as he spoke.

"Just be glad he isn't here to see you try to imitate him right now – he'd slit your throat," David chuckled.

Then he looked reflectively at the fire. "Well…in olden times, he really would have done something like that. But that was before the Intercontinentals…when we met Yugo Muto and his little geek-squad…"

Miriam became quite thoughtful, too. "True…and yet, we owe that 'geek-squad' a great deal for reforming Malachi, even if it was only a little bit…"

"A little goes a long way, love," Luke remarked.

There was another bout of silence while the three of them watched the little fire dancing. Then Luke spoke up again: "Oy, David, the fire's a bit low. You think you could get some more wood from outside for it, please?"

"Huh? What're you talking about? The fire's fine as is!" David argued.

"David. Firewood. Now." Luke gave his brother a look and jabbed his thumb at the cave entrance.

David made a rude noise with his teeth as he reluctantly stood. "Sheesh…if you guys need some private space to do some bumpin' and grindin', you just have to say so, you know," he glowered as he stomped out.

"What's that mean, now?" Luke yelled, turning bright red.

"By-y-y-ye!" David waved to them, not bothering to look back as he headed out.

"Stupid asshole of a brother such as I've got…" muttered Luke fiercely.

He felt a hand on his shoulder. "Well…he's considerate of people's needs, Luke. You can surely grant him that…even if he is a bit rude about it," Miriam said softly.

Slowly Luke turned to look at her. "Yeah…I guess you're right."

Quietly Miriam took Luke's hand in her own and brought it up to her face; she rubbed her cheek against his palm affectionately. "Luke…I miss moments like this," she whispered.

Luke gave her a somewhat sad look. "I'm just sorry, Miriam…that a moment like this has to happen in a cave, instead of somewhere more comfortable."

"It's okay," she whispered. "As long as it's with you, love…I don't care where it is."

"Miriam…" That was all Luke could say before Miriam leaned forward, pressing her soft lips against his own.

----------

Outside, David was looking up at the night sky. "Heh…Luke and Miriam, sitting in a tree…k-i-s-s-i-n-g," he sang softly to himself, barely able to contain his laughter.

Just then approaching footsteps caught his attention. "Huh? Somebody there?" he called out, looking around.

"Yeah, Moron King, it's me," came the familiar grating voice. And then, moments later, Malachi stepped out from behind a rock near the entrance to the cave. "What're you doing out here? You'll catch your death at this hour of the night, as cold as it is."

"Oh, uh…I just stepped outside for a breath of fresh air; that's all," replied David, chuckling nervously, wondering deep inside how he was going to tell Malachi the real reason for his being outdoors.

"Oh." Malachi shrugged. "Have you seen Miriam and Luke at any point since we arrived on this crummy island?"

"Uh, yeah, I've seen them," David nodded vigorously.

Malachi eyed David. "Okay, what's the matter with you all of a sudden?"

"Uh, well, um…" David fished for a good answer. "I wasn't quite sure if I should tell you this, boss, but…"

Malachi looked at him. "What?"

David swallowed. "Well…I…kinda lost my match in the first round. I'm out of the tournament now."

Malachi shook his head in disapproval. "After all that time you, Luke and I spent training? Sheesh…"

"It's not like that, boss, really!" David exclaimed. "I mean, the guy I was up against—he was brutal! Inhuman, even!"

"Uh-huh—and what did this guy look like?" Malachi returned.

"Well…" David frowned deeply. "He had on a really wicked-looking jacket, boss—a purple jacket with black lightning on it. And he had a really freaky-looking Duel-Disk, too. Ask Luke—he saw the whole thing. That guy practically ate me for breakfast, lunch and dinner!"

"Purple with black lightning, huh?" Malachi asked thoughtfully. "Hmm, yes, I do recall seeing somebody wearing a jacket like that when we were on the boat coming here…you think you could recognize him if you saw him again?"

"Recognize him? Boss, like hell I'll forget THAT guy! He humiliated me AND Luke!" David growled in rising anger.

"All right, all right, settle down now. You dueled, and you lost. There's nothing you can do about that now," Malachi told him. "Anyway, I'm going inside this cave over here. It's starting to freeze my ass off out here, it is."

David immediately realized what was bound to happen if Malachi went in. "Um, boss, that's not a good idea to go inside there," he said urgently, getting in between Malachi and the cave entrance.

"And why not?" Malachi asked, looking David levelly in the eye.

"Um…because, uh…I think there's a wild beast in there!" David said desperately.

"Bullshit. If there's a wild beast in there, why is there a campfire inside there?" Malachi asked dangerously, taking a step toward the cave.

"N-n-no, boss! I really don't think it's a good idea to go in there!" David cried, grabbing Malachi's arm.

Malachi didn't move an inch to look at David. But his voice was chilly. "David…you know I wouldn't hurt one of my groupies without good cause…but if you don't let go of me by the count of ONE, I'll certainly have good cause to hurt _you."_

Paling, David quickly released Malachi's arm, then turned and watched helplessly as Malachi stalked determinedly into the cave. "God help those two in there," he whispered.

He backed away from the cave entrance and waited. Then the next thing he heard: "Luke—_**WHAT THE BLOODY HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING, GODDAMMIT?"**_

"M-M-MALACHI!" Miriam's voice screamed out.

Then came Luke's frantic cry: "B-B-B-Boss! D-D-D-Don't look at me like that, I can explain, really!"

"…oh, dear…" David whispered.

Suddenly, from out of the cave came Luke, shirtless and without shoes, rushing away like the devil was after him, while simultaneously pulling up his pants from his knees to cover his underpants. A few seconds later, Malachi came rushing out of the cave, a look to kill on his face, brandishing a massive rock in one hand. "You get your ass back here, Luke!" he roared, flinging the rock with all his might.

Hearing the noise of doom behind him, Luke glanced back just in time to see the rock sailing right for his face. He ducked, and it flew just inches over his head. Immediately Luke somehow managed to run a half mile faster, heading wildly toward a nearby tree. With monkey-like agility he jumped up into the branches, climbing up out of reach just as Malachi lunged forward after him. "Boss, calm down! Nothing happened, really!" he cried shrilly, even as he resumed fixing his pants from where he was.

"Like I'm supposed to believe that after what I just saw you two doing!" Malachi exploded.

Then from the cave came Miriam, still wearing her jeans shorts and just barely managing to pull on her blouse partway, and she was missing her boots as well. "Malachi, for God's sake, don't kill him!" she wailed. "He's telling the truth—nothing happened!"

"Get back inside and finish fixing yourself up!" Malachi snapped, pointing a finger at her. "You and I are gonna have a _long_ talk about this later! And _you_ over there…" He pointed a menacing finger at a cowering David. "You knew what was going on inside there and tried to stall me! When I'm done with your brother, you're next! And YOU UP THERE…" He turned his face back toward the top of the tree, where Luke now sat shivering more in fear of death than from the cold of the outdoor climate. "As long as you stay up there you'll live a couple more years—but as soon as you come down, you're dead!"

Miriam turned and fled back into the cave. David just stood there, looking uncertain as to what he should do right now. Luke sat up there in the safety of the tree, staunchly refusing to come down; Malachi retrieved the rock he'd thrown, then stood at the foot of the tree like a grizzled sentry. "This is gonna be a LOOOOOOONG night…" David muttered to himself.

----------

ELSEWHERE IN DUELTROPOLIS, AT THAT MOMENT

Marcus and Flora continued walking together, underneath the moonlight. Flora was looking away from Marcus, apparently lost in her thoughts; he, in the meantime, was trying to think of something to say to her.

Except, what _could_ he say? Ever since they'd left the site where Marcus had lost so spectacularly against Zander Zabel, neither of them had said a thing to each other. Usually, Flora was the one who'd start some form of conversation, in an attempt to get Marcus to speak up; now, she was saying nary a word. And for Marcus, that was making this a lot harder and more awkward than he would have liked.

He cleared his throat. "Flora…"

She didn't answer him, but she did stop walking. Feeling he'd gotten her attention, Marcus decided to chance speaking again. "Listen…you don't have to say anything if you don't want to right now," he said quietly. "But…at least hear me out, okay?"

She nodded, a little bit. Encouraged by this somewhat, Marcus took a deep breath and went on.

"Ever since we went off to Egypt on our little adventure, I've been thinking about…a lot of things. I've been doing my best to come to terms with a whole lot of issues, and…"

Marcus paused, now at a loss for what to say next. Beside him, Flora still waited patiently, though she still didn't turn to look at him. He coughed, and tried again.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is, Flora, I'm really glad that I've had the privilege of knowing you…and of knowing that you've been willing to call me your friend for so long, even though I was nothing but a royal jerk to everyone I've ever met."

Still no response. Marcus's eyebrow was now beginning to twitch. He gritted his teeth in frustration, clenching and unclenching his fists. Again his brain scrambled for the right words to say; and again he couldn't find a good way to put what he wanted to say into words. Finally, he could stand no more.

"All right! Fine! I suck at expressing my feelings in words! I've never had any experience talking about how I feel deep down! There's only one person I could ever have been able to do so with, and she's GONE! Gone, gone, gone!"

Marcus paused for breath; he inhaled deeply and exhaled sharply, rapidly, his face contorted into a picture of real rage. "Mother…she was the only person in all my life I ever felt close to…so gentle, so friendly, so kind…and then, out of nowhere, she was snatched away from me…" He hung his head, his brow overshadowed; with all the fierceness in him, he fought against the sobs he was sure were waiting to burst forth from his being. "And then I met you…after all the horrors I had to live through, with my dad, with the military…I met you…and I was a real bastard to you, yet you didn't walk away…you didn't turn away from me…"

By force of will, he turned his back on her. "You reminded me so much, so much, of Mother…even now, every time I look at you, in everything I see you do, I'm reminded of her in some way…and…" He began to choke, as much as he tried not to. "I get so terrified…that I'll lose you…and that, in losing you, I'll lose her all over again…I can't live with that if that were to ever happen…"

Silence reigned for what seemed an eternity. The only real sounds present there were the sounds of chirping crickets, of the wind rustling through the trees some distance away. Neither Flora nor Marcus would look at each other; he was, with a great deal of frustrated effort, doing his best to hold his emotion in as he'd always done; she was still standing there quietly, making nary a sound.

Then Flora spoke. "Marcus…"

"What?" he asked abruptly, curtly.

No response for a moment. Then: "Look at me."

Marcus hesitated for a moment; then, slowly, almost reluctantly, he turned—and was not prepared for Flora jumping at him, wrapping her arms around his neck. So unprepared was Marcus, in fact, that he stumbled and fell backwards onto the ground, Flora on top of him. "Gaaaaaaah!" he yelled out as he landed with heavy impact on the ground.

Flora raised herself up slightly and looked down at Marcus; and the surprise and embarrassment were etched all over his face. He saw something completely different on her face, though—her lips were violently quivering; her eyes looked misty; her face in general appeared slightly pale. "Flora…?"

She swiftly put a finger to his lips. "Marcus…" she said, very softly, "this is what I've been waiting to hear from you all this time—the truth. Not some rehearsal, not a flowery speech—just the plain truth, the way only you would say it. That…means more to me than anything else."

Marcus simply looked at her; there's wasn't anything he could think to say now.

Flora smiled a little as she continued to talk, still in that same soft tone. "Marcus…you don't have to worry. I'm not going anywhere—not as long as you're around. You aren't going to lose me quite like that." She placed a palm over his chest; she could feel a rapid _pat-a-pat-a-pat _below her fingers. "You do have emotions, Marcus…but it's as you said—you have trouble showing them. Well…your mother would be proud to know that at least she raised a guy who knows how to tell the truth."

"Um…" Marcus started—but again Flora silenced him with a finger over his lips.

"You haven't lost her completely," she whispered. "She may not be here in body anymore…but she does still live, in a sense, inside your heart." She patted his chest to emphasize her words. "As long as you keep her memory alive…as long as you never forget her or what she taught you, what you experienced with her…she is indeed alive. And…"

As she spoke, Flora's face leaned down a little, closer to Marcus's; and with her weight on top of him, he simply couldn't get away. "As for me…I've been waiting for this moment…for such a long time," she continued—and now the tears were beginning to flow freely from her eyes, dropping onto Marcus's own cheeks. "I always saw you as a brother…and then, I began to see you as something more…but I didn't want to frighten you away with my feelings, knowing the kind of guy you are. So…I waited…until you were ready to acknowledge me…"

One or two of Flora's tears dropped close to Marcus's eyes; this stimulation threatened to overcome him. "I…I'm scared of losing you," he whispered.

"It's like I said, Marcus…I'm not going anywhere. Nothing's going to make me leave. Not a damn thing." Flora voice was barely audible now. "And now…I'm going to prove it."

And then, before Marcus could utter another word, Flora brought her face down over his completely—and she pressed her lips against his, almost crushing them together, holding him tightly. Astonished at the sudden action, Marcus was—but looking at her face through wide-open eyes, he saw at once that the color had returned to her cheeks, that the tears continued to fall from her eyes even as she kissed him. And…her lips were so warm, so soft, tasted so sweet on his own, he couldn't help but close his eyes and bask in the bliss of this seemingly unknown—or, perhaps, long-forgotten—emotion. He pressed back against her lips, even daring to take it a step further and brush against those sweet lips with his tongue, another thing he'd never done before but did now totally by instinct; he heard her moan quietly as her mouth opened a little wider, allowing him complete and total access.

At length the kiss was broken; Flora raised herself up and looked down at Marcus—and now she could see tears running down his face…not her own tears that had fallen onto his face from her eyes, but his own that he'd been fighting back for so long. "I know it was your first," she said gently. "And…I swore long ago that I'd save my first for the man I'd truly fall in love with. And now…I've shared it with you." She smiled again. "I would share anything with you, Marcus…even myself, if you wanted."

Marcus looked back into her eyes, only mechanically conscious of the way his eyes felt so strange with the pressure being released from them. "I…I don't know how to say the words I should say to you right now," he whispered hoarsely.

"It's okay…you don't have to push yourself," Flora whispered back. "I already know…I already know."

And then, like a breaker coming toward the shore, emotion rushed over Marcus and he sobbed. Flora embraced him close, stroking his hair, whispering to him. "It's okay…it's all right," she said to him, softly, gently. "I'm not going anywhere…I'm not leaving you alone…not for all the riches or glory in the world…" And she continued to speak so to him, even as he wept like a child.

----------

_**neomage:**_ I have only two things to say about this chapter. _ONE:_ When I was writing up the whole sequence with Malachi and his groupies, only one thing ended up happening—ROFLMFAO! _TWO:_ It was a more sober moment for when I was writing up the Marcus and Flora sequence—what started out in the JUDAS saga has finally come to a head here in the Dueltropolis arc! Those of you out there who foresaw Marcus x Flora, or who were secretly yearning for such a pairing—your dreams and wishes have finally come true, right here in this chapter!

Now, the next chapter is coming up! Read and review, faithful fans and newcomers alike!


	228. Chapter 228

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Will the madness never end? neomage doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh!)

**CHAPTER 228**

DUELTROPOLIS

"I can't believe we're still here, even after all the time that's passed up to now!" Raven complained loudly.

He, Seta, Honey and Shigeo were all still at the mall where they'd stayed to eat and wait out the afternoon rain. Actually, to be more accurate, they were all in a room inside the same restaurant where they'd eaten, for it was there that they would have to spend the night, all things considered.

"Oh, stop being such a baby about it," Honey scolded. "At least this way, we'll be able to get breakfast readily in the morning, as well as have a shower and all."

"Can't complain about that," sighed Shigeo, settling down on a bed in a corner of the room. There were, conveniently enough, four beds in that room, one at each extreme corner; and, just down the hall, there was a bathroom with a working shower and hot water—all built right there for the convenience of any duelists who would have happened to pass by that side of the island at any given time.

Raven flopped down on his bed, defeated. "Oh, brother…well, I guess it wouldn't do us any worthwhile good to wander around in the dark at this hour, and it'll be cold out anyway," he reasoned. "So…fine. We'll stick around here, at least for tonight."

"You shouldn't be in any big rush, Raven," said Seta, from the other side of the room. "Shigeo and I are the only ones here who've advanced to the second round of the competition, right? So that means you and Honey can take a little while and cool your heels until it's time to watch us duel again."

"Hmph…have it your way," and Raven shrugged.

"Well, you folks, it's still a little early," remarked Honey. "You wanna do anything before we go to bed?"

"Not me—I'm hitting the sack right now," said Shigeo, pulling the covers over himself even as he let out a massive yawn. "It's been a very long day, walking around and all, and I need my rest if I'm going to be fresh for my upcoming duel."

"That makes a lot of sense," Seta answered, and slipped off his jacket. "Well, goodnight, everybody."

"Yeah, sure." Raven sighed and flopped down on his bed.

"I'll see you guys in the morning, then," said Honey, and she tucked herself in as well.

----------

ELSEWHERE IN DUELTROPOLIS, IN THE MEANTIME

Kyo, Miki and Ms. Wong had been walking for pretty much almost the entire afternoon, stopping for breaks here and there, to rest and gather strength, and then move off again. Now, they had stopped by a beautiful little park, complete with wooden benches, a water fountain with a stone statue in the middle, and a series of exotic and colorful flowers in numerous beds here and there…and it was here that they'd decided to rest for the night, as all three were by this time too tired to continue on any further. And at the moment, all three were seated together on one of the benches.

"I wonder what this place would look like during the daytime," Kyo marveled.

"I'll tell you, it would be simply marvelous," Ms. Wong replied. "Yes, marvelous, indeed."

"I'm just amazed we didn't run into any establishments that would've had rooms for us to sleep in," remarked Miki, resting her head on Kyo's shoulder.

"We did, actually—that last rest-stop we passed by an hour or so before nightfall," Kyo reminded her. "And don't forget, we were forced to take shelter inside that little pastry house when it was raining this afternoon."

"Well, remind me why we didn't stay at either of those places?" said Miki.

"The pastry house didn't have any available place where we could've spent the night if necessary," replied Ms. Wong. "And as for the rest-stop, well, that same rainy session damaged the roof of the guest rooms and caused quite a bit of leaking, so now they'll be stuck doing repairs there for a little bit."

"Don't fret, Miki—hopefully our luck will be better in the morning," Kyo said comfortingly.

"I'm not too worried, really," Miki replied. "At least, I'm not out here all alone, wondering what's happening to my friends…too much, that is."

Kyo looked at her knowingly. "You worried about Jenna and Yugo?"

Miki nodded. "Yeah…especially with these Zodiacs running loose."

Ms. Wong sighed, a grave expression in her eyes. "Even now, I still can't fathom it…to think that they're here, on Duelist Kingdom Island, doing only heaven knows what, and not knowing why…"

"But at least the island's security is out looking for them, and that's enough for me," and Kyo nodded with satisfaction.

Miki leaned back on the bench and exhaled deeply. "I just hope Jenna and Yugo managed to get through to the next round of this tournament…"

"Of course they would have," chuckled Kyo. "In the first place, they're both too stubborn to just allow the competition to flatten them, especially so early in the tournament. And, in the second place, we have all been training diligently…that training isn't about to go to waste."

Now Ms. Wong chuckled, too. "You kids must surely have been training really hard, for you to say that."

"Yes, we were, ma'am," replied Kyo. "Miki, Jenna and I were all training with Seta Kaiba for a good deal of time in preparation for this tournament…and Yugo was training with his dad. When we boarded the ship to come here, we all knew we were ready to take on any challenge that this tournament could throw at us. As far as I'm concerned, these Zodiacs are just a stepping stone toward one of us winning the championship."

Ms. Wong turned to look at the kids. "So, tell me, just out of curiosity…which of your group do you think could win this?"

Kyo frowned as he considered this question. "Well, Ms. Wong…in all honesty…I really don't know for sure which of the four of us could win. I know from experience that Jenna and Yugo are really tough contenders…they won't back down against anyone, even me or Miki here."

"Yeah, and then there's Seta to consider, too," added Miki. "He's the World Champion, and he's a powerful duelist. He's not going to just give up his title to anyone, I'll bet."

"Then I suppose the only way to know for sure is to reach a point where you can have an opportunity to actually duel for the crown, eh?" smiled Ms. Wong. "But I'll tell you what I think—having seen both of you in action, I can say with assurance that you both have a chance, at least, of making it far in the tournament, even if you don't win the whole thing."

"That's very kind of you to say so," said Kyo.

"Yeah, it sure is," agreed Miki.

"You're welcome," and Ms. Wong nodded.

----------

SOMEWHERE, A LITTLE WHILE LATER

Master Orion sat in the darkness, as before, with a wine glass in one hand. He was watching the video footage being presented before him, footage of the Dueltropolis tournament's progress. And even now, as he observed the various duelists going here and there, some settling down for the night and others milling around the island…his mouth curved in a frown of distaste. "I have yet to see anything happening…" he muttered.

Just then the phone near him rang. Calmly, he reached over with his free hand and picked it up, answering it. "Speak."

"It's me, Master Orion," came the familiar voice.

Master Orion grunted. "Capricorn, you told me earlier that you had a plan…well, I have yet to see anything of the sort happening. I don't like delays—I want results!"

"Oh, but I do have some results for you, Master," chuckled Zander. "Already the Committee has taken it upon itself to protect Ophiuchus's little friends from the Zodiacs as best as possible…but that is only the first step of my scheme. Soon, I assure you, I will begin the second step."

Master Orion moved the phone's mouthpiece away, so he could sip at his wine glass. "It would appear to me that your plan requires more time…and time is not something you have the luxury of possessing, Capricorn," he said dangerously.

"It is necessary to keep the fools in the dark about the true nature of what I'm trying to do, sir," Zander answered. "But you will not be disappointed when you see the end result. In fact, it will be everything we have worked so hard for, and then some. You have my word."

Master Orion heaved a sigh. "Very well, then. But I expect to see something worthwhile, at the least."

"You will, sir…you will."

Then the line went dead. Frowning some more, Master Orion put the phone back in its place and sipped at his wine glass again.

----------

DUELTROPOLIS, AT THAT MOMENT

Zander hung up the phone and replaced it in his pocket. With a smirk, he pulled out his Duel-Disk and patted it fondly. "Yes…soon, very, very soon…Operation Zeus will truly begin," he mumbled.

----------

ELSEWHERE IN DUELTROPOLIS, MOMENTS LATER

Seta tossed and turned in his bed. He gripped the sheets tightly in his hands; he threw his head back involuntarily. His teeth were tightly clenched; his brow was wrinkled. "…no…no…oh, please, God, no…" he whimpered, over and over again, in torment…

----------

DEEP IN THE RECESSES OF SETA'S MIND

_Seta was four years old again, back in the hallway of the private school. He was walking along the corridor, holding someone's hand. The person in question was a woman wearing a blue suit-jacket and skirt…but her face was overshadowed by the darkness and gloom of the place, so Seta couldn't make out her features too well._

_"Where are we going, Teacher?" little Seta asked innocently._

_"You remember that club I told you and your classmates about on the first day?" the teacher replied. "Well, you have been chosen to join it, and today's the day you get to join…and you'll be meeting the club president, too, and hearing the regulations of this club."_

_"Oh, goody!" Seta cheered._

_They continued along the corridor, going past the numerous classrooms with the noise of various lecturers instructing pupils in Math, English, Science, and so on…and then they came to a giant door, made of solid mahogany wood with a brass handle. "Go inside," the teacher instructed, and she stood back._

_Swallowing a little nervously, Seta walked up to the door and knocked. "Come in," a voice answered from the other side, a voice full of authority. Seta reached up to grab the handle, and turned it—and the door swung open widely, freely, allowing Seta a good view of the room inside._

_This was another classroom, but this one was empty of people. Chairs, desks, the teacher's table, the blackboard…all this needed now was the teacher teaching, and the students learning. Now, as Seta glanced around, he felt quite small in such a big place, a big place with lots and lots of empty space, and…wait. What was that down at the back?_

_Seta looked a little carefully, and was surprised he hadn't seen it before. It was a young boy, a number of years older than himself, with vibrant red hair. "Oh, so you're Seta Kaiba, eh, kid?" he asked in a voice that made him sound bigger than he was._

_"Yes," Seta replied, a little timidly. "Are you the club president?"_

_"That's right," the other boy replied. "You may call me 'Mr. Club President,' for now. I like to work and call people by name the way adults do it, you understand."_

_"Yes, I think so," Seta nodded. "Just like the way my Daddy works."_

_"You could say that," said Mr. Club President. "Now, come on, follow me. We're going to the nurse's office."_

_"The nurse's office? But why? I don't feel sick!" Seta said in surprise._

_"It's something all new members of this club have to do in order to join," said Mr. Club President firmly. "Your dad owns Kaibacorp, right?"_

_"That's right!" Seta boasted proudly._

_"Then you know that if he tells one of his workers to do something and that worker doesn't do it, that worker can't work at Kaibacorp anymore—right?" Mr. Club President looked at him knowingly._

_Seta nodded sincerely. Of the many times he'd gone to watch Daddy at his office, there were quite a few times when he'd watched, wide-eyed with wonder, while Daddy calmly told some worker that they couldn't stay at Kaibacorp anymore. He remembered that many of those workers would leave the room crying, while others left angrily; and Daddy always explained to him why one worker or another had to leave._

_"Well, then, it's the same way with the club," added Mr. Club President. "We have rules, guidelines, that everybody who wants to join has to obey—and one of those rules is that all members have to be able to follow instructions. If you can't do that, you can't join. Okay?"_

_Seta nodded. "Okay."_

_"Good. Now, let's go to the nurse's office now."_

_The two boys left the classroom and walked down the hallway again. "So, Seta, how old are you?" asked Mr. Club President._

_"Four," said Seta. "I'll be five next year."_

_"You're pretty smart for a four-year-old, you know that?" Mr. Club President smiled at him._

_"Really? Wow! That's the same thing that my Mommy and Daddy and Uncle Mokuba always tell me!" Seta beamed brightly. "How old are you, if it's okay to ask?"_

_"I'm twelve," said Mr. Club President. "And I'm the club president because, like you, I'm very smart. Only the smartest kids here at the school get to join this club."_

_"Really? What do you guys do in the club?" Seta asked curiously._

_"Well, you know, the usual…we learn all kinds of very important stuff," said Mr. Club President enigmatically. "Stuff that'll make us much smarter than our parents when we grow up. Of course, if you want to know everything, you have to join the club as a member first."_

_"I wanna join! I wanna join!" Seta cried._

_Mr. Club President smiled. "Oh, you'll get to join, all right. We just need to reach the nurse's office…ah, here we are now."_

_They were both standing in front of a great white door with a red cross on the top. Immediately Mr. Club President knocked on the door; a somewhat impatient voice from within answered, "Enter!"_

_Then the door was pulled open, and Mr. Club President and Seta stepped inside to face a large white room, with several cots lining one wall and a huge table with all sorts of strange equipment near the other wall. And right there, clad in a light blue dress with a white cap on her head, was a large, round woman, standing several feet taller than either Seta or Mr. Club President; the ceilings lights shone brightly, so Seta couldn't quite see her face very clearly. "What's your ailment?" she asked in a gruff voice, coated with a funny-sounding accent._

_"Ailment? Does she mean if we're sick?" Seta asked, immediately concerned again._

_"Yeah, that's what it means," Mr. Club President nodded. Then to the woman he spoke: "No, Nurse, nobody's sick. I'm just giving this newbie here the rundown for joining…THE club."_

_At once the nurse's lips curled upward in understanding. "Oh, I see. So you've gotten one more, eh?"_

_"Yes, Nurse – and this time, he's the one, for sure." Mr. Club President nodded knowingly._

_"I see…well, all right, little man," the nurse addressed Seta. "Just sit over there on the table while I get ready to deal with you. And take off your shirt."_

_Seta walked over to the table and jumped up onto it, fixing himself in a sitting position. Then, as he unbuttoned his shirt, he noticed the nurse preparing what seemed to be an injection needle. "A shot? Aw, no! I hate shots!" he wailed._

_"I know how you feel, Seta," Mr. Club President spoke to him reassuringly, "but trust me, it's important that you get this. Because, after you get the shot, you'll get something really cool to show you're a member of the club…something like this." And then, quickly, he rolled up his own shirt sleeve to reveal something tattooed on his arm—a picture of a goat!_

_"Whoa…is that real?" Seta asked, wide-eyed._

_"Yep," nodded Mr. Club President. "But I'll tell you the truth right now, Seta—sometimes, when new members get cool pictures like this put on their bodies, it doesn't feel comfortable. So the shot is given before the picture is put on, to make it feel more comfy for the person getting the tattoo. Do you understand?"_

_"I think so," sighed Seta. "Well, okay…if I have to get a shot to get a cool picture on my arm like yours…"_

_"Okay." Mr. Club President then nodded to the nurse. "Do it."_

_The nurse stepped forward quickly with her tray of instruments; she swabbed Seta's left shoulder with a piece of cotton. "Don't be scared, now, honey, this won't hurt a bit, I promise…and after you get this, you'll be getting a pretty picture on your arm, just like he said, okay?"_

_"Okay…" Seta looked away and shut his eyes tightly. And then…he felt a slight prick as the needle pierced his skin…_

----------

"AAAAAAGH!"

Seta jumped up in bed with a start. His eyes were wide open; he was breathing heavily and rapidly. And…his arm where his tattoo was was burning slightly; on instinct, he put a hand over the area. "Nightmare…just a nightmare…" he whispered to himself, over and over.

He looked over to where the others were. Raven, apparently, was a rowdy sleeper, and right now he was just about ready to fall off his bed. Shigeo was sleeping in the exact same position he'd been when he'd tucked himself in earlier; Honey shifted slightly in her bed, but not as badly as Raven, in fact far less so. None of them seemed to have been disturbed by Seta's noisy awakening.

Carefully, discreetly, Seta rolled up his sleeve—and staring back at him was his Ophiuchus tattoo. _Shit…another vision of my past…that was the day I first got this damn thing…but…_ Slowly he put a hand to his head; immediately his palm was rewarded with a whole lot of sweat. _Ever since I got this, I've felt so…polluted…and now…_

A sudden ominous, eerie chill rushed over his body from head to toe. _It's the same as before…no matter how hard I try to run from it, every time I think I'm free, my past always comes back…to torment me…ever since I left them behind all those years ago, I've able to enjoy peace and a degree of happiness…but now that THEY'RE back…_

Slowly, reluctantly, he lay back down and drew the covers over himself again. _Gotta try and sleep…gotta try and sleep…gotta try and sleep…_

----------

**_neomage:_** Here, folks, in this chapter I've touched on Kyo, Miki, Vivian and Zander—and delved a bit more into Seta's past! Those of you who wanted to know about Seta's being in the Zodiacs – here's a bit of a teaser for you! But don't worry at all—there's a lot more where this has come from, so sit tight and wait for me, please!

So, then, next chapter the second round of the tournament will commence! Stick around for that—and review soon, please!


	229. Chapter 229

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: The second round of Dueltropolis begins now! And, no, I still don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**CHAPTER 229**

PEGASUS'S CASTLE, EARLY THE NEXT MORNING

The night was fast approaching dawn. Off beyond the eastern horizon, the sun was slowly rising above the sea. In the distance, gulls called to one another as they flew in sync toward the shores of Duelist Kingdom Island. On the island itself, the pink light of the morning showed the dew dripping off the leaves on the trees, and lingering on the thousands of blades of grass. A gentle wind blew across the land, rustling the vegetation; that same wind pushed the ocean's waves onto the island's sands.

Pegasus noted the whole scenery before him with great satisfaction, standing on the balcony of his castle. "I love waking up with nature," he grunted in pleasure.

Hearing footsteps behind him, he turned to face Kaiba. "Ah, good morning to you, Kaiba-boy," he greeted him. "Slept well, I hope?"

"With a good number of the Zodiacs locked up several floors below my bedroom? Oh, sure, I slept real comfy-like," Kaiba muttered sarcastically.

Pegasus looked away, toward the trees beyond the castle. "Kaiba-boy…how much time do you estimate before Yugi-boy and your technology are to arrive?" he asked quietly.

Kaiba sighed and crossed his arms. "If I'm not mistaken, Roland should be knocking on the good folks' front doors right at this moment…"

A massive yawn from behind caused both men to turn. "Good morning, good and gentle people," Dr. Crowler groaned sleepily, rubbing his eyes.

"And good morning to you, Doctor," returned Pegasus. "I trust you enjoyed a good night's sleep?"

"As best I could under the circumstances, sir," Dr. Crowler assured him. "Are we the only ones up yet, I wonder?"

"Probably not," Pegasus chuckled. "Quite a few people will be waking up right about now, as Mr. Kaiba here has predicted…"

"Uh-huh," and Kaiba closed his eyes and smirked.

----------

BACK IN DOMINO CITY, AT THAT VERY MOMENT

The sun was rising fairly quickly over Domino City. The dogs had not yet begun their traditional morning barking. No cars were rushing along the streets. The paperboys had yet to come this way on their routes. Everything was peaceful, quiet, a picture-perfect vision of true composure…

…except at the Muto house, where there was a furiously insistent pounding at the front door. "Yugi Muto! Mr. Yugi Muto! Please, wake up!" a man dressed in a suit bellowed.

Upstairs, Mr. Muto himself groaned at the noise; he pulled his pillow out from under his head and covered his ears with it. "Geez, can't somebody enjoy some peaceful sleep?" he moaned.

And then, as if it couldn't get any worse, Grandma stomped into his room. "Yugi, there's someone downstairs making a whole lot of noise at our front door!" she exclaimed. "You'd better go see what the matter is—or else the neighbors will start complaining about noise pollution that we're not responsible for!"

"Fine, fine, Mother, I'm up," mumbled a disgruntled Mr. Muto, finally throwing the covers off himself and slipping out of bed. Rubbing his eyes, he headed downstairs and went right for the front door, where the loud banging was still keeping up insistently.

"All right, all right, I'm here now!" Mr. Muto snapped, flinging the door open. "What's the meaning of all this noise this early in the morning?"

"Sorry about that, Mr. Muto, but it's urgent," the suit answered. "We have orders from Mr. Kaiba to send for you and your, uh, 'geek squad' as he put it."

"Kaiba?" Mr. Muto frowned. "What does he want?"

"For you and your friends to head to Duelist Kingdom Island as soon as possible," the suit explained. "Please, sir, hurry and get dressed. You are coming over to Kaibacorp, where there's a helicopter waiting to transport you. Mr. Roland is there, as well, and will explain the whole situation to you. When you're ready, there will be two limousines over at Mr. Joseph Wheeler's house."

"Okay, okay," Mr. Muto nodded. "Just give me a few minutes to get myself ready."

----------

TWENTY MINUTES LATER

"What the hell is the big idea, pulling us out of bed like this without so much as an explanation?" Mr. Wheeler fumed as he dragged on a pair of jeans.

"Yes, they could at least offer some decent explanation other than that it was Kaiba's orders," agreed Mrs. Wheeler, slipping on a modest blouse.

By and by, fully dressed, the couple headed downstairs to the front door, where outside two Kaibacorp-issued limousines stood on the curb. A suited guard was standing by one of the cars; on seeing them, he went to the back door and opened it. "Hurry and get in," he instructed.

"Not till the others get here," Mr. Wheeler answered flatly.

Hardly had the words left his mouth when footsteps caused them to turn—and right there came Mr. and Mrs. Taylor, preceded by two suits. "Joey, Mai! They dragged you guys out of bed, too?" Mrs. Taylor asked anxiously.

"I swear, if this is one of Kaiba's ways of showing disdain for us like usual…" and Mr. Wheeler clenched his fist.

"Don't assume—Kaiba would not wake us up at this hour without good reason," Mr. Bakura's voice sounded from not very far away. Looking in that direction, the group saw him and Mrs. Bakura heading toward them, another suit guiding them along. "All we have to do is head over to Kaibacorp and hear what the problem is, pretty much," Mr. Bakura continued.

"No—we have to go to Duelist Kingdom Island, also," Mr. Muto's voice cut in, as he, Grandma, and their guide walked up. "And, now that I think about it, isn't that where Dueltropolis is being held? Maybe it's got something to do with the kids…"

"Oh, dear Lord, I hope nothing bad has happened," Mrs. Bakura said worriedly.

"Come, let us go at once," one of the suits said a tad impatiently. And then, quickly, they all boarded the limos…and a few moments later said limos were driving off, heading in the direction of Kaibacorp.

----------

It seemed like little time at all before the limos pulled up outside the Kaibacorp building. At once the drivers got out and opened the limo doors, allowing the group of friends to step out. "Come this way," one of the suits instructed them.

Mystified, the parents followed the suits into the building, and the whole group headed right for the elevator. "Take the elevator to the top floor; Mr. Roland will be waiting for all of you there," one suit told them, and with that all the guards now stood back.

Since they were now all together in the elevator, Mr. Bakura pushed the button for the top floor; then, moments later, the elevator doors closed, and they could feel themselves being pulled upward. "You were hoping it wasn't anything bad, Téa…well, if they saw it fit to wake us up so early and come here to Kaibacorp, it has to be serious," Mr. Bakura remarked.

"Ryou Bakura, a little more sensitivity is in order here! This could very well be our children that this is about!" Mr. Taylor snapped indignantly.

"I'm just saying…!" protested Mr. Bakura.

"Guys, let's not bicker—it won't do us any good," Mrs. Wheeler admonished them.

"Mai's right," Mrs. Taylor nodded. "I don't think our children are really in any immediate problems—we've been following their progress in the Dueltropolis tournament on TV, and so far everything seems kosher."

"Except that they've had to do the tango with a bunch of ruthless people here and there," Mr. Muto pointed out. "Maybe that's what Kaiba has summoned us for—to find a way to deal with those particular people while ensuring and verifying that our kids are okay."

"I hope they ARE okay, though," said Grandma fretfully.

At length the elevator stopped, the doors opened, and they all got out. And—they were on the roof of the building. "Roland? You here?" Mr. Muto called.

"Ah, so you've arrived, all of you. Thank heavens," Roland replied. He was standing close to a big helicopter sitting several feet away.

"Roland, can you tell us exactly what this is about? The suits that brought us here didn't tell us very much, and we want answers," Mrs. Wheeler addressed him.

"I see," said Roland. "Well, Mr. Kaiba sent orders that all of you were to be brought to Duelist Kingdom Island as soon as possible—and that when you were coming, that you were to bring this with you," and here he produced a briefcase.

"A briefcase? What could be in there that's so important that WE have to be the ones to bring it?" Mr. Wheeler wondered aloud.

"Just following Mr. Kaiba's orders as he gave them, that's all," Roland replied coolly. "And…he stressed especially that you folks were to come to Duelist Kingdom and to bring this briefcase with you. He wouldn't elaborate much further than that, but…if I were you, I'd hurry and head over there."

"All right, we'll go, then," said Mr. Taylor, stepping forward. "Hand that briefcase here, is all you do."

Roland promptly surrendered the briefcase. "Take good care of this until you get to Mr. Kaiba—what's inside is very crucial and must not be lost or damaged at any point," he said sternly.

"Don't worry, we won't lose it," Mrs. Taylor promised.

"Okay, everyone, enough chat! If we're gonna get out of here, let's get out of here already!" Mrs. Wheeler exclaimed.

"I agree!" nodded Grandma, immediately heading into the helicopter.

One by one, the others boarded the chopper—then the rotor blades began to spin while Roland ran for the elevator to safety. From there, he watched as the chopper lifted up, then took off into the sky. "Godspeed to all of you," he mumbled.

----------

DUELTROPOLIS, A FEW MINUTES LATER

"Mmmmm…uhhhh…"

Felix roused himself awake. "Such a nice sleep that was," he sighed, reaching up to take his hat from off his face where he'd rested it. "Now, what shall I do…"

As he lifted the hat, though, he found himself surrounded by a number of suited guards. "Oh, yeah…I'm under watch," he remembered, with a wry chuckle.

"Ah, _Buenos días,_ Felix," Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki's voice reached him from the doorway. "An early riser, now, are you?"

"Habit," explained Felix.

"Bring him along," Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki instructed the guards. To Felix she said, "We're going to have breakfast in a moment—they've got quite a wide variety of things to choose from."

"Perfect," and Felix flipped the hat onto his head.

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki turned and left the room. She walked out to the dining area of the inn, where Yugo and Natasha were already waiting. "He up?" Yugo inquired.

"Just awoke," replied Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki. "And how did you two sleep?"

"Okay, thanks," answered Natasha. "So, now what?"

"We take Felix back to Pegasus's castle, that's what," replied Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki. "And we'll head out as soon as we've had breakfast."

Just then the noise of microphone feedback could be heard, coming from outside. "What's going on?" Yugo asked, holding an ear.

"Must be the good folks at the castle," said Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki. "They're planning to make an announcement. Everybody across the island will hear this, no matter where they are."

"How's that possible?" wondered Natasha.

"Speakers have been set up all over the island, to broadcast directly from the castle," explained Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki. "Anytime an important announcement is to be made, practically the whole island can hear it, the way the broadcasting system was structured here on Duelist Kingdom."

At that moment a now-clear voice began to speak—and it was the voice of Maximillion Pegasus. "Good morning, everyone," he began, in a cheerful tone. "Did you all rest well last night? And did you enjoy the first round of the Dueltropolis tournament? I certainly hope you did!" And he laughed.

"Wow…so everybody got to duel in the first round, after all," Natasha remarked.

Pegasus continued. "Now, it's time to start off the second round of our grand Dueltropolis! We have the IDs of all the winners of the first-round matches…and, right now I'll grant all duelists the privilege of hearing the numbers of the opponents to look out for in this, the second round. And, in case you don't hear those numbers right now, don't worry – throughout the day this announcement will be repeated and all numbers restated, until everyone has dueled their respective opponents. Now, then, ahem…"

"Why not just say the names, instead of telling the numbers only?" sighed Yugo.

"Now," Pegasus went on, "these are numbers of the duelists who, by random selection, will be squaring off against each other in the second round: 32 and 14…2 and 16…3 and 23…15 and 4…18 and 27…17 and 7…5 and 12…and finally, 1 and 24."

Yugo's ears pricked up at the mention of the last two numbers. _1…and 24…_

Natasha's face was swiftly encased in worry, as well. _Oh, no…Yugo has to duel HIM?_

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki looked at both kids and immediately knew what the matter was. _Oh, dear…I was afraid of something like this happening…_

"Remember these numbers, duelists, and seek out all potential opponents whose numbers match the ones that are given alongside your own," Pegasus went on. "And once you've won your duels against your designated opponents, make your way to my grand castle—so that the finals of our great World Championships can commence!"

Then there was silence. "So…that's it, then," said Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki. "The second round has now officially begun…and those not worthy of the finals will be weeded out, one by one."

"Well…" Yugo's eyes narrowed. "I know one thing for certain. I'm going to be among the worthy. To fulfill my promise…I won't let myself be knocked out."

Natasha frowned. _But…knowing who you're up against…Yugo, how can you speak so confidently?_

_"Mis amigos,_ aren't we going to have breakfast?"

Startled, all three turned…and there sat Felix, at a table, his hat in one hand, and he was surrounded by the suited guards. "I would ask these gentlemen if they'd like to eat with me, but I doubt they'd make pleasurable conversation, or that they'd even know how to."

"Ah, yes…he IS right, you know," replied Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki. "And more and more people are coming in to eat right now, anyhow. So, let's follow suit and get ready to order, what do you say?"

"Frosted Flakes for me!" Natasha grinned.

----------

ELSEWHERE IN DUELTROPOLIS, AT THAT MOMENT

James stood on a hill, overlooking much of the island. A slight breeze blew past him; if he was affected by its coolness, his face certainly didn't show it. "So…my opponent's number is 1…no matter," he whispered softly, coldly. "Whoever it is, I'll smash them into powder."

Suddenly his cell-phone rang; without missing a beat, he answered it. "Talk to me."

"Aries, Aries, Aries…all fired up, are you?" Zander's voice came on the line.

"Get to the point, Capricorn. I don't have time for petty talk."

"As you wish." Zander's voice then became more serious. "I have orders for you from Master Orion – effective immediately as this conversation is over."

"And the orders are?" James wanted to know.

"Libra lost his duel…and Master Orion now sees him as a liability. He is currently in the company of dear Mrs. Alexis Rhodes-Yuki, en route to Maximillion Pegasus's castle for interrogation by the Committee. Your orders: silence him before he gets there."

There was a pause. "You _do_ have no trouble carrying out this order, do you?"

"No…no qualms at all," answered James. "I'll find Libra. And I'll silence him but good."

"Very well. Contact me as soon as it's done." And then the line went dead.

Carefully James replaced the phone in his pocket. "A real shame, Libra the Blackjack," he grunted. "You always were one of the few that I actually respected…but if Master Orion says you are to be wiped out, then so be it…"

----------

**_neomage:_** So, the second round of Dueltropolis is announced…Yugi and his group are on the way to Duelist Kingdom…the opponents for the second round have been chosen for each other by random selection…and in the real world, I officially have a summer job—lasting three weeks under the particular summer program that I'm in! Three weeks…wonder if I'll be able to survive…but oh, well! I'll still find time to update whenever possible, so don't worry about that! Now, on to the next chapter!


	230. Chapter 230

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: The following disclaimer is rated E for Everyone…meaning everyone should know that I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**CHAPTER 230**

DUELTROPOLIS

"Alpha Team to Beta Team, what's your status? Over."

"Beta Team here…still no sign of the target. Over."

"Roger that. Report in once you do find something. Will do the same. Over."

"Understood. Over and out."

The suit sighed as he switched off his comm.-link. "Damn it…still no sign of that Forrest Wiles boy that the Committee ordered us to find…"

"Hey, over here! I got something!"

Instantly on alert, the suit rushed over to where the voice had shouted from, through a mass of trees and bushes. "What is it?" he demanded, finally coming up to where the rest of the team had gathered and were still gathering.

"It's him…" and one of his colleagues pointed.

Lying on the ground only several yards away was Forrest. He was on his back; his clothes were scorched. "Uhhhh…" he groaned. "Mommy…help me…"

Quickly the suit switched his comm.-link back on. "Alpha Team to Beta Team, we got him! And he's in real bad shape! Get over here on the double! Over!"

"Roger that! What's your location? Over."

"Half a mile from the meeting point, north and northeast. Hurry! Over!"

"We'll be there. Inform Mr. Pegasus ASAP. Over and out!"

----------

ELSEWHERE IN DUELTROPOLIS, IN THE MEANTIME

Malachi stalked along grimly, his hands firmly in his pockets. Beside him walked Miriam, a worried expression on her Gothic face. Several feet behind them, David and Luke tramped along. "Um…you think he may have forgotten about it by now…?" David whispered nervously.

"Him? Forget what might have happened last night? I highly doubt that, David," Luke whispered back. "Let's just be thankful he decided to show some leniency…"

The night before, while Luke had sat up high in the tree where he'd gone to avoid Malachi's wrath, Malachi himself had walked around the tree's base, continuously threatening Luke with all sorts of gory ways to die. Meanwhile Miriam, by then fully clothed once more, had pleaded with Malachi not to hurt Luke, and David had just stayed out of the way for fear of nasty reprisal for doing or saying something inappropriate for the occasion. After much begging and pleading from Miriam, Malachi had grudgingly relented on his intention to murder Luke—but he'd also declared that only he and Miriam would sleep in the cave, while David and Luke could sleep outside. In the end, Miriam slept deep inside the cave, while Malachi settled down just inside the entrance; and both David and Luke, fearing that Malachi might change his mind about not hurting anyone, had opted to sleep in the tree. Now they were all walking along this morning, a feeling of tension thick in the air amongst the whole lot of them.

Presently Malachi stopped and spoke. "Luke—front and center," he ordered.

Startled a little, Luke ran forward and in front of Malachi. "Um…yes, boss?" he asked apprehensively.

Malachi looked intently at him. "Now, Luke…let's get a few things clear here," he said. "Now, a long time ago, when you and Miriam started seeing each other eye-to-eye, so to speak, you had the decency and the courtesy to tell me you wanted to be her boyfriend. And I did not object—did I?"

"Uh, no," replied Luke.

Malachi then turned to Miriam. "And Miriam, you said at that time that you were quite willing to deal with whatever problems or consequences might arise from your decision to pursue a relationship with anyone, correct?"

Miriam nodded. "Yeah, I remember."

"Do you remember what I said in response to that?"

Miriam ran a hand through her hair. "You said…you said that if Luke and I were going to be involved with each other, you were going to institute a set of rules that we were to abide by, and even more so because I was your sister."

"Exactly." Malachi nodded. Then he looked over his shoulder. "David, to the front!"

David quickly jogged over and stood beside Luke. "Yes, boss?"

Malachi set a hard gaze on him. "Do you remember the rules I laid out when your brother started dating my sister? Can you repeat them here for us, please?"

David swallowed. "Well…you said that under no circumstances, until Miriam turned eighteen, were she and Luke to engage in anything too intimate…and that they shouldn't sneak around going places or doing things without your knowing about it."

Malachi reached his index fingers to his temples and rubbed in circular motions. "Then if you remember all of that so well…could someone please tell me why, in the name of all that is heaven-blessed, why Luke Jericho decided to try scoring a home run with my little sister, Miriam Jordan? Can someone please explain that to me?—because I seem to be in utter ignorance here. Educate me. I'm dunce. I want to learn." He looked at all three of them in turn. "Well?"

Instead of replying, however, all three shuffled their feet and looked away, discomfited.

"Nothing to say?" Malachi pressed. "Well, then, let me say this. I'll admit that, yes, I probably did overreact last night, and in that regard I will admit that I was wrong. But…what do you think _should_ be done?"

Luke hung his head. "Boss…"

"Yes?" Malachi turned to look directly at him.

Now Luke swallowed nervously. "Boss…let me prove that what I feel for Miriam isn't merely physical. Let me prove that I am worthy of her…I implore you!"

"And how do you intend to prove your worth?" queried Malachi.

Luke took a deep breath before answering. "We're in the second round of the tournament now, as of Pegasus's announcement this morning…so I swear to you, when I find my designated opponent, I'll definitely win. I will win…for her sake…" and here he looked sideways at Miriam.

Malachi cocked an eyebrow. "We'll see. Now, let's keep moving."

With that he turned and started walking again; Miriam hurried to catch up to him, leaving David and Luke behind. "Um, bro…did Malachi just apologize a while ago?" David asked uncertainly.

"He sure did," nodded Luke. "And yet, a few years ago, he'd seriously have killed me if something like what happened last night had happened back then…"

"Yep—he's sure mellowed, all right, and thank God for that," David chuckled.

"Even so, I'll have to stick by what I just said," and here Luke gave a longsuffering sigh. "If I want to prove myself to Malachi, I'll have to defeat my next opponent, no matter who it is."

"You'll do it, man, I know it," David assured him. "Now, let's hurry and catch up to them before they completely leave us behind, eh?"

"True, true," agreed Luke. And with that, the two brothers hurried to reach where Malachi and Miriam had gotten to by this time.

----------

ELSEWHERE IN DUELTROPOLIS, IN THE MEANTIME

"Children…wakey, wakey…"

Ms. Wong gently patted Kyo and Miki on their cheeks. The two were seated side by side on the same bench where the trio had stopped to rest for the night; and now, both kids were still quite asleep. Ms. Wong couldn't help but smile as she looked at them: Kyo's jacket was draped over Miki, and he had a protective arm around her shoulders.

_It wasn't all that cold out last night, now that I think about it,_ mused Ms. Wong. _At least, it wasn't so cold that we'd be in danger of freezing to death. And yet, he still covered her up at the expense of his own warmth…how sweet!_

She patted their cheeks again; this time Miki stirred. "Uhhh…oh…Ms. Wong…good morning," she whispered wearily.

"Didn't rest too well, did you?" Ms. Wong asked, concerned.

"It was fitful," Miki admitted. "I'm so not used to sleeping while sitting up on a park bench in the outdoors. What about you—did you manage to sleep at all?"

"Well, not too much," confessed Ms. Wong. "You're right—if we'd been inside, in comfortable beds, we'd have had a much sounder sleep. But at least the fact that we were all sitting so close to each other, plus the fact that dear Kyo here covered you with his jacket, kept a good degree of warmth amongst us."

At this Miki turned her head and looked at Kyo. "Kyo…thank you for the jacket." And she leaned forward and kissed his cheek.

That managed to stir Kyo a little bit. "Miki…c'mon, don't stop, do more," he mumbled.

Miki and Ms. Wong looked at each other, just barely managing to stifle their giggles. "He's dreaming," said Ms. Wong.

"About me," and Miki blushed.

Both females looked at Kyo again. Then suddenly Miki got a devilish look in her eye. "Say…do you have any lipstick on you?" she asked Ms. Wong sweetly.

Ms. Wong cocked an eyebrow, failing to restrain her grin. "You naughty girl—what are you thinking of doing?"

"I just want to have a little fun," said Miki, winking at the older woman.

"Hmmm…" Ms. Wong smirked. "Rose-red or blue?"

----------

MOMENTS LATER

"Ta-da! My masterpiece is complete!" Miki grinned.

It took everything in Ms. Wong for her to not burst out in laughter. "My dear, you should major in art when you go to college," she remarked.

Just then Kyo groaned and opened his eyes. "Aw, man…oh, morning, ladies," he greeted them. "What's for breakfast?"

"Well, actually, we may have to suck it up for a while before we reach any rest stops again," sighed Miki.

"Just great," Kyo grumbled, and rubbed his hand across his eyes to get the sleep out of them. "Just flippin' great. I sleep all night on a hard bench, having to sit up in order to sleep comfortably…then I wake up, only to find that I'll have to keep my hunger at bay until…"

Only then did he notice Ms. Wong's grin. "What's so funny?" he asked.

"Oh, nothing, nothing, nothing at all," replied Ms. Wong, still smiling.

Kyo looked suspiciously at Miki. "What did you guys do?"

"Now, now, Kyo, why don't you just go over to the fountain over there and freshen up a little," and Miki indicated the fountain some distance away.

Frowning, Kyo got up and headed over to the fountain. As he did, he could hear both girls giggling furiously behind him. "Geez…women…" he muttered.

At length he reached the fountain and, leaning over, he cupped some of the water into his hands to splash over his face—and paused. "Huh? What on earth…?"

He peered more closely into the water—and saw why Miki and Ms. Wong had been giggling. For, all over his face, there were lipstick scribbles…predominantly all over his lips, marked around his eyes, and written in swirls on his cheeks. He stared…and stared…and stared.

And then, very slowly, he rose up and looked in their direction. "Who did this?" he asked simply.

Miki and Ms. Wong looked at him, then at each other, then at him again—and promptly pointed at each other. "She did it!" they exclaimed as one…and then both collapsed on the ground, shrieking in peals of pent-up laughter.

----------

Only a little distance away in the bushes, a sinister shadow was watching everything that was going on. "Heh…now, I've found you, you little snot," it whispered in a malicious voice.

----------

"Ugh…" Kyo wiped his face clean with the inside of his own jacket. "I'm never going to sleep around you again."

"Aw, Kyo, can't you take a little joke? We were just playing!" Miki said innocently, now truly afraid she'd hurt his feelings with her prank.

"Yes, dear; we're sorry, really, we are," added Ms. Wong—although it was plain to see she was still trying to get control over her laughter.

Kyo slipped his jacket on again; his face was back to normal, considering the number of times he'd had to splash water on himself. "Don't worry…I'll find a way to get back at one of you for this." He smirked.

"Um…okay…I'd like to see you try," Ms. Wong challenged.

"Don't tempt me," warned Kyo, his smirk getting bigger.

Just then a loud growl could be heard. All three were instantly at attention, looking around warily—and then they looked at Miki. She, in embarrassment, clutched her middle. "I'm sorry…I do feel really hungry right about now," she confessed.

"That's okay, dear," said Ms. Wong kindly. "I've got something here for all of us, that'll tide us over till we can get a real meal."

She reached into her pocket and pulled out three chocolate bars, handing two to Kyo and Miki. "I always carry these in case of emergencies."

"All right!" Miki promptly ripped off the package of her chocolate bar and began to dig into it with gusto.

"Hey, hey, don't force it down," Kyo warned her. "You gotta savor the flavor." And to demonstrate, he took a medium-sized bite of his chocolate bar, chewing slowly and deliberately.

"Okay," answered Miki, and she followed his example.

"Well, now that we're all awake, I should let you both know," Ms. Wong spoke up. "There was an announcement made over the P.A. system earlier, announcing the pair-ups for the second round of the Dueltropolis tournament."

Kyo paused in mid-chew. "Did you hear them say who we're supposed to face off against?"

Ms. Wong nodded. "Kyo, your number is 3, right? Your opponent for this round has the number 23. And, Miki, your number is 5…your opponent's number is 12."

"Okay," Miki acknowledged. "Now it's just a matter of time and of finding our respective opponents."

"And there's more," added Ms. Wong. "The winners of all second-round matches are expected to head to Pegasus's castle afterwards, where they'll have the finals of the tournament."

"One thing's for sure…I intend to be part of the list of finalists," declared Kyo, finally finishing his chocolate bar and standing up. "I'll make it to the castle, and there I'll definitely do my utmost best!"

_"Not while I'm around, little bastard!"_

All three jumped. "H-huh? Who's there?" cried Miki.

Ms. Wong stood in a defensive stance. "Come out, wherever you are!" she demanded.

Then a rustling of bushes not very far away caused them all to look in that direction. "So, four-eyed freak…you think you're going to the finals of this tournament?" the mysterious voice hissed. "Well, if you're really thinking of going there, first you'll have to go through me!"

Kyo's eyes narrowed. "I know that voice…"

And then—from the bushes emerged a familiar figure, dressed in a purple jacket with black zigzag lightning on it. "Now, here we are…and today is the day when I'll take my revenge on you!" he snarled.

Miki's eyes widened in recognition and fright. "Stephen Ingram!"

----------

**_neomage:_** (chanting) Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight! (realizes that the readers are looking at him) Uh, ahem…moving on to the blooper of the day…

(Chapter 173, where Zander is at Burger World and waiting on his order)

Waitress: Here you go, sir.

Zander: Thank you. (reaches into pocket—but he can't find his wallet) O.o; Uh-oh…

Waitress: Oh, another moocher, huh? BOYS!

(several burly-looking guys roughly manhandle Zander out the door)

Burly Guys: And don't come back!

(in a corner, Keisuke Odachi pockets Zander's wallet while chuckling to himself)

(end blooper reel)

REVIEW SOON, PLEASE!


	231. Chapter 231

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Yes, and, moving on…oh, I can't move on yet? Damn…neomage doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh. Okay, NOW moving on…)

**CHAPTER 231**

DUELTROPOLIS

Stephen walked forward very slowly, his face void of any humor. "Now, little man…I'll take my time and rip you apart…and I'm going to savor your agony," he whispered.

"Hey, what's going on here?" Ms. Wong questioned.

"Ms. Wong, those two…there's a whole river of bad blood between them," whispered Miki.

"Bad blood? How come?"

Miki sighed. "To give you the short version…that guy, Stephen, was a bully at Domino High School…he picked on Kyo…Kyo nearly smashed his face open with a crowbar in retaliation."

"You're kidding me, right? Kyo actually did something like _that?"_ Ms. Wong asked in total disbelief.

"You can ask Jenna and Yugo once you see them—they were there," answered Miki.

Kyo, meanwhile, glared at Stephen. "I don't have time to deal with you. I'm only concerned with finding my opponent for this round of the tournament…"

"Which is going to be me, dumbass," interrupted Stephen. "See, I was listening in on your little conversation just now. And I paid keen attention to that announcement they made earlier. And your duelist number is 5…which means you're the one I'm up to duel against!"

Kyo's face contorted into a massive frown. "You're kidding me…_you're_ Duelist number 23?"

"Damn right." Stephen nodded. "Now, I'm going to get my revenge on you for that day…and as I told you when we were on the boat, I'd be willing to wait until I got the chance to duel you here in this tournament, so that I could well and truly humiliate you as you humiliated me. And now, my window of opportunity has opened!"

Kyo merely scoffed. "You entered this Dueltropolis tournament just to get revenge on me for that beating I gave you—a beating which, I hasten to add, you had coming to you for a long time? Oh, I must be something awfully special for you to go out of your way like this," he said mockingly.

"Laugh it up, nerd," said Stephen, "but you better know this: once I defeat you here, I'm going to cut off your hands…then I'll rip your eyes out of their sockets and shove them down your throat…and then I'll rip your intestines out of you and hang you by them!"

"You'll have to do better than that if you want to threaten me," said Kyo.

Stephen smiled…a very nasty smile. "Then how about this? When I'm done beating you into submission…I think I'll have a little fun with your girl…and I'm gonna make you watch…and you won't be able to do a single thing about any of it!" And as he said this, he leered in Miki's direction.

Seeing him looking her way, Miki promptly went and hid behind Ms. Wong. "That guy…he really unnerves me," she whispered.

"I don't believe this—how on earth did somebody like _this_ manage to get into the competition?" complained Ms. Wong.

Kyo glanced behind him at the two females; then he looked back at Stephen. "Even if you do defeat me…you won't be able to get to Miki quite like that. She'd kick you in the balls before you'd ever lay a finger on her."

"Oh, is that right?" Stephen chuckled. "All the more reason for me to have fun with her myself…'cause I especially love it when they struggle. It becomes more…gratifying that way."

"Narcissistic prick," Ms. Wong muttered darkly.

"I've grown since those years gone past," Kyo told Stephen. "You can't badger me as easily as you used to be able to."

Stephen shook his head. "Then perhaps your eyes will be opened to the situation before you once I smash you into oblivion. So, let's not put this match off any longer—let's get down to brass tacks!"

"My sentiments exactly," replied Kyo.

Both simultaneously drew for their Duel-Disks—but when Stephen pulled out his, Kyo, Miki and Ms. Wong gasped. It was a Disk that was painted purple, with red-and-black spots!

"No…it can't be…" Miki breathed.

Ms. Wong's face was steely. "You…you're one of them…aren't you?" she demanded. "You're a Zodiac! Only the Zodiacs would wield such oddly-modified Duel-Disks like that!"

Kyo snarled at Stephen. "I see…so that would explain your true reason for being here at the World Championships, wouldn't it?"

Stephen ran a hand through his hair. "Okay…so you got me. Yes, people, I am a Zodiac—and, in fact, I'm one of the higher-ups in the organization. My title is Cancer the Scourge…and I'm here on a mission. Of course, getting revenge on you, for me, is a nice little extra bonus."

Kyo spat contemptuously to the side. "Why? Why are you people trying to wreck the tournament?"

"Like I'd tell you that," Stephen replied with equal contempt. "Anyway, even if I did tell you, I doubt your puny intellect would be able to grasp it."

Kyo shook his head at this. "Well, it doesn't matter," he declared. "I'll still drag your face through the dirt!"

"Come on, punk!" Stephen activated his Duel-Disk.

Immediately the holographic coin appeared on the field. "Heads!" Stephen shouted.

_Please don't let him get it…please don't let him get it…_ This was what Miki was silently begging.

Then the coin was flipped…and it flew up high, then fell back down…and when it landed, the result was—heads! "Well, looks like luck's on my side today, boy," Stephen sneered. "So I get to go first…and when I'm done, you'll be down on the ground, eating gravel like you deserve!"

"You were always a moronic talker," Kyo said acidly. "Let's just do this."

Immediately both of them drew their first five cards…and then, to start off the match, Stephen drew a sixth. "Now, here's where things are gonna get mighty interesting," he chuckled. "I'll set one monster in Defense Mode, and one card facedown. Think you can get through this?"

"To bring you down—why not?" Kyo growled, drawing his card. "Now, I summon Zolga (ATK 1700, DEF 1200) in Attack Mode!" And then a moment later his purple-robed fairy emerged on the field, eyes flashing dangerously. "Attack and destroy his facedown monster!"

Red energy glowed around Zolga's body as, inexplicably, Stephen's facedown monster was flipped face-up without anything touching it. The flipped monster was revealed to be a blue-skinned creature with silver metal all over its body and large silver wings – but suddenly there was an explosive burst of energy that knocked the floating Zolga slightly off-balance and reduced Kyo's life points to 7700! "Whoa!" Kyo exclaimed.

"Say hello to my Cyber Archfiend (ATK 1000, DEF 2000)," Stephen told him with a sneer. "Its DEF was powerful enough to ward off your stupid monster's attack. Better try again later, loser."

_Archfiend…_ Kyo scowled. _Is he pushing THAT kind of deck strategy?_

Stephen drew another card. "Heh…how fortunate that I've gotten this card so soon," he smirked. "All right! Now, I'll offer my Cyber Archfiend as a tribute to summon my favorite beast—Dark Ruler Ha Des (ATK 2450, DEF 1600)!"

Cyber Archfiend vanished from existence…then in its place stood a green-skinned monster dressed in kingly attire, holding a wine goblet in one hand. "Okay, Ha Des – obliterate his Zolga with your Imperial Crusher!" Stephen ordered. And, in reply, Ha Des clenched his free fist tightly—and Zolga seemingly imploded into nothingness, reducing Kyo's life points further to 6950!

"Ouch…that had to hurt," said Miki, wincing at Zolga's destruction.

"And I end my turn," added Stephen. "But I guess I may as well tell you from now—there's no way you're going to topple my Dark Ruler Ha Des! He's got immense power that you can't even begin to fathom!"

"Such big words for a small brain like yours," Kyo said jeeringly.

Stephen spat to one side in contempt. "Say whatever you like, boy, but know this: When I'm done with you, you'll be wishing you'd never, ever attacked me like you did that day at school!"

Kyo drew his next card, shaking his head as he did so. "Whatever."

He examined the cards in his hand. _I haven't got anything powerful enough to summon immediately…but at least I've got something that'll deter him somewhat! _"I'll set one monster facedown in Defense Mode, and then set one other card facedown. That'll do it for me for now."

Stephen merely smiled as he drew again. "Poor little runt," he chuckled. "I told you already, you can't stop Dark Ruler Ha Des so easily! And I think I have an opportunity here to prove it now! Ha Des, destroy his facedown monster!"

Again Ha Des clenched his fist tightly—and Kyo's monster was forcefully flipped face-up, revealed to be Kelbek (ATK 1500, DEF 1800). "Now you've done it!" Kyo crowed triumphantly. "Any monster that attacks Kelbek is afterwards returned to its owner's hand!"

But Stephen didn't seem much disturbed by this news. "Heh."

Kelbek's limbs were quickly crushed by Ha Des's mental power, rendering it utterly useless…but strange to say, Ha Des himself was still on the field! "Hey, wait a minute—what happened to Kelbek's effect? Your monster's supposed to be returned to your hand!" Kyo exploded indignantly.

"See—you really are a dumbass," Stephen answered scornfully. "As long as Dark Ruler Ha Des remains on the field, his effect negates the effects of all monsters that are destroyed in battle by Fiend-type monsters on my side of the field. So, therefore, your Kelbek's effect has just been rendered useless!"

Kyo's face went white. _Oh, no…!_

"For now, I'll end my turn…but you don't have a prayer, trust me on that," and Stephen looked pleased as punch. "Now it's gonna be really amusing to see you _try_ to get back at me, now that I've got such a hefty advantage on my side of the field here."

"This is bad…as long as that guy has Dark Ruler Ha Des on the field, every time he attacks, Kyo's monsters' effects will be worth about as much as a glass of water to a drowning man," mumbled Ms. Wong. "Kyo will have to rely on some serious good fortune to win this one."

"Kyo…" Miki looked on worriedly.

Kyo swiftly drew another card. "You think I'm going to be intimidated by your Dark Ruler Ha Des? Think again!" he asserted.

Stephen clicked his tongue. "Need I remind you, you little bastard, that I was able to intimidate EVERYONE at Domino High School, back in the day? Not even the teachers could say anything to me! And then…" His face darkened with a vengeful scowl. "You, of all the people to do it, had the audacity to shatter my power-hold over everyone at that school! You, a runt of a mama's boy, who always cowered before me whenever I did so much as look at you!"

"A little lesson in humility never hurt anyone," Kyo shot back sourly. "You had retribution coming to you for a long time, Ingram—your tearing up that painting I made for Mom's birthday was the catalyst for that retribution to come to the fore."

Stephen glared at Kyo. "It was a lame-ass work of art, anyway."

Kyo glared back, but didn't bother to reply to the insult. Instead, he fiddled the cards in his hand. "I don't have to answer that. Moving on…I'll set one monster in Defense Mode, and end my turn for the present."

Now the duel's stats were shown: Kyo had 6950 life points, while Stephen had an intact 8000. Kyo held four cards in hand; Stephen had five. On the field Kyo had one monster in facedown Defense Mode and one other card facedown; Stephen had Dark Ruler Ha Des in Attack Mode, and one other card facedown as well.

Again Stephen drew, so now he held six cards in hand. "I summon Opticlops (ATK 1800, DEF 1700) in Attack Mode!" And then he called forth a massive one-eyed creature with a large horn on its forehead.

"But I'm not done yet!" Stephen continued, holding up another card to play. "Next, I'll activate the magic card, Archfiend's Oath!"

Suddenly, right behind Stephen a large stone tablet emerged from the ground. "Now, as long as this card remains on the field," he explained, "once per turn I can pay 500 life points to declare one card name; then, I pick up the top card from my deck and if that card is the one I declared, I add it to my hand…and if not, that card gets sent to the Graveyard."

Kyo frowned. "That's a bit of a gamble to take…"

"No gamble necessary, kid—for next I'll activate the magic card, Convulsion of Nature!" Stephen promptly played another card from his hand—and suddenly, inexplicably, the environment around them began to randomly spout different weather conditions: rain one moment, snow the next, a blistering heat-wave in the next moment, strong hurricane-force winds the next, and the list went on!

"Aaaack! What's going on all of a sudden?" Miki exclaimed, looking around in bewilderment even as she shielded herself from the bizarre barrage of different weather conditions.

"It's the effect of my Convulsion of Nature at work," Stephen addressed her. "Now, as long as this card remains on the field, both players must turn their decks upside down and resume the duel as normal."

Kyo stared in disbelief. "You're kidding me—THIS is how you plan to take advantage of your Archfiend's Oath's power?" he exclaimed.

"It's worked before—why shouldn't it work now?" returned Stephen, even as he pulled his deck out of its slot and replaced it upside down. Reluctantly, Kyo followed his example.

"Well, at least there's one good side to this," reasoned Miki. "Now Kyo will be able to see exactly what he's going to draw before he even draws it."

"But the same thing applies to Stephen, don't forget," added Ms. Wong. "And with the Archfiend's Oath on his side of the field, he'll be able to pick up cards straight from the top of his deck with ease if he should feel like it."

And, apparently, that was what Stephen intended to do at this moment. "All right—I'll activate the effect of Archfiend's Oath, and pay 500 life points for its activation! And I'll call the card name…" He grinned as he prepared to say it. "Final Ritual of the Ancients!"

"Being able to see the card you need even as you predict its name…that's so cheap," Kyo growled.

"Cheap, but effective and worth the life points!" answered Stephen, his life points dropping to 7500 for the effect of Archfiend's Oath—and just then, a bolt of lightning shot down from the skies above and hit the stone tablet behind him, inscribing the name of the card he'd declared into the face of the stone. With a triumphant smirk, he took the card from the top of his flipped deck and added it to his hand.

"And now…" Stephen held up the very card he'd just picked up. "I'll activate the Ritual magic card I just picked up—Final Ritual of the Ancients! This card requires that I offer monsters whose levels equal 8 or more, from the field or my hand, as tributes…so I'll offer two Level 4 monsters from my hand as tributes to Ritual summon my terrible fiend – Reshef the Dark Being (ATK 2500, DEF 1500)!"

A second tablet of stone appeared on the field beside Dark Ruler Ha Des and Opticlops, even as Stephen sent his two designated cards from his hand to the Graveyard—and suddenly a light shone from that tablet! "Oh, man…this is bad…" Kyo gritted his teeth and braced himself.

Then the stone tablet burst into numerous pieces, and the light that had shone form it became blindingly bright, so much so that Kyo had to turn his face away. "Aaaahhh! Bright, bright, bright!" Miki cried out as she and Ms. Wong shielded their faces as well.

"And now…he is here," Stephen's triumphant voice could be heard.

Kyo cautiously looked up…and his jaw dropped. "What the hell…?"

Towering over the entire field, on Stephen's side, was a massive bronze figure with three orbs of light shining from its body. Where its left elbow would be, a red orb shone; where its waist should have been, a yellow orb shone; where its right elbow would be, a blue orb shone. "Take a good, hard look at Reshef, boy," Stephen told Kyo. "Because he's going to reduce you to ashes long before this duel is set to end! Now…Dark Ruler Ha Des, wipe out his facedown monster!"

Again Ha Des clenched a fist, and Kyo's forcefully flipped monster—revealed to be the Forgiving Maiden (ATK 850, DEF 2000) was crushed into pulp. Then: "Opticlops, attack directly!" And Opticlops charged forward, butting Kyo with such force that the boy was violently cast to the ground even as his life points shot down to 5150!

"Kyo! Hang in there!" Miki cried out.

"Wrong advice to be giving him, kid—you should be telling him to beg for mercy!" Stephen flung at her. "And now…Reshef the Dark Being, attack directly with Ancient Obliteration!"

All three of Reshef's shining orbs charged up at that moment—and released a thunderous blast of energy that literally tore across the field, hitting a screaming Kyo and flinging him several yards back as his life points shot down further to 2650! Kyo tumbled head over heels before slamming into a tree; he coughed up blood as he crumpled into a ball in pain!

"KYO!" Ms. Wong cried out.

Miki glared at Stephen. "You heartless…!"

"It's all in the name of revenge, girly—I'm going to make him suffer the same painful humiliation that he put me through," Stephen replied coldly. "And as for you…I suggest you get yourself ready, because when I'm done with your boyfriend you and I are gonna have a little…recreational time together." And here he smirked.

"Hey…"

Stephen looked up. "Huh?"

All the way at the other end of the field, Kyo was slowly standing up, holding his ribs as he did so. "If you…do so much…as lay a finger on Miki…I swear to God…I'll tear your skull off your shoulders!" he rasped, even as blood continued to trickle from his mouth.

"In your condition? Not likely," Stephen answered scornfully.

Only then did Miki, looking at Kyo in utter astonishment, notice that something was different about him. _Where'd his glasses go?_

And then there was a loud _crunch_ that made Miki involuntarily glance down at Kyo's hand—and she saw his glasses, held tightly in his fist, crushed down to the bare frame in between his fingers. Slowly her hand went to her mouth. _Oh, dear…oh, dear, oh, dear, oh, dear…!_

Kyo limped back to his place on the dueling field. Slowly he let his fingers relax, and what was left of his glasses dropped to the ground. Then he raised his bloodied fingers, cut by the sharp frame of the broken glasses, and licked the blood off them. "All right…" he said in a calm, chilling voice. "Now…this means war."

----------

**_neomage:_** Ladies and gents, the first week of my three-week imprisonment (a.k.a. summer job) has gone by, and here another chapter is done! Next chapter, the battle between Kyo and Stephen continues…and I promise, as soon as I've had a chance to look at your reviews, I'll comment as necessary—oh, and the bloopers will return soon, too!

Review soon, everybody! The next chapter awaits!


	232. Chapter 232

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Blood feuds…can we ever get enough of them? Well, anyway, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**CHAPTER 232**

DUELTROPOLIS

"Goodness gracious…" Ms. Wong stared at Kyo in astonished horror. "How can he possibly stand after that attack just now?"

Miki swallowed. "…I…I have no idea…"

Even Stephen seemed a little surprised. "I thought you'd have enough sense to stay down after what I just did to your sorry carcass," he grunted. "But I see that you're a glutton for murder, so fine—I'll kill you if that's what you want. And I won't have a guilty conscience about it later."

Kyo scowled viciously, even as he reached down to pick up the cards he'd dropped when he'd been attacked by Stephen's monsters. "The only one who's gonna be killed today…will be you."

Miki's eyes widened on hearing that. _Kyo…you don't really mean that, do you…? I mean, sure, he's caused you a lot of trouble before, but…_

Kyo now had 2650 life points, and Stephen had 7500. Kyo held four cards in his hand; Stephen, none. On the field, Kyo only had one facedown card in his magic/trap slot; on the other hand, Stephen had Dark Ruler Ha Des, Opticlops, and Reshef the Dark Being in Attack Mode, plus he had his Archfiend's Oath and Convulsion of Nature magic cards active, and he had one other card facedown as well.

It was now Kyo's turn, so he drew a card from his deck. "Now…I'll activate the magic card Swords of Revealing Light, to paralyze all of your monsters for your next three turns!"

Immediately three massive swords of light shot down from the sky, embedding themselves in the ground in front of Stephen's monsters. "So what? Just means extra waiting for me before I can wipe you out of existence," the bully shrugged it off.

"We'll soon see, won't we?" growled Kyo. "For now, I'll end my turn."

Shrugging some more, Stephen drew again. "Now…I'll activate the effect of my Archfiend's Oath once again, and call the name of the card…Pot of Greed!" And as his life points dropped to 7000, lightning shot down from the sky again, inscribing the name of the designated card on the stone tablet—and Stephen himself, with a grin, picked up the card and added it to his hand.

"Cheapskate," murmured Kyo. "Your Convulsion of Nature card allows you to see exactly what the top card on your deck will be, since both of our decks have been flipped upside down by its effect. You're not really predicting what your card will be with your Archfiend's Oath…you're just being contemptible."

"Say whatever you want—at least I'm not violating any rules so far," Stephen smirked. "But enough of that for now. Now, I'll activate my Pot of Greed and draw two more cards from my deck!" And he did this swiftly, so at the end he held a total of three cards in his hand. "And…hmmm…oh, what the hell! I'll activate my trap card – Mask of Restrict!"

Suddenly a massive, ugly mask emerged on the field, overshadowing everything in sight! "As long as the Mask of Restrict is active on the field, neither of us can tribute any monsters under any conditions," Stephen informed Kyo with a leer on his face. "Now…everything is set."

Kyo scowled fiercely. "You…you made sure to wait till you got some of your more powerful monsters into play _before_ you activated that card!" he stormed.

"Now, all I need is to wait till your Swords of Revealing Light run out of power, and then I'll be free to completely decimate you!" Stephen gloated. "And then…" He glanced sideways at Miki and smirked.

Kyo's brow was overshadowed at this display. "Then…I guess it's up to me to prevent that from happening, eh?" he said quietly.

"Like you can stop my destiny of revenge from reaching its goal," answered Stephen. "Of course, you can try all you want, runt—but it won't make one bit of difference. For now…I end my turn."

One of the Swords of Revealing Light vanished from the field. "Okay…now only two turns remain before Kyo is left completely defenseless…" Ms. Wong swallowed audibly.

Kyo, meanwhile, reached to draw again – and did a double-take when he looked at his upside-down deck. He seemed…paralyzed…for one long moment. Then: "Ms. Wong…I believe I know what you're thinking."

"Huh?" Ms. Wong was caught off-guard by Kyo's sudden statement.

Kyo looked over to where she and Miki were…and then closed his eyes. "You're wondering: 'Will he be able to get an edge in this duel before the Swords of Revealing Light run out of power, especially with the odds stacked against him like this?' Well…here's what I say to that: Not only will I get an edge, but I'll BEAT him on this turn!"

Ms. Wong blinked in surprise. "Are…are you serious…?"

Kyo nodded. "Just watch."

"Okay, I must've hit you with my attack a little harder than I'd expected – you've lost your marbles!" Stephen roared with laughter. "How, do tell, can you expect to defeat me at this point, when my life points are way higher than yours, you can't tribute any monsters for anything, and you're battered and bruised as you are?"

Kyo's lips slowly curved upward in a big grin. "Because, you piece of excrement…whether my deck is right side up or upside down…whether it's shuffled or not…I believe in my cards to pull me through! And since I can see the face of the top card on my deck, thanks to your Convulsion of Nature…I can say with utmost certainty that this turn will be the turn in which I knock you off your high horse for good!"

With that said, Kyo drew his card—now he held five in hand once again. "I'll activate my own Pot of Greed, to draw two cards!" And as he went through the motions of drawing, he ended up having six cards in hand.

Then: "Next, I'll activate Graceful Charity, to draw three more cards and then discard two from my hand!" And in a moment the famous green-robed angel appeared and offered three cards to Kyo; he selected two from his hand and swiftly sent them to the Graveyard.

"Drawing numerous cards? That's your grand strategy?" scoffed Stephen.

"Actually…at this moment I have all the cards I need," Kyo said softly. "Including a few that I got specifically for this tournament! Watch!"

He held up one card. "Now, here's a card that I got from my father's personal stash…the magic card, Change of Heart!"

As Kyo played the card from his hand, the card's malevolent spirit appeared, startling Stephen considerably. "But—what the hell…?" Stephen started.

"It allows me to take control of one monster on your side of the field till the end of this turn," said Kyo. "And I choose…your Reshef the Dark Being!"

"WHAT?" Stephen yelled out. But before he could react, the Change of Heart spirit flew into Reshef – and, wavering only slightly, that monster went right over to Kyo's side of the field!

"Hey, you! Get back here this instant—**_I_** am your master, not that runt!" Stephen yelled.

"Somehow, I don't think your monster appreciates you talking to it like that," Kyo smirked. "And now…I will activate Reshef's effect! By discarding one Magic card from my hand, I can take control of one monster on your side of the field till the end of this turn – and I select your Dark Ruler Ha Des!"

Kyo immediately discarded another card from his hand, his Celestial Transformation magic card…and suddenly, inexplicably, Reshef's three colorful orbs began to glow. The next thing Stephen knew, Dark Ruler Ha Des was casually strolling over to Kyo's end of the field as well!

"Now, I'll summon some monsters of my own," Kyo went on, choosing one of the cards left in his hand. "And I summon Majestic Mech – Ohka (ATK 2400, DEF 1400)!"

A blaze of light exploded on the field…and then, right before Stephen's startled eyes, Kyo's lion-like fairy appeared. "But…wait a sec…that's a Level 6 monster! You need to tribute for that!" Stephen exploded. "Unless…you know you can't tribute any monsters because of my Mask of Restrict trap card…you've got to be cheating right here!"

"Actually, numbskull, it's a perfectly legitimate move," and Kyo shook his head in aversion. "Yes, Ohka usually needs a monster tribute to be summoned – but his effect allows me to Normal summon him without offering tributes, even though if I do that, he'll be destroyed by his own effect during the end of the turn in which I summoned him that way. But…with what I've got planned for you…his destruction will be the furthest thing from your mind!"

"What're you talking about?" asked a bewildered Stephen.

"Look and see! Now, I'll equip my Majestic Mech – Ohka with the Silver Bow and Arrow, to increase his ATK and DEF by 300 points!" And as Kyo played one more card, the bow and arrow were affixed to Ohka's head, his ATK and DEF sharply rising to 2700 and 1700 respectively!

"Way to go, Kyo! Now you've got a strong enough monster team on _your_ side!" cheered Miki.

"That…I know already!" Kyo smirked again. "Now, take a good look, Mr. Ingram…I kicked your ass once long ago, and now I'm about to put my boot to your ass once again—and with your own monsters, at that! Okay, Dark Ruler Ha Des – obliterate Opticlops!"

Ha Des raised his hand – and Opticlops withered into dust, Stephen's life points getting reduced to 6350. "Take another one! Reshef the Dark Being, attack directly!" Kyo cried—and Reshef's three orbs shot out massive beams of light, all bombarding Stephen and causing an explosion of dust where he stood even as his life points went down further to 3850!

"AAAAAAGH!" Stephen yelled out, flying several feet back. His jacket was badly burned from that attack, and his face was a real picture of rage. "Why, you…!"

"Now, Majestic Mech – Ohka, it's your turn! Strike now!" Kyo commanded. And in reply, Ohka blasted a massive ball of light from his mouth, hitting Stephen in the face and knocking him backwards and to the ground as his life points went down even further to 1150.

"Get him, Kyo! Just one more attack and…" Miki stopped. "Hey, wait a minute."

"I'm glad you noticed it too," Ms. Wong remarked, sighing. "Kyo doesn't have any more monsters on the field to attack with. He's attacked with all three of those monsters now…and he has no more."

Stephen, slowly getting back up, saw it too. "Your efforts…were useless, girly punk," he snarled at Kyo. "Now…when your turn ends, Ohka will be destroyed…and then I'll take my turn again AND get back both of my monsters…and then you'll be at my mercy—not that I'll show you any!"

"Well…there's just one thing I have left to do, in that case," answered Kyo. "And that is—to activate my trap card, Solar Ray!"

All at once the card that Kyo had had facedown for so long finally flipped face-up, with a massive light shining from it! "Solar Ray inflicts 600 points of damage to my opponent's life points for each Light monster on my side of the field," he explained. "My Majestic Mech – Ohka is a Light monster…and incidentally, so is Reshef the Dark Being!"

Stephen took in the truth with wide eyes. His jaw dropped. "No…that means…"

"…Stephen will get 1200 points of damage done to him – enough to take him out of the duel for good!" exclaimed Miki.

Ms. Wong looked on in wonder. _Looks like you were right, Kyo…you really have finished the duel on this turn…_

The Solar Ray trap card shone more brightly now. "Look at it long and hard, man," Kyo admonished Stephen. "All those years, you picked on people weaker than you…you spread terror across the school…" His eyes narrowed and his voice was full of venom. "You made me reduce myself to the level of an animal when you wrecked my mother's birthday gift…and just a little while ago, you threatened my girlfriend…well, take the light of judgment into your sorry hide and – REPENT!"

And then, just like that, as Kyo shouted the last word, the trap card blasted a thunderous wave of light energy at Stephen. The blast was so bright, Miki and Ms. Wong had to turn away completely and cover their faces lest they be blinded; so powerful, it tore through the ground and slammed into Stephen with a thunderous **BANG!**

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" Stephen screamed out as the light consumed him. But even as that happened, the forceful attack still rushed for several hundred feet, carrying its hapless victim with it!

----------

Malachi and his group were still walking along, in relative silence. Malachi and Miriam walked side by side; Luke and David were only a few steps behind.

Presently David looked to one side. "Oy, mates, what's that?"

The others turned to look in the direction he was pointing. "I see it," Miriam said softly. "It looks almost like a…"

Hardly were the words out of her mouth when there was a simultaneous burst of light and a noise like thunder, several hundred yards away! "Whoa! What the hell was that?" cried a bewildered Luke.

"Come on!" exclaimed Malachi, running toward the spot.

The others hurried after Malachi, all wondering what they would find. "Whatcha think it was, boss?" David asked.

"We'll know when we see it," Malachi answered shortly.

At length they reached the spot – and all recoiled when they saw it. "Mother of God…" Miriam shuddered.

Right in front of them was a large scorched patch of land, with a burnt trail leading from it for several hundred feet into a clearing. In the middle of the burnt land was a human figure with burnt and torn clothes and a completely shattered Duel-Disk. "My word…" Even Malachi seemed astonished at this.

Then David looked more closely at the person before them. "Hey, wait a minute—I remember this guy!" he exclaimed. "Oy, Luke—isn't this the guy who humiliated me in my duel back in the last round?"

"I declare—it IS him!" cried Luke. "But what in the world happened to him, I wonder?"

Malachi looked up. "I believe _they_ can answer your question."

Puzzled, the others looked in the direction Malachi was currently facing…and saw three figures heading toward them. "Well, well, well…if it isn't two of Yugo Muto's pals," David smirked. "Kyo and Miki, I think it is."

"Wonder who the other one is, though," mused Luke.

At length the three came up to the foursome. "Malachi and company? What're you guys doing here?" asked Miki.

"We just happened by," Malachi replied. "The better question to ask, knight-user, is: what the hell happened to this guy?" And he indicated the person on the ground.

"Oh, you mean Stephen?" Miki looked down at him with distaste in her eyes. "He got what was coming to him, that's what happened. Kyo here just beat him in a duel."

"Whaaaaaaaaaat? YOU got to beat him? Aw, man!" David groaned.

"I had some history with this guy," Kyo explained. "Kind of like you and Abel Drake, Malachi."

"Ah…I see what you mean," Malachi nodded solemnly.

Suddenly Kyo flinched and went down on one knee, holding his ribs. "Kyo! Are you okay?" Miki cried, kneeling down beside him.

"Pain…coming back…" Kyo's breathing was shallow.

"I see—you didn't escape unscathed," Malachi observed. "How bad is it?"

"Nothing seems broken…but I got thrown into a tree pretty hard—I feel like everything inside was rearranged," Kyo answered. "Aaaagh…it's doing more than stinging right about now…"

"Here, lean on me," Miki offered, slinging one of Kyo's arms over her shoulders. Miriam reacted promptly, slinging the other arm over her own shoulders as well.

"Get him somewhere where he can sit comfortably," Malachi instructed. "David, Luke, pick up the unlucky bloke over here and bring him along, too."

As Kyo, supported by Miki and Miriam, headed away from the burnt site with Malachi following after them, Luke reached down and grabbed Stephen's unconscious form, slinging him over his shoulder and following after the group. Meanwhile, David turned to Kyo and Miki's companion. "And by the way, you are…?"

"Vivian Wong," she introduced herself. "And you guys are the infamous foursome from the Intercontinentals."

"Infamous, eh?" David chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Oy, David!" Luke snapped from over his shoulder. "Get acquainted with the lady later! Lend a hand over here now!"

"He's right. There'll be enough time to chat a little later," Ms. Wong nodded.

"All right, all right. Keep your pantyhose on, Luke, I'm coming," David called.

----------

**_neomage:_** And so, ladies and gents, the duel between Kyo and Stephen has come to a rather…violent end. And, Kyo and company have now run into Malachi and company, and one more Zodiac's been taken down! Keep reading to see what happens next!


	233. Chapter 233

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: neomage doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh. He does, however own the Millennium Keyboard.)

**CHAPTER 233**

DUELTROPOLIS, A FEW MINUTES LATER

In a few moments Kyo was resting on the same bench where he, Miki and Ms. Wong had passed the previous night in sleep. His shirt was off as both Luke and Ms. Wong examined him carefully. "Plenty of bruising, mate, but nothing that a good amount of rest won't be able to fix," Luke said after a moment.

"Quite true," agreed Ms. Wong. "You just need to take it easy until your next match."

"Thanks," said Kyo. "Can I have my shirt back, please?"

"Bashful, are you?" Ms. Wong teased as she handed him the shirt.

"Nah, it's nothing like that—ow!" Kyo winced as he pulled the shirt on a little too energetically.

"Hey, hey, hey, not so fast, man—take it easy, like she said," Luke warned.

Not far away, Malachi and David were standing over Stephen Ingram's still-unconscious form, which had been laid out carefully on the soft grass that hadn't been affected by the duel just ended. "I feel like stepping all over this guy right about now," David said darkly.

"You'll do no such thing," Malachi admonished him. "I know you're pissed at him for the way he beat you in your duel against him last round, but there's no honor in kicking a man when he's down—and right now, he's more than down, he's out."

A little distance away from both groups, Miriam and Miki were watching the whole proceedings. "I get it now…so that guy used to bully your boyfriend…and then your boyfriend clocked him with an iron pipe…and he came back for revenge," Miriam remarked. "Sounds like something from a novel."

"Maybe," answered Miki. "But at the least, both of them are still alive."

"Why do you sound concerned for that jerk?" Miriam asked, a little surprised.

"Yes, I know Stephen wasn't a nice person…but…he might've driven Kyo over the edge…" Miki recalled Kyo's earlier death threat to Stephen during the duel, and shuddered. "For my part, I'm just relieved that that last attack Kyo pulled out wasn't more devastating than it was."

"And from the looks of it, it was devastating enough," replied Miriam.

There was a bit of silence between the two girls for a moment. Then Miriam spoke again. "So…you guys are traveling with a member of the Duel Monsters World Tournament Committee, are you? She certainly seems like a nice person."

"Yes, Ms. Wong is very nice," agreed Miki. "She's been a big help to me since I set foot on this island. If I hadn't met her, I wonder if I'd even still be in the competition…"

"I think you'd make it—you're a pretty good duelist, after all," Miriam answered.

"Thank you," Miki said gratefully, and blushed a bit.

Silence again. Then this time Miki was the one who broke it. "So…how have you guys been since the tournament began?"

"Well…" Miriam shuffled her feet. "Malachi and Luke are a little on edge with each other right now."

"What? Why?" Miki asked, curious.

"Well…um…" Miriam groped for words. "Let's just say my brother caught me and Luke in a, ah, compromising situation, and he wasn't very pleased about that."

Miki looked at her, puzzled…then her eyes widened in understanding. "Ohhh…so you guys were…"

Miriam nodded. "Now Luke has to prove himself in his next duel if he wants to resume having anything to do with me. And…" She closed her eyes. "Really, I don't want there to be a tiff between my brother and my boyfriend just because of me, you know what I mean?"

"Well…a duel for love…that's really something romantic." Miki smiled. "Don't worry, Miriam. If Luke really likes you, then I know he'll put his whole heart and soul into his next duel."

Miriam looked at Miki and smiled back. "That's really charming of you to say. Thanks."

"So, girls, what's the discussion about?" Kyo's voice sounded behind them.

Miki turned to face Kyo. "Girl talk, mainly," she chuckled. "But more importantly…are you okay now?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine…as long as I don't push myself too much before my next duel, that is," Kyo replied. "But really, though, I'm feeling a little better now."

"Well, you took a rather bad beating from Stephen in that duel…I'm just relieved you're okay," and with that Miki gently embraced him, so as not to hurt him.

Miriam looked at the pair and slowly cast her eyes downward. _I wonder if I'll be able to hold Luke like that again anytime soon…_

"Hey, you blokes! This bastard's waking up!"

Immediately everyone's attention was drawn to David. "What's that you say, bro?" Luke answered. "He's awake now?"

"Yep!" David affirmed.

"Be careful kids…even in his state at present, we can't take him too lightly," Ms. Wong cautioned.

They all gathered around the stirring Stephen. He grimaced and groaned, shaking his head from side to side. "Ow…ow…ow…shit…this bites…"

Slowly he opened his eyes; as his vision came into clearer focus, he beheld the seven individuals standing over him. Blinking in confusion at first, he looked around…and then his expression soured as his eyes rested on Kyo. **_"You…"_**

Kyo didn't say anything, just glared back at his age-old enemy.

Stephen chuckled. "You…you said earlier that I was the one who was going to die…well, you had your opportunity to kill me just now. You should've taken it…you should've killed me, you little jerk-ass."

Kyo closed his eyes. "You're right…I probably should have."

With one movement the others turned their heads toward him. "Kyo…!" Miki whispered.

"But…" Kyo's eyes opened again. "If I did that, I'd merely be degrading myself. Just like I degraded myself all those years ago…when I finally blew my stack after enduring all your abuse." He affixed a cold gaze of finality upon Stephen. "I'm much bigger than that now. My only true revenge at this point…is to see you suffering the one thing you wanted me to suffer most—humiliation."

Stephen scowled. "Screw you to hell, Kyo Bakura."

"All right, THAT will be enough of THAT!" Ms. Wong announced sternly. "David and Luke, would you two strong gentlemen be so kind as to pick him up and bring him along? My associates at Pegasus's castle will certainly want to have a word with him."

"Gladly!" David rubbed his hands together gleefully.

In one movement Stephen was forced to his feet, his arms pinned to his back and David and Luke on either side of him. "I know why…why you want to take me back to that old relic of a castle," he sneered at Ms. Wong. "But you won't be getting a thing out of me!"

"Like we want to hear anything now," Malachi answered sourly.

"Ms. Wong!"

Startled by the voice, Ms. Wong turned around. "Well, well, well…"

"More island security!" Miki chirped happily.

Indeed, it was Pegasus's appointed guards in suits, coming toward them. "We saw a bright light and heard an explosion coming from here, so we decided to investigate," one suit explained. "Are you all right?"

"Yes, I'm fine, thank you," answered Ms. Wong. "Another one of _them_ has been caught." And here she indicated Stephen.

"Understood, ma'am! We just captured another one ourselves!" the suit reported—and at his prompting two of the other guards stepped forward, bearing on a stretcher a guy with shoulder-length brown hair, a scorched gray fur coat and brown jeans.

Seeing this person on the stretcher, Stephen raised an eyebrow. _Leo the Wildmaster…what the hell happened to YOU?_

"Very good, then. Take him back to Pegasus immediately…and take _this_ one with you," instructed Ms. Wong. "And be careful with both of them—you can't tell what could happen."

"Yes, ma'am!" the lead suit nodded understanding.

Two of the other suits promptly stepped forward and relieved David and Luke of Stephen. Then the suits headed off in another direction; Stephen, struggling only a little, smirked as he was led away. "You'll pay for this…you'll all pay…mark my words!" he hissed.

"Save it, buddy," one of the suits holding him snarled.

Malachi shrugged as he watched the procession leaving. "Well, that takes care of that," he announced. "Now we can get back to the business of resuming the duels."

"Same old Malachi," chuckled Kyo.

Malachi looked levelly at him. "You just finished dueling, so obviously you're not the designated opponent for anyone in my group. That means…" He shifted his gaze to Miki. "What's your duelist number?"

"Uh, I'm Duelist number 5," Miki replied.

Malachi looked at Luke and Miriam; both shook their heads. "Well, guess you're not our opponent," Malachi remarked.

"In that case, why not travel with us?" offered Ms. Wong.

"Thanks, but…we're used to going by ourselves as a single group," David interjected. "Been that way for so long, we've gotten used to it."

"Suit yourselves," said Kyo. "Good luck in your matches for this round!"

"Uh-huh." Malachi nodded and turned away. "Let's go, you guys."

Luke, Miriam and David nodded to Kyo's group; then the foursome walked off. "There go an interesting bunch," murmured Ms. Wong.

"It's okay—somehow I feel we'll be seeing them again very, very soon," Miki replied, and smiled.

----------

ELSEWHERE IN DUELTROPOLIS, IN THE MEANTIME

The sound of birds chirping stirred Flora from her sleep. "Mmmm…so sweet…" she whispered.

Slowly she sat up, mindful of the fact that she'd passed the night on a small mound of soft grass underneath a tree. Rubbing her eyes, she became aware that she was covered by Marcus's jacket. "Marcus?" she called.

"Over here," he called back.

Flora looked over in the direction Marcus's voice had come from—and saw him doing abdominal crunches. "Good morning," she addressed him.

"Yeah, morning," he replied, not slowing his crunches.

"Um…did you sleep well?" Flora asked.

"Yeah, pretty much," Marcus answered.

"But—you covered me with your jacket. Weren't you cold?"

"It was either me or you. I chose me." Marcus's reply was nonchalant.

Flora smiled. "Well…thanks."

"Don't mention it," he answered, still doing crunches.

Presently Flora stood up, dusting herself off before shaking out Marcus's jacket to rid it of dust as well. "Whatcha wanna do today?" she asked.

"What else is there to do?" Marcus asked. "I've been eliminated from the tournament, you've been eliminated from the tournament…"

"We could go find and watch somebody else duel," Flora suggested. "Maybe Wade or Blaze have advanced—it would be fun to see them duel, don't you think?"

"Yeah, maybe," answered Marcus. He stood up. "If you want to watch a duel…then fine, let's go find a duel to watch."

Flora smiled sweetly. Marcus's voice was still casual and his manner still a bit unfriendly—but gone from his face, she noticed, was the hardened look of a burdened soldier with a guilty conscience. _Last night…it was truly the beginning of something new for him, as well as for me…_

"Flora…my jacket…?"

"Oh—right. Sure thing." Flora handed the jacket to Marcus. "Well, shall we go?"

"Uh-huh," and Marcus slipped his jacket on.

----------

ELSEWHERE IN DUELTROPOLIS, AT THAT MOMENT

Janus Yuki groaned and yawned as he tossed about on the ground. "Oooh…so not comfy…"

At length opening his eyes, he sat up and ran a hand over his face. He then looked down at the small campfire he'd built last night when settling down here in the open; all that remained of it was a thin wisp of smoke. "Well, at least my survival skills training that I got at the annual camp session last year have paid off," he chuckled. "Now, to freshen up a little…"

Not far away from where he'd lain down to sleep was a small stream of water. Janus promptly stripped off his jacket and undershirt, then walked over to the water's edge. Bending down, he scooped some water into his hands and splashed it over his face, exhaling sharply as he did this.

"Man, I wish I could have a real shower—but this'll have to suffice for now," he sighed. And with that said, he went on to splash more water onto his upper body…unaware that hidden in the safety of the trees behind him, a mysterious figure was watching his every movement with keen eyes…

----------

PEGASUS'S CASTLE, IN THE MEANTIME

Dr. Crowler and the Committee members were all gathered in Pegasus's dining room, breakfasting. Mr. Von Schroeder and Mr. Devlin were both eating scrambled eggs with sausage; Kaiba was sipping at a small cup of tea; Mr. Truesdale and Pegasus were drinking coffee; Dr. Crowler had a bowl of jell-o before him.

"Jell-o, Dr. Crowler?" Pegasus chuckled.

"I like to keep up my figure, you know," said Dr. Crowler, popping a spoonful of the gelatin into his mouth.

Mr. Devlin paused in his eating. "After I'm done here, I want to view the security tapes of the latest duels," he announced. "I figure that at least one or two of the second-round duels may have already begun or may have ended by now."

"And hopefully Yugi will soon arrive," mumbled Kaiba.

"Well, I know what I want to do—I want to go check on our Zodiac guests," remarked Pegasus. "We haven't really tried to check on them much since they arrived—I guess we have been too absorbed in trying to catch the ones that are still out there, we've forgotten about the ones we have now."

Just then a cell-phone rang. "That would be for me," Pegasus said apologetically as he pulled out the phone and answered it. "Yes?"

There was a brief silence as the others watched him. Then Pegasus spoke again. "I see…well, don't let them out of your sights, whatever you do. Get them here as soon as possible, understand? Good."

"Please say that that was good news," said Mr. Von Schroeder.

"Oh, it was," nodded Pegasus. "Security's captured two more of the Zodiacs—Forrest Wiles and one Stephen Ingram—and are bringing them here to the castle even as we speak."

"So that makes three that are on their way, including Felix Sanchez…and we already have six in our custody…and now that leaves three unaccounted for," said Mr. Devlin thoughtfully.

_Including HIM…_ Mr. Truesdale thought ruefully.

Pegasus took a gulp of his coffee, then set the mug down. "Well, you will all have to excuse me now, gentlemen—I'm going to see our prisoners now."

"Wait there, Pegasus—I'm going with you," and here Mr. Truesdale took a big gulp of his coffee and then set the mug down. "If you will all excuse me, as well…"

"Very well, then, shall we go?" said Pegasus. And together he and Mr. Truesdale exited the room, leaving the other men to continue dining.

----------

**_neomage:_** Today, the 23rd of July, marks the third and final week that I'll be working in the summer job program! And then, after that…FREEDOM! (flings confetti into the air)

(rampagerkriz walks into the room, all smiles)

yamikriz: What're you so happy about?

rampagerkriz: Other than that Kimiru and I will have a lot more free time together after neomage gets off his job, you mean? (grins)

yamikriz: Lovesick puppy. (chews on a piece of chicken)

neomage: Well, anyhow…review soon, everyone!


	234. Chapter 234

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: "Freedom is coming to me next week!" Oh, uh, yes, as I was saying…I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**CHAPTER 234**

PEGASUS'S CASTLE

While the Dueltropolis tournament had been progressing steadily along, and while duelist after duelist had fallen by the wayside or charged forward into greater hope for tournament victory…what was happening with the captive Zodiacs in the dungeon below Pegasus's castle?

Laurel Strong lay down on the cot in her cell, her feet propped up by the heels on the wall, and her hands behind her head. "I hope it's not too long before they decide to serve us breakfast—even prisoners have to eat, you know," she chuckled.

In the cell right next door to hers, a massive yawn could be heard. "Would you be so kind as to keep it down? People do like to sleep in during the morning, you know!" Cassius Princeton snorted.

Across the hallway, Kyle Welling sat in his cell, a dark look on his face. "Princeton…you better not talk again, or else I'll cut out your treacherous tongue," he hissed.

"Shut up, freak," Cassius retorted. "I don't pay you taxes on my mouth. And anyway, what do you think you can do to me, when your cell is this much distance away from mine?"

"You'd better be careful, rich-boy—Taurus isn't the only one who feels the way he does about you," Regina Brissett, further down the line, announced. "Blabbing off to the Committee is a one-way ticket to a beating from us—I hope you remember that."

"Want a suggestion? Try airing out your panties—they must be so far stuck in your crotch, you've become like a stifled old lady after being locked up in here for so long!" Cassius taunted.

"I swear, if I weren't locked up in this cell, I'd break your face wide open right now!" Regina exploded.

_"WILL YOU ASSHOLES SHUT THE HELL UP?"_

"Awww…Gemini the Strife is awake at last," Laurel said with mock sweetness. "Did you dream about me, honey-bunch?"

Next door to Regina's cell, Chris Gear was just lifting himself out of his cot. He was shirtless; bandages were wrapped around his torso and shoulders. "Only in my nightmares, hag," he grunted crossly. "How long have I been out?"

"Well, let's see…they brought you into this place yesterday afternoon, or thereabouts…and you've been out of it up till now, since that time," Kyle informed him. "Oh, yeah, they brought you and Aquarius in together—but he's still unconscious as far as we can tell."

"Oh…" Chris rubbed his face with a palm. "How many of us are here, then?"

"Six," replied Regina. "I was the first one they got. Then there's you and Aquarius, Taurus over there, Pisces further down, and the traitor Scorpio."

"Traitor?" Chris looked up in surprise, then ran to his cell bars and looked down the hallway to Cassius's prison. "Scorpio, what did you do?"

"I'll tell you what he did—he shot off his full-of-shit mouth to the Committee after they brought him in!" Kyle snarled, a heavy bitterness in his tone.

"It doesn't matter…"

All the other Zodiacs started at the voice. "Aquarius? Is that you? You're awake now?" Regina asked.

"I've been awake the last couple of minutes," Victor Greaves replied. Like Chris, he was shirtless and bandaged around his torso, with an additional one around his neck and one more on his wrist. "Who can possibly sleep with you guys quarreling like kids, anyway?"

"How dare you say that it doesn't matter what Mr. Blabbermouth's done?" Kyle demanded indignantly. "He's sold us all out!"

"So string me up and hang me, then," Cassius taunted.

"Be careful what you wish for…" Regina muttered darkly.

"Whether he did or didn't, I say again, it doesn't matter," Victor repeated. "We're all dead, anyway."

"Dead like you, zombie-boy?" Laurel teased.

"Shut your pie-hole and listen to what I'm telling you!" Victor snapped. "No matter how loyal we are to the cause, now that we've been defeated and knocked out of the tournament, whoever is left among the Zodiacs that are still in Dueltropolis will bury us six feet under—no joke!"

"He's telling the truth," Chris informed the rest of them. "We're all liabilities to Master Orion now. Whatever time we have left is numbered."

"What're you babbling about?" demanded Kyle. "If anybody's going to die, it's Scorpio over there!" and he pointed an accusing finger in the direction of Cassius's prison. "He's the one who's betrayed us—the rest of us haven't said shit to the Committee about the Zodiacs' plans!"

"Master Orion apparently doesn't care about that," Chris growled. "Even if we haven't said anything, he believes there's the possibility that we eventually might. So he's sent out an order to, ahem, 'silence' any Zodiac who's been defeated in the tournament."

"Gear and I were victims of that order," Victor took up the tale again. "We were both overpowered and left for dead…by Aries."

There was silence as this bit of news sank in. "…no…so we're just gonna be treated like we have no more use to Master Orion…after all we've done for him and the organization…?" Laurel's voice had a bit of a tremor in it now.

"Lies! Lies, I say!" Kyle roared. "These guys are lying! There's no way Master Orion would do such a thing to us, his _loyal_ soldiers! These two bastards are just trying to scare us, that's all!"

"Bite your tongue, Taurus!" Chris snarled menacingly. "You weren't there when Aries took me and Aquarius down—you didn't see the look in his eyes or hear what he said to us! I don't know how Aquarius feels about what you've just said, but know this—call me a liar again, and I'll rip your lungs out of your chest! Mark my words!"

"As far as I'm concerned—" began Cassius.

"You shut up, traitor! I don't want to hear one more peep out of you!" Kyle stormed.

"No, _you_ be quiet, douche-bag!" Laurel hissed. "I want to hear what he's got to say!"

"So do I," said Victor. "Sorry, Taurus, but you're outnumbered on this one—and for the record, I don't like being called a liar, either—you'd do well to remember that. Now, Scorpio, say what you gotta say."

"Thanks." Cassius sighed. "As I was saying, as far as I'm concerned, I don't doubt what Aquarius and Gemini have said. And if what they say does turn out to be true, then we haven't got a prayer—especially if it's _Aries_ who's been sent after us. That guy…other than Master Orion and Capricorn…Aries scares the hell out of me. His power is obscene."

"But we can't just go by hearsay on this! I mean, how do we even know without a doubt that Master Orion has really sent out an order to kill us for our failure in the tournament?" Kyle insisted stubbornly.

"How do you know he **_hasn't?"_** Chris countered. "I know he has, because I heard Aries say it, heard him with my own ears—and I've got the injuries to prove it!"

"Taurus, do you seriously believe we'd fake injuries like _these?"_ Victor pointed to his bandages in indignation. "Or that we'd inflict them on ourselves? How stupid do you think we are to do something like that?"

"You have no idea…" grunted Kyle.

"Okay, stick a pin, stick a pin," Regina cut in. "Now, let's say, for the sake of argument, that Aquarius and Gemini are right, and that those of us no longer in the tournament are liabilities. What now?"

"Well, we could ask the Committee for asylum," Cassius suggested.

"Screw the Committee and screw _you!_ I'm not about to stab Master Orion in the back like you have!" Kyle hissed wrathfully.

"And what will you say when HE puts a butcher knife in YOUR back?" Chris shot at Kyle.

"Are you becoming a turncoat now, you bastard?" Kyle snarled.

"You listen to me, dog vomit," Chris glared at Kyle. "I know for a fact that I just barely managed to avoid getting on the extinct species' list after Aries tried to kill me and Aquarius. If that's the sort of reward I should expect after all the time I've spent obeying Master Orion without a murmur, then here's my response!" And he turned his head to one side and spat on the ground.

Laurel's eyes widened. "Gemini…to go so far…!"

Kyle's eyebrow twitched. "I can't believe I'm hearing this crap…fine! You want to spit on Master Orion's generosity to his flock, you can do it yourself!"

"Let's hear you be so obstinate after Aries puts Exodia's fist up your ass," Victor muttered ominously.

"My, my, dissention in the ranks, is it?"

All six Zodiacs looked up at the sound of the voice—and some distance away, walking into the vicinity where all of them could see him, was Maximillion Pegasus…and then, a moment later, behind him came Zane Truesdale. "I thought you Zodiacs were a rather tight-knit group—I guess I was wrong," Pegasus remarked with a wry smile.

"Shut up, old man; this has nothing to do with you," Kyle growled through clenched teeth.

"I'd clap your rude-ass mouth right now, but I'm not in the mood," Mr. Truesdale declared. "We just thought we'd come down and let you sorry lot know that in due course, three more of your brethren will be on their way."

"Quite so…and all three were soundly defeated in their respective duels, just like all of you were in yours," added Pegasus. Then he smirked. "Stephen Ingram, Forrest Wiles, and Felix Sanchez—the names ring a bell?"

"What? Those guys were defeated? Impossible!" Laurel cried out involuntarily.

"And yet it happened, little lady," Mr. Truesdale replied.

"Damn…Cancer the Scourge, Leo the Wildmaster and Libra the Blackjack…defeated…I can't believe it…" whispered Cassius.

"Well, actually, I could understand Leo getting defeated—but there's no way Cancer or Libra would lose!" Regina blurted out.

"And yet they did," said Mr. Truesdale. "Oh, and I think I should let you know, in case you care. Forrest Wiles will be coming in here on a stretcher, just like Chris Gear and Victor Greaves did when they arrived—he was found just barely surviving after a particularly savage attack on him."

"SEE?" Victor and Chris yelled at Kyle.

"Pshaw!" Kyle rebuffed them. "Leo was a loser—always was, always will be! Even a toddler could take him down!"

"But I beg to differ," interjected Pegasus. "When our security team found Forrest Wiles, he was only half-conscious, babbling a lot of gibberish…but they reported that at least one intelligible word kept coming out from him: _Aries."_

"I guess some of your 'loving' compatriots aren't as loving as you expected, huh?" said Mr. Truesdale. "Well, just thought we'd let you know that, that's all. Oh, and your breakfast will be on the way soon—hope you're hungry." And with that, he and Pegasus turned and left the six prisoners to themselves.

As the two men's footsteps echoed away down the corridor, there was silence among the six Zodiacs. Then Victor chuckled. "Hey, Taurus…feeling the knife in your back yet?"

"Leave me alone," Kyle muttered grimly, leaning against the wall and folding his arms.

----------

DUELTROPOLIS, IN THE MEANTIME

"Whew—now I feel clean again!" Janus grinned as he slipped his Osiris Red jacket back on and stood up from the edge of the stream. "Now, time to head out…"

Suddenly he flinched and held his stomach. "Ohhh…damn, I'm starving," he groaned. "I wish I could've taken some food from that restaurant, in a doggie bag or something…uh, well, maybe there's some edible plant around or something, like what they taught us on the camping expedition last year…"

Hopefully he looked around—but none of the plants he saw growing nearby seemed edible to him. And furthermore, none of the trees in sight were fruit trees. "Okay…maybe fish?" Janus glanced down at the stream—but to his dismay, there was no sign of aquatic life there, either.

Groaning again, Janus hugged his middle even tighter and sank down to the ground on his butt. "Geez, like even fruits could tame my hunger now, anyway," he moaned aloud. "Why couldn't there be a Burger King or a Wendy's around, for God's sake?"

Suddenly he sniffed. "Hey…what is that?"

A delicious aroma was in the air, and so strong that it aroused Janus badly, causing him to drool for hunger. "Beef…lettuce…cheese…barbecue sauce…" He licked his lips in anticipation. "And that tempting smell is coming from…that-a-way!"

Simultaneously he spun around to face behind himself—and his eyes widened in surprise. "Hey! You are…!"

Standing a good twenty feet away was a girl in a Ra Yellow jacket, wearing a bird's wing hairpin in her hair—Angel Snow. "I'm glad to see you remember me, Janus," she said softly.

Janus looked at her, observing that she was holding a small bag in hand. "Hey…um…not to beg or anything, but do you have any food on you?" he asked meekly.

"Certainly. Help yourself." Angel tossed the bag to him. Janus caught it expertly with one hand, and promptly began to dig into it with much relish.

"Hey, hey, hey—whaddaya know! I was right!" Janus triumphantly pulled out a massive sandwich from the bag. "Angel, you're really an angel!"

"I stopped at a small rest-stop last night, and stacked up on a little food for today," Angel explained. "You should consider doing that sometime—making adequate preparations, I mean."

"Yeah, well, my bad this time," Janus chuckled sheepishly. "Thanks." And he began to dig into the sandwich eagerly.

Angel watched as Janus bit into the sandwich again and again. "So, how have you been doing in the tournament thus far?" she asked.

"Heh…got my first duel yesterday," Janus answered with a full mouth and a grin. "Against that old sucker, Cassius Princeton. The little douche-bag tried to cheat his way to a victory, too—but I still managed to kick his ass real good."

Angel raised a curious eyebrow. "Against Cassius Princeton, you say? One of the best duelists of Obelisk Blue—and he…tried to cheat?"

"Got that right," affirmed Janus between bites into the sandwich.

"But—if he's an elite duelist, there shouldn't be a need for him to cheat, should there?" wondered Angel.

"One would like to think that," sighed Janus. "Oh, and something else, too, and this was real weird: he had an odd-looking Duel-Disk, with the deck slot shaped like a scorpion—and he even had a nickname for himself, too! 'Scorpio the Venom' if I remember right. Odd, isn't it?"

Angel eyed him keenly. "Perhaps…"

Janus stuffed the last bit of the sandwich into his mouth, then walked over and handed the bag back to Angel. "Thanks again," he grinned. "I just wish I could repay you for this…but I guess maybe that'll have to wait till after this tournament is over and done with."

Angel's eyes narrowed a little. "Perhaps you CAN repay me, sooner than you think, Janus…"

"Huh? How?" asked Janus, a bit perplexed.

Now Angel smiled. "With a duel."

Janus blinked…then he smirked. "Hey, I'd like that, really I would—but it's against tournament rules to challenge anyone other than our designated opponents, isn't it?" he asked. "And we're not rule-breakers, either of us, so…"

He turned away from her—and suddenly felt a firm grip on his wrist. "Huh? Angel, what're you doing all of a sudden?" he asked, his eyes wide in puzzlement.

Angel's hair overshadowed her brow. "I'm afraid you don't understand," she said softly. "There was an announcement this morning…that paired up the duelists with their opponents for the second round of the tournament. Now, I'm certain in my heart of hearts that you are the one who I'm supposed to duel against—and so I'm not going to let you leave until we duel each other."

Janus tugged lightly at his wrist, hoping to get her to release him. "Well, I'm sorry, but I didn't hear that announcement…"

Then, just like that, from a distance away Maximillion Pegasus's voice could be heard over the P.A. system. "Good morning once again, everyone," he sounded very cheerful. "This is merely a repeat of all the duelists' numbers, so all you duelists still in the tournament may know who you're slated to compete against: 32 and 14…2 and 16…3 and 23…15 and 4…18 and 27…17 and 7…5 and 12…and 1 and 24."

Angel looked levelly at Janus. "My number is 27…and yours is…?"

Janus blinked…then smiled a little. "Okay, you got me. I'm Duelist number 18. Guess you'll be getting that duel after all, huh?"

"Guess so," replied Angel. "Now, let's get ready, hmmm?"

Releasing Janus's wrist, Angel walked several feet away from him; then she turned to face him again. "Janus…I've been waiting a long time for this…for the chance to face you in a serious duel," she told him. "Please don't disappoint me."

Janus pulled out his Duel-Disk and strapped it on. "Don't worry—I don't believe in holding back on any opponent, so I won't hold back on you either," he assured her. "Just take out your own Duel-Disk and let's get it on! And boy, do I love an early-morning duel!"

Again Angel's hair overshadowed her brow, even as she reached into her jacket to pull out her equipment. "Well, let's see if you'll love this one…"

Then she took out her Duel-Disk—and immediately Janus looked on in surprise as its resemblance to a bird's wing. "Hey, hey, Angel—that's a really weird Duel-Disk you've got there," he remarked. "Some sort of fad, maybe?"

Angel looked levelly at him again. "Oh, if only it _was_ a fad, dear Janus…"

All at once memory clicked in Janus's mind. _Hey, hold on a minute—Mom was telling me about a group of people here at Dueltropolis who're out to make trouble…oh, no! No, no, no! Say it ain't so!_

"Angel…" Janus's eye twitched. "If it's not a fad, what is it?"

Angel calmly strapped the Duel-Disk onto her arm. "It's a matter of pride…a matter of justice…a matter of vengeance," she answered. "Cassius's name 'Scorpio the Venom' was no mere nickname…it was a title, a title of greatest proportions. And I, also, bear a similar title—mine is Virgo the Zephyr. And I want you to remember that title, Janus…remember it well, even as I blow you away with my mighty deck strength here and now…"

----------

**_neomage:_** Only a few more days to go before my summer job time is up! And then I'll be able to resume writing new chapters for this story! All right!

(yamikriz comes running into the room, holding his throat)

yamikriz: (gasping and choking) PEPPER-SPRAY!

neomage: (sweat-drops) Looks like somebody got you with the pepper-spray, huh?

yamikriz: (coughing) When I – cough – find out who – cough – did this…!

Kimiru: (safely in a corner, pocketing pepper-spray) Mwa-ha-ha.

neomage: Okay, well…REVIEW SOON, PLEASE!


	235. Chapter 235

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: **(wind blowing dramatically) **neomage doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**CHAPTER 235**

DUELTROPOLIS

"All right, Angel…the joke's over now, this isn't funny," Janus announced slowly.

"No joke, Janus," Angel replied coolly. "I am a member of the Zodiacs, the same group of which Cassius is a member. And I've just told you my title within the group—Virgo the Zephyr. It may sound like a dumb name to you, but it carries special meaning behind it."

"Okay, okay, time out, time out," Janus demanded. "Now, I don't know very much about what's going on, but…if Cassius is part of a group that would endorse him cheating in a duel, then that group must be no good…and yet, to hear you say that you're in the same group as he…"

"That he had to resort to cheating was unfortunate," acknowledged Angel. "I always knew Cassius had no spine to support his cocky talk."

"But even so…why are you with a group that wants to hunt Yugo?" Janus pressed.

Angel raised an eyebrow. "Yugo?"

"You know, Yugo Muto—the guy who won the Kaibacorp Challenge Cup, and who won the Intercontinentals!" Janus explained.

"I know who he is," returned Angel. "But who said our group was after _him?"_

Janus recalled his mother's warning to him. "It was something I was told," he answered in a steely voice. "What's going on here, Angel? Why is this group after Yugo—and why are you and Cassius mixed up with them?"

But Angel shook her head. "You've been misinformed, Janus," she replied. "We don't want Yugo Muto for any reason—why should we? And as for why Cassius and I are part of this group—he has his reasons, and I have mine."

"And your reasons are…?" Janus prompted.

"It's because—" Suddenly Angel caught herself. "No…it won't be that simple. If you'd really like to know, Janus, then fight me here and now." She gave him a searching glance as she talked. "Unless…you don't think you're brave enough to accept this duel?"

"What're you talking about?" Janus exclaimed. "Of course I'm not gonna back out of this! I accept your challenge!"

Now Angel smiled. "Just what I'd expect from you," she remarked. "All right—let's get down to it, then!"

Both of them quickly pulled out their decks and slotted them into their Duel-Disks. "I should warn you, I'm not called 'the Zephyr' for kicks," Angel told Janus. "You will soon see what I mean."

The holographic coin appeared between them and was flipped. "How about I be generous and allow you to call it?" suggested Angel.

"Yeah, that IS generous of you," replied Janus. "Okay, then—I'll call tails!"

The coin was flipped…and it spun in the air for a moment. Then it came back down to the ground…and spun around a few times as it landed…and when it finally stopped moving, its result was…heads. "Aw, man!" Janus groaned.

Then Angel said something rather surprising. "I'll let you go first."

"Huh? W-what?" Janus stared at her. "Are you…are you sure?"

"Don't underestimate my generosity, I warn you," Angel cautioned. "I'm only being generous now because, later, I don't want you saying that I never gave you some leeway. Of course, even that won't alter the eventual outcome of this duel—I will be the victor, and you will be carried away with the winds."

"Talk is cheap, Angel—or didn't you hear?" Janus told her. "The only way you can convince me that that line of argument is true is if you demonstrate it first-hand!"

"Agreed." Angel nodded resolutely.

That said, both drew their first five cards, after which Janus quickly drew another one to begin. "Now, where to start…I know! I'll summon Elemental Hero Bubbleman (ATK 800, DEF 1200) in Attack Mode!" Then he called forth a warrior in blue armor and a white cape, with blasters on his wrists. "And then…I'll set one card facedown, and end my turn. Go ahead—take your best shot."

"I will," Angel assured him. She drew from her deck. "And I'll start by summoning Harpie's Brother (ATK 1800, DEF 600) in Attack Mode!" She then brought forth a red-winged birdman with a sinister expression on his face. "Now, attack and destroy Bubbleman!"

Harpie's Brother flapped his wings and soared forward, toward Elemental Hero Bubbleman. But suddenly Janus exclaimed, "And now I'll activate the trap card, Hero Barrier!"

A massive shield appeared at that moment, blocking the attack of Harpie's Brother! "If I have a face-up Elemental Hero on my side of the field," explained Janus, "I can negate the attack of one monster."

"Very good," nodded Angel. "But do you really believe something like that will protect you forever?"

"I should suppose not, but at least it'll suffice for now," replied Janus with a smirk. "So, anything else?"

Angel looked at her cards. "Not for now. Go ahead—it's your move."

Nodding, Janus drew again. "Heh…and now I've got something that'll definitely tip the scales in my favor!" he announced triumphantly. "I'm about to summon a monster that'll be able to match your Harpie's Brother, strength for strength!"

"Show me," Angel challenged.

Janus then held up the card he'd drawn. "I activate the magic card, Polymerization! This will allow me to fuse together two monsters—my Elemental Hero Bubbleman on the field and my Elemental Hero Burstinatrix (ATK 1200, DEF 800) in my hand to form – Elemental Hero Steam Healer (ATK 1800, DEF 1000)!"

A flaming silhouette of Elemental Hero Burstinatrix appeared on the field and swirled into Elemental Hero Bubbleman – and the result was a frightful cloud of steam all over Janus's side of the field! "Whoa!" Angel exclaimed involuntarily, shielding herself from the hot cloud.

Then at length the cloud evaporated…and right there, before Janus, stood a massive warrior in big robotic armor painted blue and red. Steam hissed like crazy off the armor, even as the Steam Healer readied himself for battle. "And who says fire and water aren't compatible?" Janus quipped.

"Impressive, quite impressive," Angel remarked. "Is that all, though?"

"Unfortunately, yes, for now," Janus acknowledged. "Let's see you get something stronger than this Elemental Hero on the field, though. Can you?"

"Be careful what you wish for, little boy," Angel cautioned as she drew again. "As a matter of fact…don't even bother wishing. Right now, you're done for!"

"And how do you know that?" queried Janus.

"Easy! Just look and you'll see!" replied Angel. "Now…"

She held up the six cards in her hand and selected two of them. "Now, I'll set one card facedown…and summon the great Sonic Shooter (ATK 1300, DEF 600)!" And then she called forth a blue-feathered birdman, to stand next to Harpie's Brother.

"Um…in case you hadn't noticed, that guy's ATK is weaker than the Steam Healer's," Janus informed her.

"Oh, believe me, that has not escaped my notice," Angel assured him. "But you see, Sonic Shooter has a very useful effect: if my opponent has no cards in their Magic/Trap zone, then Sonic Shooter can attack directly!"

"HUH?" Janus exclaimed in astonishment.

"Go, Sonic Shooter! Use your Sonic Feather Blast!" commanded Angel. And Sonic Shooter complied immediately, flapping his wings and soaring into the sky—then he flapped them once, creating a mighty gust of wind that created wind blades to cut into Janus's flesh, reducing his life points to 6700! And so hard was the attack, too, that Janus fell backwards, onto his rump!

"Ow…geez…that stung like a bitch," Janus muttered, getting back up and gingerly dusting himself off.

"Oh, there's more where that came from, you'd best believe it," Angel warned.

Janus ran a hand through his hair. "All right…now what, then?"

"Now," replied Angel smoothly, "I'll end my turn."

At this point in the duel, the score now stood at Janus with 6700 life points and Angel with an untouched 8000. Janus had three cards in hand, while Angel had four. On the field Janus had his Elemental Hero Steam Healer in Attack Mode; Angel had Harpie's Brother and Sonic Shooter in Attack Mode as well, plus she had one card facedown.

Now Janus took his turn and drew once more. As he did this, he scrutinized the card he was drawing. _Hmmm…this card…I know I got this especially for this tournament, but there's no way I can use it now…even so, I do have something here that'll do me a world of good!_

"Now, watch and learn, Angel!" Janus announced aloud. "I'll activate the magic card, E – Emergency Call! This allows me to add one monster from my deck to my hand that includes 'Elemental Hero' in its name—and I'll go for my Elemental Hero Sparkman (ATK 1600, DEF 1400)!"

Swiftly Janus thumbed through his deck, found the card he was looking for, and added it to his existing hand. "And next, I'll summon Elemental Hero Sparkman to the field!" And—in a flash of lightning, Sparkman emerged on the field, electricity crackling all around him.

"But that will do you no good—for now I'll activate my trap card, Icarus Attack!" Angel interrupted. "By tributing one Winged-Beast-type monster on my side of the field, I can destroy two cards on the field…and I'll offer my Harpie's Brother as that tribute to destroy both of your Elemental Hero monsters!"

"ACK! NO!" Janus yelled out, realizing he was trapped.

As Angel's trap card flipped face-up, Harpie's Brother vanished in a flash of light—and blades of wind and blasts of light shot out and consumed Sparkman and Steam Healer! "Damn it…I was so close, too…" groaned Janus.

"Now your side of the field is completely empty," smiled Angel. "Easy pickings for me on my turn."

_Easy pickings…_ Janus flinched as the thought came home to him.

With a triumphant smirk, Angel drew again. "And now, I have here a full armada of wind-based creatures to smite you! Allow me to show you what I'm talking about!" Here she pulled two of her hand cards out and prepared to play them.

"Oh, nuts…this is bad," Janus whispered.

"First, I'll summon my Whirlwind Prodigy (ATK 1500, DEF 1600) in Attack Mode!" Angel swiftly played one of the two cards—and a moment later a massive typhoon emerged on the field; and in the midst of that typhoon was a young man, grinning from ear to ear as he looked at Janus.

Then Angel held up the other card she'd selected. "And next, I'll remove one Wind monster in my Graveyard from play to Special Summon my Garuda the Wind Spirit (ATK 1600, DEF 1200) in Attack Mode!" And as the ghostly image of Harpie's Brother vanished from the Graveyard, a moment later her muscular bird-headed monster appeared on the field.

"Hoo, boy," Janus groaned on seeing the monsters standing before him, ready to pounce on him.

"Now, all three of my winged creatures, attack directly!" Angel commanded.

Sonic Shooter flapped his wings hard only once, again creating a massive onslaught of wind blades that hit Janus and brought his life point total to 5400. Then Garuda the Wind Spirit flew forward, slamming into Janus with ruthless force and reducing him even further to 3800. Finally, Whirlwind Prodigy's tornado blew at terrifying strength, lifting Janus off his feet and sending him flying even as his life points went down some more to 2300.

At length the force of wind died down, and Janus struggled to stand back up. "Whoa…Angel…I've seen you duel a number of times back at school, but boy—this is the first time I've ever had to duel you, and I have to say, your strategizing strength is incredible!" he remarked.

"It is, isn't it?" Angel answered. "And yet, even that will never be enough to satisfy some people…"

"Huh? What do you mean?" Janus inquired, raising his eyebrow.

"Do you really want to know?" Angel replied. "Then make some sort of comeback against the advantage I have here, and I will tell you."

"Is that how it is?" remarked Janus. "All right—then that's precisely what I'm gonna do!"

He drew again—and stared at the new card in amazement. _Whoa…this must be my day, for real!_ "All right, Angel—now I'll activate the magic card, O – Oversoul! This allows me to Special Summon from my Graveyard one Normal monster that includes 'Elemental Hero' in its name…and I select my slain Elemental Hero Sparkman!"

One flash of light later, Sparkman reappeared on the field with electric energy crackling around him. "And next," continued Janus, "I will summon my powerful Elemental Hero Wildheart (ATK 1500, DEF 1600) in Attack Mode!" And a second later he'd called forth his muscle-bound warrior to battle.

"Finally, I'll equip Elemental Hero Wildheart with this card – Cyclone Boomerang, to increase his ATK by 500 points!" Janus played one of his two remaining cards—and in a moment a large boomerang came swirling down from the sky above, and Wildheart caught it expertly with one hand, even as his ATK quickly rose to 2000!

Angel watched this display with a critical eye. "I see…"

"Now, Elemental Hero Wildheart, attack and destroy Garuda the Wind Spirit!" commanded Janus…and in reply, Wildheart flung his boomerang straight at Garuda, decapitating the birdman and bringing Angel's life points to 7600. Then: "Elemental Hero Sparkman, destroy Sonic Shooter with your Shining Surge Flash!" And bolts of lightning shot out from Sparkman's hands, frying Sonic Shooter to nothing but feathers and ashes and reducing Angel further to 7300.

"So…that good enough?" Janus queried.

"Well…you _have _managed to cut down two of my monsters, and you've finally managed to touch my life points," observed Angel. "But I still have an advantage over you, Janus, because of the monster that I still have on the field…" and she indicated her Whirlwind Prodigy.

"Uh-huh—and what about him? He's just one monster!" Janus told her.

"Maybe…but one monster has unlimited potential, you see," Angel answered. "And here, on my next turn, I will show you what I'm talking about."

With that said, she drew once more. "And now, Janus…allow me to show you the greatest creature present in my deck," she announced. "Whirlwind Prodigy's effect allows me to treat him as two tribute monsters if I'm going to Tribute Summon a Wind monster…so I'll offer him as two tributes to summon my great and ultimate Simorgh, Bird of Divinity (ATK 2700, DEF 1000)!"

All at once, Janus had to cover his face with both arms and brace himself as Whirlwind Prodigy's tornado began to spin faster and wildly, blasting everything in the area with hurricane force. "Oh, hell!" he yelled out as he almost got blown away, the wind pushing him back a little in spite of his bracing.

Then, all at once, the tornado exploded outward, the force of the breeze knocking Janus down to the ground. He lay there for a long moment, stunned. "Ow…"

"Get up, Janus. And take a look at your defeat."

"Huh?" Janus slowly sat up—and what he saw astonished him to no end. "Oh…wow…"

Right there on Angel's end of the field, there was a massive bird with green and gold feathers and a massive wingspan. "This bird, in ancient times, was revered as the protector of the skies," Angel remarked. "And now he's back, with a vengeance! Simorgh, crush his Elemental Hero Wildheart with your Reverent Wing!"

Simorgh flapped his wings with ever-growing force, creating a massive hurricane that slammed into Wildheart with such force that the warrior and his Cyclone Boomerang were destroyed, reducing Janus to 1600 life points. "Well…looks like this duel will belong to me," Angel shrugged.

"You can't say that yet—I do still have life points, after all," countered Janus.

"Yes, but for how much longer?" Angel queried. "Not very much, if I do say so myself. So now, I'll just set two cards facedown, and end my turn for the moment."

Suddenly, to Janus's surprise, Simorgh flapped his wings hard—and blasted the boy onto his back! "Ow! Hey, what the hell's up with that?" Janus exclaimed, watching in amazement as his life points went down to 600.

"This…is the effect of my great Bird of Divinity," Angel explained patiently. "During each of our End Phases, both players take 1000 points of damage…but each player can reduce that damage by 500 points for each Magic or Trap card controlled by that player. That's why I haven't taken any damage—because I control two cards in my magic/trap slot."

She gave him a knowing look. "Well, Janus? You still have yet to stop my advantage…what will you do?"

Janus gritted his teeth. _She's right…what WILL I do, against such a massive enemy as this…?_

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**_neomage:_** It's official, everyone—my time as a summer job employee is finally over! Now I can get back to writing more chapters of this story! Hooray!

And now, I want to involve you readers out there once again…I need ideas for the bloopers! How can you help? Read any of the past chapters at random, select one scene from that chapter you've selected, and let me know in your reviews which scene you want to see a blooper for! And I guarantee you, you won't be disappointed!

Now, Janus vs. Angel continues next chapter! Read and review, everyone!


	236. Chapter 236

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: I really need some new, witty ways to say this…I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**CHAPTER 236**

DUELTROPOLIS

The stats of the duel between Janus and Angel were now shown: Janus had 600 life points, Angel had 7300. Each held one card in hand. On the field Janus had only Elemental Hero Sparkman in Attack Mode; Angel had Simorgh, Bird of Divinity, in Attack Mode, plus she had two other cards facedown.

It was Janus's turn to draw now…and he looked hopefully at his deck. _My deck…you've never let me down…so please give me something I can use! _He closed his eyes and prepared to draw. _Please…!_

He drew.

Angel watched him carefully. "So…do you have something worthwhile?"

Janus opened his eyes…and slowly looked at the card he'd drawn. And then he smiled. "As a matter of fact…I believe I do," he whispered. "Well, now…I'll equip my Elemental Hero Sparkman with this magic card, Spark Blaster!"

Sparkman soon found himself holding a massive blaster that sparked with energy. "Uh-huh…but what good is that? Your monster's stats haven't changed in any way that I can see!" Angel noted.

"True," said Janus. "But it does do something else: During the Main Phase of my turn, I can use Spark Blaster's effect to change the battle position of one face-up monster! And…" He grinned.

Realization dawned on Angel's face instantly. "Oh, dear…!"

"Got that right! You know, for such a powerful bird, that Bird of Divinity's got really weak defense!" Janus smirked. "Go, Elemental Hero Sparkman—use your Spark Blaster and bring that bird to its knees!"

Sparkman took aim with the Spark Blaster and fired. Numerous volts of electric current shot out from the gun, crippling Simorgh so badly that the green bird actually bowed down, to Angel's horror. "Simorgh!" she cried out.

"And now, Sparkman, attack!" Janus yelled. And Sparkman again fired from the Spark Blaster—this time a massive wave of electricity that tore through Simorgh's chest, literally fricasseeing the bird until it turned black!

"No…Simorgh, forgive me…" Angel whispered even as Simorgh vanished from existence.

"I'll end my turn now," Janus announced. "Sorry to kill your precious monster bird, Angel, but I can't risk losing any more life points than I have already."

Angel heaved a longsuffering sigh…and then she shrugged. "It's okay. You haven't seen the true driving force behind my deck yet, anyway."

"What?" Janus asked in disbelief.

Angel just drew another card. "Hmph…all right, it's time to get REALLY serious now!" she declared. "I activate the field magic of Harpies' Hunting Ground!"

As she played one of her two cards from her hand, suddenly the entire area around them turned into one huge mountain range, with several wide spaces here and there. "What on earth…?" Janus looked around him, bewildered.

"And now," continued Angel, "I'll summon my Harpie Lady (ATK 1300, DEF 1400) in Attack Mode!" And as she played the last card from her hand, she summoned her winged female monster. "And there's more, too…"

"What more?" Janus asked suspiciously.

"When Harpies' Hunting Ground is active and I Normal summon or Special summon either Harpie Lady or Harpie Lady Sisters (ATK 1950, DEF 2100)," explained Angel, "I get to select one Magic or Trap card on the field and destroy it. And I'll now destroy…your Spark Blaster!"

Before Janus could react, Harpie Lady swooped downward and snatched the Spark Blaster from Elemental Hero Sparkman, crushing it in her talons. "And furthermore, Harpies' Hunting Ground increases the ATK and DEF of all face-up Winged-Beast-type monsters on the field by 200 points!" added Angel—and suddenly Harpie Lady's ATK and DEF rose to 1500 and 1600 respectively!

"Heh…nice…but Sparkman's still stronger than your Harpie Lady!" Janus reminded Angel.

"Not for long, he isn't!" countered Angel. "For now, I'll equip Harpie Lady with one of my facedown cards—the magic card, Follow Wind! This will increase her ATK and DEF by 300 points!"

At once one of Angel's facedown cards flipped face-up—and suddenly Harpie Lady's wings became far more colorful and far more pronounced, even as her ATK and DEF rose even further to 1800 and 1900 respectively! "Now…Harpie Lady, destroy Elemental Hero Sparkman!" Angel ordered—and the Harpie Lady followed through, flying at Sparkman and slashing him to pieces with her talons, reducing Janus's life points to 400!

"Ugh…damn…" Janus grimaced as he observed the stats.

"Hmph…now your side of the field is defenseless," Angel smiled. "Just one attack from me on my next turn, and you're done for. To think—you defeated my Simorgh, Bird of Divinity, only to fall before the might of my true servant—the Harpie Lady."

"Well, sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not finished yet! As long as I've got at least one turn left, I won't give up!" Janus answered.

Angel looked him squarely in the eye…and smiled. "See, Janus…THIS is why I've been hoping for the chance to duel you," she said softly. "Every time you've dueled at school in the past and I've witnessed it, I've always been struck by your determination and your drive to never give in. Ever since the first time I witnessed you duel, I've hoped I could get to see that determination in force."

"Well, I'm glad you think so highly of me," answered Janus. "But now, I'm afraid I can't quite say the same about you, after what I've found out about you."

"There's more to my story than just my involvement with the Zodiacs, Janus," Angel assured him. "But that is for later. Right now, we still have a duel to continue. And it's your turn now, anyway, I think."

"Oh, yes it is!" replied Janus, and he drew his next card. "Hmmm…well, I'll set one monster in Defense Mode, and end my turn for now."

Without missing a beat, Angel drew again. "No matter what you bring against me, my Harpie Lady will bring it down!" she declared. "Attack, Harpie Lady!"

Harpie Lady flew forward and slashed the facedown monster, in the process revealing it to be a blue robotic dog. That robot dog was promptly cut in two by the attack, its separated halves disintegrating into thin air! "So much for your monster there," smirked Angel.

But Janus was smirking, too. "Actually, he's got more use than you realize," he told her. "You see, the monster you just slew was my Wroughtweiler (ATK 800, DEF 1200), the robotic mascot for the Elemental Heroes. When he's destroyed and sent to the Graveyard as a result of battle, I can take two types of cards from my Graveyard and add them to my hand—one Elemental Hero and one Polymerization!"

Angel's eyes widened…then narrowed. "I see…and which of your fallen Elemental Heroes will you choose?"

Janus closed his eyes. "Good question…hmmm…okay, I've decided! I'll select my Elemental Hero Wildheart!"

Quickly Janus pulled out his Graveyard stack and picked out his Polymerization and Elemental Hero Wildheart cards for Wroughtweiler's effect, and added the two cards to his hand. "So you see, I'm not done yet!" he asserted.

Angel ran a hand through her hair; her fingers touched her wing hairpin. "You're truly the most outstanding opponent I've ever had, Janus," she told him. "Let's see how much more you're capable of, eh?"

"Oh, of course!" Janus promptly drew another card, so now he held four in his hand. Then he smiled. "Hey, Angel…you'd better watch out now!"

"Hmmm?" Angel raised an eyebrow.

Janus swiftly held up the card he'd drawn. "Now, I'll activate this card—Pot of Greed, to draw two more cards!" And with that he drew again, so by the time he was done he held five cards. "And now…"

"And now…what?" Angel asked, rubbing her fingers together in expectation.

"Now, I'll activate my Polymerization card once again!" Janus swiftly played the card. "I will now fuse together two monsters from my hand—Elemental Hero Wildheart and Elemental Hero Necroshade (ATK 1600, DEF 1800) in order to summon my mystical Elemental Hero Necroid Shaman (ATK 1900, DEF 1800)!"

Images of Wildheart and Necroshade hovered over Janus's side of the field…then both suddenly swirled into one. The result—a bright flash of light so intense that Angel had to turn her face away! "Ack! What the heck is this?" she cried.

"Open your eyes and see," Janus invited her.

Angel slowly turned her gaze toward Janus's side of the field—and was transfixed. "Whoa…"

Standing there was a man with long, red hair, white pants, and a staff with golden rings fastened at the tip. His face was painted black and white, and an eerie aura flowed from his body. "Say hello to Elemental Hero Necroid Shaman," said Janus. "And he's got a powerful effect: When he's Special Summoned, I can destroy one monster on your side of the field—then I can select one monster from your Graveyard and Special Summon it to your side of the field."

Angel made a rude noise with her teeth. "A two-edged effect…but I guess I can live with that," she growled.

Necroid Shaman raised his staff and blasted the hapless Harpie Lady into feathers and body parts—then almost as he finished doing that, his body began to glow. "Now, I get to Special Summon one monster from your Graveyard to your side of the field," announced Janus. "So, show me your Graveyard, please."

Somewhat reluctantly, Angel pressed a button on her Duel-Disk, and a moment later her Graveyard information appeared. Janus scanned through the list of cards before his eyes, noting the monsters he saw there. "Hmmm…Sonic Shooter…Whirlwind Prodigy…Garuda the Wind Spirit…Harpie Lady…hey, aren't there supposed to be more than this?"

"In case you've forgotten, I removed Harpie's Brother in my Graveyard from play to Special Summon my Garuda the Wind Spirit a few turns back," Angel reminded him. "And as for Simorgh, Bird of Divinity—it cannot be Special Summoned."

"I see…well, in that case, I'll select Sonic Shooter to be Special Summoned to your side, in Defense Mode!" asserted Janus. And as he said that, Necroid Shaman began to glow with mystic power, holding his hands in a prayerful stance…and then, moments later, Sonic Shooter reappeared on Angel's side of the field, crouched in a defensive stance with his wings spread in front of him even as Harpies' Hunting Ground increased his ATK and DEF to 1500 and 800.

Angel raised an eyebrow as she observed this. "Hmmm…you could've had a shot at my life points…so why'd you use your monster's power to summon my monster in Defense Mode?"

"Oh, Necroid Shaman will still get a shot at your life points, don't worry," Janus promised her. "For now, I'll activate the effect of this magic card, H – Heated Heart!"

All at once, Necroid Shaman burst into flames! "WHAT!" Angel cried out.

"Now, here's what H – Heated Heart does," said Janus with a grin. "To activate its power, I select one face-up monster on my side of the field…then I increase the ATK of that chosen monster by 500 points…" And while he said this, inexplicably Necroid Shaman's ATK sharply rose to 2400! "Then, when the selected monster does battle with a Defense Mode monster, and that defending monster's DEF is lower than the attacking monster's ATK, the difference is calculated as battle damage to my opponent's life points!"

"Uh-oh…" Angel whispered.

"Now, Necroid Shaman! Attack and destroy Sonic Shooter!" Janus cried. And Necroid Shaman complied, rushing forward and whacking the defending Sonic Shooter's head clean off with his staff—and Angel flinched as H – Heated Heart's effect kicked into play, reducing her life points by 1600, to leave her with 5700!

Slowly, very slowly, Angel applauded. "Nice, very nice," she hailed Janus. "But even with that, your life points are still dangerously low. Unless you intend to pull off a miracle, you're going to lose, without a doubt."

"Well, my cards haven't failed me in this duel yet," replied Janus. "And like they say, it's not over till it's over. So…your move."

Now the score had shifted somewhat: Angel now had 5700 life points, while Janus was still hanging on with 400. On the field Janus had Elemental Hero Necroid Shaman in Attack Mode; meanwhile, Angel had her Harpies' Hunting Ground field magic card still active, and one other card facedown. Each had one card in hand.

Carefully, Angel drew another card. At once her eyes lit up when she saw what the card was. "Well, Janus, I'm sorry, but now it's time for me to take back this duel from you!" she chuckled. "Now…I'll activate my Premature Burial card, paying 800 life points to revive my Whirlwind Prodigy to the field!"

At once Angel's life points dropped to 4900, and a massive tornado ripped out of the ground as Whirlwind Prodigy re-emerged. Then Angel held up the last card left in her hand. "And now…I'll use Whirlwind Prodigy's effect and offer him as two tributes to summon my powerful beast, the servant of the Harpie Lady – Harpie's Pet Dragon (ATK 2000, DEF 2500) in Attack Mode!"

Just then, Whirlwind Prodigy's tornado exploded outward in a burst of wind that knocked Janus back! "What's up with these windy attacks?" protested Janus as he sat back up.

Then suddenly he stared in awe. "Holy…"

Now, there on Angel's side of the field, was a massive red dragon with a crown on its head and a chain around its neck. Smoke hissed from its mouth, and it growled menacingly at Janus. "This," announced Angel, "is my mighty Harpie's Pet Dragon…with enough strength to take down your Necroid Shaman! Do it now, Harpie's Pet Dragon!"

The dragon reared its head back—and blasted a huge wave of fire at Necroid Shaman, burning him to ashes and bringing Janus's life points down to 300. "Little by little, I will bring you down," Angel promised him.

Gritting his teeth, Janus glanced down at his deck. _Damn it…she's really got me in a tight spot! And if I don't get a good card on this draw…I'll be knocked out of the tournament for good!_

Taking a deep breath, he slowly managed to calm himself. Closing his eyes, he reached his hand for his deck slot. And in his heart he was silently pleading: _Heart of the cards…guide me!_

Then he drew.

Angel regarded him. "Well, Janus?"

Slowly Janus opened his eyes. He looked at the card he'd drawn…and a small smile crossed his face. "All right…I'm going to show you just how well the Elemental Heroes look out for each other, even from beyond the grave!"

"What? What are you saying?" asked Angel, surprised at Janus's statement.

"Well, you see…it's like this," said Janus, pleased with this revelation. "One of the monsters in my Graveyard at this time is Elemental Hero Necroshade…and his effect comes into play while he's in the Graveyard, even though I can only use it once as long as he's in there…but that once is all I need for this."

"All you need for what?" asked Angel, a tad impatiently.

"Well," continued Janus, "while Necroshade is there in the Graveyard, his power allows me to Normal summon one Elemental Hero monster from my hand without offering any tributes. And I have a monster in my hand right now that falls straight into that category—Elemental Hero Bladedge (ATK 2600, DEF 1800)!"

Suddenly, much to Angel's astonishment, Bladedge appeared on the field wielding his massive blade and ready to do battle. "What!...but…that is…?"

"Yes, Bladedge is a Level 7 monster, so normally he'd need two tributes to be summoned," confirmed Janus. "But as I just explained, Necroshade's effect in the Graveyard allows me to summon an Elemental Hero that would normally need tributes…allows me to summon that Elemental Hero without any tributes of any kind. And that, right now, is extremely convenient for me…so now, Bladedge, take out Harpie's Pet Dragon! Hero Slasher!"

Bladedge dashed forward and neatly sliced Harpie's Pet Dragon in two, utterly destroying it; Angel flinched as she watched her life points go down to 4300 by this action. "Ahhh…once again, you manage to pull yourself away from the edge of the precipice in the nick of time," she remarked. "You really are something else."

"Hey, you're not half bad yourself…for a moment I was actually sweating," Janus replied.

Angel narrowed her eyes. "Is that right? Well…in that case, now you'll REALLY be sweating when you see what I've got in store for you! Just watch and learn!"

Janus stood his ground. _I can't afford to underestimate her at this stage in the game…with her, now, anything at all is possible!_

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**_neomage:_** Honestly, I didn't expect that this duel would extend beyond two chapters at the most…but that's what it looks like it's going to do. Well, in any case, in the next chapter Janus vs. Angel will draw to a close…and Angel's motivation as a Zodiac will be revealed!

Send in those scenes from your favorite chapters that you'd like to see bloopers for! And continue reading and reviewing as always, everybody!


	237. Chapter 237

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: **(sips at a mug of hot chocolate) **I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, nor do I own the world's chocolate.)

**CHAPTER 237**

DUELTROPOLIS

Janus now had 300 life points, while Angel had 4300. Janus had one card still in his hand; Angel had none whatsoever. Janus had his Elemental Hero Bladedge in Attack Mode; Angel had her Harpies' Hunting Ground field magic card still active, plus one other card still facedown.

Angel drew another card, to replenish her empty hand. "Hmmm…this certainly could work…all right, then!" she announced. "I'll activate the trap card, Mirror Wall!"

All at once, to Janus's utter amazement, a huge mirror shot up out of the ground between his and Angel's respective sides of the field! "What—but—what the hell?" he exclaimed.

"As long as the Mirror Wall is active," Angel told him, "it reduces the ATK of all your attacking monsters by half. Therefore, it would be folly for you to attempt an attack against me on your upcoming turn…especially when I have something like this monster on the field!" She immediately held up her card. "I summon Winged Sage Falcon (ATK 1700, DEF 1200)!"

Suddenly a massive robed sage with a bird's head popped up on the field, looking grave and noble at once; and Harpies' Hunting Ground immediately increased his ATK and DEF to 1900 and 1400 respectively! "Just a nice way to keep myself safe against your assault for a little while longer," Angel remarked smugly.

Janus frowned as he observed this. "You had this Mirror Wall trap card of yours all along…and yet you're only activating it now…"

"Because, I'll admit, it's very expensive to maintain," confessed Angel. "You see, during each of my Standby Phases I must pay 2000 life points to maintain Mirror Wall—if I don't, it's destroyed. Therefore, I usually refrain from using the card itself except as a necessary last resort." She chuckled. "Well, I'll end my turn for now, but…what will you do, Janus?"

Frowning more deeply, Janus took his turn once again. "Hmmm…well, since your Mirror Wall is active, and it'll halve Bladedge's ATK if I attack with him…I'll just end my turn for the moment," he declared.

"Wise choice…but still detrimental to you in the long term," answered Angel, drawing her next card.

Suddenly the Mirror Wall shone with sinister intensity, bringing Angel's life points down to 2300! She flinched when this happened…but just as quickly shook it off. "A few sacrifices are necessary in a battle sometimes," she spoke up. "Like this one! I'll now offer my Winged Sage Falcon as a tribute to summon my more powerful Swift Birdman Joe (ATK 2300, DEF 1400)!"

Winged Sage Falcon vanished in a flurry of feathers—and then in its place stood Angel's muscular birdman in all his colorful glory. "Now, if I summon Birdman Joe by tributing a Wind monster, I must return all Magic and Trap cards on the field to the owners' respective hands," explained Angel. "So, sad to say, my Mirror Wall trap and my Harpies' Hunting Ground will be sent back to my hand…"

Birdman Joe lashed out at the two cards with a forceful blast of wind from his wings, sending them flying back into Angel's hand—but she just shrugged. "Nevertheless, it's no big thing for me to put these back where they were," she told Janus, re-setting her Mirror Wall and reactivating Harpies' Hunting Ground—and as the field magic card came back into play, Birdman Joe's ATK and DEF rose to 2500 and 1600 respectively.

"Damn it…if only I could attack right now…" Janus groaned.

"Well, you can't because it's my turn," Angel answered tauntingly. "But as there's nothing else I can do for the moment, I'll end my turn. So…you can try to attack me on your turn, if you want."

Scowling fiercely, Janus drew his next card—and then suddenly did a double-take. Then, ever so slowly, a grin appeared on his face. "Ha! Angel, I'm sorry, but nothing you do will be able to stop me winning this duel now!" he announced.

"What do you mean?" Angel demanded. "Your life points are way, way lower than mine, and in case you have forgotten, let me remind you—of my Mirror Wall trap card!" And with a flourish, she reactivated the trap, causing the big mirror to reappear on the field!

"No, I haven't forgotten about that," Janus assured her. "It's just that I have something here in my hand that'll really remedy that little problem right about now!"

With that said, he held up one of the three cards in his hand. "First things first, I'll summon Elemental Hero Avian (ATK 1000, DEF 1000) in Attack Mode!" Then, one second later, his green-feathered birdman emerged on the field, flapping his wings with determination.

Then Janus held up a second card. "And now…I'll activate the magic card, R – Righteous Justice! This will allow me to destroy a number of Magic or Trap cards on the field equal to the number of Elemental Hero cards that I have face-up on my side of the field! And I currently have two Elemental Heroes on the field…so that means that both your Mirror Wall and your Harpies' Hunting Ground will have to go!"

"What!" Angel cried out.

Avian flew skyward, then suddenly fired numerous feathers down at the Mirror Wall—effectively shredding it into pieces! Then Bladedge slammed his blade into the ground, creating such a massive shockwave that the entire field was torn asunder, completely destroying the Harpies' Hunting Ground, and returning Swift Birdman Joe's stats to normal in the process!

"Grrr…okay, so you've destroyed both of those cards," Angel growled, "but so what if you've got an ample opportunity to attack now? I'll still have life points at the end of it all!"

"Sorry to disappoint you—but no, you won't," Janus answered firmly. "Because I still have one card left to play…and here it is now: my Magic card, HERO Flash!"

He slapped his last card from his hand onto his Duel-Disk—and then all of a sudden, four ghostly letters emerged behind him, spelling out the word "HERO." Angel looked on in utter astonishment. "Wait a second—what on Earth's going on now?" she cried out.

"This is a special card, one that I've been holding in my hand from earlier on in this duel," Janus explained. "I could only activate it by removing these cards in my Graveyard from play—H – Heated Heart, E – Emergency Call, R – Righteous Justice, and O – Oversoul. Now…I can Special Summon from my deck one Normal monster that includes 'Elemental Hero' in its name—and the monster I'll go for is a second Elemental Hero Avian!"

Before Angel's still-amazed eyes appeared on Janus's side a second Avian, ruffling his wings as he readied himself for battle. "And, by the way, there's one more effect that HERO Flash grants me—during this turn, any and all Normal monsters on my side of the field that happen to be Elemental Heroes can attack my opponent's life points directly even if there's a monster on their side of the field!" crowed Janus. "Now, both of my Avians, bypass her Swift Birdman Joe and attack directly!"

Even as Angel looked on in horrid fascination and her Swift Birdman Joe stared in confusion, both of the Elemental Hero Avians flew skyward and torpedoed their target with numerous feathery missiles; Angel crossed her arms in front of her and flinched as the feathers sliced past her, severely reducing her life points to 300, tying her with Janus! "Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow!" she cried out.

"And now, your life points are low enough for me to finish this properly!" Janus declared. "Elemental Hero Bladedge, destroy her Swift Birdman Joe and finish this duel!" And Bladedge did just that—running forward and decapitating Birdman Joe, eliminating the rest of Angel's life points in one go!

Angel collapsed to one knee. "Argh…geez…that didn't feel nice…" she moaned.

Janus, meanwhile, closed his eyes even as he switched off his Duel-Disk. _Heart of the cards…you really came through for me…thank you._

Then, opening his eyes again, he beheld Angel on her knee, panting heavily. He walked over to her and held out a hand. "Hey…can you stand?"

She looked up at him, a wave of confusion coming over her face. "Even after what I've told you…about my being with the Zodiacs…you would be nice to me still…?" she wondered.

Janus shook his head. "You're of Duel Academy…that's all I see."

Angel looked him in the face, then looked at the hand he was offering her…and she reached forward and grabbed it. Immediately Janus pulled her gently to her feet. "Janus…" she whispered.

"Angel…please tell me whatever you can tell me," Janus addressed her.

Angel nodded gravely. "Yes…I did promise you that I would tell you why I'm with the Zodiacs if you could beat my advantage in the duel. Now you've defeated me, so I'll tell you everything I can. But you'd better sit down."

Janus promptly sat down cross-legged on the ground; Angel followed suit, but more slowly. "Janus…please understand one thing before I start," she whispered. "I'm putting myself at extreme risk just talking to you about this."

"Extreme risk?" Janus raised an eyebrow. "Do you mean…"

"If they even suspect that I've told anyone of our secrets or of our reason for being here at Dueltropolis…they'll very likely hunt me down and lynch me." Angel's eyes were downcast. "Still…I guess it won't matter, anyway. Since I've been defeated in this tournament now, I'll be hunted by my own comrades in order to ensure my silence on this matter."

"Hey—all I want to know is why you're with these Zodiacs or whoever," said Janus. "Whatever your mission is, I'm not concerned with that."

Angel closed her eyes. "Well…now I'll tell you my reason for being a Zodiac. Please hear what I have to say."

Janus waited.

Angel heaved a sigh. "Five years ago…I joined them five years ago," she said, very quietly. "It was two years before I first came to Duel Academy…and I was ten, just turning eleven…"

----------

FIVE YEARS EARLIER, IN ANGEL'S MEMORY

_Young Angel dashed out the front door as fast as her legs would carry her. Behind her came a huge behemoth of a man, wielding a massive belt in one hand and a liquor bottle in the other. "Get back 'ere, little brat!" he slurred in a drunken rage._

_But Angel wasn't about to stop—certainly not for him. Glancing wildly over her shoulder, she was just in time to see the man pounding down the sidewalk after her, in long, swift strides. Redoubling her own speed, she shot off down the street, even as the man continued after her._

_Presently she turned a corner—and found herself in a dead-end alley. "Oh, no…" she whispered, her knees trembling with her fright._

_"There y'are, kid," the man's evil voice sounded behind her. Slowly turning, she saw him at the mouth of the alley, menacingly advancing on her, belt in hand. "Now…"_

_Angel backed up against the brick wall at the end of the alley, staring in horrified revulsion even as he came up to her. He took a giant swig from the bottle, then flung it to one side; she flinched as she heard the glass smashing against the ground. And then her terror further increased when he lunged forward and grabbed her by the throat._

_"Now, then!" he snapped in her face, drops of spit flying all over her skin. "I warned you a long time ago—if I tell you to do something, you do it exactly as I tell you! I'm your father, and you're supposed to obey me, or else! Am I clear, bitch?"_

_Angel made a face at the stench of liquor on his breath. "You're not my dad!" she managed to choke out, for his hand on her neck was constricting. "My mom and dad…died years ago…!"_

_"Oh, talking back, are you?" the man snarled, snorting like an angry bull. "Well, no kid sasses me and gets away with it!" And he raised his belt, intending to lash her with it._

_"Beat me all you want…it won't make me respect you any more than I already do!" Angel retorted stubbornly, even as her true fear registered all over her face._

_Eyes wide and teeth gritted hard, the man's grip on the belt tightened as he readied himself. "I'm gonna beat you so bad you won't be able to stand up tomorrow!" he roared._

_But the blow never fell._

_All at once—something smashed hard against the back of the man's head. So violent was the attack, and so unexpected, that the man literally catapulted forward, slamming his face against the wall in the process. Then he tumbled to the ground, his grip on the belt loosening even as he collapsed into unconsciousness._

_Angel watched in astonishment as the abuser was felled. She leaned against the wall, stepping out of the way as he fell in a massive, drunken heap near her feet. "Whoa…" she whispered._

_"Did he hurt you, kid?"_

_Starting at the unfamiliar voice, she looked up—and beheld a man seemingly not much older than nineteen or twenty standing there, several feet taller than her, looking down at her. He sported red hair, which to her seemed somewhat unusual; but that was the least to her at that moment. "Who…are you…?" she asked, a slight tremor in her voice._

_"I'm your rescuer, that's who I am." The stranger spoke in a gentle, older-brother type of voice. He indicated the fallen attacker. "This guy…why was he beating on you like that?"_

_Angel fidgeted, a little embarrassed. "He's my guardian," she whispered, holding her neck where the man had grabbed her and rubbing it slowly. "My mom and dad died…a few years ago…and this man took me in…"_

_The stranger's look darkened for a moment. "And yet, he's abused the trust you placed in him," he remarked. "How long have you been with him, now?"_

_"Only a year," Angel admitted. "Before that…I was living at the orphanage."_

_"I see," the stranger mused. He seemed to consider for a moment. Then: "Tell me…if you could live anywhere else except with this person, would you?"_

_"Yes! Yes, I would!" Angel responded eagerly._

_The stranger smiled again. "I see."_

----------

DUELTROPOLIS, THE PRESENT DAY

Janus was speechless as Angel paused in the telling of her story. "Whoa," he whispered. "Gosh, Angel, I never thought you had it so bad…"

"It's okay," Angel shook her head. "I don't usually bring it up with just anybody, anyway. It's…something I would rather forget; those terrible times when I lived with that pig I was forced to call my second dad."

"So…what happened after that?" Janus asked softly.

Angel managed a smile. "That stranger who saved me…he took the necessary steps…took me away from that man's custody…and then he taught me, trained me, schooled me. I hadn't gotten any real opportunities to go to school while living with my foster father…but that guy, he taught me all the essentials…plus, he trained me in the knowledge of Duel Monsters – knowledge that would be of great use for when I would be able to pay him back for all he had done for me, so he said. And so…in order to repay him for his kindness…I joined his group, the Zodiacs, and have been with them ever since."

"Yet you attended Duel Academy in spite of that," noted Janus.

"To further my Duel Monsters training," replied Angel. "He paid for my tuition at the school…so I could attend. He made a lot of things possible for me…him and the Zodiacs."

Presently she sighed. "I've done a lot of things since I've been with the Zodiacs the last five years—things nobody should be able to brag or be proud about," she remarked quietly. "And yet, in spite of that, I've remained with them. I'm beyond redemption, Janus…I'm a hopeless case, a lost cause. I'm a traitor to Duel Academy, as far as I'm concerned. Still…I'm glad I was able to face you in a real duel…at least, that's one thing in my life that I was able to wish for and gain."

She stood up and turned her back on Janus. "Hey, Angel, wait! Where are you going to go?" Janus exclaimed, jumping up from where he'd been sitting.

Her answer was hollow. "I don't know…since my own comrades will be hunting me to ensure my silence, I can't expect to go back to them and have them welcome me with open arms. And besides that, the tournament's Committee has likely witnessed our duel on some hidden cameras somewhere around here…and Vice-Principal Rhodes-Yuki is on that Committee…how can I face her, or anyone at Duel Academy, now that she knows I'm one of the very people she and the Committee are trying to capture?"

She took a step forward, intending to leave—but suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder. "Why do you hold me back?" she queried.

"Because…" Janus spoke with determination; his grip on her shoulder tightened. "For good or ill, Angel, you're a student of Duel Academy. Anything that affects one of us, affects all of us. And besides…" He smiled a tiny smile. "You shouldn't have to take on something this big all by yourself. You need help to take care of this…and even if nobody else offers that help, I will."

She didn't say anything for a long moment. Then she looked over her shoulder at him. "I don't deserve your help…"

"Maybe not, but I'm offering it regardless." Janus nodded with decision. "My only question now is…what will you do…Angel Snow, of Duel Academy's Ra Yellow dorm?"

Still it seemed as if Angel wouldn't turn around. Then…ever so slowly, she did turn…and…

----------

**_neomage:_** "Aw, c'mon, neomage! Don't leave us hanging like that—we wanna know what Angel's gonna do!" Well, I've been suffering from writer's block ever since my summer job time ended, and even the Millennium Keyboard has not been able to aid me much…but in the end, I have prevailed! And so, I'm leaving Angel's decision for a later chapter…you'll all see it for yourselves when the time is right.

Now, next chapter, the second round continues!


	238. Chapter 238

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: **(brandishes a Samurai sword) **I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! Anybody who dares to think I do will verily be chopped into sushi!)

**CHAPTER 238**

DUELTROPOLIS

"Okay, everyone! Time to get up!"

Honey snatched the covers off Raven's body. "C'mon, lazybones, get up now!" she exclaimed.

Raven growled and tried, vainly, to retrieve the covers. "Geez, sis…can't a fellow sleep in peace without you messing up their rest?" he groaned.

"Nope! Especially when some fellows have duels to perform today!" answered Honey.

"Well, did you forget I'm not one of those fellows? I got eliminated from the tournament yesterday, remember?" Raven mumbled, pulling the pillow out from under his head and covering his own face with it.

"That still doesn't matter! You can at least cheer or something!" Honey frowned. "Now, Raven Pegasus—GET UP!" And then, without warning, she grabbed Raven's ankle with both hands and forcefully dragged him off the bed, causing him to fall onto the floor and hit his rump!

"Ow! Hey, Honey, watch it!" Raven snapped. "Fine, you got me out of bed! Happy now?"

"Oh, I see the last of our party is awake now," Shigeo spoke up. Looking up, the siblings saw him standing a distance away, a smile on his face.

"Yeah, yeah," Raven grunted.

"So, Shigeo, you ready to have a duel today?" Honey inquired smilingly.

"Sure! And better than that—I heard the announcement over the P.A. system this morning, so I know what number my opponent is supposed to have!" Shigeo chuckled. "And their number is 5!"

"Well, let's hope you get to duel soon…and then after that, you'll be able to head on to Father's castle for the finals of this competition!" Honey beamed.

"Uh-huh…" Shigeo then looked away, his face becoming rather thoughtful.

The siblings regarded the ninja boy. "Hey, dude…what's wrong all of a sudden?" Raven asked.

"Well…I'm not sure, but…" Shigeo frowned. "Tell me, did either of you hear somebody cry out last night?"

Raven and Honey looked at each other. "Cry out?" repeated Honey.

"Yes," said Shigeo. "I thought I heard someone in this room scream out, like in their sleep or something."

Now it was Honey's turn to frown. "Well…I did hear something in this room last night, or thereabouts…" Then suddenly she grinned. "Maybe it was Raven having a nightmare."

"Come off it! I don't have nightmares!" Raven bellowed.

"Sure you don't," Honey said sweetly. "Just like you never used to wet your bed when you were 13."

"GYAAAA!" Raven almost fell over. "Honey, you promised never to mention that!"

"Heh, heh, heh…one more thing to add to my blackmail list," a familiar voice chuckled evilly. Looking up, all three saw Seta coming out of the bathroom, fixing his jacket, with a suggestive smirk on his face.

"Seta Kaiba, if you do so much as whisper—" Raven snarled.

"On to more relevant topics now, guys—Seta, you ready to face your opponent in this round?" Honey interrupted, leaving Raven stewing in rage.

"Yeah, I'm pretty ready," Seta replied. "Good thing I woke up in time to hear the announcement this morning, you know? And my opponent, whoever it is, has the number 16…but I don't care who it is, they won't stand a chance against me."

"Of course not! Because you're the World Champion!" Honey answered eagerly.

"Oh, brother…" Raven ran a hand over his face and groaned inwardly.

----------

ELSEWHERE IN DUELTROPOLIS, IN THE MEANTIME

"So, off we go again!"

Jenna carefully pulled up the door to the house where she and the others had stayed last night. Further outside, beyond the front steps, Jillian and Ricardo were waiting for her. "I'm just sorry we couldn't stick around here a while longer—this house was actually pretty cozy," Ricardo remarked.

"I suppose so," answered Jillian. "But Dueltropolis isn't going to wait for anybody. So we have to get a move on."

"Well, I'm only sorry now that I can't partake of any more duels," sighed Ricardo. "But at least I've got something better—two pretty girls to be my companions for the remainder of this little sojourn!"

Jillian shook her head. "Men," she chuckled. "Men are all the same. At least, though, you are much more civil in your display of appreciation for females than my last opponent was."

"Well, you know, my mom taught me to respect everybody, men _and_ women," Ricardo shrugged. "It just comes natural to me."

Presently Jenna joined them. "Well, shall we go?" she invited.

The trio turned and walked away from the house. "I'm glad you took the time to pack some sandwiches for all of us," said Jillian. "This way, we won't starve once we're out in the field."

"Yeah," Jenna nodded. "And I'm glad you were able to hear the announcement when they first broadcasted it, Jillian."

"At least we both know who our respective opponents will be now," replied Jillian. "Your opponent's number is 15…and my opponent's is 7."

"7…hey, that's the number for Wade Ocean!" Ricardo said excitedly.

With one swift movement both girls turned to look at him. "Wade Ocean, huh? Wasn't he your opponent?" Jillian asked.

"Yep, just like I told you girls last night," nodded Ricardo.

Jenna grinned. "How about that? Jillian, you're going up against the world's famous Water duelist!" she declared.

"And if his reputation is the way everyone says it is, he'll probably be hanging around near a beach or some such place," surmised Jillian. "So…I say let's head in the direction of the nearest point close to the ocean."

"Let's go, then!" Ricardo agreed. "Maybe we can suck up some surf while we're at it!"

"Too bad I didn't bring my bathing suit," sighed Jenna.

----------

ELSEWHERE IN DUELTROPOLIS, IN THE MEANTIME

Blaze continued to walk along, all alone, casually glancing around at her surroundings. She was walking along a beaten path; around her was one vast plain, with a little rise of ground only a few hundred meters ahead of her. _That hill…looks like a nice little spot to stop and rest a while,_ she mused.

Quickening her pace a bit, she soon arrived on top of the hill…and found herself overlooking a beach several hundred feet below, and the sea beyond. Carefully, she sat herself down and looked out toward the horizon. _Hmmm…the ocean…looks so beautiful from here._

Even as she thought that, though, another thought immediately presented itself at the forefront of her mind. _Wade…_

And then, just like that, she thought back to Egypt, when she and the others had gone to help retrieve Yugo. Like pictures in her mind, she recalled how Wade had fallen victim to JUDAS's soul-stealing…of how hard she'd fought to save him…and how relieved she'd been at the end, when Wade's soul was returned along with all the others.

Then her thoughts turned once again to bits and pieces of the last conversation she'd had with her mentor, Vivian Wong. _"Tell me, Blaze…you haven't found anybody special yet, have you?"_

_"…there _is _somebody I'm interested in, but…"_

_  
"Does he know?"_

_"No."_

_"Do you plan to tell him?"_

_"I…I don't know…"_

_"I only want for you to be happy…and to be able to express your love for him, and to make him capable of loving you back. Win his heart and be happy, Blaze Redman."_

Blaze closed her eyes, even as the wind blew her hair back. _Vivian…all that time I spent, training under your tutelage…all that time I looked up to you like a mother…all those times I let you have your way with me…_ She blushed as she recalled this last bit. _And through all of that, you really could read me better than anybody else. And…in a way…so could HE…_

Her thoughts flashed back to part of her most recent conversation with Wade…to something he had said to her. _"I know…that underneath your thick-skinned exterior is a soft heart, a heart that's afraid of being hurt. That's why I said I'll give you time to think about…this proposal."_

Again she opened her eyes…and this time she looked down at the ocean below her. _Wade…what do I say to you, when next I see you? Do I give you an answer to that question you asked me…or…do I put you off a little longer? And if I choose one, will I regret not choosing the other…?_

As if it divined her thoughts, the wind blew past her once again. This time it carried with it the salty scent of the sea. Inadvertently Blaze took a big whiff of the breeze as it blew right into her face. Then her eyes narrowed with decision.

----------

EN ROUTE TO DUELTROPOLIS, AT THAT MOMENT

The helicopter zoomed over the ocean's waters, heading on course toward Duelist Kingdom Island. "Hey, pilot, how much longer?" Mr. Wheeler called.

"Another fifteen minutes, give or take," the pilot replied.

"We've been making good time so far," Mr. Muto observed.

"Must be the tail winds," answered Mrs. Taylor. "The wind's blowing inland, as far as I've been able to tell."

"Well, I do hope the kids are all okay," Grandma Muto remarked.

"Don't worry, they'll be fine; I'm sure of it," Mrs. Bakura assured her.

"The sooner we get there and see for ourselves, the better," Mr. Bakura declared.

"I agree," nodded Mrs. Wheeler.

"You're worrying too much," Mr. Taylor admonished them. "We'll get there when we get there, and that's all there is to it."

"Tristan's right," said Mr. Muto. "For now, let's just enjoy the ride."

----------

DUELTROPOLIS, IN THE MEANTIME

"It's kinda weird, isn't it? I mean, you're a prisoner, but you're _not_ a prisoner at the same time," Natasha remarked.

"An odd way of saying it, but it's summed up nicely, I suppose," Felix answered.

The group was walking through a lightly forested area, a little way from the inn where they'd ate and spent the night. Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki was walking at the head of the procession; Felix was in the middle, with two security guards on either side of him; and at the back were Yugo and Natasha.

Felix now addressed Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki. _"Señora, _if I may…how much further before we arrive?"

"Well, we've been walking at a rather good pace so far," Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki remarked. "At this rate, it shouldn't be too much longer before we catch sight of Pegasus's castle. Are you getting tired?"

"No, no, it's not that…I was just wondering, that's all," Felix replied.

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki glanced past Felix. "How about you guys back there? Do you need to stop and rest?"

"No, ma'am, not right now," Natasha replied cheerfully. "I feel like I could run all the way to the castle!"

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki laughed at that. "Then you'd have a very lengthy run—just because I said it shouldn't be much longer before we see the castle, doesn't exactly mean that it's very close by. Even after we get a glimpse of it, it could actually be another half-mile to a mile before we get there."

"Oh…well, I'm not worried," said Natasha. "If we do need to rest, all we have to do is tell you, right?"

"Got that right," Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki nodded.

Then she beheld Yugo. "How about you, Yugo, everything okay…? Um…Yugo…?"

Yugo was looking off to one side; his gaze seemed distant. Puzzled, Natasha pulled at his jacket. "Yugo, Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki's talking to you," she told him.

"Huh? Oh…sorry," Yugo came back to reality, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "What were you saying? I didn't quite get you."

"Come up here," Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki invited him.

Yugo jogged to the front of the procession, where Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki slowed her pace a little to let him catch up to her. "Yugo, is everything all right?" she asked him.

"Oh, sure, ma'am, just fine," he assured her.

She gave him a look. "Yugo…" she said his name slowly, using her sternest disciplinarian tone.

Yugo sighed a little. "Okay, okay," he whispered. "I'm just thinking…about something Felix said last night, after I defeated him in our duel."

"And that was?" she queried.

Yugo glanced back at Felix for a moment. "He said…something about that I should be careful who I trust…and that not everything is as it seems."

"Is that right?" said Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki. "And are you going to take him at his word?"

"I don't know, really," admitted Yugo. "I mean, the way he said it…it sounded so ominous, and yet so vague at the same time—"

Suddenly he halted right there in his tracks. Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki swiftly noticed Yugo's sudden stop. "Yugo, what's wrong?" she asked, looking at him worriedly even as his hair overshadowed his brow.

Without warning, Yugo spun around and rushed straight at Felix. "EVERYBODY GET DOWN!" he yelled, barreling right into an astonished Felix and knocking him over.

"Yugo, what're you doing all of a sudden?" Natasha exclaimed, bewildered.

"I said get—" But Yugo never got to finish the sentence.

All at once a massive burst of energy blasted from somewhere off to the side, hurtling right over where Yugo and Felix now lay flat on the ground! The blast hit one of Felix's guards head-on, sending him flying several feet into the trees beyond even as he screamed out in pain and anguish!

"AAAAAH!" Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki was knocked down by the sheer impact and heat of the sudden attack, and landed hard on her behind.

"Ma'am!" the three remaining guards immediately rushed to her.

Natasha, too, had been knocked down by the impact. "Ouchie…what happened?" she asked, somewhat in a daze.

Yugo got up onto one knee, pulling Felix up with him. "Hey, man, you all right?" he asked.

_"Sí, sí, gracias, amigo,"_ Felix answered.

Then suddenly a different voice spoke—coming from the direction of the attack. "I'm _somewhat_ impressed that you could sense my assault even before it got to you, you little wretch," the voice announced coldly. "But let's see if you'll be lucky enough to avoid my attack a second time!"

"That voice…" Natasha froze.

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki, on her feet by this time, started at the sound of the voice too. "Dear Lord…it can't be…"

Looking in the direction of the voice's sound, Felix's eyes went wide. "Aries…!"

The surge of energy had blasted a number of trees from the direction it had come, leaving blackened remains behind. Now, walking amidst the ruined vegetation was a very familiar figure: big blue jacket, black hair, shield-shaped Duel-Disk, and a cold gleam in his eyes.

Yugo scowled viciously when he saw who it was. "You…James Truesdale…!"

"I see you remember me," James replied. Then he set a frosty gaze on Felix. "And you, Libra…it looks like what I was told about you was true after all. To think…that I held even a little respect for you, only to learn that now, you're going to really turn on us…shame on you."

Yugo slowly rose to his feet. "Then it's true…isn't it? You really are one of _them."_

Natasha looked from James to Yugo, and then back again. "One of them…?"

"It's true, sister _dear,"_ James spoke up, a very sarcastic note in his tone. "I guess there's no use my concealing it any longer. Yes…I am one of the stronger members of the Zodiacs…the one who obliterates the weak and eliminates the unworthy…Aries the Everstrong!"

Natasha paled on hearing this. _No…brother…_

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki suddenly spoke up. "Why are you here, James—and for God's sake, why are you with THEM?"

James set a hard glare on her. "Sorry, Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki, but why I'm with them is _nobody's_ concern—not even yours," he stated flatly. "As for why I'm here…well, what do you think? I'm here to take out Felix Sanchez before he talks too much and ruins our plans! And ANYBODY who gets in the way of my mission will be seriously barbecued—even if it's you!"

"You wouldn't…!" Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki hissed.

"Care to try me?" James swiftly held up his Duel-Disk.

"HEY, BASTARD!"

James glanced at Yugo. "What do you want, mosquito?"

Without missing a beat, Yugo pulled out his Duel-Disk. "You won't be hurting anyone here today," he declared acidly. "At least, not without going through me first! So…get yourself ready, because I'm your opponent now!"

----------

**_neomage:_** OKAY! Now, here's a duel that a number of you readers have been waiting for—Yugo vs. James! The battle starts next chapter—don't you dare miss it!


	239. Chapter 239

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: **(speaking in a 1930's Chicago gangster drawl) **I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, see? And I'll go rat-a-tat-tat on you if you think I do, see?)

**CHAPTER 239**

PEGASUS'S CASTLE

Mr. Devlin stood in the control room behind the two suits recording the data from their chairs; he was watching the security tapes with a crucial eye. "Hmmm…"

So far, he'd been observing the camera recording the duel between Janus Yuki and Angel Snow. He looked on keenly as the two competitors had an exchange between them. "I see…so that girl is a Duel Academy student AND a Zodiac, just like Cassius Princeton," he murmured. "What next…?"

"Uh, Mr. Devlin, sir," one of the suits seated in front of him spoke up, "you'd better take a look at this!"

"What is it?" asked Mr. Devlin irritably.

The suit pointed to a separate camera shot—and as Mr. Devlin looked in that direction what he saw startled him. On the screen he saw James Truesdale confronting Yugo Muto's party!

"Hoo, boy…!"

----------

Pegasus took a sip from his glass of wine. Seated nearby, Mr. Truesdale regarded him. "It's a bit early in the morning to be drinking, don't you think?" Mr. Truesdale jabbed at him.

"This is to warm up the old bones," Pegasus replied defensively. "By the way, I haven't seen Ziggy-boy and Dr. Crowler since a good while ago. Where have those two gone to, I wonder?"

"Well, Dr. Crowler wanted to go see if he could sight any of the security folks coming with those Zodiacs who are supposed to be on the way here…and Von Schroeder's probably in the _throne room,"_ and here Mr. Truesdale snickered. "Exiling some, uh, _royal subjects."_

Standing at the window, Kaiba didn't seem much amused. "Just say he went to take a crap and be done with it!" he growled.

"Hey, hey, don't get your panties in a bunch, Kaiba-boy—just because your friends aren't here yet," Pegasus replied good-naturedly. "And anyway, what else can we do but make a little humor to lighten a dark situation?"

Suddenly Mr. Devlin burst into the room; immediately all three of the men turned to stare at him. "My word, Devlin-boy, you came charging in here like a phantom was after you!" Pegasus exclaimed.

"Turn on the monitor now!" Mr. Devlin snapped. "This duel you HAVE to see!"

At that moment Mr. Von Schroeder and Dr. Crowler came in. "We were on our way back here, and then Devlin just ran past us," Mr. Von Schroeder said excitedly. "Is something going on that we should know about?"

"We'll soon find out," declared Pegasus, and turned on the big-screen.

In a moment the screen flashed to life, and there—right before their eyes—was the very scene Mr. Devlin had first witnessed. "Zane…isn't that…?" Dr. Crowler started, pointing at the screen in surprise.

Mr. Truesdale blinked. "Yes…it IS him…James!"

"I swear, it's like he just _attacked _them!" Mr. Devlin breathed excitedly.

_"Attacked_ them? And seeing that Alexis and his own sister are there, also?" Pegasus demanded, pointing out Natasha and Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki on the screen.

_James…_ Mr. Truesdale looked on intensely at the confrontation.

----------

DUELTROPOLIS, AT THAT VERY MOMENT

James gave Yugo a scornful glance. "My opponent? You? Boy, have you lost your screws? You're way out of your league if you think you can challenge me!" he scoffed. "Why don't you do me and yourself a favor and run along back to that pram you crawled out of?"

"You err to underestimate this boy, _amigo,"_ Felix spoke up. "He was my opponent in the previous round, and he soundly defeated me!"

"Soundly defeated you? Ha! You probably just turned coward and threw the match to convenience him!" James sneered. "And, anyway, did I give you permission to talk, traitor? You plan to do quite a lot of that once you get before the World Tournament Committee—but I'm here to stop you before that happens!"

"Who're you calling a coward?" Felix asked angrily. "If I'm a coward, then you're the pot calling the kettle black, as they say! For you to come right at us with such a vicious attack…!"

James merely smirked at that. "What were you expecting—for me to just show myself, ask permission to blast you to pieces, and expect you to give consent? Sorry, _matador_ failure, but the world doesn't work like that."

Felix bristled. "Toothless dog…! How DARE you!" he exploded.

"Felix, Felix, please, don't let him get to you," Natasha urged, hurrying to Felix's side. "That's exactly what he wants you to do…"

"And you—worthless Osiris Red scum," James growled. "I haven't forgotten that I owe you a beating for talking back to me last time we saw each other. So, in my view, this is quite convenient: to have my soon-to-be silenced target and my soon-to-be beating stick right here in the same place at the same time." He took a step forward…

…but suddenly, to everyone's amazement, Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki ran in between then, spreading her arms out. "Not one step further, James!" she cried.

James's eyes narrowed at this development. "Vice-Principal…" he growled. "There are only two breeds of people I attack on purpose—duelists and my assigned targets. And you are neither. So do the sensible thing and stand aside…or else you'll leave me no choice but to make you one more statistic to chalk on my wall."

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki's expression turned bitter. "And I thought Cassius Princeton acted like a disgrace to our school, but you—you make the term 'disgrace' seem a compliment!" she cried. "You bring shame on your father's name!"

James's look cut straight into her face. "He brought shame on himself long ago," he said slowly, each word dripping bitter poison. "Why should I care about _he_ feels?"

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki's eyes went wide as these reached home to her. "James…!"

"Now, I'll only say it one last time. Get out of my way…" and as he spoke, James's Duel-Disk suddenly activated. "…or else I'll move you myself."

"Did you never learn any lessons on manners—or did you cut school that day?"

As James turned to look at him, Yugo walked up to stand beside Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki. "You, sir, are not going to lay one hand on ANYBODY here," Yugo declared crisply. "You'll have to go through me first."

James gritted his teeth. "Stubborn and stupid, now, aren't we?" he jabbed at Yugo. "I already told you, you're out of my league! So, last chance—back off!" And now he held up his Duel-Disk ominously.

"Why don't you prove he's out of your league, then?" Natasha spoke up.

They all looked at her. "What was that?" James snarled.

"Brother…I'm sorry to disappoint you, but…whether you like it or not, Yugo _will _be your opponent," Natasha said softly. "I remember your duelist number well—in fact, I still have the number plate bearing it with me—and from the announcement this morning, you and Yugo are supposed to be facing each other."

James cocked an eyebrow slightly. "This…_runt…_is my officially designated second-round opponent?"

Natasha nodded. "Yes. He is."

James's eyes narrowed into slits. "I see…I suppose fortune is casting a glance at me today, then. To have my appointed opponent, assigned elimination target, and Osiris Red beating stick all together in one spot…I should be counting my blessings."

"The only thing you'll be counting is the number of hours you'll be out cold after I'm done with you," Yugo swore. "Dueling Emperor, my ass! Everstrong, my nuts! By the time this is over, you'll be lucky if you can even remember your own real name!"

"Your efforts at insulting me border on slow and dull," James answered, in a gravelly voice. "Last time you interfered with me, I warned you that I'd rip out your jaw to stop your preaching…now that we're here, I'll just take it a step further and tear out your tongue and larynx, also."

"Well, how about we make an effort to back up our threats, right here and now?" Yugo demanded, holding up his activated Duel-Disk.

James allowed a tiny smirk. "Nothing would please me more, cretin."

Yugo glanced behind him. "Felix…you don't plan to run away if I lose, do you?"

Felix, standing next to Natasha, shook his head. "But of course not, Yugo. I know your skill…I believe you have a chance. And anyway…I've done enough running in my own lifetime." He touched the brim of his hat meaningfully.

"Yugo…be careful," Natasha added her voice.

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki went over to both of them and pulled them away. "This, guys, could get very unpleasant," she advised them.

"We know, _Señora,"_ Felix nodded.

The suits, in the meantime, came back over to where Felix, Natasha and Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki now stood. "Go check on the other guard—see if he's all right," Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki instructed one of them. "We'll be all right here…I hope."

----------

PEGASUS'S CASTLE, AT THAT MOMENT

"I see…so, that boy is going to actually duel against James," remarked Dr. Crowler. "But might I ask, and forgive me if I don't sound optimistic—just what chance does he have? After all, James doesn't have the title of 'Dueling Emperor of Duel Academy' for a sense of fashion—not one soul who's ever gone up against him has ever defeated him, as far as I know."

"So, he's unbeatable, then?" asked Pegasus. "Heh…they used to say the same thing about Malachi Jordan when he was the Intercontinental champion."

"You needn't be too concerned, Doctor," Kaiba addressed Dr. Crowler. "I can personally vouch for Yugo—he's not one to just allow anybody to beat him in a duel. He'll fight with tooth, nail, and his very last breath before he admits defeat. It's a trait that runs in his family."

"So…only question is, then, which of them will actually win this?" asked Mr. Devlin.

"Remember, Kaiba, just vouching for someone doesn't testify to their level of skill," added Mr. Von Schroeder. "Yes, we know what Yugo is capable of, but we've also seen the type of deck strategy that James Truesdale utilizes. If anything, this will be a clash of titans."

Mr. Truesdale said nothing, but just looked intensely at the screen. _James…_

----------

DUELTROPOLIS, AT THAT MOMENT

As James and Yugo readied themselves, the holographic coin appeared on the field. "Just so you don't feel too sorry for yourself later, I'll let you call it," said James.

"Don't patronize me," Yugo grunted darkly. "I call heads!"

The coin was flipped, and it flew in the air…and then landed…and it was heads. "There! I won that coin toss!" Yugo nodded.

"Pity…because it's the only thing you'll be winning here," James told him.

"You won't know that till this duel is over," snarled Yugo, his temper getting on edge.

James rubbed his nose disdainfully with his thumb. "I've taken down many duelists in my time, both in and out of Duel Academy," he declared. "You'll just be one more."

"Save it!" Yugo grated.

They both quickly drew the first five cards—then Yugo drew his sixth. "Now, here's how I'll start this duel!" he announced. "Now, I'll set one monster in Defense Mode, and end my turn for the time being! Try breaking through that, if you dare!"

"You could set a million monsters in Defense Mode, and you still wouldn't be able to come close to my level," growled James as he drew his card. "Well, I don't need to attack you, anyway. I'll just set one monster in Defense Mode, and also set one card facedown. That will do it for me for the time being."

_I have to be doubly careful, since I know what this guy's strategy is,_ Yugo thought to himself. _Last time I went up against an Exodia user, I got played bad…I won't make the same mistake again!_

Yugo then drew another card. _Shit…not a good hand I'm holding here!_ "Uh, all right…I'll just end my turn for now."

"You see? This only proves what I said before—you're nowhere near my skill level," James taunted him. "You've got no decent cards in your hand, as far as I can tell, but I've got cards that'll allow me to demolish you completely! Watch!"

So saying, he drew his next card. "Heh…now, I'll set another monster in Defense Mode, another card facedown…and activate my trap card, Reckless Greed! This will allow me to draw two cards in exchange for skipping my next two Draw Phases!"

As his card flipped face-up, James swiftly drew two cards, so now he held five. "And…that'll end my turn for this little period of time."

Again Yugo drew—but this time, as he looked at the new card, his face brightened a bit. "Hmmm…okay, then. I'll set one card facedown, and end my turn with that."

James's Reckless Greed prevented him from drawing—but he wasn't much concerned. "Let's face it—I've got all the cards I need already," he gloated. "Like this one: Avatar of the Pot (ATK 1200, DEF 1300) in Attack Mode!"

Moments later his green-skinned creature emerged, sporting a hideous grin. "And now," James added, "I'll activate the effect of the Avatar of the Pot—I can send one Pot of Greed from my hand to the Graveyard in order to draw three cards from my deck!"

Avatar of the Pot began to glow in one eerie instant—and as James discarded his card, he drew three more. "And now, I end my turn," he said smugly.

Frowning deeply, Yugo drew yet again. "Okay, now I'll summon Neo the Magic Swordsman (ATK 1700, DEF 1000) to the field!" And then, just like that, his Swordsman emerged in a flash of magical color. "Destroy the Avatar of the Pot!"

"As if!" James snapped back. "I activate my trap card—Wall of Revealing Light!"

Suddenly a massive wall of light shone on James's side of the field, shielding his monsters even as Neo balked! "You've seen me use this card before, but I'll recap its effect for the sake of your puny mind," James told Yugo. "When I activate it, I pay any multiple of 1000 life points, and then no monster on your side of the field with an ATK equal to or less than the life points I paid can attack. And so, I'll offer 3000 life points to guarantee that you don't get to attack me AT ALL!" And just like that, his life points went down to 5000!

"Damn you…" Yugo growled low in his throat. "Fine, I'll end my turn now."

"This is terrible," Natasha whispered on the sidelines. "At this rate, James will get all the chances he needs to get all the cards he wants…and then…poor Yugo…"

Felix nodded. "That brother of yours is a demon on the dueling field," he sighed.

He wasn't prepared for the sudden wallop to his head. "Felix, you are SO not helping the situation!" Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki snarled at him, shaking her fist.

_"Lo siento, lo siento!"_ Felix cried, rubbing his head where she'd struck him.

Natasha stared in shock at Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki. "Gosh…scary…" and she shivered.

Back in the duel, James again refrained from drawing because of the effect of his Reckless Greed card, but still he wasn't concerned much. "All right…now I'll Flip summon one of my facedown monsters, and reveal my Skelengel (ATK 900, DEF 400)!" He pointed to one of his facedown monsters, and as its representing card flipped face-up, his invisible angel's halo, wings, and limbs appeared.

"Damn…that card's flip effect allows you to draw one card…" Yugo gritted his teeth harder.

"Yes, and that I will do now, too!" And James swiftly drew, so now he held seven cards. "And would you look at this—a definite seal on my impending victory…"

"What now?" Yugo asked suspiciously.

James chuckled. "Well…I'll set one card facedown, and then activate the magic card, Card Destruction! Now we will both discard our entire hands and draw cards equal to the number we discarded!"

Immediately they both discarded their respective hands; then James drew five more cards, while Yugo drew six. Then James stared at his new hand, and shook his head. "Well, well…fortune really is looking down on me in this duel…who would've expected I'd get things like these…!"

Yugo just looked at him.

"Now, I'll carry on," went on James. "Now, I'll activate the magic card, Precious Cards from Beyond! As long as this card stays on the field, each time I Tribute Summon or Set a monster which required two or more tributes, I get to draw two cards from my deck."

"You've got to be kidding me," groaned Yugo.

"But wait—it's about to get worse! For now I'll offer both Skelengel and the Avatar of the Pot to summon an extremely terrifying creature…" James held up one of his cards. "Come forth, Yamata Dragon (ATK 2600, DEF 3100)!"

All at once, the ground began to rumble. "Guys…what's happening?" Natasha asked, looking around in utter alarm.

"Something deadly's coming," Felix answered, looking warily at Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki's hands in case she might strike him again.

And then—from the ground burst a massive multi-headed snake monster! "WHOA!" Yugo exclaimed, staring in horrid fascination at the beast before him. "Would you look at this…!"

"Since Yamata Dragon's been summoned by offering two monsters as tributes, my Precious Cards from Beyond magic card will now grant me the power to draw two cards from my deck," James announced—and then, just like that, two cards seemed to magically pop from the top of his deck and flew right into his hand, so now he held five cards. "And now, I'll set one more card facedown…and then…Yamata Dragon, blast his useless Neo the Magic Swordsman into dust!"

And with that, Yamata Dragon did just that—it opened all of its mouths at once, and fired several immense blasts of fiery red energy that completely consumed Neo the Magic Swordsman and, in fact, Yugo's entire side of the field! "GYAAAAAAGH!" Yugo screamed out as his life points went down to 7100.

"Heh…and best of all, Yamata Dragon's effect states that when he inflicts battle damage to my opponent, I get to draw till I have five cards in my hand—and since I have four already, I just need to draw one more." And this he did. "Now I'll end my turn—oh, before I forget, Yamata Dragon is a Spirit monster, and Spirit monsters return to their owners' hands at the end of the same turn they were Normal Summoned or flipped face-up."

To Yugo's amazement, Yamata Dragon seemed to vanish in a flash of light…and its representing card ended up back in James's hand, so now he held six cards. "Why, you slimy…now I see what you're planning!" Yugo snarled.

"Oh, do you?" inquired James.

"Yes…with that Precious Cards from Beyond card active, you intend to summon your Yamata Dragon over and over, and draw more and more cards along the way until you get the ones you want for your strategy!" Yugo exclaimed. "And with your Wall of Revealing Light trap card active, you can keep yourself safe and comfortable while you plot my destruction!"

James smirked. "You're quite perceptive, I'll grant you that," he remarked. "And yet, even your sense of perception will not protect you from me! All you can do now is stand there and watch helplessly…that's right…watch helplessly as, little by little, I reduce your defenses to worthless dust…and then reduce you to nothing but a gravestone marker!"

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**_neomage:_** The duel's looking rather foreboding, what say you? Well, the confrontation continues in the next chapter! Look out for it, everybody!


	240. Chapter 240

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: **(flexing muscles) **Only the strong, the mighty, the powerful Kazuki Takahashi owns Yu-Gi-Oh!)

**CHAPTER 240**

PEGASUS'S CASTLE

"Mercy…James is stomping that poor boy!" Dr. Crowler exclaimed, his eyes wide as he watched the duel.

"Indeed," agreed Mr. Von Schroeder. "Such a powerful defense…and an equally powerful offensive…all to back up such a mighty strategy…I see why he's called the Dueling Emperor of Duel Academy."

"Don't sell Yugo short just yet, gentlemen," Kaiba advised them. "I still believe he can pull through, somehow."

"Well, if he's going to do it, he'd better do it fast," grunted Mr. Devlin. "If he doesn't hurry…"

"He WILL survive, Devlin-boy," Pegasus smirked. "Have a little more faith."

Still Mr. Truesdale remained silent, watching the screen. _Against such a brutal force…how can ANYONE survive…?_

----------

DUELTROPOLIS, AT THAT MOMENT

Meanwhile, back at the dueling site, the stats were shown: In terms of life points, Yugo led with 7100, while James had 5000. In terms of other game-play, however, James seemed to be the one in the lead, for on the field he had one facedown Defense Mode monster, his Precious Cards from Beyond magic card and Wall of Revealing Light trap card active, and two other cards facedown; at the same time Yugo had one facedown Defense Mode monster, and only one other facedown card. Both of them held six cards in hand; James's hand included the Yamata Dragon monster card.

"So, kid, how are you feeling?" James asked with mock concern. "Ready to wet your pants already? You know, it's not too late for you—all you have to do is forfeit this ridiculous match, and I may consider letting you go."

But Yugo still stood his ground. "I'm no quitter…and I'm not leaving without them," and here he indicated Natasha and Felix.

"Have it your way," James shrugged. "Struggle on all you want—but in the end, you'll regret throwing away this opportunity."

"Well, it's my move now—so here I go!" Yugo immediately drew another card. "Oh, and I've got some bad news for you, by the way…"

James raised an eyebrow.

"When you activated your Card Destruction card earlier, you managed to get yourself some new cards in hand—but so did I!" Yugo held up the cards he now held. "And now, I'll make good use of these cards! So…I'll set one card facedown, and summon my Skilled Dark Magician (ATK 1900, DEF 1700) in Attack Mode!"

Moments later his black-robed mage emerged on the field, staff in hand and a serious look on his face. "And next, I'll Flip summon my Apprentice Magician (ATK 400, DEF 800)!" Yugo then revealed the facedown monster he'd had so long, unveiling his young spellcaster. "And when she's summoned, her effect allows me to put one Magic counter on any face-up card on the field that I can put a Magic counter on…and my Skilled Dark Magician can take one right now!"

Apprentice Magician raised her staff and chanted…and then a moment later a flaming orb emerged beside Skilled Dark Magician. James, however, didn't seem much impressed. "I've seen more intimidating tricks than this," he snorted.

"Scoff all you like," answered Yugo. "Right now, I'm just going to end my turn."

"Like you could do anything else—my Wall of Revealing Light is still protecting me from your attacks," James reminded his opponent. "And now, I draw."

And he drew. "Now…I'll activate my trap card, Jar of Greed, and draw another card from my deck!" Then his red pot appeared on the field, and he drew once more, so now he held eight cards in hand. "And now…"

"Now…what?" Yugo asked warily.

"Now…" James smirked. "I'll offer my facedown monster as a tribute to summon my Airknight Parshath (ATK 1900, DEF 1400)!" And then his facedown monster vanished from the field, and in its place stood his winged fairy.

Suddenly, the silhouetted spirit of the Witch of the Black Forest (ATK 1100, DEF 1200) emerged on the field, much to Yugo's horror! "That's right—my facedown monster was indeed the Witch of the Black Forest all along," smirked James. "And, of course, when she's sent to the Graveyard from the field, her effect lets me choose a monster with a DEF of 1500 or less from my deck, add it to my hand, and then shuffle my deck. And the card I'm going to look for is…the Left Arm of the Forbidden One (ATK 200, DEF 300)!"

In one quick movement he pulled out his deck, thumbed through it, found the card he wanted, and then shuffled his deck again. _Heh…this now makes two pieces of Exodia that I have in my hands…and I'll get to the others in no time…_

"Now, Airknight Parshath! Destroy his Apprentice Magician!"

Parshath quickly flew forward, slicing through the Apprentice with blades of force, reducing Yugo's life points to 5600! "And when my Airknight Parshath inflicts battle damage, I can draw one card from my deck!" And this James did swiftly, so now he held a whopping nine cards in hand.

"Well, Apprentice Magician has another effect, too," Yugo countered. "When she's destroyed in battle, I can select one Level 2 or lower Spellcaster-type monster from my deck and Special Summon it in facedown Defense Mode. And I choose a second Apprentice Magician!"

A moment later another facedown monster mysteriously emerged on Yugo's side of the field. "That won't help you—not for long, anyway," James shook his head. "I will end my turn for the moment, but mark my words…I'll stamp you under my heel like the bug you are."

Then, because he held too many cards in his hand, James discarded three of them to the Graveyard. Yugo noted this and scowled. _I know what he's trying to do…but he's NOT going to succeed—he will over my dead body!_

Yugo then drew his next card. "Now, I'll Flip summon my second Apprentice Magician!" And as he did this, the new Apprentice held up her glowing staff—and a second flaming Magic counter emerged near Skilled Dark Magician. "But that's not all I'm about to do…"

"Oh?" James raised a skeptical eyebrow.

Yugo then selected one card from his hand. "For now, I'll offer this Apprentice Magician as a tribute to summon Penumbral Soldier Lady (ATK 2100, DEF 1400)!" And then, one moment later, in his Apprentice's place stood his crescent-moon warrior girl.

"Big deal," muttered James. "You still can't attack me."

"You're right—I can't," admitted Yugo. "But there _is_ such a thing as biding one's time till the moment is right. Therefore, I'll end my turn for the present."

Shrugging, James drew again. _Hmmm…what an interesting combo this would make…_ "I'll set one monster in Defense Mode, and another card facedown, and end my turn with that."

Now Yugo had 5600 life points, while James had 5000 flat. James had five cards in hand, two of which were his Yamata Dragon and Left Arm of the Forbidden One; Yugo held five cards, also. On the field Yugo had Penumbral Soldier Lady and Skilled Dark Magician with two Magic counters, plus two cards facedown; James had Airknight Parshath in Attack Mode and one facedown monster in Defense Mode, plus his Precious Cards from Beyond magic card and Wall of Revealing Light trap card were still active, and he had two other cards facedown.

On the sidelines, Natasha bit her lip. _Yugo…I don't know if you can beat my brother…after all, he's the Dueling Emperor, and nobody's ever been able to beat him before…_

"Worried, Natasha?"

Natasha looked up at Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki. "Well…um…yes, ma'am," she confessed. "I mean…how in the world is Yugo going to win, when he can't even touch James?"

"Well…I can't give you an honest answer to that just now," replied Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki. "All we can do now is just watch."

"Watch and pray," Felix added his voice.

Yugo, meanwhile, took his turn and drew again. _Hmmm…a good card I have here…but I have to save it for later, so…_ "Okay, I'll end my turn for the moment."

"You're hopeless, boy—hopeless, hopeless, hopeless," James mocked him as he drew another card himself. "Already I'm dangling you along on a leash, and I'm barely even trying. Just like I did with my stupid little sister."

Yugo shot a glare at him. "Okay, now I'm getting sick of hearing you badmouth Natasha like this," he grated. "So you don't like Osiris Red—so what? She's still your sister, regardless!"

"I said it before—there is no sister, brother, cousin or friend as far as dueling is concerned," James reminded him. "Two duelists can never be friends outside of the arena…even if they happen to be related by blood. And, in any case, why should I give two hoots about a sister who can't even hold her own against her own Osiris Red classmates?"

Natasha flinched at that. "Brother…"

"And yet she was able to hold her own against YOU!" Yugo yelled.

"Your point?" James queried stonily.

Yugo gritted his teeth in his growing ire. "It makes absolutely no sense to me, man…I don't have any brothers or sisters, but I've always felt that an older sibling should protect the younger ones, not toss them around like old garbage! Yet that's exactly what you're doing to Natasha, your own flesh and blood—just because she happens to be in a dorm you don't like! So what's going to happen when she leaves Osiris Red—what will you do then? Will you just abruptly stop hating her, as if you never did?"

James's face turned red. "Who do you think you are, talking to ME like that?" he demanded wrathfully. "I don't recall anyone appointing you my judge or jury!"

"Maybe I'm not a judge or a jury…but…just the way you've responded now has condemned you." Yugo narrowed his eyes. "Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki is right about you. You'd definitely be an embarrassment to your parents."

"You…know…_nothing!"_ James hissed through clenched teeth, a vein beginning to bulge in the side of his neck.

"Maybe I _am_ ignorant," Yugo growled. "But this much I know: Any day that somebody tries to harm a member of their own family, like you almost did to Natasha, I'll put that person over my knee and flog them!"

"Like you could flog yourself," James answered waspishly. "Now, it's my turn!"

He took a look at the card he'd drawn…and began to chuckle. "Oh, now you're in for it, boy!" he cried. "For now, I'll Flip summon my facedown monster—Big Eye (ATK 1200, DEF 1000)!"

All at once, a red-skinned monster with numerous eyes adorning its body appeared! "Now, when flipped face-up, Big Eye allows me to see the top five cards of my deck, arrange them in any order desired, and then place them back on top of the deck," added James. "And so…"

The top five cards of his deck swiftly appeared before his face; Yugo watched with great apprehension as James rearranged them and placed them back. Then suddenly James shouted, "And next, I'll activate my trap card—Destruction of Destiny! This will allow me to send three cards from the top of my deck to the Graveyard, and inflict 1000 points of damage to me for each Magic or Trap card sent to the Graveyard by this effect!"

The top three cards from James's deck were momentarily revealed before Yugo's eyes—Goblin of Greed (ATK 1000, DEF 1800), the Good Goblin Housekeeping magic card, and Exodia the Forbidden One (ATK 1000, DEF 1000). Immediately, Destruction of Destiny reduced James's life points to 4000…but on seeing the Exodia the Forbidden One card, Yugo was dumbstruck. _Hey, hold on—he's actually sending THAT card to the Graveyard?_

"And next," said James, "I'll offer both Big Eye and Airknight Parshath to Tribute Set a monster from my hand!" And suddenly both monsters disappeared, replaced by a facedown card. Instantaneously, Precious Cards from Beyond activated once again, and James drew two more cards from his deck. "And finally, I'll set one card facedown, and end my turn."

"We all know what that facedown monster is already—your Yamata Dragon," Yugo said sourly.

"Yes, it is," James admitted. "And as long as it's facedown, it won't be returned to my hand until the end of the turn in which it's flipped face-up."

Suddenly Yugo began to chuckle. "What?" asked James, irritated.

"Hey…I just realized something…and I wonder why I didn't see it before," remarked Yugo. "You use an Exodia deck, right? But in order to get just the cards you need, you have to have as few cards in your deck as possible…and the minimum number allowed is forty cards…and, how many cards have you been drawing, and drawing, and drawing from your deck up to now? So, even if I don't get to your life points or any of your monsters, I'll still win once you make yourself run out of cards!" And he laughed again.

"Hey, yeah—James HAS been drawing consistently ever since they started dueling!" Natasha cried, a look of relief and realization coming over her face.

"At this rate, he'll practically empty his own deck slot!" Felix grinned maliciously.

_SHIT!_ James cursed mentally. _They're right—I HAVE been drawing a lot of cards from the deck since we started dueling! And…_ He cast a now-worried glance at his deck slot. _Whenever I duel, I always make sure my deck has forty cards…now I've got eight or so left in there! I was careless…too careless…!_

"And you know what else?" Yugo's voice reached him. "You said something earlier that's still puzzling me a little…you said your old man brought shame on himself a long time ago. Now, I don't know what you could've meant by that, but as far as I'm concerned, that's a poor excuse to use to justify your own mean behavior. We're all accountable for everything we do…and that includes you. So you shouldn't be using others as scapegoats for your sins."

James glared at him. "See—this is why I said you know nothing," he said softly, coldly. "Who said I was using my father's mistakes to justify myself? I was merely telling the truth."

"What truth?" demanded Yugo indignantly.

James shook his head. "Well, runt…it's none of your business whatsoever…but since you insist on being stubborn, then fine. I'll tell you why I said my father brought shame on himself."

Natasha looked quizzically at James. _Brother…what are you saying?_

James lowered his arms a moment, and slowly cast his eyes down to the ground. His mouth was drawn in a bitter line; his hair overshadowed his brow. "I hope Dad's watching the security tape from whichever camera's recording this," he said softly. "Because I want him to know…just how much I hate him…"

Yugo scowled. _To hate one's own parent…_

Then James spoke again. "I hate him…because he let a murderer be born."

----------

PEGASUS'S CASTLE, AT THAT MOMENT

Everyone stared at the screen in surprise. "…let…a murderer…be born? Yo, Zane, what's he talking about?" wondered Mr. Devlin.

Mr. Truesdale's eyes widened. "Dear God…don't tell me he's referring to…"

----------

DUELTROPOLIS, AT THE SAME TIME

"Let a murderer be born? Your father? Hold your tongue, James!" Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki cried.

"YOU BE QUIET!" James snapped, startling her considerably. "What the hell do you know, huh? You don't know shit—so just shut up!"

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki's hand flew to her mouth. _Oh, my…!_

James was breathing heavily; every known visible sign of rage was present on his face. "It's true…my father…allowed a killer to be born…to be born without just punishment…"

He pointed an accusing finger straight towards Natasha. "That killer was born the day Natasha was born! And the victim? Our mother!"

Natasha's eyes widened in shock. "James…what're you talking about?" she exclaimed, her voice quavering.

"Why don't you ask our oh-so-esteemed father when you see him, if you don't believe me?" James snarled. "Our mother would be alive today, if it weren't for _you!_ She lost her life…that day…that day, when she was in labor…giving birth to YOU…"

Again his eyes were overshadowed; his teeth were gritted hard. "I was only six years old at that time…but I can still remember the pain of that day, like it happened this morning. Mom woke up…in agony…eight months pregnant, carrying you in her womb…and then she had to be rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery. I was just a kid, so I wasn't allowed in the delivery room…but then, two hours of waiting and worrying…two hours…

"And then, Dad came out with the doctor…and the doctor was holding something in his arms, wrapped in a blanket…yes, the delivery succeeded, but at a cost…" James exhaled sharply. "Mom's body couldn't handle the pain, the stress…she died right there on the table. They had to cut her belly open to get the baby out." He looked up only then—and his eyes were seemingly quivering. "Even now…I can still hear her screams of torture…and I never got to say goodbye at all, never got to see her face one more time…"

Felix stood there, looking at his former teammate's rage, not knowing what to say. _And I thought MY life story was a bad one…_ He reached up and quietly took off his hat, holding it to his chest even as he bowed his head.

Natasha looked limp. "Mommy…" she whispered—and she would've fallen over right there if Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki hadn't caught her.

"Dad made me promise never to tell Natasha what had happened," James went on, his voice seething with hatred. "Said it was for her own well-being…well, what about ME, huh? What about my suffering? And—" here he threw his face skyward. "And why didn't you even grieve for her, Dad? Huh? Didn't you love her? Didn't you ever want to see justice done? How the hell do you think you can live with yourself, never even talking about Mom while her murderer—the person you make me call my sister—walks around scot-free without some form of atonement? Huh? ANSWER ME THAT, DAMN YOU!"

There was a long silence following his tirade. Then Yugo, all this time staring in awe, shook his head. "So…all this while…your disdain for Osiris Red was merely a cover-up for how you really felt about your sister? And this is why you joined the Zodiacs—to express your rage toward your father?" he said. "It's a tragedy that your mom is dead, man…but you shouldn't be taking out your grief on the rest of your family and on others—not like this."

James swung his head down to glare fiercely at Yugo. "Stop! Stop! Stop!" he exploded, shaking his head in frenzy. "Don't tell me how to feel, you ignorant brat! This is _my_ mother that's in her grave, not yours! Your mother didn't die in childbirth and leave her murderer behind!" He clenched his fist hard, his whole arm trembling violently. "Don't you even think of trying to judge ME—you have no clue what it's like to lose your mother at such a tender age!"

A deathly silence accompanied the outburst.

Natasha, Felix and Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki looked from one to the other of the two duelists. "Um…Yugo…?" Natasha whispered.

Yugo just stood there. His hands were limp at his sides. His head was down; his hair completely overshadowed his face. Felix, however, did not fail to notice that the young boy's shoulders were twitching. _Ay caramba…has Aries hit an old wound?_

Even James, in the instant the noise of his own voice cleared from his ears, began to feel a tad unnerved as he looked at Yugo. But as the other boy slowly raised his head to look directly into James's eyes—James saw something ominous hiding there. _Holy shit…what the hell is this?_

Then Yugo spoke…and his voice was low and strained by the now very evident wrath building within him. "You pathetic excuse for a man," he said slowly, emphasizing the syllables with hard, harsh enunciation. "If you've never gotten a sound thrashing in your weak, worthless life before…you're about to get one NOW."

----------

**_neomage:_** You know…I was going to do a blooper for this portion of the chapter, but seeing where the chapter's overall mood has gone, I think it would be best if I postponed the bloopers for later. In any case, now the duel between Yugo and James has taken a completely different turn…and it continues in the next chapter! Stay tuned till then, everyone!


	241. Chapter 241

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: **(flopping down lazily on the couch)** I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. Yawn…)

**CHAPTER 241**

DUELTROPOLIS

"You pathetic excuse for a man," Yugo said slowly, emphasizing the syllables with hard, harsh enunciation. "If you've never gotten a sound thrashing in your weak, worthless life before…you're about to get one NOW."

Hearing Yugo's words, spoken in such a threatening undertone, chilled Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki's senses. "That…is that…really Yugo…?"

Natasha inched closer to Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki. "He's _scaring_ me…"

Felix, too, felt on edge. _I've never even seen Aries the Everstrong show fear of anything before…and yet, to see him look so unnerved so suddenly…it's…alarming!_

One of James's eyebrows twitched as he stared at his opponent. "You…you think you can frighten me with empty threats?" he snarled.

"I'm not making a threat…I'm making a guarantee." Yugo's brow furrowed. "And I'll make another one, too: I'll smash the crown of Duel Academy's Dueling Emperor into a million tiny pieces, too many for it to be reassembled—EVER."

He placed a hand on his deck, ready to draw. "Now…let's go."

----------

PEGASUS'S CASTLE, AT THAT VERY MOMENT

"Whoa…I've never seen him so mad before," Kaiba marveled.

"Well, what do you expect? That James pissed him off badly—so now James is going to get as good as he gave, and then some," answered Mr. Devlin.

"Well, Yugo may have an advantage here—James HAS been drawing continuously from the deck, just like they pointed out," Pegasus commented.

"I must say, Mr. Truesdale…I never knew that you…" Mr. Von Schroeder paused.

"Yeah." Mr. Truesdale sighed. "My wife did die…giving birth to Natasha. And I did make James promise that he'd never reveal the facts to his sister, under any circumstances. I always felt that knowing the truth at such a young age would've crushed her…I was planning to tell her myself when she was older. That's why I always kept my private life private."

"But now your son has practically blasted it into the open," said Dr. Crowler. "At the very least, we know now _why _he is a Zodiac."

Mr. Truesdale then turned his eyes to the screen again. "Such anger…such grief…for him to bottle it up like that all this time…" he whispered, almost to himself.

----------

DUELTROPOLIS, AT THAT MOMENT

Back on the dueling field, as Yugo readied himself to take his turn, the stats were shown: Yugo had 5600 life points, six cards in hand, and on the field he had Penumbral Soldier Lady and Skilled Dark Magician with his two Magic counters, plus two facedown cards in the magic/trap slot. By contrast, James had 4000 life points, and he held six cards in hand, including one that everyone knew was the Left Arm of the Forbidden One; and on the field he had Yamata Dragon in facedown Defense Mode, plus he had the Precious Cards from Beyond magic card and the Wall of Revealing Light trap card active, and he had two other cards facedown as well.

As Yugo drew his card to give himself seven in hand, James took a quick look at the cards in his own hand. _The Left Arm of the Forbidden One…the one I got due to my Witch of the Black Forest's effect…and I've got three other pieces of Exodia waiting in the Graveyard, including the Exodia the Forbidden One card…and one of the other two pieces I'd discarded when I played my Card Destruction card, and the other I'd discarded to even out my hand at the end of a turn a little while earlier…now, if I can just get that last piece that I need, then get the necessary card to take back Exodia the Forbidden One from the Graveyard into my hand—then we'll see what'll become of this punk and his threats!_

"Now!" Yugo's voice came home to him. "I'm ready to make my move—if you're ready to pay attention now!"

"Whatever," James snapped.

Whereupon Yugo pointed to one of his facedown cards. "Now, I activate the trap card, Miracle Restoring! By removing two Magic counters from my side of the field, I can Special Summon one of two monsters from my Graveyard—either Dark Magician (ATK 2500, DEF 2100) or Buster Blader (ATK 2600, DEF 2300)…and I choose Dark Magician, in Attack Mode!"

As Skilled Dark Magician's two counters vanished from him, a moment later the famous purple mage emerged on the field, wielding his green staff in hand. "Observe him well," Yugo advised. "For he's going to be the instrument by which I'll seal your defeat."

"Yeah, right—against the mighty power of Exodia? Him and what army?" scoffed James.

"You'll soon see," Yugo replied enigmatically. "And now, I'll activate the power of a new card I recently got—the Emblem of Dragon Destroyer! This card allows me to add one Buster Blader from my deck or my Graveyard to my hand—and this time I'll be adding him to my hand, direct from my Graveyard!"

A bright blue emblem with a dragon's face on its design shone on the field momentarily, while Yugo located the card he was looking for and added it to his hand. "And now…I'll offer both Skilled Dark Magician and Penumbral Soldier Lady as tributes in order to summon Buster Blader!"

As both of his designated monsters vanished from the field, in their place stood the massive knight, his broadsword at the ready. But even then James wasn't impressed. "No matter how many monsters you bring out to face me, you still won't be able to topple me!" he snorted. "Now—I activate my trap card, Backup Soldier!"

All at once, one of his facedown cards flipped face-up. "As you know, as long as I have five or more Monster cards in my Graveyard, I can return up to three Normal monsters with an ATK of 1500 or less from the Graveyard to my hand," James reminded his opponent. "And I'm going for two—the Right Arm and the Right Leg of the Forbidden One!"

In but a moment the two designated cards got swept out of his Graveyard, and he promptly added them to his hand to give him a total of eight. "Now, just so you know and remember, this makes three Exodia pieces in my hand—and the others will soon join them!" he crowed.

"Even though one of them is still in your Graveyard right now?" Yugo asked.

"That should be the least of your worries now, trust me," and James sneered at his opponent.

Yugo shook his head. "You're drunk with your own power and status…it's time somebody got you back sober."

"You're just talking rubbish!" James snapped. "Yes, my deck's number of cards might be very small right now, BUT…I'll soon have all five pieces in my hand, and then when Exodia comes forth, he's going to take care of all the parasites standing before me—starting with you!"

"I'll only believe that when I see it happen," Yugo said sourly. "Right now, I end my turn."

James drew again. "Now, it's time for me to bring this pointless struggle of yours to a close, permanently," he hissed. "I'll set one monster facedown in Defense Mode…and then activate the magic card, Monster Reincarnation! By discarding one card from my hand, I can return one Monster card in my Graveyard to my hand…and I opt for Exodia the Forbidden One!"

He quickly thumbed through his Graveyard, retrieved the named card, and added it to his hand—now he held seven cards in his hand. "And with that, Mr. Hopeless Cause, I end my turn." And he smirked, even as he discarded one card from his hand to even out the number he should have.

Yugo's face wore a grim look. _Now he's got two facedown monsters…one I already know is his Yamata Dragon, but…if that other one is what I think it is, then…_

His eyes narrowed further. _I know what he's plotting—he's set himself up for an unexpected defensive comeback if I should happen to break past his Wall of Revealing Light…and then, if I attack his new facedown monster, and it turns out to be what I think it is…damn it, I'm caught between a rock and a hard place here!_

Then Yugo's eyes closed. _All of this is coming down to one draw…just one draw…come on, come on, come on…_ His hand reached for his deck…

"Stop stalling, already! Come on, get on with it!" James snarled. "Or are you trying to prolong your defeat, you little nobody?"

Then Yugo drew. And he stood still, as if frozen in time.

Everyone looked expectantly at him. James watched him with a very impatient look on his face. _What the hell is the runt waiting on?_

"Yugo…c'mon, act if you're gonna act!" Natasha muttered fretfully.

Felix rubbed his fingers along the edge of his hat brim. "Yugo…"

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki peered intensely at Yugo. _Yugo…have you gotten something you can use…or…?_

At length Yugo's eyes opened…and he glanced at the drawn card, now held firmly in between his fingers. "As I was saying before," he said, very softly, "I'm going to give you such a thrashing, you won't be able to show your face to anyone afterwards."

"With what?" James demanded.

"With THIS!" Yugo immediately played the card. "I activate the magic card, Double Spell! By discarding one Magic card from my hand…" and here he discarded a card, the Thousand Knives card, to the Graveyard. "I can select one Magic card from _your_ Graveyard and use it as my own. And the card whose power I shall use is one you used several turns back—the power of the Card Destruction magic card!"

Horrified astonishment registered plainly all over James's face in that one instant. "NO!" he screamed out.

But then, just like that, his Card Destruction card flew out of his Graveyard—and went right into Yugo's hand. "Now…we'll both discard our current hands and draw cards equal to the number we discarded!" Yugo declared. "So do it now!"

Immediately he discarded the five cards he had left in his hand and drew five more; a very red-faced James followed through more slowly, discarding his entire hand and drawing six more cards. And, much to James's chagrin, he had only one card left in his deck slot by now! "…damn…" he cursed. "Not my Exodia cards…!"

"Wha…? Did Yugo just—did he just…?" Natasha stared wide-eyed.

"I think he did," and now Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki couldn't help smiling.

Felix could only gape in wonder. _Incredible…this boy actually just beat the strategy of the feared Aries the Everstrong? Unbelievable!_

Yugo now looked at the five new cards he held. "Now—I summon Time Wizard (ATK 500, DEF 400) in Attack Mode!" And then, just like that, he'd called forth his clock-faced magician to the field. Then he held up another card.

"Next, I activate the magic card, Dark Magic Attack! If I activate this card with Dark Magician on my side of the field, it destroys every Magic and Trap card on your side! Do it now, Dark Magician!"

Raising his staff, Dark Magician fired his trademark attack—aiming at James's magic/trap zone—and the result was a deafening explosion that took out the Wall of Revealing Light trap card, the Precious Cards from Beyond magic card, and James's other facedown card as well! The shockwave itself was so powerful, James had to brace himself hard lest he be knocked over! "Dammit to hell!" he screamed.

"Now…all that's left is to take out your monsters," said Yugo.

Steadying himself and getting back some of his bearings, James snarled at Yugo. "Have you forgotten? I do still have my Yamata Dragon facedown—his effect hasn't returned him to my hand up to this point _because_ he's been facedown ever since I brought him to the field the second time!" he barked. "And, anyway, his DEF is powerful enough to repel all of your monsters that you have here!"

"That's where my Time Wizard comes in, cretin," responded Yugo. "Now, using his effect, I can toss a coin and call it…and if I call it right, every single monster on your side will be destroyed. But…" He closed his eyes as he continued to talk. "If I call it wrong…not only will all the monsters on _my_ side be destroyed, but…half of their total ATK will be deducted from my life points as well."

"WHAT?" Natasha cried out. "But—if that happens—"

"Then James will have an ample opportunity to strike back at Yugo's life points come next turn," added Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki. "And if THAT happens…"

"Then God help Yugo," finished Felix.

James gritted his teeth and glared daggers at Yugo. "So, what—you're willing to let the fate of this whole duel rest on one coin toss?"

"Yes. I am." Yugo's tone was unmistakably clear as he said this. "Okay, Time Wizard—toss that coin!"

A holographic coin appeared in front of Time Wizard, and the little magician flipped it. "And I call tails!" Yugo declared.

The coin flipped…flipped…flipped. Now everyone was watching it with an anxious eye…

----------

PEGASUS'S CASTLE, AT THE SAME TIME

"…so…it's come down to one coin toss…" Mr. Von Schroeder whispered.

"I think, regardless of the coin toss, James might lose anyway—he's almost run completely out of cards now," remarked Pegasus.

"Yes, but I've seen duelists make major comebacks with only one card left in the deck," replied Dr. Crowler. "Who's to say the same won't happen for James, if this coin toss fails?"

"The toss won't fail. I'm sure of it." Kaiba's voice held no room for argument.

"Now the question is: Which of them will fortune favor?" wondered Mr. Devlin.

And still Mr. Truesdale said nothing, but continued to observe the screen keenly. _So…that boy was actually able to beat the Exodia strategy…but can he pull this trick of his off…? Or will James triumph over him, as he's done to all his opponents in the past…?_

----------

DUELTROPOLIS

The coin continued to flip. And it presently reached the limit of flying height and began to descend. And all the while, James and Yugo never took their eyes off of it.

Then the coin landed on the ground…rolled around a little…then fell flat and stayed still. And the result shown on its face…

…was tails!

"YEAH!" Yugo cheered. "Time Wizard, go!"

"…shit…!" James whispered weakly, his eyes wide in shock.

_"Time Magic!"_ the little magician's voice echoed across the field as it rose into the air, holding out its staff and pointing it at James's facedown monsters. And then—a huge blast of energy from said staff engulfed the two monsters, consuming them and at the same time revealing their identities—a howling Yamata Dragon and a completely fried Sangan (ATK 1000, DEF 600)!

"I thought so," Yugo remarked, a note of cold precision in his tone. "When Sangan's sent from the field to the Graveyard, you're allowed to take one monster with an ATK of 1500 or less from your deck and add it to your hand, after which you shuffle the deck. So, go ahead, 'Emperor'…check what's left of your deck, why don't you?"

Eyebrow twitching, James looked down at the one single card remaining in his deck slot. Pulling it out, he was further incensed by its appearance: the Left Leg of the Forbidden One (ATK 200, DEF 300)! "You…meddling little…!" he grated, his eyes wide with maddening fury even as he unconsciously added the card to his hand.

"I'd remind you to shuffle your deck for Sangan's effect—except, you don't have a deck to shuffle now!" Yugo taunted. "And now…"

All at once, to everyone's amazement, the Dark Magician began to glow! "What now?" James exclaimed.

"Oh…how could I forget?" Yugo ran a hand through his hair. "When I toss the coin for Time Wizard and call it correctly, I can then offer Dark Magician as a tribute to summon his older, far greater and wiser form to the field…whether it's from my hand or my deck…and for this duel, he's coming directly from my hand: Dark Sage (ATK 2800, DEF 3200)!"

Suddenly a mighty burst of energy consumed the Dark Magician, energy so bright that they all had to turn their eyes away. "Whoa! Too bright!" Natasha exclaimed, covering her eyes and turning her whole face in another direction.

Then, at length, the light subsided…and James managed to look up. "Oh, my God…"

For now, on Yugo's side of the field was the elderly spellcaster, wrapped up in his robes and possessing a mighty degree of dignity. "And, furthermore, when he's Special Summoned successfully," finished Yugo, "I can select one Magic card from my deck, add it to my hand, and then shuffle my deck. And, for the sake of resolving this effect, the card I choose is the field magic card, Yami!"

Quickly Yugo pulled the Yami card from his deck and added it to his hand, then shuffled the deck. Then, replacing the deck in its slot on his Duel-Disk, he beheld the three monsters on his side, ready to charge…and then looked over at James, who was simply staring in utter shock. "Hey…you."

James seemed to snap out of a trance. "Wha…?"

Yugo shook his head pityingly. "You know what I see, when I look at you right this minute?" he asked. "Beyond the boasting, the superior attitude, the powerful strategy…I see a frightened little bitch who's about to get his ass kicked all over the place! Now, my monsters—give him the whipping that's long overdue to him!"

Buster Blader rushed forward first, slashing James's gut in a crosswise stroke and reducing his life points to 1400. Gagging at this attack, James had no time to react as Time Wizard blasted him with its Time Roulette spell, knocking him further back and reducing him even more to 900. Then—Dark Sage's staff charged up with bright colored energy, and he released it into a massive ball of power that flew across the field, ripping up everything in its path, and struck James square in the torso! "AAAAAAAAAGH!" James screamed out as he flew several hundred meters back, landing hard on the ground with a tremendous, explosive impact as his life points shot all the way down to 0!

_"Excelente! Excelente! Bueno, _Yugo, _bueno!"_ Felix cheered, pulling off his hat impulsively and tossing it to the sky.

"Well done, Yugo!" Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki exclaimed.

"Yeah, way to go!" Natasha added—and then just as quickly frowned. "But…what about…?"

In that instant everyone turned to look at where James had roughly landed—and the ground where he'd fallen had quite an impressive crater. Eyes narrowing, Yugo switched off his Duel-Disk and ran over to where James lay. "Hey, yo…you still alive?" he inquired.

James was there, in the middle of the crater; his jacket was blasted almost to shreds. Barely conscious, that he was; slowly, painfully, he turned his head to look in Yugo's direction. "You…you should've…just killed me…you little bastard…" he whispered.

Yugo looked down at him for the longest moment…then turned away. "Earlier…you said I have no clue what it's like to have been in your situation, to have lost a mother at a young age," he said quietly. "Well…just so you know. You were wrong. I do have a clue."

James blinked at this revelation…then groaned and lolled his head back to the side. "I…could've won…could've beaten you…"

"No. You wouldn't have." Yugo shook his head. "Even if that coin toss had failed, and you had the opportunity to attack my defenseless life points…I still would've had my one remaining facedown trap ready for you." And as he spoke, he pulled the cards off his Duel-Disk and pocketed them. As he picked up the one remaining card in his magic/trap slot, he held it so James could see what it was—the Blast Held by a Tribute trap card.

James blinked again…and flinched. "Damn you…"

Just at that moment the security guards that had been accompanying them before came up to the group, carrying their comrade who was still injured from James's earlier sneak attack. "He'll be fine, ma'am, just needs some bed rest," one of them was reporting to Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki. "Luckily we were able to treat him immediately, before he could go into shock."

"Good, good," said Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki. "Now, go deal with that guy over there," and she indicated James. "He's one more Zodiac to be carried to the castle. Handle him carefully."

"Understood!" Two of the suits then hurried over and proceeded to take up the limp James, even as Yugo stood to one side and quietly observed them.

----------

**_neomage:_** First I debated whether to give James a chance and let him use Exodia Necross, but then I remembered—the Exodia-using Rare Hunter never used Exodia Necross, either. Then I thought about letting Time Wizard's coin toss fail, but then remembered that even if that had happened…well, Yugo himself just explained it above. And so, folks, this battle has ended, one more Zodiac is down…and the next chapter awaits! Stay tuned!


	242. Chapter 242

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: I only wish I owned Yu-Gi-Oh, but I don't.)

**CHAPTER 242**

PEGASUS'S CASTLE

The six men stood there, all speechless, as they witnessed James's sound defeat. "Wow…so…he actually just bested James…?" Dr. Crowler whispered.

Kaiba smirked. "What did I tell you? Eh? What did I tell you?"

"So, now that James has been defeated…that makes one more Zodiac down for the count," remarked Mr. Devlin.

"Yeah…" Mr. Von Schroeder nodded. "And that'll make two that Alexis is escorting here."

"Quite so, quite so," chuckled Pegasus. "Now, the Zodiacs' forces are weakening drastically, thanks largely to the efforts of our tournament participants."

Mr. Truesdale merely blinked. _I still can't believe it…James…and his Exodia strategy…were defeated…?_

Suddenly a suit burst into the room. "Mr. Pegasus, sir, sorry for the intrusion!" he exclaimed, grabbing everyone's attention. "Yugi Muto and his friends have arrived!"

"Oh, have they now?" Pegasus was genuinely interested. "Then we should go and welcome them, now shouldn't we?"

"You all stay right here," said Kaiba. "I'll bring them here." And he walked out of the room, following the guard.

----------

Hovering above the heliport on top of one of Pegasus's castle towers, the Kaibacorp helicopter's rotor blades whizzed round and round wildly even as the pilot steadied the metallic bird in order to land. Then, little by little, the helicopter came down, down, down…and looking out the window excitedly was Mrs. Taylor. "I can't believe we're finally here," she whispered.

"Believe it, honey, believe it," Mr. Taylor smiled and patted his wife's hand affectionately.

Finally the chopper touched down, and the doors slid open, allowing the passengers to clamber out. Mr. Muto clutched the briefcase Roland had given him, and looked around expectantly. "Well, where's Kaiba?" he wondered.

"Right here," a familiar voice called. Turning, the group saw Kaiba striding toward them. "And it seems that what I asked for came safe and sound."

"As promised," nodded Mr. Muto, and he held up the briefcase.

"It's a shame you didn't get here a little sooner, Yugi—you just missed your son trouncing an Exodia strategist," Kaiba remarked as he took the briefcase from his former rival.

"Say what? Yugo beat an Exodia user? And we missed it? Aw, MAN!" exclaimed Mr. Wheeler.

"Don't worry so, Joey—very likely, we can view the playback of the island's security cameras later," Mr. Bakura told him. "Surely they would've been recording the duels, including Yugo's."

"Hey, yeah, that's right," and Mr. Wheeler brightened visibly.

"Well, in any case, let's not waste any more time," said Kaiba. "All of you, come with me, and you'll get to meet some of the other members of the Duel Monsters World Tournament Committee." He turned and started to walk away.

"Hey, wait now, Kaiba!" Mrs. Wheeler exclaimed, and the group hurried to accompany Kaiba.

----------

DUELTROPOLIS, IN THE MEANTIME

"How is he?"

"Seems all right…he's just passed out, that's all."

So spoke the two security guards as they tended to James. Nearby, the third guard was tending to the injured fourth, while Felix, Natasha and Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki stood to one side and Yugo to another.

"Well…Yugo won that duel, so now he's gone on to the next round," sighed Natasha. "But I wonder…is he okay?"

"I'll ask him," said Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki.

"You don't have to go anywhere, _Señora…_he's already coming this way," Felix informed her.

And indeed, Yugo was walking in their direction. "Hey, you guys," he said, his voice sounding tired. "How'd I do?"

"Magnificent! Simply magnificent!" Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki gushed.

"Yeah." Yugo nodded slowly. "I'm only sorry…that you had to see James get beat up that badly, Natasha. What you told me before was true—even for all his rudeness, he _is_ still your family."

Natasha smiled sweetly at him. "That's so kind of you to consider that, even in the heat of the battle," she remarked. Then her face turned serious. "But…I guess we have to face the reality of the situation…if you hadn't done it, somebody else would have. James has made quite a lot of enemies in Osiris Red—I know one or two who would've paid to watch you beat him."

"Aw, c'mon now, don't say stuff like that," said Yugo.

"Well, _amigo,_ let's just say that with your defeat of this fellow, Aries the Everstrong, you've crippled the Zodiacs considerably," nodded Felix, fixing his hat on his head. "But there is still one Zodiac in particular who is even more powerful than Aries himself…"

"Yeah, the one you call Capricorn the Blitzflash—I remember you told me that," said Yugo thoughtfully. "Question is, who is _he?"_

Felix chuckled knowingly. "It's not my place to tell you that—not right now, anyway," he said. "But I do have a strong feeling that, once you start the finals of this tournament, you will see him for yourself."

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki sighed and smiled. "Well, shall we get a move-on?" she suggested. "Once we reach the castle, you'll be able to rest a while…and we do still need to get Felix here, and now James over there, to the Committee."

She turned to the guards. "Are you ready to go? We are!"

"Yes, ma'am!" the guards chorused.

----------

On a hilltop a little distance away, Zander watched as the group picked up and started to move on. "I see," he whispered. "So, first Libra, and now Aries…"

Suddenly his cell-phone rang, and without missing a beat he answered it. "Go ahead."

"Capricorn…" The voice on the other end sounded venomous.

"Oh—hello, Master Orion," Zander started.

"Save the pleasantries, Capricorn," Master Orion interrupted frostily. "I have been watching the most recent duels in this round of the tournament, and **I am not pleased at all.** First Cancer the Scourge has been defeated…then Virgo the Zephyr…and now Aries the Everstrong. And that means, by now, that you are the only agent I have still active. And for me, that is not good news. And for you, that is even worse news because, ahem, putting it civilly—_I AM LOSING MY PATIENCE WITH YOU!"_

Zander winced and pulled the phone away from his ear, lest his eardrum be split by Master Orion's angered yell. Rubbing his sore ear with one hand, he switched the phone to the other ear and spoke. "I understand your disappointment, sir…in fact, I share that disappointment myself."

"Oh?"

"Yes, sir. Just a while ago, I actually bore witness to Aries's defeat…at the hands of Yugo Muto."

"Yugo Muto…the same brat who defeated Libra the Blackjack." Master Orion's tone was foreboding. "Surely, though, the defeat of your eleven comrades by this time is not part of your 'plan'? Because, if any of them confess anything to the Committee—which I an almost certain they have or will—everything we have worked so hard for will come to ruin!"

Zander switched the phone back to his now-recovered ear. "Trust me, Master…even if the others do squeal, it won't matter at this point," he assured his master. "Rest assured, everything is going according to the plan I've mapped out."

"I'll only rest assured when I get results instead of mere promises," Master Orion said darkly. "When next I contact you, Capricorn, you would do well to show me something worth my waiting all this time. Otherwise…" He left the sentence unfinished.

"As I have assured you before, Master…you will not be disappointed."

A click on the other end of the line was the only response he got. Unfazed, Zander touched a button on his phone…then waited a moment and speed-dialed a number. Holding the phone to his ear, he waited.

Then… "It's me. Now, now, don't sound so frightened—I know I said I'd wait for you to call when everything was finished, but Master Orion is getting more and more impatient. And to compound his impatience, it seems I'm the only agent left who's still active here in the Committee's tournament. So…please tell me you have something I can show Master Orion when he calls me back."

He waited a moment as the mystery person on the other end responded. Then: "Aahhh…yes, that WILL pique his interest indeed. So…ah. Yes, I understand. Very good, very good. You and your team deserve highest commendations for this. I will be certain to inform Master Orion when next I speak to him. Keep up the good work." A pause. "Now, now, don't be a suck-up. I only give out compliments every so often…you'll be lucky if you ever get another one from me. All said and done, you're just a lowly servant under my command, by Master Orion's order, after all. Don't forget that. All right, then…I'll contact you later, and there should be some good progress by then. Okay? Good."

Hanging up the phone and replacing it in his pocket, Zander chuckled evilly. "Yessssss…Master Orion, you will most certainly be pleased with this bit of news…and then not even the Committee will know what has hit it…heh, heh, heh…"

----------

ELSEWHERE IN DUELTROPOLIS, IN THE MEANTIME

Kyo, Miki and Ms. Wong continued onward, going slowly so as to allow Kyo's earlier injuries a chance to heal properly. "You sure you're feeling any better, Kyo?" Ms. Wong asked, just a little concerned.

"Yeah, I'm okay," Kyo assured her. "Now…I'm in the finals of this tournament…"

"And I'll soon be joining you there, just as soon as I find whoever my designated opponent is supposed to be," added Miki. "And I can't wait to meet that person!"

"Yeah, well…let's only hope it's not another of these Zodiac people," Kyo said seriously. "I have had just about enough of them for a few hours, thank you very much."

Ms. Wong chuckled. "Let's forget about them for now and find something more pleasant to talk about, shall we?"

"I'm all for that!" Miki nodded.

"Yeah, me too," said Kyo. "So…what _would_ you ladies like to talk about?"

----------

ELSEWHERE IN DUELTROPOLIS, AT THAT MOMENT

It had been some time since Seta and his group had started out on their journey from their rest-stop…and now he, Raven and Shigeo were busily carrying Honey's shopping bags, while Honey herself was walking along ahead of them and humming happily. "I've lifted heavy things for long periods of time as part of my personal fitness training, but this is ridiculous!" Shigeo grunted under his share of the load. "How can one girl have so many shopping bags?"

"That is a mystery about women even the world's greatest detective wouldn't be able to solve," Raven grunted grimly, struggling with his own share of the load. "Honey would've HAD to do a 'little' more shopping right before we left the mall…"

"And what did she shop for? Shoes, shoes, and more shoes!" Shigeo sighed. "What is she going to do, wear all of them at once?"

"Look at it this way, my friend," Raven sighed. "You said it yourself—you don't know how to shop for longer than half an hour. Let me tell you right now—no man alive does, at least, not unless he's shopping for a lot of stuff he knows he _needs._ Now, a guy will step into one store, go to the aisle where the thing he wants to buy is located, pick it up off the shelf, pay for it, and go home—end of story. If it's clothes he's shopping for, he'll probably try on one or two shirts or shoes just to see how comfortable they are, or to find the one that'll satisfy his most practical demand…

"But with women, it's far different. A girl wants to buy one blouse—she goes to ten different stores, spending up to an hour and a half—the least—in each. She tries on one blouse, then another, and another, then goes back to the first one…then off to another stores, tries on a few more blouses in the same pattern…and the pattern follows through at every other store she goes to…and then finally she goes back to the first store she was at, and buys the very first blouse she tried on in the first place. It's torture enough if you're dating the girl—but if you're related to her in any way, worse if you're married to her, say goodbye to all your savings plans."

"And you became such an expert on women just because of Honey?" Seta inquired. He was carrying the bags containing the plushie dolls Honey had bought.

"You go shopping with one girl, you've gone shopping with all of them," Raven answered defiantly.

"Then what about when you took my bodyguard out? Explain that to me!" Seta challenged.

"N-now, that was different!" Raven sputtered. "I took her out for lunch, and we went to one restaurant—we didn't go zipping all over the place! And then, too, she didn't change her mind every twenty seconds about her order!"

"See—that just goes to show, you don't know everything there is to know about women," Seta smirked jubilantly. "Yes, women like to shop for long periods, but no two women are the same—and who's to say there aren't a lot of girls out there who like to shop using the same patterns as guys, or that there aren't guys who shop for hours on end and buy everything they see?"

"What're you talking about back there, boys?" Honey called to them over her shoulder.

"Uh…just guy talk, that's all," Seta answered.

Honey shook her head. "Boys…"

Then suddenly she stopped. Seeing her halt, the three boys stopped as well. "What's up, sis?" Raven asked.

"Up ahead…" and Honey pointed straight forward. "Aren't those…?"

Looking in the direction she was pointing, the others saw four individuals walking a good distance ahead, heading for them. "Hey, yeah…they do look familiar…" Raven squinted to see better.

Shigeo looked hard at the approaching strangers—and suddenly shook his head. "Well, well…if it isn't Malachi Jordan and his group!"

"Malachi Jordan? Are you sure?" Seta asked him.

Before Shigeo could reply, a familiar raucous shout confirmed it for all of them. "Oy, you guys over there! Been a little while, eh?"

"David Jericho," Seta chuckled. "He's hardly ever out of Malachi's line of sight."

"Well, let's go meet them!" Honey said cheerfully.

With that they all walked forward, momentarily coming up close to Malachi's group. "Hello there, everyone," Honey greeted them.

"Nice to see you again, too," Miriam smiled, running a hand through her hair. "Hope you've all been doing well in the competition?"

"Not really," Shigeo admitted. "Raven and Honey have already been eliminated—but Seta and I are now still looking for our opponents for this second round."

"Looks like we're doing better, then," Luke chuckled. "My bro here is the only one in our group who's been knocked out of the tournament. The rest of us haven't found our second-round opponents yet."

"Yeah…I wish I could still be in the tournament…" David sighed woefully.

Malachi, as usual, had his arms folded and his face turned to one side. Now he looked directly at Set's group. "Let's be straightforward about this," he grunted. "Tell us your duelist numbers, and if you're not slated to duel any of us, we'll be on our way. We don't have time to waste."

"Still Mr. Sunshine Personality, aren't you?" Raven quipped.

"Now, now, Raven, let's not be rude," Honey warned him.

"My number is 12," Shigeo told Malachi. "My opponent's supposed to have the number 5."

Malachi looked at Luke and Miriam; they shook their heads. "My number's 14," Luke told them. "My opponent's is 32."

"And mine's 15, and my opponent's is 4," added Miriam.

"That just leaves us," Malachi addressed Seta. "What's your number?"

Seta looked him back squarely in the eye. "My number is 2. My opponent's is 16."

It was as if a thunderbolt had exploded right there. Luke, David and Miriam automatically turned to look at Malachi. "Boss…!" David breathed.

"Huh?" Honey looked puzzled—then it dawned on her. "Wait…!"

Malachi's expression hadn't changed…then, ever so slowly, a grin worked its way onto his mouth. "I see…so…looks like we're going to have a rematch, Seta Kaiba…"

----------

**_neomage:_** This wasn't exactly how I'd planned it, but now it's come down to this: Seta and Malachi are indeed about to duel each other! (puts on food vendor's costume) Popcorn, hot dogs, soda! Get your popcorn, hot dogs and soda right here!

Next chapter's coming up soon, and it promises to be a blast, especially considering who's gonna be dueling—Seta vs. Malachi!


	243. Chapter 243

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Place your bets, place your bets, everyone! And know in the meantime that neomage doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh!)

**CHAPTER 243**

DUELTROPOLIS

The two looked at each other even as their respective groupies watched them cautiously. "I see…then that would mean you and I are to be pitted against each other, eh?" said Seta. "This seems rather interesting…"

"My only hope, then, is that you have truly gotten stronger since last time—I know I have," answered Malachi. "Oh, I'm aware that you got phenomenal power while we were in Egypt chasing after those JUDAS freaks, but what about since then? Have you gotten rusty?"

"That should be my line," said Seta.

Raven looked at Honey. "Well…this should be pretty good, considering how their duel turned out last time…"

"Yeah, but last time Malachi was a crazy sociopath," Honey reminded him. "I think he's loosened up quite a bit since then, especially since we all had to work together to beat JUDAS recently."

"Well, I doubt he'd just willingly refrain from training—that certainly wouldn't be his style at all," remarked Shigeo.

Meanwhile, Malachi's companions were engaged in a private discussion of their own. "What do you guys think?" David asked. "Who d'you think will win this time around?"

"Hard to say," Miriam answered. "Back in the Intercontinentals, Malachi pulled a really close one…but now it's the World Championships, and Seta Kaiba there is the champ. And I do not believe he's going to just let his title slide through his fingers just so."

"Well, we know Malachi's gotten stronger, and doubtless Seta has, too," surmised Luke. "Either way, this'll be a good one."

In the meantime, not paying any attention to their respective sets of companions, Seta and Malachi continued to survey each other. "Been hoping for revenge, have you? Especially for the way I publicly humiliated you back during our match in the Intercontinentals," said Malachi.

Seta shook his head. "I'm not one to carry a grudge so easily, Malachi. And, in any case…who says you can beat me now, especially after all the training I've undergone?"

"Only one way to find that out," and with that said Malachi casually pulled out his Duel-Disk. "So…ready?"

"Whenever you are." Seta also pulled out his Duel-Disk, strapping it on.

"Ooohhhh, they're gonna duel! They're gonna duel right now!" Honey squealed in excitement. "Let's give them some room!"

At once everyone drew back, even as Seta and Malachi themselves took a few steps away from each other. "Should we cheer or something?" Shigeo asked.

"Not sure," Raven admitted. "I mean, to cheer on a guy I always considered my rival…it just feels too weird to me."

"Well, I'll do the cheering for all of us, then!" Honey said enthusiastically. "Go, Seta! I know you can do it! Do your best!"

Luke, David and Miriam all looked at each other. "Feel like cheering?" Miriam asked.

"Well…after what's happened between your brother and us…" Luke shifted from one leg to the other, somewhat uncomfortably.

"Well, uh…" David seemed as unsure as Luke as to what should be done.

It seemed as if Malachi had divined their thoughts, however, for he turned to look at them. "You don't feel like cheering, then don't," he told them. "I know why you're all so reluctant, after all."

"…" All three looked at him, not sure how to reply or even if they should at all.

Seta regarded Malachi. "Dissention in the ranks, I take it?"

"Bit of personal business; nothing for you to get worked up over," Malachi shrugged it off. "Now, all that matters is that you and I are going to do battle with each other."

"All right. Then let's do this!" Seta announced, activating his Duel-Disk.

At once the holographic coin appeared on the field. "Who was it that called it last time? Was it you?" Malachi asked.

"As I remember it, yes," answered Seta.

"Then I'll call it this time! And I call tails!" said Malachi, readying himself.

The coin was then flipped…and flew high into the air even as both players watched it keenly. Then, at present the coin fell back down…and landed, stopping all movement after only a few minutes…and the result was tails.

"Heh…so I'll go first." Malachi smirked. "I beat you once, Seta Kaiba…I can do it again!"

"Don't be so sure of yourself. You just might regret it." Seta also had a smirk on his face.

They both drew their first five cards…then Malachi drew the mandatory sixth. "Now, for my first turn, I will set three cards facedown, and also set one monster in Defense Mode. And…that's all for the time being."

Drawing his card, Seta kept a wary eye on Malachi. _He seems off to a good start…that means I'd better be careful in dealing with him. _"All right, then…I'll set one card facedown, and also set a monster in Defense Mode—and then I'll end my turn."

"I see…playing as cautiously as you did last time, are you?" remarked Malachi. "However, bear in mind that there's a thin line between caution and over-vigilance."

"Well, I'm not crossing that line," chuckled Seta. "So…what will you do now?"

For answer Malachi drew again. "Now…I'll offer my facedown monster as a tribute to summon my legendary Gravekeeper's Chief (ATK 1900, DEF 1200)!"

In one swift moment, Malachi's facedown monster vanished, an in its place stood the leader of the Gravekeepers. But then all of a sudden Seta exclaimed, "I was waiting for you to do something like that! I activate my trap card—Crush Card!"

His facedown card promptly flipped face-up, and then—to Malachi's utter astonishment—numerous viruses began to scatter all over him and his side of the field! "Heh…by offering one Dark monster with an ATK of 1000 or less as a tribute, I can destroy every monster on your side of the field, in your hand, and any you draw in the next three turns, that have an ATK of 1500 or more!" Seta gloated. "And now…I'll offer my facedown monster to be tributed!"

So that his opponent could see and clarify the card in question, Seta immediately took up the monster card and held it up—and Malachi instantly saw that it was the monster Cyber-Stein (ATK 700, DEF 500)! "Crud…this isn't good…!" he hissed between his teeth.

But already the virus was doing its deadly work—it infected Gravekeeper's Chief, weakening him so badly that he collapsed and instantly decayed. And, as if that weren't insult enough, one of the two cards he had left in his hand got infected as well, promptly revealed to be the Spirit of the Pharaoh (ATK 2500, DEF 2000)—and he had to discard it to the Graveyard right away!

"Heh…I see that I infected your most powerful signature monster from the get-go," noted Seta. "And if I can get any of your Sphinx monsters, as well, then this duel is as good as mine."

"You would be foolish to think the duel is won before it's even over," Malachi cautioned him. "For the time being, I will end my turn, but know one thing, Seta Kaiba…I'll get you back in kind for this!"

Shrugging, Seta drew another card. _Hmmm…_ "I activate the magic card Pot of Greed, which will allow me to draw two cards!" And swiftly he drew two more cards and added them to his hand, so now he held six…

…and his eyes instantly widened when he saw what he was holding. "Well, what do you know…who would've expected that I'd get these cards into my hand so soon!"

On the sidelines, David gulped. "I've got a bad feeling…"

"Now, observe, Malachi!" Seta grinned sadistically. "I'm going to utilize a very special technique I learned some time ago—the Instant Dragon Victory Combo!"

"Instant…what?" Raven blinked.

"Is he serious? Does he really think he can pull off an instant victory just like that?" Luke exclaimed.

Malachi's eyes narrowed.

"Now, first I'll activate my magic card Monster Reborn, to revive Cyber-Stein from the Graveyard—in Defense Mode!" Seta promptly played his card—and moments later his cybernetic Frankenstein monster shone from under the ground, appearing in a crouched stance with his arms before him in an X.

"And next, I'll activate Cyber-Stein's effect!" added Seta. "At a cost of 5000 life points, I can Special Summon from my Fusion deck any Fusion monster I want! And I know just the one I'm going for, too…"

Miriam started. "5000 life points for a Fusion monster? Is he NUTS?"

"And yet…the monster he's going for will be well worth it…" Luke told her.

Malachi's eyes widened as he realized what was about to happen. _Seta Kaiba…are you actually going to…?_

Suddenly Seta's life points sharply dropped to 3000, even as Cyber-Stein began to glow bright red. "I give up 5000 of my life points for Cyber-Stein's effect to Special Summon—my invincible Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon (ATK 4500, DEF 3800)!"

There was, just then, a mighty flash of light right next to Cyber-Stein—and then moments later, Seta's tri-headed white dragon emerged, snarling with absolute rage as its sapphire eyes bore into Malachi's. But even then, Malachi didn't flinch. "All right, so now you have a strong monster on the field…but at a very serious cost," he remarked. "And even if he does attack me now, he can't wipe me out…so what's to say that I won't find a way around him next turn?"

"Because, for you, there isn't _going_ to be a next turn!" declared Seta. "For now, I will equip my Ultimate Dragon with this magic card, Megamorph! If my life points are lower than yours, the ATK of any monster I equip with this is doubled!"

Before anyone else could say anything, he activated the card…and the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon immediately grew much larger, its very size overshadowing everything in the area as its ATK shot all the way up to 9000! "And best of all, your life points are wide open for a direct attack right now," chuckled Seta. "Just one attack, and it's all over for you!"

Shigeo stared at the enlarged dragon in amazement. "Whoa…who'd have expected this…Seta is actually going to win this duel! And in such short time, too!"

"Ha! Blast him out of here, Seta!" Honey cheered.

Raven, however, stared intently at Malachi. _No…I wouldn't cheer just yet…Malachi's not the kind of person who'll go down just like that!_

"Go, Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon—use your Neutron Blast!" Seta yelled.

But as the dragon's three mouths began to light up with brightly-colored energy—"Hold it, Seta Kaiba! I activate my trap card – Nightmare Wheel!"

Instantly one of Malachi's facedown cards flipped face-up—and the Ultimate Dragon found itself mysteriously fastened to a gigantic wheel with a monstrous face! "WHOA! Check it out—Malachi just stopped him in his tracks!" David exclaimed.

"Of course—he's Malachi, after all," Luke pointed out.

Miriam shook her head at Honey, Raven and Shigeo. "Sorry, duckies, but my brother's not going to be taken down just so. He's got plenty of tricks to show before he'll ever admit defeat to anybody now."

Meanwhile, Malachi chuckled at Seta. "I believe you remember what this card does?" he asked. "Well, if not I'll remind you. As long as Nightmare Wheel remains on the field, any monster that I select when I activate this card cannot manually change its battle position…and the controller of that monster sustains 500 points of damage during each of my Standby Phases. So…your little technique was a nice one, but in the end it has failed you."

Seta scowled in disappointment. "Damn it…so close and yet so far…"

The score of the duel had swiftly taken a sharp turn by this point, with Malachi's life points intact at 8000 and Seta's low with 3000. Seta held four cards in his hand; Malachi only had one. On the field Seta had Cyber-Stein in Defense Mode and Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon equipped with Megamorph; Malachi had his Nightmare Wheel trap card trapping the Ultimate Dragon, plus he still had two other cards facedown.

Now Malachi took his turn and drew…but suddenly, to his amazement, the virus from Seta's earlier-activated Crush Card instantly revealed it to be Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier (ATK 1500, DEF 1000) – and that card got infected almost immediately, so Malachi had to discard it to the Graveyard as well! Simultaneously, his Nightmare Wheel began to spin with ruthless force, crushing the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon momentarily and causing Seta's life points to drop to 2500 consequently!

"Well, even though my Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon is incapacitated for the moment, Malachi, at least my Crush Card still works," Seta said smugly. "You've lost a monster before you could even get the opportunity to summon it."

Malachi didn't seem upset, however. "You may be somewhat unpredictable, even with your trademark deck strategy," he commented, "but you forget, I've got quite an arsenal at my disposal to take care of you! Observe as I prove it!"

Suddenly he pointed to one of his two facedown cards. "I now activate the trap card, Rite of Spirit! This card allows me to select one Gravekeeper from my Graveyard and Special Summon it to my side of the field…and I choose my Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier!"

All at once, a massive gravestone appeared even as a green snake idol emerged above it and glowed—and then the next thing Seta knew, the Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier reemerged as if he hadn't just been infected by the Crush Card's effect! "Your Crush card may have infected the Spear Soldier when I initially drew him, but he's now immune to it since he's been quickly revived from the Graveyard!" Malachi declared. "And now, I can attack with him—go, Spear Soldier, and destroy his Cyber-Stein!"

Spinning his spear above his head, the Spear Soldier slashed downward with it, cutting the Cyber-Stein completely in two—and Seta flinched as his life points enigmatically went down to 1500! "Grr…"

"When Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier does battle with a monster whose DEF is lower than the Soldier's ATK, the difference is deducted from my opponent's life points as battle damage," Malachi told him. "So it seems now, after all, that you made a foolish error in judgment when you decided to use your, ahem, _technique_ to try and bring me down. A nice try, mark you, but ineffectual nonetheless. Now…I end my turn."

Watching from the sidelines, Raven sighed. "Malachi does have a point. What Seta tried with that stunt using Cyber-Stein's effect earlier was merely a complete and utter waste of life points that he sorely needs right about now."

"Raven, do you have to be so pessimistic?" Honey blared indignantly.

"I'm only calling it as I see it, sis," he responded coolly. "Be a fan-girl all you want, but when it comes time to face facts, you have no other alternative but to face facts. If Seta doesn't make a play that will at least give him a chance to stall for time, he'll lose."

"I have to agree with your brother," Shigeo nodded. "It's definitely not looking up for Seta at this point. His life points are low, his most powerful monster has been stopped altogether, and Malachi's trapped him in a situation where he's only going to end up losing even more life points at a time when he can't afford that. And, if things don't change soon…then I guess we'll soon be looking at a new potential World Champion."

Seta, in the meantime, regarded the field with a critical eye. "All right…so you currently have the upper hand over me," he acknowledged. "And best of all, for you at least, your life points haven't even been scraped yet. You must feel proud of yourself."

"And should I not? After all, I've got you, the soon-to-be-ex-World Champion, under my thumb." Malachi closed his eyes and smirked. "And in but a few moments, the more pressure I put on you with that thumb, the more blood I'll be able to squeeze from you. Just like crushing a tick that's sucked enough blood to have fattened itself."

At that Seta chuckled. "Well…I guess the only thing I'll have to do in that case is to smash that illusion of yours that you'll beat me a second time," he declared. "In any event, I can't lose—not here, not now. Too much is riding on my progress for me to be stopped by you."

Then he abruptly closed his eyes and lowered his head. _To fulfill the promise I made with Yugo…and to stop Zander and his bunch of Zodiacs…I HAVE to win!_ And even as he thought this, slowly he reached his hand for his deck slot, to take his turn…

----------

**_neomage:_** Just an announcement—I have gone back over numerous past chapters and re-edited, both to FINALLY correct the Bakura family's name where it was necessary (thus, as of this chapter I will no longer be calling them the "Ryous" as I had been previously doing), and to correct a little running error that would've gotten me in trouble with the higher powers…but not to worry, because I still love all of my faithful readers! Now, next chapter Seta vs. Malachi continues…keep an eye open for it!


	244. Chapter 244

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Hmmm…I wonder how many rematch duels I've done up to now? Oh, well. I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**CHAPTER 244**

DUELTROPOLIS

As everyone watched him keenly, Seta slowly reached forward to his Duel-Disk, readying himself to draw. _Come on…gimme something good…_ Then his hand touched the deck slot, and he gingerly drew the card.

Malachi regarded him, arms crossed. "So…?"

"So…" Seta's lips slowly curved upwards in a smile. "I'll offer my Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon as a tribute to summon the King of Yamimakai (ATK 2000, DEF 1530)!"

The others on the sidelines gawked at that. "What?" Honey exclaimed.

But all at once, the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon disappeared from the field, together with the Megamorph card it'd been equipped with…and as it disappeared, so did the Nightmare Wheel that had trapped it. Then, in the dragon's place stood Seta's massive fiendish behemoth!

"Aw, geez, I can't believe it! Seta gave up his most powerful monster for something like THAT?" Honey complained.

"Well, tactically it makes sense," Raven told her. "At least now, with the Nightmare Wheel gone, Seta's life points are no longer in danger of being burned out completely."

"Even so, his life points are still far lower than Malachi's," Shigeo remarked. "But now Seta's got a stronger monster on the field that isn't inhibited by any traps. He can now attack at his own leisure."

"And now, it's time I took a bite out of your life points!" Seta announced to Malachi. "King of Yamimakai, take down his Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier!"

The King of Yamimakai rushed forward, tackling the Spear Soldier with such force that the hapless monster got thrown several meters back—and Malachi's life points went down to 7500 in the process. But just at that moment Malachi announced, "And now—I'll come right back at you with my trap card, Ominous Fortunetelling!"

Suddenly, as Malachi's trap flipped face-up, a massive crystal ball appeared on his side of the field. "So, now…" he chuckled. "During each of my Standby Phases, I can randomly select one card from your hand and say whether it's a Monster, Magic, or Trap card – and if the card is of the type I choose, you lose 700 life points."

Seta flinched as he listened to that. "Ugh…well…nothing I can do about that, I guess. So, I'll just end my turn now."

"And that's about all you can do at this point—I've still got the lead, at least," Malachi smirked.

And indeed he did, for at this point in the duel his life points now stood at 7500, while Seta's stood at 1500. Malachi held one card in his hand, and on the field he had his Ominous Fortunetelling trap card active; by contrast, Seta had four cards in his hand, and on the field he now had the King of Yamimakai in Attack Mode.

Malachi reached for his deck to draw…but on his face was a serious look. _I have to be careful…the effect of his Crush Card is still active, and it'll be active on my next turn, too…so…I have to be extra cautios about what I play, and hope that I can get a decent card now…!_

He drew—and the Crush Card virus immediately revealed it to be the Gravekeeper's Guard (ATK 1000, DEF 1900), with an ATK low enough to withstand the virus. At the same moment, the Ominous Fortunetelling crystal ball began to glow, and Malachi peered into it. "All right…you set up your Crush Card trap for me, but I've got something just as bad for you right here!" he declared nastily. "Now, let me see…the second card in your hand from the left…I'll guess that it's a Magic card!"

Frowning, Seta held up the card for Malachi to see—but it was the Ritual monster card, Paladin of White Dragon (ATK 1900, DEF 1200). "So, now we're even…you now know what my monster in my hand is, and I know what your monster in your hand is," Seta commented.

Malachi fingered his chin thoughtfully. "That Ritual monster of yours…why haven't you summoned it yet? Could it be that…yes…you don't have the Ritual Magic card that it needs?" He chuckled. "So, in other words, you're carrying dead weight—dead weight that'll crush you flat!"

"We'll see who gets crushed," Seta answered.

Malachi merely smirked. "Well, since you know I've got Gravekeeper's Guard in my hand now, I suppose it won't do any good to try and conceal it…so, I'll just set it in Defense Mode…and end my turn for now."

Seta's eyes narrowed as he took in this information. _Oh, crap…from what I remember about that Gravekeeper's Guard card, it's got a Flip effect that returns one monster on its opponent's side of the field to the owner's hand…and even if I can summon another monster on my next turn, if Malachi uses that effect to return King of Yamimakai to my hand…it'll be way too troublesome!_

"I see…so Seta's had that Paladin of White Dragon card in his hand a good while now, but hasn't been able to summon it," Shigeo said thoughtfully.

"Yeah, and now Malachi's got his Gravekeeper's Guard facedown on the field," Raven added. "And considering its effect, Seta could be in a spot of trouble."

Meanwhile, David remarked to Luke and Miriam, "You guys see this? The boss is dueling circles around Seta, just like last time!"

"He sure is," agreed Luke.

Miriam merely looked on, a frown on her face.

Now Seta prepared to draw once again. "I hope I can at least get something decent enough to help me deal with Malachi," he muttered as he drew.

Then, as he held up the card in his hand, he took a moment to consider it…and a smirk emerged on his face. "Malachi…I'm afraid your Gravekeeper's Guard won't be able to stand up before me, effect or no effect," he chuckled.

"And why not?" asked Malachi.

"Because of this!" Seta held up the very card he'd just drawn. "Now, I'll activate the Ritual magic card—White Dragon Ritual!"

Everyone started. "Whoa—isn't that the card he needs to Ritual Summon his Paladin of White Dragon?" Honey exclaimed.

"Yes, it is," Raven affirmed.

"Now, by offering from my hand or side of the field monsters whose Level stars equal 4 or more," added Seta, "I can summon my great Paladin of White Dragon to the field! And so, I'll send one monster from my hand to the Graveyard to summon the Paladin! Come forth!"

As Seta discarded one card from his hand, all at once the sky right above their heads shone with immense light—split seconds before the white knight on his dragon mount flew down from heaven, landing right next to the King of Yamimakai. Malachi's eyes narrowed on seeing this. "Okay…the predecessor to the Blue-Eyes White Dragon is here at last…"

"Yes—and now, I'll attack with the Paladin of White Dragon!" Seta sounded very cocksure. "Go, Paladin, attack his facedown Gravekeeper's Guard! Ionic Spear Burst!"

"Oy! Is he sure he wants to do that?" David shouted.

"Maybe…" Miriam continued staring hard at the field.

The Paladin's dragon flew forward, spear pointing forward, and stabbed right at Malachi's facedown monster card—but to everyone's amazement, the monster itself wasn't flipped face-up, but merely got destroyed in a burst of holographic energy! "WHAT!" exploded Malachi.

"It's the effect of Paladin of White Dragon," explained Seta. "If he attacks a facedown Defense Mode monster, that monster is automatically destroyed without being flipped face-up or applying damage calculation. So…your Gravekeeper's Guard's effect can't do anything to my monsters now…and now…"

Malachi scowled.

"King of Yamimakai, attack directly!" Seta commanded. In response, his fiend dashed forward and sharply elbowed Malachi in the face, knocking him down hard and bringing his life points to 5500 in the process!

"Big brother!" Miriam called to him. "You all right?"

Malachi shook his head to clear it even as he gingerly stood back up. "Yeah, yeah, I'm good," he replied. To himself he added, _But he's starting to make a decent little comeback…unless I get something worthwhile…!_

Quickly he drew—and once more, Seta's Crush Card effect kicked in, revealing the card in question to be the trap card, Pyramid of Light! "Heh…this is the very last turn for your Crush Card to harm my deck," Malachi remarked. "After this, it'll be smooth sailing for me, so to speak."

Then, just as swiftly, his Ominous Fortunetelling crystal ball glowed again. "Heh…you've got two cards in your hand…so I say that the one on the right is a Monster card!" Malachi ventured.

Eyebrows knitted, Seta held up the card in question—and indeed it was a monster card, the Lizard Soldier (ATK 1100, DEF 800)…and a blast of powerful light from the Ominous Fortunetelling crystal ball slammed into Seta, knocking him down hard even as his life points shot down to 800! "Oh, no! Seta!" Honey cried from the sidelines.

"I'm…I'm okay, I think," Seta answered, getting back up.

"Now…your life points are dangerously low…so you'll have to doubly careful how you trod around me!" Malachi declared. "Now…you've already seen my Pyramid of Light, so there's no use in me hiding it…I'll just set it facedown, and end my turn for the present."

Yet again Seta drew a card – and raised an eyebrow when he saw what it was. _Hmmm…this card…I don't think I've had a chance to use it in a duel yet…well, let's see if it'll be of any use to me this time! _"All right—I'll set one card facedown…and activate my Paladin of White Dragon's other effect! During the Main Phase, I can tribute him to Special Summon one Blue-Eyes White Dragon (ATK 3000, DEF 2500) from my hand or deck, but in exchange that Blue-Eyes can't attack during this turn. So…come to the field from my deck, Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

Paladin of White Dragon glowed with a bright light…and then, moments later, in its place stood the famous white dragon with a very angry snarl on its face. "And once again, your life points are wide open for a direct assault!" said Seta. "King of Yamimakai, attack directly!"

Once again the King of Yamimakai rushed forward, slamming into Malachi with ruthless force and knocking his life points down to 3500—only this time, though Malachi stumbled, he somehow managed to stay up. "Grrr…you'll not take me down just like that, Seta Kaiba—as much as you can try!" he snarled.

Seta looked levelly at him. "Well, I have somewhere to go to—all the way to the top. And you, far as I'm concerned, are merely a stumbling block in my way. And I'm going to move you."

"We'll see who moves who out of this tournament," Malachi told him. "So…any more moves?"

"Not for now, luckily for you," said Seta. "I'll end my turn."

Now the score stood at Malachi with 3500 life points and Seta with a mere 800. Malachi held one card in hand; Seta, two. On the field Malachi had his active Ominous Fortunetelling trap card and his facedown Pyramid of Light trap card; Seta had King of Yamimakai and Blue-Eyes White Dragon in Attack Mode, plus one other card facedown.

Malachi took his turn and drew once again…and this time he noted with pleasure that no Crush Card virus was coming forward to attack his drawn card. _Good…the virus has now worn off…now he can't see what this card is that I've drawn! And…_ A huge grin came over his face. _Now I'll use these cards to really set the stage for finishing him off for good!_

The Ominous Fortunetelling trap suddenly activated itself at that point once again; Malachi glanced into the crystal ball. "Not that I really need to do this much more, but…of the two cards in your hand…the one on the right is a Monster card!"

Flinching, Seta held up the card in question—again, the Lizard Soldier—and narrowly avoided getting blasted by the crystal, but even so his life points still went down to a mere 100! "Cripes…I hate moments like this…" Seta moaned.

"All right, Seta Kaiba!" Malachi cried aloud, holding up one of his cards. "Now, I'll activate the magic card Pot of Greed, to draw two cards from my deck!"

That said, he reached for his deck to draw—but then Seta exclaimed, "And I, in turn, will activate my trap card—Null and Void! Now that you've activated an effect that draws cards, we can both see the cards that are drawn—and then those cards will be discarded to the Graveyard!" And then, all at once, a massive glowing circular design appeared on his side of the field!

Malachi jerked at that. "WHAT!"

Seeing this, Shigeo couldn't help but smile. "If Malachi was hoping to get a few extra cards to help him beat Seta…now his efforts are frustrated."

"Get him, Seta!" Honey cheered.

But Malachi's groupies weren't pleased. "Man—Malachi's been stopped!" David complained.

"Indeed," muttered Miriam.

Chagrined, Malachi held up the two cards he would've drawn with Pot of Greed's effect—and suddenly his face turned white. The cards he was holding were…Gravekeeper's Curse (ATK 800, DEF 800) and Andro Sphinx (ATK 3000, DEF 2500)! "Aw, hell!" he exploded, discarding them to the Graveyard.

"Damn it—did you guys see those cards?" David said to the others in alarm. "The boss could've USED those!"

"Yeah, I know," Luke agreed. "Gravekeeper's Curse's effect would've done 500 points of damage to Seta's life points, if only Malachi had gotten the chance to summon it…and we all know he's got his Pyramid of Light card facedown, and he could've used it to summon Andro Sphinx, and then attacked with it on his next turn…"

And Malachi was certainly not happy. "You…I've lost my Andro Sphinx because of you…!" he grated.

"Which means now, your whole strategy's come tumbling down," acknowledged Seta.

"Not yet, it hasn't!" Malachi roared. "I'll show you! I activate my Pyramid of Light trap!"

Suddenly his card flipped face-up—and the four lines outlining the pyramid's pattern shone all over the field! "And now that my Pyramid of Light is active," continued Malachi, "I'll pay 500 life points to Special Summon this monster from my hand—Sphinx Teleia (ATK 2500, DEF 3000), in Defense Mode!"

Malachi's life points dropped to 3000 as the Pyramid shone—and then Sphinx Teleia appeared in a burst of light, growling menacingly at Seta. "And for now, I'll end my turn," announced Malachi. "But just you wait until the opportunity comes to me…then I'll take you down!"

"That should be my line," Seta retorted as he drew again, giving him a total of three cards in hand. "All right, then, I can't take down your monster since its DEF is so high…but…I can wait you out! So, I'll just set one card facedown, one monster in Defense Mode, and end my turn…for now."

Eyes narrowing, Malachi drew once again—but now, when he saw what he'd drawn, his savage frown slowly got replaced by a smile. "Heh, heh, heh…well, Seta Kaiba…" he spoke very slowly. "It's been fun and all, but now I'm going to reclaim the advantage I had earlier—and stomp you in the process!"

"Hmmm?" Seta eyed him suspiciously.

The Ominous Fortunetelling trap activated again; Malachi gazed into the crystal ball's luster. "A rather anticlimactic way to go, but oh well…at least it'll mean I've taken you out of the tournament!" he smirked. "Now, you've only got one card left in hand—I say it's a Monster card again!"

Seta held up the card—but this time it wasn't a monster card, to Malachi's disappointment, but the magic card Soul Release. "Sorry, Malachi," said Seta with a small smile. "Third time's not the charm."

"Oh, I see…you set your Lizard Soldier in Defense Mode to avoid my Ominous Fortunetelling effect…but you're still going to die, nonetheless!" Malachi snapped at him. "Now I'll shift Sphinx Teleia into Attack Mode…and activate the magic card, Riryoku! Now, till the end of this turn, the ATK of one monster on the field is halved, and another monster of my choosing gets its ATK increased by the same amount! And what better monster to weaken…than your Blue-Eyes White Dragon?"

As Seta watched with twitching eyebrow, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon appeared to slouch and weaken, its ATK down to 1500…while Sphinx Teleia's already-massive structure grew exponentially, its ATK rising up to 4000! "And with this, I'll take you out!" laughed Malachi. "Sphinx Teleia, attack and destroy his weak Blue-Eyes!"

Arching its head back, Sphinx Teleia released a massive screaming roar, the shockwaves rushing at the Blue-Eyes White Dragon—but suddenly Seta snapped, "Not a chance! I activate my trap card, Sakuretsu Armor, to destroy your attacking monster!"

"HUH?" Malachi's eyes widened on hearing this—but before he could do anything, the Blue-Eyes got coated in a massive suit of armor that reflected the shockwaves right back at a startled Sphinx Teleia—and utterly ripped the sphinx to pieces! "NO! NOT MY SPHINX TELEIA!"

"Heh…looks like the advantage remains mine, Malachi!" Seta gloated as he swiftly took his turn and drew once more. "Now, time for my monsters to take you out for good! King of Yamimakai, Blue-Eyes White Dragon—end this duel now!"

King of Yamimakai dashed forward again, slamming into Malachi with its elbow and causing him to fly several feet back as his life points went down to 1000. Then…its original ATK returned to normal, the very-incensed Blue-Eyes charged up its signature White Lightning Attack, blasting Malachi's entire side of the field and bathing the area in a destructive white light!

"Boss!" David and Luke exclaimed.

"Did…did he just…?" Miriam blinked.

"Looks like Malachi lost," Honey smiled. "Yes! Seta did it!"

"Coming all the way from behind…" Shigeo shook his head in wonderment. "They really don't call him World Champion for nothing, do they?"

Meanwhile, the light finally subsided…and Malachi was on the ground, breathing heavily even as steam rose off him from the attack. Seta switched off his Duel-Disk and walked over to Malachi, even as the holograms finally vanished. "Can you get up?" he inquired.

Malachi looked up at Seta for a long moment. "Yeah…I can take care of myself, thanks," he said rather stiffly as he picked himself up and brushed himself off. "You didn't do too badly, I'll admit."

"Nor did you," Seta answered. "For a little while I thought you were really going to beat me…but I have a few good reasons why I can't lose now, so that's why I didn't."

Malachi shrugged. "Well, whatever. You won, I lost. That's all there is to it now. Nothing I do or say can change that fact."

He turned his back on Seta and started to walk away...then paused. "But…I think I'll stick around a little while longer, just to see how long you'll last with this resolve of yours. It would certainly be more interesting than just leaving Dueltropolis right now. And, in any case…somebody's got to lead these bozos over here through the rest of this tournament," and he indicated his groupies with a casual wave of his arm.

Miriam, watching her brother, sighed a little. _Wow…Malachi's certainly changed a bit…he's definitely not the lunatic of times past anymore…_

Luke, standing near her, was looking at Malachi worriedly. _I can't expect this to mellow how Malachi must feel about me…I'll still definitely have to beat my next opponent if I'll ever have hope of winning his permission to have anything to do with Miriam again!_

"All right—we're going!" Malachi announced. "Luke, Miriam, you two still have to find your opponents for this round, don't you? And standing around here isn't going to help, so…let's head out now!"

"Right!" Miriam nodded, and with that she hurried off after Malachi, Luke and David following right behind her.

Raven, Shigeo and Honey walked up to Seta. "So…your loss in the Intercontinentals has been avenged now," Raven remarked.

"Quite true, quite true," agreed Seta. "But still…this was just one match in the World Championships, all said and done. We still have to press forward and find Shigeo's assigned opponent, don't we?"

"That we do," said Shigeo. "So, if nobody objects, let's head out ourselves."

That said, the group turned in a different direction and walked away from the dueling site. Honey lingered beside Seta. "Hey, Seta…congrats," she said to him.

"Yeah…thanks," and he smiled and nodded at her.

----------

**_neomage:_** In the first draft of this chapter, I had Seta end the duel on a (admittedly) ordinary and kinda boring note, because that's how duels tend to go in real life, right? Except, THIS isn't real life, and some fans were disappointed—so, being the guy I am, I went back and retouched this chapter, and the result is remarkably different! Fans who re-read this will be much more appeased than last time, that I can guarantee!

Well, anyway, that's one more duel in the second round of the World Championships out of the way…and by my count, there are four duels left in this round! Keep an eye out for them!


	245. Chapter 245

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: **(cracks knuckles)** neomage doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh!)

**CHAPTER 245**

PEGASUS'S CASTLE

Mrs. Bakura sat near a window. "Enjoying the view, Téa?" Mrs. Wheeler asked with a small chuckle.

"I'm just bored a bit, that's all," she retorted mildly.

"Well, you do have to admit, right after we came, Kaiba just brought us in here and then dumped us," Mr. Taylor grumbled, leaning into the couch on which he was seated. "You'd think the least he could do was offer us a drink or something."

"Hey, that's Seto Kaiba for you—or have you forgotten already?" remarked Mr. Wheeler.

All of them were gathered together in the main hall of Pegasus's castle. It had been a decent amount of time since Kaiba had led them there and left them, and all of them were still waiting patiently, if a bit anxiously, for his return.

"Do you think we'll get to see the other members of the Committee soon?" Grandma Muto inquired.

"Perhaps," Mr. Muto replied.

Just then the door opened, and two suits stepped in. "Sorry for making you wait," one of them addressed the group. "Mr. Pegasus will see you now."

Just then Pegasus himself entered through the doors, beaming at the sight of Mr. Muto's party. "Yugi-boy! It's been a while since we last saw each other face-to-face, hasn't it?" he exclaimed.

"Hello to you, too, Pegasus," Mr. Muto answered politely.

Pegasus surveyed the others with a small smirk. "And I see your little entourage from back in the day has gotten significantly bigger," he remarked.

"Pegasus, not to be rude, but we'd really like to know what exactly is going on," said Mr. Bakura. "We were all woken up really early and ended up coming here, with a briefcase for Kaiba—and through all of that, we weren't told why."

"Hmmm…yes, yes, you do deserve an explanation at least," Pegasus acknowledged. "Why don't you all come with me to my dining room, then? Some of the other members of the World Tournament Committee are already waiting inside."

He turned and exited through the main hall doors, and the group followed after him. Moments later, they were ushered into the dining hall, where Mr. Devlin, Mr. Truesdale, Mr. Von Schroeder and Dr. Crowler were already waiting. "Let me introduce these gentlemen," Pegasus told Mr. Muto's group. "Most of you may already know Duke Devlin. These…" indicating the others. "…are Zane Truesdale, Zigfried von Schroeder, and Dr. Vellian Crowler—he's not a member of the Committee, he's a professor from Duel Academy who I invited here to my castle a short while back."

"Good to see you all again," Mr. Devlin hailed the group.

Mr. Muto introduced himself and his companions. "A pleasure to meet you," he stated.

"Likewise," Mr. Truesdale replied. "Especially you, Mr. Muto. I've had a longing for a while now to meet the former King of Games…and now here he is, standing before us."

Mr. Wheeler and Mr. Von Schroeder scrutinized each other. "Zigfried…been a while," Mr. Wheeler said simply.

"You look quite well yourself," Mr. Von Schroeder answered. "And I've seen your daughter in action in this tournament—she's the splitting image of you. Although you and your wife could've taught her to be more proper and ladylike…"

"Ladylike?" Mrs. Wheeler, standing right next to her husband, raised an eyebrow at the comment.

"Your little Jenna got caught on candid camera, climbing a tree to pick some apples," Pegasus explained, grinning.

"So…a professor from Duel Academy, eh? It must be quite demanding to lecture at a Duel Monsters school, especially at your age," Grandma addressed Dr. Crowler.

"Some people WOULD say that, madam," Dr. Crowler shrugged. "But I find it to be rather…refreshing. Particularly with new students coming in every year, all willing and eager to learn how the game is played. I take great pride in being able to tutor students at playing Duel Monsters. And you…" He chuckled. "You must certainly be proud, with your grandson Yugo taking part in this World Championship tournament. I've seen him perform, and he does quite well for his age."

"Yes, Yugo is certainly skilled—chalk that up to his father other there," Grandma smiled.

Just then Kaiba entered the room, carrying the briefcase Mr. Muto and the others had brought for him. "I see you've all gotten acquainted," he noted. "Good—now we can get right down to the meat of the matter."

"About time, I dare say," mumbled Mr. Bakura.

"We should tell our guests just why you wanted them to come with that briefcase so badly, don't you think, Kaiba-boy?" said Pegasus warmly. "They do deserve to know exactly what's going on, after all."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah…I was going to get to that," said Kaiba, waving off Pegasus's concern with an impatient hand. "Okay, since you're all so eager to know…let's all take seats, and I'll brief you on what's happening."

Eager to hear the tale, everyone sat down around the table; only Kaiba remained standing. Satisfied that everyone was comfortable, he set his briefcase on the table-top, and opened it…reached inside…and pulled out a laptop.

"Um…what's on that laptop?" asked Mrs. Taylor.

Kaiba smirked. "This laptop," he replied, "has on it a copy of a rather powerful computer program I acquired a good while back. Tristan, Serenity, your daughter Miki was the one who found this program and brought it to me—and it's been a big help to Kaibacorp ever since."

Mr. and Mrs. Taylor looked at each other, then at Kaiba. "Miki found it?" they asked with one voice.

Kaiba then shook his head, as if for afterthought. "Actually, no, that's not quite accurate…it would be truer for me to say that _it_ found _her._ It's a sentient program, capable of independent thought…it acts like a living, breathing person. That's how it was designed to operate."

"Wow…kinda sounds like something out of a science fiction movie right there," Mr. Wheeler marveled.

"Then watch and see," and with a grand flourish Kaiba opened the laptop and punched in an access code. He typed for a moment, even as the others looked on curiously.

Mr. Von Schroeder smirked. _Go on, then, Kaiba…let them see the technological wonder that is GINA!_

All at once—to everyone's amazement—a bright blue light shone from the screen on Kaiba's laptop. Then, the next thing they all knew, a transparent woman shone from the laptop! "Greetings," she announced.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH! A GHOOOOOOOOOST!" Mr. Wheeler and Mr. Taylor screamed, hugging each other in fright.

"This isn't a ghost, Moron 1 and Moron 2—this is the computer program I was just talking about," Kaiba snapped. "Everyone, meet GINA—acronym for Genetic Interface Network Android."

Mr. Truesdale blinked as he looked at GINA, impressed. "I see…so this is the kind of technology Kaibacorp now possesses, is it…?"

GINA looked at each of them in turn…then lingered her look at Mr. Muto. "Yugi Muto," she said quietly.

Mr. Muto blinked. _Hmmm…? What's this? It's almost as if…I know this computer program from somewhere…like I've seen it before…_

"Now, to the reason why I had you guys bring GINA here," Kaiba interrupted. "I assume you've all been following the tournament progress on TV, correct?"

"Sure we have," said Grandma. "And I must say, the kids are doing exceptionally well!"

"That is true…however…" Pegasus's voice was unusually grave, so much so that it caught the attention of Mr. Muto's group. "Their victories in this tournament up to now have not been without incident. You must have seen in your following the matches, a bunch of people who have acted with ruthless passion in their respective duels…?"

"Define 'ruthless passion' if it means something other than that some of the duelists have been acting like they want to kill their opponents," said Mrs. Bakura.

"That's one way of putting it," said Pegasus. "We're not going to lie to you. The fact of the matter is, folks, these particular duelists are all members of a sinister organization that has taken it upon itself to infiltrate and undermine the World Championships…think of it as a much more secretive and dangerous version of the Ghouls infiltrating Battle City all those years ago."

"They call themselves the 'Zodiacs'," added Kaiba. "Their members have, at one point or another, identified themselves using names based on the Western astrological system—Taurus, Libra, Cancer, Aries, and so on. To date we don't know what their intentions are or why they're here, we just know that they have to be stopped before they can do any obvious damage that would ruin the tournament's repute."

"So that's why you had us bring this, um, computer program here to you?" asked Mrs. Bakura.

"Yes," said Kaiba. "We've actually managed to detain most of the Zodiacs up to now, but so far we've had minimal success in interrogating them. Then Zigfried, who's seen GINA's capabilities before, got the idea that perhaps she could be used as a form of software lie detector, to cross-check and confirm certain statements for us."

"That is correct," acknowledged Mr. Von Schroeder. "As we all probably know, most modern polygraph machines are designed to judge whether a person is lying, based on recordings of alterations in voice frequencies—or, how their voices and speech patterns change in relation to blood pressure and stress when faced with certain questions. My theory is that GINA may have been programmed by her creators with voice stress analysis, to detect these subtle changes in a person's voice and speech patterns, in order to indicate whether that person is lying or not. So, we use her as a digital polygraph and interrogate these Zodiacs in our custody again…and through interrogation, we should be able to uncover much more information than we have so far, information that will help us determine the best course of action."

Kaiba looked up at GINA. "Do you think you can do it, GINA?"

GINA nodded solemnly. "I will do my best, Master Kaiba," she answered.

"But why have us, specifically, bring you this?" Mrs. Wheeler wondered. "Couldn't any of your Kaibacorp employees have done that easily?"

"Actually, having you folks be the ones to bring Kaiba-boy's equipment here to Duelist Kingdom Island was my idea," admitted Pegasus. "I had been planning to have all of you come here to my island, anyway, even more so because your children are involved in this now. We the Committee have been doing what we can to bring down these Zodiacs, but…I do have a hunch we could use some outside help to handle this whole affair. That's why I chose to summon you all—you're the only ones I feel we can trust with the sensitivity of this whole affair, at least at this time."

Mr. Muto's entire group looked at each other. "Well, of course we'll help any way we can!" Mr. Taylor declared. "Won't we, you guys?"

"Definitely!" Mr. Wheeler and Mrs. Taylor answered simultaneously.

Pegasus smiled. "Thank you."

Kaiba nodded. "Well, I should get GINA ready for interrogating those Zodiacs we've got here," he announced, and he shut off the laptop, effectively disabling GINA.

"May I come with you, Kaiba?" asked Mr. Muto. "I'd like to see just how GINA works, if it's all right."

"Suit yourself," Kaiba shrugged. With that he picked up the laptop and its containment briefcase and walked out of the room, and Mr. Muto got up and hurried after him.

"Hey, Pegasus, perhaps we should offer our guests a little bit of refreshment first…they have come quite a distance," suggested Mr. Devlin.

"Ah, yes, of course—how rude of me," answered Pegasus, apologetic. "Yes, of course. We should all have a little something to eat…then we can discuss the Zodiacs later."

----------

"Kaiba, wait up!"

Kaiba didn't turn around to look at Mr. Muto, but he did pause in walking. "So, you really did want to see how GINA works, now did you?" he asked quizzically.

"Yes…but…there's more to it than that." Mr. Muto walked around and in front of Kaiba. "When you demonstrated GINA back in there a while ago, just now…when I looked at her…for some reason she seemed…familiar somehow…"

"You say that even though this is your first time seeing her?" Kaiba asked.

"I know it sounds strange…" Mr. Muto began. "And I myself can't explain why I feel the way I do, I just…"

"Yugi—let me ask you this." Kaiba held up a hand. "Before your wife died…do you recall ever seeing her work on any special computer project?"

Mr. Muto frowned at the question. "What're you saying?"

"It's a simple yes or no question. Do you or don't you?"

Mr. Muto's brow furrowed. "Well…I do recall Rebecca was working on a special computer terminal for several months…" Suddenly he stopped and gave Kaiba a hard look. "Wait. Are you saying…?"

"Yes, I am." Kaiba nodded. "I was quite amazed when I first found out, myself. I always knew your wife was a genius with computers—I just never imagined she would've taken her genius to this level."

Mr. Muto was silent for a moment. "Rebecca…" he whispered.

Kaiba started to walk off again. "Well, I should set up GINA for the polygraph for those Zodiac losers. You coming?"

"Uh—yeah, yeah, sure."

----------

DUELTROPOLIS, IN THE MEANTIME

Zander Zabel was walking alongside a small grove of trees growing seemingly in the middle of nowhere, taking in the peaceful scenery around him. "Such a shame," he whispered softly. "Such a shame, indeed…a shame that very soon, all this nice scenery will be gone…"

Suddenly his cell-phone rang; without missing a beat, he promptly answered it. "Yes? Oh…oh, it's you. Any news?"

A long pause while the person on the other end spoke. Then Zander's lips slowly curved upward in a grin. "Ah, I see…the finishing touches of _that project_ are finally finished…good, very good. Master Orion will be pleased, indeed. Yes, I will be sure to inform him soon."

He touched a button on his cell-phone, hanging up. "Yes…"

----------

SOMEWHERE, A MOMENT LATER

Still sitting in the darkness, Master Orion was. He was sipping at a tall glass of sparkling blood-red wine. Raising the glass to his lips, he took his time, savoring the richness of the alcoholic substance as it went down his throat. Then all at once the phone next to him rang; he answered it immediately as the first ring ended. "Speak."

"It's me, Master," Zander's voice came on the line. "I have good news for you."

"About time you had some good news for me, Capricorn. Well, go ahead."

Zander chuckled. "I just got word from our technicians. _Project Overlord_ is finally finished, and they await your command."

A small smirk graced Master Orion's lips. "Finally…everything can now be set into motion. Very well, Capricorn—tell our people to get ready in the designated area, according to plan. It will soon be time for the _Ark_ to reveal itself."

"I understand, Master. I will inform them at once." Zander chuckled again…and then the line went dead.

Replacing the phone in its place, Master Orion continued to sip at his wine glass; but as he did, he reached into his dark cloak with one free hand and pulled out a box big enough to fit in the palm of his hand. Flicking the top of the box open with his thumb, he peered inside…and grinned a sinister grin.

"It is almost time…almost time…almost time…"

----------

**_neomage:_** Well, I've diverted from the action of the Dueltropolis tournament a bit…and now our main characters' parents are about to get involved as well! But what exactly have Zander and Master Orion been talking about just now—and what does it all mean? All will soon be revealed—in the meantime, more action continues next chapter!


	246. Chapter 246

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: **(up to his neck in reviews) **WAAAAAHHHH! Such a load of reviews! Keep 'em coming! Just remember, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!)

**CHAPTER 246**

DUELTROPOLIS

Jenna, Jillian and Ricardo were by this time walking along the shoreline, the same area where Ricardo had challenged Wade earlier. "Hmmm…I don't see any sign of him around here," Ricardo remarked, puzzled.

"Maybe he headed off somewhere else to find his designated opponent—I don't think it's likely he'd stay in the exact same place," said Jillian matter-of-factly.

"Well, knowing him, I'd like to bet that he'll at least stay close to some area where there's a lot of water," replied Jenna. "He _is_ known as the Water duelist of modern times, after all."

"How about we keep walking along the shoreline, till we can't go any further?" suggested Ricardo. "Maybe he's just gone a little further up…"

They all looked up along the shoreline—it stretched for a good distance as far as the eye could see. "Well…I guess we could do that—we haven't got anything else to do until we find him," shrugged Jillian.

"Then let's get going, then!" said Jenna. And with that said, she ran along the shore, heading into the distance.

"Hey, hey, wait for us!" Ricardo exclaimed, and he and Jillian took off after Jenna.

----------

PEGASUS'S CASTLE, IN THE MEANTIME

The two suited guards at the front gate to Pegasus's castle would easily have passed for statues, if not for the obvious fact that they were flesh and blood covered in expensively-tailored cloth and wearing sunglasses. The sun still shone high in the sky, its rays beating down on everything, including them; but this didn't faze the two men at all.

Or, at least, from a distance, it didn't appear to.

"Geez…how much longer will we have to wait before they arrive with those Zodiac people?" one suit growled, rubbing his brow with the back of his hand. "It's freaking hot out here now!"

"Quit your griping," the other guard snorted. "They'll get here when they get here, and that's all there is to it! Besides, our shift here at the gate will soon be finished, and then we can take a coffee break."

"With the way it's so hot out right now, I'd rather take a Gatorade break than a coffee break," the first suit grumbled.

Just then the second suit's comm.-link buzzed; he put a hand to his ear. "Go ahead."

"This is the team that was dispatched to find Forrest Wiles," the speaker on the other end announced. "We have him here, and we also have another Zodiac, Stephen Ingram, in our custody as well. Our ETA is 30 minutes from now."

"Understood," said the second suit. "I'll inform Mr. Pegasus and the Committee at once."

The first suit, who'd been listening in on his own comm.-link, grinned. "Well, how about that? More of those Zodiac punks are on the way!"

"Yes," nodded the other. "Things just keep getting better and better…"

Then he paused and looked up. "Hey…over that way…do you see that?"

The first suit looked in the direction of his associate's pointing finger. "Hey, yeah…it looks like two of the competitors of the tournament are coming this way!"

"Do you think they've already beaten their second-round opponents? It _is_ still pretty early," the second suit remarked.

"Well, all victors in this second round were instructed to come to the castle after their matches," the first reasoned. "I guess these two kids' duels must've been—well—child's play for them!"

"I'll radio it in to Mr. Pegasus," added the second.

----------

Inside the castle, Grandma and Mrs. Taylor were looking on in awe at the numerous paintings aligning the walls of the hallways. "So…you say you painted all of these yourself, Mr. Pegasus?" Grandma asked, obviously impressed. "It seems a shame you decided to give up painting for business, then—you'd have been world-famous just because of that alone!"

"Well, madam, I'm already world-famous now as it is," laughed Pegasus. "And anyway, many of these portraits that you see here were done when I was still a youth, and done solely for the enjoyment of the task rather than for the money, My father was himself quite a wealthy man already, after all."

"I just wish the others could've joined us on this little walk, instead of staying inside the dining room…it's so tense in there, and I think we all deserve to loosen up and relax even a little," remarked Mrs. Taylor.

"The sentiment is not yours alone, believe me," Pegasus replied. "Oh, if only the Zodiacs weren't here at the tournament along with everyone else, then I know I'd be doing what I love doing best in order to pass the time."

"And that would be?" inquired Grandma.

"Eating Gorgonzola cheese, drinking wine, and reading those silly Funny Bunny comic books of his," Mrs. Taylor answered, right before Pegasus could. "I swear, Mrs. Muto, he does it every chance he gets—I'm just surprised the other Committee members haven't tossed him out on his ear just for keeping every back-issue of the Funny Bunny books."

"Oh, come now! Funny Bunny's—well, _funny!"_ Pegasus defended himself.

Just then Grandma's eye caught a particular painting. "Say…this one…it's so much better done than any of the others I've seen so far…"

Pegasus and Mrs. Taylor looked up to see what Grandma was talking about. Right above their heads, in between two large windows, was a painting of a beautiful young woman in a bright blue gown. "Oh…this painting…" Pegasus smiled a little. "This painting was one I did of my wife, Cecelia."

"Your wife? Oh, how lovely!" exclaimed Grandma.

"Yes, she always thought the same thing of my talent," answered Pegasus. "I did many portraits of her; you'll see a number of them on my walls throughout the castle."

Mrs. Taylor noticed a slight change come over Pegasus, however. "Um…your wife, sir…is she…?"

Pegasus sighed a small, sad sigh. "Yes. She's dead. Not long after we were married…she succumbed to illness. And we were both quite young when it happened, too."

"Oh…I'm so sorry," said Grandma sympathetically

"It's all right," replied Pegasus, managing another smile. "It's been many years since then, but sometimes I do still think about her. Of course, my own wounds have healed enough so I can talk about her with breaking down in grief. Besides…I doubt she'd ever forgive me if I kept on grieving just because of her, without moving on with my own life and living life to its fullest. So, now, I keep these paintings around as an inspiration for me to cling to life always."

"Oh…I see…" Mrs. Taylor nodded respectfully.

Suddenly Pegasus's cell-phone went off; excusing himself from the women, he pulled it out and answered it. "Yes?...oh, is that right? All right…I'll be down in a moment."

"What was that about?" wondered Grandma.

"It seems, two of the tournament participants have finished their second-round duels and are almost upon the gates of my castle as I speak," answered Pegasus, with a knowing grin on his face. "Care to join me?"

"Thank you, but I'd like to look at these paintings a while longer, if it's all right," answered Mrs. Taylor. "Wouldn't you, too, Mrs. Muto?"

"Why, certainly!" agreed Grandma.

Pegasus nodded. "Very well then, knock yourselves out. You know where the dining room is in case you need to go back there. Excuse me." And he turned and headed off, leaving the women to marvel some more at his artsy handiworks.

----------

Back outside, the two approaching individuals were now only a couple hundred meters away from where the two sentries stood near the front gate. "Well, Mr. Pegasus said he'll be down in a moment," the guard who'd called it in remarked. "By the time he gets down here, though, those two will already be here."

The two approaching individuals were now much closer. One of them, a young man, waved his arm to the guards. "Hey, guys! How's it going?"

"Say…that boy…isn't that Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki's son Janus?" one of the guards asked, a look of surprise on his face.

"You mean the kid from Duel Academy?" the other asked. "Why—it is him, isn't it? I've been watching the tapes of his duel in the first round—he's quite impressive, for a kid!"

"But who's the person with him?" the first wondered.

"Hmmm…I seem to recall hearing that there were a number of Duel Academy students taking part in this year's tournament," the second said thoughtfully. "Maybe that's one of them…"

By and by the two duelists approached the guards. "You're Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki's kid, aren't you?" one guard asked Janus.

"Uh, yeah, that's right," Janus acknowledged. "And boy, am I glad I got here so soon! Turns out the castle wasn't too far from my latest dueling site!"

"Then you won your second-round duel, yes?" the other guard asked.

"That's right! And now, here I am!" Janus grinned.

The guards nodded approvingly. Then one of them turned to Janus's companion. "And you, miss?"

She looked him square in the eye. "My name is Angel Snow. I am a Zodiac…and I'm here to turn myself in."

The guards looked at her…then at each other…then back at her. "Okay, I don't know whether to laugh or to scold you," one of them confessed. "Little lady, do you even know who the Zodiacs are?"

"You do not believe me…then I will prove it," said Angel, reaching into her jacket. "How many duelists do you see walking around with Duel-Disks like this?"

Then, right before the guards' eyes, she pulled out her Duel-Disk—shaped like a bird's wing! "Hey…wait a minute…" One guard cocked an eyebrow. "Aren't the Zodiacs supposed to carry around some weird-looking Duel-Disks…?"

"Then it IS true—you're one of them, for real!" exclaimed the other guard.

"Now, now, gentlemen, no need to get too agitated…"

The two guards turned at the sound of the familiar voice. "Mr. Pegasus!"

Indeed, coming through the gate from behind the guards was Maximillion Pegasus himself. "No need to worry," he told the guards. "I'll handle this from here."

He walked up to Angel, looking her square in the face. "So, little miss…you say you're a Zodiac?"

"Yes, sir. And I want to turn myself in." Angel said this in a matter-of-fact tone.

"And why do you want to turn yourself in?" asked Pegasus.

"Because…I want redemption for my past actions, even though I'm probably not worthy of such a luxury." Angel slowly cast her eyes downward. "But even if I'm not…I do know that _somebody_ believes I deserve a second chance." Here she glanced over at Janus.

Pegasus noticed this action. "I see…well, we've already got a number of your comrades detained here at the castle…you do realize that you will have to share the same type of accommodations as they, until I can decide how best to deal with your case?"

"I understand, sir." Angel was resolute.

Pegasus then nodded to the two guards. "Take her inside…but don't let our other guests know that she is here—not just yet."

"Understood!" With a grand flourish, the guards took Angel by the shoulders and escorted her through the gates, toward a small door close by the main steps. Angel's face remained steely as she was led away.

"Um…what's going to happen to her?" Janus wondered, a tad worriedly. "I mean, I wasn't really expecting any special treatment for her, especially after what I saw with Cassius Princeton…but even so…"

"What happens to your lady friend there, my young man, will be entirely up to her," Pegasus answered. "If she cooperates, I'll see if we can get some leniency for her. We do have to keep in mind that she's a Zodiac, after all. And…right now I have to get you inside and get you comfortable. You're the first duelist who's won a match in the second round and has arrived here."

"Really? I am?" Janus looked surprised.

"Indeed you are," Pegasus affirmed. "Now, why don't you come on inside? I've already had rooms prepared for those who would make it to the quarter-finals…and since you're the first on here, you get the luxury of choosing which room you'd like."

"Hey—who am I to complain, eh?" Janus chuckled as he followed Pegasus inside.

----------

ELSEWHERE IN DUELTROPOLIS

"Well…no sign of Wade anywhere so far…"

Jenna, Jillian and Ricardo were still walking along the rather lengthy shoreline together, keeping a sharp eye out for Wade Ocean. "This is pointless," Jillian grumbled. "Maybe we should be searching further inland, instead of here…"

"Have a little patience, Jillian," urged Jenna. "I'm sure we'll find Wade yet…"

Hardly were the words out of her mouth when suddenly—a loud splashing noise from the nearby sea caused them all to look up. Then Ricardo burst out into loud laughter. "Well, what do you know…!"

"Ahoy there!" a familiar voice shouted. It was Wade Ocean himself, shirtless and clad only in his jeans, with a huge fish in each hand and a huge mess of seaweed on his head. "You're just in time! Care to join me for a little something to eat?"

"Thanks, but we're not really hungry right now," said Jenna. "Actually, we were looking for you…our friend here wishes to duel you," and she indicated Jillian.

"Is that right? Say, pretty lady, what's your duelist number?" Wade called to Jillian.

"17," replied Jillian. "And your number is 7…which means you and I are supposed to duel each other in this second round of the tournament."

Wade laughed. "All right, I'll oblige you, then! Just let me get my stuff together and put these fish down…"

He half-walked, half-waded toward the beach, even as the others watched him. "So, dude…how long have you been out here fishing?" inquired Ricardo.

"Ever since I woke up this morning," Wade replied, walking up to a large flat rock further up on the sand. He set the fish down on this rock, then headed around to the side and picked up his shirt. "I've been swimming for exercise and fishing for breakfast…"

"And now you're fishing for a snack," finished Jenna. She pointed to her head. "Seaweed."

"Seaweed?" Wade looked puzzled…then he laughed. "Oh." Reaching up onto his own head, he pulled the seaweed off and set it on the rock as well. "Ah, well…at least I'm getting a serving of vegetables to go with my meat."

Jillian made a face. "You…eat…seaweed?"

"Why not? It's actually quite tasty," and Wade smirked.

"So, anyway, are you going to duel me now, or are you going to eat first?" Jillian wanted to know.

"Well, I don't need to eat right now—I'm actually quite full from my breakfast of fish this morning," Wade admitted. "This here…" indicating the fish he'd just caught. "is really to tide me over later. And, in any case…a duel _would_ be a welcome way for me to relax from all the work that is called fishing."

"Ha, ha, ha," Jenna laughed a little. "Well, okay…except, where are your Duel-Disk and cards?"

"Right here!" And Wade promptly unwrapped his shirt, revealing that he'd stored both his Duel-Disk and his deck inside of it. "I didn't want to risk these getting wet or getting covered in sand."

"Sensible precaution to have taken, then," said Jillian. "All right…Jenna, Ricardo, would you be so kind as to shuffle our decks?"

"Sure!" answered Jenna. "Give yours here!"

Jillian handed her deck to Jenna, who immediately began to shuffle it; meanwhile, Ricardo ran over to Wade and took his deck, shuffling it vigorously. "Say, Ricardo, this girl…is she good at this game?" Wade inquired.

"Well, I don't really know—I haven't seen her in action yet," admitted Ricardo. "But she did make it into the second round here, so she must be decent at least. Okay, here you go."

Wade strapped on his Duel-Disk and took his deck from Ricardo. "Well…let's just hope that if I beat her, it's not through surrender, like the match between us last round," he remarked.

"Aw, c'mon—I didn't have a choice back then!" Ricardo protested, waving his hands feebly.

Meanwhile, Jillian had already taken her deck back from Jenna and slotted it into her Duel-Disk. "I'm ready over here," she announced. "How about you?"

"I'm good to go!" Wade replied, activating his Duel-Disk.

Jenna and Ricardo promptly ran to the side as Wade and Jillian took their places right there on the beach. "This should be good," said Jenna. "Who're you gonna bet on?"

"I'm not much of a betting guy…but I do think Wade has a good chance," replied Ricardo. "Then again, I haven't seen what Jillian's capable of…"

"You sure you're not having reservations about this duel?" Wade asked Jillian. "I am the world's Water duelist, after all."

"None whatsoever," Jillian answered, chuckling. "For I am the bodyguard to the legendary Seta Kaiba. I won't lose, not even to you."

"Just what I wanted to hear," said Wade.

Then, as both players' life points shot up to 8000 apiece, Jillian and Wade exclaimed together: "Let's duel!"

----------

**_neomage:_** YES! The Jillian vs. Wade duel is about to begin—and the action kicks off next chapter! And now, everyone, a long-awaited blooper for you:

(Chapter 158, where Miki is reading the shopping list to the others)

Miki: …six cans of sweet corn…three cans of green peas…two heads of lettuce, two cabbages, a pound of carrots…ten pounds of rice…five pounds of sugar, five of flour…two packs of salt…six drink mix packs…a carton of milk, a carton of orange juice…a bottle of cooking oil, one of ketchup, one of soy sauce, one of syrup…a joint of steak, a pound of liver…onions, scallion, thyme, black pepper, meat seasoning…toilet tissue, soap, a bottle of bleach…twenty tractor tires…

Everyone else: O.o

Miki: Hey, wait a minute…TRACTOR TIRES? That's not supposed to be there!

Director: Cut, cut, cut! All right—who's the idiot screwing around with the props?

(elsewhere on the set, yamikriz pockets a pen and chuckles evilly to himself)

neomage: YAMIKRIZ!

yamikriz: O.o Oh, crap… (runs away as neomage chases after him in a helicopter outfitted with the Millennium Keyboard)

REVIEW SOON, PLEASE! NEXT CHAPTER'S COMING UP SHORTLY!


	247. Chapter 247

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: The fury of water and the strategy of protection are about to clash! And, once more, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!)

**CHAPTER 247**

DUELTROPOLIS

"Hmmm…so far, nothing…" Marcus looked from one side to the next as he and Flora walked along the beaten path.

"Maybe everybody's finished dueling already?" Flora suggested.

"Don't be ridiculous," Marcus answered. "It's still fairly early in the day—there must be at least a few more duelists left to advance into the quarter-finals of Dueltropolis."

"Well, you have to admit, we've been walking for a decent amount of time and still haven't found anybody dueling," Flora noted. "So, you have to at least assume…"

Suddenly Marcus stopped. "Hey. Look—over there!"

Several hundred meters away, down toward a rather large beach area, they could see several figures milling around. "See? I knew there would be somebody still dueling, at least!" Marcus exulted. "And it seems they're just getting ready to start—maybe if we hurry, we can get over there and catch the bulk of the action in time."

"I wonder who it'll be?" Flora remarked.

"We'll know when they start playing their cards—we should be able to see the holograms from a good enough distance," answered Marcus. "But I still think that a ringside seat is better. So, come on!"

"Well, all right—let's hurry," and with that Flora followed Marcus as he turned and ran toward the potential duel site.

----------

Meanwhile, where Wade and Jillian stood, the two duelists were preparing themselves for the battle. "So, what'll it be for the coin toss?" asked Wade.

"I'll call it," replied Jillian. "And I'll call tails."

The holographic coin appeared as they activated their Duel-Disks, and it was flipped immediately. It spun rapidly through the air…then came back down to the ground. And when it landed…its result was tails! "Wonderful! So I do get to go first, after all!" Jillian smiled widely.

"Yes, that you do," acknowledged Wade. "But in the end, the better duelist is the one who will win—and it certainly won't be you."

As the two duelists drew their first five cards, on the sidelines Jenna and Ricardo were watching in eager anticipation. "Man, I'm so excited—two really cool duelists are gonna fight right here and now!" Jenna whispered, trembling in her excitement.

"Quite so—the world's famous Water duelist versus Seta Kaiba's bodyguard," said Ricardo. "It should be entertaining."

Jillian drew her sixth card to start off. "Ah, good—a good opening hand!" she announced. "I will set one monster in Defense Mode, and another card facedown. Then I'll end my turn."

"Heh…nice way to start," remarked Wade as he drew his card. "Well, I think I'll play defensive, also. I'll set one monster in Defense Mode, and two cards facedown…then I'll end my turn."

Jillian drew again. "Hmph…okay, now I'll set another monster in Defense Mode, and end my turn."

"You know, if we keep putting monsters in Defense Mode, this duel will last all day," Wade commented. "But that's all right—I've got lots and lots of time to spare. The only thing I really need to worry about is beating you to get into the next round of the tournament."

"That's my line," answered Jillian. "But don't worry—I'll let you know how the finals of the tournament are…if I remember to contact you, that is."

Smirking, Wade drew again. "Why don't you let me know how missing out on the finals feels, instead? For now, I'll Flip summon my monster—the Penguin Soldier (ATK 750, DEF 500)!"

As Wade pointed to his facedown monster card, it swiftly flipped face-up to reveal a penguin dressed up in armor, wielding a sword. "And, when he's flipped face-up," he explained, "his effect allows me to return two monster cards on the field to their owner's hand!"

"WHAT!" Jillian exclaimed in shock.

But then, without warning, Penguin Soldier dashed forward and slashed horizontally at Jillian's two facedown monsters—and much to her chagrin, both of them immediately got sent back to her hand! "Now your life points are completely open," chuckled Wade. But I'm not going to attack with Penguin Soldier—rather, I'll offer him as a tribute to summon my mighty Mobius the Frost Monarch (ATK 2400, DEF 1000)!"

In an instant an icy breeze blew around Penguin Soldier, freezing the bird in a block of ice—then, seconds later, that ice block blasted open to reveal a huge behemoth wrapped in ice-covered armor! "And when Mobius the Frost Monarch is successfully Tribute Summoned, I can destroy up to two Magic or Trap cards on the field," added Wade. "So…I'll use his effect and obliterate your facedown card right now!"

As Jillian watched in consternation, Mobius waved his arm…and a second later a piercing blast of sub-zero wind tore through her facedown card, destroying it completely. "Crud…this isn't good…" Jillian flinched.

"Go, my Mobius the Frost Monarch! Attack directly with your Ice Wind Blast!" Wade commanded. And Mobius complied, thrusting his hands forward to create a powerful and chilling wind that knocked Jillian back onto her behind as her life points went down to 5600!

"Brrr…that's TOO cold!" Jenna grimaced even as she embraced herself tightly for warmth.

"Tell me about it…even my jacket can't keep out that kind of cold," agreed Ricardo, looking ready to freeze.

"Hello, everyone!" a familiar voice behind them caused them to turn.

"Well, I'll be—Marcus! Flora!" Jenna exclaimed. "What're you guys doing here?"

"We were looking for duels to watch, since we've got nothing better to do," answered Marcus. "And speaking of which—why is it so cold?"

"Oh, you feel it, too?" said Ricardo.

"Yeah, we could feel it right as we were coming toward you guys just now; it was like a blizzard or something," answered Flora. "I assume it was Wade that pulled off that stunt just now…?"

"That's right," said Jenna. "He and Seta's bodyguard are duking it out, as you can see."

"Seta's bodyguard…yes, I remember seeing her back at Domino City when we were all boarding the liner," Marcus recalled. "Is she any good?"

"Guess we'll just have to wait and see, won't we?" answered Ricardo.

----------

A bit of distance away from the dueling site, Blaze Redman was walking along on her own. She looked around, taking note of the waves crashing along the shore where she now strode along. _Wade…where are you at…?_

Suddenly, walking around a rather large rock, her eyes widened at what she was seeing: Wade was engaged in a duel! _Whoa…Wade…so you've begun to duel already? And there's a crowd, too…and I was hoping I could catch you alone…_

Sighing a little, Blaze cautiously retreated behind the rock, concealing herself from view. _Better to wait till this duel is finished…then I can tell him…_

----------

Meanwhile, the duel's stats now stood with Jillian having 5600 life points and Wade having an intact 8000. Jillian now held six cards in hand; Wade had two. Jillian had nothing whatsoever on the field; Wade had Mobius the Frost Monarch in Attack Mode, along with two cards facedown.

Still shivering a little from Mobius's frosty attack, Jillian drew her next card, giving her seven in her hand. _No choice now…I was hoping I wouldn't have to play this card, but…_ "I'll set one card facedown…and also one monster in Defense Mode. And then…"

She quickly held up another card. "I'll activate the Ritual magic card, Novox's Prayer! By offering from my hand or my side of the field monsters whose total level stars equal 7 or more, I can Ritual Summon my great Skull Guardian (ATK 2050, DEF 2500)—and I shall summon him in Defense Mode by offering one monster from my hand!"

As Jillian discarded the monster card from her hand for the effect of Novox's Prayer, there appeared on her side of the field a young woman in a red cloak, hands clasped in a reverent manner…and then, in her place appeared a metallic-armored man with blades for hands, crouched in a defensive stance. "Hm…" Wade looked at the new monster, impressed. "This Skull Guardian of yours…he's got enough defense to ward off my Mobius."

"I'm glad you noticed that," replied Jillian.

Then, as Wade took his turn and drew again, he smirked widely. "Unfortunately, even your defenses won't be nearly enough to stop me! For now I summon Star Boy (ATK 550, DEF 500) in Attack Mode!"

To everyone's astonishment, a big red starfish with a goofy grin on its face appeared. "And what in the world is THAT supposed to be?" asked Jillian, dumbfounded.

"It's supposed to be your undoing," answered Wade. "Because, as long as Star Boy remains on the field, its power increases the ATK of all Water monsters by 500 points, while decreasing the ATK of all Fire monster by the same amount!"

Suddenly, to Jillian's utter amazement, Star Boy began to glow bright blue…and while its own ATK rose to 1050, Mobius the Frost Monarch's ATK shot up to 2900! "Now, Mobius is far more powerful than your Skull Guardian!" Wade announced triumphantly. "Go, Mobius! Freeze Skull Guardian's bones!"

Mobius again sent a blast of chilling wind toward Skull Guardian; the latter monster tried to block it, but his skin ended up becoming extremely brittle, and he soon collapsed, shattering into icy bits! "One down…next turn, your facedown monster will be gone as well," Wade declared.

"Hmmm…doesn't look like that girl's got much of a chance right now," remarked Marcus.

Jenna shook her head. "You don't know Jillian," she said softly. "I've seen what she can pull off in a duel…trust me, she'll soon pull herself out of this jam."

Again Jillian drew her next card…and she chuckled softly. "Wade Ocean…truly, you're a respectable duelist," she acknowledged. "But being respectable isn't going to be nearly enough to defeat ME!"

"And how do you figure that? I mean, I've got two monsters right here, ready to pounce on you, and what have you got? Only one monster to defend your life points!" Wade replied.

"Well, that's about to change," Jillian answered. "Now, I'll Flip summon my monster and reveal – Spear Cretin (ATK 500, DEF 500)!"

As her monster card was flipped face-up, it revealed a little winged fiend wielding a spear. "And next, I'll equip Spear Cretin with the magic card, Gravity Axe – Grarl, to increase his ATK by 500 points!" Jillian quickly played the card from her hand…and Spear Cretin found itself wielding a massive axe that it had to struggle to wield due to the difference between its own size and the size of its new weapon—and its ATK shot up to 1000!

"Bah! Like that'll make a big difference!" scoffed Wade.

"It's about to make a seriously big difference, believe me," Jillian assured him. "And next, I'll activate my trap card—Light of Intervention!"

Suddenly, as her trap card flipped face-up, a great light shone down on the field! "Hey! What's this light all of a sudden?" exclaimed Flora, shielding her eyes even as she looked at the field in amazement.

"Yeah—it's almost blinding!" Ricardo seconded.

"This Light of Intervention is a light that reveals the hidden unto me," Jillian smirked. "As long as it remains on the field, no monster can be set facedown…and any monster that would be set facedown is placed face-up in Defense Mode instead. So, that means no flip effects, no hiding of monsters' identities…nothing of that nature is gonna happen here."

"Ah—still bristling from my Penguin Soldier's effect from earlier, are you?" Wade commented. "But need I tell you that your Light of Intervention is bound to affect not just me, but you as well?"

"I'm well aware of that," Jillian assured him. "Now, let me continue…I'll now set one card facedown…" and she set a card in the Magic/Trap slot. "And now, I'll Special Summon from my hand to the field—Guardian Grarl (ATK 2500, DEF 1000)!"

All at once, to everyone's astonishment, Guardian Grarl appeared on the field, wielding his massive axe! "Hey, wait! That's a Level 5 monster, isn't it?" Wade demanded suspiciously.

"It is," admitted Jillian. "But then again, Grarl's effect says that if it's the only card in my hand—which it was a while ago—I can Special Summon it. And, too…I could only summon Grarl while I had Gravity Axe – Grarl equipped to a monster on my side of the field."

"Well, boo-hoo to you, because all your summoning will be for naught!" Wade declared. "For now I'll activate my trap card—Torrential Tribute! When a monster is summoned I can use this to destroy all monsters on the field!"

Just then huge geyser spouts shot up from the ground, consuming Guardian Grarl, Spear Cretin, Mobius the Frost Monarch and Star Boy—and drowning them all. "So there! Now your side of the field is clear of monsters yet again!" Wade grinned.

"Not…quite." Jillian shook her head. "Because now you've activated Spear Cretin's ability. See, after I flipped him face-up, I had to wait till he went to the Graveyard…but now, we can each select one monster from our respective Graveyards and Special Summon those monsters in face-up Attack Mode or facedown Defense Mode, regardless of what level they are." Then she chuckled, and added, "Only thing is, with my Light of Intervention still on the field, if we do choose to Special Summon the monsters in Defense Mode, they MUST be face-up."

"Fine, fine," Wade nodded. "So, choose your monster already!" And without further ado, he himself began to search his own Graveyard. "And I'll Special Summon…my Mobius the Frost Monarch in Attack Mode!"

Seconds later Mobius reappeared on the field, ready to fight. But Jillian, still searching her Graveyard, shook her head. "That's not going to help you any," she spoke up. "Because the monster I'm going for is the very monster I discarded for the effect of Novox's Prayer from earlier—Kazejin (ATK 2400, DEF 2200)!"

A moment later, on Jillian's side of the field appeared a green entity with great winds blowing around him. "Man…now it's really breezy around here!" Ricardo exclaimed. "Man, when it's not one thing with the elements, it's the next!"

"She…planned this all along, didn't she…?" Flora wondered aloud.

"Perhaps…but even so, now the duel's at a bit of a stalemate," Marcus answered.

"Come on, come on," Jenna breathed.

"Is that meant to ruffle me? I don't think so!" Wade announced as he drew another card. "Well, now…I'll activate the magic card, Big Wave Small Wave! This allows me to destroy all face-up Water monsters on my side of the field—after which I can Special Summon from my hand a number of Water monsters equal to the number I destroyed!"

As Wade finished talking—a massive wave crashed onto the shore, nearly overwhelming everyone there and definitely drowning Mobius the Frost Monarch! But in the next instant, when the wave cleared away…on Wade's side of the field was his massive sea serpent! "Say hello to Levia-Dragon – Daedalus (ATK 2600, DEF 1500)!" Wade announced. "And he's got enough ATK to take down your Kazejin! Go, Levia-Dragon – crush that monster now!"

Levia-Dragon – Daedalus blasted a powerful jet-stream of water from its mouth at Kazejin—who responded by blasting an even mightier gust of wind straight at its opponent! The force of wind was so severe, it actually knocked the water blast right off-course and tore through Daedalus, and in the process Wade watched in shock as his life points went straight down to 5600, tying him with Jillian!

"Whoa…" Ricardo stared at the field open-mouthed.

"Wha…what just happened…?" Flora asked softly, her eyes wide.

"Heh…it's the effect of Kazejin," Jillian informed everyone at large. "During my opponent's damage calculation, when a monster attacks Kazejin, then Kazejin can reduce that attacking monster's ATK to 0. The only downside is…Kazejin's effect can only be used once as long as it remains on the field. But hey—at least it made quite a dent in your life points, didn't it?"

Wade just stood there for a moment, his hair overshadowing his eyes a little. Then he looked up…and on his face was a big grin. "Wow…this is truly a duel, for real," he chuckled. "Truly, you're an enjoyable opponent!"

"Hmmm?" Jillian cocked an eyebrow at him.

Wade then drew again…and the smile disappeared from his face. "However…now is when I'm going to get really serious," he announced. "And now, I'm going to show you just why they call me the Ocean Duelist—so you'd better WATCH OUT!"

----------

**_neomage:_** Heh…once again, I'd intended for this duel to last only one chapter, but I guess it wasn't meant to be, eh? Well, next round Jillian vs. Wade continues!

And now, POLL TIME! Who among the Zodiacs do you consider (1) the coolest; (2) the one with the best deck strategy so far; (3) the one who's engaged in the best duel up to this point; (4) the most likeable; (5) the most easily hated?

REVIEW SOON, PLEASE!


	248. Chapter 248

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: The fury of water and the strategy of protection continue battling each other! And, yet again, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!)

**CHAPTER 248**

DUELTROPOLIS

Watching from her hiding spot behind the huge rock, only a little ways away from where Wade and Jillian were now dueling each other, Blaze cocked an eyebrow. _That girl…she seems to be pretty good with her cards. Even so, though…she's not going to bring down Wade just like that. I should know…_

She looked directly at Wade, pursing her lips. _Wade…_

----------

Meanwhile, on the dueling field itself, the stats now looked like this: Wade and Jillian were tied at 5600 life points each. Wade held two cards in hand, since he'd just taken his turn and drawn, but all he had on the field was one facedown card in his magic/trap slot. Jillian, on the other hand, had no cards in her hand, but she did have Kazejin on the field in Attack Mode, plus she also had her Light of Intervention trap card active, and one other card facedown.

Wade smiled widely as he continued to examine the card he'd just drawn. "Now…it's time to kick things up a notch!" he declared. "For now, I'll activate the field magic of…A Legendary Ocean!"

Suddenly, all around their legs swirled the massive ocean, even as huge towers shot up from the water rapidly gathering around them. Jillian looked at the water with utmost curiosity. "A Legendary Ocean…I've heard of this card's power," she remarked. "It supposedly acts as a substitute for Umi, right?"

"Oh, so you know about that," answered Wade. "Then you must know that the Legendary Ocean downgrades the levels of all Water monsters on the field and in both players' hands by 1. And that—that gives me the perfect opportunity to summon this monster: Terrorking Salmon (ATK 2400, DEF 1000)!"

All at once, from the watery depths appeared a massive salmon, its ATK and DEF raised by the Legendary Ocean to 2600 and 1200 respectively! "And if I recall correctly, you said that your Kazejin's effect can only be used once, right?" said Wade. "So, go ahead, Terrorking Salmon—take down Kazejin now!"

Terrorking Salmon swam forward rapidly, jumping out of the water and slamming its tail into Kazejin—and this attack completely broke Kazejin into pieces, reducing Jillian's life points to 5400! "And, once again, your life points are open," Wade informed her. "Next turn, I'll use my lovely fish here to cut you down to size."

"Fat chance of that happening, friend," Jillian answered stoutly, drawing from her deck to replenish her hand. "Now, since I can't set any monsters due to my Light of Intervention trap card still being active…I'll summon my Arsenal Summoner (ATK 1600, DEF 1600) in Defense Mode!"

In a moment her spellcaster appeared, arms crossed in front of him in a defensive stance. "I'll end my turn with that, for now," Jillian declared.

Again Wade drew. "Your defending monster won't help you now," he told Jillian. "Especially not with the next monster I'm going to call forth—Mermaid Knight (ATK 1500, DEF 700)!"

A moment later his rainbow mermaid appeared, shield and sword at the ready—and the Legendary Ocean raised her ATK and DEF to 1700 and 900! "Now then, Mermaid Knight! Take out Arsenal Summoner!" commanded Wade—and Mermaid Knight did just that, swimming forward and decapitating Arsenal Summoner with one swift stroke of her sword!

"And there's more where that came from," Wade informed Jillian. "For you see, as long as Umi is on the field, Mermaid Knight can attack twice during the same battle phase—and right now the Legendary Ocean is serving as a substitute for Umi! So—go again, Mermaid Knight, but this time attack directly!"

"Crud!" Jillian flinched, bracing herself.

Mermaid Knight swam forward once more, slashing at Jillian with her sword and causing her life points to drop to 3700. Then, from Wade: "Now, Terrorking Salmon, attack directly!" and Terrorking Salmon swam forward and roughly rammed Jillian, causing her to fall backwards into the water and reducing her life points further to 1100!

"Ooohhh…" Jenna flinched as Terrorking Salmon's attack hit Jillian.

"Incredible! Now all Wade has to do is deliver one attack on his next turn, and he wins!" Flora exclaimed.

"Yeah," added Ricardo. "Guess Wade's gonna go all the way with this, after all."

Marcus just stood there with his arms folded. "His opponent still has life points," he reminded the group. "As long as she does, this duel's not over yet."

Wade chuckled a little. "Well, it seems this duel will soon end," he said to Jillian. "But you have played a good game, I'll grant you that."

Jillian shook her head. "I don't give in to any opponent just like that—and I certainly am not going to give in to you," she stated flatly.

"And just how do you intend to turn this duel around, if that is indeed what you plan to do?" Wade inquired. "After all, you're at a serious disadvantage here—just look at the field!"

"Maybe I _am_ at a disadvantage right now," Jillian acknowledged. "But this much I know—unless I see with my own eyes that this duel can't be won, I'll keep fighting! And right now, it's my turn!"

She immediately drew another card. "Okay! Now I'll activate the magic card Graceful Charity, to draw three cards and then discard two!"

As she played this card, the familiar green-robed angel appeared on the field, offering her three cards; she then immediately sent two of those to the Graveyard, leaving her with just one. "Then I'll summon Guardian of the Throne Room (ATK 1650, DEF 1600) in Defense Mode…" and here her yellow robot guard emerged on the field. "…and end my turn."

"Well, at least I've figured out how your little defensive strategy works now," Wade crossed his arms and smiled. "You do your best to protect your life points, then wait for the perfect opportunity to strike—and when you do, you attack hard and fast so your opponent won't have time to recover. But that kind of strategy won't work against me—count on it!"

"Well, why don't you prove it, then?" challenged Jillian. "Try wiping me out, if you think you can!"

"Very well, then—thanks for the invite!" Wade promptly drew his next card. "Now…thanks to the Legendary Ocean, my Mermaid Knight is powerful enough to take out your Throne Room Guardian…so, go on now, Mermaid Knight—crush that robot!"

Again Mermaid Knight swam forward, her blade shining with murderous intensity, and with one swipe she slashed the Guardian of the Throne Room completely in half—but just at that moment Jillian exclaimed, "Now I'll activate this card! I activate the trap card—The Grave of Enkindling!"

All at once, as her facedown trap card finally flipped face-up, the ground began to rumble. "I could only activate this card when a monster on my side of the field was destroyed and sent to the Graveyard via battle…now, we can both select one monster from our respective Graveyards and Special Summon them in Defense Mode!"

Wade frowned. "I see…okay, then, I'll just take a peek at my Graveyard…" And this he did quickly. "And I'll Special Summon, in Defense Mode, my slain Levia-Dragon – Daedalus!"

"And I will Special Summon my Kazejin!" Jillian countered.

Suddenly, right in the middle of the field, a MASSIVE blast of energy tore from under the water, heading skyward—and several heaps of sand were thrown up into the air, as well, so much so that everyone had to shield themselves with their arms! And in the process, Levia-Dragon and Kazejin emerged from that space in the ground, and went to their respective masters' sides of the field in Defense Mode!

"You had that card all this time…but you didn't use it until just now," Wade observed.

"I like to conserve my cards if at all possible—like when you conserve ammunition," said Jillian. "Oh, and there's one other thing you should know: Thanks to the effect of the Grave of Enkindling, neither of our Special Summoned monsters can change their battle positions while they remain face-up on the field, except through card effects."

"Grrr…that means I can't use Levia-Dragon – Daedalus to attack you anytime soon," grumbled Wade.

"But your other two monsters can still attack right now, can't they?" Jillian inquired. "And, if I recall, your Terrorking Salmon currently has an ATK higher than Kazejin's DEF. You could try attacking with your fish if you wanted…"

Wade shook his head. "Thanks, but I remember your Kazejin's effect all too well—and that effect has been reactivated now that it's back on the field. I'm not in the mood to lose any more life points right at this time, so I'll pass on your offer. However…I WILL do something else…"

On the sidelines, Marcus's face took on a surprised expression. _Is Wade going to…?_

Suddenly, to Jillian's surprise, Levia-Dragon – Daedalus bowed its head down to the Legendary Ocean's water. "When I have the Levia-Dragon face-up on my side of the field," said Wade, "I can send Umi on my side of the field to the Graveyard to destroy every card on the field except the Levia-Dragon itself—and as you already know, the Legendary Ocean is serving as a substitute for Umi!"

Jillian scowled upon hearing this. "Damn it…!"

But even as Jillian said that, Levia-Dragon – Daedalus began to suck up all the water into its mouth, completely clearing the field…then, just as suddenly, the monster spewed out all the water at everything in sight! This action washed away everything on the field—Terrorking Salmon, Mermaid Knight and Kazejin, and even Jillian's Light of Intervention trap card and Wade's facedown magic/trap card all got swept away by the raging flood!

Finally, the rushing waters settled down…and when it was all over, only the Levia-Dragon Daedalus remained on the field. "Looks like I've emptied your side of the field yet again," Wade mocked Jillian. "Now, what to do…oh, I know. I'll just set this last card facedown, and end my turn."

Her eyes narrowing, Jillian took her turn and drew once again. "Cripes…this card…I can't use it now…" she hissed.

"And I'll make sure you never get to!" Wade announced. "For now I'll activate my trap card, Spiritual Water Art – Aoi! By tributing one Water monster on my side of the field, I can look at your hand, select one card from it, and then discard it to the Graveyard—and since you've got only one card in your hand, you must now show it to me!"

As a magical crest appeared underneath the Levia-Dragon – Daedalus and consumed it in a burst of water, Jillian, flinching again, held up her card for Wade to see—it was the magic card, Rod of Silence – Kay'est. In the next instant, a small burst of water shot out at Jillian, hitting her hand and forcing her to discard the card to the Graveyard.

"Whoa…now neither of them has anything on the field, or in hand," whispered Jenna.

"Got that right, for sure," agreed Flora. "It could be anybody's game now."

"Well, keep in mind that Wade does still have more life points than Jillian does," Ricardo pointed out. "Just look at it—Wade's got 5600, but now Jillian has 1100. It'll take a real miracle for her to beat him at this point…"

Marcus said nothing, but continued to watch the playing field keenly.

Now Wade took his turn and drew once again, replenishing his hand. He took a long, hard look at the card…and sighed. "Shucks…I can't use this card for now, so I'll just end my turn."

Jillian took her turn again, drawing a card to replenish her own hand…and what she saw made her start for a moment. Then she smiled. "Okay…now I'll activate the magic card, Premature Burial! And now, I can pay 800 life points to summon a monster I'd discarded earlier for the effect of my Graceful Charity card—Suijin (ATK 2500, DEF 2400)!"

Quickly she played the card, and her life points went down to a mere 300—and then suddenly, in a flash of blue from the ground, there emerged a watery entity shining with a bright blue light! "All right, Suijin—attack directly!" Jillian commanded…and Suijin responded by blasting a wave of water at Wade, knocking him far back and bringing his life points down to 3100!

"Yikes! Now THAT is something!" exclaimed Jenna.

"Even so, Wade still has more life points," Marcus reminded her. "He's got enough time to finish her off."

Wade smirked as he got back up. "Heh…pretty nice attack with that monster of yours," he commented. "But just wait…I'll soon bounce right back!"

Quickly he drew again—and grinned triumphantly. "OKAY! Now I've got the winning combination right here!" he declared. "First, I'll activate this magic card, Monster Reborn, to revive my Levia-Dragon – Daedalus in Attack Mode!"

Moments later his Levia-Dragon reappeared on the field, snarling and hissing at Jillian. Then Wade held up the very last card left in his hand. "And now…I'll offer Levia-Dragon – Daedalus as a tribute to Special Summon his much stronger form to the field – come forth, my great Ocean Dragon Lord – Neo-Daedalus (ATK 2900, DEF 1600)!"

The Levia-Dragon's features began to mutate right there, even as its overall size got bigger and bigger and BIGGER…until at last it had two massive heads and was towering over everything else on the field! "Heh, heh, heh…my Ocean Dragon Lord has enough power to take down your Suijin and the rest of your life points!" Wade announced. "Go, Neo-Daedalus – take out Suijin now! Thunderous Hydro Burst!"

Neo-Daedalus reared back its two heads, blasting two massive jets of water from its two mouths…but suddenly, to everybody's astonishment, Suijin countered with its own burst of water, one so powerful it tore through the Ocean Dragon Lord's attack and right through the Ocean Dragon Lord itself—and Wade's life points sharply dropped to 600!

On the sidelines, everyone stared, perfectly stupefied. "What…what was that…just now…?" Flora wondered.

"Let me explain," and now Jillian crossed her arms, a smirk on her face. "Suijin shares the same effect as Kazejin, who you've witnessed in action already. When my opponent's monster attacks Suijin, then Suijin's effect can reduce that attacking monster's ATK all the way to 0. True, Suijin's power can only be used once, just like with Kazejin…but this once is all I needed."

Wade blinked, in pure disbelief. "Unbelievable…my Ocean Dragon Lord…was defeated just like that…?"

"Now whose side of the field is empty?" Jillian jabbed at him. "Decide what you're going to do, sir…are you going to give up now, or will I have to forcibly take you down on my next turn?"

Wade looked at her…then at Suijin…then at his own deck. "Well…a real duelist would know when to throw in the towel…" Then his eyes narrowed and he grinned. "But I don't throw in the towel just like that! I prefer to go down with a fight! Come on—do what you're gonna do!"

"As you wish." Jillian drew her next card, for formality's sake. "Now, Suijin…end this duel!" And Suijin complied—blasting Wade with a huge wave of water and reducing his life points completely to 0!

"Wade!" Flora exclaimed. "Are you all right?"

Suijin's water jet receded…and Wade was on his back on the sand, completely drenched—but he had a big grin on his face. "Hell, yeah! Now, THAT was one awesome duel—such a close finish and all! Woo!"

"Wow…he sure seems to be taking his loss in stride," Ricardo remarked.

"That's Wade for you," Jenna nodded.

Carefully, Wade picked himself up. "Well, congrats," he lauded Jillian. "You're truly worthy of being Seta Kaiba's bodyguard, for real."

"And you are deserving of your reputation, as well, Wade Ocean," Jillian nodded.

"Well, folks, we have a winner!" Ricardo, grinning, came over and held Jillian's wrist, holding her arm up high in the air. "Winner by technical knockout: Jillian Uriah!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," snorted Jillian, freeing her arm from Ricardo's grasp.

"So, now we have to go to Pegasus's castle for the finals of the tournament to begin," Jenna said thoughtfully. "And what about you guys, Marcus and Flora? You do need to continue the tournament, don't you?"

"Oh…about that…we kinda forgot to tell you…" Flora scratched the back of her head sheepishly. "Marcus and I have already been eliminated from the tournament."

"During the first round," Marcus grunted.

"What?" Jenna asked in disbelief. "You were both eliminated? Oh, no…that's too bad."

"Guess the competition was just that tough, huh?" remarked Ricardo.

"You could say that," said Marcus.

"Well…" Jenna considered. "Even if you're no longer participating, maybe you'd like to stick around and watch the rest of the tournament? And you could travel with us to the castle!"

"Well, sure!" Flora nodded. "I mean, why not? It's not like we're in a hurry to go anywhere…"

Marcus just shrugged. "No objections here."

"Then we've got more people joining our group?" Jillian inquired. "This should be fun…"

Ricardo looked at Wade. "Hey, man, why don't you come with us, as well, since they're coming? It'd be great, having you along!"

But Wade shook his head and chuckled. "Thanks, but I'd like to stick around here a little while longer and bask in the comfort of the ocean…plus, I do still have my fish to eat up."

"And your seaweed…" Jillian made a disgusted face.

"Well, in that case, shall we go, then?" suggested Flora. "Who knows how many people may have arrived at Pegasus's castle already…"

"Yeah, that's true!" Jenna nodded. "Well, guess this means goodbye for now, Wade!"

"Yeah, Wade…see you!" Ricardo waved a little and turned to walk off.

"Don't worry—I'll come by the castle when I'm good and ready! I wouldn't miss seeing the tournament finals live and in person, you know?" Wade grinned.

"Then we'll definitely see you later," said Jillian.

"Sure you will!" Wade nodded. "You guys take care of yourselves till then, okay?"

"Yeah, sure." Marcus turned and walked away. "Let's go, Flora."

"Right!" Flora followed after Marcus, followed in turn by Ricardo and Jenna. Jillian hurried to catch up with the other four; Wade, still standing there on the beach, watched for a moment as the group headed off.

"Wow…" Wade ran a hand through his hair. "That duel…it was so close…I could've won, if it wasn't for Suijin's effect…"

"Planning to drown yourself, were you?" a familiar, sarcastic voice asked. "Such a coward."

Wade spun around—and found himself looking at Blaze Redman, coming up the shore toward him. "Blaze? But—how did you—"

"I've been watching the duel the whole time," she answered. "That was quite an impressive performance you put on there."

"Yeah, yeah," Wade rubbed the back of his head.

Silence reigned for a moment. Then Blaze sighed. "Look…I may as well be honest with you. I was hoping to catch you alone…so I could say something to you."

Wade cocked an eyebrow…then he understood. "You considered it, didn't you?"

Blaze nodded. "Yes…I did…and I thought about it long and hard…and now I'm ready with my answer."

Wade nodded. "Okay."

Blaze took a deep breath, and…

----------

**_neomage:_** MWAH! Cliffie! What will Blaze say to Wade in the enxt chapter? Will she accept his proposal…or will she drop him faster than a hot plate? (grins evilly) Only way to know is to…READ THE NEXT CHAPTER!


	249. Chapter 249

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: **(fiery sunset in the background)** I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**CHAPTER 249**

DUELTROPOLIS

Blaze took a deep breath, and then exhaled…very softly, very slowly. "Wade…ever since you came forward with that proposal of yours, I've given it a lot of thought," she told him. "But…even after considering all the evidence, what I said before still holds out—we barely know each other. So, why should I be so quick to agree to marry you?"

Wade looked at her for a long moment…then he chuckled. "You know, this should be the part where I break down and demand to know why you won't accept," he said softly. "But I'm not going to do that. See, I did sort of expect that you would refuse…therefore, I didn't keep my heart too set on your accepting."

"So you're not disappointed?" Blaze asked, a little surprised.

Wade turned away from her to look at the ocean, and at the horizon beyond. "I'd be the world's biggest liar if I said I wasn't," he answered. "Even so, my feelings aren't changing. That's the God-honest truth."

Blaze regarded him with a sudden guilt in her heart. "Wade…there's just so much you don't know about me," she whispered, turning away.

"So tell me everything."

Blaze looked over her shoulder at him. "What?"

He was still looking out at the sea…but his voice held her attention. "I said, tell me everything. Even if it's all bad. I'm not running away…I'm not going anywhere. I'll hear it all."

Silence reigned for a moment, as Blaze considered what Wade was saying to her. _To tell you…everything…how can I possibly do that?_

Then she looked back at Wade. He was still looking out over the ocean—but she knew he was really waiting on her to talk. And as Blaze looked at him, her face became pained. She looked away, then back at him, then away again, wondering just how to tell him.

Finally she held her head down. "I'm a loner, Wade…that's what I've always been. For me, people come, and people go. Every person I meet is, for me, merely a phase." She gritted her teeth. "And besides that…I've been…tainted…surely you don't want a girl who's experienced what I've experienced…"

"Such as?" Wade asked gently.

Blaze flinched. "Wade, please…don't…"

Wade saw her trembling violently. "Yeah…you're right. It's not my place to ask you that. I'm sorry. If it really bothers you that much, I won't press the issue." He exhaled a little.

Another bout of silence. Both of them continued to stand with their backs to each other; the waves rolling onto the shore provided the only sound at that moment.

Then Blaze sighed. "I've been…intimate…with my mentor."

A longer bout of silence. "Your mentor?" Wade asked, after a moment.

"Yes. The person who trained me in Duel Monsters."

Wade slowly turned to look at her. "Do you…still love him?"

Blaze nearly burst out laughing on hearing that. "Wade…as much as this'll amaze you…my mentor wasn't a man."

Wade blinked…then turned away again. "I see."

Yet again silence reigned. Then Blaze broke it once more. "But you know what I consider odd, even now? She once told me…that the time I spent with her…even while we…did that kind of stuff together…she said that that time was just a phase, a stepping stone for the day when I'd be able to share my everything with that one special someone that I'd eventually meet. She told me that she only wanted for me to be able to love him and be able to accept his love in return. I should…win his heart…and be happy. That is what she told me."

Wade smiled. "She certainly sounds like she had your future welfare in mind."

Blaze didn't reply to that. Again Wade turned to look at her…and this time he walked over and gently laid a hand on her shoulder. "Is that it, Blaze? Are you ashamed because of…what you used to do with her?"

There was no answer for a moment…then Blaze sniffed. "That's only part of it, Wade," she said quietly. "I've lost…so much…in my life…it's as if, deep down, I've stopped caring about anything or anyone. I mean, sure, I've made a couple of good friends…you, Marcus and Flora, even Yugo and his bunch…but what's to say I won't lose you guys, too?"

One hot tear spilled down her cheek now. "I'm so screwed up inside…it doesn't seem that way, but I know I am…and I feel so…soiled…why would a nice guy like you want garbage like me, Wade? Why?"

Another lengthy silence…then the hand on Blaze's shoulder tightened its grip a little. "Blaze…you think too low of yourself, you know that?" Wade said quietly.

"But—" Blaze began.

"Shh. Don't say anything right now."

Wade's voice was so firm, and yet so gentle and reassuring at the same time. "Blaze…I can't imagine that there's any magic cure for the pain you must have suffered in your life. I don't even think I can begin to imagine how you feel about what you've gone through. But…it doesn't become you to berate yourself in such a degrading manner. Why do I say that? Because, yes, you feel the way you do, and I can't deny that…but in spite of all that, you've still chosen to live. And isn't that the most precious decision anyone can ever make—to live?"

Blaze didn't know how to answer that.

"If you don't want to marry me…then I'll respect that," Wade said softly. "But…at the very least…when we're not on the duelist's battlefield…may I be confident enough for both of us?"

As he spoke, he reached into a pocket and pulled out the same little black box from before. Dipping into the box, he pulled out the ring that he'd offered to Blaze before, and now held it in front of her face. "If you won't accept this as a proposal from me…will you accept this as a symbol of the first step into the future?"

Blaze blinked. "The first step…into the future…"

"Yes, Blaze. Because…no matter how we may cry for the things of the past…the best we can do, in the end, is move on and move forward." Wade nodded resolutely. "What you said before…about us barely knowing each other…is true. We don't know each other that thoroughly. So…let's take time and learn together…and teach each other."

Blaze looked at the ring before her face; its blue-and-red cut diamonds seemed to shine from the reflection of the sun. Slowly…ever so slowly…she reached up and closed her fingers around the ring. "Wade…I want to be happy…that's all I've ever wanted…" she whispered, her voice strained and ready to break.

For answer she felt his arm quietly sliding around her waist, pulling her closer to him. "We all want happiness, Blaze," Wade answered. "But the only way to get it is if we actually make an honest attempt to achieve it."

Blaze closed her eyes, leaning against Wade, even as she continued to hold the ring tightly in her hand. "Wade…" she whispered.

And while the two of them just stood there like that, behind them the waves continued to rush up against the shore, and the ocean breeze blew past them, whipping up their clothes and their hair, even as the sun's rays reflected off the sea and the sand.

----------

PEGASUS'S CASTLE, IN THE MEANTIME

"Gee…am I glad to have that Zodiac girl off my hands and in a cell!" said the suit, exhaling heavily.

He and his fellow guard were back at the castle's front gate, resuming sentry duty. "What do you sound _that_ relieved for?" the second suit asked in a rebuking tone. "I mean, didn't she give herself up willingly? And she DID let us take her to her cell without a fight…"

"Well, true…but the way she was so calm about her surrender…it's just kinda unnerving, don't you think?" the first suit protested.

"You're just acting cowardly, that's all," the second suit grumbled. "Which would you prefer—that she surrendered willingly, or that we would've had to restrain her while she was kicking and screaming?"

The first suit was about to retort—then he straightened up and looked ahead. "Hey, over there…that's…"

Raising an eyebrow, the second suit looked up—and, a little distance away, he saw a group of people coming toward the castle. "Oh, my goodness—it's Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki's party! They've returned!"

"I'll inform Mr. Pegasus at once!" the first suit declared.

----------

"Hey, everyone! We're back now!" Mrs. Taylor announced cheerfully, as she and Grandma came back into the dining room where the others were.

"Ah, enjoyed your exploration of the castle?" queried Mr. Devlin.

"Certainly—all the paintings on the walls were marvelously done! Mr. Pegasus is certainly a gifted artist!" Grandma gushed.

"Speaking of which, where is he? Wasn't he with you?" asked Mr. Von Schroeder.

"Well, he was, but then he had to go greet some newly-arrived tournament participants," Mrs. Taylor answered.

"Heh—that means the first of the finalists have arrived!" exclaimed Mr. Wheeler.

"Pegasus is probably getting them comfortable for now," reasoned Mr. Truesdale, sitting with his arms crossed. "The duelists were all instructed to come here to the castle, after all…and soon, the finals will begin."

"Well, I for one can't wait for the duelists to all show up and the tournament finals to commence," chuckled Dr. Crowler.

"Neither can I, sir," agreed Mrs. Bakura. "I only hope those Zodiacs don't ruin everything…"

"Not to worry, Téa—remember, most of those guys have already been locked up," Mr. Bakura reminded his wife. "They won't pose any threat."

Mrs. Wheeler said nothing, but frowned slightly. _Let's hope so…after all, MOST of them are locked up, not ALL…_

----------

Elsewhere in the castle, Janus Yuki flopped down on his bed, completely comfortable. His room was quite spacious, with a small refrigerator off to one side and a doorway leading to a bathroom at one end. "Sweet!" he gushed. "Who would've thought that tournament finalists would get such five-star treatment…!"

Then his face became a bit more reflective. "Well…I wonder how soon it'll be before any other finalists show up…and who'll be among them…"

He sighed and looked up to the ceiling. _And…Angel…I hope you'll be okay…_

Suddenly he heard voices coming from outside. "Hmmm?"

Janus hurried over to the window and, opening it, looked down to the ground where the front gate happened to be. At once his eyes lit up. "Well, what do you know!"

----------

"Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki! Welcome back, ma'am!" the two guards at the front gate greeted her.

Mrs. Rhdoes-Yuki nodded. "Inform the rest of the Committee that I have returned…and also, that I have two more members of the Zodiacs here to turn in."

"We've already contacted Mr. Pegasus, ma'am," one of the suits informed her. "He should be along shortly…"

"Actually, I'm here already," the authoritative voice spoke up from behind. Fairly startled, the two guards turned to see Pegasus himself coming forward. "Well, Alexis, I see you've come back—welcome," he spoke up again. "And welcome to your little party, as well."

For, standing behind Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki were Yugo Muto and Natasha Truesdale, and four other suited security guards; two of them carried the still-unconscious James Truesdale, while the other two had Felix Sanchez in between them. The four guards stood respectfully at attention; Yugo and Natasha bowed, and Felix reached up and took off his hat in a show of deference. Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki herself smiled. "It's good to be back here, after all the craziness that's been happening," she remarked.

Pegasus nodded, then turned his attention to Yugo and Natasha. "Well…I was watching your respective matches from here, you two," he remarked. "And I must say…little Natasha, I'm sorry you didn't get to advance, but for what it's worth, you did put up quite a good fight."

"Uh…um…th-thank you," Natasha stuttered, blushing.

"And as for you, Yugo-boy," Pegasus chuckled. "That was quite an impressive display you pulled…defeating an Exodia-user so gracefully, and the Emperor of Duel Academy at that!"

"Yeah…well, uh…" Yugo scratched the back of his head, unsure what to say.

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki then pointed out Felix and James. "And of course, you already know James Truesdale…" and there was a note of disappointment in her voice as she said his name. "And this other one here is Felix Sanchez, who Yugo defeated in the first round. He voluntarily handed himself over after his loss."

_"Sí, señor,"_ and Felix nodded respectfully.

Pegasus regarded him. "And why, do tell, have you decided to turn yourself in?"

Felix smiled. "Let's just say, _señor,_ that Yugo appealed to my gambler's nature, made a bet…and won."

"I see." Pegasus then turned his attention to the guards. "Take Felix and James here inside…but be mindful, I have guests in the dining room. So…take that passageway over there instead of going through the main hall, would you mind?"

"Understood, sir!" And with one accord, the guards carried Felix and James through the front gate, toward the door Pegasus had indicated, right near the main steps.

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki cocked an eyebrow at Pegasus. "Guests?"

"Ah, yes—I should let you know, shouldn't I?" chuckled Pegasus. "Yugo, your father and grandmother and all your friends' parents are here from Domino City."

Yugo's eyes widened in amazement. "Really? Dad and the others are here?"

"At my summons," Pegasus told him. "You'll get the opportunity to see them very shortly—oh, and I should inform you, too, my young friend, that you're only the second duelist to show up here for the finals of Dueltropolis."

"The second, huh? Who's the first?" wondered Yugo.

"Hey, Yugo!"

Startled, Yugo looked up—and standing there, at the top of the castle's main steps, was Janus Yuki himself. "Glad to see you made it, man," Janus announced. "And Natasha, too!"

"Well, yeah…actually…I'm not in the tournament anymore," Natasha admitted sheepishly. "I got knocked out in the first round."

"Oh…sorry…" Janus replied, apologetic.

"Never mind that, dude," said Yugo, walking up to Janus. "I wish you could have seen her, Janus—Natasha really did great against her opponent!"

"Well…um…" Natasha turned a bright red.

Janus smirked at Yugo. "Okay, Yugo…I've been waiting for this opportunity…a chance to duel you again! I'm definitely going to make the most of this, trust me!"

"As will I," replied Yugo. "And this time, I know I'll beat you for sure!"

"Only if you can get through the other duelists who are to arrive," Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki laughed behind them. Then she smiled more earnestly. "Even so…I'm very proud of both of you, having made it this far."

"I doubt I'd have made it up to this point without your assistance, ma'am," Yugo said modestly.

"Mom…" Janus ran a hand through his hair.

"All right, then!" Pegasus announced. "How's about we all go inside for the time being? Yugo-boy, I'm sure you want to see your father, yes? And little Natasha—we should see to it that you get to be a front-row spectator to the rest of the competition, for having been such a good sport in your duel!"

"Aw, you don't have to do that," said Natasha, blushing more deeply now.

"But I insist!" Pegasus replied good-naturedly. "Come on now, kids, let's get going and get you settled inside!"

"You just gotta see the rooms they've prepared for us duelists, Yugo—no five-star hotel can beat THESE! C'mon, I'll show you!" Janus grinned and ran back inside.

"Hey, wait for us!" Yugo charged after Janus, and Natasha wasn't far behind.

"Heh…kids…" Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki shook her head.

Then she noticed that Pegasus's face had darkened. "Um…something wrong?"

Pegasus closed his visible eye. "Alex-girl…I'm not sure how well you'll take this, but…"

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki looked quizzically at him. "But?"

"Well…" Pegasus took a deep breath. "Another Duel Academy student was discovered to be a Zodiac. Angel Snow, her name is."

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki stared sharply at him. "Angel Snow? You're sure about that?" she demanded.

"Quite sure," Pegasus nodded. "She came and surrendered herself right about the same time your son came to the castle."

"Oh, Lord…" Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki ran a hand over her face.

Pegasus put a kind hand on her shoulder. "I'm truly sorry, I am…it must hurt to know that this many of your school's students have been discovered to be…well, you know."

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki shook her head sadly. "I just can't believe it, that's all. First Cassius…then James…now Angel. Where has Duel Academy gone wrong?"

"Hey, now, don't go beating yourself up," Pegasus said gently. "Look…you may be Duel Academy's vice-principal, but that doesn't make you super-human. You had no way of knowing these three kids would turn out to be Zodiacs. For now, the best you can do is offer them counseling and guidance. Because, after all, that's really all you can do—what they want to do with the wisdom you offer them is up to them alone. Nobody can make them choose right—not even you."

He smiled and patted her on the shoulder. "So, what say we go inside now and be a little more cheerful, eh, Alex-girl? There's enough gloom inside the castle to split between Zane-boy and Kaiba-boy, anyway—and besides, gloom doesn't suit your pretty face."

Now Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki smiled and chuckled a little. "If you say so."

"Believe me, I say so!" Pegasus answered cheerfully. And with that, together they walked up the steps toward the castle's front entrance.

----------

**_neomage:_** I suffered a serious case of writer's block while I was compiling this chapter, so the latter part of this chapter's not as perfect as I'd hoped…but at least it still goes according to the chapter plan I mapped out earlier today. Well, anyway, next chapter the story continues! Read and review soon, please!


	250. Chapter 250

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: **(rising up from some water as the _Jaws_ theme plays)** I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**CHAPTER 250**

SOMEWHERE OUT IN THE OCEAN

The bottom of the ocean was a deep, deep blue, with a combined mix of mystique and foreboding in its appearance. Numerous schools of fish swam together, heading for destinations unknown; a killer whale, having just returned from the surface of the sea, swam around looking for something to eat.

Far above, the surface of the water was broken as a seal submerged. Looking around, seeing no sign of trouble, the seal swam about for a little bit, looking for something edible. He briefly glanced at the numerous schools of fish swimming along some distance away from him; then, turning his head to one side, he saw several squids floating along on the ocean floor. Making up his mind, he swam down rapidly, keeping his distance lest he scare away his meal.

But little did he realize, even as he stalked the squids, that the huge killer whale was several yards behind him…

Seeing the seal, the killer whale immediately turned and started swimming in his prey's direction. He hadn't had a decent meal in a little while, and he was hungry. And that seal was going to be on the top of his menu for today.

The seal seemed to pause. He sensed a disturbance in the water flow. His head bobbed around—and he was just in time to see the killer whale, his most natural enemy, bearing down on him. Unfortunately, the ocean's surface was quite a bit of distance away by now; and there was no readily available crevice nearby where he could hide. And even if he swam now, that whale was several hundred pounds bigger than him and would easily overpower him.

The killer whale's mouth opened in gleeful anticipation of a meal—

—then suddenly a massive dark shape, far larger than either the seal or the killer whale, zoomed past them. The numerous schools of fish, startled at the foreign intrusion, scattered wildly; the squids that the seal had originally been stalking swam about helplessly, looking for a place to hide. The killer whale was distracted for a moment, as the mysterious shape had almost hit him—and the seal was already swimming for his life, not about to let this window of opportunity to escape slip past him.

And the big black shape, with the big letters ARK painted in bright white on its side, rushed through the sea relentlessly…

----------

DUELTROPOLIS, A LITTLE LATER

"I wonder if Yugo or any of the others have already arrived at the castle," Jenna remarked as the group walked along.

"What makes you think they will?" Ricardo asked her. "I mean, haven't a lot of duelists entered this year's World Championships? And you saw how duelists were filtered out—the majority of the participants here must be especially good."

"He certainly has a good point," agreed Marcus. "I mean, _I_ was knocked out in the very first round—by some dude I've never even seen in the tournament circuit before."

"Oh, yes…that Zander character," Flora sighed.

"Zander? You mean Zander Zabel?" Jenna asked. "I remember him! We met him on the boat coming here to Dueltropolis! Red hair, cute face, right?"

"That would be him," Flora affirmed. "Except, when he was dueling Marcus, he certainly didn't act cute…"

"Flora, you don't have to broadcast the embarrassment of my loss to that guy to everybody," Marcus said disapprovingly.

"Sorry," Flora replied.

"Well, maybe his win over you was a lucky shot, and he's been eliminated from the tournament by now," reasoned Jillian.

"No…I doubt it was luck…the guy was _good,"_ Marcus said thoughtfully. "I mean…every step of the duel, he seemed to know exactly what he was doing…and then, too, he wielded such massive power at the end of it all…"

"Massive power?" queried Jillian.

Suddenly Ricardo glanced to one side. "Hey. Over there…"

Everyone immediately looked in the direction he was indicating. "What's up?" asked Flora.

"I thought I saw some folks over there…" Ricardo explained. "And speaking of which, Jenna, you still have to duel in order to advance to the next round, don't you?"

"Yeah, that's true," admitted Jenna. "Shall we go over there and see who it is, then?"

----------

Malachi Jordan and his group were still walking along together. Miriam was walking close by her brother, while behind them David and Luke walked side by side. "Okay, I'm officially bored now! How soon before we find you guys' opponents?" David complained.

"Would you can it? You've been saying that every five minutes ever since we left the last dueling site!" Luke scolded.

"Where my brother lost to Seta Kaiba," Miriam added. "Yes, David, you could at least be a little more sympathetic."

"David does raise a point," Malachi cut in.

"Huh? What do you mean?" asked Miriam, perplexed.

Malachi looked sideways at her. "I mean, you and Luke need to find your opponents soon, so that you can get your respective duels over with and out of the way. If I can't make it into the finals now, at least one of you has to."

"Well, don't worry, brother…I won't let you down, that's for sure," Miriam promised him.

Luke merely sighed and looked off to one side. _Yeah…I definitely HAVE to win my next match, if I'm gonna be back in Malachi's good graces where Miriam is concerned…_

"Hello! Yoo-hoo, over there!"

The four stopped and looked around. "Did someone just holler?" David asked.

"I think so," said Miriam.

"Hey—if it isn't Malachi and his friends! How goes it?"

Looking in one mutual direction, the four now saw who had been calling to them—Jenna Wheeler. "Hmph…the Wheeler girl…plus the plant-user and the machine-wielder," grunted Malachi. "And Seta Kaiba's bodyguard, and one other guy I don't recognize…"

"It wouldn't hurt you to at least learn other people's proper names, you know," Marcus said disapprovingly as the other group came up.

"I only memorize the names of people whose names I feel are worth remembering," Malachi said indifferently.

Ricardo and Jillian, behind Marcus, looked at each other. "Is he always this rude?" Ricardo wondered.

"Don't let that get to you—that's just how he is," said Jenna. Then, to Malachi's group, she asked, "So, how far along in the tournament are you guys? Have you dueled already in this round?"

"Malachi has…but he's out of the competition now," sighed Miriam. "And David over here was knocked out from the first round."

"Oh, I see…that means it's just you and Luke left, huh?" wondered Jenna.

"Yeah, pretty much," acknowledged Luke. "What about your little party here—anybody looking for an opponent to duel against?"

"Just me, actually," Jenna admitted. "Jillian here has dueled pretty recently, and is in the next round officially…everybody else has been knocked out of play."

"Well, this is quite convenient, then," Miriam smiled. "Maybe you'll get to duel one of us."

"And what if she's not the designated opponent for either of you?" inquired Ricardo.

"Then we'll just keep searching until we find who IS their designated opponent," Malachi answered pointedly. "So, kid, just tell them your duelist number and see if it matches up already. We haven't got time to waste."

"Uh, okay…my number is 4," said Jenna.

Miriam's eyebrows rose. "That's it! That's my designated opponent's number for this round!" she exclaimed.

David smirked. "So, Miriam, looks like you're going up against her after all, eh?" he smirked. "This ought to be good…"

"So, you're really Duelist number 15?" asked Jenna hopefully.

"For sure!" Miriam nodded.

Malachi stepped back a little. "Let's give them their space," he advised David and Luke.

"Right!" Luke and David nodded and followed Malachi's example.

Ricardo, Jillian, Marcus and Flora stepped back as well. "That girl…how good is she?" asked Jillian, referring to Miriam.

"Oh, she's decent enough," Marcus admitted. "I can remember back in the Intercontinental tournament, when I had her as my opponent…she was real good then. And it wouldn't surprise me to see that her skill level hasn't decreased since then, considering the company she keeps."

"Well, let's see how Jenna fares against her, eh?" said Flora.

In a moment there was a wide-enough space where Jenna and Miriam could duel each other. "So…just the mere fact that you're here in this tournament tells me that you've gotten more skilled since the last time I saw you," said Miriam. "Only thing is, are you sure you want to duel me?"

"Why not? I've come this far—might as well go all the way, right?" Jenna reasoned.

"Well…sorry if this sounds harsh, but…" Miriam's face turned deadly serious. "You won't be getting past me. My brother has fallen by the wayside, and he's a better duelist than me…so I _have_ to defeat you to advance and to make him proud. And I'll be holding nothing back, trust me on that one."

"It's all right," Jenna answered her. "Don't hold back. Because I intend to head on to the next round, as well…and I _will_ get past you. My deck strategy will see to that."

"Seems like neither of us will be backing down, then," remarked Miriam. "All right…let's do this, then!"

Both girls pulled out their Duel-Disks and strapped them on, and as they activated them the holographic coin appeared. "I'll call it! Tails!" announced Miriam, and just like that the coin was flipped.

"Hey, you guys…I know Miriam's good, but that Jenna girl is no pushover either, you know?" David spoke up. "I remember the kind of dueling she did back at the Intercontinental tournament…she made it as far as the next-to-last round. Do you suppose, then, Miriam will really be able to beat her?"

"What are you saying? Of course Miriam's gonna win!" Luke answered indignantly. "And why shouldn't she? After all, she's one of the toughest people I know—she'll never lose just like that! And don't forget, too, all of us gave her a couple of cards to aid her with her strategy, remember?"

Malachi eyed Luke keenly. "Luke…I hope you're not saying all of that just to try and curry favor with me," he whispered sourly. "Because you do still have to prove yourself before you can have anything to do with her again…"

Luke sighed, sobered by this reminder. "Yes, boss."

Now the holographic coin landed on the ground…and its result was tails. "Congratulations, you get to go first," Jenna chuckled.

As their life point counters each went up to 8000, both of them drew their first five cards—then Miriam drew the sixth to start. "Hm…only the first turn, and already your luck is short," she told Jenna. "Now…I'm going to set one monster in Defense Mode…and then, I'll activate the magic card, Meteor of Destruction, to inflict 1000 points of damage to your life points!"

Suddenly, as Miriam played the card, a large meteor shot down from the sky, exploding right where Jenna stood! Jenna flinched and cried out as her life points took a hit, dropping to 7000!

"Ooooh…harsh," Ricardo winced.

"Looks like this girl is seriously planning to go all-out," Jillian remarked.

Miriam then examined the four cards remaining in her hand. "Next, I'll activate the magic card, Messenger of Peace! As long as this card remains on the field, I must pay 100 life points during each of my Standby Phases for its maintenance…and in exchange, no monsters with an ATK of 1500 or more can attack!"

A saintly-dressed man appeared in Miriam's magic/trap slot, a great deal of light shining from him, as if to emphasize the point. Then Miriam held up the very last card left in her hand. "And finally, I'll activate one more magic card—the Wave-Motion Cannon!"

And then, just like that, her trademark cannon appeared on the field and began to pulsate with energy! "What in the world is THAT thing?" Ricardo exclaimed in surprise.

"Trouble, that's what," replied Marcus.

"You should remember what the Wave-Motion Cannon does, but I'll explain it for the benefit of those of us here who don't," Miriam told Jenna. "As long as it remains on the field, during each of my next Standby Phases, the Wave-Motion Cannon will gain 1000 points of power…and then, during any of my Main Phases, I can send it to the Graveyard to inflict damage to you equal to 1000 times the number of Standby Phases this card has been on the field for."

Jillian narrowed her eyes. "Nasty…"

Miriam held up her fingers. "Seven turns. That's the maximum amount of time I'll be giving you. In seven turns, you'll be defeated."

Jenna shook her head. "I guess that simply means, then, that I have to find a way to bring you down in the next seven turns…"

"Which you won't be able to do!" Miriam assured her.

Shaking her head at this, Jenna drew her card. "I summon Rocket Warrior (ATK 1500, DEF 1300) in Attack Mode!" Then she called forth her yellow-and-green monster to the field, and it arrived with sword and shield at the ready. "But since I can't attack with that Messenger of Peace card on your side of the field…I'll just end my turn for the time being."

Again Miriam drew—and as she did this, Messenger of Peace sapped her life points, leaving her with 7900. Then suddenly, a small counter appeared beside her Wave-Motion Cannon even as the Cannon itself began to charge up! "See this counter? This represents 1000 points of power," Miriam told Jenna. "Another couple of these, and I'll be able to knock you out of the game with one shot!"

"Let's see about that," Jenna countered.

Miriam then looked at the cards she held in her hand. "All right…now I'll set another monster in Defense Mode…and flip summon my first monster, Stealth Bird (ATK 700, DEF 1700)!" And then her first monster card flipped face-up to reveal her bat-like blue bird.

Malachi smirked a little as he saw this. "I see…"

Without warning, Stealth Bird flew forward and mercilessly pecked Jenna! "Ow! Ow! Hey, stupid bird, cut it out!" Jenna yelled, holding up her arms to shield herself—as her life points went down to 6000!

"Yes, I know, it's a painful way to remind you of Stealth Bird's effect," said Miriam, giggling a little. "When I flip summon him successfully, he inflicts 1000 points of damage to my opponent…and also, I can flip him facedown in Defense Mode once per turn during my Main Phase—like I'll do right now!"

As Miriam finished saying that, Stealth Bird covered itself with its wings in a defensive position…and its representing card got flipped facedown again! "Aw, man, this bites!" Ricardo groaned on the sidelines.

"It's a touch of genius, is what it is," countered Jillian. "That Messenger of Peace card prevents Jenna from attacking with monsters that have an ATK of 1500 or more…and that Stealth Bird's two effects can be used over and over again each turn. And let's not forget the power of that Wave-Motion Cannon…"

"Hey, whose side are you on here?" Ricardo demanded of Jillian.

Jenna, in the meantime, looked worriedly at the field. _Damn…Miriam sure was fortunate to get just the cards she needed on her opening draw…and now, because of that, she's got me right where she wants me! Still…that doesn't mean I'm completely out of the duel yet…if only I can get a decent enough card on this draw…!_

That decided, she reached her hand toward her deck…

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**_neomage:_** NYAH! One big order of cliffie—you want fries with that? But wait—the next chapter's coming right up!


	251. Chapter 251

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Yet again, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! And can somebody please pass the extra plate of mac and cheese?)

**CHAPTER 251**

DUELTROPOLIS

Miriam's life points stood at 7900, while Jenna's were at 6000 flat. Miriam held two cards in her hand; Jenna had five. On the field Jenna only had her Rocket Warrior in Attack Mode; Miriam had two facedown monsters, one of which was her Stealth Bird, plus her Messenger of Peace and Wave-Motion Cannon magic cards active. And, at this moment, it was Jenna's turn to draw.

Frowning worriedly, Jenna reached her hand toward her deck…and she drew, giving her a total of six cards in hand. _Hey…this card…this could very well help me out! But I can't use it yet…I'll just have to keep playing until I CAN!_

"Now, then! I'll summon my Warrior Dai Grepher (ATK 1700, DEF 1600) in Attack Mode!" Jenna called forth her enigmatic swordsman. "Then I'll set one card facedown, and end my turn."

"Summoning such strong monsters is useless when you can't attack with them," Miriam declared scornfully as she drew her next card. Instantly her Messenger of Peace drained her of another 100 points, leaving her with 7800…and another counter popped up on the Wave-Motion Cannon.

"Hmmm…with that Cannon, Miriam will be able to do 2000 points of damage to Jenna's life points," Flora mused. "This doesn't look good for Jenna…"

Jillian crossed her arms and smirked a little. "Unless Jenna gets to draw a few certain cards…"

"Certain cards?" Ricardo asked her.

"Shortly before the tournament was scheduled to begin, I and Sir Seta trained alongside Jenna and her friends," Jillian spoke rather mysteriously. "From what I've observed, many of Jenna's cards may be disjoined and unrelated, but if she plays them in the correct sequence and at the right time…"

"Now…" continued Miriam, holding up the three cards she now held in hand. "I'll set one card facedown…then activate the magic of a second Meteor of Destruction, to knock your life points down by another 1000 points!"

All at once a second meteor flew down from the sky, hitting the ground with such force it flung Jenna backwards even as her life points shot down to 5000! "Geez…this is just not my day…" Jenna grumbled, picking herself back up.

"Stubborn, now, aren't we?" teased Miriam. "Then let's see you get up after THIS! I'll Flip summon my Stealth Bird once again!"

As Stealth Bird's card got flipped, the bird flew over to Jenna and began its relentless pecking once again, sapping 1000 points from Jenna's life points to leave her with 4000! "Ouchie…" Jenna whimpered when it was over, rubbing her sore arms where Stealth Bird had pecked her.

"Now, I'll flip my Stealth Bird facedown yet again," and Miriam did just that. "But don't worry, your pain won't last much longer…for the number of turns I allotted to you earlier has been cut down—on my very next turn, you'll be history!"

David, on the sidelines, chuckled. "I see…next turn, Miriam will flip summon that Stealth Bird again, then tribute the Wave-Motion Cannon to activate its effect—and it's bye-bye, opponent!"

"And with the Messenger of Peace card active, there's nothing Jenna can do about it," Luke put in. "Yeah, Miriam may have one of the most annoying deck strategies to ever exist, but at least she's got this one in the bag."

Malachi said nothing, just kept looking at the field intently.

Flinching from the pain of being pecked by Stealth Bird earlier, Jenna looked fretfully at her deck again. _Oh, great…is this really going to be the last turn of this duel that I get to do anything? Am I really going to be beaten down by this girl on her next turn?_

She closed her eyes, contemplating for a moment…and remembered her duel from the previous round, against Laurel Strong. _No…I was able to win, last round, because I refused to give up…so why should I throw in the towel now? I can't do that—as long as there's still a chance, I'll take the risk!_

Then, opening her eyes again, she drew. And she remained motionless for a long moment.

Malachi's eyes narrowed. _Hmmm…_

Then Jenna, slowly, ever so slowly, looked at the card she'd drawn. "Well…sorry, but I guess this duel will have to be dragged on a while longer."

"What? What do you mean by that?" demanded Miriam.

"I mean, this!" Jenna then played the card. "I activate the magic card, Harpie's Feather Duster! This will destroy all Magic and Trap cards on your side of the field!"

Suddenly, from out of nowhere, a massive feather duster appeared on Miriam's side of the field and immediately began to sweep her magic/trap slot clean! "Aaah! No!" Miriam cried out.

"No way!" Luke and David exclaimed simultaneously.

But Jenna wasn't done. "And now…I'll offer Rocket Warrior and Warrior Dai Grepher to summon my mighty monster—Red-Eyes Black Dragon (ATK 2400, DEF 2000)!" And then—her two warriors vanished from the field, and in their place was the mighty black dragon, growling angrily at Miriam.

Then Jenna picked out one of the three cards in her hand. "Finally…I'll activate the magic card, Inferno Fire Blast! When I activate this card while my Red-Eyes Black Dragon is on the field, I can inflict damage to your life points equal to his original ATK…but in exchange, he can't attack during the same turn!"

Miriam flinched. "This is gonna suck…"

"Now, Red-Eyes—go!" Jenna cried as she activated the card. And in reply, the Red-Eyes blasted a ball of fire onto Miriam's side of the field that consumed her, taking her life point total down to 5400!

"All right! Good show, Jenna!" Flora cheered.

"Hey, don't you guys start cheering just yet," David called to them. "After all, Miriam's still got higher life points."

"The guy's got a good point there," Marcus put in.

Even Miriam, picking herself back up after suffering Inferno Fire Blast's effect, didn't seem otherwise fazed. "Impressive, what you just did," she acknowledged, "but futile, nonetheless. I'll still crush you."

That said, she drew another card…and smiled when she saw what it was. "Now…I'll activate this magic card, Toll! As long as it stays on the field, each player must pay 500 life points to attack with a monster…so imagine how many life points you'll have to pay if you have a whole multitude of monsters on your side of the field!"

Jenna gritted her teeth at this. "Grrr…"

"And I'll set one more monster in Defense Mode," and here Miriam placed the last card in her hand facedown in Defense Mode on the field. "Oh, but wait—I'm not through! Now I'll Flip summon my Stealth Bird one more time and activate his effect yet again!"

In a moment her Stealth Bird was flipped face-up again, and it flew straight toward Jenna, pecking the poor girl and reducing her life points even further to 3000. Then, with a flourish, Miriam activated Stealth Bird's other effect and placed it back facedown in Defense Mode. "Can you possibly escape this little trap I have set for you?" she taunted.

"Oh, I'll get away from it, for certain," Jenna declared grimly. "Yugo beat you in the Intercontinentals—so why shouldn't I?"

That having been said, she drew again…and smiled a little. "Okay—I activate my magic card, Heart of the Underdog! As long as this card stays on the field, if the card I draw during each Draw Phase is a Normal monster card, by showing that card to you I can get to draw another card!"

"An interesting card…however, the chances of you actually using its effect correctly are rather slim," Miriam remarked dryly.

"Well, I'm not through yet! It's time I upgraded my Red-Eyes Black Dragon a little!" Jenna then indicated the facedown card in her magic/trap slot. "I activate the trap card—Metalmorph!"

One moment later, the Red-Eyes got covered in a skin of pure steel, as its ATK and DEF rose to 2700 and 2300 respectively. "And now…I'll offer my Red-Eyes equipped with Metalmorph as a tribute to Special Summon, from my deck, my powerful Red-Eyes Black Metal Dragon (ATK 2800, DEF 2400)!"

The Metalmorph armor shifted here and there in a few places, fitting the Red-Eyes Black Dragon better, until its armor looked far smoother and sturdier…and meanwhile, Jenna was pulling the card itself from her deck and placing it on the field, then shuffling her deck. "Okay—now I'll attack your facedown Stealth Bird with my new and improved Red-Eyes," announced Jenna, "and I'll pay 500 life points for your Toll magic card!"

As Toll sapped Jenna's life points to 2500, the Red-Eyes Black Metal Dragon shot a huge blast of fire at the facedown Stealth Bird, completely fricasseeing it. "So there! No more of that annoying bird!" Jenna taunted triumphantly.

"Well…congrats on getting rid of him after all this time, but you still haven't won just yet," Miriam reminded her. "And besides that, you're in a pretty precarious situation still. For I do still have two other monsters here to protect me, and you'll just be risking your life points to my Toll magic card if you attack them. One way or the other, your goose is cooked."

Now the score stood at Jenna with 2500 life points, and Miriam with 5400. Miriam held no cards in her hand; Jenna held two. On the field Jenna had her Red-Eyes Black Metal Dragon in Attack Mode, plus her Heart of the Underdog magic card active; Miriam had two monsters facedown in Defense Mode, plus her Toll magic card was also active.

Miriam drew once again, then studied the card in her hand. "Hmm…all right, I'll just end my turn for the time being."

"Huh? End her turn just like that?" Ricardo exclaimed.

"Isn't Miriam being a little too careless?" Flora added. "I mean, even with that Toll magic card, Jenna's still got enough life points to spare to destroy those two monsters that Miriam has!"

Jillian frowned as she watched the field. _Unless this girl, Miriam, knows something we don't…_

Jenna drew again. _Hmmm…not a Normal monster, so I can't use my Heart of the Underdog's effect…but oh well. _ "Now, I'll use my Monster Reborn magic card, to bring back my Red-Eyes Black Dragon from the Graveyard in Attack Mode!"

A moment later, the original Red-Eyes stood beside its metallic counterpart. "And now, I'll attack with my Black Metal Dragon, and pay 500 life points for your Toll card!" said Jenna. "Do it, Black Metal Dragon! Attack the facedown monster on my left!"

Toll sapped Jenna's life points some more, to bring her total to 2000, while the Black Metal Dragon blasted a ball of fire at the targeted facedown monster. But when the monster card was flipped face-up, it revealed a massive spherical germ creature…and Miriam smiled. "Thanks."

All at once, before Jenna could respond to that queer remark, she grimaced as she felt her life points go down to 1500! "Whoa…I don't understand…" she managed to gasp out.

"Then let me explain for your benefit," said Miriam. "That monster was my Giant Germ (ATK 1000, DEF 100), and when it's sent to the Graveyard as a result of battle, you take 500 points of damage…plus, I can Special Summon up to two more Giant Germ cards from my deck and place them on the field in Attack Mode, after which I must shuffle my deck."

Almost as Miriam finished speaking, two more Giant Germs appeared on her side of the field. "So, Jenna? They're in Attack Mode…care to attack one of them?" Miriam invited.

Jenna bit her lip. _Oh, man…if I attack with my Red-Eyes Black Dragon now, I'll lose 500 life points for her Toll card…plus, if I target one of her Giant Germs, I'll lose another 500…no! I can't take that sort of risk!_ "Um…no…I'll end my turn for now."

Now smirking triumphantly, Miriam drew once again. "Well, now…I'll just shift my two Giant Germs into Defense Mode, and end my turn with that. But you know, Jenna, there's really no reason for you to shame yourself like this…you can just forfeit now, instead of humiliating yourself by draining your own life points, no matter what you do…"

"I'm not going to respond to that kind of offer," Jenna answered icily. "Now…I'll have you know…I'd rather go down in battle than to go down in surrender! So, no, thank you!"

Then, as if to cement her decision, she drew again—and her eyes widened. "All right…I'll take this opportunity and activate the effect of my face-up Heart of the Underdog!" And she held up the card she'd just drawn. "This is a Normal monster…and by showing it to you, I can draw one more card!"

Quickly she held up the card for Miriam to see—it was the monster card, Meteor Dragon (ATK 1800, DEF 2000)—and consequently she could draw a second card. Then suddenly she held up that second card she'd just drawn. "And now…it's time to summon a monster that'll decide the outcome of this duel for sure!" she declared crisply.

"A monster that'll decide the outcome of this duel? Yeah, right!" Miriam shook her head.

"Well, I kid you not—in fact, I'll show it to you right now." Jenna then held up the card. "And I summon—_Time Wizard _(ATK 500, DEF 400)_!"_

Malachi's eyes widened in amazement as he took in this information. _That monster…that is the same monster Yugo Muto used to beat me…!_

In a moment the clock-faced magician appeared on the field. Miriam, of course, was quite surprised. "Wait—didn't your pal Yugo have that card?" she asked.

"This is a different Time Wizard," Jenna told her. "This is one I got from buying a bunch of new cards specifically for the tournament…and right now I'm going to use his effect! Now, I get to flip a coin and call it, and if I call it right, every monster on your side of the field will be destroyed…"

"…but if you call it wrong, your monsters will be destroyed instead and you will also lose life points equal to half the total of your monsters' ATK." Slowly a smile crept onto Miriam's face. "Seems you're right, then—this monster really will decide the fate of this duel."

"Okay—Time Wizard, use your effect! And I call tails for your coin toss!" Jenna cried.

A holographic coin appeared, and was quickly flipped. And as it flipped over and over in the air, everybody was watching it with deep anticipation. "Come on, come on…" Flora kept whispering over and over.

By and by the coin landed back on the ground—and its result was TAILS! "Ha! I got it!" Jenna cried gleefully. "All right, Time Wizard—go!"

_"Time Magic!"_ the Time Wizard called out, waving its staff across the field. Then—suddenly, eons seemed to pass by them, the winds of time wiping away both of Miriam's Giant Germs and her facedown monster card!

"Ugh…nice one, but now what're you going to do?" Miriam demanded. "You COULD have all three of your monsters attack me now, but you still have to pay 500 of your life points for my Toll magic card—and I doubt you're willing to pay the full 1500 for the three of them!"

Jenna had a twinkle in her eye. "Then I guess, I'll have to do this! I'll activate the magic card Polymerization, to fuse the Red-Eyes Black Dragon on the field with the Meteor Dragon in my hand to form a brand-new creature…Meteor Black Dragon (ATK 3500, DEF 2000)!"

A silhouette of the Meteor Dragon appeared beside the Red-Eyes and fused together with it, the two monsters being sucked into a swirling vortex…and then all of a sudden, a massive dark dragon with lava pouring off its body emerged on the field! It was so hot, Time Wizard and Red-Eyes Black Metal Dragon had to shy away from it!

"Whew! That's hot all of a sudden!" Ricardo exclaimed.

"And now, between the Meteor Black Dragon and the Red-Eyes Black Metal Dragon, I dare say there'll be more than enough to wipe you out—and only 1000 points of my life points to be lost to your Toll magic card!" Jenna smirked. "Go, my two beasts—take her down now!"

As Toll sapped Jenna's life points to 1000, the Black Metal Dragon blasted Miriam to the ground, reducing her to 2600 life points. Then, again, Toll brought Jenna's life points down, to 500—and instantaneously, the Meteor Black Dragon shot a massive blast of flame from its mouth, knocking Miriam down and backwards as her life points drained all the way to 0!

"All right! Go, Jenna!" Flora and Ricardo cheered.

"No! Miriam!" Luke and David wailed.

At length the holograms vanished from the field; Jenna switched off her Duel-Disk and walked over to where Miriam lay on the ground. "Hey…you all right?" she inquired, holding out a hand.

Accepting the help, Miriam let Jenna pull her up. "Physically…I'll be fine," she confessed. "In terms of losing…I'm not so sure."

Jenna smiled. "Don't be too pessimistic—after all, the duel could've gone either way right there, you know," she admitted. "I guess I was just more fortunate this time around."

"Yeah…perhaps," and now Miriam smiled a little.

Everyone else walked up to the two girls. "Job well done, Jenna," said Jillian. "Now you and I can both get into the castle."

"Yeah…" Jenna then regarded Malachi's group. "Sorry, you guys…I realize how much you must've wanted Miriam to win…"

"Hey, no hard feelings here," said Luke. "I still have my match to do, anyway. If anything, I can succeed where the others here haven't, and get into the castle. That way, it'll be as if we're all going—I'll be the representative."

"Mighty mature of you," Marcus observed.

Malachi shrugged, then turned and started to walk off. "Well, you blokes, let's go. If we're gonna find Luke's opponent, we have to do it soon…there probably aren't a lot of tournament entrants left by now, anyway."

"Got it, boss!" David and Luke answered readily.

Miriam nodded respectfully at Jenna. "Well…looks like this is it," she remarked. "But if nothing else, at least I can come to the castle and watch how you do in the next round, eh?"

"Sure you can," said Jenna. "Watch me carefully when that time comes, then because I intend to go all the way to the top!"

"Not past me, you won't," said Jillian, smirking.

"Miriam! Come on!" Malachi called to her.

"Oh—right, sorry!" She nodded to the group. "See you later, duckies!" And with that she turned and ran off after Malachi and the others.

"Heh, heh…" Ricardo couldn't help chuckling. "So, Jenna…that move you made with that Time Wizard…must've been a pretty big gamble for you to take, huh?"

"Big, yes, but it was necessary," Jenna surmised. "Well…shall we head to the castle now? You and I should be able to get in quite easily, Jillian."

"Indeed," said Jillian. "And the rest of you can probably get in as spectators…after all, I don't want to have to trounce my next opponent with only TV audiences to see it all."

"You sound pretty sure of yourself," chuckled Marcus. "Well, let's go, anyway."

"Quite so!" Flora agreed. And with that, the five of them turned and headed off in another direction.

----------

**_neomage:_** Okay…now only two matches left in the second round…and one of those matches is going to be a rematch duel! Stay tuned for that, everyone!


	252. Chapter 252

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Roast beef…corned beef…hamburger…oh, we're on live? Okay, uh…I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**CHAPTER 252**

PEGASUS'S CASTLE

"Wow…" Yugo marveled as he walked through the halls with Janus and Natasha. "Who would've thought this place looked so cool…"

"Just what I said when I arrived," Janus agreed.

"Mr. Pegasus said your dad was here, Yugo…but I haven't seen any sign of anybody else," Natasha remarked, looking around.

"Well, this does seem to be a big place—if Dad _is_ here, he's probably on another wing of this castle," Yugo said thoughtfully. "And anyhow, we've been walking through these halls a little while now, but haven't really done any real exploring…"

"…because we can't go anywhere we're not supposed to without Mr. Pegasus's permission," Natasha finished. "That makes sense."

The three rounded a corner—and just at that moment Yugo ran full-tilt into somebody! "OW!" he exclaimed, falling to the floor.

"Hey, Yugo! You okay?" Janus asked, immediately at Yugo's side.

"I…I think so…" Yugo groaned, rubbing his butt where he'd fallen.

"Yugo?"

At once Yugo was attentive to the person before him. "Dad? Hey, Dad! How's it going!"

Indeed, it was Mr. Muto, also picking himself up from the floor where he'd fallen after bumping into Yugo. Standing behind him was Kaiba, wielding a laptop computer. "Yugo," Kaiba greeted him formally.

"Great to see you again, Mr. Kaiba," acknowledged Yugo, by now back on his feet. "So, Dad, I was told you and everybody else's parents were called here by Pegasus…?"

"That's right," Mr. Muto affirmed. "Me, your grandmother, Jenna's parents, Kyo's parents, Miki's parents—we're all here."

"I had them bring something of mine here to Duelist Kingdom Island," Kaiba explained. "Plus, Pegasus thought they could offer additional support to handle this matter."

Janus, Natasha and Yugo looked at each other. "I wonder how you'll be able to do that," remarked Yugo.

"In the meantime, you kids should just relax—you've just finished your duels in the tournament, no?" said Kaiba. "Then you should rest up for the upcoming quarter-finals of Dueltropolis. It'll be extremely grueling from here on out."

"Got it, sir," said Janus, nodding respectfully.

"There you are!"

Turning, the group saw Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki coming toward them. "Making me chase all over this castle just to look for you!" she put on a fierce face, pretending to be angry.

"Alexis," Mr. Muto greeted her. "It's good to see you again."

"Oh, Yugi!" she replied. "Yes, it HAS been a while, hasn't it?"

"Well, you can do your catching up—I've got work to do," and with that Kaiba strode off. "See you guys later."

They all watched as Kaiba disappeared down the hallway. "Not very social, as usual," sighed Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki. "Oh, well, it doesn't matter much now. Janus, have you been shown to your room yet?"

"Sure thing, Mom," Janus reported. "In fact, I should take Yugo and Natasha to see the rooms, yes?"

"Not Natasha—remember, she's not in the tournament anymore," Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki reminded him. "But don't worry about that…I'll find good accommodations for her here at the castle. Meanwhile, go and show Yugo to a room, since you know where they are."

"Okay! Come on, then, Yugo, and let's see you to your room!" Janus declared, grinning.

"Yeah, okay, sure," Yugo nodded assent. "I could really use a little rest after what I've had to go through, anyway."

So the two boys walked off, as well, leaving Natasha with Mr. Muto and Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki. "Come along, then, Natasha," said Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki. "Let's go find a place for you to stay so you can be a spectator for the next couple of duels, eh?"

"Okay!" Natasha nodded brightly.

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki smiled. "Well, then," she addressed Mr. Muto, "I'll see you later. We've got much to talk about, and it's been so long."

"I'm sure," Mr. Muto agreed.

That said, Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki walked off with Natasha, leaving Mr. Muto alone in the hall. Mr. Muto chuckled. "Well…guess I should go rejoin the others in the dining room…"

----------

ELSEWHERE IN PEGASUS'S CASTLE, AT THAT VERY MOMENT

Deep in the underground dungeon of the castle…

"I cannot believe it—I just CANNOT believe it!" Kyle Welling stormed. "Virgo, Libra, and Aries DEFEATED and LOCKED UP with us? It's unfathomable!"

"Oh, you had better believe it, _amigo,"_ Felix Sanchez declared calmly. He was seated inside his own cell next door to Kyle's, his hat on the cot next to him.

"C'mon, Libra, tell us what happened," Regina Brissett goaded him. "Did they drag you guys back here, kicking and screaming, or what?"

"With Aries, I've no doubt that's what would've happened—if he wasn't out cold when he was brought in, at least," smirked Victor Greaves, leaning casually on the bars of his cell.

Not far away, Chris Gear was glaring at the cell directly opposite his, wherein James Truesdale was laying on a cot, still out of it. "That snotty bastard…tried to do me in when I hadn't even betrayed the group…man, if I wasn't in this cell right now, I'd go over there and show him who's the real badass!" he swore under his breath.

"Oh, leave it alone, man," Cassius Princeton spoke up from his cell. "You got your ass kicked, and now you're in a cell. Just let it go."

"I swear to God, if I hear you say just one more thing, I'll rip these bars out of place and strangle you myself!" Kyle snarled viciously.

"You will do no such thing," a harsh voice spoke up. This was Angel Snow, way down the line in a cell right next to James's. "Cassius may not be the most likeable person, but he's a Duel Academy student first and foremost. You harm him, you'll have me to deal with."

"And that wouldn't be a beautiful sight," laughed Laurel Strong, in her cell right across from Felix's. "Because we all know _who_ used to get kicked all over the place by dear, sweet Virgo during our training sessions before this mission of ours."

"More importantly, I've been wondering something," Victor spoke, suddenly serious. "We're all liabilities, now that we've been defeated and imprisoned…so what does that make Aries, who was assigned to take us all out by order of Master Orion?"

There was silence as the question sank in. "Are you saying we should sympathize with that asshole just because they might target him as well as us?" Chris demanded. "Dude, have you forgotten? He tried to KILL us!"

"And yet, the mere fact that he's in here with us says he's not as unbeatable as some of us have always thought," Angel pointed out.

"But you guys still haven't answered me. How come _you're_ imprisoned with the rest of us?" repeated Regina. "As I recall, Virgo, you and Libra were always right up there in the Zodiacs, next to Capricorn, Aries and Cancer! So how'd you manage to wind up here?"

"Well, simply put, I lost my duel, and got carried in," Felix said simply.

Angel sighed. "I turned myself in."

"YOU WHAT?" Kyle screamed.

"Look—I'm sick of all the bullshit that's been happening, okay? I can't do it anymore. I'm sorry." Angel looked away. "At least this way, I can hope to have even a little peace of mind."

Kyle's face was so red, and the rage plainly visible on his face; words failed him at first. "Why…you…little…" he seethed.

"Aww, so the gracefully deadly Virgo the Zephyr has grown a conscience," sighed Laurel.

"Well, if you must know the truth," Felix interjected, "I'm not entirely happy with what I've done as a Zodiac, either. If you want to call me names, feel free to do so."

"Oh, what is this—Become-a-Traitor Week?" Kyle asked in exasperation.

"Now, now…you're all being a tad too noisy. This isn't a clubhouse, you know."

Looking up, they all saw Seto Kaiba coming into the hallway of the dungeon. "Oh, look, the esteemed Seto Kaiba has come to pay us lowly mortals a visit," Kyle said mockingly.

Kaiba ignored that. "I'm gonna be brief about why I'm here—I'm here to conduct interviews with each of you. And I WILL get the answers I want."

"What are you going to do if we don't comply—spank us?" Regina asked, smiling seductively at Kaiba.

Kaiba eyed her levelly—then looked behind him and motioned at the stairs which he'd used to come down here. Immediately three burly suits came down, all looking especially serious. "That feisty girl there—she'll be first," Kaiba spoke up, a wicked gleam in his eye.

Immediately Regina frowned. "Hey, wait a minute—"

But, seemingly in the blink of an eye, the guards came up to her cell door, unlocked it, and pulled her out by her arms. "Ow! Hey! Cut it out!" she shrieked, in a furious rage.

"Bye-bye, Madame Vermillion," Cassius teased. "Let us know how well Kaiba spanks you!"

"Piss off!" Regina screamed at Cassius, even as the guards dragged her away with Kaiba preceding them up the staircase.

----------

For the next few minutes, the suits manhandled Regins up the staircase, while Kaiba walked ahead of them with nary a backward glance. "I swear, if you guys don't treat me better than this…" Regina fumed, visibly angry.

But presently they stopped right outside a big white door; Kaiba pushed it open and went inside. Immediately one of the suits pushed Regina in ahead of him, while the other two stationed themselves at the door.

Inside the new room, there were three chairs, and an overhead lamp that illuminated only the center of the room. The suit made Regina sit down in one of the three chairs; Kaiba was already seated in another one. "Oh, what is this? An interrogation?" Regina asked sarcastically. "Well, it's not gonna work—you're not getting a single thing out of me."

"Oh, I don't have to get anything out of you, to be sure," Kaiba responded coolly. "After all, if I don't, there's always your fellow Zodiacs back downstairs. I intend to go through each of you one by one, and at least one of you should be willing to give me all the answers I want."

"Well, why didn't you take Cassius Princeton, then? He's already squealed to you guys, anyway; he'd be more pliable," Regina grunted.

"Oh, I'm sure," Kaiba answered.

He reached into his duster trench-coat and pulled out his laptop. Flipping it open, he typed for a while. "Now…I'm going to show you the interviewer," he announced. "And all I'll be doing is recording the questions she'll ask you, and your answers."

Regina crossed her arms and looked away. "Do what you like."

Then suddenly, from one of the dark corners of the room where the light didn't reveal anything, a figure stepped forward—a woman dressed in a white business suit. Without looking around to face her, Kaiba kept the laptop in his lap. "I assume you're ready to begin?" he asked the newcomer.

The woman nodded. "With your permission, Master Kaiba…"

"Go ahead." Kaiba had not moved his eyes from the laptop screen even once.

The woman then turned her attention to Regina. "Your name is Regina Brissett, yes?" she inquired. "Well…is it all right if I just call you Regina?"

"Whatever makes you feel happy," Regina shrugged indifferently.

The woman nodded. "And you can call me…GINA."

Now Kaiba barely managed to suppress a smirk. _Now THAT was a pretty good idea of mine…to have GINA hide her true identity by means of a cloaking program that allows her to emulate a human appearance for all intents and purposes…plus, the polygraph program was already installed, tested, and it's working quite fine…now, from here, this should be very interesting indeed…_

----------

DUELTROPOLIS, A SHORT WHILE LATER

Seta, Raven, Honey and Shigeo continued to walk along together. Raven looked up at the sky. "Well…at least it's still daytime, but we need to hurry and find the next opponent before it becomes too late," he remarked.

"Don't worry—we will, I am sure of it," Shigeo answered.

"Well, so far by now you're the only one in our group who hasn't dueled yet in this round," Honey said to Shigeo. "Do you think your upcoming opponent will be tough?"

"Maybe, maybe not…but either way, I want this duel to be one I can really relish," chuckled Shigeo. "It should be a battle worthy of merit in my eyes."

"And then, if you win, you'll get to join me and a couple of others at the castle for the quarter-finals of the tournament," Seta reasoned. "Now, all we need to do is find your opponent, then you have your duel, and then we can hurry and get to the castle…"

It was at this moment that Raven looked in a direction. "Hey, everyone…those people over there…don't they seem familiar?"

Puzzled, the others looked in the direction Raven was referencing. A little distance away, they could see three people walking together. "Hmmm…:" Shigeo frowned.

"Shall we go over and see who it is?" suggested Honey.

"Let's do that," agreed Seta.

---------

"I'm bored!" Miki sighed as she, Kyo and Ms. Wong trudged along. "When am I gonna get my share of action?"

"You mean the type of action I had to put up with this morning?" Kyo teased.

"No, nothing of such a volatile nature, mister," Miki answered defensively.

"Don't be in such a hurry, dear," Ms. Wong advised her. "It's not that late just yet. I'm sure we'll find your opponent very soon…"

"Hey, Kyo, Miki!"

The trio turned at the sound of the familiar voice—then Miki's eyes widened in recognition. "You guys…!"

Indeed, Seta, Honey, Raven and Shigeo were trotting up to where they now stood. "Well, look what we have here!" Raven laughed.

Ms. Wong smiled. "Hello there," she greeted them.

"Ms. Vivian Wong…been too long," said Seta. "I hope you've been well?"

"Well, I can't complain," chuckled Ms. Wong.

"It's great to see you guys too," nodded Kyo. "How're you guys?"

"Pretty good," answered Honey. "Seta's all qualified to go to the castle now—that's good news for our part. How've you been holding up so far?"

"Heh…it's been quite a ride, that's for certain," replied Kyo. "One exciting duel after another."

"By that, I take it to mean that you two have beaten your opposition thus far and are now on your way to Pegasus's castle," said Seta.

"Well, not exactly," admitted Miki. "I'm still trying to find my dueling opponent for this round, you see."

Shigeo gave her a knowing look. "Then you and I are in the same category, it seems," he said with a smile. "I also am trying to find my designated opponent."

Ms. Wong looked at Miki, then at Shigeo. Slowly a grin crept over her face. "Say…I wonder if you two are supposed to duel each other."

They all looked at her. "How do you figure?" inquired Kyo.

"Just a hunch I have…but if they _are_ meant to duel each other, then they could have it out here and now!" said Ms. Wong.

Shigeo laughed. "Well…I HAVE been longing for a rematch against Miki since our last duel in the Intercontinentals a good while back," he confessed. "But what are the chances of her having the number my second-round opponent is supposed to have been assigned?"

"Only one way to know," answered Miki. "What number does your opponent have?"

Shigeo looked thoughtful. "If I remember correctly…my opponent's number is 5."

In one movement Miki and Ms. Wong turned to look at each other. "Miki, isn't that your number?" Ms. Wong asked.

"It is!" agreed Miki.

With one accord everyone turned to look at her. "I see…then that means…" Honey began.

"…that you two can have that rematch duel," Raven finished.

Shigeo smiled. "Indeed."

And Miki smiled, too. "Quite so."

Seta crossed his arms and smirked. "Well, now…this should be fun."

----------

**_neomage:_** Well, then…next chapter, it's gonna be another clash of warrior titans! Miki's knights versus Shigeo's ninjas! And next chapter, another blooper is coming your way! Stay tuned!


	253. Chapter 253

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: **(swords clanking in background)** neomage doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh!)

**CHAPTER 253**

DUELTROPOLIS

Shigeo and Miki regarded each other with smiles on their faces. "So, Miki…now, we can resume that little rivalry that began at the Intercontinental tournament," said Shigeo. "But this time, don't expect me to surrender the duel—that's the only reason you won our previous match."

"Oh, no need to worry—this time, it'll be all or nothing where we're concerned," Miki assured him. "My only question is, can you handle the new cards I've gotten?"

"That question, I toss back at you," Shigeo chuckled.

"Ahem," Ms. Wong cleared her throat. "Seems to me, there's only one way you'll be able to answer that question, kids. So, why not have a go at your duel right away?"

"Don't see why not!" Miki and Shigeo exclaimed in unison.

Immediately, everybody stepped back in something of a circle, giving Shigeo and Miki more than enough space to have their duel. "Go on, you two, don't keep us waiting all day!" Raven urged. "Show us what you've got!"

"All right, all right," Shigeo laughed. "Who wants to come shuffle our decks?"

Seta and Honey promptly stepped forward, while Shigeo and Miki held up their respective decks; Seta shuffled Shigeo's, while Honey shuffled Miki's. "May the better duelist win, now," Seta remarked as he handed back the deck to the ninja-boy.

"I intend to," Shigeo answered.

Both duelists slotted their decks into their Duel-Disks. Aside, Raven nudged Honey. "Who're you going to bet on?"

"Weeeeeeell…kinda hard for me to decide, actually," Honey admitted. "Those two gave a stellar performance last time around – I doubt either one will disappoint this time."

"And so, once again, it's going to be the battle of ninjas against knights," Seta commented.

Ms. Wong and Kyo said nothing, but merely looked on with interest as the holographic coin appeared on the field.

"You want to call it, or should I?" asked Shigeo.

"I will," answered Miki. "And I call heads!"

The coin was flipped…and sailed into the sky…and came back down to the ground…and when it stopped rolling around and lay still…it showed heads. "So you get to go first, then," said Shigeo. "Don't disappoint me, now, Miki!"

Both drew their first five cards; Miki drew a sixth. "Hmmm…okay, then. To begin, I'll set one monster in Defense Mode, and also set two cards facedown." She then smiled. "So, Shigeo? Want to try getting past that?"

"Thanks, but I'll pass on that offer for now," replied Shigeo, drawing his card. "Now, I'll set three cards facedown, and also set one monster in Defense Mode. That'll do for now."

"Heh…guess those two aren't taking any chances too early in the duel," Raven commented.

"That would certainly be smart of them," agreed Seta. "But duels aren't won by merely defending—one of them is going to have to land the first blow sometime."

Miki drew again; this time, she studied the cards on the field and frowned as she did so. _I remember some of Shigeo's cards from our last duel, but just knowing those cards isn't a guarantee that he's going to play them…still, I can't be the one to attack first. I'll just have to wait on him to make a slip-up of some sort, and then when he does, I can decide on what move I should make._

"I'll set another monster in Defense Mode, and end my turn."

"Oh, is that how it is, then?" Shigeo asked as he drew his card. "Then, dear Miki, you have just made things a little simpler for me…now I definitely know how I must act!"

"What?" Miki raised an eyebrow.

Suddenly Shigeo smirked—and pointed to one of his facedown cards. "I activate the trap card, Xing Zhen Hu!"

Immediately, one of his cards in the magic/trap slot flipped face-up—revealing a small pot with a boxed package on top. "What in the world is that?" Kyo asked in surprise, looking at the odd-looking trap.

But hardly were the words out of Kyo's mouth when suddenly—the box burst open, and from it and the pot there spouted numerous ribbon-like cloths, wrapping themselves around Miki's two facedown magic/trap cards! "WHOA!" Miki exclaimed.

"Allow me to explain," said Shigeo. "This is the effect of my trap, Xing Zhen Hu…you see, when it's activated, I get to select two set Magic or Trap cards on the field. Now, as long as Xing Zhen Hu remains on the field, those two selected cards cannot be activated at all."

"And you chose my two facedown cards," Miki finished.

"Whoa…now THAT is a serious bummer," whispered Raven.

"I'll say," replied Honey. "And who knows—very likely Miki may have _needed_ those two cards…"

Shigeo then fiddled with the three cards in his hand. "All right…now, I'll just set another monster facedown, and end my turn."

_Not good,_ Miki thought grimly. _I was really hoping those two cards could be used, but…now I'll have to do something else altogether, if I hope to take Shigeo down. He really has gotten some new cards…_ Then she smirked a bit. _But he isn't the only one!_

Drawing once more, she announced, "Pretty good play you made just now, Shigeo, but it's not going to stop me for long! Now…I'll set one card facedown, one more monster in Defense Mode, and then end my turn."

"Oh, come on—this is getting boring!" Raven complained.

"Don't rush them," Seta warned. "Miki's new facedown card isn't affected by Shigeo's trap card, remember—so now he has to be doubly on his guard. Plus, we still don't know what Shigeo's other facedown cards are – they've both set up a minefield, and now both of them have to tread with caution."

But as Shigeo drew his next card…he chuckled. "Now, Miki," he said softly, "permit me to introduce you to another new card of mine! Now…I summon to the field in Attack Mode, my Mystic Swordsman Lv. 2 (ATK 900, DEF 0)!"

In a moment he brought forth a little swordsman with a ridiculously big katana! At once everyone else fell over. "Aw, come on, give me a break!" Raven exploded.

"Yeah, Shigeo, couldn't you have come up with a better play than that?" Kyo called to the ninja duelist.

"Now, now, everyone, don't judge a book by its cover," said Shigeo in a mysterious tone, one eye overshadowed by his hair.

_Judge a book by its…wait…_ Seta's eyes lit up in realization. _Could this monster, even with such ridiculously low stats, have an effect that we know nothing about?_

Shigeo then selected one of the two cards left in his hand. "Now, as a safety precaution, I'll equip my Mystic Swordsman with the Fusion Sword Murasame Blade, to increase his ATK by 800 points!" And then, sure enough, Mystic Swordsman Lv. 2 got equipped with a second katana, his ATK rising to 1700! "And now, attack and destroy the facedown monster in the middle!"

Mystic Swordsman rushed forward, slicing downward with both of its swords – but the attacked monster, to Miki's absolute astonishment, didn't flip itself face-up as expected! "Hey, now! What just happened here?" she demanded, truly bewildered.

"That is the effect of my Mystic Swordsman Lv. 2 at work," explained Shigeo, a look of utter contentment on his face. "When he attacks a facedown Defense Mode monster, that monster is automatically destroyed without being flipped face-up or damage calculation being applied."

"I see…that's actually pretty clever," remarked Ms. Wong. "Thanks to that effect, even if Miki's got high-DEF monsters out there facedown, Shigeo won't suffer any backlash if he attacks with his Mystic Swordsman."

Kyo nodded. "That may be true…but that doesn't mean Miki's out of the game just yet. She'll certainly make a nice little comeback, of that I'm sure."

"Oh, I believe so, too," Ms. Wong assured him. "I've seen it for myself…that girl can be surprising when she wants to be."

The score remained untouched for both players at this point, with each having an intact 8000 life points. Miki had two cards in her hand; Shigeo held one. On the field Miki had two facedown Defense Mode monsters and three facedown magic/trap cards, two of which were being restricted by Shigeo's Xing Zhen Hu trap card; on the other side, Shigeo had two facedown Defense Mode monsters and his Mystic Swordsman Lv. 2 equipped with the Fusion Sword Murasame Blade, plus the aforementioned Xing Zhen Hu trap card and two other cards facedown.

Miki drew again. "Well…here's something I know you're not going to be able to break through!" she chuckled. "Now, I'll tribute one of my facedown monsters to summon my Total Defense Shogun (ATK 1550, DEF 2500) in Attack Mode!"

As one of her facedown monsters vanished from the field, in its place emerged her sword-wielding warrior—and he suddenly went down on one knee. "When he's Normal Summoned or Flip Summoned, the Total Defense Shogun automatically gets into Defense Mode," Miki announced. "Plus, he can attack even while he's in Defense Mode!"

"Hey, that's actually pretty smart," remarked Honey. "The Mystic Swordsman's effect destroys facedown Defense Mode monsters without flipping them face-up or applying damage calculation—but that Total Defense Shogun practically allows Miki to summon him into face-up Defense Mode, just like that! Now he's safe from the Mystic Swordsman's hidden power!"

Shigeo looked up as Honey said that. "Is he?"

Automatically everyone turned to look at him. "What do you mean?" asked a startled Honey.

"I mean—THIS!" Shigeo then pointed to one of his facedown cards. "Now, I'll activate another trap card—Final Attack Orders!"

Suddenly, to everyone's amazement, Total Defense Shogun seemed to struggle against some invisible force pulling him back onto his feet! "Now what?" Miki asked suspiciously.

"Well, as long as my Final Attack Orders trap card remains active on the field," Shigeo told her, "all face-up monsters are automatically shifted into Attack Mode and their battle positions cannot be changed. So, tough luck for your Shogun…"

Miki took one look and immediately came to a realization. _Damn it—THIS was what he'd been hoping for all along! As long as he's got his Mystic Swordsman on the field, I can't place any monsters facedown in Defense Mode because his effect will just get rid of them, so DEF points and effects won't mean a thing…and that Final Attack Orders trap will continuously force my face-up monsters into Attack Mode, even when I don't want them to be in Attack Mode! Like right now…!_

Immediately Shigeo took his turn and drew. "Now, then…I think I'll take a chance and Flip summon one of my monsters," and here he indicated the two monsters that he still had facedown in Defense Mode. "Now…reveal yourself, White Ninja (ATK 1500, DEF 800)!"

One of the facedown monsters quickly flipped face-up—and revealed Shigeo's white-clad ninja with his throwing stars. "And when White Ninja is Flip Summoned," Shigeo spoke to the group at large, "his effect destroys one Defense Mode monster on the field—and as far as I can see, Miki's got one right over there!"

In the blink of an eye, White Ninja flung numerous throwing stars at Miki's Defense mode monster, ripping it to shreds. "Hoooo, boy, is this ever going to hurt now," and Honey flinched.

"All right—time to attack now!" Shigeo announced. "Now, Mystic Swordsman Lv. 2 – attack and destroy Total Defense Shogun!"

Mystic Swordsman quickly dashed forward, carving the Shogun into pieces with his swords—and Miki winced as she felt her life points dip to 7850. Then, from Shigeo: "Now, White Ninja, attack directly!" And White Ninja flung a huge barrage of throwing stars at Miki; she swiftly put up her arms to shield herself, but still couldn't help crying out as her life points went further down to 6350!

"Miki, hang in there!" Kyo called to her.

"I…I'm okay, I guess," Miki answered.

"All right…that will be all for now," Shigeo smirked. "Now, I end my turn."

Hardly were the words out of his mouth, however, than suddenly Mystic Swordsman began to shine! "Huh?" Miki exclaimed.

"Oh, yes—a little effect of my monster that I forgot to mention," said Shigeo. "During the End Phase of a turn when Mystic Swordsman Lv. 2 successfully destroyed a monster as a result of battle, I can send him to the Graveyard to Special Summon a much stronger form for him from my hand or deck to the field…and this time, it's coming from my deck—Mystic Swordsman Lv. 4 (ATK 1900, DEF 1600)!"

One moment later, even as the Fusion Sword Murasame disappeared, there appeared on Shigeo's side of the field a much taller and broader version of the original Mystic Swordsman, wielding a twin-bladed katana. "Now…my attack power will steadily grow until it's enough to take you down," Shigeo promised.

Steadying herself, by now recovered from White Ninja's direct attack, Miki frowned. _All right, let's look at the situation here…I've got three cards in my magic/trap slot, and two of them are prevented from being activated by his Xing Zhen Hu trap card…and…_ She frowned more deeply as she glanced at her remaining card. _I could probably activate this other card, but…could I possibly take that risk—especially considering its effect?_

She drew yet again. _Well…if it means I can be free from Shigeo's traps for even a little while…then that's a risk I'll just have to take upon myself! So…here we go!_

"Now…! I activate the trap card, Royal Decree!"

All at once the ground began to rumble. Everybody else looked around in consternation. "People…what's going on…?" Ms. Wong asked worriedly.

Then—right behind Miki—there burst out from the ground a massive castle-like structure! Shigeo stared goggle-eyed at its immense size. "But…what on earth…?"

"Let me explain," said Miki calmly. "This is a new card I got pretty recently, my Royal Decree trap card. Now, as long as it's active on the field, it negates the effects of all other Trap cards."

"WHAT!" Shigeo cried out. "Aw, damn it! Now my Xing Zhen Hu and Final Attack Orders traps are worthless!"

"You shouldn't complain—I'm affected, too, you know," Miki informed him. "But at least, for now, I have something of an edge against you. So, here's what I'll do…I'll now activate the magic card, Nightmare's Steelcage!"

In a moment a giant cage emerged, surrounding both players. "Now, for your next two turns, no monsters can attack at all on either side," said Miki.

"Buying yourself a little time," observed Shigeo. "But that's all right—I'm not in any hurry to take you down."

"Maybe you will be, after I show you what I'm going to play next," answered Miki. "Now, I summon Silent Swordsman Lv. 3 (ATK 1000, DEF 1000)!"

One second later, her sailor-cloaked warrior appeared, wielding his sword over his shoulder. "Heh…I could easily destroy that weak little guy, if not for your Nightmare's Steelcage," Shigeo observed. "You really are doing well, Miki."

"I have to admit, you're not doing half-badly yourself," Miki acknowledged. "You really have gotten better and better since last time."

"Quite so," said Shigeo. "Knowing that the World Championships would be tough, I placed myself under a strict training regimen. And I trained alone, without distractions, for many weeks before the tournament was scheduled to begin. Now, I'm glad I trained so hard for so long…because now my opponent is you. And I know already what kind of opponent you can be cracked up to be."

"In that case, let's not hold anything back now," Miki suggested. "From here on out…if either of us thinks there's a chance to keep ahead of the opponent…let's not hesitate to take that chance."

Shigeo nodded assent. "In that case…watch out, Miki Taylor, because my ninja armada will severely crush your army of knights at the first opportunity!"

Having said that, he drew once again. "I summon Nin-Ken Dog (ATK 1800, DEF 1000) in Attack Mode!" And then his ninja canine emerged on the field. "And…I will end my turn for now."

Miki took her turn and drew once more…and smiled more widely than ever. "Now…it's beginning."

Just then—to Shigeo's surprise—the Silent Swordsman began to glow! "My Silent Swordsman is, in a way, quite like your Mystic Swordsman," Miki told him. "During my Standby Phase, I can send my face-up Silent Swordsman Lv. 3 to the Graveyard to Special Summon a stronger form from my hand or deck…and this one's coming from my deck! Come forth, Silent Swordsman Lv. 5 (ATK 2300, DEF 1000)!"

As Shigeo watched, Silent Swordsman's outfit and physique became taller, longer and sleeker, and his sword grew bigger and more pronounced. "Well…now things are going to heat up…and it'll be like a blaze once we're both able to attack again," Shigeo remarked, a real smile on his face. "My life points may be higher than yours now, but somehow…somehow, I feel that this duel will be a very rewarding one."

Miki nodded. "Then…let's see if we can't prove that feeling right!"

----------

**_neomage:_** The clash between the ninjas and knights continues next chapter! Don't you miss it! And now, as promised, a blooper:

(Chapter 195, where James is about to call forth Exodia upon Natasha)

James: (holds up the Exodia cards) Now, Exodia – cleanse the field of the impurity that has come upon it!

(…nothing happens)

James: O.o Uh…hello? Exodia?

(Cut to far across the world, where Exodia is relaxing on a tropical beach, sipping on a piña colada)

Exodia: Ahhhhh…the life of a beach bum is so rewarding…

REVIEW SOON, PLEASE!


	254. Chapter 254

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: **(brandishing a sword and shield)** neomage doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh!)

**CHAPTER 254**

DUELTROPOLIS

As Miki and Shigeo continued their duel against each other, the score stood as follows: Shigeo was still in the lead with an unscathed 8000 life points, while Miki was behind with 6350. Shigeo held two cards in hand; Miki also held two. On the field Miki had her Silent Swordsman Lv. 5 in Attack Mode, plus her Nightmare's Steelcage magic card and her Royal Decree trap card active, and two other cards facedown; by contrast, Shigeo had White Ninja, Mystic Swordsman Lv. 4 and Nin-Ken Dog in Attack Mode, plus one other monster facedown in Defense Mode, and he also had his Xing Zhen Hu and Final Attack Orders trap cards—their effects negated by Miki's Royal Decree trap—and he also had one other card facedown as well.

Now Shigeo took his turn and drew once more. "All right…after I end this turn, your Nightmare's Steelcage will vanish…and then, we'll be able to attack each other again," he noted.

"Only thing is, I'll be the one doing all the attacking," laughed Miki. "Because my Silent Swordsman Lv. 5 is currently the strongest monster on the field."

"Then how about I shift the odds in my favor for a moment?" said Shigeo as he held up one card. "I activate the magic of Mystical Space Typhoon, to destroy your Royal Decree!"

All at once, a mighty tornado blew across the field, wiping out the Royal Decree's castle and representing card. "And with that out of the way, my Xing Zhen Hu and Final Attack Orders trap cards will resume their power," added Shigeo—and true to form, Xing Zhen Hu's ribbons stretched across the field again, restraining Miki's two facedown cards in her magic/trap slot!

"Aw, darn it!" Miki groaned.

On the sidelines, Honey smirked a little. "Well, at least now there won't be a stalemate as far as trap activation goes," she commented.

"Quite so," agreed Raven.

Then Shigeo held up one of the two cards left in his hand. "All right…finally, I'll offer my facedown monster as a tribute…to set another monster in Defense Mode." And then, as his first facedown monster vanished from the field, another facedown monster appeared to take its place. "And now I end my turn."

Then, just like that, the Nightmare's Steelcage vanished. "Okay, no more restrictions on attacking from here on out," declared Miki.

"Come and get me!" Shigeo challenged.

Miki then drew again. "Okay! I summon Queen's Knight (ATK 1500, DEF 1600) in Attack Mode!" Then she called forth her royal lady knight, clad in her trademark red armor.

Then Miki held up one of her two remaining cards. "And next, I'll equip Queen's Knight with the Legendary Sword, to increase her ATK and DEF by 300 points!" And then, a moment later Queen's Knight was holding an even bigger sword than usual, a sword that shone with the glare of the sun, as her ATK and DEF soared to 1800 and 1900 respectively. "Now, Silent Swordsman, go get rid of his Mystic Swordsman!"

Hefting his sword up, Silent Swordsman Lv. 5 dashed at Mystic Swordsman Lv. 4. But suddenly Shigeo called out, "Stop right there! I activate my trap card, Negate Attack, to stop your monster's attack and end your Battle Phase right now!"

Just at that moment Silent Swordsman's sword came rushing down at Mystic Swordsman's head – and vanished into a swirling vortex! "Crud!" Miki hissed, obviously steamed that her attack had failed.

"So? Is that all you're going to do…or is there more that I should know about?" Shigeo asked, a smile playing on his face.

Miki ran a hand over her face. "No…there isn't anything else. I'll just end my turn now."

"That wasn't very good…Miki just lost a perfect opportunity to take out Shigeo's forces _and_ bring down his life points," Kyo said quietly.

"But this duel isn't over yet, my dear…Miki may very well show us a miracle soon," Ms. Wong consoled him.

Then Shigeo drew once again – and his eyes lit up. "Heh…all right, Miki…now's the moment when you shall feel all of my real power unleashed!" he announced.

"What did you say?" Miki asked warily.

"Just watch!" Shigeo then pointed to the field. "First, I'll Flip summon my facedown monster to reveal…Mystic Swordsman Lv. 6 (ATK 2300, DEF 1700)!"

Then, right next to Mystic Swordsman Lv. 4, there appeared a much bigger version of him, complete with two katanas. Miki blinked. "So…if you had such a powerful monster before, why didn't you just summon it instead of setting it?" she wondered.

"That's basically the effect of both Mystic Swordsman Lv. 4 and Mystic Swordsman Lv. 6," Shigeo explained. "If they're Normal Summoned, they must be placed facedown in Defense Mode—effectively, they can only be Set or Special Summoned. But, Miki, that'll be the least of your worries when you see what else I have for you…"

Seta, watching the duel, frowned. _Is he going to…like in the Intercontinentals…?_

Whereupon Shigeo held up the very card he'd just drawn. "And now, behold! I sacrifice Mystic Swordsman Lv. 4, White Ninja, and Nin-Ken Dog to summon my ultimate monster – Gilford the Lightning (ATK 2800, DEF 1400)!"

Raven and Honey looked up in surprise at that. "Whoa—then that means—" Raven started.

Seta nodded. "Yes. Now Shigeo's gonna have a serious upper hand."

Suddenly, the sky above them grew dark; lightning flashed here and there. Ms. Wong looked up nervously. "Oooohh…I HATE lightning," she cringed.

"Then I owe you an apology, madam," Shigeo spoke to her.

All at once—a massive bolt of lightning shot down from the sky, taking out Mystic Swordsman Lv. 4, White Ninja and Nin-Ken Dog! And then…from the smoke left in the wake of their sacrifice, out stepped the legendary warrior, his lightning-charged sword at the ready. "And I hope you remember what his effect does," Shigeo turned his attention back to Miki. "If I summon him with three tributes, I get to destroy every single monster on your side of the field!"

Immediately Gilford slashed forward with his blade—and the resulting wave of lightning completely obliterated both Silent Swordsman Lv. 5 and Queen's Knight, along with the Legendary Sword! "No! My monsters!" Miki exclaimed in horror.

"Now your life points are wide open for a direct attack," said Shigeo. "Go, Mystic Swordsman Lv. 6! Attack directly!"

Mystic Swordsman dashed forward, slashing at Miki with his swords and knocking her down in the process—reducing her life points to 4050. Then: "Gilford the Lightning, go for it! Lightning Strike!" And Gilford complied, swinging his sword and creating a massive blade of lightning that exploded right where Miki stood, her life points shooting down further to 1250!

Kyo grimaced and turned away quickly as he watched this act of devastation. "Damn it…Miki…" he whispered.

"Is she…alive or dead?" Raven wondered.

The next thing he knew, Honey was strangling him. "Way to say stupid things, Raven!" she snapped at him. "Of course she's okay! She has to be!"

"Honey…can't…breathe…need…air…" Raven wheezed out.

"Ow…"

Everyone's attention was gained by that exclamation. "Miki?" Ms. Wong called out worriedly.

There was a lot of smoke from Gilford's attack…but in that smoke Miki's silhouetted form emerged, looking quite battered. "I'm…I'm all right," she managed to speak up. "Just…feeling numb, that's all."

Shigeo nodded. "Just like our duel in the Intercontinental tournament," he recalled. "Come, now, Miki…don't fall apart on me."

Now the score had drastically changed—Shigeo still had an untouched 8000 life points, but now Miki's were at 1250. On the field Shigeo had Mystic Swordsman Lv. 6 and Gilford the Lightning in Attack Mode, plus his Xing Zhen Hu and Final Attack Orders trap cards were still active; Miki now only had her two facedown cards that were still being restricted by the Xing Zhen Hu trap. They each now held one card in hand.

Miki looked at the card she held, and shook her head. Then she looked at the field and flinched. _Okay, this sucks…both of my cards in my magic/trap slot are stopped by his Xing Zhen Hu trap card, and he's got two powerful monsters on his end…if I don't get something good on this draw, he'll wipe me out completely!_

She then looked at her deck slot. _All right…it all comes down to this…either I'll get a good card, or I won't!_ And with that thought on her mind, she reached to draw her next card.

Slowly…very slowly…she pulled the card off the top of her deck. And then she held it up and looked at it. And a happy little smile crossed her face.

"Okay! I activate Pot of Greed, to draw two more cards!"

Immediately Miki drew another two cards; when she was done, she now held three in her hand. And her eyes lit up when she saw what she was now holding. "Okay, Shigeo…now I'm holding the cards that'll begin the path to your defeat!"

"How do you know that?" Shigeo asked, eyeing her curiously.

"Watch and see!" said Miki.

Then she held up one of her cards. "Firs, I'll activate the magic card, Shield & Sword! This will switch the ATK and DEF of all monsters on the field till the end of this turn!"

"What? What does that mean?" Shigeo demanded.

"Oh, you'll see," said Miki. "Just look at your monsters' stats now…"

Shigeo looked—and his jaw dropped. Right before his eyes, Gilford the Lightning's ATK was now 1400 and his DEF was 2800, while Mystic Swordsman Lv. 6's ATK was now 1700 and his DEF was 2300! "This…this is…!" he choked.

Miki then held up another card in her hand. "Next, I'll use the power of mt Monster Reborn card, to revive Queen's Knight in Attack Mode!" And in an instant, Queen's Knight reappeared from the great beyond.

"Hey…" Honey looked a little confused. "It's nice to see Miki's making a comeback, but shouldn't she have resurrected her Silent Swordsman with that Monster Reborn card? Why'd she bring back Queen's Knight?"

Seta frowned. "Could she be…?"

Shigeo frowned, too. "Shouldn't your Queen's Knight be affected by your Shield & Sword's effect?" he demanded.

"No," answered Miki. "Any monster that's summoned AFTER I activate Shield & Sword is excluded from its effect, so Queen's Knight's stats remain the same. And…"

Here she held up the very last card left in her hand. "Now, I summon King's Knight (ATK 1600, DEF 1400) in Attack Mode!"

The bearded, orange-armored knight emerged beside Queen's Knight a moment later. "And, when I Normal Summon my King's Knight while Queen's Knight is on the field," added Miki with a triumphant look in her eyes, "I get to Special Summon my Jack's Knight (ATK 1900, DEF 1400) from my deck to the field!"

To Shigeo's dismay, Jack's Knight appeared beside Queen's Knight and King's Knight. "So now I've got more monsters than you do—and stronger monsters than you do, too," chuckled Miki. "Now, then, no more delays! Jack's Knight, take down his Mystic Swordsman Lv. 6!"

Jack's Knight then dashed forward and slashed the Mystic Swordsman's head off with one strike, and for the first time Shigeo's life points dropped down, to 7800. "But I'm not done yet!" Miki went on. "Now, Queen's Knight, destroy Gilford the Lightning!" Then Queen's Knight stabbed Gilford through the heart, reducing Shigeo a little more to 7700. And then: "Now, King's Knight—attack directly!" And King's Knight jumped forward and slashed at Shigeo's chest, knocking the ninja-boy back and sharply bringing his score down to 6100!

"Great going, Miki! Nice one!" Honey cheered.

"Yes, but she's got a long way to go from here if she wants to secure a win," Seta admonished her. "It all depends on what Shigeo draws on his upcoming turn."

Meanwhile, Shigeo himself was chuckling even as he drew his next card. "Just like my rival…bringing herself back from the brink of defeat to make a comeback of sorts," he praised Miki. "But I still have way more life points than you do. And also, I have these cards in my hand."

He then held up the two cards he had in hand. "Now…this is…quite interesting, indeed! All right—I summon Strike Ninja (ATK 1700, DEF 1200) in Attack Mode!"

A moment later his black-clad ninja appeared on the field. "And next," Shigeo continued, "I'll equip my Strike Ninja with the magic card, Fuhma Shuriken, to increase his ATK by 700 points!" And a moment later Strike Ninja found himself wielding several throwing stars, his ATK increased to 2400 in the process! "Now, attack Queen's Knight!"

Strike Ninja flung several shuriken at Queen's Knight, piercing her all over her body and reducing Miki's life points to 350! "All right…now, next turn I'll take you down for good!" Shigeo assured Miki.

_Geez…he's right…one more attack from him, and I'm done for! And…not only that, but…_ Miki shook her head. _Even if I do find a way to destroy the Strike Ninja on my next turn, that Fuhma Shuriken he's equipped with…if it goes to the Graveyard it'll do 700 points of damage to me – and take out what's left of my life points! Well, all right…come on, deck! Give me something worthwhile!_

She quickly reached for her deck and drew. And again she smiled in triumph. "Okay, Shigeo! It's time for me to win this duel!"

"Huh? Whatever do you mean?" asked Shigeo.

Whereupon Miki held up the card she'd drawn. "I activate the magic card – Giant Trunade! This card will return all Magic and Trap cards on the field to their owners' hands!"

Shigeo's eyes widened. "No!"

But then, without warning, a massive wind began to blow all about the field; a wind so strong that the others on the sidelines had to hold fast or else they'd lose their footing. "EEEEEEK!" Honey shrieked out.

"Whoa, Miki! Take it easy out there!" yelled Kyo.

But by and by, the wind eventually died down…and now Shigeo found himself holding his Xing Zhen Hu, Final Attack Orders, and Fuhma Shuriken cards in his hand again…and Miki was holding the two cards that had only moments ago been facedown in her magic/trap slots! "Oh, dear…this is bad…" He gulped a little.

"Now, Jack's Knight! Attack and destroy the Strike Ninja at once!" Miki commanded. And Jack's Knight complied, running his sword straight through the ninja and reducing Shigeo's life points to 5900. Then, one direct attack from King's Knight, and Shigeo's score went down even more to 4300.

"Ugh…" Shigeo held the areas where he'd gotten slashed.

"Finally, I'll re-set these two facedown," and Miki placed her two cards back facedown. "Now…it's time for me to bring this little show to an end, wouldn't you say?"

"As long as I am able to draw…you won't defeat me like that!" Shigeo declared.

So he drew his next card—and just then Miki announced, "Now, I activate my trap card—Conscription! Now, I get to pick up the top card of your deck, and if it's a monster that can be Normal Summoned, it'll be Special Summoned to my side of the field…otherwise, it'll be added to your hand."

Instinctively everyone drew breath. _Okay…it's become a game of chance…_ Ms. Wong thought to herself.

"I see…but why didn't you activate it before, after you had first set it?" wondered Shigeo.

"I didn't want to activate it prematurely, that's all," Miki replied. "Now…let's see what that top card is, eh?"

Shigeo picked up the top card from his deck and looked at it…and paled a little. "Well, uh…here it is," and he held it up for all to see—it was the monster, Zaborg the Thunder Monarch (ATK 2400, DEF 1000)!

"Wow! All right—how cool!" Miki exclaimed. "Okay, Zaborg the Thunder Monarch—come on over to my side of the field!"

Then, in a flash of lightning, Zaborg appeared beside King's Knight and Jack's Knight. But Shigeo shook his head. "You may have my monster in your clutches," he declared, "but I've got something even worse! I summon my toughest ninja yet—Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke (ATK 1800, DEF 1000)!"

A moment later, Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke emerged on the field, kunai in hand and ready to do battle—but Miki shouted at that moment, "And I retaliate with my trap card—Trap Hole! This will utterly destroy your ninja!"

To Shigeo's further astonishment, a large hole opened underneath Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke, and the ninja vanished into it, never to be seen again. "Oh, man…and all that time, that card was what I had restricted…" he groaned.

"Well…at least, this duel has been fun," admitted Miki. "Question is now, are you going to recant what you said earlier…and surrender?"

Shigeo chuckled at that. "I said I wouldn't do that…and I always keep my word. So…do what you have to do."

"Okay…" For formality's sake, Miki drew another card. "King's Knight, Jack's Knight, Zaborg the Thunder Monarch – end it!"

And that they did: the two knights rushed forward and slashed repeatedly at Shigeo, causing his life points to drop sharply to 800…then Zaborg blasted Shigeo with a ball of lightning, knocking him back and reducing his score right down to 0!

"Ouch…that's gonna leave a mark in the morning…" Raven cringed.

"Folks, we have a winner right here!" Kyo exclaimed in celebration. "And the winner is…Miki!"

Carefully Shigeo picked himself up. "I understand now…you really were training hard for this tournament," he remarked.

"Yeah," said Miki. "But it's obvious you were, too—I swore for a while that I was going to lose, what with the card combo you had on the field."

"Well, the better duelist won this time around," said Shigeo. "And now, you get to go on to the next stage of the tournament."

"That makes three of us by now," Seta nodded. "Myself, Kyo, and now Miki."

"Shigeo…you're not sore about losing out on the quarter-finals, are you?" Honey asked, concern evident in her tone.

"No, no…I'm fine, really," Shigeo assured her. "It just means I missed out this time around. But next time, I'll definitely do better."

"Let's not tarry, everyone," Ms. Wong spoke up. "The sooner we get to the castle, the sooner we can get to rest and get the next-round qualifiers among us settled in."

"I'm all for that!" Miki nodded eagerly.

"Yes, let's go," and Seta started to walk off, followed a moment later by Ms. Wong. The others, in mutual agreement, followed after them…all heading in the direction of Pegasus's castle.

----------

**_neomage:_** And thus the battle between the ninjas and the knights comes to a close! Now…only one match remains in this round of the tournament…don't miss it!


	255. Chapter 255

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Yawwwwwn…I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. Sheesh. 255 times and I still have to say it…)

**CHAPTER 255**

PEGASUS'S CASTLE

There were now two new guards standing at the front gate of the castle—the two that had been there before, who had welcomed Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki's group and taken Angel Skye and Felix Sanchez into custody, had moments ago finished their shift; and now these two new guards had taken over for them…though one didn't seem very pleased at the moment. "So…how much longer are we expected to wait on those guys to show up with those Zodiac bastards?" he grumbled crossly.

"Pipe down," his fellow guard rebuked him. "The guys that were here on the last shift told us that it shouldn't be much longer—ten to fifteen minutes, give or take, based on the original ETA for that retrieval team. And don't forget, too, we still have to greet the other tournament finalists when they arrive—as far as we've been briefed, only two have come up to now. There's still six to go."

"Well, I say they had better hurry up and show up. I don't like all this waiting…especially considering we've got a bunch of psychos locked up below the castle," the first suit grumbled.

"Geez, you're such a worrywart…how'd you ever manage to land this job, anyway?" the second guard grunted.

"What's that?" the first guard demanded.

Before they could get into it, however, a sudden shout caught their attention. "Hey, you two there!"

Both guards looked up on hearing the shout. "Looks like they're here," the first guard sighed.

It was the security team responsible for bringing in Stephen Ingram and Forrest Wiles; they were closing in on the front gates at a rapid pace, carrying Forrest along on a stretcher while two of the security team walked with a very sullen Stephen in between them. "Sorry for the delay," the team's leader addressed the gate guards.

"What exactly took you so long to show up?" the second gate guard inquired, once the security team was there at the gate.

"Our ETA would have been much sooner than we'd radioed in…if only this little piss-vessel hadn't had so many bathroom breaks along the way," and here the party leader jabbed a disdainful thumb at Stephen.

"At least _I_ have a tool to get the job done, but what do you ladies have?" Stephen muttered, chuckling to himself.

Aside to the two gate guards, the team leader whispered, "He's been tossing insults at us ever since we got him. If I have to stand him one more second, I swear I'll wring his neck!"

"Looks like you'll have to stand him a little while longer," the second gate guard said apologetically. "We were specifically instructed to let you know that you should take these guys straight down to the dungeon, through that doorway…" and here he pointed to the side door near the front steps leading into the castle.

The party leader sighed in defeat. "Well, if that's what we have to do, then we will," he said resignedly. "Just let Mr. Pegasus know we've arrived with two more of the Zodiacs, that's all you should do."

"Got it," the two gate guards nodded.

With that, the security team headed for the designated door, taking Stephen and the still-unconscious Forrest with them. The first gate guard sighed. "Well…if I understand it correctly, that only leaves one Zodiac to be caught…"

"Yeah, well…let's just hope that last remaining one doesn't turn out to be a finalist, or else we'll really be in a complicated situation," the other guard answered, and adjusted his sunglasses.

----------

ELSEWHERE IN DUELTROPOLIS, AT THAT MOMENT

_"Ah-CHOO! Ah-CHOO!"_

Zander, walking alone along the dirt path, suddenly froze and sneezed loud and hard, twice in succession. Then, recovering, he rubbed his nose and mouth with the back of his hand. "Who's talking about me behind my back?" he muttered.

Straightening up, he looked up…and beheld Pegasus's castle, a god distance away but still visible from where he stood. _So close…and yet, so far if I don't find my designated opponent…_

He smirked to himself. _Seta Kaiba…Ophiuchus the Imperial…how far have you gotten, I wonder? Have you chickened out and allowed someone to defeat you by now…or will your pride keep pushing you forward? I sincerely hope you haven't been cut from the final bunch…because for you to fall before your time will not go well with what I've got planned for you…_

A noise somewhere behind him caught his attention—though he didn't move an inch, his eyes did dart to the side. "Hmmm?"

He waited…and there he heard it again: the noise of someone walking in his direction. "Well, now…looks like I could get lucky…"

----------

"Look, mates! Can you see it? That castle's HUGE!"

David's eyes were wide with wonder as he pointed toward the castle in the distance. "Geez…talk about livin' it large," he remarked.

Miriam shook her head. "That's one thing I've always noticed about rich people—they always live in a big house of some sort, whether a ten-bedroom house or a whole castle like that one," she commented.

"Well, you didn't seem to be complaining when we were staying here with Pegasus after the Intercontinentals," Luke pointed out.

"Because I didn't want to come across as rude—he was our host, after all," Miriam countered.

Malachi, walking stoically as usual, briefly glanced up at the view of the castle. "As far as I'm concerned, a house is a house, no matter the size," he spoke up. "As long as you can eat there, sleep there, shower there, and do your biological business there, that's all that matters. Some places are just bigger or smaller than others…and Pegasus lives big."

"But he sure lives rather simply for living big," Miriam replied.

David looked at her as if she was crazy. "Lives rather simply? Miriam, you know what you're saying?" he exclaimed. "That man is owner of Industrial Illusions! He probably makes gazillions a year in stocks alone!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah…I'm not disputing that," said Miriam. "But we've had the opportunity to dine with him—and you guys have seen what he likes to eat. Cheese and wine – that's all he ever snacks on! You'd think he'd eat something richer, at least!"

"And that's poor cuisine, how exactly?" Luke wanted to know.

"Anyway, enough about all that for a while," Malachi admonished the group. "Luke, you still have to find your opponent for this round in order to advance…"

At once Luke's face became more serious. "Yeah, boss…I haven't forgotten…"

Miriam and David immediately looked at Luke, concern in their eyes. "Luke…" said David.

"Hello, there."

At once the four looked up at the sound of the strange voice, and beheld a young man with red hair tramping toward them. "And who the hell are you?" Malachi demanded.

"Now, now, no need to jump down my throat, Mr. Malachi Jordan," the stranger said amiably. "I'm just another competitor in this tournament, like you and your friends. Zander Zabel's the name."

"You know the boss's name already," David remarked.

"Well, the name of Malachi Jordan is something akin to celebrity status in the dueling circuit," Zander pointed out. "And, of course, he was the Intercontinental champion, until a good while back…"

"That's ancient history now," Malachi stated flatly.

"Of course. Forgive me." Zander nodded. "So, returning to the here and now…I take it you folks are looking for duels?"

"I know I am," Luke replied, stepping forward. "Are you?"

"Why, certainly," said Zander. "Ever since I trounced my opponent last round, I've been wandering around looking for my next designated challenger…so far, though, no luck whatsoever. I only hope that, if I do find him—which I hope will be soon—he won't be as simple to defeat as my previous adversary."

"Well, maybe you're about to get lucky here," remarked Luke. "What's your assigned opponent's number?"

Zander fingered his bottom lip thoughtfully. "Let's see, if I remember correctly, it should be…14."

Malachi's eyes narrowed when he heard this. "Then your opponent is right here, stranger," and he indicated Luke. "This guy has been looking for his assigned enemy for a little while now…now, it's your obligation to relieve his anxiety."

"But of course," Zander agreed. "Anyway, I need the exercise, after having been unable to do what I do best since the last round."

"Then let's prep ourselves!" Luke declared, pulling out his Duel-Disk and strapping it on.

Malachi, Miriam and David stepped back to allow Luke and Zander room to duel. "Okay…now Luke can get to prove himself," David said eagerly.

Miriam looked at Luke, readying himself to duel. _Luke…please don't overdo it just because of your vow…_

Luke spoke up to the others. "Watch me well, you guys," he said. "I won't let you down. I swore I'd beat my opponent for this round…and that's what I'm going to do." And as he said this, he glanced over at Miriam.

Malachi, seeing this action, allowed himself a small cough. "Luke, your opponent's not over here…he's over there."

"Uh—right, boss." Nodding, Luke then turned to Zander. "Well, my friend, I sincerely hope you're not thinking of clinching an easy victory in this duel…"

"I don't expect to, but why do you say so?" Zander inquired.

Luke smiled a little. "Because…for me, this duel is about more than just getting into the next round. It's about reclaiming trust…restoring honor…and fighting for the sake of a precious person. For those reasons, I cannot fail here."

Zander glanced sideways at Miriam, then looked back at Luke. "I see…so, it's that kind of duel, is it? In that case, Sir Lancelot, show me how you intend to fight for the honor of your Queen Guinevere."

"I can't do that unless you put on your Duel-Disk," Luke reminded him.

Wordlessly, but with a smile on his face, Zander reached into his coat and pulled out his Duel-Disk. "Let us begin, then."

At once, however, everyone's attention turned to Zander's Duel-Disk. "Shaped like…a lightning bolt?" Malachi raised an eyebrow. "That's not something I've seen before…"

"Major weirdness," David agreed.

Suddenly Miriam's eyes went wide. _Wait a minute…this can't be a coincidence, can it? That guy I dueled, Kyle Welling…he had a Duel-Disk that resembled a crossbow…and Luke's last opponent, that Victor creep…he had a weirdly-shaped Duel-Disk, too…! And…_

Images of Kyle Welling and Victor Greaves flashed across her mind. _Now that I think about it…when I dueled Welling, he mentioned being with a group called the Zodiacs…could that Victor guy from before, and this guy standing here, be in that group as well?_

Then she became aware of Malachi looking quizzically at her. "What's up, brother?" she asked.

"You seem to have a strange look on your face," he remarked quietly. "Is anything the matter?"

Miriam opened her mouth to reply—and then recalled Pegasus admonishing her not to say anything on the matter. "Uh…no, no, everything's fine," she said hastily. "I just hope Luke wins, that's all."

Malachi gave her a lingering look, but said nothing.

Meanwhile, on the field, Luke was still staring curiously at Zander's Duel-Disk. "It seems my Duel-Disk has captured your fancy," Zander remarked.

"I've just never seen anything quite like it, that's all," admitted Luke. "But then again, I guess I shouldn't be too surprised – I've been seeing quite a few funny-looking Duel-Disks since this whole tournament started."

"Oh?" Zander raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah…a punk with a purple Duel-Disk…and another guy with a Duel-Disk shaped like a cross…" Luke paused. "You wouldn't happen to know them, would you?"

Zander shrugged. "Sorry, I can't say I do," he answered. "I guess those two of whom you speak just so happen to love my hobby – creating custom-made Duel-Disks."

"So, yours is a custom-made Duel-Disk, then?" Luke inquired.

"Certainly so," nodded Zander. "Regular Duel-Disks are boring, so I made my own Duel-Disk to make the game even a little more interesting for me. Of course, the circuitry inside is of the same quality as in standard Duel-Disks—what I did was to take off the outer shell of a regular Duel-Disk and replace it with the shell you see here now."

"You sure sound like a genius with tech," Luke chuckled.

"Thank you," and Zander nodded in respect. "Well, now, shall we quit procrastinating and get this battle underway?"

"No objections here!" agreed Luke.

Both activated their Duel-Disks, then drew their opening hands…and the holographic coin appeared. "I'll call it," said Luke. "And I call heads!"

Then the coin was flipped…but when it came back down, the end result was tails. "Damn it!" Luke groaned.

Then Zander brushed his hair out of one eye…and said something surprising. "Why don't you go first? I'm not in any big hurry here, anyway."

"Huh? Uh…are you certain?" Luke asked, quite surprised.

"Why, of course," nodded Zander. "Go ahead."

"In that case, I'll take advantage of your offer!" Luke smiled.

But as he drew his first card, Luke chuckled slyly. _Don't think you'll be able to fool me so easily just because you let me go first, pal…you were hoping you'd get to see a glimpse of my strategy if you let me play first, didn't you? Well…sorry, but I'm not biting!_

"All right, here's what I'll do…first, I'll set one monster in Defense Mode…and then I'll set one card facedown. Now…go ahead, make your move."

Zander chuckled as he drew. "Well, now, this is what I will do. I will also set one monster facedown in Defense Mode, and activate this magic card – Ground Collapse!"

Suddenly, the ground began to shake…then the next thing Luke knew, two massive pits opened up on the field, right near to his facedown monster card! "Oy, what gives with this?" he called out.

"When I activate my Ground Collapse card," Zander explained, "I can select two unoccupied Monster card zones on the field – and I chose two of yours. Now, as long as Ground Collapse remains on the field, neither of us can use those selected zones."

"In other words, Luke will only be able to summon a maximum of three monsters while that card remains on the field," Malachi said thoughtfully.

"But that's not all I'm going to do," continued Zander. "Next, I'll activate another magic card—The Dark Door! Now, as long as _this_ card remains on the field, we can each attack with only one monster during our respective Battle Phases!" And as he played the card, a massive pillar of light resembling a doorjamb emerged in the middle of the field!

"Attack with only one monster each turn? Man, that's rough," David protested.

"And finally, I'll set one more card facedown and end my turn," finished Zander. "Now, my friend…I'd advise you to make your next set of moves count, considering what I've got here on the field at this time."

"Don't worry—I tend to make every move count in my duels," Luke replied as he drew another card. "Now, what to do…oh, I know! I'll summon Armor Exe (ATK 2400, DEF 1400) in Attack Mode!"

In a moment his rock-solid monster emerged on the field. "And now, I'll activate my trap card…Pitch-Black Power Stone!" Luke announced, and at once three flaming stones appeared on his side of the field. "See these? These are called Magic counters. Now, you're probably wondering what these are for, but I'll soon explain in due time. For now, though, I'll just end my turn."

"I see…your Armor Exe can't attack the same turn it's summoned, can it?" said Zander. "Then that'll work in my favor greatly…"

He drew another card, so now he held three. But then, at that moment, one of Luke's magic counters vanished! "Well…during each of our Standby Phases, I have to remove one magic counter from my side of the field to maintain Armor Exe…if I don't, Armor Exe is destroyed," Luke explained.

"I see," said Zander. "All right…I'll set another monster facedown in Defense Mode, and activate the magic card, Vengeful Bog Spirit!"

All at once, as Zander played the card in question, numerous pink ghosts appeared on the field! "Now, as long as this card remains on the field, no monsters can attack during the same turn they're summoned."

"Would you look at that…now both of them can attack with only one monster each turn because of these…ghosts…their monsters can't attack the same turn they're summoned…and Luke can only have one more monster on the field thanks to that Ground Collapse card!" David exclaimed.

"Don't sweat it, bro," Luke called to him. "I've been in stickier situations than this. I'll pull out of this, too."

_Of course you will, Luke…I believe in you,_ Miriam encouraged him silently.

"All right…now I end my turn," said Zander, a smirk on his lips.

Again Luke drew, so now he held five cards in hand…and another of his Magic counters vanished from the field for Armor Exe's effect, leaving him with one. "I can only summon one more monster because of your Ground Collapse card…but this monster will be well worth it!" he announced. "Now, I summon Monk Fighter (ATK 1300, DEF 1000) in Attack Mode!"

Then his orange-robed martial artist appeared on the field, but suddenly got surrounded by the ghosts of the Vengeful Bog Spirit card—yet Luke wasn't finished. "And now, I'll offer Monk Fighter as a tribute to Special Summon my mighty Master Monk (ATK 1900, DEF 1000)!" And as he played the card, the Monk Fighter's face aged to that of an old man, but his body became more muscular and far more toned. "Now…Armor Exe, attack his facedown monster on the right! Rock Bullet!"

Armor Exe's rocky armor split into sections, firing off numerous small hailstones at the targeted facedown monster—but all at once those stones came hurtling right back, hitting Luke all over his body and reducing his life points to 7700! "AAAAGH!" Luke yelled out.

"Luke! You all right?" Miriam cried.

"Yeah, I think so…" Then Luke took a look at the monster he'd flipped face-up with the attack. "Holy…!"

Right there, nearly overshadowing everything on Zander's side of the field, was a huge rocky golem. "Now…say hello to my Destiny Hero – Defender (ATK 100, DEF 2700)," Zander calmly announced. "Your Armor Exe is strong…but this Defender is stronger."

"Whoa! Would you look at that thing's DEF!" David exclaimed.

"Incredible…" Miriam didn't know what else to say.

Even Malachi was staring at this new monster with wide eyes. "Impressive…!"

Then Zander chuckled. "Oh, you all marvel at my monster's defensive capabilities, but trust me…I've only just begun to show you what I'm really capable of! Now, get ready…for I'm taking my turn again!"

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**_neomage:_** Well, now, everyone, the last duel of the second round of Dueltropolis has begun! Not bad, considering I've been busy at school all week this week…but oh well.

And by the way…YES! I made it to 1000 reviews! All right!

Review soon, please, everyone – and the duel continues next chapter!


	256. Chapter 256

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: **(busily typing away at the keyboard)** neomage doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh!)

**CHAPTER 256**

DUELTROPOLIS

Luke now had 7700 life points, while Zander had an intact 8000. Luke held three cards in hand; Zander, one. On the field Luke had Armor Exe and Master Monk in Attack Mode and one monster facedown in Defense Mode, plus his Pitch-Black Power Stone trap card with only one magic counter left on it; Zander had Destiny Hero – Defender in Defense Mode and one other monster facedown in Defense Mode, plus he had three magic cards active, the Dark Door, the Vengeful Bog Spirit, and the Ground Collapse that now sealed off two of Luke's monster zones, and he also had one other card facedown.

Now Zander took his turn and drew again, so now he held two cards in his hand…and as this occurred, the last Magic counter on Luke's Pitch Black Power Stone vanished for his Armor Exe's effect, and the card disappeared from the field. Seeing this, Miriam groaned, "Oh, man…now the Armor Exe won't be around on Luke's next turn!"

"Too bad," Zander shrugged. "Now…I summon Melchid the Four-Faced Beast (ATK 1500, DEF 1200) in Attack Mode!" And he summoned to the field a strange creature that rotated all around, showing a different face on each of its four sides. "And now, I'll just end my turn."

_He's got to be crazy! Why would he summon a monster weaker than my Master Monk without doing anything else…unless…_ Luke frowned as he analyzed the situation. _Unless he WANTS me to attack him! Or why else would he have that facedown card in his magic/trap slot? Well, sorry, but I'm not buying into that!_

Again Luke drew, so now he held four cards. And then, just like that—his Armor Exe crumbled into dust. "Since I didn't have any Magic counters to remove from my side of the field during the Standby Phase, Armor Exe is destroyed," Luke announced.

"Well, allow me to give you some compensation for that," said Zander. "Because my Destiny Hero – Defender has a rather unusual effect: If he is face-up in Defense Mode on my side of the field during your Standby Phase, you get to draw a card from your deck. So, you've just drawn for your mandatory draw…now you can draw one more card."

"Okay, then," and Luke drew an extra card. "Ohhh…Looks like I've got something in my hand that'll force you right down to your knees!"

"And what makes you say that, now?" queried Zander curiously.

"You'll soon see," said Luke. "For the time being, though, I'll set one monster in Defense Mode, and two cards facedown, and then I'll end my turn."

"You didn't attack my Four-Faced Beast, even though your Master Monk is obviously stronger," Zander noted.

"Because I'm more cautious than reckless," replied Luke.

"A wise decision, that," said Zander. "But I'm afraid that none of your choices in this duel will make any difference once I'm done with you."

He drew once again. "Well, now…allow me to show you something really interesting! First, I will activate the magic card, Graceful Charity, to draw three cards and then discard two from my hand!"

Quickly he drew his three cards, then selected two of them and discarded them to the Graveyard. Then he chose one of the two cards he had left in his hand. "And next, I'll activate the magic card Premature Burial, paying 800 of my life points to Special Summon from my Graveyard…Batteryman AA (ATK 0, DEF 0)!"

One moment later, even as his life points went down to 7200, he had called from the great beyond—a thin reddish battery look-alike. Everyone was dumbfounded by it. "Oh, come on, mate; what the hell is THAT?" David complained.

"Oh, don't be too critical of Batteryman AA," Zander advised. "His ATK may be weak now, but…if he's face-up in Attack Mode, his ATK increases by 1000 points for each Batteryman AA on my side of the field…and if he's face-up in Defense Mode, then likewise his DEF increases by 1000 for each Batteryman AA on my side." And, as if to underscore the point, suddenly Batteryman AA's ATK – previously at a very flat 0 – rose to 1000.

"Well, even with that, he's still too weak to stand up to anything on my side of the field," Luke declared.

"In that case, watch this!" Zander held aloft the last card left in his hand. "For now I'll offer this Batteryman AA as a tribute to summon something absolutely shocking: the Super-Electromagnetic Voltech Dragon (ATK 2400, DEF 1000)!"

Suddenly, Zander's Premature Burial card disappeared from the field…but for some strange reason, the Batteryman AA remained. Malachi noticed this and frowned. _What's going on here?_

Suddenly, there emerged on the field a large metallic dragon, with electricity coursing all over its body! The Batteryman AA quickly jumped up onto the creature's body, entering into its wide-open chest cavity – and the Voltech Dragon became completely covered in electric current as its ATK rose to 3400!

"Holy hell! Are you seeing this, mates?" David, on the sidelines, exclaimed in utter astonishment.

"That thing's gotten so…powerful!" Miriam cried.

"Hey! Explain yourself!" Luke demanded.

"All right," said Zander. "You see, the Super-Electromagnetic Voltech Dragon has a three-fold effect, which all depends on the monster I tribute to summon it. If I tribute the monster known as the Batteryman D (ATK 0, DEF 1900), in order to summon the Voltech Dragon, then the Voltech Dragon is able to negate the effect of any Magic or Trap card that targets it. If I tribute the Batteryman C (ATK 0, DEF 0), then when the Voltech Dragon battles a Defense Mode monster and its ATK is higher than that monster's DEF, the difference is calculated from my opponent's life points as battle damage. And…in the case of the monster I just tributed to summon the Voltech Dragon, the Batteryman AA…now the Voltech Dragon's ATK has increased by 1000 points!"

"Whoa…quite a mouthful, but I think I got the gist of what you're saying," said Luke, rubbing the back of his head.

"Ah, so you do understand my lengthy, professor-like explanation," Zander smiled. "Then you'll understand that I'm not going to attack you—just like you didn't trust my facedown card earlier, I don't trust your facedown cards now. And anyway, Voltech Dragon can't attack yet because of my Vengeful Bog Spirit magic card. So, I'll end my turn."

"Hmmm…this Zander person is a cautious one, I'll give him that," mused Malachi.

Miriam looked on fretfully at the field. "Come on, Luke," she whispered.

Again Luke took his turn and drew a card—and then, because of the effect of Destiny Hero – Defender, he drew another one, so now he held four. Looking at the cards he now held in hand, his eyes widened…then slowly a smile appeared over his face. "All right, mate…I've got just what I need right here in my hand to take you down!"

"So show me, then," Zander invited.

Luke promptly pointed to one of the two facedown monsters he had on the field. "I'll now Flip summon my Mine Golem (ATK 1000, DEF 1900) into Attack Mode!" And as he flipped the card into Attack Mode, it revealed his stone sentinel with the gun turrets ready.

David's eyebrows cocked upward. "Bro…?"

Then Luke pointed to one of the facedown cards in his magic/trap slot. "And now, I'll activate the trap card, Minefield Eruption! Now you'll get 1000 points of damage for each Mine Golem on my side of the field!"

All at once the Mine Golem's gun turrets pointed forward at an astonished Zander—and blasted him with such a great deal of force, reducing his life points to 6200! Zander himself got thrown back a little, apparently paralyzed by the assault! "OW!" he cried out as he landed heavily on the ground.

Then, as suddenly as it had begun its assault, the Mine Golem self-destructed! "Unfortunately, that's the other part of Minefield Eruption's effect," admitted Luke. "After the trap's effect inflicts damage to you, it destroys every Mine Golem on my side of the field. However, that's to be the least of your worries right about now…especially considering what else I've got in store for you!"

He then pointed to the other card in his magic/trap slot. "Next, I'll activate this trap card – Rock Bombardment! Now, I'll send one Rock-type monster from my deck to my Graveyard, and then you'll get 500 points of damage to your life points, after which I shuffle my deck!"

Luke's other card flipped face-up, as he sent one monster card, his Legendary Jujitsu Master (ATK 1300, DEF 1800) straight from his deck to the Graveyard – then a whole bombardment of rocks fell from seemingly nowhere and landed all around an astonished Zander, further reducing his life points to 5700! "Ow! Ow! Ow!" Zander cursed as he narrowly dodged to avoid getting flattened by random rocks.

Luke then held up one card from his hand. "Now, then, I'll offer my facedown monster as a tribute to summon this fellow – Granmarg the Rock Monarch (ATK 2400, DEF 1000)!"

Moments later Luke's facedown monster vanished from the field—and in its place was the big, hulking mass of rock that was Granmarg. "And when he's Tribute Summoned successfully," added Luke with a faint smirk on his face, "his effect destroys one facedown card on the field – and I'm going for that facedown card in your magic/trap slot!"

As Zander watched in growing consternation, Granmarg slammed his giant fists into the ground, creating a shockwave that tore through the facedown card in Zander's magic/trap zone. Then Luke held up one of the three cards left in his hand. "And now…time for me to summon something that'll scare the crap outta you!" he announced.

"What? What now?" Zander asked.

Luke promptly played the card. "Say hello to Megarock Dragon (ATK ? DEF ?)!"

Just then, from right there in the ground, the giant stone dragon burst forth to do battle! "Megarock Dragon can only be Special Summoned by my removing from play any number of Rock-type monsters in my Graveyard," Luke informed Zander. "And I had five such monsters in the Graveyard…now, let's allow you to see them, eh?"

Then five silhouetted figures appeared, hovering over Luke's side of the field. Zander studied each one intently. "Monk Fighter, Armor Exe, Mine Golem, Legendary Jujitsu Master and…Moai Interceptor Cannons (ATK 1100, DEF 2000)? Where'd that come from?"

"It's the monster I tributed to summon Granmarg the Rock Monarch a while ago, friend," Luke reminded him. "And get this, as well—when Special Summoned, Megarock Dragon's ATK and DEF become the number of Rock-type monsters I removed from play to Special Summon it, times 700 points – that makes 3500 points for both its ATK and DEF, and definitely enough to take down your Voltech Dragon!"

Zander took in the situation at a glance. "Uh-oh!"

"Now, I'd love to blast your Voltech Dragon with my Megarock Dragon, admitted Luke, "but unfortunately, since he was just summoned, he can't attack yet thanks to your Vengeful Bog Spirit magic card…and neither can Granmarg the Rock Monarch either, for that matter. So, instead…I'll have Master Monk destroy your Melchid the Four-Faced Beast! Do it now, Master Monk!"

Master Monk responded to Luke's command instantly, moving forward at terrific speed and ramming his fist into Melchid. Zander's monster was destroyed instantly, and Zander himself winced as his life points shot down to 5300!

"Woo-hoo! Way to go, bro – show that guy who's boss!" David cheered.

"Awesome display there, Luke!" Miriam squealed in ecstacy.

"Hmmm…not bad, I guess," Malachi shrugged.

"And there's more, too," said Luke. "Because Master Monk can attack twice during the same turn – and as far as I see, there aren't any restrictions on how many times a monster can attack in the same turn! So, go for it, Master Monk – and destroy his facedown monster!"

Again Master Monk dashed forward, ramming his fist into Zander's facedown monster card…but when it was flipped face-up, it revealed a purple lizard-like creature – who, as it was killed by Master Monk's attack, shocked Master Monk so badly that the monk was immobilized! "What…!" Luke exclaimed.

"That monster just now was my Electric Lizard (ATK 850, DEF 800)," explained Zander. "If it's attacked by a monster that's not a Zombie, type, then the monster that attacked it cannot attack on its next turn."

"Damn…should've been more careful," mused Luke. "Well, anyway, to finish up, I'll set one card facedown, and end my turn."

Zander began brushing his clothes off from all the dust that had been blown around by the force of Luke's actions. "I like your power, friend…in fact, I find you and your strategy and antics quite…entertaining," he admitted. "Let's have a little more entertainment."

Now the score stood at Luke with 7700 life points and Zander with 5300. Luke had one card in his hand; Zander had none. On the field Luke had his Granmarg the Rock Monarch, Master Monk and Megarock Dragon in Attack Mode, and one other card facedown in the magic/trap slot; Zander, meanwhile, had the Dark Door and Vengeful Bog Spirit magic cards restraining both players and the Ground Collapse magic card still sealing Luke's two unused monster zones, plus in addition he had the Super-Electromagnetic Voltech Dragon in Attack Mode with its ATK increased to 3400 by its effect, and Destiny Hero – Defender still in Defense Mode.

Zander took his turn and drew…and he stared at the card in his hand for a long, long moment. Then, very slowly, he looked up at Luke…and the smile that had been present on his face thinned a little. "I need to make a bit of an amendment to my statement just now," he remarked. "Yes, there will be entertainment…but the entertainment in question will be for you to show me just how long you'll be able to stand up against the ultimate power which I now hold in my hand."

"What's that mean, now?" Luke asked, a growing feeling of suspicion in his mind.

In reply Zander held up the card he'd drawn. "I shall now Special Summon a great beast…by offering three Continuous Magic cards on my side of the field and sending them to the Graveyard!" he announced. "Now, I'll send the Dark Door, Vengeful Bog Spirit and Ground Collapse magic cards to the Graveyard to summon my mighty creature…Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder (ATK 4000, DEF 4000)!"

Suddenly there was a massive flash of lightning from the sky, a flash that obliterated Zander's three magic cards! The flash was so bright, everybody else had to cover their faces or risk being blinded! "Yow! That's insane!" David exclaimed.

"Yikes!" Miriam screamed.

For a long moment, not one of them dared even to peek, in case that bright light was still. Then Malachi, deciding to brave it, lowered his arms from his face…and what he saw made his jaw drop. "…holy shit…"

Hearing the shock in Malachi's voice, Miriam, David and Luke all lifted their eyes…and stared. "What…in…the…" David's voice failed him right there.

"What on earth?" Miriam asked in disbelief.

Luke, too, couldn't believe his eyes. "Oh, hell…"

Right there on Zander's side of the field, overshadowing even the Super-Electromagnetic Voltech Dragon and Destiny Hero – Defender, was a huge golden skeletal creature with large wings and a whole lot of lightning flashing all around it! "Meet Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder," Zander spoke up. "He's got enough power to take down any of your monsters that I choose, with little to no effort. Allow me to show you."

He looked at each of Luke's monsters. "Now, my great beast Hamon! Reduce his Megarock Dragon to rubble!"

Hamon's body began to charge completely with electricity—and several sparks shot out randomly, dangerously close to where Malachi and the others stood! "HEY, YOU PRICK! WATCH IT!" David exploded.

"David, now would not be a good time to be insulting the monster," Malachi warned, warily watching Hamon.

Miriam's attention, however, was completely focused on Luke. _Dear Lord…!_

And then…Hamon opened its mouth and blasted a gigantic burst of lightning straight at Megarock Dragon! "Say goodbye to your beast!" Zander yelled.

But Luke's face suddenly hardened. "Not yet! I activate my trap card – Negate Attack! This'll stop your attack and bring an end to this Battle Phase!"

Suddenly a massive vortex appeared right in front of Megarock Dragon, absorbing all of Hamon's attack in one go! Seeing this, Zander was a tad disappointed. "Hmph…and I was sure I'd have had you right then," he commented.

Luke shook his head slowly. "I told you before: this is more than just a duel to me. This is for the sake of that person that is precious to me. So, I can't lose now…even if the odds are heavily and obviously against me."

Miriam put a hand to her breast, feeling her heart thumping inside. _Luke…_

David looked on solemnly. "Bro…"

Malachi eyed Luke, but said nothing.

Zander smirked. "So…just because you've stopped me from attacking once, you think you can stop me? Well…why don't you try and show me just how far you think your determination will carry you?"

Luke narrowed his eyes at this challenge. "Then, that's what I'll do." And with that, he readied himself to draw…

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**_neomage:_** Note to self: use more Destiny Hero cards in the next chapter. Anyway, thanks to all of you who have reviewed up to now, and keep reading! This duel continues next chappie!


	257. Chapter 257

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: **(a foreboding shadow arises behind neomage)** This author does not own Yu-Gi-Oh in any way, except for possession of a few cards.)

**CHAPTER 257**

DUELTROPOLIS

The stats of the duel between Zander and Luke was shown: Luke was in the lead with 7700 life points, while Zander had 5300. Zander had no cards in his hand; Luke had one. And on the field Luke had his Megarock Dragon with 3500 ATK points, Granmarg the Rock Monarch, and Master Monk – all in Attack Mode; Zander had Destiny Hero – Defender in Defense Mode, and the Super-Electromagnetic Voltech Dragon and Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder, in Attack Mode.

And now, Luke was about to take his turn.

_Okay, let's analyze this whole scenario in front of me…he's got some god-awful monsters on his side of the field, including one that can take out any one of my monsters at any time! But on the other hand, it's my turn now…so very likely I can draw a decent enough card to get me out of this jam! Well, all right…here goes!_

Swiftly he drew a card from his deck – and then, because of Destiny Hero – Defender's effect, he drew a second card, so now he held three in his hand. "All right…let's see what kind of cards I've gotten now," he murmured, looking at his hand. "What the—YES!"

Zander raised an eyebrow. "I take it you think you've gotten something useful?" he asked.

"I don't _think_ I've gotten something useful—I _know_ I've gotten something useful!" Luke countered. "First, I'll offer my Master Monk as a tribute to summon this creature – Hieracosphinx (ATK 2400, DEF 1200)!"

Granmarg vanished from the field in a moment…and then, in his place stood a monstrous sphinx with the head and wings of a condor and the body of a mountain lion. Zander shook his head as he looked at this new creature. "And just how is that supposed to scare me?"

"It's supposed to scare you because of the card I'm going to play next," Luke said coolly. "You'll soon see it, so there's no need to rush."

Then, relaxing his stance a little, he turned his head to look at the others on the sidelines. "Boss…little brother…Miriam," he addressed each of them in turn. "I'm going to show you something really hot, something I've been holding onto for a long time. And I just want you to know…I've never played this before now because I didn't want any of you to be mad at me or jealous of me…"

Malachi raised an eyebrow at this. _He has a card…that I've never seen him play?_

Then, picking one of the two cards left in his hand, Luke turned all his attention back to Zander. "Now…I'm going to offer my Hieracosphinx as a tribute in order to Special Summon my deck's truly most powerful beast…a beast whose power falls into a category all its own…"

Dramatically he held up the card, preparing to play it. "Come to the field, in Defense Mode…I summon you, my monster—Exxod, Master of the Guard (ATK 0, DEF 4000)!"

Hieracosphinx vanished in a flash of light—then suddenly the area began to shake. "Luke…what the hell have you summoned?" David asked, growing fear evident in his tone.

"You'll see shortly," Luke said enigmatically, his eyes and brow overshadowed…

…and suddenly, from out of the ground there arose a giant stone slab, about as tall as Zander's Lord of Striking Thunder and overshadowing everything on Luke's side of the field. Zander looked up at it with unconvinced eyes. "Oh, how scary…an inanimate stone slab is going to—"

Just then the stone slab burst outward, sending stone fragments flying every which where! Several stones flew wide, past the group on the sidelines; but even though the stones were far enough away, still David cringed. "Can't you blokes be a little more careful? There are spectators here, you know!" he exploded.

Then he turned his eyes back to the duel—and his eyes bulged. "…ulp…"

Miriam and Malachi were staring in astonishment, too. "What…IS that?" Miriam whispered.

"How should I know?" Malachi answered, also in a whisper.

For there, on Luke's side of the field, where the stone slab had just been, there was now a massive hulking being, its skin made completely of rock and gravel, dressed in an ancient Egyptian headdress, crouched in a defensive position. Still staring in shock, Malachi blinked. _4000 DEF points…I've never seen any monster with a DEF like this! Is this…really Luke?_

"Meet my Exxod, Master of the Guard," said Luke. "I could only Special Summon him by offering as a tribute one monster on my side of the field that included the word 'sphinx' in its name. And he's got enough DEF points to fend off that Hamon monster you've got there."

"Well, congratulations on summon a strong defensive monster—but your other monsters are still not safe from my Lord of Striking Thunder's immense might!" Zander told Luke.

"That may be…" Luke nodded resolutely. "But I can at least use my Megarock Dragon to take down your Super-Electromagnetic Voltech Dragon! Do it now, Megarock Dragon!" And with that command, Megarock Dragon fired numerous sharp rocks from its body, denting and breaking the Voltech dragon apart and reducing Zander's life points to 5200.

"And now…I will set one more card facedown, shift Granmarg the Rock Monarch into Defense Mode, and end my turn," Luke finished, smiling.

But Zander was no longer smiling at all, even as he drew his next card. "It would seem you're underestimating the real power of Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder! Well…it's about time I showed you just what you're really up against! But first, it's about time I got rid of a little advantage you've been having for a while now!"

He held up the card he'd just drawn. "Because of the effect of my Destiny Hero – Defender, you've been able to draw one card during your Standby Phase, in addition to the one for your regular Draw Phase," he remarked. "But that ends now! I offer the Defender as a tribute to summon a new monster: Destiny Hero – Dasher (ATK 2100, DEF 1000)!"

Destiny Hero – Defender vanished from the field…and then, in its place there stood a robotic figure with wheels in place of hands and feet. "Now, Dasher! Destroy his Granmarg the Rock Monarch!" Zander commanded—and Dasher raced forward on his wheels at surprising speed, ramming the defending Granmarg and reducing him to rubble!

"Ooooh…I felt THAT," Miriam winced as she witnessed Granmarg getting destroyed.

"This sucks…Luke put Granmarg into Defense Mode to protect against that Hamon monster, only to have get destroyed by another monster," David groaned.

Malachi continued to eye the field with a critical gaze.

"And now, it's Hamon's turn to attack!" Zander declared. "Now, Lord of Striking Thunder, tear that Megarock Dragon apart with your power! Judgment Blitz!"

Again Hamon's body charged up with electric energy, and again it fired that energy from its mouth in one massive blast…and this time the attack tore through Megarock Dragon, blasting it into pieces and reducing Luke's life points to 7200. But then, to Luke's horror, the attack didn't dissipate with Megarock Dragon's destruction – it continued right onward, slamming into Luke himself and causing him to scream out in agony as he got electrocuted!

"LUKE!" Miriam screamed.

"Oy, Luke! No!" David yelled.

The force of the attack flung Luke backwards, causing him to land hard on his back as his life points inexplicably shot down to 6200! "Hey, you! What did you do to my brother?" David snarled at Zander, rage clear on his face.

"Don't get too mad—it's merely Hamon's effect," Zander answered coolly. "You see, when he destroys a monster and sends it to the Graveyard as a result of battle, his power inflicts 1000 points of damage to my opponent." His eyes flashed. "That guy made a serious blunder in having me as his opponent. Even if my adversary appears to have an advantage over me at first…"

Malachi's eyes narrowed on hearing this. "So…you were never really worried about losing from the get-go, were you?"

"Should I have been?" returned Zander.

"…hey, you…"

Instantly everyone looked up in one direction. "Luke!" Miriam exclaimed.

"Bro, you all right?" David called worriedly.

Luke was slowly getting up, wincing as he moved his limbs. "…feel…numb…" he managed to gasp out. "But…I'm not…giving up now!"

Zander shook his head. "Look here…it's been all fun up to now, but now you should have realized the kind of power that I've got at my fingertips. You can feel it for yourself, can't you? Your joints must be tingling in agony from that attack Hamon pulled on you just now. You'd better lay back down, before you hurt yourself."

Forcing himself to stand up, Luke had his teeth gritted. "Not…happening," he grunted. "I swore…I swore I'd win…so I could win back the right…to be with Miriam…and I'm not going to roll over and play dead…not after I've come this far!"

Zander sighed. "Very well. If that's what you want. Well, now the Battle Phase is over…"

Suddenly, inexplicably, Destiny Hero – Dasher crouched down so his appearance resembled that of a car. "Ah, yes…when Dasher attacks, at the end of that Battle Phase he's flipped into Defense Mode. Well, anyway, I end my turn."

Now the score and stats had changed considerably: Zander had 5200 life points, while Luke still led with 6200. Luke had Exxod, Master of the Guard, in Defense Mode and one other card facedown; Zander had Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder, in Attack Mode and Destiny Hero – Dasher in Defense Mode. Neither had any cards in hand.

Still feeling a painful numbing, tingling sensation in his body from Hamon's last attack, Luke could feel his hand trembling as he reached to draw his next card. _At least…at least Exxod's DEF will protect me for a while, but still…if I don't find some way to take down Hamon quickly…! My only hope now is if I can get something that'll help me turn this duel around!_

Wincing from the sting of electric shock still in his body, he drew. He eyed the card in his hand for a long moment…then looked up. "All right…I'm going to bet the fate of this duel on this card! I summon Chu-Ske the Mouse Fighter (ATK 1200, DEF 0) in Attack Mode!"

A moment later his mouse fighter appeared on the field, shadowboxing for practice. "Um…Luke? Exactly how is that going to help you?" asked a dumbfounded David.

"By itself, it's not very helpful in my current situation," admitted Luke. "But with this card, it'll have power unlike anything ever seen before! I activate my facedown Magic card—Kaminote Blow!"

Luke's facedown card finally flipped face-up – and suddenly Chu-Ske suddenly got much bigger and more muscular! "What is this, now?" Zander asked curiously.

"It's a Magic card that works with Chu-Ske the Mouse Fighter, Monk Fighter, or Master Monk, as long as at least one of them is on the field," explained Luke. "Now, any monster that battles any of the above during this turn will be destroyed at the end of the damage step."

_At the end of the…_ Malachi's eyes suddenly went wide in surprise. _Luke! Are you going to…!_

"Chu-Ske…" Luke spoke slowly. "You understand what needs to be done…right?"

Chu-Ske didn't move for a long moment. Then, it turned its head toward Luke and nodded quietly, as if to say it understood.

"All right…go for it, Chu-Ske!" Luke yelled. "As much as this is gonna hurt both of us – strike down Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder!"

"WHAT?" Miriam exclaimed. "Luke, have you gone mad?"

"Don't do it!" David cried out.

But already Chu-Ske was sprinting forward toward Hamon! "Fool! Committing suicide—how utterly pointless!" Zander yelled. "Hamon, counterattack and blast that useless little rat!"

Hamon shot a massive burst of lightning from its mouth, hitting Chu-Ske dead on and sharply reducing Luke's life points to 3400. The lightning tore Chu-Ske's bottom half off and hit Luke again, shocking him once more and knocking him back as Hamon's effect brought his life points further down to 2400—but suddenly, what was left of Chu-Ske smashed into Hamon's skull, breaking the bone and ripping straight through!

"WHAT!" Zander shouted in utter astonishment.

Now, even as the remains of Chu-Ske's body went through the hole left in Hamon's head and disintegrated into nothing…Hamon's thrashing body collapsed to the ground with a thunderous CRASH! Zander stared at Hamon's corpse as it vanished into thin air. "My…my beast…beaten by such a puny creature…"

Luke, slowly picking himself up from where he'd been knocked down, grinned. "You see? Chu-Ske…wasn't so useless after all…"

Malachi blinked. _That Luke would take such a heavy-hitting risk knowingly…all for her sake…_ He glanced sideways at Miriam, who was unaware of this action but was keeping all her attention focused on the playing field.

Zander's lips curled upward in a smirk. "Well, how about that? You actually managed to defeat my mighty beast. That maneuver just now took some serious guts, I'll acknowledge that…HOWEVER…" His smirk turned upside-down. "You may have broken my Lord of Striking Thunder, but in retribution, I will break **_you."_**

Luke smiled tiredly. "C'mon…gimme your best shot."

Eyes narrowed into slits, Zander drew his next card—and the look on his face changed to one of utter surprise when he looked at it. Then suddenly an evil grin appeared on his face. "Heh…looks like this duel will still be mine, regardless of your futile efforts!"

"Huh?" Luke looked at him with amazement.

Then Zander gestured to the field. "I'll shift Destiny Hero – Dasher back into Attack Mode…" And a moment later Dasher stood erect again, ready to battle. Then Zander held up the card he'd drawn. "And now, I summon Destiny Hero – Doom Lord (ATK 600, DEF 800) in Attack Mode!"

A few seconds later, beside Dasher appeared a white-masked man wearing black clothes with a maroon cape, and long claws on his hands. "And Doom Lord has a very powerful effect, in spite of his stats," said Zander, chuckling maliciously. "If he's in Attack Mode on my side of the field, his power can remove one monster on my opponent's field from play! Do it now, Doom Lord—get rid of Exxod, Master of the Guard!"

Doom Lord's cape lifted into the air slightly—and suddenly Exxod was impaled all over with seemingly millions of knives! "AGH! Exxod! No!" Luke yelled out, helplessly reaching for Exxod as its image vanished from the field altogether.

"No…then that means Luke's life points are…" David began.

"Relax," Zander spoke up. "He's lucky. You see, I can't attack with any monsters in the same turn that I use Doom Lord's effect – and during my second Standby Phase after using the effect, the targeted monster will be returned to the field in the same battle position it was in when it was removed from play. So, in other words, after my opponent's next two turns he'll get his monster back. And, since I can't attack now, I'll end my turn."

He chuckled. "Only question now is…will you get lucky, man?"

Gritting his teeth, Luke drew his next card – but then he paled. "Aw, damn…well…I'll set one more card facedown, and end my turn."

Malachi frowned deeply. _Luke…is that your final card?_

"Is that it, then? Is that all you've got to show for your bravado last turn—a failed attempt at a bluff?" Zander asked mockingly. "I could see it on your face when you drew just now—that card you just drew was useless to you at this point. Well, then, if it's okay with you, I think I'll end this here and now."

He drew again. "Now, I summon my Destiny Hero – Diamond Dude (ATK 1400, DEF 1600)!" And then he called forth a green-caped man with diamonds protruding from his clothes and limbs "And now…it's the end of the line for you! Destiny Heroes, show no mercy! Take him apart!"

"NO!" Miriam screamed.

But already the three Destiny Heroes were attacking Luke. Diamond Dude pointed his fists forward, firing numerous sharp diamond shards that cut into Luke's skin and reduced him to 1000 life points—then Doom Lord waved his arms around, and Luke got impaled all over by numerous knives that emerged from seemingly nowhere, further reducing him to 400 life points—and then Dasher raced forward and slammed an elbow into Luke's jaw, causing blood to fly from his mouth and bringing the last of his life points to 0!

Then the three monsters went back to Zander's side of the field; he deactivated his Duel-Disk, and all three vanished at once. "Pfft…I win," Zander announced. "And he was nothing."

David, frozen in place by shock at his brother's brutal beating, snapped. **_"YOU BASTARD!"_** he raged. **_"I'M GONNA KICK YOUR ASS!"_**

Vengeance on his mind, David dashed at Zander—but suddenly found himself pulled back by Malachi. "Boss, no! Let me go! LET ME GO, DAMMIT!" he screamed, struggling and thrashing around like a man gone mad.

"David…with the kind of power he's wielding, you wouldn't last…" Malachi suddenly paused in mid-sentence—and his eyes widened in real astonishment. "Holy…"

Miriam, too, was staring in horror. "My God…"

Right there on the playing field, Luke was somehow still standing even after the brutal assault he'd just undergone. It was obvious that it was taking everything he had just to stay standing; his body was wobbling all over, dangerously close to collapsing. "…hey…where're you goin'…?" he rasped at Zander. "I'm…not…done with you yet…"

Miriam could take no more. She ran over to Luke, swiftly embracing him. "Luke…Luke, please…no more," she beseeched him, the tears finally coming. "Just…stop…don't punish yourself anymore, I beg you…"

Malachi's face hardened. "David, you'll be a lot more effective helping Miriam with Luke right about now than you would be attacking that guy. Get to it."

David—who'd stopped his ranting and raving long enough to stare in amazement at Luke's Herculean feat just now—nodded quickly. Freeing himself from Malachi's grasp, he ran over to where Miriam was still tightly hugging Luke. "Oy, Miriam…give him here…give him here…"

Sobbing, Miriam reluctantly let go of Luke—and only then did Luke himself fall over, and he would've landed hard on the ground if David hadn't caught him. "Easy there, bro, easy now," David urged as he gently lay his brother down.

Malachi watched as David and the still-crying Miriam tended to Luke. _Even after getting mauled like that throughout the duel…still you insist on keeping the promise you made…_ Slowly he cast his eyes down. _I don't get to see such determination every day…_

He looked up at Zander, who was casually walking off. "Hey, you."

Zander paused, but didn't turn around. "Can I help you with something?"

Malachi had a poker-face on…but when he spoke again, his tone spoke volumes. "Understand one thing. If anything happens to that guy, it'll make my sister extremely unhappy. And I do not like seeing my sister unhappy." Now his eyes narrowed and his mouth set in a bitter line. "And if he doesn't recover and she grieves because of that…I'll be coming after you. And you DO NOT want me after you."

Zander still didn't turn around…but he smirked. "I'd like to see you try, if that should happen." And without another word, he walked off, Malachi glaring after him while David and Miriam continued to tend to Luke.

----------

**_neomage:_** And so, ladies and gentlemen, the second round of Dueltropolis has finally, officially come to a close…and very soon, the finals will begin! Now, who will be pitted against whom in the upcoming round? Stay tuned to find out, people!


	258. Chapter 258

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: **(swamped by piles upon piles of homework)** I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! And…HELP ME, SOMEBODY!)

**CHAPTER 258**

DUELTROPOLIS

"Just a little further…and then we'll be at Pegasus's castle!" Jenna chirped happily.

"And then you girls will be able to compete in the next round," Ricardo added, a grin on his face.

Jillian shrugged. "I wonder if Sir Seta has arrived at the castle already?" she wondered aloud.

"Knowing Seta Kaiba, he probably already has," grunted Marcus. "I'll bet he's waiting on one of the castle balconies right now, eating caviar on toast and wondering if the competition will be any good…"

"The competition _would_ be more than good—if we were still competing, that is," said Flora. "At least we'll be able to witness the next couple of duels."

The five were walking together on a path that led straight toward Pegasus's castle; the castle itself was only a good hundred yards from where they now stood. "Yeah…finally…we'll soon get some rest after all the walking we've done since that last duel," Ricardo smirked, and he stretched.

"I know I could definitely use the rest—Miriam was a tough opponent," nodded Jenna, reflecting on her recent duel against Miriam Jordan.

"And I need some quiet time to restructure my deck in preparation for my next set of matches," added Jillian, and she patted her pocket where her deck was safely snug.

"Well, shall we make haste and get inside, then?" Flora recommended.

----------

A few moments later, the group was near the castle entrance, right where the two entrance guards stood. "We saw you coming from a little distance away," one guard addressed them. "Congratulations on making it into the finals, all of you."

"Actually…it's just these two who'll be competing in the rest of the tournament," Marcus corrected, and he indicated Jenna and Jillian for emphasis. "The rest of us are simply going to watch the matches hereafter."

"That's fine," the other guard nodded. "Three other competitors have already arrived, and one of them will be a spectator for the upcoming matches as well."

The first guard appraised Jenna and Jillian. "So, two more duelists for the finals of the tournament, eh?" he remarked. "Well, we hope to see a good performance from you two."

"You'll get that, and then some," Jillian returned coolly.

"Now, then, I should inform Mr. Pegasus and the other members of the World Tournament Committee of your arrival," the second guard suggested.

"No need," a voice spoke up from behind. "I'll take them inside myself."

The two guards turned, and at once stood at attention. "Mr. Devlin, sir!"

Indeed it was Duke Devlin, and he nodded at the two guards. "I just thought I'd come outside for a breath of fresh air, and I saw you guys," he addressed the group.

Jenna stepped forward. "Good to see you again, sir," she spoke up.

"You too, Jenna," Mr. Devlin nodded. "And congratulations are in order for you and Ms. Jillian Uriah here, for making it this far in the Dueltropolis tournament."

"Sure," Jillian nodded.

"Well, without further ado, will you all follow me? I'll take care of the accommodations for you," and Mr. Devlin turned and headed for the castle's front steps. Nodding to each other, Jenna, Jillian and the others hurried past the guards and after Mr. Devlin, into the castle.

----------

MOMENTS LATER

A few moments later, Mr. Devlin and the newly-arrived group were in the castle's main hall. "Ooohhh…would you look at this place…" Jenna looked around, marveling at the grandeur around her.

"Yeah—this place puts Duel Academy's main auditorium to shame!" Ricardo exclaimed.

"Well, wait'll you see the little surprises that Pegasus has prepared for the finalists," remarked Mr. Devlin, a twinkle in his eye. "I guarantee, they'll blow you out of the water."

"Surprises, hmm?" Jillian raised an eyebrow.

"Now, now, Devlin-boy, no need to spoil the surprises before the time," a familiar voice announced. Turning, the group witnessed Maximillion Pegasus himself emerging from a doorway near the end of the hall. "Well, well, well…welcome to all the new guests!"

"Heh…the Master of Ceremonies himself," Marcus chuckled, earning him a discreet elbow-nudge from Flora.

"So, five of you…that makes a total of seven finalists now, yes?" Pegasus asked.

"Not quite," Mr. Devlin spoke up. "Only two of these good people have actually qualified for the next round—Jenna Wheeler and Jillian Uriah."

"Oh, I know, I know," and Pegasus laughed. "I was just joking."

"Pretty lame joke with bad taste," Marcus scowled.

"My apologies," said Pegasus, genuine remorse in his voice. "I understand you may be disappointed because you won't be competing any further in the tournament. I should have been a little more tactful."

"Apology accepted, Mr. Pegasus," Flora said graciously.

Marcus sighed and shrugged. "Yeah, sure, whatever."

Jillian decided to shift the topic. "Mr. Pegasus…who are the other finalists who've already arrived?"

Suddenly, before Pegasus could reply, a door banged nearby, grabbing everybody's attention. "Damn it, Joey, what's wrong with you? The kitchen isn't this way—it's the OTHER way!" a harsh voice snapped.

"Like you know your way around this castle!" a second voice growled.

"Of course I remember my way—we've been here before, remember? Back when Yugi entered the Duelist Kingdom tournament?" the first voice answered.

"Hell-o, Tristan—they've done major renovating since then!" the second voice rose in angry pitch. "And it's been years since you last came here, anyway—what do you know?"

"More than you, that's for sure!" the first voice took on an ugly undertone.

Jenna blinked. "Dad? Uncle Tristan? What're you guys doing here?"

Then the door swung back—and behind it were Mr. Wheeler and Mr. Taylor, in the process of strangling each other. Both of them sweat-dropped upon realizing they'd been spotted. "Oh, uh…hi, honey," Mr. Wheeler waved to his daughter.

"Pegasus invited the old folks to come here," Mr. Devlin explained to Jenna.

"Seriously? So, like, Mr. Muto and Mom and all the others are here, too?" Jenna asked. "But why are they _here?"_

Pegasus chuckled. "Just a little something I needed to discuss with the lot of them," he told her. "There's no need to worry about it. Oh, and gentlemen…" speaking to Mr. Wheeler and Mr. Taylor. "If you're looking for the kitchen, it's _that_ way. Although I doubt the kitchen staff would appreciate you barging in on them while they're working…"

"Thanks!" The two men immediately bolted off in one direction, not heeding the rest of Pegasus's message.

Ricardo blinked in disbelief. "Those guys are related to you, Jenna?" he inquired.

"Yeah…well…" Jenna scratched the back of her head in embarrassment. "They tend to think with their bellies instead of their brains, I'll admit that much."

"Well, enough of all that for now," Mr. Devlin spoke up. "The qualified duelists need to be shown to their rooms, yes?"

"That's correct," agreed Pegasus. "I'll take them upstairs to the rooms. Meanwhile, you can take the others to where they'll be staying – Alex-girl showed you those rooms, didn't she?"

"Sure she did," nodded Mr. Devlin. Then he beckoned to Marcus, Flora and Ricardo. "Come along, you three. I think you'll like the accommodations very much."

"Let's hope so," said Marcus, as he started off after Mr. Devlin.

"Well, see you guys later," Ricardo said to Jenna and Jillian as he headed off.

"Good luck in the rest of the tournament when it begins," Flora added, walking behind Ricardo.

Pegasus smiled at Jenna and Jillian. "Well, ladies, shall we go?"

"Let's!" nodded Jenna.

"Sure, sure," said Jillian.

"Then follow me," and with that Pegasus turned and headed for a nearby staircase. Nodding to each other, Jenna and Jillian followed after him.

----------

A FEW MINUTES LATER

Natasha Truesdale was sitting near a window, looking out at the landscape below and beyond. "I wonder how many more people are gonna make it," she whispered.

There was a knock at the door. "Come in!" she called.

The door swung open, and then Mr. Devlin stepped inside. "Oh, hello, sir," Natasha hailed him.

"Hello to you, too," answered Mr. Devlin. "Enjoying the view?"

"It's real great," Natasha answered. "I'm glad Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki let me stay in here. It's such a cool place to relax and wait for the rest of the tournament to start."

"Well, I'm glad to see you're comfortable," Mr. Devlin nodded at her. "But it must have been a bit boring for you, waiting here all by yourself. Well, now you're about to have company." Then he looked over his shoulder. "All right, guys, you can come on in now."

In the next moment Marcus, Flora and Ricardo stepped into the room. "Natasha?" Ricardo said with surprise.

"Oh, hi, Ricardo!" Natasha greeted him. "But—you're not competing anymore?"

"I kinda got knocked out early, to be honest," Ricardo confessed, rubbing the back of his head and chuckling a little.

"Well, I guess that means we'll both be watching Janus and Yugo in the finals, then," Natasha smiled.

"Oh? Janus made it?" Ricardo asked, very impressed. "Well, who'd have known!"

"And Yugo, too," mused Flora. "Then again, I guess it was to be expected that _he_ would make it."

Marcus went over to another window-seat and sat down. "Gotta admit, it's a pretty nice view from here," he reported. "At least this way, we can see who else will be coming to the castle."

"I'll sit with you," said Flora, and she went over to where Marcus was and sat down beside him.

Ricardo sat down near Natasha, too. "So, Natasha…tell me about your experiences in the tournament," he spoke to her.

"Uh, well…there's really not much to tell, I'm afraid," Natasha admitted.

"Come on—please?" Ricardo insisted.

Natasha smiled. "Well, all right, I'll tell you."

----------

Meanwhile, upstairs in his designated room, Yugo was on the bed, flat on his back. His eyes slowly fluttered open. "Wow…that was such a nice sleep session," he muttered, and then he yawned.

Sitting up, he stretched. "Well, guess I'd better take a little walk to get the sleep out of my body," he decided.

So, jumping out of bed, he headed for the door and opened it—and nearly walked out right into Pegasus, Jillian and Jenna. "Whoa, there!" Jillian exclaimed, grabbing Yugo to prevent a collision.

"Huh? Oh, hey there!" Yugo cried.

Jenna walked up to him and embraced him. "Congrats, Yugo," she smiled. "Mr. Pegasus was just telling us how you and Janus made it into the next round of the tournament."

"Yeah…and from the looks of things, you did, too," Yugo replied.

Then Jenna broke the embrace. "By the way, Yugo, did you know our folks are here?"

"Yeah, I know," Yugo affirmed. "At least, this way we can have a great audience for the next round."

"Yugo-boy, I take it Janus showed you the rooms, yes?" Pegasus addressed Yugo. "Can I ask you to show these ladies to their rooms, as well?"

"Sure thing!" Yugo then beckoned to Jenna and Jillian. "Follow me!"

"Uh-huh," said Jillian. And with that she and Jenna walked off with Yugo, even as Pegasus smiled and turned away in the direction of the staircase.

----------

Not far away, in his room, Janus was sitting on his bed, his entire collection of cards spread out before him. Sorting the cards apart from each other, he paused as he heard the conversation outside his door. _Oh…so more folks have come, huh? This should be interesting…_

Then he turned his attention back to the cards before him. _All right…my deck is powerful enough as it is right now, but from here on out this tournament is definitely going to be merciless. Especially with a player like Yugo…_

He looked toward the window…and his eyes suddenly became reflective. _He definitely seems like he's come far, for real…but the only way to know for sure is to face him again. In that case…_

Carefully he reached into his Osiris Red jacket and pulled out a small box. _It's been a long time since I last used THESE…these cards hold immense power, so I've always refrained from using them in order to make my duels against my opponents fair. But now…now, it's necessary for me to unseal them, if I'm going to know whether Yugo's really come to understand the true meaning of bonding with his cards…_

With that, he began to scratch at the plastic wrap on the box with his fingernail. _Yugo…if I am your next opponent…show me the spirit of a true duelist! Show me how much you have grown!_

---------

DUELTROPOLIS, IN THE MEANTIME

Zander Zabel smiled as he looked at the giant castle ahead of him. "Well, what do you know…it wasn't such a large distance to get here, after all," he chuckled. "Well, all that's left is to enter the castle. But first…"

He reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell-phone, speed-dialing a number. He then put the phone to his ear and waited patiently while the other end buzzed. Then, on the other line: "Speak."

Zander chuckled. "I am about to enter Pegasus's castle, Master. Now, from here on out, Ophiuchus will have to play by our rules."

Master Orion's frown could be clearly heard. "Capricorn…you must not lower your guard now. There is too much riding on you for you to muck up our plans. We have come much too far and done far too much to fail at this point."

"I understand, sir. I will not fail you."

In response, the line went dead. Zander replaced the cell-phone and then smirked maliciously. "Yes, Ophiuchus…with what I've got in store for you…you _will_ play by our rules…or you will die resisting."

And with that determination in his step, he stalked forward toward the castle…

----------

**_neomage:_** Combine lengthy school sessions with writer's block, and what do you have? A delay that frustrates fans. But not to worry, because here I am again! Now…four of the eight designated duelists have arrived at Pegasus's castle, and the rest are on their way! Read and review, please – and the next chapter is coming up!


	259. Chapter 259

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: The good-ol'-fashioned method: neomage doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**CHAPTER 259**

PEGASUS'S CASTLE

The two guards at the castle's entrance were maintaining their impression of statues, keeping a watchful eye out for any and all persons approaching the castle. Every couple of seconds, one or the other of them would turn his head from one side to the next, checking everything that was visible before the castle, missing nothing.

Then suddenly one of them started. "Hmm? Hey, someone's coming!"

And indeed, somebody WAS coming—a red-haired young man in a blue trench-coat. "Spectator or competitor?" the guard who'd spoken suggested.

"We'll soon find out," said the other guard.

The two guards resumed their watchful stance and waited while the young man hurried toward them. Then, finally, he was standing right before them. "Hello there, gentlemen," he said politely. "I've come to compete in the next round of the tournament."

One guard adjusted his sunglasses. "Oh, you've come to compete, have you?" he remarked. "Your name, please?"

"Zander Zabel."

"Very well, then, Mr. Zander Zabel," the other guard replied. "Wait just a moment—I'll inform Mr. Pegasus of your presence."

----------

Inside the castle, Pegasus was just returning to the dining room—where only Mr. Von Schroeder and Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki now sat at the table. "Hmmm? Where has everyone else gone?" Pegasus wondered. "Did everyone decide to go exploring? I hope they didn't get bored sitting here…"

Mr. Von Schroeder chuckled. "Well, we already know that Yugi Muto went off after Kaiba shortly after GINA was demonstrated here," he revealed. "As for everyone else—The lady guests all decided they wanted a view of the ocean from the roof, so I had the guards show them the way up there. Ryou Bakura…well, I'm not sure where he is…"

"And Joey and Tristan are off, ready to wreak havoc in my kitchen." Pegasus shook his head. "I saw them when Devlin-boy and I were about to show our newly-arrived guests to their respective rooms."

"I just hope those two don't get their hands on the food—that's meant specifically for the participants who've made it to the castle at this point in the tournament," Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki said worriedly. "Vivian would have a fit if she knew that all her careful catering preparations were ruined by two grown men with gluttonous appetites."

Suddenly there was a slight beeping on Pegasus's collar; he promptly answered his comm.-link. "Yes?...oh, another competitor has arrived, eh? Who is it…? Zander Zabel? Hmm, all right, give me a moment. I will be right there."

"Another arrival, Sir Pegasus?" queried Mr. Von Schroeder.

"Yes…and this one worries me…" Pegasus seemed almost distant.

As Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki and Mr. Von Schroeder watched him, Pegasus turned and switched on the wall-mounted TV. As the numerous camera shots of Dueltropolis appeared on the giant screen, he touched his comm.-link again. "Control room…? Could you bring up a graphic of the tournament participants' progress in my dining room, please? Yes, thank you."

Presently Pegasus stepped back – and immediately a giant chart of all the tournament entrants popped up onto the screen. At the far left column on the chart, all thirty-two of the participants' names and photos were listed from top to bottom in the first-round elimination list; from sixteen of these blue lines ran across to the right, indicating their progress into the second round of the tournament. Then, from the sixteen participants in the second-round elimination list, eight blue lines ran further to the right…right into the list of quarter-finalists.

"The graph of tournament progression…" Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki nodded slowly.

Pegasus pointed to the chart. "Now, here is the problem at hand. As we know, nowadays, duelists who expect to enter any sanctioned Duel Monsters tournaments are expected to have their personal information registered by Kaibacorp's global duelist database. In addition, registered duelists are issued Duel-Disks by Kaibacorp, and each and every Duel-Disk has its own tracking signal that, when relayed to Kaibacorp's satellite system, lets the tracking signal know that that particular duelist is taking part in a battle. In this way, we have been able to keep accurate tabs on all the players who have advanced or been eliminated in Dueltropolis."

Pegasus nodded as he continued to speak. "We had thirty-two players this year…of that number, eleven have been found to be Zodiacs. Eight—Yugo Muto and his friends, Seta Kaiba and his bodyguard Jillian Uriah, and my two children Honey and Raven—are known by us personally or through mutual association. Five—Wade Ocean, Blaze Redman, Marcus Ironside, Flora Green and Shigeo Tatsunoko—are well-known in the Duel Monsters tournament circuits and have easily traceable backgrounds; four—Malachi Jordan and his group—I can vouch for their credibility; and three—Janus Yuki, Natasha Truesdale, and Ricardo Misawa—have no reason to be suspected as Zodiacs. And that leaves…our new arrival, Zander Zabel."

"And we know that there are twelve members in the Zodiacs, and all of them infiltrated the tournament; and as far as we know, eleven of them have been eliminated and are currently under our supervision," said Mr. Von Schroeder thoughtfully. "So, in other words, you think this Zander Zabel may be the last remaining one..."

"…and up to now he has not been eliminated from the tournament." Pegasus scowled visibly.

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki looked troubled. "This brings back a predicament I was faced with when Yugo was slated to duel Felix Sanchez," she recalled. "Even knowing that Felix was a Zodiac, if he'd won that bout we would have had no choice but to let him continue competing—had we pulled him in the event of his victory, it would have caused a major upset in the tournament scoring."

"Yes, the fans watching the broadcasted matches would not have understood," Mr. Von Schroeder nodded with comprehension.

"And now, we have this problem right here, on our doorstep," Pegasus said grimly. "And if I tell the guards to detain him, it'll cause a major upset in the balance of the tournament's elimination process…and I have a suspicion that THAT is what the Zodiacs might be counting on."

"What do we do, then?" Mr. Von Schroeder wanted to know.

Pegasus shook his head. "We haven't got a choice. We'll have to allow Zabel to continue competing in the rest of the tournament."

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki nodded. "That's the safest thing to do right now," she agreed. "But to be even safer, let's have a little extra security monitoring his movements."

"Very well," said Pegasus. "But I'll have to do that as much under the quiet as I can. I don't want to alarm my guests here any more than I may have to."

"We should inform the others in the Committee of this development," noted Mr. Von Schroeder.

"I'll leave that up to you two," said Pegasus. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I must go and greet our…guest." And with that he walked out of the room, rather stiffly.

----------

DUELTROPOLIS, AT THAT VERY MOMENT

"Uhhh…oh, God…"

Luke's eyes were squeezed tightly shut. Pain swept over his body like a flood; he could swear he was hearing a noisy multitude of bells in his head.

"Hey, guys! He's coming around!"

_Who…who's that? Sounds like David…oh, man, I hurt all over…_

Slowly, Luke's eyelids parted. Right there, before his immediate line of vision, he could see two blurry shapes. "Who…?" he asked, in a weak, hoarse whisper.

"Take it easy, now, bro; it's us," one of the fuzzy shapes spoke to him.

Luke blinked a few times…then gradually his vision became clearer, clear enough to see that it was David and Miriam hovering over him. "What…what happened…? Where am I?" he wondered, his voice gaining strength.

David raised an eyebrow. "You…don't remember?"

Luke looked at David, then at Miriam. He stared for a long moment at the worried expression on her face—then suddenly it dawned on him. "Oh, shit!" he exclaimed, jerking upright into a sitting position from where he'd been laying on the ground. "The duel—!"

David quickly restrained Luke by his shoulders. "Sorry, Luke," he said softly. "That dude you were dueling…he just about did everything but tear you to pieces."

Luke stared sharply at him. "You saying I lost?" he demanded.

David looked back levelly at him. "No, I'm not saying that—I'm saying he used your ass as target practice for that Hamon monster of his."

Luke's head dropped down; images of his duel with Zander flashed across his mind. "…no…"

Miriam looked sorrowfully at him. "Luke…I'm so sorry."

Very slowly, Luke's upper body hunched forward; he drew his knees toward himself. "Damn it all…after all I did…all the effort I put out…and all of it for nothing…" His eyes were now squeezed shut as he fought the threatening tears back. "I failed you, Miriam…I couldn't keep my word…and now, because of that, I…"

"Hey. Quit moping. You sound so pathetic."

Luke flinched at the sound of the voice. "Boss…"

Standing before him, Malachi had his arms folded and the usual scowl on his face. "All those speeches and declarations you were making about how you were going to beat your competition seemed very convincing at first," he said frostily. "And yet, when push came to shove, you fell short—hopelessly short."

"Hey, boss! You _could_ be a little more sympathetic here!" David exclaimed angrily, jumping up. "I nearly lost my brother just now! He could've been killed in that duel by that red-haired bastard—and all you're concerning yourself with is the mere fact that he lost?"

"David, stop it…"

David spun on hearing Luke's voice. "But, bro…!"

"No. Malachi is right." Luke stood up, slowly and gingerly. "All of you were beaten in this tournament already…so it was up to me to get further into the competition for all of us…and yet, I couldn't win, all said and done. And besides that…I lost more than the opportunity to advance when I lost the duel…"

He cast his eyes downward as he continued to talk. "I swore…that this duel would be my way of proving myself…for Miriam's sake…yet in the end, I was really too weak. This duel was my one and only chance to be able to get back with her…and I lost that chance."

"Luke…" Miriam shook her head frantically.

But Luke held up a hand to stop her. "No, Miriam. Your brother was right. I misused the trust he'd placed in me…and I failed this chance to win back that trust…so it's his decision as to what happens next. He is your family, after all."

"Are you done?" Malachi asked stonily.

"No…not quite. I…I have just one thing more to say." Luke looked directly at Malachi as he continued to speak. "I know I let you down out there…I let everyone here down, including myself. That's not something I'll be able to live down anytime soon. But…at the very least…I fought hard for what I wanted to achieve…and even if my best wasn't good enough, at least I tried." He heaved a sigh. "That's all I wanted to say."

David looked ruefully at Luke. "Luke…"

Miriam couldn't say anything; she just looked helplessly at Luke. _Oh, Luke…_

Malachi continued glaring at Luke, not saying anything for a long moment. Then he shook his head. "I swear…You sound like something out of a bad soap opera."

Luke blinked. "Boss…?"

"I only have one thing to say to you, Luke Jericho, and I'm going to say it straight, man to man." Malachi's expression didn't change. "Yes, you lost the duel; yes, you lost the chance to represent our group in the finals of this tournament. But…there IS one thing you managed to win, in all of that…"

Then he closed his eyes…and, for the first time, he smirked. "My respect."

At that all three of them turned to stare at him. "Malachi…?" Miriam exclaimed.

"Honestly…I never would've expected that you'd have as much guts as you did," Malachi continued, speaking only to Luke. "That Zander guy was trouncing you left, right and center—and yet, in spite of that, you refused to bow down to the pressure…hell, you managed to make a couple good comebacks here and there…all the while declaring you weren't going to give up, because of the vow you took. It's extremely rare that I see anybody with such stubborn determination…and when I think of the reason behind your determination…what else can I do but commend you?"

Luke seemed at a loss for words. "What…what're you saying…?" he managed to whisper.

"I'm saying, dumbass, you've proven yourself in my eyes," Malachi answered. "You fought to reclaim my approval of your relationship with my sister…well, that approval's granted again." He waited, studying the stunned expression on Luke's face. "Hey, what're you waiting for—a signed contract or something?"

Luke swallowed and shook his head. "Boss…I don't know what to say…"

"Well, geez, don't get all sappy on me now. Damn." Malachi shook his head in disgust and walked off.

"LUKE!"

Luke spun around—and managed to catch Miriam as she literally flung herself into his arms. "Oh, Luke!" she sobbed out. "We can be together again! Oh, I'm so glad!"

"Yeah…yeah, love…me, too…" Luke's arms slowly went around Miriam's waist, pulling her into a tight embrace, as the tears of relief and joy flowed freely down his own face.

"Well, how about that? Looks like you didn't get your ass kicked all over the place for nothing, after all!" David grinned.

"Bro…a little quality time, please?" Luke managed to say with some degree of exasperation, in spite of his teary face.

"Yeah, sure, whatever. See you lovebirds later." And David ran off.

Luke didn't bother to retort, just held Miriam more tightly in his embrace. "Miriam…I don't ever want to let you go…" he said softly into her ear.

"Nor I you," she whispered back. "Luke…you were hurt so much…I was scared to death I was gonna lose you. Will you be okay?"

"I will be, now that I can hold you like this again," and Luke smiled.

In the meantime, David ran over to where Malachi stood off to one side. "Gosh, boss…I wasn't expecting such a verdict from you at all," he remarked, a smile on his face. "I have to say…that was real nice of you."

Malachi shrugged. "I just gave a fair verdict, that's all. But…" Here he turned to fix a stern look on David. "I'm not going to say anything to those two right now because they're busy with their little celebrations and I don't want to spoil their mood. But if your brother intends to get deeply intimate with my sister again, he'll have to provide a wedding ring first…or else I'll chop his nuts off."

David chuckled nervously, even as he sweat-dropped heavily. _On second thought, he's not nice at all!_

Malachi then glanced over to where Miriam and Luke were still embracing. "Oy, you two, that's enough of that!" he bellowed. "This isn't a damn romance novel, you know!"

"Uh—right!" Luke and Miriam immediately released each other and hurried over to Malachi and David.

Malachi fixed them all with his trademark glare. "All right…I'm heading to Pegasus's castle now! If we can't participate in the rest of this tournament, I at least want to see how the rest of it turns out! Decide what you blokes are gonna do right now—you coming with me or not?"

"Hell yeah, boss!" Luke nodded.

"Definitely sticking with you all the way!" David put on a determined face.

Miriam smiled at her brother. "You know what I'm going to say."

Malachi nodded. "Then why are we still standing around here? Let's go!"

----------

PEGASUS'S CASTLE, AT THAT VERY MOMENT

Back at Pegasus's castle, Zander was still waiting patiently at the front gate, near the two guards. _Just a matter of time…just a matter of time before the critical part of the plan can come into play…_

"So, you're Zander Zabel, eh?"

Zander and the guards looked up at the sound of the voice, toward the front steps. "Mr. Pegasus!" the guards immediately stood at attention.

"At ease, gentlemen," Pegasus replied, stopping at the bottom of the steps. "I'll take things from here…just continue looking out for the rest of the finalists and any other guests we may have here."

"Understood!" The guards then turned to Zander. "Please, go on ahead!"

"Thank you," Zander nodded politely, and with that he stepped past the two guards.

Pegasus scowled at the red-haired duelist as he approached. "Zander Zabel…" he growled ominously. "Listen, and listen well, because I want to be perfectly sure you understand this."

Zander looked at him curiously. "Yes, Mr. Pegasus?"

Pegasus leveled a fierce look at the younger man. "I know you are one of the wretched Zodiacs that have been meddling in the Dueltropolis tournament. Now, I'm only going to allow you to continue competing because you've won your matches legitimately up to this point…but I will make it clear right now, I do not trust you even for a moment. For as long as you will be here, I will be keeping an eye on you."

Zander chuckled and shrugged. "Whatever makes you comfortable, sir," he declared…and then, that being said, he walked up the steps toward the castle's front door. Glaring, Pegasus followed a few steps after him.

----------

**_neomage:_** 07/10/2006: THIS is the first chance I have had to write any new chapters for this story since the new school semester began…and I dare say, it's currently turning out quite nicely! Now, only a couple more people are left to come to the castle, whether as major players or mere spectators…contine reading, all of you! I promise, there's much more to come soon!


	260. Chapter 260

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Ready the drum roll while I say: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!)

**CHAPTER 260**

PEGASUS'S CASTLE, A LITTLE WHILE LATER

The doors leading to the underground dungeon opened wide, and Kaiba stalked forth from within. In one hand he held his briefcase, and on his face was a scowl. "Damn…damn it all…"

Leaning on the wall nearby, Mr. Devlin smirked a bit. "Question-and-answer sessions didn't go too well, did they?"

Kaiba's shoulders slumped a little, but a major scowl fixed itself on his face. "What do you think?"

"So, what happened?" inquired Mr. Devlin.

"Actually, I was planning to wait till the Committee was back together before revealing what I did manage to discover," Kaiba told him. "I figured everybody would want to hear this."

"Whatever your discovery was, it will have to wait," Mr. Von Schroeder's vboice spoke up. Looking up, Kaiba and Mr. Devlin saw the red-haired man walking down the corridor toward them. "Gentlemen, we have a problem."

The other two looked suspiciously at him. "What's wrong now, Zigfried?" Kaiba asked.

"It's the last remaining Zodiac we still haven't caught yet," Mr. Von Shroeder answered. "He…is officially a finalist in the Dueltropolis tournament."

"WHAT?" Mr. Devlin exclaimed in disbelief. "What're you saying—that that Zodiac is _here,_ at the _castle?"_

"Yes." Mr. Von Schroeder nodded gravely. "At this very moment, Pegasus has gone to show him inside."

"This is wonderful—just wonderful," Kaiba groaned. "Just when we thought things couldn't get any more difficult, THIS has to happen."

"Well, I just thought I should let you know, so that we can collectively decide what our next move will be," said Mr. Von Schroeder.

"In that case, let's get back to the dining room," said Mr. Devlin. "Kaiba was just telling me that he's found out some stuff he thinks all of us should hear about."

"That's right," said Kaiba. "Now, let's go, you two."

----------

"Alexis…you can't be serious!" Mr. Truesdale exclaimed.

"I am sorry, Zane, but I wish as much as you that it _was_ a joke," Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki. "That Zodiac is probably being shown to his room even as I speak."

The two of them, and Dr. Crowler as well, were standing together near a balcony overlooking the ocean beyond the castle. "Oh, dear…this certainly complicates matters, doesn't it?" Dr. Crowler remarked.

"I'll say," Mr. Truesdale sighed in disgust.

"Well…unfortunately, there's not much we can do but continue the tournament according to plan," said Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki. "The best we can do is keep a little extra security around this guy until we can catch him in the act of whatever else he's planning."

"Or hope that one of the other duelists in this upcoming round will knock him out of the game for good," said Dr. Crowler.

"We can only hope…and pray…" And Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki set her gaze upon the distant sea, a forlorn expression covering her face.

----------

"Get out, get out, get out!"

Mr. Taylor and Mr. Wheeler ran for their lives as the angry kitchen staff drove them out the door. "Aw, come on! We just wanted to sample a little!" Mr. Wheeler protested.

"Sample this!" one irate chef yelled, flinging a heavy soup pot in their direction. Terrified, Mr. Wheeler and Mr. Taylor took off faster than lightning, even as the pot narrowly missed their heads and slammed into the wall with a heavy thud.

"Geez—the most dangerous people in the world have got to be rich people's cooks!" Mr. Taylor gasped as they ran off.

"Tell me something I haven't figured out already!" Mr. Wheeler replied.

By and by the two men went around a corner and only then halted, hunched over, gasping for breath. Then, at that very moment, Mr. Muto and Mr. Bakura chanced by. "Oh, hey, guys," Mr. Muto greeted them. "You look as if you were just running a marathon. What happened?"

"The kitchen people here are psychos!" Mr. Taylor declared.

"Let me guess—your stomachs got the better of your brains again?" Mr. Bakura needled them.

"Aw, geez, you don't have to make it sound so evil," Mr. Wheeler protested.

Just then, Mrs. Wheeler, Mrs. Taylor, Mrs. Bakura, and Grandma Muto came along. "Why, there you are, guys!" Mrs. Taylor exclaimed happily. "You should have been upstairs with us—the view of the ocean from there is so breath-taking!"

"What's breath-taking is having to run for our lives while psycho chefs chase us with frying pans and spatulas," muttered Mr. Wheeler.

"Aww—is my widdle man hungwy?" Mrs. Wheeler cooed in baby talk, patting her husband's head. "Well, good—that'll teach you to be greedy!"

"Aw, Mai! You're supposed to support me—not shoot me down!" Mr. Wheeler sputtered.

"They were right to chase you out of the kitchen," Mrs. Bakura declared. "Dinner will be served soon, anyway, so why rush?"

"Well, in any case, what will we do now?" asked Grandma. "Should we go back to the dining room and wait, I wonder?"

"Maybe we can go find out if any more finalists have shown up," suggested Mr. Muto.

"Finalists…oh, yeah, I nearly forgot!" Mr. Wheeler exclaimed. "Guys, Jenna's actually here at the castle right now!"

"Jenna made it here? Oh, how wonderful!" Mrs. Wheeler cried gleefully.

"And she's not the only one—Yugo's here, too," Mr. Muto announced.

Grandma smiled. "I knew my grandson would definitely do well in this competition!"

"But what about Kyo and Miki?" Mrs. Taylor wondered.

"Well…we didn't see any sign of those two, actually," Mr. Taylor admitted. "But if they're not here yet, they will be soon. I know it!"

"Well said, Tristan," smiled Mr. Bakura.

Footsteps caught the group's attention, and looking up, they say that it was Pegasus. "Oh, hello, Pegasus," Mr. Muto greeted him.

"I trust you have all been enjoying your stay here, as brief as it's been so far?" Pegasus inquired, smiled brightly.

"It's been marvelous, thank you," and Mrs. Bakura bowed slightly.

"Yeah…except, your kitchen staff could be a little less homicidal for our liking," grunted Mr. Wheeler.

Pegasus managed to stifle his impending laughter. "I take it you tried to sneak some food out of the kitchen?" he asked. "Well, not to worry. Dinner will be served very soon, and there'll be more than enough for everyone, dueling finalists and guests alike."

"ALL RIGHT!" Mr. Wheeler and Mr. Taylor cheered simultaneously.

"Okay, you two, enough of all that—let's get you back to the dining room now," and with that Mrs. Taylor grabbed both men by their arms and pulled them away.

"Wait for me, Serenity—you're gonna need help restraining these two, or else they'll probably eat the furniture in there," said Mrs. Wheeler.

"Aw, Mai, since when did you suddenly get so cold?" Mr. Wheeler wailed, waterfalls coming from his eyes.

Mrs. Bakura nudged her husband. "Come, dear, let's head back, too."

"After you, Téa," Mr. Bakura invited, and the couple went off together.

"We should head back with them, don't you think?" Grandma asked Mr. Muto.

"You go ahead, Mother—I'd like to take a moment and talk to Pegasus," Mr. Muto replied. "I'll be right behind you in a few minutes."

Nodding, Grandma hurried off after the others. Pegasus regarded Mr. Muto with an upraised eyebrow. "You wanted to talk to me, you said? What about, might I ask?"

Mr. Muto fixed a steady gaze on Pegasus. "I could see something on your face a little while ago…you tried to mask it in front of us, but I could see it, nonetheless. Pegasus…has something happened?"

Pegasus looked at Mr. Muto for a long moment…then he shook his head and chuckled. "Nothing escapes you, eh, Yugi-boy?"

Then his face became far more serious. "I didn't want to mention this, in order to avoid worrying your friends…but do you remember the Zodiacs we were telling you about earlier? Well…one of them has actually made it here to the castle as a tournament finalist." He snorted in obvious disdain. "I had the…indignity…of showing him to his room just a while ago."

Mr. Muto frowned. "Well…I suppose, if he's here legitimately, that you can't just kick him out just because he's a Zodiac…so what will you do, then?"

Pegasus shrugged and sighed heavily. "I guess all the Committee can do for the moment is bide its time and watch him carefully, to see what he will do. But mark my words, Yugi, he will not be ruining Dueltropolis for the rest of us."

Mr. Muto nodded solemnly. "I hear you."

----------

A FEW MINUTES LATER

The guards were back at their post at the front gate once again, keeping an eye out for anyone else who should approach the castle. "So…how many finalists does that make who've come here by now?" one guard asked.

"Five, I think," the other answered. "First it was Janus Yuki, then Yugo Muto, then those two girls, and now that red-haired guy a while ago. Which means…by my count, there should be three more people to make up the next round's roster."

"You think Seta Kaiba will be in that number?" the first guard asked.

"Are you an ass? Of course he'll be in this next round!" the second replied indignantly. "He's the flipping World Champion! Can you honestly expect less from him?"

"Well, I'm just saying…" Suddenly the first guard straightened up. "Hey! Over there…those bushes…did they move just now?"

The second guard looked in the direction of his comrade's pointing finger. "Well…looks as if somebody's about to make an entrance…"

----------

"Whew!" Kyo exclaimed, passing through some bushes and holding them apart to make a pathway for Miki and Ms. Wong. "Ladies, only a few more yards, and then we'll be at the castle!"

"Finally!" Miki cried.

"At last…we can get some rest…" sighed Ms. Wong.

Shortly behind them came Shigeo, Honey, Raven and Seta. "Yes…home sweet home," Raven grinned, taking in the sight of the castle.

"I can't wait to soak in a nice hot tub!" Honey sighed, running a hand through her hair.

"And then after that, you'll be able to watch me kick ass in the next round of the tournament," Seta commented.

"I wonder if anyone else is already there, waiting for us," remarked Shigeo.

"We'll soon find that out," Ms. Wong answered, looking at him over her shoulder. "Now, everybody, let's press on forward!"

----------

"Well, I'll be—it's Ms. Wong!" one of the guards exclaimed. "And Ms. Honey and Mr. Raven, too!"

"Let's give them and their group a proper welcome!" and the second guard stood at attention.

It seemed like almost no time before Ms. Wong's rather large group arrived at the front entrance. "Welcome!" the guards said in unison.

"Thank you," Ms. Wong bowed.

"Great to be back," Raven nodded. Honey merely smiled and bowed, too.

Then Ms. Wong pointed out the other four teens there with them. "Now, there are three here in our group who will be participating in the rest of the tournament…Kyo Bakura, Miki Taylor, and of course, Seta Kaiba. The others will be spectators."

"What?" one of the guards fairly started. "Ms. Honey, Mr. Raven, you're not participating anymore?"

"We got knocked out early, unfortunately," Honey admitted. "But there's no need to concern yourselves with that now."

"Yes, she's right," Raven added. "Just be sure to let Father know that we've returned."

"Understood!" the guards nodded.

Ms. Wong beckoned to the group. "Well, everyone, let's go inside now, what do you say?"

"Oy, there! Don't forget about us now!"

Everyone turned at the sound of the voice. "Gee…only one person could have such a noisy voice," said Kyo. "David Jericho."

Indeed, it was David Jericho, breaking from a separate tree-line from that which the group had just emerged, now running pell-mell toward the castle…and running behind him, though not as hard, were his brother Luke and the siblings Miriam and Malachi Jordan. "So…they decided to stick around, after all," Seta remarked, a smile on his lips.

At length the new group joined up with the others at the front entrance. "Did…we…miss…anything?" David panted, hunched forward with his hands on his knees, all out of breath."

"No, not really…we just arrived ourselves," Shigeo informed him.

Luke shook his head. "I told the idiot there was no need to rush, but as usual he wasn't paying me any mind."

"And he made the rest of us have to chase him down—and made me run in my heels, too!" Miriam glanced down with disdain at her high-heeled boots.

Running his fingers through his spiky mane, Malachi didn't miss a beat. "Get a different pair of shoes, then, sis."

"Malachi!" Miriam yelled at him.

"Well, it's only practical," Malachi shrugged indifferently. Miriam glared at him.

"Well…this is certainly a large group we have here now," remarked Ms. Wong. Then she smiled. "Oh, well…the more, the merrier."

Miki then happened to glance in another direction. "Um…looks like we'll be having a couple more, then…"

Looking in the direction she was pointing, everyone saw two more figures coming toward the castle. "Hey…aren't those…?" Kyo started.

"Yep," Seta nodded. "Wade Ocean and Blaze Redman."

Malachi, looking at the two approaching duelists, narrowed his eyes. _Hmmm…_

They all stood and watched as Wade and Blaze made their way toward the front entrance. "Hi, guys!" Miki called to them.

"Right back at you, kid!" Blaze called back, waving.

Wade quickly broke into a trot; Blaze followed behind him. In a few minutes they had joined the others at the gate. "Great to see you all!" Wade declared, a grin on his face.

"So…have you two qualified for the tournament as well?" Shigeo asked them.

"I wish," Wade admitted. "I got beat not too long ago."

"Me, too," said Blaze.

"I see…so you decided to come and watch the rest of the matches, then," remarked Miriam.

"Honestly…I wish I could still be competing," said Blaze. "I'd burn up the rest of the competition right now. But, oh well."

"Kyo, Seta and I made it into the tournament's next round!" Miki said cheerfully. "It was a lot of hard work, but worth it!"

Blaze chuckled. "I'm happy for you."

"Ahem…can we go inside now?" Malachi interrupted, frowning.

"Ah—yes, he's right. You can all take the time to catch up once we're indoors." Ms. Wong then gestured toward the front steps. "Well, shall we?"

"Right!" everyone else agreed. And so, following Ms. Wong's lead, they all headed for the steps, and soon were walking toward the front door.

----------

From an upper-story window, Zander Zabel watched the growing gathering with an interested smile. He watched as the group walked up the steps to enter the castle…and all the while his gaze never left one particular member of this party—Seta Kaiba.

"So, Ophiuchus…you've finally arrived now…but little do you know now that you're taking the first steps toward walking into my trap! Oh, but you will find out, very soon…and it will be a most unpleasant experience when you discover just what I have in store for you!"

And with that, Zander laughed quietly, an evil look appearing on his face…

----------

**_neomage:_** Now, ladies and gentlemen, it's about to begin! Just a little while longer, and then the next round will officially get underway! So…all the next-round participants have finally arrived, all the spectators have gathered…and something is underfoot where Zander is concerned! What does he have in store? Only one way to find out, and we all know what that is!

REVIEW SOON, PLEASE!


	261. Chapter 261

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: DRUM ROLL! I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!)

**CHAPTER 261**

PEGASUS'S CASTLE

The group of newcomers, Ms. Wong at their head, waltzed into the main hall from the front entrance. "Wow…never would've imagined Pegasus was livin' so large," Wade whistled in appreciation as he surveyed his surroundings.

"I totally agree," Miki nodded in agreement.

"Bah, what you're seeing here is nothing," Raven said boastfully.

"You can say that—you _live_ here," Blaze reminded him.

"Welcome, welcome!"

At once everyone looked up in the direction of the new voice. Honey's eyes lit up. "Father!"

Indeed, it was Maximillion Pegasus, coming down the staircase to greet his new guests. "I was informed that we had more guests, but I didn't think it was this many," he remarked, a grin on his face. "But no matter. To the finalists and spectators among you, welcome to my humble abode…"

He smiled down at Raven and Honey. "To my children, welcome home." Then he looked over at Ms. Wong. "And to my dear friend Vivian Wong, welcome back. We've been anxiously awaiting your return."

"Well, I must say, the rest of you have missed quite a lot of the action," Ms. Wong smirked. "All the things I've witnessed firsthand, watching the battles of Dueltropolis…"

"Well, at least we have security footage of those matches here at the castle." Pegasus smirked. "But you're right in at least one thing. Nothing can beat the thrill of watching duels, live and in person."

Ms. Wong then turned to indicate Seta, Kyo and Miki. "These three will be participating in the next round of the tournament."

"Mr. Pegasus…" Seta stepped forward and nodded respectfully.

Kyo and Miki stepped forward, too, and bowed slightly. "It's an honor to be here on your island, competing in this tournament," Kyo remarked.

"Seconded," agreed Miki.

"Quite so, quite so," said Pegasus. "And I hope you will be able to enjoy the rest of your stay here, and wish you all well in the rest of the competition. Now, Raven, Honey…?"

"Yes, Father!" the siblings immediately stepped forward.

Pegasus nodded meaningfully. "There are still three rooms upstairs that are reserved for tournament participants who will be in the next round. Honey, would you be so kind as to escort these three to those rooms, please?"

"Okay!" Honey said brightly. "Okay, you guys, follow me!"

"Lead the way!" Miki said, grinning. And with that, she, Seta and Kyo walked behind Honey as the other girl headed up the stairs.

"And what about us?" Shigeo inquired.

"I made special accommodations for all those who would come to the castle as spectators," Pegasus explained. "Already there are a few people there, but I do believe there's enough room for all of you. Raven, you know where those rooms are, so if you could be so kind…?"

"Sure thing!" Raven answered. "All right, you guys, follow me! You're in _my_ house now!"

"Yeah, sure, whatever," Malachi replied boredly.

Raven promptly headed off in a separate direction; the rest of the group followed after him. Ms. Wong smiled. "So, Pegasus, anything of interest happen while I was absent?"

"Plenty…and not all of it has been good."

At once Ms. Wong noticed the change in Pegasus's face—where he'd looked exceedingly cheerful moments ago, now there was a scowl covering his features. "Okay…I take it that this is something I should be worried about?" she asked warily.

"Let's go to the dining room," Pegasus invited her. "The other members of the Committee should have reconvened there by now. I'll explain while we walk."

----------

"So, here we are, folks!" Honey said cheerfully, pointing out the series of rooms to her three friends. "When Father was making the tournament arrangements, these were the rooms he designated for use by tournament finalists."

"I see," said Kyo thoughtfully.

"These rooms should have everything for your every convenience and comfort," Honey told them. "Now, it's just a matter of choosing which room you like…"

Hardly were the words out of her mouth than suddenly one of those doors flew open—and who should walk out but Yugo Muto! "I thought I heard some chatter out here," he remarked, a smile on his face.

Miki's eyes lit up. "Yugo! You made it!" she cried.

"Lucky-son-of-a-gun," Kyo chuckled.

"Honey, I gotta hand it to you—you and Raven live the big life, without a doubt!" Yugo told her.

"Glad to see you're enjoying your stay here so far," Honey smiled at him.

Seta chuckled and stepped forward. "So…Yugo…you made it into the next round," he said softly.

"As did you, I see," returned Yugo.

"But of course. I am the World Champion, after all."

Just then another door opened—and from this one emerged Jenna Wheeler. "Oh? I thought I heard Kyo and Miki out here…oh, GUYS!" she exclaimed, seeing her friends.

"Hi, cuz! Looks like you made it, too!" Miki exclaimed happily.

Jenna smiled widely. "Me, you, Kyo, Yugo, Seta—oh, this is just too cool! All of us are here in the big leagues together! Who could ask for more than that?"

"I could—I wish I was in the 'big leagues' along with the rest of you," Honey admitted. "But not to worry…at least I can still call here home, you know? That's enough for me, even if I haven't gotten very far in this tournament."

Another door opened…and out came Jillian Uriah. Surveying the group, she saw Seta. "Oh…Sir Seta…"

"Jillian? You made it here, too?" Seta asked, quite surprised.

"But of course. I trained alongside you, remember?" Jillian brushed her red bang out of her eye.

"Yes…that IS true." Seta nodded respectfully. "Well, Jillian, I hope to see a good performance out of you in the rest of the competition."

"And I you, sir," Jillian answered.

Then another door opened…and along came a blond-haired boy in a red jacket. "Guys, guys, guys…y'all talk so loud, a fellow can't sleep in peace!" he grunted, rubbing one eye.

Kyo raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Oh, it's Janus Yuki! You made it here to the castle, too?"

"Huh?" Janus blinked—then it came home to him. "Oh, hey! Sorry, I didn't realize it was you guys."

"We should be the ones apologizing…looks like we disturbed your sleep," said Miki.

"Nah, never mind about that." Janus then beheld Seta. "Oh? So…am I actually looking at the World Champion, up close and in person, and, like, face-to-face? Man…this is such an honor right here!"

Seta looked at him. "I don't believe we've met, at least officially…"

"He's Janus Yuki, one of the guys who came from Duel Academy to participate in the tournament this year!" Miki quickly introduced Janus.

"Duel Academy…is he _that guy_ that you were all telling me about during our training period?" asked Seta slowly.

"Um...well, yes, he is," Jenna admitted.

"I see." A faint trace of a smile crossed Seta's lips. "Janus, is it? It must be quite an interesting deck you wield, if you were able to beat Yugo…"

Janus nodded sagely. "Maybe if you and I meet up in this next part of the tournament, I can show it to you directly."

"So, anyway, Janus, how was it?" asked Miki. "Was the tournament very difficult for you?"

"Well…admittedly, my two opponents thus far were quite skilled and tough to beat." Janus then smiled. "But I'm still ready to kick ass at any time—no matter who it is! Because I intend to win this tournament!"

"You'll have to get through the rest of us first," Kyo said, laughing.

"Hey, speaking of which…" Honey surveyed the seven of them. "There are supposed to be eight finalists, right? And there's seven of you…"

Jillian, leaning on the wall with her hands behind her back, shrugged. "Perhaps the last remaining duelist has yet to arrive…?"

Suddenly, one of the doors gave off a loud _creak._ At once everybody turned to look at that door. "You need to get those hinges oiled, I think," Yugo said to Honey.

"Guess we were wrong—the other finalist is already here," said Jillian.

Then the door opened more widely…and out stepped a red-haired young man in a blue trench-coat, with a smirk on his face. "Hello there, everyone," he said softly.

On seeing the newcomer, Seta's eyes went wide in sudden shock. _ZANDER? _Then his eyes narrowed as a sudden dark shadow enveloped his face. _No way! He…he actually made it this far? Shit—the situation just got bad!_

"You are…" Yugo began.

"…that guy from the boat…" Kyo added.

"ZANDER THE CUTIE!" Jenna and Miki exclaimed, hearts in their eyes.

Instantly Yugo and Kyo fell over. "AW, COME ON!" they exploded.

Zander looked at all of them in turn. "I see…so these are the other finalists, eh?" he commented. "Then the rest of the Dueltropolis tournament should be most interesting to watch, I dare say."

Honey smiled. "Okay…I'll just be taking my leave for now. I wish all of you good luck in the rest of the competition. Fight well, all of you." And with that she turned and headed back to the staircase.

"Thanks for the confidence, Honey!" Jenna called after her.

"But of course," Honey answered as she left.

Presently the eight duelists were alone. "So…hopefully things should be interesting, like Mr. Redhead here just said," remarked Janus.

"Well…let's just do our best when the time comes," said Miki philosophically.

Kyo sighed. "Well…it's been a bit of a trip coming here to the castle since we started the whole eliminations process. I'm gonna go have a shower and hit the sack…and hope they call us for dinner later on or something."

"Of course they have to call us for dinner! It's a cardinal sin not to do that!" Yugo exclaimed.

"All you're concerning yourself with is your damn greedy belly," Jenna scolded Yugo. "Well, whatever…I'm gonna go get some rest too."

"Well, you saw which doors here each of us came out of," said Janus. "You guys can choose any of the other rooms as your own…as far as I've been able to see, there's not much difference to them in terms of appearance."

"That's fine by me," said Miki. "I'm gonna lie down in a nice comfy bed for a little bit…see you all later."

That said, Miki, Jenna, Kyo and Yugo headed off. Watching them go, Jillian straightened up. "You must now excuse me, too, Sir Seta…I'm going to have to prepare my deck for the next challenge of this tournament," she told him as she walked off to her room.

"Oh, yeah, that's right! I still need to finish my strategy, too!" Janus exclaimed suddenly. "Later!" And he swiftly bolted back into his room, slamming his room door behind him.

This now left Seta and Zander standing in the hallway, alone. "All right…alone at last…" Zander chuckled. "So, my friend, we meet again…"

Seta glared at him with obvious hostility in his eyes. "Well…I suppose I shouldn't be surprised you'd make it here to Pegasus's castle," he said acidly.

"Well, it's only natural – my other eleven comrades failed, so of course the task fell upon me to finish what we've started," Zander said softly.

"And it's not too difficult to see why those idiot excuses for duelists that you call your comrades would've failed," Seta told him. "They failed because the competition they went up against was just that much stronger and more skilled."

"And that competition…included your little friends." A little of Zander's smile vanished. "I shall freely allow, I have made two errors in this regard: overestimating the Zodiacs' ability to take down your friends, and underestimating your friends' power as duelists in their own right."

"So—for all your research into their backgrounds, you still fell short where those guys were concerned." Seta snickered. "And I made a mistake, myself—I worried needlessly for their safety from you."

Zander didn't say anything for a long moment. Then, slowly, he turned his back on Seta. "You'd best not think you're out of the woods yet, just because I'm the only one here who poses a threat to you and your precious little buddies," he said ominously. "For I, even in on my own, am the strongest of those still loyal to Master Orion. Had it been his will, I alone would have been sufficient enough to take down everyone who stood in the way of retrieving you. And, besides that…I still have five powerful weapons that I can use against you."

Seta started. "Five…weapons…?"

"You needn't concern yourself with that for now…in due time you will find out just what I am talking about," Zander answered.

Seta's eyes narrowed. "I think you're forgetting where you are—a place where your every move from here on out will be suspect just because you're a Zodiac. Whatever these 'weapons' of yours are, you will not get the chance to use even one of them."

Still with his back turned to Seta, Zander began to walk off. "Seta, Seta, Seta …the best and most effective weapons are those that are hidden till the time is right to use them," he said in a soft, chilling voice. "Pegasus and his fragile little Committee can post as many guards at my door as they want, which I'm certain they're bound to do…but before too much longer, you, they, and everyone else will experience the full force of my secret weapons. And then you will all regret ever opposing us as you have done."

"I'll take you down before you get that opportunity, Zander…count on it!" Seta swore.

"You can try. And I will then be able to laugh at your futile attempts…and they _are_ futile." And with that, Zander walked off and headed back into his room.

Seta growled low in his throat. "Bastard…!"

----------

Inside her room, Jillian was leaning against the door, her head bowed slightly, her red bang hanging down over her eyes. _Sir Seta…so you and that person have a history together…is he the one you were telling me about, that day…?_

Presently her eyes narrowed. _It seems, Sir Seta, you have been keeping secrets to yourself…but I will continue to protect you, regardless! If that man is indeed a threat to you, I will take him out myself! I swear it on my pride as your bodyguard…!_ And she clenched her fist tightly in front of her face, even as her eyes blazed with determination.

----------

**_neomage:_** Talk about devotion…sorry I haven't been able to update in a while, but I've had a lot of assignments to do at school, plus tests, and so I have not had any time to even compose a single chapter. But I will somehow make time, regardless! You have not seen the last of neomage! BWA HA HA!

yamikriz: He's gone off the deep end. But then again, university tends to do that to you.


	262. Chapter 262

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: **(stomach rumbles)** Uhhh…need food…must have food…don't own Yu-Gi-Oh…ooohhhhhh…)

**CHAPTER 262**

PEGASUS'S CASTLE

"I see…so that's how it is…"

"Yes, dear Vivian, that's exactly how it is."

Having been walking along towards the dining room, Ms. Wong now paused and frowned as she absorbed all of what Pegasus had just told her. "Incredible…to think that Duel Academy students are involved with these people…and that one Zodiac has made it inside the castle…what's the worst-case scenario?"

"Hypothetically speaking, that guy may somehow have contact with others in his organization outside of Duelist Kingdom Island," said Pegasus. "If their organization turns out to be militaristic, and they plan an attack here, we'll have problems. Sure, my security staff's been trained to handle invasions and all, but I do have precious assets here that I can't afford to have destroyed. And, too…there's a possibility he might attempt to hack into Industrial Illusions' mainframe and steal all my business secrets for the Zodiacs. A bit of a stretch, that one, but we cannot leave anything to chance."

"I hear you," said Ms. Wong. "At the least, though, the Committee _will _do everything in its power to suppress these bastards…and then there's the fact that Yugi Muto and his friends are here to lend support, as you've told me just now."

"Indeed," said Pegasus. "And…"

Ms. Wong regarded him. "And?"

Now Pegasus smiled. "I have a plan. But let's head back to the dining room and talk to the others first; I want to make sure they all get wind of this."

"Okay. Let's go, then."

----------

"So, what do you guys think?" Raven asked. "Impressive, isn't it?"

He had led the group to the guestroom where Natasha, Ricardo, Marcus and Flora were already lounging around. "So…this is where we'll be stuck, eh?" Blaze asked.

"At least, until dinnertime," Raven replied. "And…" He looked at his watch. "Yep. That shouldn't be too long from now."

"Well, whatever," shrugged Malachi, walking to one corner and sitting down.

"Flora, Marcus, how're you guys doing?" Wade hailed the two of them.

"Same as usual," Marcus grunted.

"Quite well, thank you," answered Flora, smiling. "So, Wade…looks like you and Blaze got knocked out of tournament play once again."

"We all have been," Shigeo spoke up. "Now, the _crème de la crème _will soon be revealed in the next set of matches."

Miriam, David and Luke walked over to where Ricardo and Natasha were sitting together. Noticing the trio's approach, Natasha looked up. "Oh, hello."

"Hello to you, too," answered Miriam. "May we join you?"

"Certainly," answered Ricardo. "Please, sit."

So the three took a seat beside the two Duel Academy students. Raven chuckled. "Well, looks like you're all engaged pretty well, so…I'll just take my leave for now. Later." And that said, he turned and walked out the door.

----------

"Awwww…I'm so HUNGRYYYYYYY!" Mr. Wheeler wailed, waterfalls flowing from his eyes.

"Shut up! You're only making _me_ hungrier!" Mr. Taylor snapped.

"BOTH OF YOU SHUT UP! YOU'RE ANNOYING ME WITH YOUR WHINING!" Mrs. Wheeler snapped at them, causing their hair to rise and giant sweat-drops to roll down their faces.

"Mai, please calm down," Mrs. Taylor pleaded. "And, in any case, I'm also feeling a bit peckish myself…"

"At least you're expressing your hunger the right way, Serenity—without complaint," Mrs. Bakura grumbled.

"Fellows, you wouldn't be griping so much if you hadn't tried to sneak into the kitchen like you did," Mr. Bakura told the other two men.

"Nobody's on our side…" Mr. Wheeler and Mr. Taylor sank down in their chairs, gloomy expressions on their faces.

"Chin up, guys," Mr. Muto said cheerfully. "We're hungry, too…but I'm pretty sure they'll serve dinner soon, like Pegasus said. They do serve exquisite food here, as I recall…who knows, maybe they'll even let you have multiple servings. You ARE guests here, along with the rest of us, after all."

"True, true," Grandma nodded. "Oh, by the way, Yugi, I'm curious: just what was it you were discussing with Mr. Pegasus?"

"Hmm…yeah, I've been wondering about that myself," Mrs. Wheeler said thoughtfully. "You did take a while to come along after the rest of us."

"Did I?" Mr. Muto chuckled. "Well…it's nothing to worry about. Just a bit of personal catching up, that's all."

Grandma raised an eyebrow. _Really, Yugi?_

Just then the dining room doors flew open, causing all of them to look up—and in strode Kaiba, Mr. Von Schroeder, and Mr. Devlin. "Ah, you're all here, I see," said Mr. Devlin. "Have any of the other Committee members come back?"

"No…it's just been us in here up to now," said Mrs. Taylor.

"I see," said Kaiba. "Well, I have some news to share with everyone, but I guess I'll have to wait until the others come back inside…"

"Like us, perhaps?" a voice behind him asked. Turning, Kaiba saw Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki, Dr. Crowler, and Mr. Truesdale at the door.

"And don't forget about us," another voice behind the newly-arrived trio sounded. It was Pegasus and Ms. Wong, coming into the dining room too.

"Hey—isn't that Vivian Wong?" Mrs. Bakura exclaimed.

"Indeed it is," Ms. Wong smirked. "Glad to see you remember me…and…"

Then she turned to look at Mr. Muto, and her eyes instantly changed into hearts. "Oh, darling Yugi! It's been so long since we last saw each other! Come here and give an old friend a hug!"

Mr. Muto shivered. "Uh…nice to see you again, too, Vivian, but I think I'll pass on that hug," and he gulped.

"Anyway, if the theatrics are over now, can we get on with it?" Kaiba asked impatiently. "As I was saying, I want to share some information I discovered with all of us."

"And I have something to discuss, as well," said Pegasus. "So, everyone, let's all sit down together."

Mr. Taylor looked concerned. "Um…is this something that concerns the Committee only…?" he asked, starting to rise from his seat.

"Never fear," Pegasus assured him. "The lot of you can—and, I think, must—hear everything that'll be discussed here…more so since your children are involved in this affair as well."

The Committee members and Dr. Crowler soon seated themselves at the table. "Good thing I've got extra chairs for gigantic company at the dining table," Pegasus grinned.

"All right—now that everyone's here, let's get down to it, shall we?" asked Kaiba. "Pegasus, you want to go first with whatever information you've got, or should I…?"

"No, you go ahead," Pegasus offered. "Then when you're done, I'll say my say."

Kaiba nodded…then turned his attention to the rest of the group. "Okay, everyone," he said, slowly. "I'm going to put this across as simply as I can, so that everyone here will understand. And I won't beat about the bush on this."

The group waited.

"Now…first things first, we've got a problem on our hands," Kaiba continued. "Doubtless everyone on the Committee will know this already by now, but I'll repeat it for the benefit of Yugi and his group." His eyes narrowed. "The Zodiacs we told you about earlier…one of them has managed to make it into the finals of the Dueltropolis tournament. Which means he's here at the castle, even as I speak."

Mr. Muto's friends all looked at each other in consternation. "Then what're you waiting for? Kick his ass out of here and off this island!" Mr. Wheeler said indignantly.

"Yes, I agree," added Mr. Bakura. "Your Committee's already gotten most of them—why not one more?"

"As much as I wish it was that simple, it's not," Kaiba returned frostily. "This particular guy won his designated tournament matches legitimately, which means he's rightfully earned his place here in the finals of the tournament. If we kick him out all of a sudden, then we'll be running the risk of angering our viewers because they don't know the situation at hand."

"As you know, all of these matches have been broadcasted live," Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki spoke up. "And, doubtless, this person will have developed quite a fan-base among viewers. To eliminate him so quickly would be…"

"That doesn't make sense!" Mrs. Wheeler interrupted. "You just said it yourself—the matches are being broadcasted live! So…if these Zodiacs have said or done anything underhanded, then whatever cameras you've set up across the island should've shown their dirty antics, right? And I know for a fact that what I've seen of their personalities on TV just isn't kosher!"

"Calm down a moment," Mr. Devlin said sternly. "Yes, we're broadcasting live…but even with that, none of the Zodiacs have done or said anything that's particularly incriminating—at least, not loud or visible enough for the cameras to pick up. From what I've seen, the most anyone will note them doing is showing varying degrees of disrespect for both the Committee and the tournament's rules…but then again, that's a given in ANY tournament we're likely to host."

"Damn…then that means that that guy will be staying in Dueltropolis after all…" Mr. Taylor was crestfallen.

"Now, now, don't look too upset," said Kaiba. "That's not the only news I have to share—as a matter of fact, I have some information that could help us out greatly against the Zodiacs."

"Well, then, do share with us," said Mr. Von Schroeder.

"Heh…well…" Kaiba smirked. "So far I've used GINA to interrogate five of the Zodiacs that we've got in our custody—namely, Regina Brissett, Chris Gear, Victor Greaves, Kyle Welling and Angel Snow. Welling was pretty stubborn and wouldn't say a thing…and Brissett only gave vague, minimal information…but the other three answered every question I put to them, and gave extra information besides. Apparently, Gear and Greaves were more than a little upset at the Zodiacs' attempts on their lives after their defeat in this tournament, and Snow was suffering from a guilty conscience…"

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki frowned. _Angel…_

"Now, this is what I was able to garner from their information," Kaiba continued. "Apparently, the Zodiacs are a much larger organization than we expected—composed of individuals from different walks of life. Supreme Court judges, public relations authorities, senators, military officers…all headed by one man codenamed 'Master Orion.' Now, we still haven't ascertained his true identity, but apparently he's commanded enough respect both in legitimate business and the underworld over the years to be able to both recruit soldiers and garner funding for his activities. Also, the Zodiac duelists who've been apprehended here at Dueltropolis are Orion's personal bodyguards—just that fact alone makes them the most highly respected members of the Zodiac organization next to Orion himself, and consequently the most important of Orion's henchmen."

Mr. Muto fingered his chin thoughtfully. "I see…then that means that whatever their current aim is, it must be a highly important one for this Orion person to send his most powerful people to deal with it."

"Except, the way I see it, their aim seems to be more than just simple infiltration of a Duel Monsters tournament, even one as esteemed as this World Championship tournament you guys are hosting now," added Mr. Bakura thoughtfully.

"Well…they _were_ quite tight-lipped about that kind of sensitive information," Kaiba responded slowly. Then his eyes narrowed. "But…they did tell me something else that is, putting it very mildly, disturbing."

"Such as?" Mrs. Wheeler wondered.

Now Kaiba leveled a glare at Mr. Muto's group. "Remember those guys in the JUDAS organization? According to what I was able to learn, the JUDAS leader, Keisuke Odachi…was a Zodiac subordinate at one time."

With one accord the whole group gasped. "WHAT!" Mr. Wheeler and Mr. Taylor shot out simultaneously.

"No…then…the whole thing with the kids in Egypt…all of that was the handiwork of the Zodiacs…?" Mrs. Taylor asked weakly.

"No, no," said Kaiba. "I've been told that what happened with JUDAS in Egypt was an independent move on Odachi's part. Even so, he did maintain close links with the Zodiacs even after he ceased officially operating on their behalf."

"Hmmm…an interesting twist, if I do say so myself," Pegasus mused.

"Might I ask, Mr. Kaiba, how soon before you expect to get any other information on these criminals' activities?" queried Dr. Crowler, silent up to now.

"Heh…after we've had dinner, I intend to go back downstairs and question the rest of them who we have locked up," Kaiba revealed.

"Well, of course, Cassius Princeton has already given some decent information, and Felix Sanchez has already agreed to co-operate," Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki noted. "That only leaves four of them to persuade, yes?"

"Quite so," Kaiba nodded, smiling satisfactorily.

"Kaiba…if I may, when you go to do your interrogations, may I go with you?" Mr. Truesdale spoke up. "There's one person you haven't interviewed among the Zodiacs as yet, who I'd like to have a little chat with one-on-one…"

Kaiba eyed him levelly. "You mean _him?"_

"Yes. Him." Mr. Truesdale returned the gaze squarely.

"Well, whatever. Why not?" Kaiba shrugged.

"Uh, ahem…if that's all the info you'd like to share, dear Kaiba, then might Mr. Pegasus be allowed to speak now?" Ms. Wong asked. "He did say he's got something important to share, as well…"

With one accord everybody turned to look at Pegasus. "So, Sir Pegasus? What do you have to say?" Mr. Von Schroeder queried.

Pegasus had his fingers intertwined underneath his chin; a faint smile covered his lips. "Gentlepeople, we must keep one important point in mind at this time—that there is a Zodiac agent among our tournament's finalists, and he's quite possibly the most skilled of Orion's bodyguards. As owner of this Duelist Kingdom Island, it should not be unreasonable for me to assume that he may attempt some evil deed here that will cause serious inconvenience for everyone else involved. To that end, I've devised a little plan that will ensure that he stays under our watch at all times, something that I admit won't be so easily done here."

"Oh, is that right?" Mr. Devlin wondered.

"A plan, huh? Well, share it with us, then," invited Mr. Truesdale.

Now Pegasus smiled more widely. "Everyone…how do you all feel about taking a little sea cruise?"

----------

At that moment, Zander Zabel was in his room, calmly going through his deck cards. As he did, he couldn't help but chuckle. _Soon, very soon…Ophiuchus, whether you desire it or not, we WILL have you back with us once again! All it is now is a matter of time…_

Then, laying all his cards face-up on the bed before him, his eye roamed over them with studious intensity. Presently his gaze fell upon a certain card bearing the image of a red dragon…and now a dark frown shadowed his face. _Uria, Lord of Searing Flames _(ATK 0, DEF 0)_…it still puzzles me that it didn't burn Marcus Ironside to ashes during our duel, even when Flora Green rushed in to shield him…true, I told him that my monsters only attack their designated target, but Uria is different from my other monsters by far…_

Then his glance turned to another card—Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder (ATK 4000, DEF 4000). _And Hamon…I didn't give it much thought before, but that duel with that stubborn bastard in Malachi Jordan's group…it was as if Hamon wasn't battling at full power…like it was holding back somehow…_

Slowly his eyebrows knitted together; he growled softly, gritting his teeth. _We built these cards based on information we were able to research on the Shadow Rider incident of Duel Academy all those years ago…and we built these cards, based on their original Legendary Beast counterparts, for our ultimate purpose…could it be that these monsters haven't been battling at their fullest strength, as one would expect, because the one meant to wield them is not me…?_

Then suddenly, as quickly as it had come, the frown disappeared…replaced by a smirk. _Well…if that's the case…then it's all the more important that I carry out the Zodiacs' mission soon…oh, and once I do…HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!_

----------

**_neomage:_** Hi again, everybody! Sorry I haven't updated in such a long time, but you know how it is with school and everything…especially as it's the middle of the semester now, things have been bearing down on me! But still, I try, you know?

So, a few things have been revealed here…and what do you guys think? Don't worry, I plan to update as soon as I possibly can, and then things are gonna end with a big fat BANG! (Assuming I can finish my assignments in due time, that is… --;)

REVIEW SOON PLEASE!


	263. Chapter 263

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: **(munching hungrily on sandwiches) **Munch, munch, munch…I don't…own Yu-Gi-Oh…)

**CHAPTER 263**

PEGASUS'S CASTLE, AN HOUR LATER

"Hmmm…"

Seta had all of his cards spread out on the bed before him, and he frowned as he looked at each of them in turn. _Well…which of these should I put into this deck of mine? And they can't just be any and any cards, either…considering the kind of opposition I'll be up against from here on out, I shouldn't expect any easy battles, so it would be best to go in prepared._

His frown became even deeper. _And especially since that Zander has made it here to the castle…_

An image of Zander flashed across his eyes; in an instant his brow furrowed even deeper than before. _That guy…there's no telling how much more powerful he's become in the years gone by…the only chance we'll all have is if I can get him out of the competition—except, CAN I beat him?_

Slowly he traced his fingertips against his cards…and presently he touched one of his familiar cards. _Blue-Eyes White Dragon _(ATK 3000, DEF 2500)_…even if I can't rely too heavily on you…at least, please lend me your strength so I can take out this menace…!_

A sudden knock at the door interrupted his train of thought. "Yes?" he called gruffly.

The door swung open slightly, revealing a suited guard standing at the entrance. "Sorry to disturb you, sir," he said, "but dinner's about to be served. All finalists who have successfully made it to the next round of the tournament are expected to be in attendance, by Mr. Pegasus's order."

"Hmmm…all right. I'll be right there." With that, Seta quickly scooped up all his cards and, patting them into a neat pack, slipped them into a pocket. Then, jumping up, he grabbed his jacket from the bed-head and headed for the door.

Stepping out into the hallway, he was just in time to see a few other suits standing inside the other seven doors, beckoning to whoever resided within. And then…from one of those doors came Zander, slicking his hair back with one hand. "Ahhh…just perfect timing, gentlemen," he addressed the suits good-naturedly.

Then, almost as if on instinct, his eyes turned in Seta's direction—and a smirk crossed his lips. Seta himself merely glared at Zander in return. _Don't…drop…your guard…around this guy!_

Another figure emerged from one of the other doorways…this one was Miki, rubbing her eyes and yawning a little. "Well…that was a sweet little rest I had," she remarked, smiling. "It's so nice to sleep in a nice, comfy bed…"

"Yeah, tell me about it," Kyo spoke up as he emerged from his own door. "But at least now, we get to eat!"

"YES! Food, here I come!" Yugo cried as he emerged from his door, grinning widely.

"Yugo…your stomach will be the death of you one day, I swear it," Jenna grunted as she came out of her room.

"Naaah!" Yugo countered, shaking a disagreeing finger at her. "I thought you knew me better than that by now, Jenna—I've got an iron stomach!"

"If by iron you mean pig iron, then I can certainly agree with that," Kyo chuckled.

"Shut up! You're no better with your table manners!" Yugo snapped, fangs in his mouth.

"Come on, guys, no fighting, please," Miki begged. "Let's all agree that you're both very, very healthy eaters, and leave it at that, okay?"

"Now THAT I can agree with!" Kyo grinned.

"It's only a shame we'll have to wait a while before we can start off the next round of the competition," Janus spoke up from behind; turning, they all saw him emerging from his room. "But, at least we can look at the bright side of this scenario—we can eat like kings here!"

"Uh-huh…fatten yourselves up today, so that tomorrow you can be slaughtered," Jillian spoke as she came from her own room to join the others.

"Hey, Jillian, you could always say it more nicely," Jenna told her.

Jillian shrugged. "Think whatever you'd like. But this much I know for a fact: I'm absolutely not going to lose to any of you…not even to Sir Seta."

Listening to this, Zander suppressed a chuckle. _That's what you think._

Seta shrugged. "Well, I'm feeling hungry, so…I'm going to go and have dinner now. You guys coming or not?" And he turned and started to walk away.

"Hell yeah, we're coming!" Yugo answered, quickly following after Seta. The others got into step with him, and moments later all of them were heading for the staircase, with the suits following close behind them.

----------

The dining room's windows were lined with purple and gold curtains. The chandelier hanging from the ceiling shone with fluorescent white light. The table was covered in exquisite-looking pink cloth. There were eight places set at the table, with soup spoons, dinner knives and forks, and dessert knives and forks in their proper places, and dishes and glasses set upside down. There were three windows on one side of the room; outside, in the sky, fluffy white clouds blocked out the sun's afternoon glare. There was not a single soul inside the room…

Then suddenly the door to the dining room opened wide, and the eight duelists walked in. "Whoooooooaaa…!" Yugo whispered under his breath as he took in the exquisite feel of the dining room.

"Okay, NOW I feel like I'm in a palace," Kyo chuckled.

Janus looked around at the room. "I gotta admit, I feel a little out of place here right now," he confessed.

"You're kidding, right? I mean, this is really the first time I've ever been in such a posh-looking dining room!" Jenna exclaimed.

One of the suits accompanying the group now spoke up. "Mr. Pegasus will be coming shortly, to address you all. So, if you please, be seated here at the dining table until he arrives…and then after that, dinner will be served."

"Thank you," Miki said politely, turning and bowing momentarily to the guards.

Nodding, the suits closed the door behind the duelists. "So…who sits where?" Yugo inquired. "Or does it matter?"

"I know where I want to sit," and Miki picked one of the seats nearer to the windows.

"Then I'll sit near you," said Kyo, and he took the seat on Miki's left.

One by one, the others sat down as well. "Man, I wonder what kind of food they'll bring us to chow down on," Yugo grinned gleefully.

"First think about what Pegasus will say to us as duelists," Jillian spoke to him. "Dinner can come later."

"I agree with her," Zander added his voice, as he sat down himself. "After all, it's not every day that just anyone gets the privilege of being in the humble home of the creator of Duel Monsters. Now, though, we eight can count ourselves among the lucky few."

Seta, sitting so that he was directly opposite Zander, flashed him a momentary glare.

Jenna and Janus took their seats, too—and just at that moment, the dining room door opened again. In one instant all eight of them turned in the direction of the sound. "Wha…?" Janus started.

Standing at the doorway was Maximillion Pegasus, his hair flowing partially over his face. As the eight watched, he stepped into the room, a smile on his face. "Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen," he greeted them. "First, let me say congratulations to all of you for having made it here to my castle. As of this moment, all of you are officially in Dueltropolis's quarter-final round—the World Championship's best of the best!"

Jillian smirked and brushed her red bang out of her face as she heard this.

Pegasus nodded meaningfully. "You have all come through various trials to get to where you are now. Each of you entered this tournament for one reason or another… each of you has striven to show the world that your skills are deserving of you being here…and each of you has proven your mettle by defeating your opponents in the previous two rounds of this tournament. But now, as I'm sure you're all aware, from this point on the battles will get even more vigorous and more intense as you will all compete for the right to be called this year's World Champion of Duel Monsters."

Seta crossed his arms and closed his eyes. "Hmph."

Then Pegasus's visible eye twinkled. "Now…as to the oncoming quarter-final matches…I find it fit to inform all of you, they will not be held here on Duelist Kingdom Island."

The eight finalists stirred at that information. "Not here?" Kyo asked, raising an eyebrow. "Where, then?"

"Don't worry, I'm about to explain that," Pegasus assured him. "Ahem. Do you all remember the liner that first brought you here, the day before yesterday? Well, first thing tonight at sunset you will all be boarding that liner—and then you will all be en route to a very special place, a place where it will be only fitting for the World Championship's final round to be held…" He paused.

"Yeah?" Janus prompted.

Now Pegasus smirked. "Two words: Tokyo Dome."

There was a gasp of surprise from Yugo's group. "What? Tokyo Dome? _The_ Tokyo Dome?" Miki asked in disbelief.

"The one and only," Pegasus affirmed.

The duelists all looked at each other. "How about that? I've always wanted to go to the Tokyo Dome—and now I can finally get that opportunity!" Janus smiled.

Pegasus folded his arms. "Actually…only the last two duelists of this tournament will be fighting there. Between here and there, the quarter- and semi-finals will be held…on board the liner itself."

Kyo fingered his chin thoughtfully. "I see…that certainly would save time…but the matches of Dueltropolis have been broadcasted to viewers up to now, right? Will those matches on the ship be broadcasted too?"

"Why, certainly," said Pegasus. "I know you kids wouldn't have known it when you were on the ship coming here, but there are cameras on board the liner, too, just like the cameras that have been set up throughout this island. There's a remote satellite system on the ship that's connected to the Industrial Illusions broadcast mainframe, which will pick up and broadcast any duels that are scheduled on board the ship."

Seta nodded knowingly. "In other words, the broadcast system on the liner is similar to the broadcast system that was present on Kaibacorp's Battle City blimp years ago."

"You have the idea," Pegasus nodded.

"Okay…so, now what, in the meantime?" Jenna asked.

Pegasus smirked. "Now…for the time being, you will all rest and relax a while longer before the time to head back to the liner comes. You have all earned the break, after all…and besides, you'll all need the time to refine your decks in preparation for the battles ahead."

As he spoke, he reached into his coat and pulled out a small gold bell. "Now…I take it you're all ready to eat?"

"DEFINITELY!" Yugo and Kyo exclaimed together.

Smirking again, Pegasus rang the gold bell. Suddenly—in what seemed instantaneous movement—the door to the dining room opened again, and this time in came eight maids, each bearing a covered tray, and a tuxedoed butler behind them with a tall pitcher of water. Each maid went to one place at the table, and set before the guest sitting there a small plate of cheese cubes, small sausages and round dumplings.

Zander smiled. "An appetizer…should be good to prepare for the main course."

The maids stepped back from the table, and the butler turned up the glasses and filled each with water. "So, guys, what're we waiting for? Food's before us—let's dig in!" Janus said gleefully.

"I second that notion!" Yugo added.

Pegasus nodded. "Well, let me not prevent you from having this first part of the meal…so, enjoy!" And with that he stepped out of the room, leaving the eight to dine on the appetizers.

----------

On the castle balcony, two tables had been quickly set up, one for the Committee members and one for Mr. Muto and his friends. It was here that the group now sat under the clear blue sky. "Such a beautiful day it happens to be today…I'm almost sorry this isn't a picnic setting in a park," laughed Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki.

"Just the fact that we're all getting to eat now more than makes up for that, I'm sure," chuckled Mr. Devlin.

There was one empty space at the Committee's table, with a covered dish and a glass of wine. Kaiba eyed the empty space with a little exasperation. "When is that Pegasus gonna get here?" he grumbled.

"No need to rush him; let him come when he's ready," answered Mr. Von Schroeder. "If he comes after we're through eating, that's his business too."

Mr. Truesdale picked at the cheese cubes on his plate. "The appetizer seems pretty good," he muttered, popping one cube into his mouth.

"Bah! You haven't tasted good food till you've tasted my cooking!" Ms. Wong scoffed. "In fact, if it weren't for the fact that doing so was humanly impossible, I would've done all the catering for the tournament myself!"

At the other table, Mr. Wheeler and Mr. Taylor were busily stuffing their faces. "Hey, hey, guys, go slow; those are only the appetizers, you know," Mr. Bakura cautioned them.

"Appetizers, schmappetizers!" Mr. Wheeler grunted with a full mouth. "Food is food, no matter how you look at it!"

"Got that right!" Mr. Taylor added, also with a full mouth.

Grandma Muto shook her head. "It's not so difficult to see why they chased you out of the kitchen," she sighed.

"At least be glad YOU don't have to put up with Joey at your house every day, Mrs. Muto…I have to bribe him just to leave the kitchen till I'm done cooking," Mrs. Wheeler lamented.

Mrs. Taylor reached over and poked her husband's stomach. "Tristan, you're definitely getting fat…maybe I should tell them not to serve you the main course or dessert," she smirked.

Mr. Taylor nearly choked on his food. "WHAAAAT? Hey, Serenity, that's not even funny!" he sputtered.

"That gives me an idea, Serenity—maybe you can put both your brother and your husband on a strict diet program," and Mrs. Bakura chuckled evilly.

"Nooooooooooo!" Mr. Wheeler and Mr. Taylor cried.

"Relax, guys, she's only kidding," Mr. Muto hastened to assure them.

"Am I?" Mrs. Bakura asked menacingly. Immediately all three men sweat-dropped.

"Hello, everyone! Sorry I'm late!"

Everyone promptly looked up—and saw Pegasus approaching the tables. "Ah, glad to see you're joining us, Pegasus," Mr. Truesdale addressed him. "How are our finalists taking your news?"

"Oh, you mean about the setup of the quarter- and semi-finals?" Pegasus replied as he sat down. "They seemed to take it pretty well, especially considering that the most immediate prize for that will be access to Tokyo Dome to compete in the finals of this tournament."

"I'll admit, I was certainly amazed by the proposal, but at least it works," said Mr. Devlin thoughtfully. "With the last remaining Zodiac among the finalist ranks, this strategy of yours will prevent him from doing anything underhanded here at Duelist Kingdom, plus if he does try something while on the ship there'll be literally no place for him to run or hide."

"Which does remind me—did you make the arrangements for Tokyo Dome as I'd asked?" Pegasus asked, turning to look directly at Mr. Taylor.

"Sure did," Mr. Taylor nodded affirmation. "Right after you explained the plan to us, I called up the manager of the Tokyo Dome's main stadium. He's an old acquaintance of Devlin & Taylor and personally owed me a few favors, so it wasn't difficult to arrange for use of the stadium there for Dueltropolis's final. He's all set to sell tickets to the events right now, as soon as the tournament's hosts give an official statement."

"Then I'll have to do an official broadcast very soon," chuckled Pegasus. "So, I'll just have this nice little appetizer, then go and do the broadcast, and then come back in time for the servants to show us today's main course."

He touched a button on his collar. "Hello, broadcast room? Yes…could you arrange for me to do a quick live broadcast in the next fifteen minutes…? Oh, the equipment's already on standby? Very well, then, I'll be down shortly. Thank you."

That being said, Pegasus stood up. "Well, excuse me for the moment, good folk. I shouldn't be too long." And then the group watched as he sauntered off.

"Okay, that's dealt with," nodded Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki. "For now, though, let's enjoy this nice little snack and hope the main course is even better."

"Seconded!" Mr. Wheeler and Mr. Taylor cried.

----------

**_neomage:_** And so, the plans are revealed…and tournament intermission continues next chapter! And, next chapter, I'll provide a blooper too!

rampagerkriz: Shouldn't you be concentrating on doing your homework?

neomage: Uh…ahem…MOVING RIGHT ALONG!


	264. Chapter 264

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Bring out the main course and dessert! And, no, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!)

**CHAPTER 264**

PEGASUS'S CASTLE

"Mmm…wow! These are good!" Natasha eagerly popped a sausage into her mouth.

She and the others were seated around a series of plastic tables that had been brought into the waiting room by the guards shortly before dinnertime. Now, they were all snacking away at the appetizers that they'd been served. "It's not every day you get to eat fancy stuff like this, for sure," Ricardo agreed. "At least, not at Duel Academy."

"Oh? What are you served there, then?" Miriam wondered.

"Well…" Ricardo chuckled. "Let me tell you how it goes at the Academy. We have three meal sessions – one from 7:00 to 8:00 in the morning, one from 11:00 to 1:00 in the afternoon, and one from 5:00 straight through to 8:00. During the morning session, we're usually served a variety of porridges, ranging from corn to wheat…then, in the afternoon, we usually get some sandwiches, rice, potatoes, meat, and a whole host of beverages…and in the evening, we get stuff like rolls, cheese, salads…"

"Hmph." David, seated between Miriam and Luke, folded his arms and shrugged. "As far as I'm seeing it, you guys get fed three times a day every day, free of cost, and you've got a whole host of stuff to pick, choose and refuse. What're you complaining about?"

"Nobody's complaining, really. It's just…" Natasha's expression became thoughtful. "Most of the students in the Obelisk Blue dorms used to get more favorable treatment from various places on campus than did the Osiris Red and Ra Yellow dorms…and the cafeteria has never been an exception. Like, for instance, the best porridge in the mornings is the banana porridge, but traditionally that's always been saved for Obelisk Blue, and in the end Osiris Red has had to have semi-warm or outright cold porridge. Yuck!"

"And the hot dogs, hamburgers and steaks used to be gobbled up by Obelisk Blue, so the other dorms had to stick with the other stuff every day," Ricardo nodded gravely. "And as for supper…forget trying to get any cheese fries, no matter how early you come, as long as you're not in Obelisk Blue…and worse if you're Osiris Red!"

"But all of that's changed since Principal Yuki became principal," Natasha perked up, a smile on her face. "Now, all the dorms can eat whatever they like from the cafeteria and not be restricted." She closed her eyes and smiled. "Deviled eggs, biscuits and gravy, cheese spaghetti, stewed beef, burger plate specials…"

"Kid, cut it out!" David yelled. "You're just getting me hungrier, listing food like that!"

"Sorry," Natasha apologized.

Flora picked at the cheese cubes on her plate. "I hope the chefs here can cater to my dietary needs for the main course," she remarked, popping one of the cubes into her mouth.

"Dietary needs?" queried Luke.

"She's mostly vegetarian." Marcus, sitting near Flora, gave the explanation even as he stuffed a dumpling into his mouth.

Malachi was sitting a little ways off from the tables, by himself, eating his appetizers. Wade chuckled as he watched this. "Say, Malachi, how about coming on over and sharing in our company?" he invited. "After all, eating food is far more fun when you're in good company, wouldn't you say?"

Malachi shrugged. "I don't do banter over food," he answered. "Eat first, talk later. That's how I do things." And he went back to munching on a sausage.

"Well, look at it this way," Shigeo offered to Malachi. "If you chat with friends while eating, the flavor is preserved and the meal lasts longer, and you're able to savor it more than if you just ate without doing much else. At least try this once sometime—perhaps not now, but in the near future, what do you say?"

Malachi shrugged again. "I'll think about it."

All this time Blaze, seated next to Wade, had been munching away at her appetizers in peace. Now Flora glanced over at her. "Say, Blaze…that ring you're wearing…I saw you wearing it when you guys came in."

Blaze glanced at the ring Wade had given her. "What about it?" she asked nonchalantly.

"Well…I think it's a beautiful ring, that's all." Flora smiled.

"Thank you." Blaze nodded and went back to her meal.

"Yes, it sure looks really nice," Miriam appraised the ring. "I don't believe I'd ever noticed it before…shame on me."

Marcus eyed the ring, then turned his gaze on Wade. "That ring is…" He mouthed the words so the others wouldn't hear.

Wade nodded slowly. Seeing this, Marcus's eyes narrowed and he smirked.

Just then Honey and Raven came in. "So, how's everybody doing here?" Honey asked cheerfully.

"Just wonderful…the appetizers are pretty good," Flora acknowledged. "Only, might I ask for a favor from you?"

"Don't see why not," said Raven. "What's up?"

"Well…I know I didn't mention it before, and I'm sorry if it inconveniences you, but…could you have a word with your chefs to send a non-meat dish when they serve the main course of dinner?" Flora asked.

Honey cocked an eyebrow…then smiled in understanding. "Oh, a vegetarian? Well, sure, why not? I'll go down and have a word with the kitchen staff right now—see if they can't whip up something especially for you."

"Thank you," Flora bowed a little from her sitting position.

"Well, while we're here, anybody else have any special dietary preferences that we should know about?" Raven asked. "Speak now or forever hold your peace."

There was no reply. "Well, that's fine, then," said Raven. "Come on, Honey—to the kitchen with us!"

Honey nodded. "Right!"

----------

Meanwhile, down in the dungeon…

James Truesdale's eyes fluttered open. "Mmmm…where…where the hell am I…?"

"Oh, look, Sleeping Beauty's finally awake," a bitterly sarcastic voice spoke up. "Not so bad now, are you, Aries the Everstrong?"

Slowly sitting up, James looked in the direction of the voice. "Gear? That you?"

"Who else, you punk?" Chris Gear snorted, leaning on the bars of his cell. "Now, you're reduced to common trash along with the rest of us. So much for your Grim Reaper role."

James narrowed his eyes. "I see…I remember now…I was beaten in a duel, and then I passed out…but where am I?"

"You're at Pegasus's castle, locked up in a dungeon along with the rest of us," Angel Snow's voice reached him from the cell next door. "We've all been defeated in the tournament, just as you have been."

"And you'd better be glad you're locked up, punk—otherwise I'd have a ball tearing out your guts right now!" Victor Greaves snarled venomously from his cell.

James snorted. "You couldn't tear tissue if you tried."

"What was that?" Victor raged.

"I'm just surprised that our Duel Academy's Dueling Emperor got his ass kicked," Cassius Princeton smirked from his cell. "Must be a sign of the end of the world, heh, heh, heh."

James's eyes narrowed further. "So…have they captured all of us Zodiacs?"

"As far as we've been able to see, no," Laurel Strong's voice spoke up. "Capricorn's the only one still missing. At this point, I'm willing to bet he's probably made it further into the tournament."

"Of course he's made it further into the tournament—he's Capricorn the Blitzflash, after all!" Regina Brissett answered. "There isn't a soul who'll be able to defeat him!"

"Except maybe Ophiuchus the Imperial…" Kyle Welling's voice spoke up ominously.

There was silence as this bit of information sank in. Then suddenly a loud moan could be heard from one of the other cells. "Uuuhhhh…hey, Mom, what's for breakfast…?"

James scoffed upon hearing the voice. "Leo the Wildmaster…and here I thought I'd taken you out for good…"

In the cell right across from Angel's, Forrest Wiles was sitting up, bandaged in various places. "Am I…alive?" he wondered.

"Heh…from the sound of your voice, I would have to say you are," Felix Sanchez responded from his own cell.

James was instantly attentive on hearing Felix speak. "Has Libra squealed to the Committee yet?" he demanded.

"Nope," Kyle spoke up harshly. "But Virgo, Aquarius and Gemini already have—while you were still out of it."

James growled. "I knew I should've taken extra measures to make sure those two idiots were down for good," he muttered. "And…Angel…why? How could you betray us like that?"

"Said she had a guilty conscience," Regina laughed.

"You've only got yourself to blame for us squealing, Aries," Victor said tartly. "If you hadn't betrayed us first…"

"Don't bother trying to explain to _him,"_ Chris interrupted. "Anyways, if he's been beaten and kicked out of the Dueltropolis tournament, that's supposed to be enough revenge for you and me."

Another voice stirred, this time from the cell right next to Regina's. "Guys…what's going—oh SHIT!" Stephen Ingram cursed. "Damn…that smarts like a bitch…"

"Physical pain should be the least of your worries right now, Cancer," Kyle snorted in disgust. "We've been betrayed, and are still being betrayed."

"Betrayed? By who?" Stephen demanded incredulously.

"Just the oh-so-esteemed Angel Snow, Chris Gear and Victor Greaves," Laurel answered gloomily. "Kaiba's interrogated them, and they've all sold us out. Sagittarius and Taurus were interrogated, too, but at least they were able to keep a lid on their mouths, unlike _some_ people…"

"Oh, get over it, Pisces," Angel said coldly.

Forrest was by now leaning on the bars of his cell, listening in wonder. "So that's it…what did you guys tell them?" he inquired.

"Does it matter?" Kyle barked. "The fact remains, they squealed like little piggies!"

"You're the only _puerco_ around here," Felix spoke up. "Don't you get it? Whether we revealed the Zodiacs' secrets or not, now that we're no longer on the battlefield we are millstones to Master Orion. He won't hesitate to take us down and find some other duelists to replace us all. Not even the most loyal amongst us will be safe, once that person has failed the mission. Me, though…that's not the only reason I've decided to turn myself in…"

"Guilty conscience, like Virgo? Boo-hoo, cry me a river," Regina said mockingly.

"Heads up, you scum! It's dinnertime!"

All eleven Zodiacs looked up at the sound of the rough voice. At the top of the stairs, there were several guards bearing trays of food. One of the guards was twirling a key in his hand. "Y'all must be starving," the key-bearing guard smirked. "Well, don't think we've forgotten about you—but don't think you'll be getting any red-carpet treatment, either."

Then this guard went down the stairs to the dungeon floor, followed by the food-bearers. One by one, he cautiously opened the cell doors, and one by one the guards put a tray of food into each cell and then left, with the cell door swiftly locked after them. "Well…at least we won't go hungry," Forrest chuckled as his food tray was pushed into his cell.

James didn't move an inch, just glared stonily at the guards as they put his food tray into his cell. "Guess you must be used to fine dining, kid, being Mr. Truesdale's son and all," one of the guards said scornfully. "But we received special instructions not to treat you any differently from the rest of these bastards just because of that fact."

"Screw off," James growled, holding up his middle finger.

In what seemed no time at all, the last food tray was distributed, and the guards headed back up the stairs. "Well…let's see what we've been given," Forrest said, somewhat cheerfully, as he picked up his tray and examined the food on it. "Well, well, well…a bowl of porridge, a bowl of rice, two chicken drumsticks, some spinach…guess it's not all that bad, after all. Say, what did you guys get?"

"Same as you," Cassius spoke up.

"Same here," Laurel added.

"Mine's kinda different," Victor announced. "I've got fish skewers and some biscuits and gravy."

"Well, no use in letting this stuff go to waste—and I AM starving!" Chris declared. "So, let's eat!"

Kyle sat stiffly in his cell, his food tray on the ground where the guard had left it. "I'd rather starve than eat anything made by our enemies," he declared flatly. "And I'd definitely rather starve than eat with traitors."

"Then let the rats have the food—at least they'll appreciate it more than you are right now," Felix announced, taking a spoonful of porridge into his mouth as he said so.

"Kyle, you're just being unreasonable to yourself," Angel said to him. "You can't possibly hold out forever based on just your own philosophy or beliefs."

"You'd be surprised what a body can do when the mind is made up," Stephen spoke to her. "And anyway, Taurus, you're not gonna be alone in your little hunger strike. I myself can't believe I'm in the enemy's custody right now…or that our comrades have shot off their mouths."

"They are no longer comrades of mine, that's for damn sure," Kyle said bitterly.

James looked at the food on his tray—yams and codfish mixed with cabbage. He sighed. "Well, whatever…I'll eat when I feel like it," he mumbled.

Regina was already busily eating her meal, which consisted of a tomato-and-carrot salad and fried fish. "I'll bet Capricorn's upstairs, eating like a king alongside the rest of the duelists that have made it through the tournament," she remarked smugly.

"Maybe he's eating a steak or something…lightly seasoned with garlic and pepper…" Victor chuckled as he ate.

James scowled as he listened to the banter, but said nothing and made no attempt to reach for his food. Likewise, Kyle and Stephen made no attempt to eat, either, but merely sat still with dark looks on their faces.

----------

A LITTLE WHILE LATER

"All right—that's it for the appetizers!" Yugo said triumphantly. "Now, let's have 'em bring on the main course!"

At this moment, even as the eight duelists remained seated around the table, servants were taking away their emptied plates and refilling their water glasses. "What do you think they'll serve for the main course?" Miki wondered.

"We'll just have to wait till they actually bring it out, which I wager won't be much longer from now," Kyo said wisely.

"Well, as long as it's well-done, it doesn't matter what it is," Seta declared, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

Janus looked at Jillian and chuckled. "Looks as if you'll be fattened up with the rest of us."

She flashed him a piercing glare. "For the sake of not causing any unnecessary damage to Pegasus's abode, I'll just pretend I did not hear that comment."

"Yeah, Janus, be a little nicer," Jenna added her voice. "We girls have to be watching our figure all the time, you know. Just the idea of getting fat…" and she shivered.

Zander paid them no attention, but seemed lost in his own little world. _It's going to be a little while before I can contact Master Orion and tell him of these newest developments…but I should still have some time before the ARK reaches him…and then…_ And he smiled inwardly.

----------

**_neomage:_** Another chapter that deals with FOOD! Well, next chapter I'll see if I can't shorten it a bit and get to the main action in a little while, I promise!

yamikriz: You're just greedy, that's all.

neomage: Grrr…


	265. Chapter 265

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Food, food, everywhere:) And no, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!)

**CHAPTER 265**

PEGASUS'S CASTLE, A FEW MINUTES LATER

The chefs arrived on the balcony, wheeling large food carts toward the tables where the Committee and Mr. Muto's party waited. "Now, here's what I like to see!" Mr. Devlin grinned.

"Let's see what they've prepared for us," chuckled Mr. Von Schroeder.

Meanwhile, Mr. Wheeler was grinning widely. "Oh, goody…now we can REALLY eat!"

Some of the chefs, however, were glaring at him. "Heh…guess they haven't forgotten what you and Tristan tried to do in the kitchen, Joey," Mr. Bakura smirked.

Immediately Mr. Wheeler and Mr. Taylor sweat-dropped, remembering how they'd been chased out of the kitchen so unceremoniously. "Well…uh…we've got innocent bystanders here now, so they can't do much of anything," Mr. Taylor said hopefully, twirling his index fingers around each other.

"Tristan!" Mrs. Taylor hissed. "That's not funny!"

As they all watched, the chefs lifted various trays and plates from the food carts and set them in their places on the two tables. They then lifted the covers from the trays—and everyone gasped. They were being served choice steak cuts, stuffed chickens and turkeys, numerous potato and vegetable salads, corn-on-the-cob, and all of it was accompanied by bottles of fine red and white wines!

"Whoooooa…" Dr. Crowler's eyes widened.

"These good folk really went all out…!" Grandma Muto voiced the sentiment.

"Indeed," agreed Mrs. Wheeler. "Well, let's not make their efforts in vain, at least."

"I agree with that sentiment," said Mrs. Taylor. "So, let's get down to it."

"FEEDING FRENZY!" Mr. Wheeler and Mr. Taylor cried.

"Not so fast, you two! I'm gonna make sure that _everybody else_ at this table gets served before you!" Mrs. Bakura said in a scolding manner.

"NOOOOOOOOOO!" both men wailed, waterfalls coming from their eyes.

Nonetheless, the inhabitants of both tables passed around dishes, cut meats, poured drinks, and assisted each other. In what seemed no time at all, everyone was eating heartily.

"If we're having a ball here, think of how the dueling finalists must feel!" exclaimed Ms. Wong.

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki glanced over at Pegasus's space at the table—again vacant. "It's been a while since Pegasus decided to go and deal with that broadcast—how long could it possibly take him? He's seriously going to have somebody eat his share of the main course if he doesn't hurry back," she remarked.

"Like those two, perhaps?" Kaiba suggested, pointing his thumb in the direction of Mr. Muto's group. As the Committee turned to look, they were just in time to see Mr. Wheeler and Mr. Taylor eagerly stuffing themselves.

"Heh…those two are definitely serious eaters," Mr. Von Schroeder chuckled.

Mr. Truesdale sipped at his wine glass. "Well, one would think that they could've at least been taught table manners," he grumbled.

"One would think," agreed Kaiba, with equal disdain.

"Hello, everyone! Miss me?"

The group looked up to see Pegasus approaching. "About time you got back, wouldn't you say?" Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki asked.

"Sorry I took so long, Alex-girl, but one has to do the job right when it comes to making announcements of this caliber," chuckled Pegasus.

----------

A FEW MOMENTS EARLIER

_Pegasus was seated before the camera, looking very calm and composed even as the suits scrambled to ensure that the connections were secure and in their proper order. A maid was carefully brushing Pegasus's hair, manipulating one side of it so it would cover his yellow eye-patch. "Okay, Mr. Pegasus, you're good to go!" the maid informed him._

_"Very well," Pegasus acknowledged, nodding._

_Then one of the suits spoke up. "Mr. Pegasus, you're on live in another ten seconds."_

_The maid swiftly moved out of the camera's range, while Pegasus straightened himself and put on his best smile. Then the suit manning the camera announced, "And, four, three, two, and…!" and here he pointed at Pegasus._

_"Hello once again, everybody," Pegasus spoke up. "I trust you've all been keeping up with the Duel Monsters World Tournament Committee's Dueltropolis tournament up to now, and I hope it's been as exciting for you, the viewers, as it's been for us, the hosts of this grand event, and for our participants this year. But now, it's about to get even more exciting for all involved!_

_"What does he mean, you ask? Well…of the thirty-two duelists who've entered the competition this year, only eight now remain. And tonight, those eight will battle on board Industrial Illusions' grand liner as we take them away from Duelist Kingdom Island. And that's not all…at this time tomorrow afternoon, that liner of which I speak will be docking in Tokyo Bay, and from there the two remaining duelists will be taken to the famed Tokyo Dome, where the final match of the Dueltropolis tournament will be played out!"_

_Pegasus's smile became wider. "So, everyone, tune in to the upcoming duels as we bring them to you live! And for those of you who wish to see the Tokyo Dome battle first-hand, secure your seats there by tomorrow—or if you can't go there, keep tuning in! Either way, it'll be a grand finale you won't want to miss, I personally guarantee you that!"_

----------

"So, do you think we'll be able to expect a huge turn-out at the actual Tokyo Dome site?" Mr. Devlin inquired of Pegasus.

"I don't see why not," Pegasus answered. "Now, fans from overseas will likely be making bookings at their local major airliners to fly out to Japan in time for the final duel tomorrow…and Japanese natives will likely cause traffic jams in their respective areas just to get to Tokyo Dome."

Mr. Truesdale popped a piece of meat into his mouth, then wiped his lips with a napkin. "Now, Pegasus…you do realize that an announcement like that may be bound to draw out Master Orion, considering that the Zodiacs have been infiltrating the tournament up to now," he said in a low tone.

"I kept that in mind, of course," Pegasus assured him. "And, of course, we'll keep an eye out for any and all unscrupulous activity at the dome, so if anybody tries any underhanded tactics, we'll nab them and break the Zodiacs' plans for good."

"Please, can we not discuss the Zodiacs anymore right now?" Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki asked. "You'll ruin everyone's appetite."

"Oh, yes of course…how inconsiderate of me," Pegasus apologized. "Yes, let's take the time now to enjoy the food my kitchen staff has worked so hard to prepare."

"Hmph," Kaiba grunted, sipping his wine.

----------

"I bet I can eat more than you!" David challenged, gobbling up everything on his plate.

"Says you!" Luke shot at him.

"Yeah, right—I can eat twice what you two can eat combined!" Wade boasted.

"You'll just end up giving yourself a middle-aged man's paunch," Blaze taunted.

The group in the waiting room was already chowing down into the main course. "Man, I'm surprised Raven and Honey don't gain weight, if they eat like this every day," Shigeo chuckled as he cut into a meat dumpling.

"I wonder if we can ask for doggy bags," said Ricardo.

Flora was carefully eating her own meal—tofu strips with brown rice. "I'm just glad they were able to find an alternative for me, after all," she remarked happily.

"Uh-huh," Marcus nodded, taking a sip of water.

As before, Malachi was eating his meal a little apart from the rest of the group. Natasha noticed this and pushed her chair away from the table. "Hey, kid, what're you doing?" Miriam asked, pausing in mid-bite as she saw Natasha's action. "Are you full already?"

"Somebody needs to join him," Natasha answered, indicating Malachi.

Miriam cocked an eyebrow. "Are you sure? I mean, he said it himself before—he doesn't particularly favor dining company."

"Aw, c'mon—what harm could having just one person nearby be?" Natasha insisted.

So saying, she picked up her plate and walked over to where Malachi sat by himself, eating. Seeing her approach, Malachi slowed in his chewing. "What?" he asked.

Natasha swallowed a little. His fairly unfriendly reception had her nervous; but she wasn't going to back down now. "Well, uh…I just thought maybe I could keep you company," she suggested. "If you don't wanna talk, we don't have to. It just looks kind of lonely to be having a good meal all by yourself, you know what I mean?"

Malachi looked up at her, then sighed and shrugged resignedly. "Suit yourself."

"Goody!" Natasha said gleefully, sitting down next to him and immediately resuming her own meal. Malachi merely shrugged again and resumed chewing.

Miriam chuckled a little as she witnessed this. _I feel almost ashamed of myself…here I am, reluctant to sit near my own brother, and yet that girl, a perfect stranger, can go close to him without any reservations…I guess I myself still have a lot to learn…_ And with that on her mind, she went back to eating.

----------

SOMEWHERE, IN THE MEANTIME

Master Orion sipped at his glass of wine, watching a replay of Pegasus's earlier announcement. "So…that's how it is, eh?" he chuckled. "Well, we'll soon see how your little plan turns out, foolish Pegasus…"

Setting his glass down, he snapped his fingers. A moment later a man dressed in butler's attire emerged from the shadows. "You summoned me, Master?" he spoke in a rasping, yet extremely respectful tone.

"Hmm." Master Orion nodded. "What is the seating capacity for Tokyo Dome?"

"55,000, sir."

"And security?"

"It will not be mild, sir."

Master Orion frowned. "Then we will have to…intervene."

The butler nodded. "I understand, Master. I will get on it at once." And he seemingly melted back into the shadows, leaving Master Orion alone once again.

----------

DUELTROPOLIS, AN HOUR LATER

"WHEW!" Yugo leaned back in his seat and grinned with the satisfaction of one who has just eaten a hearty meal. "Now THAT was a feast!"

Janus shook his head in wonderment. "I envy you, dude. You'd win first prize at any eating contest!"

Even Jillian was staring in astonishment. "Where the hell do you put all of that?" she asked.

Jenna chuckled. "Yugo's got five stomachs," she declared. "One in its proper place, two in his chest, and two in his ass."

"Aw, Jenna! That's not nice!" Yugo complained.

Miki giggled. "At least we were all able to eat our fair share of this main course," she said.

"Fair share…damn…" Kyo leaned back in his seat, as well, and exhaled loud and long. "For once, I don't feel as if I could eat one more half-bite."

Zander was calmly wiping his mouth with a napkin. "Well, gentlemen, at least nobody can penalize you for having eaten as much as you have," he told Yugo and Kyo. "This is a _feast,_ after all, and as such you're expected to eat all you want."

"Even so…if I eat anything more, I swear I'm gonna pop like a balloon," Yugo mumbled.

Seta eyed Yugo knowingly. "Guess that means more dessert for the rest of us, then."

Instantly Yugo was attentive, sitting up straight in his seat. "On second thought, I may be able to squeeze in _one_ slice of cake!" he announced.

"And a bowl of Jell-O to go with it!" Kyo added, also suddenly attentive.

Jenna, Janus and Miki fell over in their seats, and Jillian's eyes went wide as saucers. "Pigs!" Jenna snapped, getting back up. "That is all you two are—pigs!"

"And very eloquent pigs at that," Yugo teased, doing his best to look suave.

Just at that moment the servants came in with the food trays. They worked swiftly, clearing the guests' plates from the table, refilling their water glasses, and replacing utensils. Then one of the trays was unveiled, and everyone gaped at what they saw: a huge strawberry cheesecake with condensed milk poured on, and cherries on the top!

"Whoa…I'm getting' me a slice of THAT!" Janus declared, as one servant put the cake right in the middle of the table.

"Double that!" Kyo announced.

"Oh, no, you don't!" Jenna said suddenly. "You're not going to eat Mr. Pegasus out of his own house!"

"Give us a break, Jenna—the guy can afford to stock his fridge at least," Yugo came to Kyo's defense. "Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if he's got at least twenty fridges, what with all the food we've been given up to now!"

"Well, guys, would you at least be kind enough to save the rest of us at least one slice each? Please?" Miki batted her eyelashes at the two of them.

"And besides, you two, if you overeat, chances are good you'll rupture your stomach walls," Zander addressed them. "Then who knows, maybe you'll get some kind of deadly stomach cancer, or appendicitis, or—heaven forbid—colon cancer!"

Seta swiveled in his seat so he was facing Zander directly. "It'll take far more than merely overeating to cause those kinds of problems, if you please," he said very frostily. "And, anyway, you shouldn't be grossing others out like that—we've all been eating here."

Zander smirked at Seta. "My apologies. I wouldn't want you to, ahem, lose your dinner over anything I've said."

Seta's eyes narrowed deeply, but he said nothing as he shifted back into his original sitting position. Zander then addressed the rest of the group. "My apologies to all of you if I spoke out of turn."

"No apologies necessary," answered Jenna, smirking smugly. "In fact, I think your little speech just now had the desired effect…" And here she indicated Yugo and Kyo, who were suddenly looking very green and very penitent.

"Um…after much consideration, I believe I'll have just one moderate slice of the cake," Yugo said, shivering.

"Yeah, me too," Kyo nodded assent.

"That means more for us! Sweet!" Janus grinned widely, and he reached forward to cut the cake.

"Here, let me help you with that," and Miki stood up to render assistance.

But now Jillian was frowning. _Sir Seta's response just now…it was a bit much for a simple comment like that…_ Her gaze shifted slightly to Zander, who was sitting back in his chair without a care. _This fellow…it seems he's got a far graver impact on Sir Seta than I first suspected…I'd better keep a close eye on him, and if he tries anything funny…!_

----------

**_neomage:_** More diverging from the main story…but hey, at least I have inserted critical elements of this part of the arc into this chapter! Now, next chapter things will build up to the first quarter-final duel!

rampagerkriz: You were just looking for an excuse to talk about food.

neomage: Was not!

krizrampage: Then why were you eating a big box of fried chicken and rice while you were typing this chapter?

neomage: Uhhhhh… (hides empty food box) I don't know what you're talking about!

REVIEW SOON, PLEASE!


	266. Chapter 266

YU-GI-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Okay…finally, a chance to really cut loose on chapters now…and, as usual, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!)

**CHAPTER 266**

PEGASUS'S CASTLE, TWENTY MINUTES LATER

"Gimme that last slice of cheesecake!" Mr. Wheeler snarled, jabbing at the rapidly-emptying plate with his fork.

"Joey! Restrain yourself!" Mrs. Taylor snapped, grabbing her brother and wrestling him back.

"But, sis, I want more cheesecake!" Mr. Wheeler protested.

"There ARE more civil ways to ask for more food, Joseph," Mrs. Wheeler said sternly. "The way you're behaving right now is not one of them!"

"Very good, educate little Joey—while I take that last slice for myself!" Mr. Taylor grabbed up his own fork and practically dived at the cheesecake plate.

"Oh, no, you don't!" Mr. Wheeler roared, grabbing Mr. Taylor by the hair. And then it became a tug-of-war, with Mr. Wheeler pulling at Mr. Taylor and Mrs. Taylor trying to pull both of them back.

"Aw, guys, please quit it…" Mr. Muto scratched the back of his head, very much embarrassed.

"Hmph. Well, while those two bozos act like the idiots they are…" and Mrs. Bakura calmly reached over with her fork, nabbed the cheesecake slice, and placed it on her plate. "Ryou, would you care to share with me?"

"I'd be delighted, dear!" Mr. Bakura nodded eagerly.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Mr. Wheeler and Mr. Taylor turned into zombies.

Dr. Crowler looked on at the noisy squabble, bemused. "Uh…is this normal?" he whispered to Grandma Muto.

"You should see them at parties," Grandma whispered back. "They've all been like this ever since they were kids—especially Joey and Tristan. The situation is rarely ever different."

Meanwhile, at the other table, the Committee members were finishing up their dessert. "Well, that cheesecake was far better than anything I've had this year," Kaiba remarked, wiping his mouth with a napkin. "Now, if you will all excuse me, I need to go resume my interrogations of our prisoners."

"All business, as usual…well, I guess that can't be helped much," sighed Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki.

Kaiba then glanced over at Mr. Muto's table. "Dr. Crowler, would you care to leave the geek patrol to themselves and come with me? I believe you would like to have a few words with Cassius Princeton…?"

Hearing this, Dr. Crowler was immediately grave. "Ah, yes of course," he said. "I'm coming. Everyone, you must excuse me now…"

"And I as well," and Mr. Truesdale stood up too. "Kaiba, ready…?"

"Definitely."

----------

Raven and Honey were sitting on a separate balcony, eating their dessert. "Wow…our chefs' cheesecake is the BEST!" Honey grinned, popping a piece of the cake into her mouth.

"Well…I kind of prefer when they make pineapple cheesecake instead of cherries and strawberries…but this is okay, too," Raven shrugged. His own plate was already empty, and his fork was resting in its center.

"So, Raven, there are eight finalists by now…Yugo and his friends, Seta and his bodyguard, that guy from Duel Academy, and that other newcomer…" Honey recalled the eight finalists. "Who do you think will have a chance at the championship?"

"Is that a trick question?" Raven looked warily at his sister.

"Of course not, dumb-ass! It's a very serious question asking for your opinion!" Honey said indignantly.

"Okay, okay—down, girl!" Raven waved his hands in mock surrender.

Then his face became reflective. "Well…to be perfectly honest…I'm not really sure. I mean, we know really well that Seta's the World Champion, defending his title here in the tournament, and beating him isn't going to be the easiest job in the world. But you do have to give Yugo and his bunch a lot of credit—they've all come really far as duelists, so any of them might have a chance at the title. Especially Yugo and Kyo…those two are the best duelists of those four…"

"And the others?" Honey prompted.

Raven shrugged. "I know Jillian's a duelist, but I haven't really _seen_ her in action, so I can't say with certainty…and of course, I haven't seen the Duel Academy kid or the other guy duel, either. It's all a great blanket of uncertainty."

Honey picked at the last of the cake on her plate. "Maybe…" she said, almost distant.

"Hmmm?" Raven looked at her in surprise. "What do you mean by that?"

Honey propped her elbow on the table, resting her chin in her hand. "Hey, bro…I haven't told anyone else about this, so…please don't laugh or anything, okay?"

He looked intently at her. "Go ahead."

Now Honey looked away from Raven, over to the nearby sea, and looked out over the horizon. "Back when we were in Egypt, I dueled against one of JUDAS's higher members—one of those who had those Millennium Items," she recalled quietly. "Her Item had the ability to tell both the past and the future…and before she surrendered it to me, it showed her a vision…a vision of the future…"

Raven cocked an eyebrow. "A vision?"

"Uh-huh," Honey nodded.

----------

EGYPT, SOMETIME EARLIER

_Judith smirked. "Listen, and listen well. This vision is actually more of a prophecy…you may not understand what it means now, but when the time comes, you will. Will you lend me your ears?"_

_Honey nodded. She leaned forward as Judith spoke:_

**"From the ashes of death, the strongest will be revived…and from the shielding cocoon, the mightiest will be reborn…and these will clash in a blaze of power and light…and only one shall remain."**

----------

PEGASUS'S CASTLE, THE PRESENT

"…I had almost forgotten about that prophecy, until when we were at the mall down in the Dueltropolis field…and I saw those two plush dolls that Seta ended up buying for me…" Honey smiled a little. "Plushies of the Mirage Knight and the Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon…"

Raven looked a little skeptical. "And you think those two monsters are the creatures spoken of in this 'prophecy' that that woman told you about?"

"Well, I know I didn't see that prophecy for myself…but I have no reason to believe she was lying," Honey countered. "I guess I won't really know for certain until I see those two monsters in action against each other. And the only way that will happen…is if Yugo and Seta battle each other. And the opportunity is right here, in this World Championship tournament."

Raven shook his head. "You can't be so certain of that. Who says Yugo and Seta will get to duel against each other in this leg of the tournament, if at all? They're only two of eight finalists, and the competition from here on out isn't going to let up on any of those eight." His voice was now very serious. "It's going to be a major battle now, and with the title of World Champion up for grabs, there's no way any of the finalists will just let their rivals nab it from them. So, no, it can't be a definite certainty that Yugo and Seta will get to face each other just so."

Honey drummed her fingers on the table-top. "You're thinking logically…and logically, that argument makes sense," she acknowledged. "Even so…I'd still like to believe that there's even a little bit of merit to that prophecy."

Raven waved his hand dismissively. "You can believe if you want," he told her. "The only way I'll believe something like that's gonna happen is if I actually see it with my own two eyes."

Honey frowned. "Making fun of me, are you?"

"Now, now, don't get too heated, sister," Raven shook his finger at her. "I didn't say that that scenario was _impossible._ I'm merely saying it's _improbable._ There's a difference."

"Right…" Honey sighed and looked back out toward the sea again.

----------

A FEW MINUTES LATER

"Man, that cheesecake really hit the spot!" Janus stretched upward as the group headed back to their respective rooms. "Wait'll I tell the guys back at Duel Academy how I was able to feast like a king—I swear, they're gonna be so jealous! Ha!"

"Well, dinner _was_ excellent and all," Zander acknowledged. "A perfect way to set the stage for my deck-building in preparation for the tournament's resumption later on."

"Yawwwwwwn…eating such a big meal's made me so sleepy…" Kyo sighed and flexed his arms outward. "I'm just gonna hit the sack for a while."

"And what about restructuring your deck, mister?" Miki gave him a look.

"No worries about that—it'll be done, I promise," Kyo assured her.

At length they reached the corridor where their rooms were. "Well, see you all later," said Jenna. "I'm gonna be seriously preparing my deck for when I face you guys later. I can't wait!"

"Yes, you make your preparations," Seta chuckled. "And when you do, make sure that those preparations will make your participation in this tournament worthwhile."

"But of course! Well, bye for now, everyone!" And Jenna headed for her own room, going inside and shutting the door.

"Make sure they wake me up when it's time to go on the ship, okay, guys?" Kyo admonished the group as he went into his room.

"No worries, dude! Just make sure you're prepped, that's all!" answered Yugo, heading into his own room.

"I need to finish my own preparations, now," Seta sighed. "So I will wish you all good luck in advance…and hope for the best." And he headed into his room.

Janus and Miki swiftly headed for their rooms, too. Zander chuckled as he watched them go. "A lively bunch, this crew…well, I guess I should rest up myself for later." And he headed for his room door.

"Hold it…"

Zander's hand was on the doorknob. He paused and looked back. "Hmmm?"

Jillian was leaning on the wall, arms folded, eyes narrowed and a frown on her face. "Sorry to interrupt you, but I have a few things I want to say to you," she said in a very soft voice.

"So, go ahead. I always like to find time to chat with a beautiful lady," Zander said pleasantly, turning around fully to face her.

Jillian straightened up and walked up to Zander. "Now, sir, let me say this in a way you can understand," she said, more softly, but with an ominous note creeping into her voice. "Just so you will know…I heard your conversation with Sir Seta earlier, when he and the others first arrived here."

Zander blinked. Then he chuckled. "Oh, you did, did you? And did you understand what you heard?"

"I understood enough." Jillian leaned forward a little, so her face was only inches away from Zander's. "It was clearly evident to me, from that little conversation, and from Sir Seta's reaction to your remarks at dinner just now, that you and he have some sort of back-story with each other. I may not know the details, but I know enough to know that he would rather you were not here at all." Her voice dropped to a barely audible whisper. "I just want to let you know…that under no circumstances are you to attempt anything that would cause discomfort or harm to Sir Seta. Because if you do…I will certainly break you."

Zander looked her squarely in the eye. "Your devotion to your employer is quite commendable," he whispered. "And, of course, as his bodyguard you are merely playing your role to the best of your capability. For that, I salute you." And he did a small salute with two fingers.

Jillian said nothing, just glared at him.

"Nonetheless…" Zander's saluting fingers dropped from his brow; his eyes narrowed and his smile turned upside down. "Even if your code as a bodyguard forbids you to do so, I would advise you for your own sake to remain out of this affair between Seta and myself. Even if you were to be told the nature of our history, I highly doubt even you would have the brainpower or the strength of will to comprehend it. And…you certainly do not now, or ever will, have the strength to stand up against someone like ME. In other words, _little girl…_if you don't want to get burned, stay away from the fire."

Jillian scowled. "Fires can be put out."

"Yet even a small fire can flare up to devastating levels if the wrong quenching method is used." Zander smiled again. "The question is, bodyguard, do you even know what method to use to put out the kind of fire you'll be playing with?"

And with that, he turned and headed into his own room, shutting the door behind him. Jillian just stood there, glaring at the closed door, before turning and heading for her own room.

----------

Back inside his own room, Zander flipped out his cell-phone. "About time," he mumbled as speed-dialed a number.

He held up the phone to his ear and waited patiently while the other end rang. Then: "Speak."

"Master Orion, it's Capricorn," Zander spoke up. "I have news for you…"

"If you are referring to Pegasus's plan to ship the Dueltropolis finalists to the Tokyo Dome, I am well aware of that already," Master Orion interrupted. "As I speak, our forces here are taking steps to…ensure that this part of the Committee's little game falls directly in line with our plans."

"I see…" Zander nodded. "Well, Master, it's about to get even easier."

"Oh? Explain yourself."

Zander chuckled inwardly. "Sir…do you remember your condemned project from so long ago—Project Alcatraz? Well…I refrained from telling you up until now, and for that I apologize, but now I see no reason to hold it back from you. That condemned project…will be the means by which Ophiuchus will be returned to your hands."

There was silence over the line for a long moment. Then Master Orion chuckled. "I see…you managed to rescue the fragments of _that weapon_, and kept silent about it to ensure its safety and success. My boy, I believe I should salute you…you always were able to think ahead."

"I am most unworthy of your praise, Master," said Zander respectfully.

"Very well, Capricorn. I shall leave Ophiuchus's retrieval in your capable hands…meanwhile, I shall set the stage for when you arrive with him."

Zander nodded. "Master Orion…what of the other field agents of my team, who have all been defeated?"

"Forget about them—they will meet their inevitable fate in due time. For now, just concentrate your efforts on Ophiuchus."

"I understand, sir. We will yet be victorious, I swear it."

"Indeed." And then the line went dead.

Smirking, Zander speed-dialed another number and waited while the phone rang again. Then: "Yes, it's me again. Everything is going according to plan…and Master Orion is quite pleased with the outcome so far. Let's endeavor to keep him that way. Yes…so, you are with the group on board the ARK…and you have the result of Project Overlord with you? Ah…very good, very good. That means we can kill a whole flock of birds with one stone in one fell swoop…now, what is your current location?"

He paused and listened while the other person on the line responded. Then he spoke again, "All right. You've been able to track my coordinates up to now, correct? That means you should be aware of my current position…yes. Now, make sure the crew understands this: keep your distance until I give you the signal. Don't worry about what the signal will be; you will know it when you see it. All right? Good. I'll catch you later, then."

Finally, Zander hung up and put the phone back into his pocket. "Yes, Ophiuchus…it's becoming easier and easier to trap you, the more time ticks away…and once we have you back…ohhh…not even your precious friends or the Committee will be able to protect you…" And his hair overshadowed one eye as he grinned a feral grin.

----------

**_neomage:_** WOOPSIE! I promised y'all a blooper, didn't I—and I failed to deliver when I ought to have! So sorry, everyone! Just for that, I'll make it up with TWO bloopers right now!

(**BLOOPER 1**: Chapter 255, the scene where Zander suddenly sneezes)

Zander: AH-CHOO! AH-CHOO!

(A large blob of snot flies out and smacks an off-screen Honey on the neck)

Honey: EEEEEEEEEEEEKKK! UTTERLY GROSS!

Zander: Oh, uh, heh, heh…oops?

Honey (whips out a large battle-axe): YOU ARE SO DEAD, RED-HEAD!

Zander: O.o GYAAAAA! (runs away with Honey in hot pursuit

(**BLOOPER 2**: Chapter, 256, where Zander is dueling Luke)

Zander: I shall now Special Summon a great beast…Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder!

(Zander plays the card—but a large Hamon plushie appears instead!)

Everyone: O.O;;;

Zander: O.O Oh, crap…I was hoping nobody would find out I had that…

Seta (off-screen): Heh…blackmail material…

REVIEW SOON, PLEASE!


	267. Chapter 267

vnCM-OH! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Sentimentality begins here…and neomage doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**CHAPTER 267**

PEGASUS'S CASTLE

The door to the dungeon swung open, and Kaiba emerged, followed by a number of guards. "I want three of our prisoners brought upstairs—Felix Sanchez, Cassius Princeton, and James Truesdale," Kaiba instructed the suits. "Bring Sanchez to the interrogation room, and the other two to the two adjoining rooms."

"Understood!" And with one accord the guards went down the steps to the three respective cells.

Cassius Princeton, lying on his bed in his cell, looked up as some of the guards approached his cell. "Come along, Princeton," one of them addressed him.

"Oh, my turn to talk again?" Cassius shrugged. "Well, okay…"

"Princeton…you are SO dead!" Kyle Welling vowed from his cell.

"Pipe down, asshole!" one guard snapped, banging on Kyle's cell to quiet him.

Felix Sanchez was sitting in a corner, his hat concealing his face, even as two of the guards entered his cell. "Hey, pal, time to go," one of them spoke up.

Felix presently lifted the brim of his hat, looking at the guards. "Is that so?" he queried. "Well, then…"

And a few more guards approached James Truesdale's cell. He scowled as he witnessed them coming toward his direction. "You lapdogs won't get a thing out of me," he growled.

"Whatever," one guard answered. "Now, get up!"

By and by the three prisoners were being escorted toward the dungeon's main door. Kaiba was waiting at the bottom of the stairs leading to the door. "All right, let's go," he ordered.

From his cell, Stephen Ingram watched and smirked as Kaiba turned to ascend the staircase. "Oh, Kai-baaaaa…" he taunted, in singsong. "You're all gonna di-i-i-i-ie…"

Kaiba glared at him. "I guess the saying is true…every ass loves to hear himself bray. Come on, let's go—we haven't got time for this lame-brain idiot."

With that, the group tramped up the stairs, leaving the other prisoners behind. Leaning on his cell bars as he watched the procession leave, Stephen's eyes flashed and he chuckled ominously.

----------

The group continued on upstairs, until finally they arrived at the white door to the interrogation room. Opening the door, Kaiba motioned to the guards escorting Felix; immediately he was guided inside. Then Kaiba turned to the other guards still escorting Cassius and James. "Take Princeton to the room where the Doctor is waiting," he instructed, "and Truesdale here to the other room."

Cassius raised a suspicious eyebrow on hearing this. _Doctor…?_

"Yes, sir!" And the guards immediately moved off a little further down the hallway with their two prisoners. Nodding in satisfaction, Kaiba turned to enter the interrogation room. "Well, GINA, time to do some questioning again," he muttered.

----------

Dr. Crowler stood at the window of a finely decorated and furnished room, looking out. In one hand he held a full glass of wine; now, he raised this glass to his lips and took a few sips. Then suddenly a knock at the door disturbed him. "Enter!" he called, not bothering to turn around.

The door then opened, and in came two guards, with Cassius Princeton in between them. "We have Cassius Princeton here, as requested," one of them spoke up.

Recognizing Dr. Crowler, Cassius paled. _Aw, hell…!_

"Thank you. That will be all." Dr. Crowler now turned around. "Cassius, have a seat."

The guards released Cassius and left the room. Cassius himself, not wanting to take on Dr. Crowler, did as he'd been bidden and sat down. "Sir…"

"No. You have no permission to speak right now." Dr. Crowler's tone spoke volumes. "When I say you may speak, you may speak. Not before. Nod if you understand, boy."

Gulping, Cassius nodded.

"Good." Dr. Crowler's eyes bore into Cassius's face. "You have associated yourself with a vile bunch of criminals…and you dare to call yourself a member of the noble Obelisk Blue dorm? Well, listen to this." His voice dripped bitter poison. "I've been informed that you have agreed to co-operate with the Committee in exchange for a reduced punishment, but I think that's a little too light for the transgression you have committed. Trust me…by the time I am through with you here, Mr. Princeton, any punishment that the Committee, Principal Yuki or even your father will administer to you will seem tame in comparison."

Cassius was now sweating. _This is not going to end well…_

----------

The suits escorted James into the second adjoining room. "There's someone here who wants to talk to you," one of the guards told him.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," James grunted, pulling his arms free from their grasp.

Eyeing him warily, the suits left the room. James, meanwhile, took in his surroundings—a window at the extreme end of the room, and two chairs near that window. And somebody was sitting in one of those chairs right now.

James cocked an eyebrow. "What do you want?"

"James…come and sit down."

James's eyes widened at the sound of the voice. "Dad…!"

The person turned around in the chair…and indeed, it was Mr. Truesdale. "Come, James. We have much to discuss."

The surprised look on James's face changed to one of bitterness. "I have nothing to say to you," he declared, crossing his arms defiantly.

"That may be true…however…" Mr. Truesdale's lips curved into a serious frown. "I have something I want to say to you. So, even if you will not talk to me, will you at least listen?"

James's eyes narrowed and one of his fists clenched. His jaw set, he walked forward to where his father sat with heavy footsteps…and sat down in the empty chair, arms stiffly crossed over his chest. "Five minutes. And don't waste my time," he said coldly, glaring at the older man.

Mr. Truesdale nodded. "Fair enough."

At this moment he got up and walked over to the window, looking out. Sighing, he crossed his arms behind his back. "I saw your duel with the Muto boy over the security system," he remarked. "But I'm not concerned with whichever of you won or lost. What concerns me…is what you said during that duel, about the Truesdale family's tragic story…"

James scowled, but said nothing.

"James, I've had enough time to think about it all ever since your duel ended," Mr. Truesdale continued quietly. "And there isn't a thing I can say that will take away the pain you've had to endure. The pain of having to live without your mother for so many years…with having to keep the nature of her passing from your sister…even as your father, I can't begin to imagine what hatred you must have for me for that…"

"Are you done?" James interrupted harshly. "Because you sound simply pathetic—but then again, you always were a pathetic character. I'm out of here." And with that he got up and started to walk toward the door.

Mr. Truesdale did not move from his standing position. "Wouldn't you at least want to know of your mother's last words before her death?"

James was almost at the door. Hearing this, he stopped in mid-step. "What are you…" he began, turning to look at his father again.

"There were things that your mother never told anybody else…not even me," Mr. Truesdale spoke up. "She was quite a strong woman, she was. You know that. In fact…maybe she was so strong, she felt she had to shoulder her own pain so as not to hurt her family that she loved so much…"

James just looked at his father.

Mr. Truesdale heaved a weary sigh. "Your mother had been keeping a diary, James. She started writing in it the day after I first courted her. Every day, every single day for so many years, she recorded all the events that she felt were important to note. And she did a good job of keeping it a secret, too…I never even knew it existed until the day after her funeral…"

As he spoke, he reached into his coat and pulled out a blue notebook. "I found it when I was going through her things, after the funeral. I was packing them up so that you kids would be able to have something to remember her by…and then, right there in the midst of her things, there it was. It looked like just an ordinary notebook at first glance, of course, but when I picked it up and leafed through it…"

Now James was staring hard at the notebook his father was holding. "You expect me to believe that that is…?" he demanded.

"No, of course I don't expect you to believe it all at once," Mr. Truesdale answered. "But if you wish to confirm it for yourself…" and here he held out the book to his son.

James's gaze had not left the book even once since Mr. Truesdale had first shown it. Now, he slowly walked forward and grasped it. "Mom…wrote a diary…?"

"It's up to you whether you read it or not," said Mr. Truesdale. "Just know one thing: that everything that is in this book is authentic, and that it contains all your mother's thoughts, hopes and dreams…even those she had right up to the time she died."

James looked at the older man, then at the book again. Carefully, he took it from his father and, opening it, began to leaf through the pages. Slowly he turned each page; carefully he read each word. Then suddenly, upon reaching another page—his hands trembled. "…this…can't…be…"

Mr. Truesdale eyed him. "What?"

James was blinking as he stared hard at the open page. "This entry…it says…it says…" He swallowed with utter difficulty. "When Mom was pregnant with me…her doctor told her to…have an abortion…!"

Mr. Truesdale nodded gravely as he took the book back from James and looked at the entry in question. "Yes…apparently there were a couple of complications in her pregnancy, according to this," he read aloud. "And having an abortion would have prevented any serious risks to the pregnancy later on…"

He lowered the book and shook his head. "But of course, your mother would never have chosen such a harsh step—not even for her own sake. She was always strongly pro-life, she was. That's why you're alive today…and, I believe, that's why Natasha lives today, too. Your mother would've rather sacrificed herself than to rob a child of the opportunity to experience life."

James looked hard at the ground. "Mom…"

Mr. Truesdale set the book on one of the chairs. Then he walked past James and toward the door; on reaching it, he paused. "If you want to know more about what your mother really felt, the book's right there for your perusal," he said softly. "Just understand, my boy…she loved you and Natasha very much, with all her heart. And she wanted the very best for both of you…and for you to love each other and to be there for each other." A melancholy expression crossed his face. "I only hope that one day…you and your sister will be able to forgive me for allowing our family link to deteriorate as much as it has. I'm not fit to be a father, I know that…and you both deserve to have had a better role model than I could ever be. I just hope it's not too late to begin anew…"

Mr. Truesdale then reached his hand toward the doorknob. "Although, with all the pain I've allowed you to go through for so long, it wouldn't surprise me at all if, even now, you're telling me in your mind to drop dead."

Then he opened the door and exited the room, leaving James alone. James, still standing with his back toward the door, looked down at the blue notebook on the chair. Then, quietly, he reached down and took it up, leafing through it again.

----------

"Okay, Sanchez, start talking."

In the interrogation room, Kaiba and Felix sat apart from each other; GINA, in human form via her cloaking program once again, stood to one side. Kaiba had his laptop balanced on his knees; Felix had his hat in his lap. "I'm afraid, _Señor _Kaiba, that whatever information I may have to share with you will be minimal and, perhaps, not worth much in your investigations," Felix said plainly.

"And why do you say that, now?" Kaiba cocked an eyebrow at him.

Felix smiled a little. "I expect Cassius would have told you when your Committee interrogated him…even as Master Orion's main squad, we are mostly kept in the dark about a number of things. Only our commander, Capricorn the Blitzflash, is close enough to Master Orion to be privy to such information…and you don't have him here."

Kaiba glanced down at the information popping up on the laptop. _Hmmm…GINA's polygraph program is indicating that he's telling the truth about that…but even so…_

"Please, Mr. Sanchez," GINA spoke up gently. "Whatever you can provide us, however small, will be greatly appreciated."

Felix smiled. "Well…I never was one to refuse a beautiful lady's request. Very well; I will tell what I do know."

GINA seemed to blush a little at Felix's comment; Kaiba barely managed to conceal his smirk. _If only he knew she was really a computer program and not an actual girl…_

Then Felix's smile disappeared. _"Señor_ Kaiba…does the word 'Alcatraz' mean anything to you?"

Kaiba's eyes narrowed at that. "Should it?" he asked.

"I don't know for certain, but…" Felix tapped the brim of his hat with his thumb. "I have heard people in the Zodiacs' wider organization mention something about a 'Project Alcatraz' or something to that effect. Of course, I do not know what this project is, or even if it truly exists at all. For all I know, it may very well have been a past project of theirs from before I first joined their group."

"I see…" Kaiba frowned. "But why did you ask if it should mean anything to me?"

Felix's eyebrows knitted together. "The first time I heard the word, I asked Capricorn what it meant…and he said that it was a word that used to be associated with Kaibacorp."

"Did he say how it was connected?" Kaiba wanted to know.

"No…in fact, that was all he said on the matter," Felix replied. "And, I'm afraid that is all I can tell you."

"Very well," GINA spoke again. "Master Kaiba…?"

Kaiba nodded. Setting the laptop onto the chair, he walked toward the door and opened it—and immediately two suits came in. "Take him back to his cell for now," Kaiba instructed.

"Understood!" the guards replied.

Felix stood up and put his hat back on. "I regret that my information could not help you," he said quietly as he left the room with the guards.

Soon Kaiba was alone with GINA. "No, Sanchez…actually, you've been a much bigger help than you realize," Kaiba whispered.

"If I may, Master Kaiba…just what do you mean by that?" GINA asked.

"I mean, he's just given me the first big clue to figuring out who the mastermind behind this whole crazy scheme really is," Kaiba told her. "Alcatraz…that's a word I never thought I'd have to hear again…but I guess some things can't be gotten rid of so easily…"

"What would you like me to do, Master?" GINA asked.

"Nothing more, for the time being. I'll activate your program again should I need your services once more," Kaiba answered.

"Understood." And, in a flash of light, GINA's human form vanished.

Kaiba quickly shut down the laptop, closed it up, and exited the room. And in all of that, he was only thinking one thing: _Alcatraz…_

----------

**_neomage:_** Forgive me for not updating sooner, but school's just been nothing but a royal pain in the ass! And from the looks of things, I may not be able to finish the story before the end of this year as I'd originally planned…oh well, just means more enjoyment for you guys! Now, let me know what you think of the chapter! Read and review—and don't worry, the next chapter will definitely have the beginning of the quarter-finals, for real!


	268. Chapter 268

Yu-Gi-Oh! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: OKAY! Intermission time is up! And, as a nice little reminder, neomage doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh!)

**CHAPTER 268**

PEGASUS'S CASTLE

Pegasus stood on the castle balcony overlooking the sea, watching as the sun rapidly vanished beyond the horizon. "7:00 now," he murmured, glancing at his watch. "Dinnertime sure went by fast…well, it's about that time now, it looks like. And this is where things are about to get very interesting."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell-phone, speed-dialing a number. He waited while the phone buzzed; then: "Bring our guests to the castle's rear entrance, please."

----------

"There! That ought to do it!" Yugo grinned, patting his finished deck contentedly. "Now let's see the rest of the competition try to get past me!"

Just then there was a knock at his door. "Come in!" he called.

A suit appeared at the entrance. "Mr. Yugo Muto, are you ready?" he asked. "It is time for you and the other finalists to go to the ship for the quarter-finals of the Dueltropolis tournament."

"Oh, I'm definitely ready!" Yugo nodded affirmation. He got up, grabbed his jacket, and slung it over his shoulders. "Let's go!"

Nodding, the suit stepped aside so Yugo could pass him. Heading out into the hallway, Yugo smiled as he saw the other duelists standing there, all ready themselves. "Okay, you guys—time for the battle royale to begin!" he addressed them.

"Battle royale, my butt! It'll just be me trampling the rest of you!" Jenna smirked.

"Well, I know I'm gonna do my best," Miki declared, holding up her Duel-Disk.

"It's going to take much more than just doing your best if you want to win," Jillian spoke up, leaning against the wall with arms folded.

"The only way to know for sure is to take us on once we're on the ship," said Kyo. "And I know for a fact that I'm rearing to go!"

"Me, too," Janus nodded. "So let's get going now!"

"My sentiments exactly, friends," Zander chuckled. "Let's not waste any time, now. I'm eager to get a few more wins under my belt."

Seta brushed his hair back with one hand and narrowed his eyes. "All right, guys," he addressed the suits. "Lead the way!"

The guards promptly turned and headed for the staircase, the eight finalists following after them. "Okay, so we'll be going back on the ship…guess that means another long trip back to the docking area," sighed Kyo.

"Actually, no," one of the suits spoke up. "Behind this castle, close to the sea, is another ship dock. While you were having dinner, the ship that brought you here was able to circle the island and come here to the castle dock in preparation for this leg of the tournament."

"Really? Wow, how convenient!" Miki exclaimed.

"The other guests will be boarding the ship as we speak," another of the suits remarked. "Let us hurry."

----------

From the back entrance to Pegasus's castle, there was a long staircase going down toward a huge dock neighboring the ocean. Here, the liner that had brought Dueltropolis's competitors to the island was now anchored, waiting. Lights on and around the deck were shining brightly. The gangplank was already set up; several suits were on the deck, patiently waiting.

Heading down the castle staircase, Ms. Wong smiled with satisfaction. "At long last…the tournament can be completed," she sighed.

"Indeed," said Mr. Von Schroeder, walking beside her. "And very soon, this whole business of the Zodiacs will be put to rest for good."

Walking behind them, Mr. Devlin frowned as he glanced backward at the castle. "I wonder, though…is it really okay to leave the castle, knowing that the Zodiacs are locked up in there…?"

"Don't worry too much about it, Duke," Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki answered. "Pegasus isn't that careless…he's probably leaving instructions with his security personnel regarding those guys right this minute."

A little ways behind these four, Mr. Muto's party was walking along. "Boy, this sure brings back memories, doesn't it?" Mr. Taylor remarked, looking ahead at the liner.

"It does, for real," Mrs. Bakura replied, reminiscing. "All those years ago…when Yugi came here to Duelist Kingdom to compete in Pegasus's tournament…and we came along to give him all our support…"

"Yeah, that was one crazy adventure," Mr. Wheeler smiled. "So much to lose…and so much to gain…"

"And a lot of people gained and lost," Mrs. Wheeler nodded.

Mrs. Taylor lightly reached up and touched her closed eyes. "If it wasn't for you guys…I wouldn't be able to see now," she whispered. "It's been well over a decade since that time, but I'm still grateful in my heart, every single day, that you gave me a chance to see."

"Yes, that's true," Mr. Bakura recalled. "I can still remember it like it was yesterday…Yugi and Joey had to duel each other in the final match, right before Yugi went on to face Pegasus for the title of King of Games…"

"…and Yugi beat me, but he still gave me the prize money to save Serenity's sight," Mr. Wheeler said softly. "How many folks do you know who'd do that at the drop of a dime?"

"Heh…well, kids, those days are good to reminisce upon, but they're long gone now," Grandma Muto told them. "Now, we're here, watching our own younger generation following in certain people's footsteps."

Mr. Muto smiled. "I know we're going to get a lot of enjoyment out of this…and no matter what happens, the children will definitely give us a performance to remember always," he spoke up. "Let's relish it as much as we can, what do you say?"

"Got that right!" Mr. Taylor grinned.

A few further steps behind, the defeated competitors were walking down the staircase toward the dock as well. "Oh, dear…" Natasha gulped, looking straight at the liner.

"What's wrong, love?" Miriam inquired.

"She…kinda gets seasick a little easily," Ricardo explained.

"Ah, hey, no worries," David said cheerfully. "Just stay inside the cabin so you won't have to worry about the ship rocking about too much."

"Or maybe you could stand on the deck and look straight ahead into the sea's horizon," Luke added. "It's pretty much the same as what people can do when they're carsick—just sit in the front seat and stare straight ahead, concentrating on one point."

Malachi was walking nearby, hands in his pockets. "And if all else fails, then you can always lean over the railing and…"

"Malachi!" Miriam cried.

"What? I'm just telling the truth as it is," Malachi answered coolly.

"Do you have to be so mean about it?" Miriam fumed.

Close by, Wade, Blaze, Flora, Marcus and Shigeo were heading down the steps together. "Okay…pretty shortly we're gonna see how the rest of this competition plays out," chuckled Shigeo. "I only hope it will be as exciting as the matches so far have been."

"It's bound to be—the World Championship title is on the line, remember," Marcus answered.

"I wish the finalists good luck, in any case," Flora smiled a little.

"I still wish I could've been a finalist…but I guess we can't have every single thing we want," Blaze sighed.

"Hey, guys! Don't leave us behind, now!"

Turning, the five saw Raven and Honey coming down the steps toward them. "You're coming along, too?" Wade asked, amused. "I would've thought you'd be content to stay here and watch the rest of the tournament broadcasted onto your TV…"

"And miss the open chance to see the actual matches live and in person? You've got to be kidding!" Raven smirked. "I wouldn't miss something like this for anything!"

"Nor would I," added Honey. "Now, everybody, let's hurry up and get on board that ship!"

----------

Back at the doorway from which the staircase led, the suits were arriving with the eight finalists. "Okay! Just a couple minutes more, and then we'll be on board the ship!" Janus cheered.

"And after that, the next round of the tournament will begin," Jenna smiled.

"Starring us!" Miki grinned.

"It's good to see that our finalists this year are so fired up," a familiar voice declared. Turning, the group saw Pegasus, Kaiba and Mr. Truesdale approaching them.

"Fired up isn't the right term anymore, Mr. Pegasus—we're all rearing to go!" Kyo announced.

"Then don't delay anymore, little ones—go on and get on board that liner down there," Pegasus said smilingly. "We'll be right behind you."

"Let's go," the suits commanded. And with that, they led the finalists out the door and down the steps toward the ship, leaving the three Committee members behind.

"Well, gentlemen, things should be covered here, for the most part," Pegasus spoke to the two, once the other group was out of earshot. "I've left instructions with the castle's security personnel to keep a vigilant watch on the eleven Zodiacs we have here in custody. That, at least, will save us the hassle of having them on board the liner along with everyone else, just for the sake of monitoring their imprisonment."

"And if the external Zodiacs try an attack here?" Mr. Truesdale questioned. "After all, their field agents DID fail and got captured."

"They do still have one remaining Zodiac who hasn't been knocked out of tournament play yet—that red-haired guy," Pegasus answered. "And besides, if they know that their primary target—our tournament champion, Seta—is no longer on Duelist Kingdom Island, they won't bother to waste time on dispatching flunkies and risk losing him."

"Sounds like a gamble to me," Kaiba grunted.

Just then Dr. Crowler happened by. "Dr. Crowler? I thought you'd have been on board the liner already?" Mr. Truesdale queried, in surprise.

"My boy, I was busy giving that Cassius Princeton the lecture of his life," Dr. Crowler explained. His face was red with exertion and anger. "It was only after I was finally done with him that I was told to come down here by security."

"You shook him up, no doubt?" Kaiba said with a wry smile.

"Shook him up? I dare say, if that's all I did, that would've been light compared to what he deserves," Dr. Crowler said bitterly.

"He and the others will get their due in due time, rest assured of that," said Mr. Truesdale. "For now, let's hurry and board the liner before they decide to leave without us."

"Agreed!" Dr. Crowler nodded. And with that, he and Mr. Truesdale headed out the door and down the steps together.

Kaiba started to follow after them—but suddenly felt Pegasus's hand on his shoulder. "Pegasus, what now?" he asked, clearly impatient.

"Kaiba…I was hoping I'd get the chance to ask you this, because frankly, it's been bothering me a good while now," Pegasus said softly.

"What are you talking about?" Kaiba asked.

Pegasus now looked levelly at him. "I noticed that up to now, you haven't mentioned a thing to Yugi-boy and his friends about Seta's past involvement with the Zodiacs. Don't you plan on letting them know?"

Kaiba returned the gaze. "Should I?"

"They deserve to know. After all, aren't their children friends with Seta?" Pegasus asked pointedly.

"Yes, and it's precisely _because_ of that why I will not say anything to them about it," Kaiba said in a low tone. "Suppose those kids do find out that Seta used to be a Zodiac…their experiences with the Zodiacs here in Dueltropolis have been bad enough already—how do you think they'll feel if they learn that someone they've gotten very close to was once one of the very people now trying to harm them?"

He turned away from Pegasus. "No, Pegasus. I will not do that to my son. They're the first real friends he's ever had…especially after such an evil existence that was forced upon him…but they'll be bound to desert him if they learn the truth about his past. So, again, NO. I won't do that to him—not to my son."

Pegasus sighed. "Then consider this, Kaiba-boy. If _you_ don't tell them, who's to say that that Zodiac competitor won't?"

Kaiba glanced over his shoulder at that. "What?"

"I wouldn't put it past him to do something like that, just to break the bond of trust Seta has with the others," Pegasus added. "But if they hear it from someone they feel they can trust, at least it'll be buffered a bit more than if an enemy was to tell them. At least, that's how I feel about it."

He walked past Kaiba and toward the door. "Accept the facts, Kaiba-boy—sooner or later, one way or another, the truth is going to come out. Of course, I won't be the one to do it, if that is your wish…but then again, it's YOUR responsibility, anyway. Keep that in mind."

Kaiba then watched as Pegasus disappeared out the door. Sighing, he hurried along after the other man.

----------

In the meantime, everyone else was now on the liner's deck. "All right…now Kaiba and Pegasus are the only ones left," Mr. Truesdale muttered, leaning over the side-rail.

"And there they are now! Come on, you two slowpokes, hurry it up!" Ms. Wong called to the two men, already descending the steps toward the ship.

"All right, all right, we're coming! Don't leave without us, now!" Pegasus yelled cheerfully.

A few moments later, both Kaiba and Pegasus were ascending the ship's gangplank to join the rest of the group on the deck. "Guys, what took you so long? We're just about ready to go, you know!" Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki scolded them as they boarded.

"Apologies all round," said Pegasus, putting up his hands in surrender. "Had a bit of last-minute business to take care of."

"Uh-huh," Kaiba grunted.

"Well, let's not keep the guests waiting any longer," and here Pegasus touched a button on his collar: "Yes, Mr. Pegasus here. Yes, everyone is on board now…good, very good."

Suddenly the liner seemed to shift. "We're moving now?" Janus, at one end of the deck, asked.

"All right! We're finally on the way!" Miki cheered.

Seeing the kids' jubilance, Pegasus smiled. "Well…time to address this massive audience of mine," and he headed for the small staircase that led up to the overhead platform nearby.

Seeing Pegasus ascend to the platform, Mr. Wheeler nudged Mr. Muto. "Hey, guys, look—Pegasus looks like he's gonna make an announcement or something!"

"Right on time, too, I say—especially since we're finally on the move," said Mrs. Wheeler.

"Okay, then—let's hear what he's got to say to us now!" said Mr. Muto.

----------

**_neomage:_** All right…now the liner's just starting to leave Duelist Kingdom Island…Pegasus is about to speak to his amassed audience…and the quarter-finals of Dueltropolis will soon get underway! More to come in upcoming chapters, so don't miss it!


	269. Chapter 269

Yu-Gi-Oh! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Seems there's a bit more intermission before the main action…but anyway, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!)

**CHAPTER 269**

THE INDUSTRIAL ILLUSIONS LINER, JUST LEAVING DUELIST KINGDOM

Pegasus now stood on the platform above the ship's deck, looking down at the large group before him, with suited guards around the deck railing. "Ladies and gentlemen—duelists and guests—and my fellow Committee members…first, let me say welcome to all of you, to this leg of the Dueltropolis World Championship tournament, and thank you for your patience up to now!"

There was some applause from the gathering. Pegasus smiled broadly at this, then continued. "Now, then…as you're no doubt all aware, this ship which we're currently aboard will be the dueling site for the next two elimination rounds of our competition. After that, the two remaining duelists skilled enough to survive these matches…will battle one-on-one for the title of World Champion at the famed Tokyo Dome in Japan—where we are currently headed!"

Standing a little ways by himself, Zander folded his arms and smiled.

"So, now, let's get down to serious business," Pegasus went on. "Will the eight finalists of this tournament please join me up here on the platform…?"

Silently, wordlessly, Seta and Jillian went toward the platform stairs. Grinning widely, Janus followed after them. Yugo and Miki were next, with eagerness written all over their faces. Jenna went up with a smile, and Kyo ran his hand through his hair and stretched upward as he followed. Zander was last, arms crossed and a smirk on his lips. Then, in no time at all, all eight were standing next to Pegasus.

David discreetly pointed to Zander. "Oy, mates…that's…!"

"Yeah, don't worry, we haven't forgotten him," Malachi growled.

And Marcus remembered Zander, too. "Shit…this isn't going to be as smooth as I thought the finals would be, after all."

"I hope those others will be careful around him," Flora whispered.

"Now," Pegasus turned to the assembled finalists. "Prior to boarding this ship, while you were still in my castle, you all had the opportunity to fine-tune your decks and yourselves in preparation for this moment. Now, the time has come to determine if your preparations that you've made will pay off. So, to all of you, duel hard, duel well, and duel with honor!"

"Got that right," Mr. Devlin mumbled, watching the proceedings. Ms. Wong just smiled.

"Now, without further ado, let the quarter-final round of Dueltropolis officially begin!" Pegasus announced aloud.

Suddenly, the entire liner seemed to tremor a little, catching the assembly by surprise! "What the…Earthquake!" Mr. Wheeler cried out.

"Moron—we're on water, how can it be an earthquake?" Kaiba rebuked him.

All at once, right where most of the people were standing, the deck's floor began to open up! "Hey—look out now!" Wade exclaimed, quickly jumping to one side.

"Everyone, move away from the middle of the deck right away!" one of the suits bellowed. "Make way for the dueling platform!"

Yugo looked confused. "Dueling platform…?"

And then, right from the large open space that had suddenly appeared in the middle of the deck, a huge platform rose up! This platform appeared to stretch the entire length of that section of the deck, and on it were two additional platforms—one colored red and the other blue—with a large green grid in between!

Kaiba stared in recognition. "Is this what I think it is…?"

"Feast your eyes, everyone," Pegasus told the gathering. "This is a replica of old dueling customs that you're seeing before you—the medium by which duelists could engage each other in combat more than ten years ago, before the invention of Duel-Disks by our esteemed Seto Kaiba. This is the predecessor to the Duel-Disk…the dueling platform arena!"

Everyone looked at it in awe. "Whoa…would you look at this thing…" Janus blinked.

"You younger-generation duelists have a right to be surprised," said Pegasus. "But for us older folks, the platform arena should be nothing too new. Why, these were the very things that were used during my own Duelist Kingdom tournament, many years ago, long before Duel-Disks became mainstream among Duel Monsters players. And now…our finalists will be given the opportunity to experience it for the first time."

"So, no Duel-Disks, then…could be difficult," Jillian murmured.

"I've heard of these platform arenas from Mom and Dad," remarked Jenna. "They told me about these things and how they were used during the Duelist Kingdom tournament long ago."

"Yeah, Dad told me the same thing," agreed Miki. "But who would've thought we'd actually get to see one in real life, let alone use one…!"

"Well, there's only one thing I'd like to know…" Jillian crossed her arms and frowned. "How will we figure out who's going to duel whom?"

Pegasus had a twinkle in his eye. "Oh, I was hoping somebody would ask that question." And then he snapped his fingers at one of the suits standing close by.

This guard in question was holding a rather big box in his hands, with a hole cut in the top that was big enough for a fist to fit in. He now walked toward the group, the box held out toward them. "Dueling finalists, pay attention," he spoke up. "Inside this box are eight balls. The balls are designed in pairs; each pair has a similar color and number on the corresponding balls. So, for instance, if two of you should each pick out a yellow ball with the number 3 on it, that means you will be facing each other in the third match-up of this round. And furthermore, you will each be given only one chance to select a ball from the box—without looking in the box beforehand."

"Well, why don't I go first, so that we can get an actual hands-on demonstration?" said Seta.

With that he reached his hand into the box and shuffled around for a moment. Presently he pulled out his hand, holding a small blue ball with the number 4 on it. "Okay…so it looks like I'll be dueling last, then," he announced.

"My turn!" Janus eagerly reached his hand into the box and felt around. A moment later he pulled out a red ball with the number 1. "Sweet! I'll be dueling first!" he grinned.

"Lucky you," Yugo smirked. "But let's see if I can't top that."

He then reached into the box and, a moment later, pulled out—a green ball with the number 2. "Aw, nuts! I'll be dueling right after you!" he groaned, disappointment thick in his voice.

"Oh, you were hoping to duel me so soon?" Janus inquired. "Never mind…you'll get your chance, whether in this tournament or afterward, so don't worry about it."

"Moving right along…" Jenna walked up to the suit, stuck her hand in the box, and pulled out…another blue ball with the number 4.

"Uh-oh…" Miki rubbed the back of her head. "Jenna…looks like you'll be dueling against Seta!"

Watching the proceedings carefully, both Kaiba and Mr. Wheeler jerked on hearing that. "She's…gonna face Seta…" Mr. Wheeler breathed.

And Kaiba couldn't help but smirk. "Well, well…this should be MOST interesting…"

Kyo now put his hand into the box and pulled out a yellow ball with the number 3 on it. "So, I'm in the third duel," he noted.

It was now Miki's turn. She put her hand into the box…and pulled out a second green ball. "Oh…so, Yugo, I guess you and I will be dueling each other…"

Yugo looked at her. "Well…"

Now Jillian glanced over at Zander. _Great…so far he and I are the only ones who haven't chosen any numbers yet…and it looks like I won't get to face him now, but…next time, pal, next time!_

She now reached into the box—and pulled out the second red ball. "Eh? I see…so you'll be my opponent…" and here she turned to give Janus a searching glance.

"Hey, don't worry, I'll go easy on you…I think," and Janus laughed.

But now Seta was looking on with a worried look on his face. _Shit…Zander's the only one left to pick a number…and Kyo's still unpaired with anyone…! I'll admit, Kyo's a good duelist, but Zander's in a whole other class by himself…this isn't good!_

"Well, I guess we all know who I'll be facing, but just for formality's sake…" and with that Zander calmly walked up to the guard, reached his hand into the box, and pulled out the second yellow ball. He looked at the number and smiled. "So, Kyo…I guess we'll be facing each other in the third match-up, huh?"

"Well, I promise I won't give you an easy fight," Kyo warned him.

"I look forward to seeing what kind of strategy you'll pull against me," Zander replied.

"All right—ladies and gentlemen, it has been decided!" Pegasus announced. "The first duel of Dueltropolis's quarter-final round will be…Janus Yuki versus Jillian Uriah! Duelists, to the platform arena at once!"

Janus and Jillian then turned and headed back down the stairs, heading for the dueling platform. As she watched her son, Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki couldn't help but smile a little. _Janus…good luck, my son!_

Janus soon boarded the arena's red platform, while Jillian climbed onto the blue one. A moment later the two platforms rose up above the green grid. "Now, duelists," Pegasus instructed them, "take off your Duel-Disks—then take your cards and slot them into the appropriate slots on the dueling grids that you see on your respective platforms…"

Removing his Duel-Disk from his arm, Janus looked down at the small dueling grid on his platform. There were fourteen main slots on it—five for the monster card zone, five for the magic/trap zone, one for field magic cards, one for fusion monsters, one for the main deck slot, and one for the Graveyard. There was also a fifteenth slot, located near to the Graveyard slot, that he assumed was reserved for cards that would be removed from play. Above all of that were two counter-slots, each bearing the number 8000—most likely for respective players' life points. "Okay…looks simple enough…just think of a flat-table version of a Duel-Disk…"

Jillian, meanwhile, was calmly pulling her deck out of her pocket and setting it facedown on the grid's deck slot. "Well…I'm ready over here," she announced.

"And you, Janus?" Pegasus inquired of the boy.

"Uh…just a moment…" Janus then pulled out his Fusion monster cards, which he'd been holding in a separate pocket from his mainstream deck. _Okay…THESE cards…time to bring you out to play…just be patient with me for a little while. _And he set them facedown in the Fusion deck slot. "Okay, ready!"

"Good!" Pegasus beamed. "Now…the coin toss!"

Immediately, in the middle of the dueling field grid, the ever-familiar coin appeared. "I will allow you to call it," Jillian said calmly.

"Then I'll call tails!" said Janus.

The coin was then flipped…and flew upward. Meanwhile, everyone was watching the two players expectantly. "So…which of those two would you put your money on?" Mr. Bakura asked Mr. Muto.

"Well, I've seen Janus duel before, so I can say with certainty that he's good," answered Mr. Muto. "On the other hand…this girl, Jillian…I don't really know what sort of strategy she wields, so who will win could be anybody's guess right now."

"Well, the question will soon be answered…all we can do for now is watch and wait, I suppose," replied Mr. Bakura.

Now the coin was falling…and it hit the ground…and stayed flat. And the result was – tails! "Cool! So I'll go first, then!" said Janus.

Pegasus nodded. "And now—may the better duelist win!"

And Janus and Jillian announced it at the same time: "DUEL!"

Watching the duel, Yugo swallowed. _Okay, Janus…let's see just how much stronger you've gotten since last time we dueled!_

Both players drew their first five cards; then Janus drew his sixth. "All right, then…first, I'll activate the magic card, Polymerization! Using this card's power, I'll fuse together two monsters from my hand – Elemental Hero Burstinatrix (ATK 1200, DEF 800) and Elemental Hero Clayman (ATK 800, DEF 2000) – to form a powerful defending force…Elemental Hero Rampart Blaster (ATK 2000, DEF 2500)!"

Seta, looking on, seemed interested. "Elemental Heroes, huh…?"

As Janus played the Polymerization card, the ghostly images of Burstinatrix and Clayman momentarily appeared on the field…then suddenly both fused together into one massive swirling portal—from which a bright light suddenly shone! "Ugh!" Jillian winced, covering her eyes with an arm.

Then by and by the light subsided enough for Jillian to see again…and what she saw had her raising an eyebrow. "Hmmm…I see…"

For now, on Janus's side of the field was a rock-solid figure with a yellow and red helmet, wearing a red-and yellow shield on her left arm and wielding a black blaster for a right arm. At this moment, she was crouched in a defensive position. "I've summoned this monster in Defense Mode, as you can see," said Janus. "And that's not all I'm going to do. Now, I'll set two cards facedown, and end my turn."

"Whoa…he got himself some new cards…" Yugo nodded respectfully.

"Starting off with a powerful defense…good choice," Jillian praised Janus. "Even so, the strongest defense you have will not protect you from me."

She drew her card. "Hmmm…all right! I'll activate the Ritual Magic card, Novox's Prayer!"

In an instant a young woman in a red cloak appeared on the field, her hands clasped in prayer. "This card allows me to offer monsters, either on my side of the field or in my hand, whose total level stars equal 7 or more…" Here Jillian discarded one card from her hand to the Graveyard. "…all in order to summon THIS: Skull Guardian (ATK 2050, DEF 2500) in Attack Mode!"

A moment later her blade-armed warrior appeared on the field, ready to do battle—but Jillian wasn't done. "Next, I'll equip my Skull Guardian with the Gravity Axe – Grarl, to increase his ATK by 500 points!"

What happened next surprised Janus considerably—the Gravity Axe – Grarl, upon appearing on the field, had its handle placed parallel with the blade on Skull Guardian's right arm, even as his ATK shot up to 2550! "Whoa…to think he's able to hold a weapon in spite of having no hands…"

"Marvel about that later—worry about your monster right now!" Jillian admonished him. "Now, Skull Guardian, slice his Rampart Blaster to pieces!"

Skull Guardian dashed forward, bladed arms upraised and ready to strike. But suddenly Janus shouted, "Hold it right there, now! I activate the trap card, Hero Barrier!"

All at once, a massive shield formed in front of the defending Rampart Blaster, blocking Skull Guardian's attack and pushing the monster back! "Sorry about that," said Janus, smirking with sarcasm. "But if there's a monster on my side of the field that includes 'Elemental Hero' in its card name, Hero Barrier then negates one of my opponent's monster attacks."

Jillian frowned a little. "Not bad," she said to him. "All right…I'll end my turn, for now."

On the sidelines David was watching the duel in awe. "Would you believe it…they both got strong monsters onto the field on their first turns!" he remarked. "And now, they're at a stalemate!"

"Not necessarily," Luke answered. "I mean, that Janus kid may have stopped Jillian's attack, but unless he finds a way to strengthen his monster or destroy that Skull Guardian this turn, she'll be able to get the better of him in short order."

"What do you think, brother?" Miriam queried of Malachi.

"It's just as Luke says," he answered. "And there's a little more to it than that, as well…"

Meanwhile, Janus drew his next card—and only then noticed something odd. "Hmm? Hey, what's up with Rampart Blaster?"

For Rampart Blaster, still in her defensive position, seemed to be weighted down by some invisible force. Jillian, seeing this as well, chuckled. "I forgot to mention…it's the effect of my Gravity Axe – Grarl," she told him. "As long as it remains on the field, all monsters on your side of the field are unable to change their battle positions. So, even if you have a way to power up your Rampart Blaster's ATK, she won't be able to shift her battle position in order to destroy my Skull Guardian…and, as you can plainly see, my monster's ATK is more powerful than your monster's DEF. It may only be 50 points' difference right now, but those tiny differences make the difference between a glorious win and a shameful loss."

"And I suppose you think you'll be the one enjoying the glorious win," Janus remarked. "Well, I've got news for you, sister: I'm not going to lose to you so easily."

And with that, he looked at the cards in his hand and prepared to play one of them…

----------

**_neomage:_** I can just imagine what most of you will be thinking right about now: "Yay! The duels have FINALLY begun! Go, neomage!" Well, thanks for all the support you folks have been giving me up to now…and I'm definitely going to put a lot more effort into this part of the Dueltropolis story! So, stay tuned and keep those reviews coming in!


	270. Chapter 270

Yu-Gi-Oh! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: ACTION TIME NOW! And neomage doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh!)

**CHAPTER 270**

THE INDUSTRIAL ILLUSIONS LINER, EN ROUTE TO TOKYO DOME

On the deck of the Industrial Illusions liner, even as Janus and Jillian were engaged in their duel on Pegasus's dueling platform arena, the scores were shown: On Janus's risen platform, his life points were displayed to the spectators as still being a full 8000; likewise, Jillian's life points were also still 8000. Each player currently had two cards in hand. On the field Janus had his Elemental Hero Rampart Blaster in Defense Mode and one card facedown, while Jillian had her Skull Guardian in Attack Mode and equipped with the Gravity Axe – Grarl.

And now, Janus was about to make his move.

"Okay!" he announced. "I'll set one monster in Defense Mode…and attack with my Elemental Hero Rampart Blaster!"

On the sidelines, Blaze started on hearing that. "What? Attack? But how can he do that when his monster's in Defense Mode?" she demanded.

Standing nearby, Ricardo smiled knowingly. "You'll see…"

Rampart Blaster raised her blaster—and, to Jillian's astonishment, fired a shot that flew right past Skull Guardian and hit her directly! As Jillian was violently jerked on her platform, her life points shot down to 7000! "What is the meaning of this?" she demanded loudly.

"Well, you see," said Janus, feeling very pleased with himself, "if Rampart Blaster is in face-up Defense Mode, she can attack my opponent's life points directly – but in such an instance, her ATK is split in half for that damage calculation."

Kaiba's eyes narrowed. "I see…this kid is actually pretty good, all things considered," he remarked.

"Of course he is," Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki spoke up. "His father and I were both among the best duelists back when we were students of Duel Academy…it's only natural Janus would have good teachers."

"Well, let's see if your lessons that you taught your boy will pay off against my son's bodyguard," and now Kaiba smirked.

"And now, I'll end my turn," said Janus.

Jillian swiftly drew her next card, giving her three in hand. "I'll also set one monster in Defense Mode, and set one card facedown as well," she announced. "And right about now, I think I should get rid of your Rampart Blaster and prevent any further trouble later on! Skull Guardian, attack Rampart Blaster with Blade Mincer!"

Skull Guardian rushed forward, his blades shining with murder—and seconds later Rampart Blaster had been carved into four equal parts! But suddenly Janus shouted, "You've activated my trap card! Activate—Hero Signal!"

All at once, as Janus's trap card flipped face-up, the Elemental Hero signal light shot up into the night sky! "What…!" Jillian sputtered.

"This card is activated when a monster on my side of the field is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard as a result of battle," Janus explained. "Now, I get to Special Summon one Level 4 or lower monster from my hand or deck that includes 'Elemental Hero' in its card name…and I choose, from my deck, Elemental Hero Sparkman (ATK 1600, DEF 1400) in Attack Mode!"

Swiftly Janus thumbed through his deck, then found the selected card…and a moment later his electrically-charged Elemental Hero appeared on the field. But Jillian wasn't impressed. "Hmph…such a weak thing as that will fall before my Skull Guardian's might. Well, I've already used up my attack for this turn, so…I'll end it for now. Make your move."

"You're gonna regret saying that!" Janus told her, even as he drew his next card to give him two in hand. "For now I'll activate the field magic of…Skyscraper!"

All at once, right there on the field appeared Janus's familiar skyscrapers. "Hmmm…a floating city out here on the ocean," Zander mused, watching the scene unfold. "Should be interesting…"

"And this is supposed to do what, exactly…?" Jillian frowned.

"Listen, and listen well," Janus advised her. "Skyscraper gives my Elemental Hero monsters a powerful effect—if an Elemental Hero does battle against another monster, and his ATK is lower than the ATK of that other monster, then during that damage calculation the Hero's ATK is temporarily increased—by 1000!"

Jillian's eyes widened in realization. "But—if Sparkman attacks—that'll make him more powerful than my Skull Guardian…!"

"Attack, Sparkman! Use your Shining Surge Flash and destroy Skull Guardian!" Janus commanded.

Lightning shone out from Sparkman's hands as he aimed at Skull Guardian and as Skyscraper raised his ATK to 2600. A moment later, a massive blast of lightning tore straight through Skull Guardian's torso, ripping it apart and reducing Jillian's life points to 6950! "And that's the end of Skull Guardian!" Janus declared.

But suddenly—Jillian smirked. "And now you've REALLY done it! I activate my own trap card – The Grave of Enkindling!"

"Huh?" Janus's eyes widened in surprise.

Wade, on the sidelines, smirked. "I remember that card, for real…"

All at once, from the field there was a massive explosion as the ground split open! "I could only activate this trap card when one of my monsters was destroyed in battle and sent to the Graveyard," explained Jillian. "Now, we will both select one monster from our respective Graveyards and Special Summon them in Defense Mode…and furthermore, those monsters we select cannot change their battle positions except via card effects."

"I see…" Janus fingered his chin thoughtfully. "Well, all right, I guess I can go with that for now."

Quickly both duelists took up their Graveyard cards and shuffled through them. "All right, I've made my choice!" Janus called out presently. "I choose Elemental Hero Clayman!"

"And I," replied Jillian, "will choose the monster I tributed from my hand when I Ritual Summoned my Skull Guardian earlier—my Suijin (ATK 2500, DEF 2400)!"

Moments later both selected monsters emerged on the field in Defense Mode. Elemental Hero Clayman was on his knees with his arms crossed in front of him; Suijin was surrounded by a massive water shield. "Well…looks like we're both on a serious defensive now," chuckled Janus. "Well, now I'll end my turn."

The score now stood at Janus with an intact 8000 and Jillian with 6950. Each player now held one card in hand. On the field Jillian had her Suijin and one facedown monster in Defense Mode; Janus had Elemental Hero Sparkman in Attack Mode, Elemental Hero Clayman and one other facedown monster in Defense Mode, and his Skyscraper field magic card was currently powering the field.

"I dare say, that Janus kid isn't half-bad!" Shigeo remarked, impressed.

"Jillian's pretty good, too," returned Flora. "Her life points may be lower, but she's definitely not slacking off in this game at all. They'll both have to rely on strategy and technique if they want to outsmart each other."

"Quite so, quite so," Marcus nodded, his arms folded as he looked grimly at the field.

Again Jillian took her turn, drawing a card. She looked long and hard at the two cards in her hand…then she looked back at Janus. "All right…time to use the power of one of the monsters on my side of the field," she spoke up. "Now…I'll Flip summon my Arsenal Summoner (ATK 1600, DEF 1600)!"

Quickly she flipped over her facedown monster card into Attack Mode, revealing a purple-robed man with mystic energy surrounding him. "When he's flipped face-up," she told Janus, "I can select one card from my deck that includes the word 'Guardian' in its name and add it to my hand…as long as that selected card is not one of several cards which I'm forbidden to add by this card's effect. Read it and see."

Janus glanced down at the card information on his platform's grid. "Okay…it says you can't use Arsenal Summoner's effect to select Celtic Guardian (ATK 1400, DEF 1200)…Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress #1 (ATK 1400, DEF 1200)…Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress #2 (ATK 1200, DEF 1000)…Guardian of the Labyrinth (ATK 1000, DEF 1200)…or the Reliable Guardian. Pretty restrictive list…"

"Not really," Jillian answered. "Let me show you what I mean!"

Setting her hand cards down a moment, she picked up her deck and thumbed through it. "All right! Just the card I want!" she chuckled. "Now…I select Guardian Kay'est (ATK 1000, DEF 1800)!" And here she pulled the card out of the deck and held it up for Janus to see.

Watching all of this, Mr. Muto frowned. "This girl…these cards she's using seem to have a pretty familiar theme…"

Mr. Wheeler looked at him. "Familiar theme?"

"Yes." Mr. Muto nodded. "From what I've observed up to now, some of her cards seem to support a Guardian deck…and I've only ever known one person to wield that kind of deck…"

Mrs. Bakura raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Oh, yeah…_that_ guy! I remember!"

"That's why…" Mr. Muto paused. "No. On second thought, it wouldn't be proper to interrupt their duel now just to find out what I want to know. I'm willing to wait till after this duel is over."

"Well, that's fine by us, I'm sure," Mr. Taylor nodded. "This duel right now is getting more interesting by the second, anyway."

Back in the duel, Jillian fiddled with the three cards in her hand. "Now…I'll activate this magic card, Rod of Silence – Kay'est, and equip it to Suijin!" She then played the card—and moments later Suijin's watery hand held on to a bright green staff as its DEF rose to 2900!

"Wow…that's a pretty strong DEF your monster has now," Janus remarked.

"Yes, Rod of Silence – Kay'est increases the DEF of a monster equipped with it by 500 points," Jillian acknowledged. "And now that this equip card is on the field, it's possible for me to summon Guardian Kay'est—in Attack Mode!"

Moments later a beautiful woman with a sea serpent's lower body emerged onto the field—curiously, holding a staff similar to the Rod of Silence – Kay'est. But Janus looked at the new monster's stats and shook his head. "Aren't you worried? I mean, having your Guardian Kay'est in Attack Mode like that, with such a weak ATK…"

"Which is why her effect is so useful," Jillian answered. "Guardian Kay'est can't, under any circumstances, be selected as an attack target…plus, she also cannot be affected by any Magic cards."

Then she took a look at the last card left in her hand. "And now…I activate the magic card, Graceful Charity, to draw three cards—but after that I must then discard two from my hand."

So saying, she played her card. Then the familiar green angel appeared and granted three cards to her; Jillian, looking carefully at her three, selected two of them and quickly discarded them to the Graveyard. Then she held up the last card left in her hand. "And finally, I'll equip my Arsenal Summoner with the magic card Butterfly Dagger – Elma, to increase his ATK by 300 points!"

In a moment Arsenal Summoner was holding a mystical dagger, even as his ATK jumped to 1900! "Now, Arsenal Summoner! Get rid of that Elemental Hero Sparkman!" Jillian commanded—and in response, Arsenal Summoner rushed forward and used the Butterfly Dagger – Elma to slice off Sparkman's head, bringing Janus's total life points down to 7700!

"Ugh!" Janus winced at his monster's death. "Sorry, Sparkman…"

"And now, I end my turn," Jillian announced.

"Golly…that girl's strong!" Natasha remarked.

"Yeah, isn't she? I mean, she's got a pretty neat defense right there on her end of the field," Honey agreed.

Raven, however, didn't seem so sure. "I wonder…"

"Huh? Raven, what's wrong?" Honey asked, looking at him.

"Haven't you noticed yet, that that kid's facedown monster hasn't been touched even once yet?" Raven pointed to Janus's still-facedown monster card.

"Hey…yeah, he's right," Natasha remarked, looking more closely at the field. "What do you suppose it could be?"

"To tell the truth, I'm not familiar with the Elemental Hero strategy at all," Raven admitted, "nor do I know just what kind of specific strategy that guy may have planned. But what it boils down to right now is that, if she doesn't watch her step, Jillian's defense system might just come crashing down on top of her."

"That's true," Honey nodded. "Still, bro, don't write her off just yet. At this point, all we can do is wait and see what happens."

"Well, I'm just hoping Janus wins," said Natasha. "Go, Janus! I know you can do it!"

The score was now shown thus: Janus had 7700 life points; Jillian, 6950. Jillian had no more cards left in her hand; Janus had one. On the field Janus had Elemental Hero Clayman and his facedown monster in Defense Mode, plus his Skyscraper magic card was still powering the field; Jillian had Guardian Kay'est in Attack Mode, Suijin in Defense Mode and equipped with the Rod of Silence – Kay'est, and Arsenal Summoner in Attack Mode and equipped with the Butterfly Dagger – Elma. And now it was Janus's turn.

Janus drew his next card, then closely scrutinized both the cards in his hand and the ones on his side of the field. _Well, I have a bit of an advantage here…because of the effect of her Grave of Enkindling trap card from earlier, she can't shift her Suijin into Attack Mode…and then, too, her other monsters' ATK strengths aren't high enough to penetrate my Elemental Hero Clayman. Still, I'll be in trouble if she manages to summon a stronger monster or gets another equip card to power up her monsters further, and then destroys my defense!_

He glanced hopefully at his facedown monster. _I'll have a chance, but only if she attacks my facedown monster…although I shouldn't really expect her to do something like that. So, in the meantime, I'll just have to continue building as strong a defense as possible here on my side of the field…and I can do that with this!_

"I'll set one card facedown…and that'll end my turn for the moment."

"Again with the defense, eh?" Jillian smirked as she drew her card. "Well, then, in that case…I'll simply shift Guardian Kay'est into Defense Mode, set another monster in Defense Mode, and end my turn."

"What? You weren't going to attack?" Janus sounded disappointed.

"Well, true, I could've attacked your facedown monster…" Then Jillian chuckled knowingly. "But who's to say that that monster wouldn't have a DEF strong enough to repel my Arsenal Summoner—or an effect that would work in your favor? No, little boy, I'm not nearly so gullible."

Zander chuckled a little on hearing this. _I see…you truly are worthy of being the bodyguard of Ophiuchus the Imperial, with such a cautious attitude as that…_

Again Janus drew—and as he did, he announced, "Okay, I guess I may as well reveal it now—I activate my trap card, Hero Ring!"

Suddenly, as his trap got flipped face-up, Elemental Hero Clayman's frame began to glow with a bright light! "What is this now?" demanded Jillian.

"This is the effect of my Hero Ring card," replied Janus. "After I activate it, it's treated as an Equip card and equipped to one Warrior-type monster on the field with an ATK of 1500 or less—in this case, my Elemental Hero Clayman—and as long as the card stays on the field, none of your monsters that have 1900 ATK or higher can attack that equipped monster."

"Ni-i-i-ice," Mr. Von Schroeder nodded respectfully. "Now there's no way Jillian will be able to break through THAT defense!"

But Mr. Truesdale's face was stern. _I wouldn't be so sure…there're other ways to break a defense than merely attacking…question is, will this girl have any such method?_

"Unfortunately, I can't really use any of the cards I'm holding in my hand right now," Janus admitted. "So…your move."

"As you wish." Jillian then drew her card—

—and did an immediate double-take. Then she smiled broadly. "Poor little opponent of mine," she said tauntingly. "Sorry to say, but you're about to find out a good reason why I've been a successful Duel Monsters-playing bodyguard for such a long time now! And here it is…"

She held the drawn card aloft. "I offer both my Arsenal Summoner and my Guardian Kay'est to call forth—Kazejin (ATK 2400, DEF 2200)!"

Mr. Muto and Mr. Wheeler stared in perfect astonishment. "Say WHAT!" Mr. Wheeler exclaimed loudly.

"Incredible…" Mr. Muto breathed.

All at once a massive hurricane-force wind blasted onto the field, taking away Arsenal Summoner, the equipped Butterfly Dagger – Elma, and Guardian Kay'est. And then…in their place stood a green entity with massive winds blowing all about him.

Kaiba, seeing both Suijin and Kazejin together on the field, allowed himself a chuckle. "Oh…so THAT's your real strategy here…isn't it…?"

----------

**_neomage:_** At the time I'm writing this, I'm about to prep myself for a test that I have tomorrow afternoon…wish me luck, people! And I promise you, this duel between Janus and Jillian will become even more powerful in the next chapter! Stay tuned!


	271. Chapter 271

Yu-Gi-Oh! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: What else can I say…I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!)

**CHAPTER 271**

THE INDUSTRIAL ILLUSIONS LINER, EN ROUTE TO TOKYO DOME

As the first duel of the tournament's quarter-final round continued on, the stats were shown: Janus still had 7700 life points, while Jillian still had 6950. Jillian, again, had no cards in her hand; Janus held two. On the field Janus had Elemental Hero Clayman in Defense Mode and equipped with the Hero Ring trap card, plus he still had one monster facedown in Defense Mode, and his Skyscraper field magic card was still in play; Jillian had Suijin in Defense Mode and equipped with the Rod of Silence – Kay'est magic card, her just-summoned Kazejin in Attack Mode, and one other monster facedown in Defense Mode as well.

"Hey…Yugi…" Mr. Wheeler nudged Mr. Muto. "You don't think she's…"

"Yes, Joey, I do." Mr. Muto nodded resolutely. "To be able to control a deck like that would be a difficult thing…but if she actually manages to pull it off…"

_Perfect,_ Jillian thought to herself. _I've gotten two of my three best monsters onto the field now…all I need is the third monster and THAT card, and then I'm set…_

"And now, I'll end my turn."

"Huh?" Miki stared at Jillian, aghast. "But—why didn't she attack?"

"Remember that Hero Ring trap card Janus activated a little while ago?" Kyo told her. "Well, it's still effective, so Jillian wouldn't be able to attack that Clayman monster even if she wanted to."

"Well, what about the other monster?" argued Miki. "She's had enough chances to attack _that!"_

"True," said Kyo. "But that monster's facedown, and there's no telling what kind of effect it has—if it has an effect at all." He looked squarely at her. "Remember, Miki, this is the quarter-finals of the World Championships. None of us can afford to make any mistakes in these duels from here on out—that goes for you, too, when your turn to duel comes. Jillian recognizes this, and so she doesn't want to give Janus any unnecessary advantage that might cost her the victory."

"Okay…I suppose that's true," Miki sighed and looked at the field again.

Janus quickly drew his next card, giving him three in all in his hand. "Okay! Now I'm catching a real break!" he declared. "Now, I summon Elemental Hero Wildheart (ATK 1500, DEF 1600) in Attack Mode!"

In a moment his muscle-bound warrior appeared, ready to do battle. "And next, I'll equip Wildheart with this card—Cyclone Boomerang, to increase his ATK by 500 points!" Janus swiftly played another card—and from the dark sky above sailed the massive boomerang, which Wildheart caught skillfully with one hand even as his ATK rose to 2000.

"Hmmm…interesting…" Jillian smirked.

"Now, Wildheart—attack her Kazejin!" Janus commanded. And in reply, Wildheart readied himself to throw the Cyclone Boomerang, even as Skyscraper's effect shot his ATK further up to 3000!

"No…bad call…" Mr. Muto muttered.

Jillian chuckled. "Bad move, kid."

Wildheart flung the boomerang with all his strength, right toward Kazejin—but suddenly, entirely without warning, the latter monster blasted a wave of wind that completely reversed the boomerang's path! The Cyclone Boomerang was sent shooting right back at a stunned Wildheart—goring him straight through the chest and destroying him entirely! "AAAGH!" Janus yelled out as, inexplicably, his life points shot down to 5300!

"WHAT? But—what happened? Janus had her just now!" Natasha exclaimed, disbelieving what she'd just seen.

"I suppose I should explain." Jillian brushed her red bang out of her eye. "When Kazejin is attacked, its effect can reduce the attacking monster's ATK right down to zero. Of course, that effect can only be used once as long as he's on the field, but just now it was well worth it—wouldn't you agree?" she directed the question to Janus.

"Cripes…it's the same thing that happened when I attacked her Suijin monster, back during our duel," Wade recalled.

"Yeah…that's a pretty nasty effect for a monster to have, I think," Flora remarked.

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki bit her lip a bit anxiously as she watched her son. _Janus…_

"Damn it…" Janus grimaced, still reeling from the loss of Elemental Hero Wildheart. "Well…I end my turn…"

"Which is all you can really do, mark you," Jillian answered as she drew again. "Hmmm…okay, then! Time to up the stakes a notch!"

"What do you mean?" Janus asked her.

"Observe!" Jillian promptly played the card she'd just drawn. "I activate the magic card Premature Burial, paying 800 life points to summon a monster I discarded to the Graveyard when I played my Graceful Charity card a while back—Sanga of the Thunder (ATK 2600, DEF 2200)!"

"Holy…!" Mr. Taylor cried out.

"Then…can it be that she really has…?" Mr. Bakura wondered.

As Jillian's life points dropped to 6150, there appeared on her side of the field her brown, electrically-charged monster. "Ohhh…this doesn't look very good…" Janus groaned.

At this point Jillian turned momentarily to look in the direction of Mr. Muto's group. "You folks…you seem to be familiar with this strategy of mine," she remarked. "Well, watch and see if it's what you're thinking of!"

Turning back to Janus, she quickly flipped her facedown monster face-up at last. "I now Flip summon—a second Arsenal Summoner! And, of course, you already know his effect, so I don't have to go into any great detail all over again…but this time…"

Pegasus's eye widened. "My word…can it really be, for real?"

Jillian picked up her deck and went through it…and presently found the card she was looking for. "And here's the card I'm going to add from my deck to my hand using my second Arsenal Summoner's effect…" She held it up for all to see.

Ms. Wong, watching the duel with wide eyes, licked her lips. "This is going to be good…"

"Now, I'll offer Sanga of the Thunder, Suijin and Kazejin as tributes to summon my deck's most powerful creature of all!" Jillian forcefully brought the card down onto her dueling grid. "Reawaken and return to combat—GATE GUARDIAN (ATK 3750, DEF 3400)!"

All at once, flashes of lightning shot out from Sanga of the Thunder, violent waves of water cascaded all around Suijin, and typhoon-like winds blasted out from Kazejin as, inexplicably, the three monsters shone with bright lights of their respective colors—and then the three lights combined together as one, even as the three respective elemental forces continued to barrage the field! "Yikes! This is insane!" Yugo exclaimed, instinctively holding up his arms to shield himself.

"AAAAAH! SCARY!" Honey screamed, likewise shielding herself.

By and by, though, the elements died down…and on Jillian's face was a look of utter satisfaction. "Now…it's done."

"H-huh?" Janus, who had also shielded himself, looked up…and stared. "Oooohhhh…"

Right there, on Jillian's side of the field, completely overshadowing the Arsenal Summoner, was a towering behemoth of a monster. It had the torso and arms of Sanga of the Thunder; it had Kazejin for its waist; and it had Suijin as its bottom half. "This," Jillian introduced it, "is my mighty Gate Guardian. It's been a while since I was able to summon it in full like this, but…I doubt you have anything in your deck that'll be able to topple this giant of mine!"

"Crud…" Janus gritted his teeth.

"Now, I believe I'll show you just what kind of power he's really got!" Jillian declared. "Gate Guardian, show him why you're the mightiest of all my servants! Destroy his facedown monster—NOW!"

Suddenly, before anyone could react, a massive blast of wind from the Gate Guardian forcefully flipped Janus's facedown monster, revealing it to be the robot dog Wroughtweiler (ATK 800, DEF 1200). Then, a large blast of water from the Guardian hit the robot dog with such force its parts broke apart and short-circuited—then a massive bolt of lightning blew up the remaining pieces of Janus's monster altogether!

"Aw, hell, no!" Janus cried out, even as he shielded himself from the shockwave of the attack.

"Heh." Jillian thumbed her nose. "So much for that…"

Janus clenched his fists momentarily. "Well…at least you've activated Wroughtweiler's effect now…when he's destroyed in battle and sent to the Graveyard, I must add from the Graveyard to my hand one Polymerization card, and one monster with 'Elemental Hero' in its card name."

"So, go ahead…not that it'll do anything for you at this point, but hey—who am I to judge?" Jillian shrugged.

Janus reached for his Graveyard cards and shuffled through them, eventually locating the Polymerization card. Then he announced, "The Elemental Hero I'm gonna take back from the Graveyard…is my Elemental Hero Burstinatrix." And he held up the designated card for her to see, and added it to his hand as well.

Jillian folded her arms triumphantly. "All right. Now, I'll end my turn."

Now the duel had taken a very drastic turn. Jillian was in the lead with 6150 life points, while Janus now had 5300. Jillian had no cards in her hand; Janus had three, two of which were the Polymerization card and the Elemental Hero Bursinatrix that he'd just retrieved from the Graveyard with Wroughtweiler's effect. On the field Jillian had Arsenal Summoner and the powerful Gate Guardian in Attack Mode; Janus only had Elemental Hero Clayman in Defense Mode, equipped with the Hero Ring trap card, plus his Skyscraper field card was still active.

Janus stared hard at the Gate Guardian. _This is bad…I haven't got a monster in my hand that's powerful enough to take on that thing! And…right now the only thing stopping Jillian from wiping out my Elemental Hero Clayman is the Hero Ring's effect—but who's to say she doesn't have a card that might very well get rid of that and tip the scales in her favor?_

Then he closed his eyes and lowered his head a little. _Okay, okay, calm down, clear your head, think a little…all right, what are the points in my favor right now? Well…she's got no cards in her hand, no facedown cards that I can see, and it's my turn to draw right now…_

With that he drew his next card…and raised an eyebrow when he saw what it was. _This is…But I can't use this just yet! True, this could help me out…but I need to have the right cards in my hand in order to pull this stunt off!_

"Okay, now…I'll just end my turn. There's nothing I can do right now."

"And I'll make sure it stays that way," Jillian said ominously, as she drew her card. "Well…just to be on the safe side, I'll shift Arsenal Summoner into Defense Mode, and then end my turn."

Still watching the duel, Kaiba chuckled. "It seems, Alexis, that your son doesn't have anything that can stand up to Jillian, after all. He may have made it all the way to the quarter-finals…but now, this is where it'll end for him."

But Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki shook her head. "No…I'm not going to give up on him just yet."

"Well, you can say that because he's your child," Kaiba suggested.

"No…I'm not saying that just because of that…" Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki adjusted her glasses and smiled faintly. "As a former duelist myself, I've learned over time to always expect the unexpected, particularly where Janus is concerned. It's an old trait he's always shared with his father – a trait that's been magnified ever since he inherited the Elemental Hero deck."

"Hmph. So, you believe in miracles, then?" Kaiba inquired.

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki looked at him. "They have been known to happen."

Now Janus was taking his turn yet again, drawing his card so now he held five in his hand. "Yes!" he exclaimed happily. "All right—here's my chance to make my situation even better! Now, I activate the magic card Pot of Greed, to draw two cards from my deck!"

As Janus quickly drew his cards—now giving him a total of six in his hand—Jillian watched with upraised eyebrow. _Might he have gotten something worthwhile, I wonder?_

Carefully Janus examined the cards he now held in his hand. "All right…now I'll set one monster in Defense Mode, one card facedown, and end my turn. Go ahead—do your worst."

Chuckling, Jillian drew again so now she held two cards. "Hmmm…this looks like a good card that I've gotten here," she mused. "But…I think I'll save it for a moment. For the time being, I shall deal with that facedown monster of yours. Go, Gate Guardian—destroy that new monster right away!"

Again, Gate Guardian blasted its respective lightning, wind and water attacks at Janus's facedown monster, completely obliterating a screaming Hero Kid (ATK 300, DEF 600); and again Janus had to instinctively shield himself from the force of the attacks. "Urgh…Hero Kid…" he groaned.

"Go ahead, mourn your monster's demise if you like," Jillian snickered. "As for me, I'll end my turn."

"Hmmm…that's pretty brutal playing she's doing once again," David observed.

"Indeed," replied Miriam. "It's like there's nothing that can beat that Gate Guardian, after all…"

"It may sound mean, but gee, I'm glad I'm not the one facing that monster right now," Luke added.

Malachi scrutinized the field. _Hmmm…what will you do, Janus Yuki?_

Yet again Janus drew his next card. "I activate the magic of Monster Reborn, to revive my slain Hero Kid in Defense Mode!" And then, moments later, a flash of red and white shot out of the ground as the Hero Kid flew about on her rocket boosters…then settled onto the ground in a defensive stance.

"And…reviving that weak monster did what for you, exactly?" Jillian cocked an eyebrow.

"What it _did_ was activate Hero Kid's effect," said Janus. "For you see, when Hero Kid is Special Summoned, I can Special Summon any number of 'Hero Kid' cards from my deck. So, I'll Special Summon one more from my deck!" And then he quickly went through his deck and located the card in question…then moments later a second Hero Kid joined the first on the field, also in a defensive stance.

"Finally, I'll set another monster in Defense Mode," which Janus then did, "and end my turn with that."

Once more Jillian drew…and this time, as she looked at the card in her hand, a wide grin plastered itself all over her face. "All right…now it's time I set the stage to knock you clear out of this tournament!" she exclaimed. "And these cards that I now hold will be the key to your downfall!"

"What? How come?" Janus asked, a little bewildered by the proclamation.

"I'll show you! First…" Jillian held up one of her three cards. "I'll activate my own Pot of Greed, and draw two cards from my deck!" And, playing her card, she immediately drew two more cards so now she held four.

"Next…I'll activate the very card I was saving from my last turn!" Jillian held up one of her cards. "Now I activate—the magic card Change of Heart, which will allow me to control one of your monsters till the end of this turn! And I choose…your precious Elemental Hero Clayman!"

Janus's eyes widened in horror. "No! You CAN'T!"

"I can, and I will!" Jillian activated the card.

Then, before Janus's eyes, the malevolent spirit of the Change of Heart card floated into Elemental Hero Clayman! The hero struggled for a moment…then meekly got up, walked over to Jillian's side of the field, and then crouched down in a defensive stance once again! "Cripes…not my Clayman!" Janus cried.

"Live with it," said Jillian. "Now, what next…I'll equip my Arsenal Summoner with the Twin Swords of Flashing Light – Tryce, sending one card from my hand to the Graveyard to activate this card!"

A moment later, the Arsenal Summoner found himself wielding two shining swords even as his ATK dropped to 1100. "The Twin Swords of Flashing Light – Tryce decreases the ATK of the equipped monster by 500 points," Jillian admitted. "But well worth it when you consider what I'm going to do next! I'll now offer your beloved Clayman as a tribute to summon – Guardian Tryce (ATK 1900, DEF 1700)!"

Suddenly a blast of lightning shot down from the sky, obliterating Clayman altogether…and right there, basking in the electrifying light, was Jillian's new monster, wielding a pair of swords similar to the Twin Swords of Flashing Light – Tryce. "And lastly, I'll shift Arsenal Summoner back into Attack Mode," announced Jillian. "And now, Guardian Tryce, knock down that facedown monster!"

His swords flashing with electricity, Guardian Tryce rushed forward and minced up the facedown monster—revealed to be a third Hero Kid even as she writhed in her own death. "Shit…" Janus cursed under his breath.

"It's about to get worse for you now!" Jillian gloated. "Now, Arsenal Summoner, attack one of his other Hero Kids!" And Arsenal Summoner did just that…jumping forward and cutting one of the face-up Hero Kids in two with one clean stroke.

Then Jillian's eyes twinkled. "And as much as I know you're not going to be happy with this bit of bad news…even though the Twin Swords of Flashing Light – Tryce magic card decreases the ATK of the monster it's equipped to by 500 points, it DOES allow said equipped monster to attack twice during the same Battle Phase! So—slaughter that last remaining Hero Kid!" And at her command, with one swift movement Arsenal Summoner decapitated the remaining Hero Kid.

"No! But that means Janus's gonna be wide open for…!" Natasha's eyes widened in horror.

"Oooohhh, maaaaaan…this is SO gonna bite…" Ricardo flinched.

"Go, Gate Guardian! Attack directly!" Jillian yelled. And, heeding its owner's command, the monstrous giant charged up its tri-powered attack, ready to blast a helpless Janus…

----------

**_neomage:_** Ooooh…is this EVER gonna SUCK! Well…read the next chapter!


	272. Chapter 272

Yu-Gi-Oh! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Such a violent clash…and yet once again, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!)

**CHAPTER 272**

THE INDUSTRIAL ILLUSIONS LINER, EN ROUTE TO TOKYO DOME

"Crap…!" Janus braced himself, gritting his teeth.

Without warning, the Gate Guardian unleashed its barraging tri-powered assault. The attack slammed right into Janus's side of the field, a mixture of water, lightning and harsh wind so powerful that almost everyone nearby had to shield themselves from the force of the blast!

"JANUS!" Natasha shrieked.

"Janus! Hang in there!" Yugo called out.

Only Zander didn't bother to shield himself much; rather, he looked on at the display of power with wonder-filled eyes. "Impressive…such an impressive show of strength…" he muttered. "It would seem, Jillian Uriah, you have the power to back up any threat you make, after all…!"

At length the attack died down; Jillian had her arms folded in a satisfactory manner. "So? Convinced by my monster's demonstration that you've no chance of defeating me now?" she inquired.

"…hah, hah, hah…"

"WHAT?" Jillian blinked in disbelief. "But—why are you laughing?"

On his platform, Janus was completely drenched from the watery part of Gate Guardian's attack; but his cards, astonishingly, were not. He was hunched over them in such a way that, even with the force of the attack that had just hit him, his cards were still, for the most part, intact!

"Whoa…" Kyo looked on in surprise. "Even when hit by such a great force like that, he still managed to protect his cards in that way…"

Yugo couldn't help but smirk at that. _A deep bond with your cards…_

Presently Janus looked up at Jillian. "I have to admit…your Gate Guardian does pack quite a punch!" he said with a big grin. "You're really quite something, Jillian!"

Jillian shook her head in amazement. "To be so jovial, even though your life points are now so low…" and she indicated his life points, which indeed had gone down to 1550 due to the Gate Guardian's attack.

"Hmph…well, let me let you in on a little secret…" Here Janus's smile diminished a bit. "No matter how tough my competition is, no matter what happens, I absolutely REFUSE to give up or give in! I'll fight to my very last, if I have to—but I won't give up!"

Jillian looked at him for a long moment. "I see…then your stubborn determination will make my breaking you all the more interesting," she declared. "Come, Janus Yuki—show me more of this determined spirit you seem to have so much of!"

Now the score stood at Janus with 1550 life points, and Jillian with 6150. Janus had three cards in his hand, including two which everyone knew were Elemental Hero Burtsinatrix and Polymerization, plus on the field he had one facedown card in his magic/trap slot, and his Skyscraper field magic card was still active. Jillian had no cards left in her hand, but on the field she had Gate Guardian, Arsenal Summoner and Guardian Tryce, all in Attack Mode, plus Arsenal Summoner was equipped with the Twin Swords of Flashing Light – Tryce.

Janus looked at the cards in his hand once again. _Okay…I really have to make this next draw count! Because if I don't…she'll cream me with her monsters on her next turn! And I'm not in a mood to experience Gate Guardian's power a second time! _Then he looked at the one facedown card he had on his side of the field. _And that card…it's a good card, but it'll only be effective enough if…_

He glanced down at his deck. _Okay…my faithful deck…I'm counting on you now!_ And with that, he reached down and began to draw.

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki watched him, a flicker of hope in her eyes. "Come on, Janus," she whispered.

Then Janus finished drawing the card. He looked at it for a long moment. Then he looked up at Jillian…and smiled again. "Well…my deck's not about to let me down, it would seem!"

"Hmmm? What makes you say that, now?" Jillian wondered.

"This!" Janus held up the card he'd just played. "The card I just drew was my Elemental Hero Avian (ATK 1000, DEF 1000)…and now I'm gonna use my Polymerization card to fuse him and Elemental Hero Burstinatrix together to form a formidable warrior…Elemental Hero Flame Wingman (ATK 2100, DEF 1200)!"

Swiftly he played the Polymerization card…then the silhouetted figures of Avian and Burstinatrix got caught in the familiar fusion whirlpool. Jillian, meanwhile, was watching with a little apprehension. _What now?_

Then, presently the fusion ended…and there on the field was Janus's combined monster, with his green skin, white wing, and red dragon arm. "Hey…that is…" Miki recalled.

"Yeah." Yugo nodded. "He used that in our previous duel…nasty bugger, that guy."

"Hmmm…" Seta mused.

But then Jillian took a look at Flame Wingman's stats and shook her head. "What is this supposed to be, a joke?" she demanded. "I mean, come on! Your Skyscraper card might give him an additional 1000 ATK points if he battles, but even with that he's still no match for Gate Guardian! The best you'd be able to do is take down my Arsenal Summoner, or even my Guardian Tryce – and yet Gate Guardian would still knock down both your monster and what's left of your life points!"

Janus nodded assent. "Yes…all of that is true…but even so, I'm still going to knock your Gate Guardian – and YOU – down to size with my Flame Wingman!"

"Yeah, right—you won't last a minute against Gate Guardian!" Jillian said stubbornly.

"Then I suppose I'll have to show you just what I mean…" Janus then pointed to his facedown card. "…with this! I now activate my trap card – Miracle Kids!"

Janus's facedown card suddenly flipped face-up…and then, to everyone's surprise, three silhouetted Hero Kids appeared on the field. "What the…what is this?" Kaiba exclaimed.

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki smiled. "A miracle, that's what."

"What—but—I killed those—WHAT'S GOING ON?" Jillian shouted.

"Miracle Kids is a trap card that decreases the ATK of one of my opponent's monsters by 400 points for each 'Hero Kid' in my Graveyard till the end of this turn," Janus explained calmly. "And, as you yourself ought to know, there are currently three of those monsters resting in my Graveyard…which means that whichever monster I target with this will lose 1200 ATK points! And I'm going to weaken – your Gate Guardian!"

The three Hero Kid ghosts suddenly fired electric weapons at the Gate Guardian; to Jillian's further surprise, its ATK went down to 2550! "Holy…!" she managed to gasp out.

"And, of course, as you've pointed out, if one of my Elemental Hero monsters battles a monster that has a higher ATK, then Skyscraper will increase that Elemental Hero's ATK by 1000 during the damage step," said Janus. "So…Elemental Hero Flame Wingman, destroy that Gate Guardian once and for all!"

"NO!" Jillian yelled.

But Flame Wingman raised his dragon arm and blasted a huge wave of fire at the weakened Gate Guardian, even as his own ATK suddenly shot up to 3100 by Skyscraper's effect. Gate Guardian was swiftly set ablaze by the attack, burning alive even as Jillian's life points went down to 5600!

"Whoa…impossible…did he just…?" Seta couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"COOL! That Gate Guardian could actually be beaten! Way to go, Janus!" Miki cheered.

"And that's not all…" Yugo's hair partially overshadowed his eyes.

"Oh, and before I forget," Janus's voice reached Jillian, "when Elemental Hero Flame Wingman destroys a monster in battle and sends it to the Graveyard, his effect inflicts damage to my opponent's life points equal to the original ATK of the destroyed monster. And, what was the Gate Guardian's ATK again…?"

Jillian's eyes went even wider on hearing that. _"Damn!" _she rasped – right at the moment the still-burning Gate Guardian exploded into pieces, the heat burning her and sharply reducing her life points further to 1850!

"Oh, my…such a way for the mighty Gate Guardian to go," Pegasus chuckled.

And Zander was impressed, too. _Well, well…this kid certainly knows how to play, I'll give him that._

"Ungh…" Jillian was still reeling from the loss of Gate Guardian. "Damn it…my Gate Guardian…was beaten…? But…it isn't possible…"

"Better come home to reality, sister – it happened," Janus told her. "Now…it's your turn."

Swallowing a little, steadying herself, Jillian drew her next card…then suddenly her frown changed to a huge grin. "Well…you might've defeated my Gate Guardian, my friend, but my next monster isn't going to be nearly so easy for you to bring down!" she announced.

"What's this now?" David asked. "Does she actually have something that can stand before the Flame Wingman where the Gate Guardian failed?"

Malachi raised an eyebrow. "Let's find out…"

Then Jillian held up the card in her hand. "And now…I'll offer my Arsenal Summoner and my Guardian Tryce to call forth a completely different kind of monster…Cosmo Queen (ATK 2900, DEF 2450)!"

"Cosmo WHAT?" Janus exclaimed.

But suddenly, in the blink of an eye, Arsenal Summoner, his equipped Twin Swords of Flashing Light – Tryce, and Guardian Tryce all vanished from the field…and, materializing in their place was a cloud of sparkling stars. Then…from those stars emerged a woman wearing yellow, green, red, and a ridiculously huge headdress. "Say hello to my Cosmo Queen," Jillian introduced her. "This queen of the galaxies and mistress of the stars."

"Hoo, boy…" Janus mumbled.

"Go, Cosmo Queen, destroy his Flame Wingman with Cosmos Judgment!" Jillian commanded, and in response Cosmo Queen lifted one hand skyward. And then—all at once a massive light-show from the night sky above hailed down on Flame Wingman, completely obliterating him from existence and reducing Janus's life points to 750!

"This doesn't look good for Janus at all…" mused Dr. Crowler, watching the stats keenly.

"Now I will end my turn," Jillian said smugly. "So now what? Do you still insist you're not going to give up?"

"Watch me…you'll have to knock out the rest of my life points before I surrender!" Janus vowed.

"As you wish." Jillian shrugged.

Kaiba turned to Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki. "So much for your son's 'miracle.'"

"As they say, Kaiba…it's not over till it's over," she returned. "Just be patient. If Janus manages to pull off something in this turn, then so be it. If not…that's just how it gets sometimes."

Now the scores were coming down…Janus had 750 life points, while Jillian was higher at 1850. Jillian had no cards in her hand; Janus still had one. On the field Jillian had her Cosmo Queen in Attack Mode; all Janus had was his Skyscraper magic card still on the field.

_Okay! Now it's come down to this…either I'll sink or I'll swim! And now…_ Janus looked at the single remaining card in his hand. _I've refrained from using this long enough…it's all up to this card and to the heart of the cards!_ And again he reached for his deck. _Come on, cards…let's do this together!_

Then he drew.

Everyone watched Janus expectantly. "Janus…" Yugo whispered.

Seta watched with great interest. _This guy…everything Jillian's thrown at him, he's managed to counter in some way…I see now why he was able to defeat Yugo – he really is worthy of being a rival for him!_

"Janus…I believe in you…please win!" Natasha breathed.

By and by Janus looked at the card he'd just drawn. "Okay…time to bet everything on this next combo!" he said to Jillian. "First thing's first…I'll activate the magic card Mystical Space Typhoon, to destroy my Skyscraper card!"

All the others were astonished at that. "What's that he said?" Mr. Von Schroeder exclaimed.

But before anyone else could comment, all at once a huge typhoon blasted through Skyscraper's city, destroying everything and clearing the field completely! "Um…all right…I have absolutely no idea why you did that, and I doubt anybody else did, either," Jillian said to Janus.

"You'll soon see," said Janus. "Now, I'll Special Summon my Elemental Hero Bubbleman (ATK 800, DEF 1200) in Defense Mode!"

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki's eyes lit up immediately. "Oh…I see…"

And even Kaiba had to smile a little. "Now I understand that little stunt just now."

"When Elemental Hero Bubbleman is the only card in my hand, I can Special Summon him to the field," Janus explained to Jillian. "And, if he's the only card on the field when I summon him, I can draw two cards from my deck, which is why I had to destroy my Skyscraper card first. So…here I go!"

Quickly he drew two more cards—and fairly started. _WHOA! I've actually drawn THIS?_

"You seem surprised," Jillian noted. "Could it be that you've gotten yourself nothing good, after all…?"

Janus smirked. "Quite the contrary, actually!" he answered. "Now…I activate this magic card – Soul Exchange!"

Suddenly, to Jillian's immediate consternation, Cosmo Queen was surrounded by a faint mist. "What have you done?" she demanded.

"Soul Exchange allows me to select one monster on your side of the field," said Janus. "Then, when I offer monsters for a Tribute of any kind, I can offer the your selected monster in place of one of my own…which is useful for things like Tribute summons!"

Jillian gasped in realization. "Oh, my Lord…!"

Janus held up the very last card left in his hand. "And now…time to offer my Elemental Hero Bubbleman and your Cosmo Queen to summon a card I packed into my deck specifically for this leg of the tournament." He then brought the card down onto his grid. "Be summoned in Attack Mode, my ultimate Elemental Hero, the greatest of them all…Elemental Hero Neos (ATK 2500, DEF 2000)!"

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki started at that. "Oh, my…I see…so he unsealed _those cards _after all…"

Kaiba looked at her, eyebrows raised. "Unsealed?"

Suddenly, both Bubbleman and Cosmo Queen were caught up together in a massive ball of light—then that ball exploded outward in a shower of stars that covered the entire field! "Whoa…pretty light-show…" Ricardo remarked.

Marcus's attention was riveted what had just arrived onto the field, however. "Look at that…"

Everyone else was staring in awe, too. "Mercy…who would've thought…" Dr. Crowler gasped.

For there now, on Janus's side of the field, was a white being with red markings all over his body and a blue gemstone in the middle of his chest. Sparks glittered all over his body; he appeared tall and extremely muscular for a Duel Monster. "Right now, his full power hasn't been tapped into yet," said Janus. "But even in this form, his strength is enough to wipe out what's left of your life points!"

"Not…at full power…?" Yugo blinked in surprise.

"At least, he would wipe you out IF he could attack now…" Janus's expression appeared sheepish. "But Soul Exchange's effect says I can't attack with any monsters during the turn I use its effect. So…wanna take your turn?"

Frowning deeply, Jillian drew her next card—and paled. "Oh, no…"

Janus smirked. "Well, then…I take it from your forlorn expression that you just drew a card you can't use at all. In that case…" He drew his next card. "Go, Neos! Finish it with Space Nova Fist!" And Elemental Hero Neos, pulling back for only a moment, launched forward at terrifying speed, his fist glowing with light-star energy. That fist hit Jillian—hard—so hard that the immense force of it actually sent her flying off her platform and into the midst of the spectators below—and her life points sharply dropped to 0!

"That's the end of the duel!" Pegasus declared, raising his hand in an official manner. "Winner: Janus Yuki!"

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki smiled at Kaiba. "There's another miracle for you."

"Okay, okay…sheesh, don't rub it in," Kaiba acknowledged grudgingly.

Mr. Muto's group, where Jillian had fallen, quickly set about to correct her footing. "Hey, girl, you all right?" Grandma Muto asked worriedly.

Jillian held her chest where Elemental Hero Neos had struck her. "Yeah…I'm fine," she managed to speak after a moment. "But…whoa…all that power…in one blow…!"

Janus, meanwhile, had long since lowered his platform and was now hurrying over to where Jillian was. "Hey…you all right?" he asked anxiously. "I hope I didn't hurt you too bad…"

She gave him a quizzical look. "You're a strange one…worrying about your opponents."

"Yeah, well…it's just that you really played a good game there…it would be a shame if you were put out of action, you know?" Janus rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Well…if you're so worried, then like I said, I'm okay," Jillian answered.

"That's good to hear." Janus then held out his hand. "Hey, Jillian…maybe you and I can duel again someday. I'd really like that, you know?"

Jillian looked at the offered hand…then reached out and grasped it with a tiny smile. "We'll see."

"Oy, Janus!"

Janus turned, in time to see Natasha, Ricardo, and Yugo's group running to meet him. "Congrats, Janus! I knew you could do it!" Natasha beamed happily.

"Yeah, excellent match!" Ricardo added his voice.

Yugo stepped forward. "Elemental Hero Neos, huh? Gee…you seem to have been holding out on me, Janus…"

Janus chuckled. "Yeah, well…I sealed up that card and a couple of others to make duels a little more fair for opponents and more challenging for myself," he admitted. "But now, they're unsealed…so if you and I get to duel, you'll see my full power unlocked."

"Ahem!" Pegasus caught their attention. "The next duel will begin right away – Miki Taylor versus Yugo Muto! Duelists, to your respective platforms!"

At that the entire group became silent. "Yugo…and Miki…" Kyo looked at both his friends.

"You guys…" Jenna added her voice.

Miki looked at each of them in turn…then set her gaze on Yugo. "Okay…so now it's our turn," she said quietly. "Well, Yugo, let's do our best, okay?"

Yugo nodded. "Sure, Miki," he replied. "Let's."

----------

**_neomage:_** Whew! The duel between Janus and Jillian is finally OVER! And…Elemental Hero Neos makes his debut! Now…the next duel is Yugo vs. Miki, one I've personally been waiting for since I first conceptualized Dueltropolis for this fanfic! Keep reading and reviewing, as always, everybody!

(yamikriz comes along to see rampagerkriz with a gift-wrapped box)

yamikriz: Is that for who I think it is, buddy-boy…?

rampagerkriz: Yeah, well…I haven't given her any presents in a while…it's the least I could do, you know?

yamikriz: Well, what is it?

rampagerkriz: Uh-uh! I'm not spoiling Kimiru's surprise!

yamikriz: (aside) Mental note: make every effort to find out what the "surprise" is so I can completely wreck it for Kimiru…that'll teach her to play tricks on me with pepper-spray like she did last time around…!


	273. Chapter 273

Yu-Gi-Oh! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: The knights come out to play again! Oh, and I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!)

**CHAPTER 273**

THE INDUSTRIAL ILLUSIONS LINER, EN ROUTE TO TOKYO DOME

Miki and Yugo went up to the dueling platforms and boarded them. Watching the two platforms rising up above the spectators' heads, Mrs. Taylor put her hands close to her chest. "Okay, now…my baby's about to duel…"

"Gosh, it sure feels awkward, watching our kids getting ready to face each other like this," Mr. Taylor remarked.

"If it feels awkward for US as spectators, how do you think it must be for THEM?" Mr. Muto queried. "For friends to go up against each other like this, even with the World Championship title in the distance…"

"Yeah, we do know what it's like, don't we, Yugi?" said Mr. Wheeler. "I mean, you and I had to do that against each other lots of times in the past."

"Now…all we can do is wish both of them the best of luck," said Mrs. Bakura.

Meanwhile, Kyo and Jenna watched their two friends. "All right – this'll be Yugo's first time dueling against Miki," Kyo noted. "First he had to face me, back in the Kaibacorp Challenge Cup…then he had to face you in the Intercontinentals, Jenna…"

"…and now he's facing Miki here, in the World Championships," Jenna finished.

"Hey, you guys, don't sound so glum," Janus spoke to them. "They'll both do well, I'm sure of it! Or else they wouldn't have made it all the way to this point in the tournament, would they?"

"That's true," Ricardo agreed. "It's just that one of them will be the victor here…but it doesn't matter which of them wins, as long as they do their utmost best, right?"

"Right!" Natasha nodded heartedly. Then to the two duelists she called out, "Do your best, Yugo, Miki! We're all rooting for you!"

Meanwhile, atop the platform arena, Yugo and Miki were setting their decks on their respective grids. "So, Miki…nervous?" Yugo asked.

"Well…yeah." Miki brushed her hair back with one hand. "Because, you know, I've seen you duel, and I know you're extremely tough. I…I honestly don't know if I'll be able to beat you."

"You won't know that till you try," Yugo told her. "I mean, I know I'm good, but I don't see myself as invincible or anything. I've come close to losing in this tournament, even before reaching Pegasus's castle…but I determined I wasn't going to give up. And now, here I am."

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki looked on knowingly.

"So, don't worry about it," Yugo assured Miki. "Let's just do the utmost best that we can do, okay?"

Miki nodded. "Okay."

The holographic coin appeared on the field and was flipped. "Let me call it! Tails!" Miki announced.

Then the coin fell back down to earth…and the result was tails. "All right—I get to go first!" Miki exclaimed, a little smile on her face.

On the sidelines, Blaze smirked. "Give him hell, kid."

And Ms. Wong was watching with great interest, too. "Let's see you give a good performance, Miki."

Miki and Yugo both drew their first five cards…then Miki drew her sixth to start off. "Okay…first I'll set one monster in Defense Mode…and then activate the magic card, Yellow Luster Shield!"

Suddenly, all on her side of the field appeared a magical yellow barrier! "As long as the Yellow Luster Shield is in place, it'll increase the DEF of all my monsters by 300 points," Miki informed Yugo. "So, you'd best be careful how you attack when you choose to. Now, I'll leave it at that for now."

Yugo drew his card…then considered what he had in his hand. "Now this looks pretty good…okay! I'll set two cards facedown, and activate this magic card – Polymerization!"

"Polymerization…that allows you to fuse two or more monsters…" Miki said slowly.

"That's right! And I'm fusing the Dark Magician (ATK 2500, DEF 2100) and Buster Blader (ATK 2600, DEF 2300) that I've got in my hand to summon – Dark Paladin (ATK 2900, DEF 2400)!"

The silhouetted forms of the Dark Magician and Buster Blader got sucked into the familiar fusion whirlpool…then out stepped the mighty Dark Paladin, wielding his scimitar with menace. "And his ATK should be high enough to take down whatever DEF your monster has!" Yugo declared. "Now, Dark Paladin, attack!"

Dark Paladin, in response, swung his weapon around his head once, then slashed at Miki's facedown monster. It was revealed to be the Throwstone Unit (ATK 900, DEF 2000), and was obliterated in a flash of light! "So much for that monster," said Yugo. "Now, I'll end my turn for the moment."

Again Miki drew her card. "Hmmm…Well, now, I'll just set another monster in Defense Mode, and end my turn."

"That's a sorry mistake you're going to regret, Miki," said Yugo as he drew another card. "You see…my summoning Dark Paladin was merely the first step in a special combo I learned from Mr. Ishtar while we were in Egypt, the Dark Counter Combo—a combo I'm going to show to you now!"

Kaiba frowned on hearing this. "Hmmm…"

Zander leaned forward a little. _So…Marik Ishtar taught you a few tricks, did he?_

Whereupon Yugo pointed to the two facedown cards he had in his magic/trap slot. "Now…first I'll activate my trap card, Pitch-Black Power Stone!"

That card soon flipped face-up, and it gained its three Magic counters. Then Yugo announced, "Next, I'll activate my other trap card, Miracle Restoring! By removing two Magic counters from my side of the field, I can Special Summon either Dark Magician or Buster Blader from my Graveyard…and this time it's going to be Dark Magician!"

As the Miracle Restoring trap card was flipped and its effect activated, two of Pitch-Black Power Stone's counters vanished…then moments later, Dark Magician reappeared on the field, staff at the ready. "Now, Dark Magician, attack and destroy Miki's facedown monster!" Yugo commanded. "Dark Magic Attack!"

Dark Magician raised his hand, sending out mystic power to forcefully flip Miki's facedown monster face-up. The monster in question, Familiar Knight (ATK 1200, DEF 1400), was blasted to shreds with that one attack!

"And while I'm at it, I'll activate this magic card from my hand – Dedication through Light and Darkness!" Yugo swiftly played the card. "By tributing one Dark Magician on my side of the field, I can Special Summon his more powerful incarnation, Dark Magician of Chaos (ATK 2800, DEF 2600) from my hand or my deck…and this time he's coming from my deck!"

Dark Magician vanished from the field…then moments later the Dark Magician of Chaos appeared in his skintight suit. "And when Dark Magician of Chaos is summoned, I can add one magic card from my Graveyard back to my hand—but this time, I choose not to," Yugo continued.

"Hmph." Miki smiled a little. "Well, you just destroyed my Familiar Knight, so now his effect activates…we can each Special Summon one Level 4 monster from our hands! And there's one right here that I'm going to go for…"

She held up one of the cards in her hand. "And that monster is Big-Shield Gardna (ATK 100, DEF 2600)—Defense Mode!"

In a moment her giant-shielded warrior emerged on the field, ready to defend her…and Yellow Luster Shield swiftly increased his DEF to 2900. Yugo frowned. "Dang…that's pretty much enough to repel my offensive," he grumbled. "That's real cute of you, throwing off my balance like that!"

"So…you gonna call it quits for attacking, then?" Miki asked sweetly.

Yugo then gave a devilish grin. "I'm sorry, but no, I won't!" he declared. "I'm gonna take advantage of your Familiar Knight's effect, and Special Summon a monster as well—and I'm going for my Magician's Valkyria (ATK 1600, DEF 1800) in Attack Mode!"

Magician's Valkyria then appeared beside Dark Paladin and Dark Magician of Chaos, spinning her staff in one hand. "Now, then," said Yugo. "This combo was originally intended to wipe out an opponent in one turn…but even if I cannot do that now, at the very least I can still do something like—THIS! Dark Paladin, attack Big-Shield Gardna!"

Dark Paladin rushed forward with his scimitar held high—but Big-Shield Gardna's shield repelled the attack, forcing both monsters away from each other. "Hey, why'd Yugo do that? It's not like that attack was going to destroy Big-Shield Gardna—their ATK and DEF were equal!" Natasha exclaimed.

Kyo's eyes narrowed. "No…there's a different reason…"

Yugo was still grinning. "When your Big-Shield Gardna is attacked while in Defense Mode," he informed Miki, "he's changed to Attack Mode immediately after that one battle. And his ATK happens to be pretty low…"

Miki's eyes widened in realization. "Crap!"

But much to her dismay, Big-Shield Gardna slowly stood up, the shield now at his side. "And now, Dark Magician of Chaos, attack and destroy Big-Shield Gardna! Chaos Scepter Blast!" Yugo ordered—and his mage responded with a mighty blast of power from his staff that completely incinerated the warrior and reduced Miki's life points down to 5300!

"Too bad," Yugo chuckled. "And even worse, any monster that Dark Magician of Chaos destroys in battle is removed from play. So, no returning for your Big-Shield Gardna…"

"Oh, man…my one chance of a good defense—gone!" Miki wailed.

"And now, time to finish it up!" said Yugo. "Magician's Valkyria, attack directly with Mystic Scepter Blast!" And Valkyria blasted some magic from her staff, hitting Miki and reducing her further to 3700!

On the sidelines, Kaiba closed his eyes and chuckled. "I see…so that fancy technique did yield some results, after all," he said softly. "Question is now, how will Miki come back into the duel?"

Ms. Wong smirked knowingly. _No…Miki's not going to throw in the towel just so…after all, this girl did defeat a Zodiac in her very first duel of this tournament. She'll find a way…I'm sure of it!_

Miki now had 3700 life points, while Yugo had an intact 8000. Yugo held no more cards in his hand; Miki had three. On the field Miki still had her Yellow Luster Shield active; Yugo had Dark Paladin, Magician's Valkyria and Dark Magician of Chaos in Attack Mode, plus the Pitch-Black Power Stone trap card with one single Magic counter left on it.

Recovering from the onslaught of Yugo's monsters' attacks, Miki breathed in deeply, then exhaled slowly. _Wow…without a doubt now, Yugo's got to be one of the toughest opponents I've ever had to face in a duel! But I have to do something quick, or else…or else next turn…!_

Carefully, she drew her next card, so now she held four in her hand – and her eyes lit up with surprise. "Hey…Yugo…I'm sorry, but now I'm gonna take back this duel from you!"

Yugo chuckled. "Them's fightin' words, Miki," he quipped. "How d'you expect to do that?"

"With this!" Miki held up the card she'd just drawn. "I summon…Gearfried the Iron Knight (ATK 1800, DEF 1600)!"

Moments later her iron knight emerged on the field, ready to do battle; Yellow Luster Shield increased his DEF to 1900. Yugo's eyes narrowed. "If you're summoning HIM…that must mean only one thing…"

"I'm glad you remember about it!" Miki then held up another card. "Now – I activate the magic card, Release Restraint! By tributing Gearfried the Iron Knight on my side of the field, I can Special Summon his true form to the field from my hand or deck…and he's coming to the field from my deck this time around—Gearfried the Swordmaster (ATK 2600, DEF 2200)!"

Suddenly, Gearfried's armor blasted off his body in a loud explosion! "Cripes!" Yugo exclaimed.

On the sidelines, Shigeo crossed his arms and chuckled. "Looks like Yugo's going to have a major fight on his hands from this point…"

Gradually the smoke from the explosion cleared…and there stood Gearfried the Swordmaster, in all his muscle-bound glory, his hair flowing all around his face, his sword of light shining brightly, even as Yellow Luster Shield increased his DEF to 2500. "And you may remember his effect," Miki said proudly. "When he's equipped with an Equip card, he destroys one monster on my opponent's side of the field! And it just so happens that I have the ammunition for such an effect…!"

Yugo gritted his teeth. "This isn't good…"

"Now, then! First, I'll equip Gearfried with the magic card, Axe of Despair, to increase his ATK by 1000 points!" Miki then played the card…and the Swordmaster soon found himself wielding a massive axe in one hand, his ATK increased to 3600! "And now, Gearfried, use your effect and destroy Dark Paladin!"

Raising both his sword of light and the Axe of Despair, Gearfried brought the blades of the two weapons to the ground—and created a massive shockwave that tore through the defenseless Dark Paladin! "No! My Paladin!" Yugo exclaimed.

"But that's not done yet!" Miki continued. "I'll now equip Gearfried with this card – United We Stand! For every face-up monster on my side of the field, this card will increase the equipped monster's ATK and DEF by 800 points!"

All at once, electric energy seemed to surround Gearfried the Swordmaster's body; his muscle mass seemed to grow even as his ATK and DEF grew further to 4400 and 3300 respectively! "Gearfried, use your effect again—and destroy the Dark Magician of Chaos this time!" Miki ordered—and again Geafried slammed his weapons into the ground, creating an even bigger shockwave that ripped the Dark Chaos Mage in half!

"Now, there's a monster that won't be returning, since Dark Magician of Chaos is removed from play if he's destroyed while face-up on the field," said Miki. "And now…Gearfried the Swordmaster, obliterate Magician's Valkyria!"

This time, instead of creating a shockwave, Gearfried dashed forward toward a terrified Valkyria—and carved her cleanly in half! Yugo reeled from the destruction of his monster, even as his life points sharply shot down to 5200!

"Wow…that's an impressive comeback!" Miriam remarked. "Don't you think so, Malachi?"

"True, the knight-user's pretty decent," said Malachi. "But Yugo Muto still has life points, after all. And, too, he has a knack for surprises…let's see what kind of surprise he'll pull out of his deck this time."

"Way to go, Miki! Keep it up!" Mr. Taylor cheered his daughter—then abruptly looked embarrassed. "Um, no offense to Yugo, of course," he hastily added to Mr. Muto.

"No need to apologize, Tristan," Mr. Muto assured him. "Miki _has_ certainly come a long way as a duelist, hasn't she? There was once a time when she could barely keep up with other duelists…and now, she's making even Yugo sweat. I believe she'll go down in dueling history, for sure."

"Yugi…for you to say something like that…" Mr. Taylor was truly touched.

Yugo, meanwhile, straightened up. "Well done, Miki," he applauded her. "That was a pretty nice comeback there."

"Aw, shucks, you don't have to say that," Miki replied, blushing.

"But…echoing Janus's words from earlier…I'm not going to give up, no matter what," Yugo said, in a firm voice. "Because I've made a promise…and that's a promise I intend to keep. So until that promise is fulfilled, I can't lose…not even to you."

Seta couldn't help but smile on hearing that. _Yugo…_

"Of course not! It'd be weird to hear anything else form you, anyway!" Miki giggled. "So, come on…gimme your best shot now!"

"Gladly!" Yugo then reached down and drew…

…and he seemed pleased by what he'd drawn. "All right, then!" he announced. "Now…I'll activate the magic card, Swords of Revealing Light! This'll stop any and all of your monsters from attacking for your next three turns!"

The three swords of light shot down from the sky, surrounding a confused Gearfried the Swordmaster. "Well, as much as that's all I can do for now, it's still enough, regardless," Yugo remarked. "I'll end my turn for the present."

"Okay…" Miki lowered her eyes a little. "Yugo…you know…I have to thank you."

"Thank me? For what?" Yugo asked.

Now Miki smiled more broadly. "You…Kyo…Jenna…you guys gave me a chance to become a duelist, even when all I had at first were three single cards as my collection…a lot of the cards I've used in all my duels up to this point, they were all cards you guys gave me. No matter what happens to me in the rest of this tournament…even if I eventually lose, I'll always appreciate the role you guys played in helping me get into Duel Monsters, for real."

"Miki…" Jenna whispered, and Kyo turned a little red.

"Hey…it was our pleasure, Miki." Yugo nodded respectfully. "Now…let's go."

----------

**_neomage:_** Well, Miki and Yugo fans, the duel continues next chapter. And I'm gonna do my best to make sure it ends on a grand note! So keep reading!

(rampagerkriz has left Kimiru's present in the living room, on the dining room table; yamikriz tiptoes in)

yamikriz: Now, to see what that surprise is! (grins gleefully)

(he reaches forward to touch the box—but all of a sudden…)

Alarm: RRRRRRRREEEEEERRRRRRREEEEEERRRREEEEEERRRR!

yamikriz: O.o;;;;

(rampagerkriz calmly walks in and deactivates the security system)

rampagerkriz: (picks up box and sticks out tongue at yamikriz) Wise-ass. (leaves)

yamikriz: Grrrrr…

REVIEW SOON, PLEASE!


	274. Chapter 274

Yu-Gi-Oh! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: **(Swords clanking) **I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!)

**CHAPTER 274**

THE INDUSTRIAL ILLUSIONS LINER, EN ROUTE TO TOKYO DOME

As the second duel of the Dueltropolis quarter-finals continued, the stats were shown thus: Yugo had 5200 life points, no cards in his hand, and on the field he had the Pitch-Black Power Stone trap card with one Magic counter on it, plus the Swords of Revealing Light magic card was active. On the other hand, Miki had a much lower 3700 life points, but she also had no cards in hand, and on the field she had Gearfried the Swordmaster equipped with the Axe of Despair and United We Stand cards, and the Yellow Luster Shield magic card was active as well.

Blaze, watching the duel, smiled. "I dare say, Miki's definitely improved since the Kaibacorp Challenge Cup."

"Yeah," Wade nodded agreement. "Back then she was just a shy little girl who just barely managed to get into that tournament…and now, look at how developed her skill has gotten."

It was now Miki's turn. Drawing her next card, she looked long and hard at it…then grinned. "Well…it looks as if I'm going to actually defeat you!" she exclaimed.

"How come?" Yugo inquired.

"Because of this card!" Miki promptly played the card she'd drawn. "I summon Silent Swordsman Lv. 3 (ATK 1000, DEF 1000) in Attack Mode!"

One moment later her trench-coat-wearing, anchor-sword-wielding warrior appeared on the field—and even as his own DEF rose to 1300 due to Yellow Luster Shield's power, United We Stand's effect increased Gearfried the Swordmaster's stats even further to 5200 ATK and 4100 DEF! "And, unfortunately, that's all I can do for the time being," said Miki. "Your move."

Nodding, Yugo drew—and suddenly paled. "Oh, crap…!" he hissed under his breath. "I, uh…I end my turn."

"Oh, dear," Grandma Muto said worriedly. "I guess Yugo didn't get a good card just now, eh?"

"I'm afraid not," said Mr. Muto. "And that's not all, either…"

Miki drew her next card – and then all at once, the Silent Swordsman began to shine with a bright light! "During my Standby Phase, I can offer Silent Swordsman Lv. 3 as a tribute to Special Summon his stronger form to the field from my hand or deck, and now he's coming from my deck – Silent Swordsman Lv. 5 (ATK 2300, DEF 1000)!"

Immediately Miki flipped through her deck and found the necessary card…and a moment later Silent Swordsman Lv. 3, still bathed in light, began to transform: growing taller, sword getting bigger, face becoming older and more mature…then presently the light subsided, and the Swordsman was revealed, even as the Yellow Luster Shield modified his DEF to 1300. Yugo sucked in his breath when he saw the monster. "This isn't good…"

"Not for you, at least—because Silent Swordsman Lv. 5 is unaffected by your Magic cards…and that includes your Swords of Revealing Light!" Miki then pointed toward Yugo's side of the field. "Okay, Silent Swordsman, go past his Swords of Revealing Light and attack directly!"

Silent Swordsman Lv. 5 hefted his gigantic sword onto one shoulder and dashed forward, right past the Swords of Revealing Light, right toward a flinching Yugo. Jumping into the sky, he swung the sword downward in an arc, hitting Yugo hard and dropping his life points to 2900! "Urgh…damn it!" Yugo grunted.

"Unfortunately, my Gearfried the Swordmaster can't get past your Swords of Revealing Light the same way," Miki sighed, "or else this duel would be over right now. But I'm willing, at least, to wait till next turn to beat you…for now, I'll just end my turn."

"Next turn, eh?" Kyo fingered his chin thoughtfully. "But by then, Yugo may not have much of a chance…"

Jenna smiled a little. "We'll see."

Now Yugo took his turn again, drawing another card. "Hmmm…I'll set one monster facedown, and end my turn for the moment."

Miki raised an eyebrow at that. _Facedown, hmm?_

Briefly she recalled Kyo's warning from earlier. _None of us can afford to make any mistakes in these duels from here on out…that means I can't just blindly attack that monster. What if it's got an effect that could harm either of my monsters?_

She placed a hand over her deck, ready to draw. _What should I do? If I attack it this turn, it could be a big mistake…but it could be an even bigger mistake not to! Oh, darn, why does this have to be so complicated?_

Then she drew—and Silent Swordsman Lv. 5 began to shine with light! "Okay…if Silent Swordsman Lv. 5 attacked my opponent directly last turn, then this turn during the Standby Phase I can tribute him to Special Summon from my hand or my deck his truest, most powerful form…" And quickly Miki searched her deck and found the card she was looking for. "Silent Swordsman Lv. 7 (ATK 2800, DEF 1000)!"

Again Silent Swordsman transformed—becoming taller and more muscular, and his sword becoming even bigger and longer than before, even as Yellow Luster Shield adjusted his DEF to 1300 like his predecessors. "And best of all," and now Miki smiled happily, "as long as this Silent Swordsman is on the field, his power negates the effects of all Magic cards on the field…"

But suddenly her smile vanished. "…oops!"

Not far away, Mrs. Taylor raised an eyebrow. "Oops?"

"Oh…I get it…" Mrs. Wheeler nodded knowingly. "Silent Swordsman's effect negates the effects of ALL magic cards on the field – that includes _Miki's_ Magic cards, as well. Which means her monsters will lose their power bonus…"

And it was as Mrs. Wheeler said, for right then and there the Axe of Despair, United We Stand, and Yellow Luster Shield magic cards all lost their power—and Gearfried the Swordmaster's and Silent Swordsman's respective stats returned to their original values! "Oooh…so much for all that powering up from before," Honey remarked.

"Yeah, but somehow I doubt it matters," Raven replied. "Even without any power-ups, both of her monsters are still strong enough on their own – and if she summons another monster now, Yugo's a goner."

Yugo, for his own part, looked at the extremely-weakened Swords of Revealing Light card on his side of the field. "Oh, well," he sighed. "This was going to run out of power on my next turn, anyway."

"And all you have now is one monster to protect your life points," Miki noted.

Yugo looked at her. "That's supposed to be easy pickings for you and your monsters at this point, right?" he asked. "So, why don't you go ahead and attack? It's not like I have anything here on the field that can stop you now…"

Miki lowered her head a little; her hair overshadowed her brow. "In truth, that's what I want…but…"

"But?" Yugo prompted.

"But…" Here Miki looked up. "Is that what's best for my monsters? Is that what they want? I have to take all of that into consideration…and right now, even with a possible advantage, it's hard for me…"

She looked down again. "I…I don't know…What should I do…?"

Suddenly, to her surprise, both Gearfried the Swordmaster and Silent Swordsman Lv. 7 seemed to relax their respective stances, lowering their weapons. "H-huh? Hey, what're you doing?" she asked, very bewildered.

Then, as one, both monsters turned their heads slightly to look back at her…and both seemed to nod a little at her. And as she took in this strange turn of events, both of them gripped their respective weapons with seeming determination.

_Oh…_ Miki blinked. _Are they trying to tell me they want to fight…for me…no matter what happens?_

And again, seemingly in response to her thought, both monsters nodded.

Miki closed her eyes. _Wow…I guess I really made a good choice when I decided to use a knight-themed deck…_

"Uh…what's going on?" Luke wondered, looking on in amazement at this strange phenomenon.

Malachi narrowed his eyes. _Knight-user…have you decided what you're going to do?_

Miki's eyes snapped open. "Okay—Gearfried the Swordmaster, fight! Attack his facedown monster!"

In response, Gearfried raised his sword of light and raced forward, toward Yugo's facedown monster. With one swift stroke of the sword, the card was cleanly sliced in two—revealing the monster to be Apprentice Magician (ATK 400, DEF 800). "Got you!" Miki cheered.

But Yugo merely smiled. "Don't start celebrating yet," he advised her. "Because you just destroyed my Apprentice Magician—and when she's destroyed in battle, her effect allows me to Special Summon one Level 2 or lower Spellcaster-type monster from my deck in facedown Defense Mode."

"Ohhhh…" Miki groaned.

Whereupon Yugo quickly flipped through his deck. "And the monster I choose is…a second Apprentice Magician!" And he swiftly set that monster card facedown.

"Okay…but now it's my Silent Swordsman's turn to fight! Go!" Miki commanded. And in response, Silent Swordsman Lv. 7 dashed forward, slicing the facedown Apprentice Magician in half with his giant sword.

"And again, I can Special Summon a Level 2 or lower Spellcaster in facedown Defense Mode," Yugo reminded Miki. "And…" He thumbed through his deck once more. "I choose a third Apprentice Magician!" And then moments later the monster appeared facedown on the field.

Miki smiled. "That's your last one," she noted. "Next turn, I'll definitely be able to stomp you. Right now, I'll end my turn."

Miki's life points were still at 3700; Yugo's were still at 2900. Miki now held two cards in her hand; Yugo had one. On the field Miki had Silent Swordsman Lv. 7 and Gearfried the Swordmaster in Attack Mode; Yugo had his Apprentice Magician facedown in Defense Mode. Also on the field were Miki's Axe of Despair and United We Stand magic cards, equipped to Geafried the Swordmaster, and her Yellow Luster Shield magic card as well; Yugo had his weakened Swords of Revealing Light magic card and his Pitch-Black Power Stone trap card with one magic counter on it—and all the magic cards on the field had their effects negated by Silent Swordsman Lv. 7's effect.

Once again Yugo drew his card, even as his Swords of Revealing Light finally vanished from existence. He seemed to frown as he scrutinized it…then: "I'll offer my facedown monster as a tribute to summon—Penumbral Soldier Lady (ATK 2100, DEF 1400)!"

The facedown Apprentice Magician disappeared…and then in that card's place stood the moon-warrior girl, bearing her sword and shield in a battle pose. "And…when she does battle with a Light monster, Penumbral Soldier Lady's ATK increases by 1000 points for that damage calculation – and, incidentally, both of your monsters are Light monsters!"

Miki recoiled on hearing this. "Oh, no!"

"Go, Penumbral Soldier Lady! Attack and destroy Gearfried the Swordmaster!" Yugo cried. And, as her ATK rose to 3100, Penumbral Soldier Lady flashed her sword at Gearfried, creating a lunar crescent that sliced through him and reduced Miki's life points to 3200!

"Whoa…that's one hell of a comeback to make!" Wade exclaimed.

"Now it doesn't matter which of them attacks…as long as the other monster is a Light monster, Penumbral Soldier Lady should be able to beat it easily," said Blaze. "Unless…Miki finds some way to power up her Silent Swordsman now…"

Scowling at Gearfried's destruction, Miki remarked, "Okay, so you've destroyed one of my warriors…but you'll not bring down my Silent Swordsman Lv. 7! I'll give you a real hard fight before that happens!"

"Which is exactly what I'm hoping you'll give me," Yugo answered. "So, show me what else you've got!"

"Okay!" Miki then drew her next card, giving her three in her hand. "All right…I'll set one monster in Defense Mode and one card facedown, shift my Silent Swordsman Lv. 7 into Defense Mode, and end my turn with that. Now…all I can do is hope for the best."

Yugo drew once again. "Now, Miki, by my observation, your Silent Swordsman's effect makes using Magic cards problematic," he stated. "But I'm going to change that right here and now! Penumbral Soldier Lady, destroy Silent Swordsman!"

Her ATK again rising to 3100, Penumbral Soldier Lady raised her sword, ready to make another crescent wave attack. But as the Soldier Lady was about to let the blade fall— "WAIT!" Miki exclaimed. "Now I activate my trap card—Kunai with Chain!"

Suddenly, Miki's facedown card flipped face-up, even as a massive chain-linked kunai flew forward and wrapped itself around the Soldier Lady's legs, forcing her to her knees! "WHAT!" Yugo yelled out.

"Wait…that is…" Mr. Taylor breathed.

Now Miki had an impish little grin on her face. "Remember this card, Yugo?" she asked. "This is one of the first three Duel Monster cards I ever collected. Do you remember me telling you and the others about them?"

Yugo's eyes narrowed. "Yeah…I remember…"

Mr. Devlin looked on knowingly. _That's one of her three most precious cards…_

"Well, allow me to remind you what this one does," said Miki. "Kunai with Chain allows me to shift one of your Attack Mode monsters into Defense Mode…and it also increases the ATK of one of my monsters by 500 points. Just look at my Silent Swordsman Lv. 7."

And…true enough…Silent Swordsman was now holding the tail end of Kunai with Chain's chain, his ATK raised to 3300! "Oooohh…that's gonna be real troublesome for Yugo," Ricardo remarked.

"Yeah, come next turn Miki'll be able to shift Silent Swordsman back into Attack Mode and really waste Penumbral Soldier Lady then," Janus added.

Kyo looked intently at both duelists. "So…is Yugo really going to get beaten now?"

"Or will Yugo do what he always does, and surprise us?" Jenna finished.

Yugo glanced at the two cards in his hand. "Hmmm…all right, then. I'll set one card facedown, and end my turn."

Miki reached down and drew from her deck yet again. "Now it's over, Yugo!" she declared. "I'll shift my Silent Swordsman Lv. 7 back into Attack Mode…" And as she did this, the Silent Swordsman got up off his knees, now wielding his trademark sword in one hand and the Kunai with Chain in the other. "...and next I'll Flip summon my Disc Fighter (ATK 1000, DEF 1000)!"

In a moment her facedown monster card flipped face-up, revealing the iron-clad knight with his twin discs set on his gauntlets. "I see…the second of your most precious cards is now in play…" Yugo said softly.

"And now, I'm going to have to get rid of your Penumbral Soldier Lady…then I can attack you…and then next turn, I'll be able to finish it." Miki looked long and hard at Yugo. "Just…please don't hold it against me once I beat you."

"Hey, why would I do such a thing? Miki, you've truly become a great duelist after all this time…you're certainly deserving of a shot at the World Championship if you want," Yugo answered kindly. "And besides that…I'm just happy to know first-hand that you can hold your own in a real duel, come what may."

"Yugo…" Miki's eyes shone and her lip quivered.

Jenna closed her eyes, lowered her head and smiled. _Yeah…Yugo's always been like that…wanting the best for his friends, no matter what…_

"So, come on, then—attack me!" Yugo ordered.

Nodding, Miki briefly ran the back of her hand across her eyes. Then: "Go, Silent Swordsman! Take out Penumbral Soldier Lady!"

And Silent Swordsman Lv. 7 raised the Kunai with Chain, flinging it with all his might even as Penumbral Soldier Lady braced herself…

----------

**_neomage:_** Yes, people, you DO have to admit it—Miki Taylor has definitely come a long way as a duelist! Now…be prepared for the next chapter!

(Kimiru's gift-wrapped present sits on the coffee-table in the living room)

yamikriz: (hiding near the door, looking around) Good, nobody's here…time to see what that present is!

(he sneaks over to the table and reaches for the box)

Guard Dog: WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF!

yamikriz: O.o RUN AWAY! (dashes away at top speed)

Guard Dog: WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF!

(rampagerkriz walks in and goes over to a mechanical alarm system, and deactivates it)

rampagerkriz: Heh, I knew that this security system would work…now it's just a matter of time till I can give Kimiru her present…

REVIEW SOON, PLEASE!


	275. Chapter 275

Yu-Gi-Oh! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Christmas is soon to come…and yet again, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. Ho-ho-ho.)

**CHAPTER 275**

THE INDUSTRIAL ILLUSIONS LINER, EN ROUTE TO TOKYO DOME

"Go, Silent Swordsman! Take out Penumbral Soldier Lady!" Miki ordered. And Silent Swordsman Lv. 7 raised the Kunai with Chain, flinging it with all his might even as Penumbral Soldier Lady braced herself…

…but suddenly Yugo exclaimed, "Not yet! I activate the trap card—Magical Hats!"

All at once, three hats appeared on Yugo's side of the field, one of them obscuring the Soldier Lady! Immediately Silent Swordsman Lv. 7 called back the Kunai with Chain, as Miki stared in bewilderment. "But—what—?"

"I could only activate this card during your Battle Phase," explained Yugo. "This card allows me to select two non-Monster cards from my deck and one monster on my side of the field. Then, after I shuffle my deck, I shuffle the three chosen cards together and, ahem, set all of them facedown on the field in Defense Mode. The two non-Monster cards will then be treated as having ATK and DEF of 0…and if they're not attacked, then they're destroyed at the end of the Battle Phase."

Swiftly he reached for his deck, pulled out two random cards, then shuffled his deck. Then, picking up the Penumbral Soldier Lady's card, he shuffled all three of them together, setting them all facedown in Defense Mode underneath the Magical Hats. "Now, only one of my hats conceals my Penumbral Soldier Lady," and he indicated the Magical Hats on the field. "The question is…which one is it?"

Ms. Wong scanned the field with a keen eye. "Hmmm…seems Miki's going to have a pretty difficult time picking the hats she intends to attack now," she remarked.

"She'll have to choose wisely, if at all," Mr. Von Schroeder put in. "If she attacks with her Disc Fighter and she happens to buck up on the Soldier Lady, that monster will have a DEF higher than her monster's ATK…then sure, Silent Swordsman Lv. 7 will be able to attack, but that'll be both life points lost and two good attacks wasted. And then, on the other hand, if she attacks with both monsters and they both miss the Soldier Lady…"

"All right, Disc Fighter! Attack the middle hat!" Miki commanded.

Disc Fighter flung one of his discs at the targeted hat—but when the top was sliced off and the card revealed, to her disappointment it was one of the two cards chosen from Yugo's deck, the magic card Brain Control. "Well…one more choice…and it has to be the right one this time!" she said, determined. "Silent Swordsman, attack the hat on the left!"

Again Silent Swordsman Lv. 7 flung the Kunai with Chain, cleanly cutting the second hat in two—but under this hat was the magic card, Yami. "Shucks!" Miki grunted in disapproval. "Oh, well…at least now I know for sure where your Soldier Lady's hiding…and I'll be able to take her out next turn without fail."

"Don't feel too badly…at least your attempts were good," Yugo told her.

"Yeah…" Miki nodded. "Well, anyway, take your turn now."

Yugo drew again…and this time he raised his eyebrows. "Hmmm…Miki, sorry, but it's about time I got rid of that Silent Swordsman of yours!" he announced. "And I have just the cards I need to do it!"

Everyone watching the duel looked at Yugo as he said that. "Defeat Silent Swordsman? How?" Miki queried.

"Using this!" Yugo then played the card he'd just drawn. "I summon Breaker the Magical Warrior (ATK 1600, DEF 1000) in Attack Mode!"

A moment later his red-armored mage appeared, shield and sword at the ready. "As you'll probably remember, Breaker's effect when he's Normal Summoned gives him one Magic counter that increases his ATK by 300," said Yugo—and just like that, Breaker's ATK rose to 1900.

"Huh? But—that monster can't fight Silent Swordsman! Maybe the Disc Fighter, but definitely not the Silent Swordsman!" Natasha shook her head.

"Unless…" Janus looked at the field with a critical eye.

"And I assume you remember Breaker's other effect?" Yugo went on. "I can remove his Magic counter to destroy one Magic or Trap card on the field…and I target your Kunai with Chain!"

"WHAT?" Miki cried out.

But as his ATK returned to 1600, Breaker pointed his now-shining sword at the Kunai with Chain—and released a blast of energy that totally disintegrated the weapon from out of Silent Swordsman's hands! "So, one problem's been taken care of…" Yugo then pointed to his still-facedown monster. "And now, I'll Flip summon my Penumbral Soldier Lady to do battle again!"

A moment later Penumbral Soldier Lady reappeared, shield and sword at the ready. Then Yugo glanced at the field. "Oh, almost forgot…had one more Magic counter left on my Pitch-Black Power Stone trap card—so I'll place that last one on Breaker the Magical Warrior, to increase his ATK once again!"

As the card for the Pitch-Black Power Stone finally vanished from the field, Breaker's body shone in mystic light as the Magic counter raised his ATK to 1900 once again! "Now, time for me to fight back!" Yugo declared. "Breaker the Magical Warrior, cut down the Disc Fighter!"

"Eeeek!" Miki shrieked, realizing what was about to happen.

Breaker rushed forward, sword shining, and stabbed straight through the Disc Fighter, reducing Miki's life points to 2300. Then: "Penumbral Soldier Lady, attack and destroy Silent Swordsman Lv. 7!" And, as her effect raised her ATK by 1000 points to 3100 because Silent Swordsman was a Light monster, Penumbral Soldier Lady rushed up and cut him to pieces—reducing Miki's life points further to 2000 flat!

But just as Silent Swordsman Lv. 7's frame disappeared from the field, all at once a yellow glow of light flashed around Miki's side of the field! "Whoa!" Yugo exclaimed.

"Oh…almost forgot…" Miki appeared a little sheepish. "My Yellow Luster Shield magic card was still on the field…now that Silent Swordsman Lv. 7 is gone, its effect is no longer negated."

Seta, witnessing all of this, chuckled. "Well…guess this duel's gonna continue on a while longer, after all," he mused. "Now, then, Yugo…let me see more of your skill!"

Now the duel's stats had changed: Miki now had 2000 life points, while Yugo had 2900. Yugo had one card in his hand; Miki had two. On the field Miki only had her Yellow Luster Shield magic card active; Yugo had his Penumbral Soldier Lady and Breaker the Magical Warrior in Attack Mode, the latter's ATK increased to 1900 thanks to his Magic counter.

Again Miki drew, giving her three cards in hand…and her eyes momentarily widened. Then she looked up at Yugo, a big smile on her face. "Yugo! It seems I'm still going to win this duel, after all!" she cried.

"Oh?" Yugo cocked an eyebrow at her.

"Let me show you what I mean!" Miki held up one of the cards in her hand. "First, I summon Obnoxious Celtic Guard (ATK 1400, DEF 1200) in Attack Mode!"

In a moment her advanced elf swordsman emerged on the field, weapon at the ready. Then Miki held up another card. "And now…I activate the magic card, Tribute Doll! By offering one monster on my side of the field as a tribute, I can Special Summon from my hand one Level 7 monster…and now I'll offer my Obnoxious Celtic Guard to summon—Orgoth the Relentless (ATK 2500, DEF 2450), in Defense Mode!"

Obnoxious Celtic Guard suddenly vanished in a flash of light—then, a second later, towering over the entire field was the Mighty Orgoth himself, his purple armor shining, his sword glistening, he himself ready for battle. Seeing this, Mr. Devlin managed to suppress a smirk. _Orgoth…the very card I gave Miki, so long ago…_

Orgoth was crouched in a defensive position, his DEF increased to 2750 through the effect of the Yellow Luster Shield. "Tribute Doll's effect says that when I Special Summon that Level 7 monster, it can't attack the same turn," Miki explained. "Even so, he's still more than a match for your two monsters. Next turn I'll get my chance…but for the moment, I'll end my turn."

Yugo fingered his brow. "Hmmm…pretty interesting…so now you've managed to use all three of your most precious cards in one duel," he remarked.

"Only this time, you won't topple Orgoth the Relentless the same way you managed to destroy my Disc Fighter and Kunai with Chain!" Miki vowed.

"We'll see." Yugo then drew. "Okay, so I may not be able to destroy Orgoth in battle…but at the very least, I can take down your primary source of defense right now…Breaker the Magical Warrior, use your effect and destroy that Yellow Luster Shield!"

Again Breaker's body shone with mystic light as he pointed his sword at the Yellow Luster Shield—then he fired a blast that totally decimated the yellow energy surrounding Orgoth the Relentless, taking the giant's DEF right back down to its original 2450! "Awww…I forgot Breaker had that counter on him from your Pitch-Black Power Stone," grumbled Miki. "Even so, Orgoth's still strong enough to repel both of your monsters' attacks…and furthermore, he's an Earth monster, so your Penumbral Soldier Lady's effect won't work on him."

"True," Yugo acknowledged. "So, what to do…oh, well. I'll just shift both of my monsters into Defense Mode, and end my turn with that."

"All right…so now Yugo's the one on the defensive, now that Orgoth is on the field," Kaiba remarked. "Miki has a real opportunity to trample him."

"Seems that way," Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki answered.

Miki drew another card. "Okay—I summon my Little-Winguard (ATK 1400, DEF 1800) in Attack Mode!" Then, a moment later her little blue-armored knight appeared on the field in style, his cape billowing behind him as he readied his sword and shield. "Then I'll shift my Orgoth the Relentless into Attack Mode, and…Little-Winguard, destroy Breaker the Magical Warrior!"

Little-Winguard flew forward, slicing the defending Breaker in two with his sword. "And now, Orgoth the Relentless, it's your turn!" Miki called out—and Orgoth slammed his sword into the ground, creating a devastating shockwave that tore through the defending Penumbral Soldier Lady!

"Wow…Miki's definitely doing great!" Mr. Taylor remarked. "Sorry I can't say the same for Yugo…"

"We'll just have to wait and see, Tristan," Mr. Muto answered, a smirk on his lips.

"Now I'll end my turn for the moment," said Miki, "and to be on the safe side, I'll activate Little-Winguard's effect and change his battle position." And as she said this, her little warrior knelt down in Defense Mode. "Okay…your move now, Yugo."

The life point score stood at Miki with 2000 flat, and Yugo having 2900. Miki had no more cards in her hand; Yugo had two. On the field Miki had Orgoth the Relentless in Attack Mode and Little-Winguard in Defense Mode; Yugo had nothing whatsoever on his side.

Yugo now drew again. "Well…this is about all I can do…I'll set one card facedown, and end my turn."

"Hmph. Oh, well…" Miki shrugged and drew her card…

…and again her eyes widened as she saw what it was. Then, with a big grin, she looked at Yugo again. "Oh, Yu-goooooo," she said in singsong. "I've got in my hand a card that I'd acquired specifically for this tournament…and now, this is going to be the first time since Dueltropolis began that I'm using it! And this card is going to be what REALLY tramples you into the ground!"

"Is that right?" Yugo asked. "Show me, then."

"Be glad to!" Miki held up the card. "Now…I'll offer both Little-Winguard and Orgoth the Relentless to summon my truly greatest warrior of all—Gilford the Legend (ATK 2600, DEF 2000)!"

Shigeo started. "Gilford…the…?"

Suddenly, as Little-Winguard and Orgoth disappeared from the field, in their place stood an extremely muscular man with long red hair, clad in spiky armor complete with a cape and a mask. In one hand he held a ridiculously huge broadsword; on his back was a smaller, but still considerably large sword. "Now, Gilford the Legend has a very powerful effect, you see," said Miki calmly. "When he's Normal Summoned successfully, I can equip as many Equip Magic cards from my Graveyard as possible to Warrior-type monsters on my side of the field—and since he's the only Warrior-type monster I've got right now, every Equip Magic card in my Graveyard up to this point will be equipped to HIM!"

Almost as Miki finished speaking, two cards seemed to fly out of her Graveyard and settle back on the field—the Axe of Despair and United We Stand cards. A moment later Gilford the Legend found himself holding the Axe of Despair in his free hand as his ATK rose to 3600; then the United We Stand card further increases his stats to 4400 ATK and 2800 DEF! "Oh, dear…now Miki's got more than enough power to wipe Yugo out of the game for good!" Ricardo exclaimed.

"Yeah…Yugo's a goner now," Natasha added.

Shigeo, meanwhile, was staring at Gilford the Legend in awe. _Wow…a monster like that, with such power…truly, Miki, you've come a long way and developed a lot as a duelist! Now I'm really glad I was able to meet you and face off against you…as much as I'm relieved I never had to face THIS behemoth…_

Miki was breathing hard. "Wow…I can't believe it…I'm actually about to win!" she exulted. "All right, Gilford the Legend—attack directly and end this duel!"

Raising his weapons, Gilford rushed toward Yugo—but suddenly the other duelist called out, "And I activate my trap card, Negate Attack, to stop your monster and end your Battle Phase!"

Suddenly a massive red vortex appeared before Yugo…and Gilford's arm ended up disappearing into it! "So, now I'm safe," Yugo announced.

"Awwwww!" Miki groaned, even as Gilford the Legend dejectedly walked back to his proper place on the field. "Well, okay…I end my turn."

Yugo drew again…and as he looked at the card he'd drawn, a strange sad smile appeared on his face. "Miki…I'm truly sorry…but it looks as if this time, the duel isn't going to be yours," he said to her. "For now…I activate the magic card Monster Reborn, to revive my Dark Magician from the Graveyard!"

Dark Magician rose up from the ground, his staff and clothes shining with bright energy. "What? The Dark Magician?" But—he cannot stand up to Gilford the Legend!" Miki exclaimed.

"Maybe not head-on, but…with this card that I've had in my hand for a while now…" Yugo then held up one of the two cards left in his hand. "…he will."

Miki blinked.

Then Yugo played the card. "Now, I activate the magic of Thousand Knives! When Dark Magician is on my side of the field and I play this card…it allows me to destroy one monster on my opponent's side of the field!"

Miki's eyes went wide. "Oh, no!" she cried out.

But Dark Magician's hand glowed with power, even as numerous blades mysteriously appeared out of thin air…then at a command from him, all those blades flew forward, completely skewering Gilford the Legend into pieces! "No…Gilford…" Miki whispered, even as she watched her monster collapse and then disappear in a shower of sparks.

But now Yugo's hair overshadowed his eyes. "Miki…you've had your chance…and I've taken it from you…" he whispered. "I'm sorry, really."

For a moment Miki's hair overshadowed her eyes, too, and she didn't say anything. Then she looked up…fresh tears in her eyes and a small smile on her lips. "It's…it's okay," she whispered. "I'm just glad I was able to compete along with you and the others. I was able to prove my worth, and I'm happy for that. If I was gonna lose to anybody here…I'm glad it was to you."

Kyo and Jenna looked on sympathetically. "Miki…" Jenna said quietly.

Mr. Wheeler lowered his gaze. _Just like that time back at Duelist Kingdom…when Yugi and I had to face each other with everything on the line…_

"My baby…" Mrs. Taylor looked ready to cry, and Mr. Taylor put his arm around her.

And Mr. Devlin looked on with eyes narrowed. _I agree with you, Miki. You've definitely proven yourself._

"Come now, Yugo. Don't hold back. End it." Miki's tone was firm.

Yugo nodded. "Yeah…Now, Dark Magician, attack directly!" And Dark Magician did just that—holding up his palm, he shot mystic energy straight at Miki, who flinched as it hit her and reduced her life point count to 0.

"The duel is now over!" Pegasus called out from his perch. "Winner: Yugo Muto!"

At length the Dark Magician's hologram disappeared, and Yugo and Miki's platforms lowered themselves. Watching them, Pegasus smiled a little. _It's always painful to fight the ones you love…even in friendly competition…isn't it?_

Miki stepped off her platform first; immediately her parents ran to her. "Miki! Oh, Miki!" Mrs. Taylor cried, embracing her tightly.

"Mom…Dad…" Miki whispered.

Mr. Taylor fondly rubbed his daughter's head. "You did great, Miki. That was probably the best duel I've seen in this entire tournament up to now. We're really, really proud of you."

Mr. Devlin walked over to them. "Hey, Miki," he greeted her, putting his hand on her shoulder. "That was really amazing, how you were able to use the cards we all gave you in this duel. Your dad's right—you did play an impressive game there."

Still trapped in her mother's embrace, Miki smiled a little. "You guys…"

Yugo, meanwhile, was flanked by Kyo and Jenna. "Yugo…are you okay?" Jenna asked worriedly.

Yugo, looking a little tired, nodded. "Yeah, I'm good."

"Hey, man…no hard feelings about your win," Kyo said to him, patting him on the shoulder. "One of you was going to have to win sometime in the duel—it just happened to be you this time around."

"Yeah." Yugo nodded.

"Hey, Yugo!"

Yugo turned to see Miki walking up to him. "That duel just now…it was really good for me," Miki said to him. "I'd really like it if we could duel again sometime. Only next time, I'll definitely beat you."

Now Yugo really smiled. "Hey, sure. You know where I live—just come challenge me anytime. I'll definitely accept."

"All right—time for the next duel!" Pegasus announced. "The third duel in the Dueltropolis quarter-final round—Kyo Bakura versus Zander Zabel! Duelists, to the platform at once!"

Having been standing by himself, Zander now stretched. "All right…looks like it's finally my turn to fight," he chuckled as he went down to the dueling arena.

But Pegasus watched Zander with a highly suspicious eye. _This boy…he's up to no good! I just know it!_

And Seta's face darkened in a scowl as he glared at Zander. _Kyo…I don't know if you can beat this bastard…but for everybody's sake, you have to! You just have to!_

----------

**_neomage:_** NICE! Now the duel's finally over…and I must say, it was a close one! My only major concern is that they haven't put Orgoth the Relentless into an actual card form for the real-life Yu-Gi-Oh trading card game…NO FAIR!

(sighs) Oh well, stay tuned for the next duel, folks!


	276. Chapter 276

Yu-Gi-Oh! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: This chapter heralds the beginning of a serious battle…and once again, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**CHAPTER 276**

THE INDUSTRIAL ILLUSIONS LINER, EN ROUTE TO TOKYO DOME

Everyone's eyes were on Zander as he came toward the platform arena. "Hey, Yugi…that guy is…" Mr. Bakura whispered.

"Yeah—it must be that last remaining Zodiac we were told about," Mr. Muto answered. "If he's Kyo's opponent for this duel, then Kyo's going to have to play it extremely safe."

Jillian, standing a little off to one side, overheard the discourse. Immediately her eyebrow rose. _Zodiac…?_

David, meanwhile, scowled as he glared at Zander. "Man, I've got a good mind to go over there and knock his teeth out!" he snarled.

"No, David—you will do no such thing," Miriam admonished him. "Though I do feel that Kyo should at least be alerted to what he's about to go up against…"

Malachi's arms, as usual, were folded as he observed the scene. "No…we have no right to spoil that guy's strategy to the angel-user, even if it will be for his benefit," he said calmly. "If the angel-user is duelist enough, he'll already have been prepared for a difficult confrontation."

A little distance away, Flora looked on worriedly, remembering Zander's earlier duel with Marcus. _I've got a real bad feeling…_

In the meantime, Zander was now up close to Yugo's group. "So, Kyo, I trust you're ready to begin?" he asked pleasantly.

"You took the question straight out of my mouth," Kyo chuckled.

"Sorry, Zander, but Kyo's going to beat you," Miki declared.

"Oh, I'm not offended," Zander assured her. "In fact, it's just a matter of chance that'll decide whether he or I will win this duel. But the only way to know for sure is to actually get up on these platforms and begin."

"Well said," said Yugo. "So, go on, you two—let's see some action now!"

Nodding, Kyo turned and headed for one of the arena's dueling platforms; Zander went straight for the other one. Moments later, their platforms were rising above the spectators' heads. "All right—now we can get a chance to see the kind of strategy that old boy Zander's been using up to now!" Jenna said gleefully.

Yugo gave her a disapproving eye. "Aw, come on, don't tell me you've still got a schoolgirl crush on that guy…"

"What's the matter—jealous?" Jenna teased him.

"Ugh…whatever," Yugo grumbled, looking away.

Kyo and Zander presently reached into their respective pockets and pulled out their decks, setting them on their dueling grids. "So, now, let's give this duel our best shot," said Zander.

"But if we do that, where will the energy be for the semifinal and final duels?" Kyo smirked.

"Ah—true, true," Zander nodded. "So, all right, then—let's give this duel our worst shot, then, and save our finest for later."

But then he chuckled a little. _Ignorant little brat…if only you knew that against me, not even your best shot would matter!_

The holographic coin appeared and was flipped. "I will call it! Tails!" Kyo cried.

Then the coin came back down…and its result was indeed tails. "Hmm…so you get to go first, then," Zander noted.

"Actually…" Kyo smiled. "Right now I'm feeling a little charitable, so how about you go first instead?"

"Are you sure you want me to do that?" Zander inquired, cocking an eyebrow.

"Oh, why not? I believe I can take on anything you throw at me!" Kyo answered.

Seta, watching from his place on the liner's platform, frowned. _Big mistake, Kyo…big, big mistake!_

Kyo and Zander both drew their opening five cards—then Zander drew his sixth. "Well, it seems I have a good hand to start off," he commented. "Now—first, I'll summon Thunder Nyan Nyan (ATK 1900, DEF 800) in Attack Mode!"

Suddenly, from the sky above, a bolt of lightning shot down onto the dueling field—and within the light of that bolt was a young girl in leopard-skin clothing, seated at a drum set. "Then," continued Zander, "I'll set one card facedown, and end my turn for now. So…will you now show me what you are capable of?"

"Be glad to!" Kyo promptly drew his card. "Now…I'll set one monster in Defense Mode, and—"

"And I'll counter that action by activating my trap card—Raigeki Break!" Zander interrupted. "By discarding one card from my hand, I can destroy one card on the field—and I choose your facedown monster!"

Suddenly a massive lightning bolt shot down from the sky and completely obliterated Kyo's facedown monster! "Argh…" Kyo grunted in dismay. "All right. I'll just set two cards facedown, then, and end my turn."

"Whoa…that Zander character is sure up to a good start, I dare say," Wade marveled.

Marcus's jaw was set, however, as he watched the duel unfold. _Kyo, you better watch yourself—this guy isn't as nice as he's making you think!_

Zander took his turn again and drew – and then held up the drawn card. "All right—now I can activate the effect of a certain card in my Graveyard, the card I discarded a while ago for my Raigeki Break trap card!"

"What?" Kyo asked.

"Heh…allow me to explain," said Zander. "When I activated my Raigeki Break, I discarded to the Graveyard my monster card, Destiny Hero – Dasher (ATK 2100, DEF 1000). Now, only once while that card is in my Graveyard, if I draw a Monster card during my Draw Phase I can show it to you and then Special Summon it. And…here's the card I drew just now!" And then he held it up for Kyo to see.

"Hmmm…Thunder Dragon (ATK 1600, DEF 1500)…" Kyo murmured.

"That's right! Now, be Special Summoned, my beast!" And as Zander played the card, another flash of lightning brought the Thunder Dragon onto his field, hissing menacingly at Kyo.

Watching the duel, Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki frowned deeply. _Destiny Hero…_

Then Zander examined the three cards left in his hand. "All right, now it's my Main Phase…so I'll Normal summon another monster—The Creator Incarnate (ATK 1600, DEF 1500) in Attack Mode!"

Just then, in a flash of light there emerged next to Thunder Nyan Nyan and Thunder Dragon, a warrior clad in gold armor with a cape and a sword. "And that's not all I aim to do," said Zander. "For now I can use the Creator Incarnate's effect—by tributing him, I can Special Summon another monster from my hand…and this one is The Creator (ATK 2300, DEF 3000), in Attack Mode!"

Suddenly, the Creator Incarnate exploded in a burst of white light that completely covered Zander's side of the field! The light was so bright, everyone had to turn away lest they be blinded! "Ack! This is intense!" Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki exclaimed in a panic.

Then, at length the light's intensity finally died down, just enough for Kyo to look up…and his jaw dropped. "Holy…"

For there now, overshadowing both Thunder Nyan Nyan and Thunder Dragon, was a red-skinned being with lightning coursing all over his body, and his bodily frame was engulfed in light! "Say hello to the Creator," Zander said smugly. "And now, he and my other monsters have enough attacking power to blast away over half your life points—made all the easier since you haven't got a thing to protect you!"

"Oh, no! Kyo, look out!" Miki cried.

"And I'll start the charge with Thunder Dragon! Attack him directly with Thunder Howl!" Zander yelled.

Thunder Dragon reared its head back as its mouth became filled with pure electricity. But all at once Kyo exclaimed, "I think not! I activate my own trap card, Wall of Revealing Light!"

Suddenly, to Zander's amazement, a huge wall of light encircled Kyo's entire side of the field, even as his life points dropped to 5000! "Hah, hah, hah," Kyo laughed triumphantly. "By paying any multiple of 1000 life points when this card is activated, I can prevent any of your monsters with ATK equal to or less than the life points I paid from attacking me. And I've just paid 3000 points…so now, only monsters that have over 3000 ATK will be able to get through this."

Zander applauded slowly. "Very impressive, what you've just done," he remarked. "Now, I know for certain that my worst shot isn't going to suffice. It looks as if I'll have to show you my full power after all."

"That's what I was hoping you'd say!" laughed Kyo.

But Seta, hearing this, frowned. _His full power…he can't…!_

The score now stood at Zander with an intact 8000 life points, and Kyo with 5000. Kyo held three cards in his hand; Zander had one. On the field Zander had the Creator, Thunder Dragon and Thunder Nyan Nyan in Attack Mode; Kyo had his Wall of Revealing Light trap card and one other card facedown.

Kyo took his turn and drew once again. "Hmm…well, who would've expected that I'd get a card like this so soon?" he marveled. "All right—I summon Warrior of Zera (ATK 1600, DEF 1600) in Attack Mode!"

Seconds later his green-armored warrior emerged on the field, sword at the ready. Then Kyo held up another card. "Next, I'll activate the magic of this card – the Sanctuary in the Sky!"

Then suddenly, illuminating the night sky above their heads, the Sanctuary appeared on the field in all its glorious brilliance. Zander regarded it with a smile on his face. "Hmph."

"And now…now that the Sanctuary in the Sky is present on the field, I can offer Warrior of Zera as a tribute to Special Summon his ultimate form!" Kyo held up one of the two cards remaining in his hand. "Come forth, my mighty Archlord Zerato (ATK 2800, DEF 2300)!"

Warrior of Zera floated up toward the Sanctuary's doors, and as he entered the doors closed with a mighty BANG. And then—a huge wave of light shone all across the field! "Wow…such pretty lights…" Natasha said in awe.

"Just what is Kyo doing, exactly?" Janus asked.

Yugo laughed. "Oh, you'll soon see…"

Then presently, even as the Sanctuary in the Sky's light continue to shine brighter and brighter, from its heavenly presence there emerged Archlord Zerato, wielding his great sword of light in hand. "And now, for the Archlord's effect," finished Kyo. "If the Sanctuary in the Sky is on my side of the field, then by discarding one Light monster from my hand I can have my Archlord destroy every monster on your side of the field!"

"Whoa…this is troublesome…" Zander sighed.

Archlord Zerato flapped his angelic wings and soared high into the sky, even as his sword shone brightly. Then, with one single swing of his arm, he slashed his sword in the direction of Zander's monsters—and a massive blade of light shot down and consumed all of them in one fell swoop! The resulting explosion had Zander crossing his arms in front of his face, to block out the amount of light shining from that effect!

"All right, Archlord Zerato—attack directly!" Kyo commanded. And again Archlord Zerato flashed his sword, creating a second blade of light that slammed straight into Zander and reduced his life point count to 5200!

"Yay! Go, Kyo! You can do it!" Miki cheered.

"Wicked comeback, dude!" Yugo called out.

Recovering from Archlord Zerato's attack, Zander smiled. "Heh…well done, Kyo," he congratulated him. "Now, our life points are close to even, and you've cleared my end of the field of all monsters. It would seem you're taking your best shot, as well."

"Hey—after seeing you summon so many monsters in such short order, I've decided not to toy around with you anymore," replied Kyo. "Now, from here on out, this duel's not going to be easy for you!"

"Nor for you, my friend," Zander returned.

Then Zander drew once again from his deck…and this time he smiled a sly smile. "All right, now…I'll set one card facedown, and end my turn with that for the present. Now…want to take your best shot at me again?"

"Don't mind if I do!" Kyo drew once again. "Now—I summon Kelbek (ATK 1500, DEF 1800) in Attack Mode!"

In a moment his robotic-looking fairy appeared next to Archlord Zerato. "All right…now it's time for my faeries to fight again! Now, Kelbek, attack directly!" commanded Kyo.

Kelbek readied itself to fly forward and attack…but then Zander countered, "And I will activate my trap card—my own Wall of Revealing Light!"

"WHAT!" Kyo exclaimed in disbelief.

But just at that moment a wall of light similar to Kyo's shot all around Zander's side of the field, even as Zander's life points went down to 2200! "Hmph…you know what the Wall of Revealing Light does already, so I won't have to explain it to you," said Zander. "All you need to know is that I've paid 3000 life points to activate mine."

"Okaaaaaaaaay…so the duel's at a stalemate?" Honey wondered.

"Looks like it," said Raven. "The only way to win now is if one of them summons a monster that has over 3000 ATK…question is, which of these two will get such a monster onto the field first?"

Kyo shook his head as he surveyed Zander's Wall of Revealing Light. "All right…there's nothing more I can do right now. I end my turn."

Seta, still observing the duel, gripped the rail of the platform in annoyance. _This is just how Zander works…he likes to toy around with people…just like he's doing now! Kyo, for God's sake, don't fall into his trap any further than you have!_

Zander took his turn and drew another card. "Now, then…I activate the magic card Graceful Charity, to draw three cards and then discard two from my hand!"

The familiar green-robed angel appeared to him and granted him three cards; he swiftly selected two and sent them to the Graveyard. Then, looking at the two remaining cards in his hand, he began to laugh…a slow, deep laugh that started low in his throat. "Hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm…heh, heh, heh, heh…hah, hah, hah, hah!"

"Huh?" Kyo raised his eyebrows at this development. "Hey, what's so funny?"

"Oh…" Zander stopped laughing, but he still had quite a grin on his face. "I'm sorry…it's just that…right now, the beginning of the end is here—for you!"

"The beginning of the end…?" Kyo frowned.

"Let me show you just what I mean!" said Zander, and he held up one of his cards. "Now…I summon Destiny Hero – Doom Lord (ATK 600, DEF 800) in Attack Mode!"

Luke flinched. _That's the same monster he used on me…!_

In a moment the white-masked, maroon-caped Destiny Hero appeared on the field, flexing his knife-like fingers. Then Zander held up the last remaining card he was holding. "And next, I'll activate the magic card, Ground Collapse! This allows me to select two unoccupied Monster card zones on the field, and as long as this card remains on the field, neither of us can use those selected zones—and I go for two of those on your side of the field!"

All at once, on either side of Archlord Zerato and Kelbek, the ground seemed to split apart as two gaping holes emerged in Kyo's Monster card zone! "Damn!" Kyo exclaimed.

"And furthermore, to prevent any further trouble from your Archlord Zerato, I'll now activate Doom Lord's effect!" continued Zander. "Once per turn, if he's in Attack Mode on my side of the field, he can remove one of your monsters from play—and of course, I'm choosing your Archlord!"

Kyo took it in at a glance. "No! You can't!" he cried.

But it was already too late, as Doom Lord was throwing numerous knives at Archlord Zerato! The Archlord tried to deflect the assault, but a moment later he was skewered in pieces! "Aw, crap…my Archlord Zerato's shish-kebab!"

"Don't take it too hard—your monster won't be gone forever," Zander told him. "During my second Standby Phase after using Doom Lord's effect, your monster will return to the field—although I doubt that he'll be able to help you in any way by then. Now…I'll end my turn…but what will _you_ do?"

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_**neomage:**_ The duel between Kyo and Zander's already begun, and already there's a stalemate…sort of. The duel continues next chapter!

UPDATED 30/09/2007: Changed Zolga to Kelbek in this and the next chapter, in order to allow the scores to keep making sense.

UPDATED 27/11/2007: Apparently my changing Zolga to Kelbek in this and the next chapter wasn't quite complete, so it's done now. The scores should now make more sense from here on out. Man, I hate continuity issues…


	277. Chapter 277

Yu-Gi-Oh! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: The angels fight against the Destiny Heroes some more! And, as usual, neomage doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh!)

**CHAPTER 277**

THE INDUSTRIAL ILLUSIONS LINER, EN ROUTE TO TOKYO DOME

Kyo now had 5000 life points, while Zander was holding on with 2200. On the field Kyo had his Kelbek in Attack Mode, his active Sanctuary in the Sky field magic card and Wall of Revealing Light trap card, and one other card facedown; Zander had Destiny Hero – Doom Lord in Attack Mode, plus his own Wall of Revealing Light trap card and Ground Collapse magic card were active as well. In addition to that, Kyo's Archlord Zerato was momentarily moved out of play due to Doom Lord's effect. Neither player had any cards in hand.

Noting all of these stats, Seta bit his lower lip in frustration. _Just wonderful…Kyo's most powerful monster's been removed from play, and now there's no telling what Zander will do next…_

Meanwhile, Yugo, Jenna and the others were watching the duel in awe. "Whoa…Zander's life points are way lower than Kyo's, but he's giving Kyo quite a hard time nonetheless," Janus mused.

"Well, maybe Kyo can't attack Zander—but Zander can't attack him anymore, either," Yugo put in. "This has just come down to being a mere waiting game now."

It was now Kyo's turn to draw, and he did so. Looking at the card he held in his hand, he smirked. "All right—so I may not have Archlord Zerato on the field now, but I can bide my time for a little while. So, I'll just end my turn."

Again Zander drew his next card. "You certainly seem confident, I'll grant you that," he acknowledged. "But it's going to take a lot more than mere confidence to defeat me. Especially with the card I'm holding in my hand now…"

Then he slapped the drawn card down on his dueling grid. "I activate the field magic card – Clock Tower Prison!"

All at once, the Sanctuary in the Sky vanished in a sharp flash of light…and then, from out of the ground, a huge clock tower seemed to construct itself! "What the…!" Kyo exclaimed.

Zander smirked. "Now…it's begun."

Seta flinched on seeing the Clock Tower Prison. "Oh, shit…not THAT thing…!" he whispered.

"What on earth is THIS?" Ricardo wondered, staring at the huge clock tower. "I've never seen anything like it…!"

"Allow me to explain," said Zander. "As long as this card remains face-up on my side of the field, it will gain what is known as a Clock Counter during each of my opponent's Standby Phases. And, when this card has four or more of those counters on it, as its controller I will be unable to take any kind of battle damage…well, not that he can attack me anyway."

Kyo looked at the Clock Tower Prison, and frowned. _All right…now my Sanctuary in the Sky is no more, and it's been replaced by that thing…and if it gets four of those counters before I can destroy it or summon a monster strong enough to bypass his Wall of Revealing Light, it'll be extremely troublesome…_

With this thought on his mind, he took his turn and drew yet again – and immediately the bell inside the Clock Tower Prison began to toll. At once a small counter with a clock face on it appeared! "All right…that's the first one," Zander noted with a smile.

Frowning, Kyo looked at the card he'd just drawn—and scowled. _Damn it…I can't use these cards right now—not in my current state! And…_ Now he gave Destiny Hero – Doom Lord a disdainful look. _If only I had Archlord Zerato on the field right now, this could probably work—but he'll only reappear on the field during Zander's next turn, and I doubt Zander's gonna just let him be!_

"Okay, Zander…I'll end my turn right now. There's nothing I can do."

Smirking again, Zander drew once more—and immediately, in a flash of light, Archlord Zerato reappeared on Kyo's end of the field! "Ah, so your Archlord has returned to play now," he observed. "But, of course, that is NOT going to last very long! For once again I'll activate Destiny Hero – Doom Lord's effect and remove that Archlord from play!"

Again Doom Lord flung a barrage of knives at Zerato, and again the angelic monster was removed from play. "Ah, crap…okay, I don't appreciate you doing that to my Archlord twice in a row now," Kyo commented, his tone sounding a little sour.

"Oh, I'm so sorry if it offends you," Zander said apologetically. Then he chuckled. "Just show me in the rules where it says that I can't use Doom Lord's effect twice in the same duel, or on the same monster, and I'll refrain from using it again."

Kyo made a face, but said nothing. Seta gritted his teeth. "Sadistic pig…!" he glowered.

Zander then examined the card he'd drawn. "Well, well, isn't this interesting…I'll set one monster in Defense Mode, and end my turn with that for the time being."

Once again, Kyo drew a card—and, for the second time, the Clock Tower Prison's bell began to chime as a second Clock Counter appeared. Seeing this, Zander grinned a little. _So far, so good…now all I need are two more Clock Counters, and then I'm all set…_

"Okay, then!" Kyo's voice reached him. "For now, I'll just set one monster in Defense Mode, and end my turn with that."

Again Zander drew from his deck. Instantly, upon looking at the new card, his eyes widened. _Ah—I drew THIS? Oh, this is just too perfect! Now, all I need is to wait a little while longer, and then…then this fool won't know what hit him!_ Aloud he announced, "I end my turn."

"Okay, this is getting BORING!" Natasha complained from the sidelines.

"I'll admit, it is a bit tedious to not see any action for a couple of turns," Ricardo admitted. "But you have to keep in mind, the first one of them to make a foolish play due to impatience stands a greater chance of losing this duel. Right now neither one can attack the other, but that may change at any given moment…we just don't know when or how."

Once more Kyo drew—and once more the Clock Tower Prison's bell tolled as a third Clock Counter appeared. Kyo stared at the card he'd drawn for a long moment, then looked up. "All right, I end my turn now."

Shrugging, Zander drew yet again…and once again Archlord Zerato returned to play, back in his former spot on Kyo's side of the field, now looking _very_ peeved. "Hmmm…again it's my second Standby Phase after using Doom Lord's effect…and I must say, Kyo, from the look on your Archlord's face, it would seem he hasn't appreciated my use of Doom Lord's powers any more than you have," Zander remarked.

"Should he?" Kyo raised an eyebrow.

"If I was him, I wouldn't…" Zander's smile suddenly turned nasty. "But that doesn't mean I can't do it a third time! Do it, Doom Lord—use your effect again and remove Archlord Zerato from play once more!" And, for a third time Doom Lord flung knives at Archlord Zerato, forcing him out of play yet again.

"All right…now I'm starting to get more than a little annoyed…" Kyo said darkly.

Zander merely smiled. "Well…once again I will simply end my turn."

Managing to keep his emotions in check, Kyo drew again…and yet again the Clock Tower Prison's bell chimed, as a fourth Clock Counter appeared. Seeing this, his eyes narrowed. _Shit…from here on out, even if I do summon a high-ATK monster, I won't be able to inflict any battle damage on him! The only way out is if I can destroy that Clock Tower Prison…_

Then he glanced at the card he'd just drawn—and suddenly his eyes lit up. _And it looks like I just drew exactly what I need!_

"Hmmm?" Zander regarded Kyo curiously. "Have you just gotten something good?"

Kyo smiled a little. "Apparently, I have," he reported. "Now…first, I'll activate the magic card, Celestial Transformation! This will allow me to Special Summon one Fairy-type monster from my hand, but its ATK will halved and then it will be destroyed at the end of my turn! And I will summon…Mystical Shine Ball (ATK 500, DEF 500) in Defense Mode!"

A moment later his ball of mystic light appeared on the field, its ATK reduced to 250. "Hmmm, not too shabby…but remember, you can't use your Normal summon now because of my Ground Collapse magic card," Zander reminded his opponent.

"I haven't forgotten about that," Kyo assured him. "Which is why my next summon is going to be well worth it—and here it is…"

He held up one of the two cards left in his hand. "I'll offer all three of my monsters—Kelbek, Mystical Shine Ball, and my facedown monster—to summon a really powerful and useful creature to deal with your case…Moisture Creature (ATK 2800, DEF 2900)!"

"Hmmm?" Zander cocked an eyebrow.

All at once, Kyo's three monsters got caught up in balls of light…three different balls that swiftly merged as one…and then that light dissipated, revealing the watery spherical fairy! "Eeeeeewww…that thing looks icky!" Natasha grimaced.

Yugo's eyes flashed knowingly. "Oh, but just watch and see what it's gonna do…"

"Now, listen and listen well," Kyo addressed Zander. "Normally, my Moisture Creature can be Tribute summoned by offering two monsters as tributes, like any Level 8 or higher monster. But by offering three monsters to summon it, I've activated its effect—and that is to destroy every single Magic and Trap card on your side of the field!"

"Hey, wow!" Miriam cried from the sidelines. "That means that guy's defenses will…!"

Malachi smirked somewhat. "I told you the angel-user would be prepared."

But Seta's face was contorted in utter alarm. _No—by doing that, he's…!_

Moisture Creature seemed to sink down into the ground. Then suddenly, only moments later, the representational cards for the Clock Tower Prison, Wall of Revealing Light and Ground Collapse on Zander's side of the field appeared to sink into the ground; on the field itself, the two gaping holes in Kyo's Monster card zone magically disappeared, Zander's light barrier vanished, and the Clock Tower Prison and its four Clock Counters sank down into the ground as if its foundation was on murky ground! "And now, I'm able to attack you!" Kyo declared triumphantly.

But on Zander's face was a leer. "Heh."

Then at that moment—suddenly Zander's deck began to shine! "Wh-what? What on earth…?" Kyo exclaimed.

"That's one more effect of my Clock Tower Prison I haven't told you yet," said Zander smugly. "When the Clock Tower Prison is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, and it has four or more Clock Counters on it at the time of its destruction, it becomes possible for me to Special Summon from my hand or my deck a monster of great power…and this time around he's coming straight from my deck!"

Quickly he picked up his deck and thumbed through it. "Ah, here's the card I'm looking for," he spoke up at present. "Now, I Special Summon…Destiny Hero – Dreadmaster (ATK ? DEF ?)!"

As he played the card, there was a large burst of light on his side of the field—then split seconds later, hulking over everything else, there stood a massive muscled man with long hair tied back in a ponytail and broken chains on his hands and feet, clad in an iron mask and torn pants. His ATK and DEF, both originally registered as 0, swiftly rose to 600 each…right before he raised his fists and slammed them into the ground, creating a devastating shockwave that completely decimated the facedown monster on Zander's side of the field and shook everything else in close proximity!

"Ack!" Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki fell to her knees from the effect of the shockwave.

"Hey, you all right?" Kaiba asked, immediately leaning down to help her up.

"I'm fine, thanks," she answered. "But…for him to summon a monster like that…!"

"What the hell…" Kyo blinked at the sight of Destiny Hero – Dreadmaster.

"When my Dreadmaster was Special Summoned by the effect of my Clock Tower Prison," Zander spoke up, "his effect destroys all monsters on my side of the field except for those that have 'Destiny Hero' in their card names—then after that I can Special Summon up to two Destiny Hero monsters from my Graveyard. And right now, there's one such monster in my Graveyard…Destiny Hero – Dasher!"

A moment later Destiny Hero – Dasher appeared to pop out of the ground, revving around on its wheels. "And, my Dreadmaster increases his ATK and DEF by an amount equal to the combined total ATK of all other Destiny Heroes on my side of the field," added Zander. "So, Doom Lord's 600 ATK and Dasher's 2100 ATK will give Dreadmaster an ATK and DEF of…2700 each!" And then Dreadmaster's stats rose accordingly, as if to prove the point!

"Well, that's very impressive up to now…but you've got nothing to protect your weakest monsters from an attack from me!" Kyo declared. "And as it stands, I happen to have a bone to pick with that Doom Lord of yours! Go, Moisture Creature – attack and destroy that Doom Lord right away!"

Having reformed itself into its spherical shape, Moisture Creature now launched itself forward in a watery surf attack, straight toward the defenseless Doom Lord! "Whoo! That's gonna put a HUGE dent into the redhead's life points for sure!" Wade cheered.

"Get him good, Kyo!" Flora cried.

Moisture Creature was only a few inches away from making contact—but suddenly Doom Lord flailed one arm outward, knocking the water back with no effort! "HUH?" Kyo stared in shock.

"Surprised?" Zander asked. "That's the effect of one more of my Dreadmaster's abilities. During the turn he's Special Summoned, none of my Destiny Hero monsters on my side of the field can be destroyed, and any battle damage I receive from battle involving them becomes 0. Just look and see for yourself."

Kyo looked—and indeed, to his amazement, Dreadmaster seemed to be oozing a sort of white spirit energy that was completely shielding Doom Lord and Dasher, as well. "Aw, crud—and I was so close, too!"

Zander chuckled again. "Kyo Bakura…as much as it's going to hurt you to be given this revelation…" Then his eyes narrowed. "You never stood a chance against my power to begin with. In fact, the very moment you were slated to be my opponent…you had already lost."

"Huh?" Yugo's group looked at Zander in surprise.

Kyo looked skeptical. "That's kind of an arrogant statement to be making, don't you believe so?" he asked.

Zander scoffed. "Arrogant? Well, arrogant, maybe, but true nonetheless!" he answered. "And very, very shortly, you'll see why it is true!"

So saying, he drew another card, giving him three in his hand. "And now, Kyo…it's time I showed you just what kind of power you were _**REALLY**_ up against from the get-go!" he declared.

Pegasus frowned as he watched the scene. "I don't like this…"

And Seta's eyes were narrowed and his teeth tightly clenched. _This is bad!_

Zander held up one of his three cards. "Now! First I activate the magic card Raigeki—which destroys every monster on my opponent's side of the field, and which in this case will completely annihilate your Moisture Creature!" And as he played the card—a barrage of lightning bolts shot down all over Kyo's side of the field, electrocuting Moisture Creature into nothing but smoke!

"Argh! Damn it…!" Kyo grunted, flinching as he watched his monster's destruction.

Then Zander held up another card. "And now, let's see…you offered three monsters as tributes on your last turn to summon your Moisture Creature, correct? Well…now I'm going to offer all three of MY monsters as tributes to Special Summon something far worse…something that's going to herald the end of you!"

With great force, he played the card on the dueling grid. "I offer Destiny Hero – Doom Lord, Destiny Hero – Dreadmaster, and Destiny Hero – Dasher to Special Summon my mighty warrior…Destiny Hero – Dogma (ATK 3400, DEF 2400)!"

All three monsters vanished from Zander's side of the field…then suddenly a mysterious green mist emanated from the open air. And…from that mist, there slowly emerged a strange being tightly wrapped in what appeared to be bat's wings. Then, ever so slowly, those wings opened up, revealing a being with horns on its head and a massive blade spouting from its wrist!

Kyo's eyes were wide as he stared in horrid fascination at the creature before him. "Oh…holy heaven…" he managed to whisper.

"What…what on earth IS that thing…?" Yugo's group stared at the field in astonishment.

Malachi frowned as he looked on at the developing scene. _So…this is…_

And Seta, looking in disgust at the new monster, sucked in air between his teeth. "Damn it…damn it all…"

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_**neomage:**_ Well, now…Zander's managed to summon the most powerful Destiny Hero yet! How will this duel conclude? Well…read the next chapter and see!

UPDATED 27/11/2007: See the previous chapter's update notice for the explanation.


	278. Chapter 278

Yu-Gi-Oh! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: **Bell tolls in background) **Yu-Gi-Oh isn't my property.)

**CHAPTER 278**

THE INDUSTRIAL ILLUSIONS LINER, EN ROUTE TO TOKYO DOME

As the duel continued, the stats were shown: Kyo was currently in the lead with 5000 life points, while Zander had 2200. Each player currently held one card in hand. On the field Kyo had his Wall of Revealing Light trap card still active and he also still had one facedown card, but his Archlord Zerato was still removed from play due to the earlier effect of Zander's Destiny Hero – Doom Lord. By contrast, Zander had his just-summoned Destiny Hero – Dogma in Attack Mode on his side of the field.

"Oh, no…this looks bad for Kyo…!" Mrs. Bakura said fretfully.

Mr. Bakura looked grimly at the playing field. "Come on, son…"

"So, how do you like my Destiny Hero – Dogma?" Zander addressed Kyo. "On your previous turn, you destroyed _my_ Wall of Revealing Light—but in retribution I've brought forth a monster strong enough to completely bypass _yours!_ And furthermore, you haven't got a single monster to defend you, so…my Dogma's in a good position to attack directly once I give the order!"

"Not if I can help it!" Kyo suddenly smirked. "For now I'll activate my trap card—Fairy Box!"

Suddenly, the card that had been facedown in Kyo's magic/trap slot for so long finally flipped face-up, revealing the Fairy Box with its numerous holes. The box seemed to encompass Kyo, protecting him. "And what's this, now?" Zander asked.

"A little insurance," Kyo said matter-of-factly. "Each time one of my opponent's monsters attacks, my Fairy Box allows me to toss a coin and call it…and if I call it right, the monster's ATK is reduced completely to zero."

"Oh, is that a fact?" said Zander. "Then I guess I'll have to take care of that, won't I? Now…" He held up the one card that was left in his hand. "I'll equip my Destiny Hero – Dogma with this magic card – Cyclone Blade!"

All at once, there appeared on one of Dogma's wrists a large weapon with three blades set in a circular fashion. "And now…let's see how much luck your Fairy Box will grant you!" Zander shouted. "Destiny Hero – Dogma, attack directly!"

Dogma flapped his gigantic wings and dashed forward at top speed, the Cyclone Blade's blades spinning madly. But Kyo snapped back, "And now I'll activate Fairy Box's power, and flip a coin! And I call tails!"

Immediately a coin appeared and was flipped. "All right! Kyo still has a chance! If that coin toss succeeds, that monster's ATK will be zero!" Miki exulted.

"Yeah, and that'll mean Kyo will still be in the lead!" Yugo added with a grin.

But Seta was leaning over the platform rail, his teeth gritted harder than before. _No…whether the Fairy Box's coin toss is successful or not, against a monster like Destiny Hero – Dogma it won't matter…_

Then the coin came back down to the ground—but its result was heads! Kyo's eyes widened in shock. "Oh, holy—" seconds before Dogma's Cyclone Blade slashed into the Wall of Revealing Light's force-field, the shockwave knocking him off-balance and reducing his life points sharply to 1600!

"Oh, no! Kyo!" Mrs. Bakura cried out.

"Hang in there, buddy!" Yugo exclaimed.

"Oh, and I should probably mention…" Zander smirked. "When a monster that's equipped with the Cyclone Blade attacks, at the end of that Damage Step I can destroy one Magic or Trap card on the field—and to avoid any trouble with your Fairy Box later, I'm going to destroy it with this effect!" And then Dogma sliced downward with the Cyclone Blade, completely cutting the Fairy Box in half!

"Uh-oh…that Fairy Box was Kyo's biggest hope!" Shigeo exclaimed.

"Aw, man…now what's Kyo gonna do?" complained Wade.

"Now…I believe I'll end my turn," said Zander. "Go ahead, try defending yourself against my Dogma…if you can."

"I can, and I will! Your monster's not gonna bring me down like that!" Kyo then drew his card—

—but suddenly, to his complete and utter astonishment, Destiny Hero – Dogma was rushing toward him again! "Hey, hey, hey! What's the big deal?" he called out.

Zander folded his arms and grinned. "THIS is."

Seta leaned forward over the rail, in a maddened panic. "Zander! Stop it now!" he shouted.

But Dogma then struck forward with his bladed fist—and to Kyo's shock, he seemed to melt right through the Wall of Revealing Light barrier! Before Kyo could react, Dogma stabbed him in the stomach!

"KYO!" Miki shrieked.

"Zander, you bastard!" Seta yelled, furious.

Kyo's hair overshadowed his eyes, even as he held on to the spot where Dogma had stabbed him. He coughed. "…shit…hurts like a bitch…"

"That, right there, is Destiny Hero – Dogma's effect," Zander said coolly. "When he has been Special Summoned, during my opponent's following Standby Phase he halves my opponent's life points." And then, at that moment, Kyo's life points shrank down to 800!

"Oy! Things aren't looking so good for Kyo!" David exclaimed.

"Oh, you just now noticed?" Luke asked sarcastically.

Wincing, Kyo looked at the card he'd drawn. "Only one chance I've got left…I'll activate the magic card, Pot of Greed, to draw two cards from my deck!"

Quickly he drew his two cards, so now he held three in his hand—and now he really smirked. "And now, I'll Special Summon my monster, Watapon (ATK 200, DEF 300) in Defense Mode!"

The smug look on Zander's face instantly disappeared. "What!"

Then, exactly one second later, the pink ball of fluff appeared on Kyo's side of the field. "If Watapon is drawn from my deck by a card effect," he explained, "it then gets Special Summoned to my side of the field. And now…I'll activate the magic card, Swords of Revealing Light!"

The three trademark swords of light shot down from the sky, embedding themselves all around Kyo's side of the field. "Now, for your next three turns, you can't attack me," Kyo announced triumphantly. "Your Destiny Hero – Dogma may have enough strength to bypass my Wall of Revealing Light, but even he cannot penetrate the Swords of Revealing Light!"

"Whew…safe…" Yugo slumped forward slightly in relief.

Mr. Devlin, watching the Swords of Revealing Light, smirked. "At the very least, those Swords should keep Kyo safe just long enough for him to come back with a good strategy."

Zander chuckled. "Persistent, aren't you?" he commented. "But which one do you think suffers more—the fighter who submits to a quick and painless surrender, or the fighter who stubbornly goes on, sustaining innumerable injuries to body and pride in the process?"

Kyo frowned at the question. "I don't see how that applies to me."

"Then allow me to open your eyes!" Zander then drew his next card…

…and then all of a sudden Kyo's side of the field was bathed in light as, seemingly miraculously, his removed-from-play Archlord Zerato returned to the field! "Whoo! Look who's back!" Janus cheered.

"And he doesn't seem very happy to have been gone, from the looks of things," Natasha put in.

Zander laughed a little, even as the newly-returned Archlord Zerato glared daggers at him. "I'd almost forgotten about your little angel…he was supposed to return on my second Standby Phase after Doom Lord's effect was used against him, yes? And this, I think, marks the third time now that he's returning to the field after such a circumstance."

"Well, somehow I doubt _he's_ forgotten, or forgiven you for it," answered Kyo. "But now, he's back—and he's back to serve his master once again!"

Zander's eyes narrowed and his chuckled ominously. "At least, that WAS his intention…"

"What?" Kyo barked.

Hearing this, Seta paled. _Oh, goddammit…don't tell me…_

"It's true, I can't attack you at all now since you have your Swords of Revealing Light on the field," acknowledged Zander. "Even so, your Archlord Zerato's impressive power will be the very thing that will spell your defeat here and now!"

"Yeah, right! You're just trying to frighten me, that's all—and it isn't working!" Kyo said defiantly.

"Oh, am I, now?" Zander returned. "Then perhaps visible proof will convince you! Now…" He played the card he'd just drawn. "I activate the power of this magic card—Misfortune!"

Suddenly, as the holographic representation of the card appeared on the field, from its surface emerged a mysterious man in a tuxedo, top hat, and black billowing cape. Jillian, watching all of this, frowned. "This doesn't look good…"

"What on earth…?" Kyo blinked at the sight.

"Let me explain what this card does," said Zander, with a triumphant glint in his eye. "In order to activate Misfortune, I have to select one of your face-up monsters. Then, in exchange for none of my monsters being able to attack this turn, I can inflict damage to my opponent's life points equal to half of that selected monster's original ATK. And, little fellow, guess which monster I've chosen?"

Kyo suddenly turned white. "You didn't…!"

"I DID!" Zander roared, laughing loudly. "I have chosen your very own Archlord Zerato—and now, his power will be used against you, his own master, and there's nothing either of you will be able to do about it!"

The tuxedoed Misfortune representative raised its hands toward Archlord Zerato—and suddenly the bewildered angel watched as his light power was sucked from him and gathered straight into the magic card itself! As the Misfortune magic card absorbed the power, it began to glow brightly! "Aw, crap! This isn't good!" Mr. Taylor exclaimed.

Seta clenched his fist. He jumped onto the platform rail and then jumped down to the deck, startling everyone there. "Zander, no!" he screamed at the redhead. "Don't you dare do this!"

Zander laughed. "You should sit back and watch the show quietly, Seta Kaiba—it promises to be especially entertaining right now, since one of your friends is the star attraction!"

"Leave them out of this!" Seta exploded. "Your battle is with ME!"

"Oh, don't worry so much—you'll get your turn in due time," said Zander. "First things first, though, I need to resolve the effect of my Misfortune magic card, right about—NOW!"

As Zander shouted the last word, the Misfortune magic card blasted a wave of white light straight at Kyo! "OOOOOH, CRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP!" Kyo yelled out, moments before the blast slammed into him and sent him flying off his dueling platform!

"Oh…my…God…" Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki whispered as she watched Kyo go airborne—and right over the side of the ship!

"Aw, hell, no! Man overboard!" Raven shouted.

Rushing to the side of the ship, Yugo and the others were just in time to see Kyo hitting the surface of the water. "Damn it all!" Yugo cursed, flinging his jacket off and jumping over the rail.

"Yugo, don't!" Jenna cried—but too late, for Yugo had already dived off into the ocean. "Somebody help!"

"Damn it!" Pegasus snarled. "Raven, get a lifeboat down there now!"

"Honey's way ahead of you, Pop!" Raven indicated Honey, who was already rushing toward the lifeboat area.

Seta, having joined the rest of the group at the side of the ship, turned around just in time to see Zander calmly exiting his dueling platform as if nothing was happening. Immediately a venomous look came over his face. "ZANDER!" he stormed.

Zander merely fixed his collar as he walked off. "If you've got time and energy to be angry at me, shouldn't you be saving your friend?" he quipped.

Seta trembled with rage as he glared at the departing Zander—then he snapped to action. "Yo, where are those lifeboats at?" he shouted, dashing off in the direction Honey had taken.

----------

Meanwhile, in the dark blue depths of the ocean…

Holding his breath as best he could, Yugo swam around, frantically looking for Kyo. _C'mon, man, where are you?_ he wondered desperately.

Keeping himself afloat in the water, he glanced around—then spied a familiar form a slight distance away. _There you are! Hang on!_

Swimming swiftly, Yugo momentarily caught up to Kyo's unconscious and sinking form. He managed to grab the front of Kyo's jacket and pull the other boy to him—then suddenly felt an urgent need to breathe. Holding Kyo securely like a priceless treasure, he kicked his feet and paddled upward with his free arm.

It seemed like years before Yugo and Kyo finally broke the ocean's surface. Immediately Yugo let out a very audible gasp as he fought to regain his depleted oxygen. "Hang in there, man…hang in there…" he whispered.

"Yugo! Over here!"

Looking to his left, Yugo saw an inflatable lifeboat, with Honey and Seta aboard, coming towards him. "Get in!" Honey commanded.

Yugo swam over to the lifeboat with Kyo in tow, and Seta reached out to pull them both in. "Take Kyo—he's not conscious!" Yugo gasped.

Seta obliged, pulling Kyo into the lifeboat even as Honey helped Yugo in as well. Getting Kyo onto his back in the bottom of the craft, Honey proceeded to administer artificial respiration. "Whew…had no idea you could do first aid, Honey," Yugo remarked.

"Hey, nothing to it," Honey said in between breaths. Then she leaned down to do the respiration again—and fairly jumped back when Kyo suddenly spurted water from his mouth! "Well, looky here, folks, he's back with us!"

Kyo coughed hard as he fought to regain his breath. Yugo immediately slapped his chum on the back. "Easy does it, man, easy does it," he said. "How do you feel, Kyo?"

Kyo shivered. "Cold…and like a drowned rat."

Despite the gravity of what had just happened, Yugo and Honey couldn't help but laugh. "For a moment there, Kyo, you almost did become one," Honey told him.

"Ahoy there!" a familiar voice called to them. Looking up, they saw Raven and Dr. Crowler at the side of the ship, the latter wielding a rope-ladder. "You folks care to join us back on this ship now?" Raven asked.

"Gladly!" Yugo called back.

Dr. Crowler promptly flung the rope-ladder down to the group. Watching the ladder descend, Seta turned to Kyo. "Feel strong enough to climb?"

Kyo nodded gravely. "Yeah, I feel strong enough to climb," he answered, his voice becoming stronger. "As a matter of fact, I feel strong enough to climb _and_ kick some ass! What the hell was Zander doing, trying to kill me or something?"

"We can debate that once we're back on the safety of the ship," Honey said firmly. "Seta, can you deflate this lifeboat once we're on the ladder and then come after us?"

"Sure thing," Seta nodded.

"Well, ladies first, then!" Honey immediately grabbed the swaying rope-ladder and began to climb. Yugo helped Kyo onto the ladder, then waited until both Honey and Kyo were a good way up before beginning to climb himself.

Seta, holding on to the ladder's bottom rung with one hand, managed to release the lifeboat's air with the other; then moments later he was carefully carrying the deflated craft as he climbed up after the others. But, climbing upward, a grim look emerged on his face as he recounted what had just happened and what had almost transpired because of it.

_Zander…I expected you'd try something this underhanded, but to do it so brazenly in front of me…and with such wanton disregard for anyone else's safety…for this, I will not forgive you! Before you endanger another one of my friends, I swear I'll take you down!_

----------

**_neomage:_** Hmph…so Kyo almost went swimming with the fishes, and has lost his duel against Zander…well, how will this recent turn of events impact on the other competitors and on the rest of this dueling competition?

Now, everybody, during this week and next week I've got… (suspenseful theme) EXAMS! NOOOOO! That means I won't be able to do any updating until after next week! Again, NOOOOO! And it seems now that I won't be able to meet the end-of-year deadline for the end of this story that I'd originally hoped for…once more, NOOOOO!

Well, anyway, I'll see you all in due time! Keep reading and reviewing until then—and watch out for the next set of chapter updates!


	279. Chapter 279

Yu-Gi-Oh! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER:Like a phoenix from the ashes, I rise…only to say I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!)

**CHAPTER 279**

THE INDUSTRIAL ILLUSIONS LINER, EN ROUTE TO TOKYO DOME

Moments later, the four were back on the safety of the ship, Seta pulling up the rope-ladder after himself. "Kyo! Oh, Kyo!" Mrs. Bakura cried, running to where her son now sat, clutching him in a tight embrace in spite of his drenched self.

A worried Miki came over and knelt down beside Kyo, taking his hand in hers. "Kyo, are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah…I'm fine…sort of," he answered. "Okay, Mom, I think you can let go now. I'm okay, really."

Mr. Bakura was right in front of Kyo by this time; he knelt down to be on face-level with his son. "Kyo…" He reached forward and placed his hand on Kyo's damp head. "We nearly lost you just now…can you really blame us for acting this way?"

"I guess not," Kyo admitted.

Grandma and Mr. Muto, meanwhile, were right behind the Bakuras, heading toward the still-dripping-wet Yugo. "Young man, that was a very rash thing you did just now," Mr. Muto said sternly, but with a glimmer in his eyes.

Yugo shivered from the cold. "Yeah…looking back at it now, it does seem pretty stupid of me." Then he looked up. "But what else could I have done?"

"Never mind, dear…what you did was a very noble thing to do," and Grandma placed her hands on his shoulders. "Just promise me you'll think before you undertake such a stunt again. I'm not young anymore, you know; you gave my old heart quite a fright."

"Sorry, Grandma," Yugo apologized.

"Excuse me, folks…" Honey spoke up. "Yugo may have rescued Kyo from drowning, but they'll both catch their deaths of cold if they stay in their wet clothes much longer. Let me take them into the cabins inside, and get them a change of clothing, at least." She looked up at Pegasus, still perched on the upper platform. "Father…?"

"Yes, Honey, you do that," Pegasus acknowledged.

Mrs. Bakura finally released Kyo from her embrace, and Kyo stood up. "Okay, lead the way, Honey," he announced.

Honey nodded, and she began to walk back in the direction of the dueling platform arena, Yugo and Kyo right behind her. As they approached the arena, they came upon the other characters, all looking at them somewhat anxiously. "Are you children all right?" Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki wanted to know.

"Yeah, we're fine now." Yugo inhaled deeply. "Just need to get out of these wet clothes, and then everything will be just dandy."

"Well…I'm just so relieved you guys are back in one piece, at least," said Jenna quietly, approaching Yugo.

"Sorry we made you worry," Yugo smiled a little at her.

Kyo looked around. "Say…that Zander…where'd he go…?"

"He headed for the cabins right after he knocked you off the boat," Seta spoke up sourly.

"And if he's really smart, that's where he'll stay." Kaiba, still standing by Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki, had a grim look in his eyes. "As a matter of fact, I'm of a mind to drag him out of that cabin where he's probably comfortably perched himself, and pitch him right overboard right now. As a Committee member, I will not stand by and watch him pull another stunt like that which he just did."

"Sir Kaiba, about Zander…" Jillian stepped forward, a frown on her face.

"What now about him?" Kaiba asked.

Jillian's jaw was set as she turned to look in Mr. Muto's direction. "Right before the duel began, I heard you talking about him," she told him. "You called him a Zodiac…what's that mean?"

Immediately Yugo, Kyo, Jenna and Miki turned to stare at her. "WHAT?" they exclaimed with one voice.

"Oh, dear…" Ms. Wong flinched.

Mr. Devlin immediately stepped forward. "All right…I guess everyone present here deserves an explanation of what is going on," he said. "But before any of that…can we please ensure that Kyo and Yugo don't catch cold?"

"Ah—yes, I forgot!" Honey flushed with embarrassment. "C'mon, you two, let's hurry up and get you changed!"

Yugo nodded. "All right, all right…" Then he looked over at his father. "But I want an explanation once I come back!"

"Yeah, me, too," said Kyo.

Honey presently walked away, the two boys trailing after her. Raven, meanwhile, looked at the Committee members. "Okay, will somebody please explain to me what exactly is going on here? What's up with this 'Zodiac' thing you guys are talking about?"

"Yes, please, do tell…I'd like to hear it myself," Malachi spoke up.

Pegasus raised a hand in authority. "All in good time, all in good time," he told them. "But I also want those who are momentarily absent to hear the story, so I would prefer to wait until we are ALL in a position to listen to it."

"Oh, great—so what, we wait until those other guys come back?" Marcus asked.

"I believe that is what the gentleman is saying, yes," said Mr. Von Schroeder. "And it IS only fair—the other three who have just left have as much right to hear the tale as you do. They can't be deprived, especially since, perhaps, they more than anybody else may have questions that need answering."

"Then what're the rest of us supposed to do in the interim?" Blaze demanded.

Pegasus sighed. "For the moment…the tournament must continue."

There was a surprised murmur throughout the gathering. "Hey, Pegasus, is that really appropriate right now—considering what just happened?" Mrs. Wheeler exclaimed.

"Yes, Mr. Pegasus—you surprise me, as well," Dr. Crowler added his voice.

"I know it may seem an inopportune time to have the next duel, but even so…no Duel Monsters tournament is going to wait on anyone, and Dueltropolis is hardly an exception," Pegasus answered. "Right now we're working with a set schedule—by mid-morning tomorrow we should at least be finished with the semi-finals before we reach Tokyo Dome. And, besides, the two boys are confirmed to be all right and none the worse for their experience—thank God for that—so I doubt there's any need to worry much right at this point in time…"

"Well, I say we leave that decision to the World Champion—the next duel is _his_ duel, after all," Mr. Truesdale pointed out.

At once all eyes turned to Seta. He looked at them, one face at a time…then he sighed. "Well, unfortunately it's as Pegasus says—the show must go on," he acknowledged. "But I'll only go through with this if my slated opponent for this match is comfortable with it."

"All right." Pegasus then set his sights on Jenna. "What do _you_ say, Jenna-girl?"

Now everybody turned to look at her. "Cuz…?" Miki asked.

Jenna's hair partially overshadowed her eye. Then she looked up, directly at Pegasus. "If my friends were in danger, and I knew they were in danger, I wouldn't be able to concentrate on anything else, much less a duel," she admitted. "But I've just seen with my own eyes that they're both all right, so I can rest easy on that point. And yes, I'm curious to hear about this connection between Zander and this whole Zodiac thing that Jillian just brought up…but I can put off that curiosity for the time being, at least until Yugo, Kyo and Honey get a chance to hear it too."

"Then you're going to duel, after all? Are you sure?" Ms. Wong asked her.

"Yes, I'm sure." Jenna then turned to Seta. "You really willing to do this?"

"If you're okay with it, then I'm okay with it," Seta nodded.

"Then it's decided!" Pegasus announced. "The fourth and final match of Dueltropolis's quarter-final round—Jenna Wheeler versus our reigning champion, Seta Kaiba—will commence immediately! Duelists, to your platforms at once!"

Instantly everyone else split off into groups, allowing Jenna and Seta space to walk toward the platform arena. Kaiba now found himself standing next to Mr. Muto. "Did you have to discuss the whole Zodiac thing so that Jillian would be able to overhear you?" he asked in a low, very disapproving tone.

"What surprises me is that you guys didn't tell the kids about that Zander person being a Zodiac," returned Mr. Muto, in an equally disapproving voice. "It sounded to me as if they'd met him previous to all of this…"

"Look, you two, can we at least knock off any and all discussions about Zodiacs and all that crap till _after_ this duel is done?" Mr. Wheeler asked them both.

Kaiba shrugged. "Yeah, well…I can go with that suggestion for the time being…especially considering that my son is about to go up against your daughter…"

"Yeah." Mr. Wheeler's tone was flat, even as his full attention was now on the two duelists stepping onto their respective platforms.

Not far away, Mr. Devlin, Mr. Von Schroeder and Ms. Wong had formed a new group by themselves. "Oh, boy…this is going to be a little problematic…" Mr. Devlin remarked quietly.

"Huh? Why do you say such a thing?" Ms. Wong asked.

Mr. Devlin chuckled. "It actually stems back from our younger days," he explained. "Back then, Joey and Kaiba couldn't stand each other. You couldn't get them to touch each other with a two-foot pole, much less be civil to each other. Kaiba was always calling Joey some rude nickname of the sort, while Joey was always getting pissed at the mere mention of Kaiba's name…I'm just surprised they both managed to live this long without killing each other."

"So, what facilitated them ending their, er, feud?" Mr. Von Schroeder asked.

"Actually…they still don't think very highly of each other, even now," Mr. Devlin admitted. "But the way I understand it from Joey, they keep their disdain for each other on the down-low for the sake of their kids."

Mr. Von Schroeder rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "And considering that Jenna Wheeler is one of Seta's friends…it's easy to understand why you say that," he remarked.

In the meantime, the duelists' two platforms were rising up even as Jenna and Seta were readying their respective decks. "So, Jenna…you really sure about this?" Seta asked her again.

"Don't worry about me, Seta; I'm cool," Jenna replied.

Seta now chuckled. "In that case—don't expect me to show you any leniency."

"I didn't expect you to," replied Jenna.

At once the holographic coin appeared on the field. "Since you're technically the challenger, I'll allow you to call it," Seta offered.

"Thank you," said Jenna. "I'll call heads!"

Then the coin was flipped…and flew high in the air. Then, after a moment, it came back down to earth…and when it landed, its face showed heads! "Very well…you'll go first, then," Seta nodded.

"So, may the better duelist win, then," said Jenna.

On the sidelines, Kaiba smirked a little. _Don't worry, kid…Seta will._

And from his perch, Pegasus smiled broadly as he watched the two duelists draw their first five cards. _Now, this should be an interesting match-up…the girl who utilizes the power of the Red-Eyes Black Dragon, against the boy who calls upon the strength of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon…back in ancient times, those two dragons were known as the two most powerful dragons of all, but—will their power be called upon in this duel? And, if so, which will prove triumphant?_

Jenna drew her card to begin. "Well…here I go!" she announced aloud. "I summon Rocket Warrior (ATK 1500, DEF 1300) in Attack Mode!" And as she played her card, her rocket-figured monster emerged, shield and sword at the ready. "Then I'll set two cards facedown, and end my turn."

"Sounds like a decent start-off," Seta remarked as he drew his card. "But I'm afraid that against what I've got here, it's not going to be worth a lot."

"Hmmm?" Jenna cocked an eyebrow.

Then Seta held up four of the six cards in his hand. "Jenna, allow me to show you a slightly altered version of a technique my Uncle Marik taught me while we were in Egypt—the Dragon Fusion Combo!"

Raven blinked. "Okay, just how many of these 'techniques' did he learn?" he wondered.

Then, unexpectedly, Seta flipped the four chosen cards around so Jenna could see them—they were Blue-Eyes White Dragon (ATK 3000, DEF 2500), Versago the Destroyer (ATK 1100, DEF 900), The Light – Hex-Sealed Fusion (ATK 1000, DEF 1600), and the magic card Polymerization. "See these two cards here, Versago the Destroyer and the Light – Hex-Sealed Fusion?" he asked. "They both share the same effect—they can both be substituted as Fusion-material monsters when I'm performing a Fusion summon, as long as the other monsters in that fusion are the correct ones. So, by fusing these two monsters with my Blue-Eyes White Dragon, can you figure out what's gonna happen?"

"Damn…you'll be able to call forth…" Jenna winced.

Seta promptly held up the Polymerization card. "Now, I'll activate my Polymerization card, to fuse these three monsters together to call forth—Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon (ATK 4500, DEF 3800)!"

Silhouetted forms of Versago the Destroyer, the Light – Hex-Sealed Fusion, and the Blue-Eyes White Dragon emerged on the field. Immediately all three were sucked into the Polymerization vortex—then seconds later, what emerged was the mighty three-headed dragon, roaring in battle-incited fury.

"Awesome—he managed to summon that thing in his very first turn!" Luke exclaimed.

"Of course…he _is _Seta Kaiba, after all," Malachi quipped.

"Well, I'm not about to let my Rocket Warrior become bait for your dragon!" Jenna said suddenly. "I activate my trap card, Shadow Spell, to bind your monster in place!"

Before Seta could react, numerous chains burst out of the ground and wrapped around the hapless Ultimate Dragon, its ATK sharply dropping to 3800 in the process! "What!" Seta barked.

"Shadow Spell traps any monster caught in its chains, preventing it from attacking or changing its battle position," Jenna said, somewhat smugly, "and that monster's ATK is reduced by 700 points as long as it remains trapped."

"Then how about I UN-trap my dragon?" Seta challenged, and he held up one of the two cards left in his hand. "I'll activate the magic card De-Fusion, to return my Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon to the Fusion deck!"

Jenna's eyes flew open wide. "No!" she exclaimed.

But right there before her vision, the Ultimate Dragon vanished from the field altogether—and the now-limp Shadow Spell chains fell apart even as their representing card disappeared from the field. "And that's not all," Seta continued. "If the monsters I used to Special Summon my Fusion monster are all in the Graveyard, De-Fusion allows me to Special Summon all of them to the field!"

A moment later, Versago the Destroyer, the Light – Hex-Sealed Fusion, and the Blue-Eyes White Dragon all reappeared on the field, all in Attack Mode. Kaiba shook with suppressed laughter as he saw all this. _Seems Marik taught you some useful tricks for real, Seta…_

"Now, I'll lead the charge with my Blue-Eyes White Dragon! Destroy the Rocket Warrior with White Lightning Attack!" Seta ordered. And, charging up lightning energy in its mouth, the Blue-Eyes blasted it all at the tense Rocket Warrior—

—before Jenna called out, "And I'll counter with my other trap card, Mirror Force, to turn that attack back upon your own monsters!"

Seta's confident look was dashed instantaneously. "CRAP!" he cried out.

But as the White Lightning Attack rushed toward the Rocket Warrior, the Mirror Force trap card was swiftly activated, creating a protective barrier all around Jenna's side of the field. That barrier immediately blocked the blast, and in fact reversed its trajectory right at Seta's three defenseless monsters—destroying them all in one explosive flash!

"All right, Jenna! Go for it, girl!" Mr. Wheeler cheered.

"Nice play, sweetheart!" Mrs. Wheeler added her voice.

"So, looks as if those three monsters weren't meant to be anywhere but the Graveyard," Jenna giggled. "Sorry, Seta."

Seta stood there, dumbfounded at the destruction of his monsters. Then slowly his lips curved upwards in a grin. "Heh, heh…seems I gave you a little less credit than you were due," he remarked. "For that, I apologize."

"Hey, no biggie," Jenna answered. "Just as long as we're both doing our best, I won't have any regrets in this duel, one way or the other. And I'm going to come at you with every trick I know, every ounce of strength I have…and I definitely will not back down, come what may."

"That's what I like to hear," said Seta. "Well, I can't exactly leave my life points wide open to you. So, I'll take advantage of my Normal summon, and set one monster facedown in Defense Mode. And I'll end my turn."

"Okay, then," said Jenna. "Just know that from here on out, this duel's only going to get harder! I've come all this way in the tournament…and I'll definitely take down any opposition that stands in my way!"

"Come on!" Seta challenged.

----------

**_neomage:_** Only a short while left till Christmas…then I'll have to go home for a while, and leave my computer and fan-fiction writing alone till January… (grumbles)


	280. Chapter 280

Yu-Gi-Oh! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER:Christmas is now officially only a few days away…even so, I still don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**CHAPTER 280**

THE INDUSTRIAL ILLUSIONS LINER, EN ROUTE TO TOKYO DOME

The score of Seta and Jenna's duel now stood like this: Both players had an untouched 8000 life points. Seta had no cards in his hand, but he did have one monster facedown in Defense Mode on the field. By contrast, Jenna had three cards in her hand, and on the field she had Rocket Warrior in Attack Mode.

"Hmmm, not bad…that kid's actually doing a decent job against Seta," Mr. Truesdale chuckled.

"That she is." Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki, standing next to him, nodded in agreement. "She was actually able to stop Seta's two-pronged assault—imagine that!"

Janus, Ricardo and Natasha were standing behind the two adults. "Hey, Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki, do you think Jenna will be able to defeat Seta?" Ricardo asked her.

"It's hard to say, at least right now," she admitted. "After all, just because Seta is World Champion doesn't exactly mean he's infallible. It's all up to their respective skill levels and a little luck now."

It was now Jenna's turn, and she drew a card from her deck. "I sacrifice my Rocket Warrior to summon my mighty Summoned Skull!" she announced, playing the card—and then, as Rocket Warrior vanished from the field, in its place emerged her horned skeletal fiend, growling at Seta. "Crush his facedown monster!"

Summoned Skull crackled with electrical energy, shooting it at the facedown monster and decimating it on the spot. But Seta just smiled. "That monster was my Troop Dragon (ATK 700, DEF 800)—and when it's destroyed and sent to the Graveyard as a result of battle, I can Special Summon another Troop Dragon from my deck to the field!"

A moment later a second Troop Dragon emerged on the field, crouched in Defense Mode; Seta merely shuffled his deck as part of Troop Dragon's effect. "So, anything else?" he questioned.

"Hmmm…" Jenna scanned her remaining three cards in her hand carefully. "Nah, not right now. I end my turn."

Nodding, Seta drew his next card. "All right then—now I'll offer my Troop Dragon as a tribute to summon the mighty Luminous Soldier (ATK 2100, DEF 1400)!" Then suddenly Troop Dragon got engulfed in a flash of bright light—and then, standing there was Seta's mighty warrior of light, his battle armor sparkling from the overhead starlight.

"Hmmm? But…Summoned Skull's a stronger monster, isn't it? Won't it crush Seta's monster?" Natasha wondered.

"Unless…" Janus frowned.

"I'm really glad I got to draw this particular monster," Seta told Jenna. "Because when Luminous Soldier does battle with a Dark monster, his ATK increases by 500 points for that damage calculation—and Summoned Skull just so happens to be a Dark monster! Now, go, Luminous Soldier…bring down Summoned Skull with your Light Flash Blade!"

As his effect increased his ATK to 2600, Luminous Soldier dashed forward, his sword hoisted over one shoulder as he readied himself to strike. Summoned Skull crossed his arms in front of him and folded his wings in an attempt to block…and ended up being cut cleanly in half by Luminous Soldier's attack, bringing Jenna's life points down slightly to 7900! "Aw, nuts!" Jenna groaned.

"Now, since I haven't got anything else to play, I'll end my turn." Seta grinned a little. "My question to you is, can you possibly find a way to topple me NOW?"

"Hey, be careful what you ask for—you just might get it!" Jenna answered as she drew once again. "As a matter of fact, maybe it's a little late for that piece of advice now…"

Seta cocked an eyebrow on hearing this.

Jenna then held up the card she'd just drawn. "I activate the magic card, Back to Square One! By discarding one card from my hand, I can return one monster on the field to the top of its owner's deck – and, of course, right about now there's only one monster on the field…"

_"Shit!"_ Seta cursed under his breath.

Instantaneously, Luminous Soldier exploded in a shower of sparks—and the card itself seemed to fly right off Seta's dueling grid and back into his hand! Grudgingly, he replaced it on top of his deck. "You're going to pay for this!" he vowed.

"Assuming, of course, that you can survive my upcoming onslaught…for now I summon Armed Dragon Lv. 3 (ATK 1200, DEF 900) in Attack Mode!" Jenna then called forth her little dragon to the field. "Attack directly!"

Armed Dragon Lv. 3 blasted a ball of fire toward Seta's side of the field, burning him and dropping his life point total to 6800. "OW!" Seta cried out.

"And now…I'll end my turn for a little while," said Jenna, feeling quite pleased with herself.

Making a face, Seta drew—and the card he drew was, of course, his Luminous Soldier. "Ah…I'll end my turn."

Again Jenna drew—and then all of a sudden, her Armed Dragon Lv. 3 started to shine with bright energy! "Heh…he's evolving," she remarked. "During my Standby Phase, I can send him to the Graveyard to Special Summon his advanced form from my hand or my deck…and this time around it'll come from my deck! Now, my creature…evolve into Armed Dragon Lv. 5 (ATK 2400, DEF 1700)!"

At length the energy died down…and indeed, Armed Dragon was now much bigger and had more armor on him. "Whew! Look at that!" Shigeo exclaimed. "With that much attack power, and with her opponent's life points so wide open…"

"Yes, Jenna's definitely got herself a very clear shot here," Flora chuckled.

Jenna, meanwhile, was carefully considering what she was holding in her hand. "Hmmm…interesting…"

"What is?" Seta asked suspiciously.

Then Jenna chuckled a little. "It's funny…I didn't think I'd get to use this card in the tournament, but…turns out, I just may be able to, after all!"

"And what card is that, I wonder?" Seta queried.

"I'll show you!" Jenna then held up one of her two cards. "Now, I activate the magic card—Level Up!"

"Huh? Level Up?" Janus looked surprised. "I don't think I've ever heard of that card—what does it do?"

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki smiled. "You'll see."

Jenna played the card – and all at once, Armed Dragon Lv. 5 began to shine! "Okay, now what?" Seta wondered.

"Let me explain what my Level Up card does," said Jenna. "By sending one face-up monster on my side of the field that has 'Lv' in its card name to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon one monster from my hand or my deck that is written in the text of that sent monster, while at the same time ignoring the summoning conditions of that monster that is to be Special Summoned. And Armed Dragon Lv. 5 has in its card text one special monster, a monster that's coming from my deck this time…Armed Dragon Lv. 7 (ATK 2800, DEF 1000)!"

Immediately, Armed Dragon's spikes on its armor seemed to grow out a couple further inches, and its overall structure seemed to get much bigger than usual. And then…the light subsided, and there it was: Armed Dragon Lv. 7, ready to do battle!

"Incredible!" Miki's eyes were wide as she witnessed this metamorphosis. "I didn't know you could bypass a monster's summoning conditions in that way!"

"Yes," Mr. Muto told her. "Normally, Armed Dragon Lv. 7's summoning conditions state that it can only be Special Summoned during the End Phase of a turn that Armed Dragon Lv. 5 destroyed a monster as a result of battle, by sending that monster to the Graveyard once it has met that specific requirement. But the Level Up card allowed Jenna to ignore that specific summoning condition and upgrade her dragon to what you see there on the field now. It's the same kind of card that could work with your Silent Swordsman series, I believe."

Seta narrowed his eyes at the growling Armed Dragon Lv. 7. "Okay…so you've gotten your dragon to full strength," he remarked. "Congratulations."

"Thank you, but actually…" Jenna's eyes flashed. "My Armed Dragon's evolution is still not quite complete."

"Huh?" Mr. Taylor looked up at his niece in surprise. "What does she mean by that?"

"Can it be…that there's an even stronger Armed Dragon than what she's got on the field right now…?" Mrs. Wheeler wondered.

Jenna then held up the very last card left in her hand. "Now…I offer my Armed Dragon Lv. 7 to Special Summon his truly ultimate form to the field—Armed Dragon Lv. 10 (ATK 3000, DEF 2000)!"

Glowing once again with immense energy, Armed Dragon amazingly raised itself perfectly erect onto its hind legs, even as lots more armor grew onto its hulking body and its tail developed some very sharp bone spikes along its entire length! Horns grew out of all sides of its head, and its sharp fangs became even more pronounced than previously!

"And now," said Jenna calmly, "the evolution is complete."

Everyone looked at the massive beast in awe. "Look at that thing…that's, like, ultra-scary, man!" David whispered.

"Grow some balls, why don't you?" Luke needled him.

"Still, that IS a rather impressive display that the Wheeler girl's showing us all," Malachi pointed out. "And right now, Seta Kaiba is in serious trouble…"

"Now, my Armed Dragon!" Jenna called to the dragon. "Attack directly! Dragon Cannon Blast!"

Armed Dragon Lv. 10's mouth emitted thick black smoke, even as it braced its footing and reared its head back. Seeing this, Seta gritted his teeth. "This is bad…!"

And then all of a sudden—the dragon blasted a massive burst of flame right toward Seta! It enveloped everything on his side of the field, singeing him badly and sharply reducing his life points to 3800! "Yeah! Direct hit!" Jenna celebrated.

"Way to go, Jenna!" Mr. Wheeler cheered his daughter. "Now _that's _what I call spectacular dueling skills!"

Kaiba scoffed. "Get over yourself, Wheeler."

"You say something, Kaiba?" Mr. Wheeler glared at Kaiba out of the corner of his eyes, the jovial tone in his voice gone instantly.

Kaiba crossed his arms. "Look—I'll freely admit that Jenna's gotten herself a good advantage up to now," he addressed the other man. "Hell, if you want, I'll even acknowledge that she's made plenty of progress since she participated in my Kaibacorp Challenge Cup. But don't you dare, for one second, try to write off Seta just because your daughter's gotten a couple of shots at his life points so far."

"You're just a sore loser—always have been, always will be," Mr. Wheeler grunted.

"And you'll always be a third-rate mutt," Kaiba replied.

"Oh, so you're still using that word with me?" Mr. Wheeler asked testily, walking up close to Kaiba.

"Be glad I've got restraint and some respect for your family, pooch, or else you'll be swimming with the fishes—literally," Kaiba said dangerously, clenching and relaxing his fists in rapid succession.

"Okay, that will be enough of _that!"_ Mrs. Wheeler forced herself in between the two men. "Joey, I swear, you still haven't matured out of this whole thing one bit, have you? And Kaiba, you ought to be ashamed of yourself!"

"Mai's right," Mrs. Taylor added her voice, in a very disapproving tone. "If you two want to fight, go fight somewhere else. Just don't use Jenna and Seta's duel right now as an excuse to settle any old grudge you might have with each other."

Mr. Wheeler sighed. "All right, all right. Fine. We'll settle this later."

Kaiba shrugged in a longsuffering manner. "Whatever makes you happy."

Meanwhile, Seta was recovering from the aftereffects of Armed Dragon Lv. 10's attack. "Woooooooo…that wasn't very nice…"

"Expect more of that pretty soon," Jenna told him. "Now, I end my turn."

Seta ran a hand through his hair, even as he breathed hard and deep. "All right…I admit, your Armed Dragon sure has a whole load of power now. But you'd better believe this: not even he is going to keep me from defeating you and moving on in the remainder of the tournament."

Jenna laughed. "Well, Seta, if you've got a way to beat me, then you'd better get the cards you need for it double-quick…because things aren't looking up for you right now."

Seta nodded solemnly. "Oh, believe me, I will."

Then he glanced down at his deck. _Okay…I need a card that can at least buy me a little time until I can find a way to destroy her Armed Dragon Lv. 10. But if she manages to summon another monster in her next turn and I haven't gotten anything substantial, then I'll be so screwed! So…here goes!_

Then he reached for his deck and drew from it…and…

"All right…I'll set one card facedown, and end my turn."

"Oh, that's it?" Jenna queried as she drew another card to replenish her hand. "Then it looks to me as if this duel will really become mine! Now, I summon Blackland Fire Dragon (ATK 1500, DEF 800) in Attack Mode!"

A moment later her new dragon emerged beside the Armed Dragon. Seeing this, Mr. Wheeler became excited again. "Oh, yeah! In your face, Kaiba! Jenna's gonna win for real!"

Kaiba looked at Mrs. Wheeler. "Does your mutt-husband have a bad memory or something?" he asked cryptically. "He seems to have forgotten what he himself said only moments ago."

"Either that, or he had too much sugar during dinner at Pegasus's castle," and Mrs. Wheeler ran a hand over her face in embarrassment. "I'm just relieved Jenna doesn't take after him all THAT much."

Kaiba rolled his eyes. "Sometimes I wonder what you could've possibly seen in him to marry him," he remarked with a small sneer. "Or were you smoking something too strong the day he proposed?"

Mrs. Wheeler closed her eyes; the embarrassed blush that had been on her cheeks disappeared. "To Joey's credit, though, he's always been a good husband to me and a loving father to our daughter," she said quietly. "It's true he's way too hyperactive for his age, but if nothing else, he's got at least one redeeming quality—he places first priority on his family and friends." She looked at Kaiba. "As much as I know you'll never admit it, and as much as he'd deny the idea all the way to his deathbed…in a way, I think that's one thing you and he have in common."

Kaiba returned her gaze; then turned his attention back to the duel. "Hmph."

Meanwhile, Jenna was smiling at Seta. "Well, it's over now…but you did duel a good game," she remarked. "You're really worthy of having been World Champion for so long…a shame you'll be ousted from Dueltropolis now."

Seta nodded respectfully. "You've been an honorable opponent yourself, Jenna," he replied. "However…I made a promise at the start of the tournament…a promise I've no intention of breaking now or ever. So, losing to you is not an option for me."

"Well, forgive me if I don't see it the same way you do," said Jenna. "Now, Blackland Fire Dragon, attack directly!"

Blackland Fire Dragon blasted a wave of fire from its mouth, scorching Seta and reducing his life points even further to 2300. "See what I mean? Now, one more attack, and I'm going to beat you!" Jenna said triumphantly. "And not even that facedown card of yours can help you any! If it could, you would've activated it when I attacked you just now!"

Seta was hunched over from Blackland Fire Dragon's attack; his hair overshadowed his eyes. On hearing Jenna's statement, he chuckled. "Well…consider this…what if I'm waiting for you to attack with that Armed Dragon of yours before I activate this card?"

Jenna blinked…then chuckled. "Mercy, mercy me!" she cried. "Seta, that's got to be the most transparent bluff I've ever heard anyone use—and I'm not falling for it! Now—Armed Dragon Lv. 10, attack directly and end this match!"

Again Armed Dragon Lv. 10 reared its head back, then fired a massive blast of flame right at Seta! "Whoa! He's really gonna lose this one!" David exclaimed.

"If the first attack didn't burn him to ashes before—this one just might!" Miriam added.

Malachi, however, shook his head. "Uh-uh."

The fireball was almost upon Seta—who suddenly shouted, "I activate my trap card—Nutrient Z!"

"HUH?" Jenna exclaimed in surprise.

But right there, before her startled eyes, Seta's life points shot right up to 6300! Then—the blast hit him as hard as before, and even as he winced from the heat of the attack his life points went down again…to 3300!

"He…still has life points…" Miriam breathed.

"Whew! Safe!" David and Luke exclaimed together.

Malachi shook his head. "Told you so."

Mr. Wheeler, meanwhile, was staring in utter astonishment. "But…his life points were…Jenna's monsters, they…okay, what just happened?"

Breathing heavily as he recovered again from the force of the attack, Seta managed a chuckle. "I activated the power of my trap card, Nutrient Z. I could only activate it during my opponent's Damage Step, if the damage I took from one of her attacks was 2000 points or more…then the trap card increased my life points by 4000 before the damage was calculated."

Kaiba looked over in Mr. Wheeler's direction. "Who's gloating now?"

"Awww!" Mr. Wheeler seemed to sink into a wet puddle.

Jenna rubbed her nose with her thumb. "Well…looks as if this duel's going to continue a little while longer," she said softly. "All it means to me, though, is more time for my dragons to take you out."

Seta straightened up. "Well, you can't exactly say that for certain, now can you?" he quizzed. "Because now, it's my turn once again...and as long as I'm still capable of drawing from my deck, I'm not going to be beaten down by anyone. So…let's go."

----------

**_neomage:_** Okay…so now Seta and Jenna's duel continues on, while Joey and Kaiba have a familiar kind of confrontation! (Throwback to the good old days, anybody?)

And now, my Christmas message: Soon as I post this set of chapters, I'll be going home for Christmas! And then there's going to be lots of eating, and drinking, and fighting, and…(catches self in time) Never mind.

Just stay safe and be good to each other, everyone! And continue to read and review as often as you can!


	281. Chapter 281

Yu-Gi-Oh! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER:Christmas pudding…Christmas roast chicken…Christmas "juice"…oh? Ah, heh, heh, heh…I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**CHAPTER 281**

THE INDUSTRIAL ILLUSIONS LINER, EN ROUTE TO TOKYO DOME

Honey leaned against the wall, humming to herself. She was standing outside two doors, one marked _Male_ and the other _Female._ "My…such a lot has been happening…"

Presently, the _Male_ door opened, and a small amount of steam rose out from the room therein. "Oh, you're finished now?" Honey inquired.

Then Yugo appeared from the steam, clad in a pink bathrobe. "Honey…might I ask why you chose to give me this particular color of bathrobe?" he asked, his irritation clearly evidenced by the bulging vein in his forehead.

"Um…because that was the only color available?" Honey giggled.

Yugo closed the bathroom door and walked up to where Honey stood. Sighing, he leaned against the wall beside her. "I have to hand it to your dad, though…to have so many shower stalls installed in the men's bathroom on the ship, and with hot water, too…"

"Well, Father's first priority toward his guests is their comfort," Honey acknowledged.

"Let's just hope Kyo doesn't get _too_ comfortable in there—he needs to hurry up so we can get changed and go back to watching the duel with Jenna and Seta." Yugo cast a disdainful glance at the bathroom door.

"If it's not over already, that is," Honey sighed.

A moment of silence elapsed. Then Honey glanced over at Yugo. "So…Zodiacs, huh? Who exactly are they?"

"I wish I could tell you that myself," Yugo admitted. "All I know is, they're not a very nice bunch to be around. But I would never have guessed that that Zander Zabel was one of them…"

"At least we'll be able to find out what we need to know once the quarter-final round ends," Honey noted.

At that moment the door swung open again, and out came Kyo—also clad in a pink bathrobe. "Thank God Miki isn't seeing me right now," he groaned, with a huge sweat-drop rolling down his face.

"Indignities never end, do they, buddy?" Yugo inquired.

"Tell me about it," answered Kyo.

"Okay, you guys, let's get you changed out of those bathrobes now," said Honey. "And we have to hurry if we're going to catch the remainder of the duel."

----------

At that very moment, back on the ship's deck, the score of the duel was shown: Jenna's life points were still at 7900, while Seta's now stood at a lower 3300. Jenna held no cards in her hand; Seta had one card, his Luminous Soldier monster card. On the field Jenna had both Blackland Fire Dragon and Armed Dragon Lv. 10 in Attack Mode; Seta had nothing whatsoever on the field.

Seta narrowed his eyes as he surveyed the field. _Damn…only my Nutrient Z trap card prevented me from kicking the bucket in this duel, but…if I don't get something to at least defend my life points this turn, I'm sunk! And then… _A dark shadow crossed his face. _Then next round Zander will be completely free to wreak all the havoc he likes, and tournament regulations will protect him from detainment…I can't allow that to happen!_

Slowly he reached his hand toward his deck. _Come on, deck…give me something, anything, that can assist me now!_

Then he drew. He looked at the card. And… "All right…I'll set one monster in Defense Mode, and end my turn."

Unperturbed, Jenna drew her next card. "You know, I'm still quite surprised that what you did last turn wasn't a bluff at all," she commented. "But that doesn't mean things have changed—I still have an opportunity to beat you!"

"Maybe so…but at least my facedown monster will protect me from the brunt of your attack," Seta noted.

"Uh-huh," said Jenna. "Now, Blackland Fire Dragon, destroy that facedown monster and clear me a path!"

Blackland Fire Dragon blasted a huge wave of flame at the facedown monster, instantly incinerating it. But when the card was flipped face-up—to Jenna's astonishment it had the familiar look of a jar! "Wait…don't tell me that's…!"

Suddenly the burning jar exploded—and the blast literally ripped the skin off both Armed Dragon Lv. 10 and Blackland Fire Dragon! "My dragons!" Jenna screamed.

"Uh…what just happened?" Dr. Crowler asked.

Seta shook with laughter now. "That monster was my Cyber Jar (ATK 900, DEF 900)…and as you know, Jenna, when it's flipped face-up its effect destroys every monster on the field. And…it also allows us to pick up the top five cards of our respective decks, show the cards to each other…"

"…and any Level 4 or lower monsters among those cards will be Special Summoned in face-up Attack Mode or facedown Defense Mode, while the rest will be added to our hands," Jenna finished for him. "Yeah, I got it."

Both of them swiftly picked up the top five cards of their respective decks…then held them up for each other to see. Seta was holding Monster Reborn, Premature Burial, two Blue-Eyes White Dragons and Kaibaman (ATK 200, DEF 700); Jenna was holding Thunder of Ruler, Inferno Fire Blast, Dragon Treasure, Polymerization and Red-Eyes Black Dragon (ATK 2400, DEF 2000). "So…seems we've got our signature monsters in our hands now," Seta observed, as he Special Summoned Kaibaman on the field in Attack Mode.

"That we do," Jenna acknowledged. "Okay now, I'll set one card facedown, and end my turn. Your move."

"She's…got the Red-Eyes in her hand now…" Mr. Wheeler breathed.

Again Seta drew his card—and Jenna announced, "Now, I'll activate my trap card, Thunder of Ruler! Since I've activated this card during your Standby Phase, you cannot attack me with any of your monsters this turn!"

"Hey, not a problem for me," said Seta. "Just as long as I know that I'm the one with the advantage now. And…" His eyes twinkled. "I had no idea I'd get to use two of my learned techniques in the same duel, but now…"

"What? ANOTHER technique?" Raven exclaimed from the sidelines.

"This one is called the Kaibaman Combo," said Seta. "And considering the circumstances, it's going to be a slightly modified version of the technique. Now, Jenna—watch and learn!"

He held up one of his cards. "Now, I offer Kaibaman here as a tribute to Special Summon—Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

Kaibaman vanished in a flash of light—then seconds later the great dragon emerged on the field, roaring. But Seta wasn't done. "Next, I'll activate my Monster Reborn magic card, to revive Kaibaman to the field!" And then a massive symbol appeared on his side of the field—and Kaibaman stepped out from within it.

Then Seta held up another card. "Next, I'll tribute Kaibaman again to Special Summon my next Blue-Eyes!" And again Kaibaman vanished from the field, replaced moments later by the second Blue-Eyes from Seta's hand.

Then Seta held up one more card. "And finally, I'll activate my Premature Burial card, paying 800 life points to Special Summon from my Graveyard—my third Blue-Eyes!" And then, as his life points dropped to 2500, from his Graveyard emerged the Blue-Eyes White Dragon from several turns earlier!

Natasha trembled as she looked at the three white dragons on Seta's side of the field. "Wow…such a strong dragon army he has here…"

"If not for Jenna's Thunder of Ruler trap card that she activated a while ago, she'd be a goner right about now," Janus said thoughtfully. "But is she going to be quite so fortunate next turn?"

"Let's find out," said Mr. Truesdale.

"Okay…I can't attack you this turn because of your trap card's effect, so I'll end my turn for the present," Seta told Jenna. "But come next turn, it is I who will seize victory in this duel—just you watch!"

"We'll see, won't we, Seta?" Jenna smiled a little. "Yeah, sure, you've beaten my Armed Dragon series, but…my deck's truest strength is still waiting in the wings."

Seta smiled back. "I'd like to see what that strength is, if it indeed exists. If you get the chance, show it to me."

"Gladly!" she answered.

Now Seta's life points were at 2500, while Jenna's were still 7900. Seta held two cards in hand, the Luminous Soldier monster card amd another unknown card; Jenna had five cards, four of which were her Inferno Fire Blast, Dragon Treasure, Polymerization and Red-Eyes Black Dragon cards. On the field Jenna now had nothing whatsoever; Seta had his three Blue-Eyes White Dragons, one of which was now being powered by the Premature Burial card.

_Hmmm…_ Jenna closely examined the cards in her hand. _All right—right at this point I need to get a really good card, otherwise Seta really will be able to finish me on his next turn! As high as my life points are compared to his, I won't last long in the face of three powered-up Blue-Eyes White Dragons! And by themselves, these cards can't help me!_

Slowly she reached for her deck…and as she did, she closed her eyes. _All right…this is it—the defining moment! _And with that, she drew her card.

Everybody watched her intensely. "Cousin…do you have anything good in your hand…?" Miki whispered softly.

At length Jenna looked at the card she'd drawn…and a happy little smile appeared on her lips. "All right, Seta…I've got something here that just may save me!" she declared. "Now…I activate the magic card—Swords of Revealing Light!"

Suddenly three flaming swords of light shot down from the sky, embedding themselves around Seta's three Blue-Eyes. "All right…so now I can't attack you for my next three turns," he noted with a chuckle. "You're right, you have saved yourself…even if only temporarily."

"Temporarily or not, this'll give me just the amount of time I need," Jenna declared. "Now, though…I end my turn."

"HEY, EVERYBODY!"

Everyone turned at the shout. "Oh, guys! Welcome back!" Miki cried.

Indeed, it was Yugo, Kyo and Honey, the latter two dressed and looking quite comfortable. Only, the former two weren't dressed in their regular clothes—Yugo was wearing a blue polo shirt and white jeans, while Kyo was clad in a black T-shirt and green jeans-shorts. "It's kinda unusual to see you dressed up in such ugly clothes," Seta called to them from his platform, a devious smirk on his face.

"Ha, ha," Yugo answered sarcastically. "So our regular clothes aren't dry yet. Sue us."

"So, how much have we missed?" Kyo wanted to know.

"Oh, not much," Mr. Wheeler told them. "Just that Jenna's been kicking Seta's ass so far—but now he's come back with those three Blue-Eyes, as you can see."

"And, as you can also see, Jenna's just barely managed to save herself with the Swords of Revealing Light," added Kaiba.

"Hey, now, don't be dissing my little girl's skills!" Mr. Wheeler barked.

Kaiba didn't miss a beat. "Can somebody get a muzzle for Joey the Loudmouth Mutt?"

"WHAT?" Mr. Wheeler snarled.

"Calm down, Joey," Mr. Muto admonished him. "Kaiba _is_ right—if Jenna hadn't drawn the Swords of Revealing Light when she did, Seta would very well be able to finish her. Now, if she really wants to pull through this, she's going to have to draw the right cards during this extension of time that she's gotten."

Yugo chuckled a little. "Well, there's no denying that Seta's skilled…but I believe Jenna will pull through, somehow." Then he looked up at Jenna. "Come on, now, Jenna! You can do it!"

Jenna smiled down at him. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, Yugo. I really appreciate it."

Seta now took his turn and drew his next card. "Hmmm…All right! Time for me to call back a certain mighty creature to the field!"

"Oh?" Jenna cocked an eyebrow.

Seta then held up the card he'd drawn. "Now, Jenna, as you know I've already used my Polymerization card," he spoke to her. "But there's more than one way to fuse dragons together—and right now I'm about to show another method to you!"

"Wha? Another method?" Mrs. Wheeler exclaimed.

Honey looked on in wonder. "Seta…?"

"Now—I activate the magic card…" Seta then slapped the card down on his dueling grid. "Dragon's Mirror!"

Suddenly, to everyone's amazement, a huge mirror appeared on the field behind the three Blue-Eyes White Dragons! "Now…by removing from play, from the field or my Graveyard, monsters that are listed as Fusion-material monsters for a Fusion monster, I can Special Summon that Fusion monster to the field while treating that summon as a Fusion Summon. And so, I'll remove these three Blue-Eyes White Dragons on my side of the field from play in order to summon back to the field—Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!"

The three white dragons turned and headed into the Dragon's Mirror. Then suddenly, the mirror itself exploded in a shower of shrapnel—and right there on the field was the ferocious Ultimate Dragon, howling in fury!

"Whoa…but, hold on—what did Seta mean, 'summon back to the field'? Was the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon on the field before?" Yugo asked.

"Yes," said Mr. Muto. "He'd managed to summon it once in a combo maneuver, but Jenna managed to foil his tactic and he ended up sending the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon back to the Fusion deck. Now, though…it's back."

"Oh, how I'd love to attack now—if not for your Swords of Revealing Light," Seta lamented. "Well, anyhow, I'll end my turn." And as he said that…the first of Jenna's three Swords of Revealing Light vanished.

Again Jenna took her turn and drew from her deck—and stopped short. "What…?" She peered at the card closely…then looked at the cards in her hand…then back at the drawn card…then at her hand cards again.

Seta regarded her. "Something wrong?"

Jenna shook her head. "Actually…you remember what I was just saying about my deck's truest strength? Well…I'm going to show it to you and everyone else that's here right now!"

"Then show us," Seta challenged.

Jenna then held up the card she'd just drawn. "To start off…I'll summon my Red-Eyes Black Chick (ATK 800, DEF 500) in Attack Mode!"

Moments later the big red egg appeared on the field—and from it popped out the very cute little baby Red-Eyes. Seta went goggle-eyed on seeing this. "SAY WHAT? THAT'S YOUR DECK'S TRUE STRENGTH?" he bellowed.

"Yeah, he may not seem like much right now…" Jenna smirked. "But I can offer him as a tribute to Special Summon my Red-Eyes Black Dragon from my hand!"

Kaiba looked on. "Interesting…"

The Red-Eyes Black Chick glowed white for a second—then suddenly morphed into its fully adult form, growling at Seta. Then Jenna held up another card. "Next, I'll activate this magic card—Inferno Fire Blast! When Red-Eyes Black Dragon is on the field and I activate this card, in exchange for the Red-Eyes not being able to attack you this turn, you'll receive damage equal to his original ATK!"

Red-Eyes Black Dragon promptly fired a massive blast of fire that shot past a bewildered Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon and hit Seta head-on, sharply reducing him to a mere 100 life points! "Oh, no! Seta!" Honey cried out.

Then Jenna held up one more card from her hand. "And now…it's time for this to make its grand appearance! I offer my Red-Eyes Black Dragon as a tribute to Special Summon his ultimate form…RED-EYES DARKNESS DRAGON (ATK 2400, DEF 2000)!"

"Huh?" Seta exclaimed in astonishment.

At that moment, however, dark shadows began to seep all around the Red-Eyes, even as its signature ruby-like eyes glowed brightly, with grievous intent. And then—to everyone's surprise—its ATK shot up to 4200! "All right—what's happening?" Seta demanded.

"It's the effect of the Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon," Jenna said coolly. "Its ATK increases by 300 for every Dragon-type monster in my Graveyard. And right now there are six in there – Armed Dragon Lvs. 3, 5, 7 and 10, the Red-Eyes Black Chick _and _the original Red-Eyes Black Dragon. And, furthermore…" Here she held up one more card from her hand. "I'll further boost my new dragon's power with the magic card Dragon Treasure, to increase his ATK and DEF by 300 points!"

The Darkness Dragon soon found itself wearing a shining jewel on its chest, even as its ATK rose further to 4500 and its DEF to 2300! "Now, my Darkness Dragon can match your Ultimate Dragon point for point," Jenna declared. "For now, though, I end my turn…but wait till I can power my ultimate beast up further!"

Mr. Muto looked at Mr. Wheeler. "Joey…did you…"

Now Mr. Wheeler smiled. "I sure did. I gave that card to Jenna, back when the kids went to Egypt to deal with JUDAS. And now, to see her using it in tournament play…I'm so proud!"

Seta nodded respectfully at the Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon. "No joking, Jenna…you're certainly packing some serious heat here. But now, it's my turn."

With that, he drew his next card…and smirked. "Okay! I'll activate the magic card, Graceful Charity! Now I can draw three cards, but then I must immediately discard two from my hand afterward!"

The signature green angel appeared at that moment, offering three cards to Seta—and, looking at the three, he appeared astonished. Then slowly a grin emerged on his face. "Hey…Jenna…" he spoke up as he selected two cards from his hand and discarded them for Graceful Charity's effect.

"Yes?" Jenna asked.

Seta nodded meaningfully. "I have great respect for the strength of your Red-Eyes…but my Blue-Eyes is even stronger still! And this card that I'm now holding in my hand is the proof of that!"

Kaiba smirked. _You've drawn THAT…haven't you?_

Then Seta held up the card in question. "Now…I offer my Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon as a tribute to Special Summon my monster's most powerful form of all to the field—_Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon _(ATK 3000, DEF 2500)!"

Astonishing everyone further, the Ultimate Dragon's skin began to crack in numerous places, even as intense light shone out from the cracks…then suddenly the entire shell burst outward in pieces as the futuristic-looking Blue-Eyes appeared on the field, howling to announce its presence! "That dragon…" Malachi breathed in wonder. "I remember it…from when we were in Egypt…who would've thought I'd be seeing it again this soon?"

Suddenly, the Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon's ATK rose up to 4500! "Heh…just like your Darkness Dragon, my Shining Dragon's ATK increases by 300 for every Dragon-type monster in my Graveyard. In my case, there are five in my Graveyard—my two Troop Dragons from earlier, the Rare Metal Dragon (ATK 2400, DEF 1200) and Spear Dragon (ATK 1900, DEF 0) that I just discarded for Graceful Charity's effect, and, of course, the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon that I just sacrificed to summon this monster." His eyes twinkled. "Now…THIS can match your Darkness Dragon point for point."

Jenna smiled. "This should be interesting from here on out," she remarked.

"I agree," said Seta. "Now…I end my turn."

And as the second of Jenna's Swords of Revealing Light disappeared, the Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon and the Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon snarled at each other, their respective light and dark energies clashing against each other…

----------

**_neomage:_** Folks, excuse me while I go all-out…WA-HOO! ALL RIGHT! FINALLY, THE MATCH-UP I'VE PERSONALLY BEEN HOPING FOR HAS HAPPENED – THE BLUE-EYES SHINING DRAGON AND RED-EYES DARKNESS DRAGON ARE READY TO CLASH! KICK-ASS TIME!

Ahem. Review soon, please.


	282. Chapter 282

Yu-Gi-Oh! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER:The two strongest dragons are about to clash…yet once again I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!)

**CHAPTER 282**

THE INDUSTRIAL ILLUSIONS LINER, EN ROUTE TO TOKYO DOME

In terms of life points, Jenna was in the lead with 7900, while Seta was just barely holding on with 100. On the field, however, everything seemed quite evenly matched—Seta had his Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon in Attack Mode; Jenna had her Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon equipped with the Dragon Treasure magic card, plus her Swords of Revealing Light card was still active. Seta had two cards in his hand, his Luminous Soldier monster card and one other unknown card; Jenna had one card in her hand, her Polymerization magic card. And…while the Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon's effect had its ATK at 4500, the Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon's effect had it at 4200 ATK, with its equipped Dragon Treasure powering it up even further to 4500 ATK and 2300 DEF.

Grandma Muto watched wide-eyed as the two dragons stared each other down. "My word…this is certainly becoming quite intriguing!" she remarked.

"It is, isn't it?" Mrs. Taylor agreed.

"Gosh…I know that _that_ up there…" Yugo pointed to the Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon. "…was the Blue-Eyes White Dragon's most powerful form…but I had no idea that the Red-Eyes Black Dragon could reach similar heights, also…"

"It's easy to make that misconception," said Mr. Muto. "That is, if you're looking at stats alone. As you know, the original Blue-Eyes White Dragon has a much higher ATK than the Red-Eyes Black Dragon, so in that way they're not equal. Even so…those two dragons are indeed the strongest dragons ever to exist in the world of Duel Monsters."

"I don't really understand," said Miki. "I mean, sure, there are few other dragons that can top the Blue-Eyes in terms of stats—but there are plenty that could beat down an un-powered Red-Eyes, right? So how can you say that with equal certainty about those two?"

"Listen," said Mr. Muto. "The Red-Eyes Black Dragon's real strength doesn't lay in its ATK points. Its strength lays in the potential that it brings to its user."

"Potential?" Miki asked.

"That's correct," Mr. Muto replied. "Consider this. By itself, a lone Blue-Eyes has the highest ATK of any Normal monster card to date…but the Red-Eyes Black Dragon possesses more forms than the Blue-Eyes does. It's got two fused forms, the Meteor Black Dragon (ATK 3500, DEF 2000) and the Black Skull Dragon (ATK 3200, DEF 2500); a mechanical form, the Red-Eyes Black Metal Dragon (ATK 2800, DEF 2400); and this form that you now see before you, which is capable of rivaling the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon and the Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon."

Mr. Muto smiled. "Look at it like this, kids. The Blue-Eyes White Dragon's strength offers victory through power…but the Red-Eyes Black Dragon's strength offers victory through potential. That, more than anything else, makes the two dragons true counterparts to each other."

Yugo shrugged. "Well…let's see which will win this duel—power or potential," he said.

Meanwhile, Jenna took her turn and drew her next card…and now on her face was a slightly troubled look. _Okay, two turns have gone since the Swords of Revealing Light card was played…now, I've only got one turn left before Seta will be free to attack…I've got to power up my dragon a lot more by then! And…this will probably be the only way I can do it…_

"Now…I'll set one monster in Defense Mode, and end my turn."

Seta scoffed even as he drew his next card, giving him three in his hand. "You seriously think I'm going to fall for that one, Jenna? That facedown monster of yours is probably some Dragon-type monster that you're hoping I'll attack, to send it to the Graveyard in order to further boost your Darkness Dragon's power. Well, sorry, but it's not going to work like that. So I'll just set one card facedown…and that'll end my turn for the time being." And then, with that, the final Sword of Revealing Light vanished altogether.

Again Jenna drew…then she smirked. "I'm sorry, dear Seta, but whatever that facedown card of yours is, it's not going to be put to any use now! I activate the magic card, Harpie's Feather Duster!"

In a moment a huge feather duster appeared, sweeping Seta's magic/trap slot clean, much to his consternation. "And now, I end my turn," Jenna announced.

Once again Seta drew. "Hmmm…I'll set one monster facedown, and end my turn."

At that moment the two dragons growled low in their throats as they continued to stare each other down. "Wow…seems both of our monsters want blood," Jenna reasoned. "Guess that means we can't keep them waiting too much longer, now can we?"

"I suppose not," replied Seta. "So, you gonna make your move?"

"But of course!" Jenna answered, and with that she drew once again. "Well, now…I'll set one card facedown, and end my turn. Your move."

Seta drew once more. "Heh…sorry to say, Jenna, but this is where it ends for your Darkness Dragon!" he announced haughtily. "For now…I'll Flip summon my facedown monster to reveal—my remaining Troop Dragon!"

At once, to everybody else's amazement, the Troop Dragon monster was revealed. "As you know, I've got two of these cards already in my Graveyard," Seta told Jenna. "And now, this third one will be going to the Graveyard as well—for I am now tributing it to summon my Luminous Soldier back to the field!"

Troop Dragon vanished—then Luminous Soldier re-emerged on the field, his shining sword at the ready—and in the same instant, the Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon's ATK soared to 4800! "Now…say goodbye to your Darkness Dragon!" Seta laughed triumphantly. "Shining Dragon, obliterate your enemy with Shining Neutron Blast!"

The Shining Dragon opened its mouth wide, even as a massive charge of energy surged from within its throat—then suddenly it released it all in one thunderous blast, heading right for the Darkness Dragon! "Whoa! Jenna's monster's a goner!" Natasha cried.

But Jenna suddenly shouted, "No way! I activate the trap card—Metalmorph!"

To Seta's utmost surprise, a huge metal coating covered the Darkness Dragon's body entirely, and its ATK and DEF rose to 4800 and 2600! "Counterattack with Darkness Inferno Blast!" Jenna cried out—and the now-metallic Darkness Dragon did just that, swiftly blasting a ball of black flame from its mouth that collided violently with the Shining Neutron Blast, sending fiery sparks everywhere!

"I see…she activated her Metalmorph trap card…" Mr. Bakura commented. "And that card then became an Equip card, increasing one monster's ATK and DEF by 300 points."

"But—if their attacks were equal, shouldn't the two monsters have been destroyed?" Mrs. Bakura wanted to know.

"Hold on…look…" Mrs. Wheeler pointed to the field.

Both dragons swiftly took flight, going way above their masters' heads. "What the…?" Jenna exclaimed in surprise, looking upward.

"Uh…was this supposed to happen?" Seta wondered.

Everyone else stared in awe as, far overhead, the two dragons flew at each other, their metallic wings crashing into each other over and over even as they repeatedly blasted at each other with their signature attacks. "Damn, I wish I had some popcorn!" David exclaimed.

Even Malachi blinked at this spectacle. _What the hell is this…I've never seen anything like it!_

At present the Shining Dragon managed to reach forward and catch the Darkness Dragon's right shoulder in a deadly bite—but in retaliation, the Darkness Dragon swiped forward with its left wing, slicing deep into its nemesis's head. Then the Shining Dragon broke away, firing a blast of white energy at the other dragon…but the Darkness Dragon dodged and fired a black energy ball from its mouth, which the Shining Dragon managed to fly over. And, watching the confrontation from below, Kaiba was mesmerized. _So…this is the true strength of the Red-Eyes Black Dragon?_

----------

From his room window, Zander sat and watched as, up in the sky, the Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon and the Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon continued to fight against each other. "Hmmm…such an interesting show…" he mused.

----------

The Darkness Dragon was now repeatedly slashing at the Shining Dragon with its razor-sharp wings—but then the other dragon blocked one wing with its tail! Spinning around in mid-air, the Shining Dragon lashed forward with one of its own wings and deeply sliced the Darkness Dragon in its chest, forcing the other monster back!

And then…the Darkness Dragon reared back its head and fired off one gigantic burst of black energy. But the Shining Dragon countered with a blast of its own…and the two attacks slammed into each other with a deafening BOOM, the massive resulting shockwave ripping through both dragons and even tossing the waves below all about, very nearly splashing the ship's deck in the process!

"Yowza!" Wade cried out, very nearly getting washed away as one large wave splashed onto the deck and hit him in the back.

Then…a few minutes passed. The waves began to calm down again. The sky began to clear from all the light and dark energy that had been tossed around…and there was no sign of either of the two dragons.

"Mercy…what just happened?" Ms. Wong marveled.

Mr. Muto looked up into the sky…and smiled. _I see…the two strongest dragons' fighting spirit was what kept them both going, from the first moment up to now…truly, those two are worthy of being called the strongest dragons of all!_

Both Jenna and Seta were staring into the sky with wonder on their faces. Then Seta looked back at Jenna. "Well…seems once again I gave you less credit than you were due," he said quietly.

Jenna looked squarely at him. "Apology accepted in advance."

Seta nodded. "Then let's continue this—the duel IS still on!" he reminded her. "Now, where was I…? Ah, yes! Luminous Soldier, take down her facedown monster!"

Luminous Soldier raised his sword and rushed forward, slashing the facedown monster in two and revealing it to be Spirit Ryu (ATK 1000, DEF 1000). "Heh…then I WAS right—it was a dragon, after all," Seta noted. "Had I attacked it first, your Darkness Dragon would've gotten enough strength to defeat my Shining Dragon altogether. Not a bad plan."

"Yeah," said Jenna. "It was a good plan, for real."

"So…now our most powerful monsters are out of commission," said Seta. "And it's come down to this…if you can find some way to destroy my Luminous Soldier and get to my last remaining 100 life points, you win. Can you?"

"I can," said Jenna. "And I will!"

Kaiba shook his head on hearing this. _A refusal to give up, no matter what…she's definitely a Wheeler, after all._

The life point stats remained the same—Jenna had 7900, Seta had 100. But now, on the field, Seta had his Luminous Soldier in Attack Mode, while Jenna had nothing whatsoever. Seta had two cards in his hand; Jenna still had her Polymerization card in her hand.

Now Jenna took her turn and drew once again—and started. Then slowly her lips curved into a sly grin. "Seta…I'm afraid that now I'm holding your definite defeat in my hands!"

"Is that right?" Seta asked.

"That's right!" Jenna held up the card. "For now I summon…Time Wizard (ATK 500, DEF 400) in Attack Mode!"

A second later her clock magician emerged on the field, wand in hand. Seta frowned. "This is…"

"You got it!" said Jenna triumphantly. "Now, I can toss a coin and call it…and if I call it right, then your Luminous Soldier will be destroyed, and your life points will be wide open for me to win this duel!"

"But if you call it wrong…" Now Seta smirked. "Then Time Wizard will be destroyed, and you'll lose life points equal to half of his ATK—and then afterwards _your _life points will be wide open for a beating. Are you really sure you want to take that risk?"

"Everything in life is a risk—whether in a duel or otherwise," said Jenna. "And as far as I'm concerned, this is a risk worth taking! So, Time Wizard—do your coin toss! And I call tails!"

The holographic coin appeared before Time Wizard, and was immediately flipped. "So…it's come down to this…one coin toss…" Mr. Truesdale whispered.

"Who will be the victor now?" said Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki.

The coin flew up…up…up…then came down…down…down…and landed on the dueling field. It spun around a little while, as both Jenna and Seta watched it anxiously. Then presently it ceased moving…and the face showed—HEADS!

Jenna went white. "Uh-oh…!"

Suddenly, Time Wizard glowed bright white—then a massive explosion on Jenna's side of the field consumed the little magician, and Jenna flinched as half of his ATK was taken from her life points, bringing her score down to 7650! On the sidelines, Mr. Wheeler's eyes were wide. "Oh, no! Time Wizard failed?" he exclaimed.

"Suck it up," Kaiba said indifferently. "At least, she is."

Though visibly shaken by the loss of her Time Wizard, Jenna managed to compose herself somewhat. "Well…I may not have anything on the field now…but at least my life points are still way higher than yours!" she said to Seta.

Seta promptly drew his next card…then chuckled. "Not for long, they won't be," he announced. "Now, I summon Gray Wing (ATK 1300, DEF 700) in Attack Mode!"

Gray Wing emerged on the field a moment later, hissing at Jenna. Then Seta held up another card. "Next, I activate the magic card Pot of Greed, which will let me draw two cards!" And this he swiftly did, so now he held three cards in his hand.

Then, examining his cards, Seta nodded with approval. "Now it is I who holds the key to YOUR defeat, Jenna!" he announced clearly. "For now I'll activate the magic card, Megamorph! When my life points are lower than yours, any monster who's equipped with this card doubles its ATK—and I'm equipping the card to my Gray Wing right now!"

At once Gray Wing seemed to grow exponentially in size, even as its ATK shot up to 2600! But Seta still wasn't done. "Next, I'll activate the field magic card, Luminous Spark! This will decrease the DEF of all Light monsters on the field by 400, in exchange for increasing their ATK by 500!" And then—as he played the card, a bright light shone from above, causing glitter to appear all over Luminous Soldier as his DEF shrank to 1000 and his ATK rose to 2600!

"And, lastly…I'll activate Gray Wing's effect!" Seta added. "By discarding one card from my hand during my Main Phase 1, this monster can attack twice during the same Battle Phase this turn." He looked up at Jenna. "So…looks like this is it for you…"

Jenna's head was lowered; her hair overshadowed one eye. "Well…it was fun while it lasted. I'm glad I was able to duel so closely with you…at least all that training wasn't for nothing."

"No…it wasn't." Seta nodded in agreement. "Gray Wing…Luminous Soldier…attack directly!"

Gray Wing flew forward at top speed, hitting Jenna with its wing and reducing her to 5050 life points. Then, it flew around and attacked her again, this time flailing its tail at her and reducing her further still to 2450. Finally, Luminous Soldier raised his sword, then brought down the blade to the ground to create a massive shockwave that traveled all the way to Jenna's side of the field, slamming into her and knocking her back a little as her life points shot down to 0!

"That's the end!" Pegasus called out from his place on the overhead platform. "Winner—by a very close margin—Seta Kaiba!"

"By a very close margin…that's understating it…" Marcus muttered. "The guy had only 100 life points left…"

Mr. Wheeler, meanwhile, sighed. "Well, there you go, Kaiba. Another victory to you."

Kaiba looked at him. "Wheeler, I've heard you say stupid things before, but that just now…" He shook his head. "That duel wasn't between you and me. It was between my child and yours. The victory belongs to my son, not to me."

Meanwhile, Seta and Jenna's dueling platforms came back down, and both of them climbed down to the ship's deck. "Hey, Seta…good dueling," she hailed him.

"Back at you, Jenna," he replied.

Presently Jillian and Honey walked up to Seta. "Sir Seta…well done," Jillian said softly.

"Yeah, Seta…you did really great," and Honey embraced Seta tightly. "Congratulations."

"So, now the semi-finalists have been decided," Pegasus spoke to the group at large. "Yugo Muto, Janus Yuki, Seta Kaiba, and…" His face suddenly darkened in an obvious scowl. "Zander Zabel."

"Hey, yeah, that's right—you were going to explain to us about him, weren't you?" Kyo asked, turning to look squarely at Pegasus.

"Yes—everybody who needs to hear the explanation is here now," Malachi added his voice. "So…?"

"Well—" Pegasus started.

"Hold on, Pegasus."

Immediately everyone turned to look at Seta. "Seta…?" Yugo asked.

Seta had a serious look on his face. "Sir…" He spoke to Pegasus. "If these people deserve to hear the story from anybody, it should be me."

Surprise etched itself on Kaiba's face. "Now, wait a minute, Seta! You…"

"Stop, Dad." Seta's voice called for no contradiction. "Even in the midst of my dueling just now…I knew that only I could be qualified enough to tell this story. I'm the only one who deserves this. I was thinking of how the story would be presented if you, or Pegasus, or one of the other Committee members, would tell it…then I decided that it would only be honestly told if I was the one to tell it."

"Seta…" Pegasus was at a loss for words.

"Honestly told…?" Honey looked at Seta. "Seta, what are you…?"

"In a moment. I'm going to tell you all…everything." Seta sighed; now his face had a very tired look on it. "Just…can we not do it out here? I want to do it somewhere, where we can all be comfortable…"

Pegasus nodded solemnly. "Very well. Let's all go to the ship's dining hall. There are enough seats there for all of us that are here." And with that, he descended the platform and headed for a nearby door. Seta followed, with nary an expression in his eyes.

Yugo and his friends all looked at each other. "What's going on, all of a sudden…?" Jenna wondered aloud.

"Hmmm…" Kyo fingered his chin thoughtfully. "Could it be that Seta knows something about these Zodiacs…?"

"We'll soon find out," said Yugo. "Come on, let's go." And with that, he turned and headed off after the dwindling gathering; the others followed after him a moment later.

----------

**_neomage:_** And thus the quarter-finals of the Dueltropolis World Championships has ended! And now…

You know, I was kinda juggling with two ideas: whether to have Pegasus and the Committee fabricate a little story about Seta's involvement with the Zodiacs, or whether to have the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. After some consideration, I decided to go with the second option. I hope that, plot-wise, that decision turns out good (and I feel, somehow, that it will). Let me know what you guys think!

And as for the mysterious present that rampagerkriz has had in his possession and that yamikriz has been trying to get a sneak peek at…just what is it? Well, you'll definitely find out next chapter!

REVIEW SOON, PLEASE!


	283. Chapter 283

Yu-Gi-Oh! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER:A new year is now upon us all! And still the same thing applies—I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!)

**CHAPTER 283**

THE INDUSTRIAL ILLUSIONS LINER, A FEW MINUTES LATER

The ship's dining hall was one very large room. There were several round tables in the room, with four chairs to each table. Each table was covered with a white-and-gold tablecloth; each chair was carefully carved from mahogany wood. Overhead, several long fluorescent bulbs shone with bright white light, clearly illuminating every face that was now gathered there.

At one table, closest to the front, Yugo, Kyo, Jenna and Miki were seated together. Right near them were seated Blaze, Wade, Marcus and Flora. One table over from them, Raven, Honey, Shigeo and Jillian sat together. At another table nearby sat Janus, Ricardo, Natasha and Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki; one of their neighboring tables seated Mr. Truesdale, Dr. Crowler, Mr. Von Schroeder, and Ms. Wong. A little further away from the front sat Mr. Muto, Grandma Muto, and Mr. and Mrs. Taylor. Nearby them sat Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler and Mr. and Mrs. Bakura. A separate table seated Malachi, Miriam, Luke and David. Pegasus, Kaiba and Mr. Devlin were seated at the table right at the front, where everybody else could see them…and currently standing over their table was Seta himself, bearing a look of utter seriousness.

Seta cleared his throat. "Okay…um…I'll just admit from the start, what I'm going to say to all of you is not the easiest thing I've ever had to tell anybody," he spoke up. "And for some of you, it's going to be very shocking for you to hear what I'm about to tell you, and I understand that. But what needs to be said needs to be said, and will be said."

He paused for a moment. "Now…a number of you here have been asking the question—who are these Zodiacs we've been hearing about? Meanwhile, others of you may already have encountered them, and want to know more. Well, now you'll all hear it…everything."

Everyone looked at him expectantly.

"So, who are the Zodiacs? Well…they're a bunch of international criminals who've been operating under the sly for a couple of decades," Seta told them. "As the name implies, their more important members all possess codenames that coincide with the names of various different constellations. Some of you may have encountered duelists throughout the Dueltropolis competition who identified themselves in such a manner…yes?"

The duelists looked at each other. "Yeah, I believe we have," Jenna affirmed.

Seta nodded. "Now, in a nutshell, the Zodiacs have been heavily involved in different types of crimes—cybernetic, white-collar, even down and dirty, if you will. They've got links in every sector you can think of: public relations, medicine, the justice system—you name it, they're there. And it's all spearheaded by one man, one man with enough power to rival a president or a king."

"Oh? And who is this high-and-mighty person of whom you speak?" Raven asked.

"He calls himself 'Master Orion,'" answered Seta. "And he's so high up in the organization, only one person has ever been privileged enough to ever see his true face or hear his true name spoken…Zander Zabel."

"Wow…so Zander was a bad guy all along, and we didn't know it…" Miki marveled.

"You wouldn't have—the Zodiacs have always stayed in the shadows with regards to their very existence," Seta commented. "As a matter of fact, those you've encountered here in the tournament may well be the first instance where the organization has operated openly."

"Well, why would they come here, to a mere Duel Monsters tournament?" Shigeo wondered. "I mean, if they're such a big organization as you say, surely they'd have better things to do than whatever they've been doing?"

Seta shook his head. "It's not that simple. You see…at this point in time, the Zodiacs are missing something very crucial to their plans—something that their leader wants to have at any and all costs. It is a weapon…the Zodiacs' ultimate weapon, in fact."

"Ultimate weapon?" Marcus raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"Yes." Seta closed his eyes and nodded once. "This weapon…it was codenamed 'Ophiuchus the Imperial.' It was originally supposed to be the means by which the Zodiacs would conquer the world, but…they've lost it, and they want it back. Ophiuchus was meant to be the most powerful and dangerous weapon of all…and without it, their plans can't come to fruition."

"And they seriously believed that this 'Ophiuchus,' or whatever, was at Dueltropolis?" Ricardo asked. "Why would they think that?"

"Here's a better one for you," Malachi interjected. He was leaning back in his chair, one leg crossed over his knee, arms folded as usual…but now he was giving Seta a hard glare. "Let's say, for the sake of argument, that these Zodiacs really are as bad as you describe them, and that this Ophiuchus weapon _was_ at Dueltropolis. My question to you, Seta Kaiba—how would YOU have known any of that?"

Everyone had swiveled in their seats to look at Malachi as he spoke; now they all refocused their eyes on Seta. He sighed. "I'll show you."

With that, he slipped out of his jacket and tossed it onto the table. Then, turning one side to his audience, he rolled up his sleeve—exposing his up-till-now hidden tattoo. Janus's eyes widened when he saw it. "That is…"

Seta's hair overshadowed one eye. "This tattoo…is a tattoo of the Ophiuchus constellation."

"Constellation…" Suddenly realization clicked in Yugo's brain. "Wait a minute, Seta—you are—"

Seta hung his head. "Yes. Ophiuchus the Imperial…is me."

A murmur of disbelief swept through the gathering. "I see…so you're part of a bunch of cutthroats, then!" David exclaimed, jumping up.

"David!" Miriam exclaimed.

"No, no! No sugarcoating here!" David snapped. "That Zander bastard nearly killed my brother in the tournament! And before that, some other freak with a strange Duel-Disk nearly killed _me!_ And let's not forget about that one guy in the cave who tried to attack us! And who's the cause of all that?" And here he pointed an accusing finger at Seta. "There he is—right over there!"

Kaiba jumped up from where he'd been sitting. "THAT'S ENOUGH!" he roared. "I won't have you badmouthing my son like this!"

"Actually, I think he deserves it too," Marcus spoke up frostily. "Zander Zabel also nearly killed me—and who's to say that these other Zodiacs didn't give other competitors a hard time? And, too, let's not forget what Zander nearly did to Kyo a little while earlier…"

"Guys, guys, guys, hold on!" Honey exclaimed, standing rapidly. "Just hang on, all of you! Look…can we at least allow Seta to explain himself? I think he deserves that much, if nothing else!"

"She's right," Miriam added her voice. "Sure, some of us have faced these Zodiacs in the tournament, and sure, a couple of us have gotten bad deals in facing them…but we should allow him to finish telling his side of the story before anybody here decides to butcher him. And, besides, can we really place _all_ the blame on Seta? How fair is that to him?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" David angrily demanded. He turned to Malachi. "C'mon, boss, say something!"

Malachi looked up at him. "Okay. Sit down and be quiet, David."

Making a face, David nonetheless complied. Meanwhile, Mr. Muto was leaning forward, a grave frown on his face. "I just have one question I want to ask of the Committee members."

"What is it?" inquired Mr. Devlin.

Now Mr. Muto narrowed his eyes. "You all had extensive information on the Zodiacs that you were willing to share with us when we came to the castle at Pegasus's request…were you aware of any of what Seta has just told us?"

There was a moment's silence. Then Pegasus sighed. "Yes. We knew. We all knew."

"Well, why didn't you guys say anything in the first place?" demanded Mr. Wheeler.

"They said nothing…because I specifically requested that they say nothing." Kaiba was seated once again, his fingers intertwined under his chin. "A few years ago, I told the Committee members the whole story in strict confidence, including the history of how Seta became affiliated with the Zodiacs and the circumstances under which he was taken out. In fact, the only Committee member who wouldn't have known about any of that before now would be Alexis…since she was a newly recent addition to the Committee."

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki sighed and adjusted her glasses a little. "Well…now I'm hearing it all."

"Kaiba…just now you said 'a few years ago'…exactly how long ago are we talking, here?" Mr. Bakura asked.

Kaiba closed his eyes. "Four years ago. That was when I first joined the Committee, at Pegasus's invitation. Of course, back then he and I weren't exactly on friendly terms, and I joined only because of my past association with Duel Monsters tournaments at the time. But the whole issue with Seta…it goes back much further than even that. By now, it's been about twelve years since it all began…"

Seta leaned forward over the table, placing his hands flat on its top. "Twelve years…takes only a moment to say it, but to live it is a whole other story…and not a night has gone by that I haven't wished I could live much of that time all over again."

"Well…I expect everybody here who doesn't already know your story would like to hear it now, dear," said Grandma Muto thoughtfully. "Of course, if you feel comfortable telling it, that is."

"Don't worry—it's the least I owe everybody, after what's happened," Seta answered.

That said, he sat down and picked up his jacket from the table. "Okay…where do I start…?"

"Where every story starts, mate—at the beginning," said Luke.

"The beginning, eh?" Kaiba spoke again. "Well…perhaps I can give you a far more accurate account of that time than Seta can." He looked over at his son. "So…?"

Seta nodded. "Go ahead, Dad. It's as you say."

Nodding back, Kaiba then turned to face the gathering. "It started early one morning…"

----------

KAIBACORP, TWELVE YEARS EARLIER

_Kaiba sat at his desk, sipping his coffee as he waited for his computer terminal to start up. "Damn thing's so slow…I'm of a mind to pull it down altogether," he grumbled to himself._

_Just then there was a knock at his door. "Yes?" he called, quite irritated._

_"Hey, Seto, it's me. Hope you're not too busy?"_

_At the sound of his brother's voice, Kaiba softened a little. "No, Mokuba. Come on in."_

_The door then opened, and in stepped Mokuba, holding the morning paper in one hand. "Good thing I caught you while you were here in office," he declared. "Ishizu found something in today's paper that she thought you should take a look at, and so I promised her I'd take it over."_

_"Oh?" Kaiba raised an eyebrow. "What could that be, now?"_

_Whereupon Mokuba placed the paper on Kaiba's desk, opening it to the classified ads. He pointed out one ad that had been circled with a blue marker. "Check it out," he announced._

_Kaiba set his coffee down and scrutinized the ad in question. "An ad for a private school?"_

_"Sure, why not?" said Mokuba. "You've been talking about how you want Seta to have the best possible education available to him, right? Well, Ishizu thinks this school may have what it takes to give Seta what he needs, and from what I've seen of this ad so far, I'm inclined to agree with her. But look at it and tell me what you think."_

_"Need I remind you, Mokuba, that Seta is only four years old?" Kaiba asked his brother._

_"And very smart for his age—you know that for a fact," Mokuba grinned. "The kid's a genius in the making, Seto—sometimes I wonder which of you he gets his smarts from, you or Ishizu!"_

_Kaiba examined the ad again. "Well, the ad does say it caters to children ages four and up…hmmm…" He read further. "…provides a program by which children may receive tutoring and training at the primary and secondary education level…employs carefully-trained instructors in different disciplines, including the sciences, language arts, social studies…"_

_"And best of all, it's a private school that's relatively close to Domino City—and I know already how much the idea of enrolling Seta in a public elementary school makes you uneasy!" Mokuba chuckled. "So, what do you think, big brother? You want to enroll Seta there?"_

_"Hmmm…I don't know…maybe…" Kaiba frowned deeply. "I mean, these are complete strangers we're talking about here, and the welfare of my son—your nephew, Mokuba. How do we know we won't be better off just hiring a private tutor to come to us on a regular basis?"_

_"Look at it this way." Now Mokuba's face was serious. "If you hire a tutor to come from outside to teach Seta, you'll likely have to pay higher fees than if you sent him to an institute with a set price range. Independent tutors' prices vary these days, after all; some are even charging really exorbitant fees for less than half of what they advertise. Plus, it's pretty difficult to find one single tutor who's well-rounded in different subjects in these times; you'd probably end up paying different fees to different tutors of different fields. On the other hand, this school will probably let you pay one single set cost for a number of tutors in one place."_

_Kaiba fingered his chin as he considered this. "Hmmm…"_

_"So what it boils down to is—will you pay a whole bunch of fees for different tutors, or will you pay only one fee, at one time, for the same package?" Mokuba summarized. "Then again, Seta's not my son—it's up to you."_

_Kaiba tapped a finger on his desk, deep in thought. Then he looked up at his younger brother with a small smile. "Oh, what the hell. I suppose it's too good an opportunity to pass up."_

_Mokuba grinned. "I knew you'd agree, big brother! So—you gonna call them now?"_

_"Well, let's look at their contact information…" Kaiba scanned the ad again. "Vela Dorado Boarding School…okay, so that's their name…and here's their phone number and street address, too. And they've even got a website, on top of it!"_

_"Looking better and better, isn't it?" Mokuba chuckled._

_"Hmph." Kaiba chuckled as well. "Well, all right, then. Here I go."_

_As Mokuba watched, Kaiba picked up his phone and dialed the school's number. The line buzzed even as he waited patiently; then: "Hello? Yes, this is Seto Kaiba speaking…yes, THE Seto Kaiba. I saw the ad for your school in the paper, and I'm thinking of enrolling my son there…when is it possible that we may come for an interview? Oh, I need to speak to the headmaster for that? Well, is it possible I could speak to him now? Yes, I'll hold…"_

_Mokuba regarded him. "So?"_

_"Just a sec, Mokuba—that was the school's secretary just now," Kaiba answered. "She's trying to patch me through to the headmaster's office…oh, hello." He was speaking on the phone again. "I'm sorry, I never got your name from the secretary…oh, Bryce Sanvol? OK, yes…"_

_There was silence as Kaiba listened to the speaker on the other end of the line. Then: "So, you say it's possible to enroll my boy at your school…well, when can I come to discuss the details with you, sir? Oh, this afternoon? Let me see…" He flashed a quick glance at his desk calendar. "Yes, this afternoon's good…1:00, you said? All right, then…yes, I do think I'll be able to find the school; I've got the address right in front of me. Listen, is it all right if I bring my wife along to hear the details? It's fine? All right then. Yes, we'll see you then. Thank you very much."_

_"Sounds promising!" Mokuba remarked as Kaiba hung up the phone._

_"Let's hope so," Kaiba shrugged._

----------

**_neomage:_** I'M BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK! And Happy New Year, everybody! So, now the story of Seta's past affiliation with the Zodiacs is being explained…and I've decided, in order that you'll all have a New Year's gift from me, to post this chapter early even while I'm working on the other chapters that give the complete explanation—so enjoy! (gives a thumbs-up)

(rampagerkriz knocks at Miriku's door, holding Kimiru's present)

Miriku (answers door): Yes? Oh, hey…oooohh, is that for me?

rampagerkriz: No way. It's for Kimiru.

Miriku (innocently): But Kimiru's my yami, so technically it's for me.

(Kimiru suddenly emerges)

Kimiru: Like hell! (starts strangling Miriku) Leave my present alone!

Miriku: AAACK! Lemme go!

rampagerkriz: O.o Riiiiiiiight…I'll just…leave it right here… (sets present on doorstep and backs away slowly as Miriku and Kimiru struggle with each other)

yamikriz: (popping from behind a bush) So? What WAS Kimiru's gift?

rampagerkriz: ACK! Dude, where the hell did you come from?

yamikriz: Just answer the question.

rampagerkriz: You've been stalking me just to find out THAT? Well, all right…I gave her…THIS! (pulls out a miniature hydrogen bomb)

yamikriz: O.O;;; RUN AWAY! (dashes off at top speed)

(rampagerkriz tosses the bomb into the air)

Bomb: Beep…beep…beep…beep-beep-beep-beep-BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!

(The bomb explodes—into confetti and candy canes!)

rampagekriz: Hmmm…was that supposed to happen?

neomage: (in background, grinning) Happy New Year, one and all! Review soon!


	284. Chapter 284

Yu-Gi-Oh! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER:The story of the past continues…and once again, neomage doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**CHAPTER 284**

THE INDUSTRIAL ILLUSIONS LINER, BACK IN THE PRESENT DAY

"So…it all began when you enrolled Seta at that school…Vela Dorado, was it?" Mr. Taylor asked.

"Yes, that's correct," said Kaiba.

"Vela Dorado…I believe I've heard of it before," remarked Mrs. Wheeler thoughtfully. "Pretty posh private school, last I recall. But I haven't heard anything about it for a good while—is it still running, after all these years?"

"No, not anymore," Seta spoke up. "It ceased functioning after…_that_ incident…"

"But we haven't reached there yet," Kaiba cut in. "There's still another part to this first chapter in the story."

"All right, then—share with us, Mr. Kaiba," said Kyo.

Kaiba nodded. "So, anyway, later that day my wife and I went to see the school's headmaster…"

----------

VELA DORADO BOARDING SCHOOL, TWELVE YEARS EARLIER

_The Kaiba couple was sitting patiently in the visitor's lounge, waiting to be seen by the school's headmaster. "How much longer do we have to wait here?" Kaiba grumbled._

_"Now, now, Seto, be nice," Mrs. Kaiba admonished. "I'm sure it won't be much longer, now…"_

_Presently the matronly secretary approached them with an expressionless face. "Sorry to keep you waiting…Mr. Sanvol will see you now."_

_"About time," Kaiba muttered as he and his wife stood up and followed the secretary down the corridor adjacent to the lounge._

_Moments later, they stopped outside a door with a brass sign: B. SANVOL, HEADMASTER. The secretary reached a hand forward and knocked three times. "Come in!" a voice from within called._

_The secretary promptly opened the door and shifted to the side a little, so the Kaibas could step into the headmaster's office. Kaiba whistled faintly as he scanned his surroundings. "Niiiice…"_

_The office was roughly the same size as Kaiba's own office. On the walls were a few watercolor paintings of intricate design; on both extreme ends of the room were some rather heavy-looking bookcases, each housing some fat leather-bound volumes and loose-leaf manuscripts. Near the headmaster's desk was a small side-table with a wine decanter on it; the bottle was partially full, and there were four glasses set upside down beside it. On the headmaster's desk was a small empty vase, a few books and pens, and a name-plate bearing the name B. SANVOL. And…seated behind the desk was the man himself, a middle-aged man with sandy blond hair, ice green eyes and a small smile._

_"Mr. and Mrs. Kaiba…welcome, welcome," he greeted them, standing up and shaking their hands one after the other. "Do sit down."_

_The couple complied, making themselves comfortable in the chairs before Mr. Sanvol's desk. "Thank you for taking the time to meet with us, Mr. Sanvol," said Mrs. Kaiba._

_"It's no trouble at all, no trouble at all," answered Mr. Sanvol. "I feel honored that the great Kaiba family should have chosen our fine establishment to enroll their child at. Right now, you are my guests of honor."_

_"Mm-hmm," Kaiba responded._

_"So, then…" Mr. Sanvol settled back into his chair. "You came here because you saw our ad in the classifieds, yes?"_

_"That's correct," replied Mrs. Kaiba. "And we're very impressed by what you advertised."_

_"Believe me, Mrs. Kaiba, we do our very best to live up to our boast here at Vela Dorado," Mr. Sanvol remarked. "It's my personal promise that your son, Seta, will receive nothing less than the best from our curriculum."_

_"And we expect nothing less than the best," Kaiba spoke up._

_"Oh, I doubt the end result will be disappointing at all…" Mr. Sanvol chuckled._

_----------_

THE INDUSTRIAL ILLUSIONS LINER, BACK IN THE PRESENT DAY

"And so, we had Seta enrolled there the very next Monday." Kaiba sighed. "But I was such an idiot…taken up by their sugary promises…"

"Why do you say that? Didn't they do what they'd promised?" Wade wondered aloud.

"Well, to be sure, they did do the whole legitimate schooling thing," Seta took up the tale. "But…all of that was nothing but a front. For as soon as I was fully enrolled at that school…they put _this_ on me." And he showed his tattoo again, with disdain on his face.

"They put that tattoo on you…and you were how old? Four?" Mrs. Bakura raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah…and ever since then, I've felt…unclean, somehow." Seta sighed. "And to make matters worse, they made me commit various crimes throughout the twelve years I spent there—and I never even knew I was committing crimes at all, till much later."

Miki frowned. "What did you do, Seta?"

"Well…" Seta licked his lips and frowned as he did so. "They had some extremely skilled hackers in their employ. Those people were able to fashion a deadly type of virus…a virus capable of infiltrating even the most well-protected conglomerates and stealing all their critical information. But the way they did it was extremely unique…" He paused.

"Yeah?" Wade prompted.

Seta sighed. "The virus was activated through the use of Duel Monster technology on the grounds of those business places."

"Through…Duel Monster tech?" Flora asked in disbelief. "Is such a thing even possible?"

"Well, it wasn't _impossible,"_ Kaiba answered. "As everybody knows, the Duel-Disk system works via a satellite system that generates holograms of the cards that are played in duels…and that satellite system, as with any other, needs earthbound computers for maintenance and such. To pull off a stunt such as introducing a virus into the system, the hackers would've needed to send their little virus into the satellite's maintenance system…and the only way they could've done that without detection was if they were working from within Kaibacorp. And we all know how much work I've had to do in the past to set up firewalls from outside hacker attacks."

"Yeah, we know about all of that," said Mr. Taylor. "But wouldn't you have been alerted to the fact that there was a virus in the system?"

"Actually, the Zodiac hackers were far stealthier than that," said Seta. "They set up the virus to activate when a very specific card that they'd modified for their purposes was played in a duel. From there the virus would enter the target organization's infrastructure, steal or wipe out all critical files, and then be deactivated at the close of that duel in question."

"Was the card a unique one? Unique to those guys, I mean?" Mrs. Wheeler wanted to know.

"No. And that was the beauty of it." Seta chuckled a little. "This card was actually based on one that had existed several years earlier…one of a couple of cards in a set that had been sealed underneath the Duel Academy."

_Sealed…underneath…_ Mr. Truesdale's eyes widened. Frowning deeply, Dr. Crowler looked over at Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki; her own surprise was evident on her face as well.

"So, where did you come in, in this whole virus thing?" Jenna asked.

"Well…when they placed the virus program into that card, they built a Duel Monsters deck, placed the card in there…and made me duel with it." Seta glanced down, a guilty look overshadowing his face. "Every time they targeted a company whose secrets they wanted, they'd take me and a couple other students from Vela Dorado on, ahem, 'field trips' to these places…and because I was the son of Seto Kaiba, our supervisors would request that the target company's CEO or some other representative have a duel with me, supposedly to boost the respective reputation of the school and the company. And in order to achieve their ends, they rigged the deck each time so that I'd always have access to that tainted card, in order to activate the virus."

"Wow…pretty ingenious of them, even if it IS disrespectful to the cards…" A dark shadow crossed Mr. Muto's face.

"The Zodiacs were profiting quite well from the company secrets I helped steal for them," Seta went on, still with the guilty look on his face. "They had me go on frequent 'field trips' during the first few months of my tenure at Vela Dorado…then, a little later, they approached Kaibacorp's lawyer, Jude Lassiter, and bribed him to direct suspicion for the virus attacks to my father, since it only ever occurred whenever I played Duel Monsters at the targeted sites."

"Jude Lassiter…that's the same bald-headed prick who was working with JUDAS, wasn't it?" Blaze asked with a frown.

"The one and only," Pegasus nodded confirmation. "And speaking of which, I find it fit to inform those of you who'd tangled with JUDAS in Egypt a while back…their leader, Keisuke Odachi, was once a member of the Zodiacs."

Yugo's group of friends slowly looked at each other, astonishment clear as day on their faces. "Sir, please, quit the jokes right now!" Yugo exclaimed.

"Oh, if only it WAS a joke, Yugo-boy," Pegasus answered gravely. "Some of the Zodiacs that were defeated in the tournament—we had an opportunity to quiz them on their objectives and activities. We found out, straight from their mouths, that Odachi used to be among their ranks before he broke off from them and formed his JUDAS organization. But even though he was no longer directly affiliated with them…he did keep close links with them, up to the time you tangled with him and his goons."

"Damn…that is so messed up…" Yugo gritted his teeth.

Jenna eyed Yugo worriedly. "Um…you said Odachi kept contact with the Zodiacs, right? Could they have helped him in his mission in Egypt with JUDAS?" she queried of Pegasus.

Pegasus fingered his chin thoughtfully. "Hmmm…I hadn't thought about that…but now that you bring it up, it's not unreasonable to assume that the Zodiacs did lend a helping hand in a few of JUDAS's more covert activities…"

"We're not talking about JUDAS now—they're already over and done with," Malachi said gruffly. "Wanna get back to the story at hand, now…?"

"Yes…he's right." Kaiba nodded assent. "Anyway, Lassiter took up their offer and threatened me, saying he'd send 'evidence' to the press that Kaibacorp was indeed responsible for this virus that was ruining the other businesses, unless I signed over the majority of my stock and my monetary assets to him." He now looked grim. "Yugi and company…you may recall that I told you he tried to set me up for blackmail, back when JUDAS first attacked in Domino City…well, that's essentially the reason behind that blackmail in the first place."

"But you sued him, didn't you? That's what you told us," Mrs. Bakura reminded him.

"Yes, I did sue him—for defamation of character, slander, and libel," Kaiba nodded. "And he was close to penniless by the time my team of personal lawyers was done with him."

"And he retaliated by murdering my mother and uncle with JUDAS's power…" Seta muttered darkly.

There was a heavy silence following Seta's comment. Then Mrs. Taylor cleared her throat. "So, um…how _did_ you manage to escape the Zodiacs, Seta?"

"Oh, yeah…well, that didn't exactly happen overnight." Seta ran a hand over his face. "For the next eight years after my mom and Uncle Mokuba died, Dad continued to send me to Vela Dorado—we didn't suspect then that they might have had a hand in the creation of the card virus. As I grew older, however, I began to feel a little uneasy with what was happening—but my instructors kept advising me not to think about it, and also not to get my father involved again or else I'd risk putting him in trouble like what had happened when he had to go to court to defend himself against Lassiter. And, meanwhile…the 'field trips' became far less frequent, but still secretly raked in millions for the Zodiacs nonetheless."

Kaiba clenched his fist. "Then, four years ago…that's when everything came to a head," he told the others. "I kept personally monitoring the virus's traits, what made it similar to or different from other common computer viruses. And I was suspicious that this virus only ever took effect with Kaibacorp technology, so I decided to do a little investigating of my own. I asked my retainer, Roland, to covertly check to see if any of Kaibacorp's employees could be conspiring against me…but what I learned was something completely different…"

----------

KAIBACORP, FOUR YEARS EARLIER

_"Master Kaiba! Master Kaiba!"_

_Kaiba was seated in his office, looking out the window and lost in deep thought, when suddenly the noisy banging at his door accompanied by the insistent calling of his name brought him back to earth. "What?" he barked. "I thought I sent orders that I must not be disturbed right now!"_

_"I'm sorry, Master Kaiba, but this cannot wait!" Roland's voice shot back from the other side of the door._

_Kaiba heaved a disgruntled sigh. "Fine, Roland. Come in. But this had better be good."_

_A second later Roland burst into the office, looking very frantic. In one hand he held a huge dossier. "Now, Roland, be quick about it. What's the problem that requires my attention so urgently?" Kaiba asked, a tad impatiently._

_"Master Kaiba, I've found something very disturbing," Roland answered, waving the dossier. "While I was searching for any possible company conspirators as you'd instructed, I decided to run a background check on all current and past employees…it took me all of last night and this morning, but I think I've got something!"_

_"You THINK?" Kaiba raised an eyebrow. "You'll have to do better than that to convince me. Now, what is it you 'think' you have?"_

_Roland set the dossier down on the desk in front of Kaiba and opened it. "I went as far back as the list of employees who worked under your adopted father, Gozaburo, at the time of your initial takeover," he explained. "Now, take a look right here, sir…" and he indicated on one page with his finger._

_Kaiba scanned the page Roland was pointing out. To that page was attached a snapshot of an elderly man. "Sullivan Zabel…was in charge of weapons designing during Gozaburo's reign of Kaibacorp, back when the company still provided tools of warfare to other countries…" He glanced up at Roland. "So? All of that is old news, Roland…I purged Kaibacorp of that garbage when I took it over from Gozaburo."_

_"Just read the rest of his file, sir," Roland urged._

_Sighing, Kaiba complied and read on. "After Gozaburo lost his position as CEO of Kaibacorp, Zabel was immediately fired along with well over half of the original staff. He died four years later of heart failure." He shook his head. "Okay, so the old man is dead. And? Are you suggesting that this corpse created the virus while he was still breathing, Roland?"_

_"Well, no, sir…there's nothing in his file that indicates he worked on technological viruses of any sort…" Roland answered nervously._

_"Then why show me a dead man's excuse for an autobiography?" Kaiba asked, his voice taking on a wrathful tone._

_"Well, sir…look on the next page and you will understand," Roland replied._

_Glaring at the retainer for a moment, Kaiba flipped the page and read. "Sullivan Zabel's known surviving family…one son…"_

_Then he paused and stared hard at the page. "Roland…is this some kind of sick prank?"_

_"No, sir," said Roland. "Everything you see there is as accurate and factual as it gets."_

_Kaiba's grip on the dossier tightened. The page he was looking at had a snapshot of the deceased Sullivan Zabel's son, with the name "Bryce Zabel" etched underneath. "Roland…" Now Kaiba's voice was steely. "I believe I'm going to pay this Bryce Zabel a little visit. Ready the limo at once!"_

_"Right away, Mr. Kaiba!" Roland nodded, then turned and swiftly left the room._

_Kaiba, meanwhile, continued staring at the photo of Bryce Zabel. "Shit…so this explains everything…Bryce Zabel, you son-of-a-bitch…!"_

----------

**_neomage:_** It's amazing how many chapters I've been able to condense Seta's past story into, isn't it? Only two chapters so far! Well…will the next chapter be the finale of the telling of the past? We'll see, won't we? Now, on to the next chapter!


	285. Chapter 285

Yu-Gi-Oh! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER:The third chapter for 2007…and still neomage doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of its products save for a few cards.)

**CHAPTER 285**

THE INDUSTRIAL ILLUSIONS LINER, BACK IN THE PRESENT DAY

"So…who was this Bryce Zabel? Was he the Zodiacs' leader or something?" Mr. Wheeler wanted to know.

Kaiba sniffed. "He was worse than that…far, far worse…"

----------

VELA DORADO BOARDING SCHOOL, FOUR YEARS EARLIER

_The limousine pulled up outside the gates to the Vela Dorado school; Roland swiftly hopped out and hurried to open the back door. Then Kaiba stepped out, holding a sealed envelope and bearing a furious expression on his face. "Roland…wait out here," he said sternly. "If I'm not out in twenty minutes, you know what to do."_

_"Yes, sir," said Roland, standing guard by the car._

_With that, Kaiba stalked toward the school gate…only to see the burly security guard approaching. "May I help you, sir?" the guard asked._

_"Yes." Kaiba didn't beat around the bush. "I've come to see the headmaster. It's urgent."_

_"I'm sorry, but he's not seeing anyone now," said the guard._

_Kaiba's eyes flashed. "Oh, but he WILL see ME. Let him know that Seto Kaiba wants a word with him, if you please."_

_Seeing the determined look on Kaiba's face, the guard shrugged. "One moment…" Then he went toward his post, where a telephone extension stood, and quickly punched in a number. "Hello, front desk? Yes…I have Seto Kaiba out here, and he wants to speak to Mr. Sanvol at once…oh? Oh, all right, then."_

_Kaiba looked at him expectantly. "So…?"_

_The guard nodded. "Go right ahead." And he opened the gate._

_Kaiba headed past the guard, right toward the front door. Opening it, he headed into the waiting area, flicking a wary glance at the receptionist. Seeing his approach, she looked up. "Ah, Mr. Kaiba," she hailed him._

_"Spare me," Kaiba said gruffly. "Where's the headmaster?"_

_"In his office," the lady answered._

_Nodding, Kaiba headed for that direction. Then, arriving outside Mr. Sanvol's door, he didn't even bother to knock—he just opened it and walked right in. "You little fraud!" he snarled._

_Mr. Sanvol was standing just behind his desk, facing the wall. On the desk was a brandy-wine bottle. In one hand he held a glass of brandy; he swished the drink around in the glass a little. "Ah, Mr. Kaiba, good evening," he said, seemingly unfazed by the sudden entrance. "I was told you wished to see me—but I had no idea you were this heated. A glass of brandy to cool your spirits, perhaps?"_

_Kaiba scowled more deeply. "Save your false show, Sanvol…"_

_Then he waved the sealed envelope in the air. "Or would you prefer…Bryce Zabel, son of Sullivan Zabel, former employee of Kaibacorp under the employ of Gozaburo Kaiba?"_

_The headmaster didn't move for a moment. Then he chuckled. "I see…so you found that out, eh? Well, is that why you're so upset—just because I happened to change my name—legally, might I add?"_

_"Changing your name is one thing…the reason you did is something entirely different," Kaiba said coldly._

_"Well, sir…my memory seems to have dulled in that regard," Zabel remarked. "Would you be so kind as to remind me, if you can?"_

_Kaiba knitted his eyebrows. "Back when Gozaburo still controlled Kaibacorp," he said slowly, with controlled anger, "your father Sullivan was seen as a genius in his field of weapons development. He was the brains behind various weapons that the company developed and sold to the world's military powers, and he even came up with ideas for weapons of war that, at that time, had never even been conceptualized. For that, he was hailed as Kaibacorp's most valuable employee. But then I came into power…did a complete revamp of the company's workforce…and fired anyone who couldn't contribute in any way to my dream of the gaming company that Kaibacorp would soon be. And your old man was among those who I gave the boot."_

_Throughout all of this, Zabel's back was still turned to Kaiba. He swished the brandy around in his glass again. "So…you believe that I'm trying to get revenge in some way for my father's dismissal? Well, if that's all you have, it's quite weak."_

_"That is true…but that's not all I've got," Kaiba continued. "Late into his career, your father specialized in nanotechnology and virus development. His nanotech weapons could be used for extremely subtle mind control, or to ravage the body of any hapless victim in such a way as to mimic commonplace body malfunctions such as heart attacks or the like. The viruses he created could be masqueraded as commonplace software—even firewalls could be viruses in disguise. When I did my little research, I found these and others of your father's creations among the archived list of weapons that I had destroyed after my takeover."_

_His jaw tightened as he continued to speak. "Old man Sullivan was quite notorious for refusing to reveal his secrets behind his weaponry to just anyone—but I have a good feeling that he might've taught you a few of his tricks before he died. Then, you modified what you'd learned, somehow hacked into Kaibacorp's Duel Monster satellite system, and inserted a virus from there. That way, you could use your 'dueling virus' to infiltrate other companies, claim their secrets and rake in billions, all while placing the blame at my feet—after all, a Kaibacorp employee DID come up with a variation of that virus back in the day."_

_"Tsk, tsk, tsk…all speculation and theories, Kaiba," Zabel answered. "You're a well-respected man in the business community—but I'd think you were smarter than that. If you were to go to the authorities with that little fairy tale, they'd laugh you right out the door. And besides, you've had enough legal troubles already, what with your suit of that lawyer of yours and your personal quarrel with Maximillion Pegasus lately—oh, yes, both have been widely publicized, you know. Plus, your company's been at the heart of controversy and scandal in the past…this accusation you're throwing at me will harm you more than I."_

_"Well, theory or not, I won't take my chances," Kaiba said stonily. "My only regret is that I didn't come to this realization sooner. But now…I can make it right. And the first thing I'm going to do…"_

_"Hmmm?" Zabel smirked and raised the brandy glass to his lips._

_Kaiba glared at the other man's back. "I'm going to pull Seta out of this sham of a school."_

_There was a moment's silence…then slowly Zabel turned to face Kaiba directly. "You wish to withdraw your son from Vela Dorado?"_

_"Are you deaf?" Kaiba demanded._

_Zabel chuckled. "If you're going to be so…insistent about it…then all right."_

_He picked up the phone and dialed a number. He waited for a bit; then presently he spoke. "Security…would you be so kind as to fetch Seta Kaiba from his dorm room and bring him to my office? Yes, thank you very much."_

_Kaiba watched him suspiciously as Zabel replaced the phone. "No tricks, now," he said warningly._

_Chuckling, Zabel sat down, setting his brandy glass on the desk as he did so. "You know something? You're right. There should be no tricks…there should be _judgment!"

_Suddenly, with one swift motion, he pushed hard on the desk, pushing his chair backward toward the wall. Before Kaiba could react, Zabel's hand shot up—bearing a pistol! "What—" was all Kaiba managed to get out before Zabel pulled the trigger, firing a bullet into the other man's shoulder!_

_Grimacing as the sudden pain hit him, Kaiba was partially flung back by the force of the bullet, slamming into the wall near the door. "Ungh…you shit-head…" he hissed as he slumped to the ground, holding his shoulder where he'd been hit._

_Casually blowing smoke from the tip of the gun's barrel, Zabel got up and walked over to where Kaiba lay on the ground, blood oozing from his wound. "I'm ashamed, Seto Kaiba…you're supposed to be far more cautious than that," he remarked. "Perhaps the years have stripped you of your spryness of your youth…or maybe being a family man has softened you?"_

_Suddenly, raising one foot, he stomped his heel hard into Kaiba's wounded shoulder. "GYAAAA!" Kaiba hollered as Zabel ground his heel into the wound._

_His foot still on Kaiba's shoulder, Zabel leaned forward a little. "This time around, brat…this time around, you were right to be suspicious of me," he whispered harshly. "Let me tell you a little story. My father was indeed Kaibacorp's most prized employee during Gozaburo's reign. He was better paid than many of the other folks who worked there, simply because his ideas were so brilliant…in fact, the only ones who had a higher salary than Dad were the executives who made up the members of the Big Five. We were rich, comfortable, without wants or cares…_

_"Then you and your brother Mokuba came along, adopted by Gozaburo after his own son Noah died. Then, a couple of years after that, you overthrew Gozaburo, took his company from him, changed it into the silly little game corporation that it is now…and fired my old man just because he couldn't fit into your narrow-minded plans! Dad never lived it down, never…even when he died, he died cursing your name, did you know that? His work at Kaibacorp was his very life…and you took his life from him!"_

_He pressed his foot into Kaiba's bleeding shoulder some more; Kaiba grimaced as new pain shot though his body. "Well…ever since my father was buried, I've spent the last decade planning my revenge against you, you thief," Zabel snarled. "Our family fortune from Dad's work at Kaibacorp, and the technological secrets that he left with me, have come in very handy, I dare say. I was able to get in touch with a number of former Kaibacorp employees and affiliates of Gozaburo across the globe, all who're very disgruntled at what you've done with the company since your takeover. I've managed to band them together under one goal—to see you crushed into the ground like the bug you are. And, yes, this school has been a front all along—a way for me and my organization to garner funds from unsuspecting rich morons, to finance our campaign of vengeance against the man who stole everything from our benefactor and ruined our lives."_

_Kaiba glared at Zabel, in spite of his own agony. "You'll never get away with this…"_

_"Such a clichéd statement, Kaiba—maybe you've been watching too many movies," Zabel replied. "Oh, wait, forgive my misuse of words—I shouldn't even be calling you Kaiba, should I? You only got that name because Gozaburo adopted you. As far as I'm concerned, you're nothing but a thief, a liar and a fraud. You were calling me a fraud before—well, you're just the pot calling the kettle black."_

_Suddenly, the door opened—and in stalked the burly security guard from the front gate, holding Seta by the shoulder. Seta took one look at his crippled father and was horrified. "Dad! What happened?" he exclaimed, attempting to run forward—but the guard swiftly grabbed him in a tight arm-lock around the neck._

_"Let him go!" Kaiba demanded—but Zabel thrust his foot into the injured shoulder again, causing the other man to wince._

_"You're not in a position to be barking orders to anybody—not this time," Zabel said coldly. "And now, I can truly concentrate on my plan to restore Kaibacorp to its former glory."_

_"What…what're you saying?" Seta gasped, even as he struggled for more air in the arm-lock he was caught in._

_"Listen, and listen well, little man," Zabel said coolly. "Your mother and your uncle are already dead, right? Well, in a moment your father's going to be joining them—and once I arrange for your uncle in Egypt to be…taken care of, that'll leave you as the sole heir to all of his fortune, including the technology that Kaibacorp currently boasts. And the only way I can get my hands on any of that fortune is if there is a legitimate heir to Kaibacorp still living. By using you as my puppet, I'll be able to restore the company to the glory it once enjoyed…and my thirst for revenge will be satisfied."_

_"You're insane! There's no way Seta would ever agree to help you, even if you did spare his life in exchange!" Kaiba grated._

_"Hmph. And who says he'll have any choice in the matter?" Zabel replied. "From the very first day you enrolled him here, you made it possible for me to manipulate him. But don't worry, you won't get the chance to find out what it feels like to have everything taken from you…because you won't live to see me savor my triumph." And then, with a nasty feral grin, he cocked the gun and pointed it straight at Kaiba's head._

_"Grrrr…" Kaiba flinched and closed his eyes._

_Frantic, Seta squirmed in the guard's grasp. "Hold still!" the guard snapped._

_"Yeah, keep him steady…I want him to watch as his father dies by my hand, just like my father died because of him." Zabel then pressed the gun to Kaiba's temple. "Goodbye, _Seto._ May you be damned to hell, forever."_

_"NO!" Seta yelled out._

_Zabel's finger began to press the trigger…_

_…but then all of a sudden the door burst inward, knocking the guard down and freeing Seta from his grasp in the process! "Huh?" Zabel exclaimed, looking up—seconds before Roland tackled him._

_"Roland!" Seta cried._

_"Master Seta! Help Master Kaiba!" Roland called to him, even as he and Zabel were now struggling for control of the gun._

_"Let…go…you…bastard…!" Zabel fumed, grabbing Roland's face with one hand._

_Suddenly the gun, pointed toward the ceiling, accidentally fired a shot! The bullet whacked right into the overhead ceiling fan's electric motor, sending a shower of sparks down to the ground! Both Roland and Zabel winced as some of the sparks hit them; nevertheless, Zabel swiftly took advantage of Roland's momentary to roughly shove him into the wall. "All right, meddler—die!" he raged, pointing the gun straight at Roland's face._

_Seta, in the process of aiding his injured father to his feet at that moment, looked up and saw Zabel's gun aimed at Roland. "No!" he cried, running forward and slamming into Zabel with all his strength._

_"Wha…!" Zabel exclaimed—and just as his gun-hand got diverted in another direction via Seta's action and he himself fell forward, he inadvertently squeezed the trigger. The resulting blast shattered the brandy bottle that had still been on his desk up to now…and some of the flying shrapnel hit Zabel square in the face even as he landed on the desk, covered in alcohol from the smashed bottle!_

_"GYAAAAA! MY EYES!" Zabel shrieked, dropping the gun and inadvertently lifting both hands to his bleeding face, from which bits and pieces of broken bottle-glass protruded—and even as he howled his agony, the still-shooting sparks from the damaged ceiling fan landed on him…and the sparks set the spilled brandy alight!_

_"Oh…my…" Seta stood there, stunned, even as Zabel—now both blinded and ablaze—thrashed about wildly._

_"No, Master Seta! Don't look!" Roland was upon him in a moment, forcefully turning his face away._

_Kaiba, meanwhile, was standing groggily at the door where Seta had left him. "Get away from that guy, you two!" he said with as much authority as he could muster, considering he was still badly hurt. "Let's get out of here!"_

_Seta and Roland ran over to Kaiba, slinging his arms over their shoulders. As they led him out of the room, Seta momentarily glanced back, in time to see Zabel, his eyes bloody and the rest of his body partially on fire, madly grappling with the bookcases, setting them ablaze in the process, even as more sparks from the damaged fan continued to shower down on the room. "KAIBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Zabel bellowed in fury, still thrashing about._

_"Seta…don't look back. Let's just go." That soft but firm command from his father was all Seta needed to turn his eyes forward, away from the disturbing image taking place behind him…_

----------

THE INDUSTRIAL ILLUSIONS LINER, BACK IN THE PRESENT DAY

"…whoa…" Luke didn't know what else to say.

"Sounds like something out of a movie," David whispered.

"In the end, Roland and I got Dad out of there," Seta said quietly. "The fire started right there, in the headmaster's office, and it spread pretty quickly through the rest of the compound. The students and staff were able to escape without serious injury…only Sanvol—no, Zabel—didn't make it out in time."

"Funnily enough, when the authorities began their investigations, no representatives came forward to give any statements," Kaiba added. "I'm guessing they couldn't afford to, anyway—the police found quite a number of money laundering rooms and stolen technology hidden underneath the compound, in a few areas that had been untouched by the fire. So, it's just as I had suspected and Zabel confirmed—the entire school system of Vela Dorado was just a front for their secret activities. Needless to say, when that general info hit the media, parents who'd enrolled their kids there were demanding some form of compensation. It really wasn't pretty."

"And then after all that…" Seta sighed. "Dad decided that he and I would move away from Domino City for a couple of years. We left Kaibacorp in Roland's hands while we headed off to Dad's American branch…and there we were living for the past four years. Up until the time Dad finally decided to return to Japan, we were always on our guard…never knowing if or when the Zodiacs might make a move on me…even when I entered the tournament circuit and made a name for myself as World Champion, I was always on the alert."

He looked squarely at Yugo's group. "I'm not expecting that any of you will sympathize with me, since you don't know what it's been like for me. I'm not even expecting any of you to forgive me for having kept this information from you for so long. I just wanted to let you know…because, for the first time…ever since I've been around you guys…I've begun to feel like I could trust someone again. You're the first real friends I've had in ages…and for that I thank you. But if you want to despise me for keeping secrets…then I'll understand."

He stood up from where he'd been seated, and quietly walked away. All eyes were on him as he headed for the dining hall's exit; then he was gone.

Yugo's eyes narrowed. _Seta…_

----------

**_neomage:_** Only three chapters…in all honesty, I believed it would've been more than that. But oh well. Now, next chapter I want to deal with the other characters' reaction to the whole story, and to Kaiba and Seta in particular…so keep reading and look out for that!


	286. Chapter 286

Yu-Gi-Oh! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER:Only a few days before the start of the new school semester for me…and even so, I still don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**CHAPTER 286**

THE INDUSTRIAL ILLUSIONS LINER, A LITTLE WHILE LATER

"Well…that was quite a story we heard back there, wasn't it?" Miki said thoughtfully.

"Yeah, it sure was," Jenna agreed. "And even now, I don't really know whether to be mad at Seta…or to pity him…"

The two of them were standing by the ship's deck railing alongside Kyo, looking out at the moonlit sea. Kyo leaned over the railing and sighed. "You know what's got me?" he remarked. "The fact that those JUDAS goons were spawned from the Zodiacs."

"Yes…I was quite surprised to hear that Odachi had been a member of the Zodiacs once," Jenna replied. "Personally, it makes me all the more determined to see these people shut down for good."

Miki sighed. "I just wish that this whole tournament could've been a little more _normal,_ you know what I mean? Instead, we had to contend with people trying to do all manner of evil to us…just because of something Seta did years ago…"

"How d'you suppose Yugo's taking it?" Kyo asked. "I mean, he's always thought rather highly of Seta. And now, to find out that Seta used to be one of the very people who've been hunting us down…it must be hard for Yugo, I think."

"I hope Yugo will be okay, all things considered," Jenna said quietly.

"And what about us? How exactly do we look at Seta from here on out?" Miki wondered. "I mean, do we still look at him as a good guy…or do we view him as a bad guy?"

"Well, if you ask me…" Kyo ran a hand through his hair. "As far as I'm concerned, Seta was just an unfortunate victim of circumstance. It's not as if he deliberately chose to be a Zodiac back then, you know."

"Yeah, that's true," Jenna admitted. "But it doesn't make the pill any less bitter to swallow, you know what I mean?"

"In any case, let's not hold it against Seta…he's gone through enough turbulent times," said Kyo. "At least, for his and Yugo's sakes…"

"I agree with that," Miki nodded.

"Yeah…me too," Jenna answered.

----------

"I see…so you actually had an idea what was going on from before, did you?"

Malachi and Miriam were standing elsewhere on the deck, looking up at the night sky together. "Yes…I actually got to Pegasus's castle after I beat my first-round opponent…and I learned a little of what was going on," Miriam admitted. "I'm sorry I didn't say anything before…but I'd promised Pegasus I wouldn't."

Malachi glanced at her, then reset his gaze on the night sky. "Don't worry about it. I'd actually suspected you knew something about these Zodiac punks…but I was willing to wait a while till you were ready to talk to me. Besides, Pegasus surely must've had his own reasons for wanting to keep it quiet, right?"

"Yeah." Miriam nodded. "So that there wouldn't be any panic among the competitors."

"But now, we've all found out, anyway." Malachi chuckled a little. "But you know something? After hearing Seta Kaiba's little story just now…I can't help but feel sorry for him. After all…those pricks used him…just like Abel Drake used me."

Miriam looked forlornly at her brother. "Malachi…"

Then Malachi glanced behind him. "What is it, you two?"

Standing there were David and Luke. "Oh, boss, Miriam…we finally found you," David remarked. "You just up and left the dining hall after Seta walked out. We were wondering where you'd disappeared to."

"And now, here we've found you," added Luke. "Just taking a breath of fresh air, were you?"

"Actually…we were just talking about thing just now," said Miriam. "You're welcome to join in, if you'd like."

The two brothers joined Malachi and Miriam. "Um, boss…while we were looking for you, David brought up something that's caused me to think about what's been happening lately," Luke remarked. "Oy, bro, why don't you tell them?"

"Yeah, David…what is it?" Miriam looked curiously at David.

David put his hands into his pockets and sighed deeply. "Well…I was contemplating it while I was listening to Seta tell his story to us," he admitted. "Abel Drake made our lives a living hell. Drake was a member of JUDAS. JUDAS's leader used to be one of those Zodiac people. So…aren't the Zodiacs the ones who're truly responsible for what we've had to endure all our lives?"

Malachi looked hard at David. "David…that just now…has got to be the first thing I've ever heard you say that I could actually agree with," he remarked.

"Yes…it IS true, isn't it?" Miriam marveled.

Malachi turned his back on the group and stared up at the moon. His hands clenched into tightly balled fists. "So…all along…Abel Drake was merely a small piece of a much bigger picture," he said harshly. "Which means…my revenge is still not completed after all…and won't be until the Zodiacs' leader is taken down!"

"We're all in this together, boss," Luke addressed him. "All of us standing here…we're all going to do whatever we can to pay them back in full!"

"Got that right!" agreed Miriam.

"Same here!" added David.

Malachi nodded with resolution. "Then there's no need for debate…until these Zodiac bastards are made extinct, we're going to give whatever support we can give against them, and then some!" And then, as if to reinforce his declaration, the wind blew hard against the four of them, but none of them flinched.

----------

Back in the ship's dining hall…

"Whoa! No freakin' way! So the others were actually part of this organization we just heard about?" Ricardo asked in dismay.

"Yep." Janus nodded gravely. "Cassius and Angel…"

"…and my big brother," Natasha added quietly.

"That is just so…" Ricardo heaved a sigh. "So…are they gonna be in trouble?"

"No way of knowing for sure, man," Janus shrugged. "I guess that's up to the good folks back at Duel Academy to decide, now."

"But guys, I'm real worried about that other person that's still on board—Kyo's opponent, I mean," said Natasha.

"You mean Zander? Well…we'll just have to keep an eye on him and watch ourselves around him, won't we?" Janus chuckled.

"Excuse me…"

All three automatically looked up at the sound of Mr. Truesdale's voice. "Boys…might I have a moment? I'd like to talk to Natasha," he said to them.

Janus and Ricardo looked at each other. "Uh, yeah, sure thing, Mr. Truesdale," said Janus. "C'mon, Ricardo, let's head over here."

With that, the two boys wandered off, leaving father and daughter alone. Natasha looked up at Mr. Truesdale. "Daddy…"

Mr. Truesdale didn't say anything for a moment. Then, slowly, he went down on one knee before her. "Natasha…I just want to let you know…I'm sorry I never told you the truth about your mother," he said softly.

Natasha looked him straight in the face. Then after a moment she cast her eyes down. "Maybe…maybe if Mommy was still alive, we'd all be happy…" she whispered. "James wouldn't hate me…and you wouldn't be disappointed in me…"

Mr. Truesdale shook his head. "I miss her, too, you know…but we have to live for ourselves now, and concentrate on the present. I think it's what she would've wanted for us," he said. "And, in any case…I have to shoulder a lot of the blame. I mean, I've been your father only by name and by blood…but I haven't really been a _dad _to you and your brother, have I?"

"Daddy…" Natasha didn't know what else to say.

"Listen, Natasha," Mr. Truesdale continued. "I saw your duel with James. I saw how you handled yourself. True, you didn't win…but you displayed a lot of courage even in the face of defeat. That, I think, makes you a far more mature duelist than any Obelisk Blue student I've ever seen. I know you're disappointed because you lost…but I'm proud of you, nonetheless." He looked at her intently. "My only question is…will you accept this compliment…especially seeing how badly I've messed up as a parent?"

Natasha stared at him…and her only response was to fling her arms around his neck. "Daddy…" she whimpered as she started to cry. And Mr. Truesdale just wrapped his own arms around her in a fatherly embrace, even as she wept on his shoulder.

----------

Just outside the dining hall, Dr. Crowler and Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki were standing together. "Dr. Crowler…aren't you worried?" she said presently.

"How do you mean, Alexis?" Dr. Crowler inquired.

"What Seta said—about that card he was referencing," Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki answered. "He said the Zodiacs based it on one of a number of cards that had been sealed underneath Duel Academy. Does that bring anything to mind?" She gave him a knowing look.

Now Dr. Crowler looked very grave. "That only means that they must've done quite a bit of research into Duel Academy and its goings-on…the very fact that _those_ cards existed isn't supposed to be a well-known fact in this day and age."

"It has to have been that boy, Zander Zabel," said Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki. "You did see the deck strategy he used in his match earlier, right? That Destiny Hero deck? That deck is supposed to be one-of-a-kind…used only by Aster Phoenix…"

"And last I'd heard, Phoenix had quit dueling a number of years back to pursue business interests," Dr. Crowler added. "So, it could only be one of three possible explanations for that boy having a deck similar to his—either Phoenix gave him his deck, or Pegasus decided to make more of those cards, or those cards could be clever forgeries. And I shudder to think that Phoenix could even be remotely associated with them…"

"…and Pegasus hasn't announced any new cards from Industrial Illusions in a while," added Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki. "So, true, either those cards are clever fakes, or Aster's deck was stolen at some point by the Zodiacs. In any case, though, we need to watch that Zander carefully…make sure he doesn't get a chance to pull off any underhanded tricks."

"Indeed," Dr. Crowler nodded.

----------

"Honey…? Honey, where are you at?"

Raven walked along the deck, looking around for his sister. Then presently he spotted her, standing alone near the side-rail. "There you are," he chuckled. "You weren't planning to jump off over the side, were you?"

"Ha, ha. Real hysterical, Raven," Honey snorted.

Raven joined her at the railing. "Let me guess…thinking about what Seta just told everyone?" he asked, speaking more seriously.

"Yeah…" Honey shook her head. "Honestly, I had no idea such terrible people were even at Dueltropolis, much less tailing Seta for any reason."

"You and me both, sis," Raven replied. "And we were traveling alongside Seta for most of the tournament…he sure did a pretty good job keeping it from all of us."

Honey hung her head. "To tell the truth, bro…I don't even know whether to be angry at him for keeping such a secret from us…or to feel sorry that he had to live such a life," she said quietly. "I'm so mixed up about all of this…"

She felt a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Hey…" Raven said softly. "I can't tell you how you're supposed to act. Nobody can—nobody except YOU. Only you can make that decision for yourself." He nodded at her. "The best I can tell you, Honey, is to take a little time and think about it. Think about how you really feel about Seta…then decide if this bit of news is going to influence how you'll act around him from now on. Just promise me one thing…"

Honey looked quizzically at him. "What?"

Now Raven smiled a little. "That you won't get all emotional, no matter what your decision is. The last thing I need is to have to deal with a teary-eyed baby sister."

"Shut up! I'm not a baby!" Honey snapped, punching him in the shoulder.

"Bah, a fly could hit harder than you," Raven teased.

Honey shook her head. "Still…you're right. I do need to take a little time to think about this. And it definitely won't change anything one way or the other if I break down. So...I'll be strong. As strong as I can possibly be, and then some."

Raven nodded with approval, patting Honey on her head. "That's a smart sister."

----------

Elsewhere on the ship, Blaze, Wade, Marcus, Flora and Shigeo were all together, away from the others. "So…anyone want to share what they think of Seta's tale?" Wade ventured.

"Hmph. Are we supposed to care?" Marcus grunted, crossing his arms.

"Marcus! How can you say something like that?" Flora exclaimed, very surprised.

"Well, think about it—does what happened to him have anything to do with us?" Marcus countered. "I mean, sure, what happened to him wasn't the most pleasant thing to ever happen to anybody…but how does it affect us as individuals?"

Blaze narrowed her eyes. "Need I remind you, Marcus, that you yourself said it a while earlier? Your duel with Zander Zabel could've gotten you hurt, or worse…and quite a number of the other duelists, none of whom ever had anything to do with Seta a decade ago, have been targeted by these Zodiacs—what does that indicate? That they aren't going to discriminate when it comes to hurting people!"

"And you really can't blame Seta for any of it, when you seriously stop to think about it," Shigeo put in. "Sure, those guys may have entered Dueltropolis targeting him…but is that honestly his fault? Is any of what happened to him over the past twelve years his fault?"

"Well, Seta's not the one I'm concerned about right now," said Flora. "The one that concerns me is that fellow, Zander. Look what he almost made happen to Kyo!"

Wade leaned back and stretched. "Well, I wouldn't worry about it too much," he remarked. "Because Kyo's safe and sound now, right? And besides that, even if that Zander guy is one of the Zodiacs, so what? He's just one guy, and he's way outnumbered by the rest of us here on this ship!"

"Yeah…one guy with insane power…" Marcus muttered.

"Well…all of us here are out of the tournament by now, so there's only so much we can do," sighed Blaze. "Let's just hope that whoever goes up against him in the upcoming round of the tournament knocks him out…"

"And if he's eliminated, whatever plan he and his Zodiac friends may have had won't come to pass!" Shigeo finished.

"Let's hope so," said Flora.

----------

In a separate room on the ship, Pegasus, Mr. Devlin, Mr. Von Schroeder and Ms. Wong were seated together around a small table. "So now everybody knows of Seta's little secret," said Ms. Wong quietly.

"How do you suppose Yugi and his friends are taking it?" Mr. Von Schroeder inquired.

"If I know that bunch, then not very well," Mr. Devlin replied with a wry chuckle. "As I remember it, any past secrets or grouses that Kaiba's ever or that's ever been held against him has somehow adversely affected anybody who's come into contact with him later on. His adopted father, Gozaburo…Alister of the Doma organization…even you, Zigfried…"

"That was a long time ago," Mr. Von Schroeder snorted.

"And now, one more nutcase with a grudge against Kaiba influences events even after death—and a former Kaibacorp employee, at that," sighed Mr. Devlin.

"Only this time, it's not so much Kaiba or Yugi or any of their friends who're affected by all this—it's their children," Pegasus said sadly. "Seta has had to bear the brunt of hatred that's directed against his father…and Seta's friends are now going to be quite affected by the revelation that he has just made."

"I suppose there's a curse to be associated with the name of Kaiba, hmm?" Mr. Von Schroeder wondered.

"As crassly as that was just put, I suppose it's quite appropriate, given the circumstances of this case," said Ms. Wong. "But…Seta isn't just another Kaiba to be hated or abused because of his father's actions. He's just…who he is…right?"

"Unfortunately, not everybody thinks that way—and THAT is the reality that we have to accept," said Pegasus. "For now…the best we can really do is give the Kaibas as much support as we can against this threat to their existence."

"Indeed," said Mr. Von Schroeder.

"Well, they have MY support—I'll let you all know that from now," said Ms. Wong, her face hardening with determination. "And none of those Zodiac clowns are going to make me change my mind now or ever."

"Hear, hear," and Mr. Devlin nodded with a smirk on his face.

"That goes extra for most of us, I hope," and Pegasus now allowed himself a semblance of a smile.

----------

**_neomage:_** Well, now…I figured I wouldn't be able to deal with everyone in the space of one chapter…so, those who haven't been covered in this one will definitely be dealt with next chappie! And…in a few short days, a new semester begins at school for me! But don't worry—I'll find time to continue writing and updating whenever I can during the period of imprisonment—uh, I mean, school-time—that'll be coming up!

So…read and review soon, everybody!


	287. Chapter 287

Yu-Gi-Oh! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER:Yu-Gi-Oh is the property of Kazuki Takahashi. Wow, it's been a while since I said it like that…)

**CHAPTER 287**

THE INDUSTRIAL ILLUSIONS LINER

"Man, this is totally bogus…" Mr. Taylor pouted. "All this time, and Kaiba didn't think he could tell us about any of this?"

"Give him a break, Tristan—you couldn't possibly expect him to tell you something so sensitive, could you?" Mrs. Taylor scolded him. "It was something personal and private, after all, and something that would've brought him great embarrassment!"

"Yeah…so personal and private, that his own personal demons choose to jump out of his past and attack other people who've otherwise had no involvement in the matter in question," Mr. Wheeler grunted sarcastically.

"I do have to admit, Kaiba's always had something of a problem keeping his personal quarrels close to home," admitted Mrs. Bakura. "But, you guys, right now it's not so much about Kaiba…it's about his son."

"That's right," said Grandma Muto. "The poor child…he's been used as a tool of hatred, just because of a personal quarrel in which he never had any say to begin with…"

"So…what happens now, now that we know the true circumstances behind the Zodiacs' motivation?" Mrs. Wheeler asked.

Mr. Bakura chuckled. "I suppose we'll just have to do what we've always done best—lend our support in driving these guys off. How many times have we had to get involved in issues regarding the Kaiba family, after all?"

"And how many times have we helped Kaiba's ungrateful ass, only to have him go all 'Oh, I could've handled it without you geeks' assistance'?" Mr. Wheeler asked.

"All right, Joey, that's just plain mean," Mrs. Taylor rebuked her brother. "Sure, Kaiba may not have ever been thankful for much…but I believe we'd still help him, regardless, right? After all, he HAS helped us out in exchange lots of times before."

"And even if Kaiba didn't help in exchange…I know for a fact that Yugi would still render assistance to him regardless, because it's the right thing to do," added Mrs. Bakura.

"That surely sounds like something Yugi would do, for real," Mrs. Wheeler nodded. "By the way, though, where _is_ Yugi?"

"Hmmm…he's probably talking to one of the Committee members about this whole affair or something," Grandma Muto suggested.

"Or maybe he went to go chew Kaiba out for keeping secrets—it would serve him right, too," Mr. Taylor scowled.

"Tristan!" Mrs. Taylor hissed in a rebuking tone.

----------

Outside on the ship's deck, Jillian stood by the railing, watching the cascading waves of the nighttime sea. "Sir Seta…Sir Kaiba…" she whispered.

"Excuse me…"

Looking behind her, Jillian saw a familiar figure approaching. "Oh…you're…"

Mr. Muto nodded as he came up to her. "Did I disturb your quiet time?"

"No…not really. I was just thinking about what Sir Seta just said about his past," Jillian admitted.

"I see." Mr. Muto nodded with understanding. "And what do you think of it?"

Jillian shook her head. "To tell the truth, I was quite surprised when I heard it…but at least now it explains a few things…such as Sir Seta's behavior prior to the World Championships…"

"Really?" Mr. Muto asked.

Jillian nodded. "That day…he seemed on edge…he said he'd been threatened by someone who wanted him to back out of the tournament…now I know that that was a lie. He didn't want me, or anyone else, to know the truth about these Zodiacs being after him and all."

"Well…the Kaibas have always been like that, I guess…very private about their personal feuds, and reluctant to have any outside forces intervene, for better or worse," Mr. Muto remarked.

Jillian turned to look at the ocean again. "Even so…even he kept the truth from me…my commitment to Sir Seta hasn't changed," she revealed. "I'm his bodyguard…and for better or worse, I will continue in that capacity for as long as I'm able."

Mr. Muto regarded her. "Your loyalty to him is quite admirable," he said softly. "Kinda reminds me of someone I used to know, long ago…oh, yes, that reminds me. I'd been meaning to ask you this after your duel with Janus earlier…now I have the opportunity."

Jillian looked at him, puzzled. "Ask me what?"

"Your deck strategy…Guardians…" Mr. Muto studied her intensely. "The person who taught you to play Duel Monsters…was it a man named Rafael?"

Jillian raised an eyebrow. "You know him?"

Mr. Muto nodded. "Big, tall man, blond hair, serious look on his face all the time…used to ride a motorcycle…and he used a deck strategy not unlike yours…"

Now Jillian chuckled. "Well…I know the man you're talking about, but…he didn't actually train me in Duel Monsters. He _was_ the one who first inspired me to become a bodyguard, though…in fact, he helped to pay for my training in that capacity. As for Duel Monsters…well, all he did was suggest the deck strategy to me. I did the rest, all on my own."

"I see…and how is he now?" Mr. Muto asked.

"Last I heard from him, he was engaging in a number of charities for the homeless in France." Jillian brushed her red bang out of one eye. "An old friend of yours, perhaps?"

"Yeah…you could say that…" said Mr. Muto.

A footfall arrested their attention…then Jillian was immediately all business. "Sir Kaiba…"

It was indeed Kaiba, walking up toward the duo. "I hope I haven't interrupted anything?" he asked.

"Not at all," said Mr. Muto. "Actually, I was looking for you when I ran into Jillian here, and we just got to talking a little bit."

"I see…and why were you looking for me?" Kaiba asked, an eyebrow raised.

Mr. Muto turned to Jillian. "I'm sorry…but could you excuse us for a little while?"

Jillian nodded. "No problem. Excuse me." And she nodded once to both men, then walked away.

Mr. Muto chuckled as he watched Jillian leave. "She's definitely dedicated to her role as bodyguard for Seta, I'll give her that," he noted.

"Uh-huh," said Kaiba. "But that's not why you wanted to find me, is it, Yugi?"

Mr. Muto shook his head. "Always right to the point as usual, aren't you?"

Kaiba walked up to the railing and leaned on it, looking off into the distance. "Look, Yugi…if you want to curse me for keeping Seta's secret from you, I don't want to hear it," he said flatly. "And I don't want your pity, either. No…I don't deserve anybody's sympathy…not since I've committed the greatest sin I could have ever done…"

Mr. Muto raised both eyebrows at this. "Greatest sin?"

Kaiba hung his head; his hair overshadowed his eyes. "You should know this as well as anyone who's ever interacted with me does," he said slowly. "I should've realized…from the very day Mokuba and I were adopted by that tyrant Gozaburo...that life would never truly get better. Because ever since that time…I haven't inherited a company. I haven't inherited money. I haven't even inherited fame or glory. All I've inherited is a legacy of hatred and desire for vengeance…a legacy that's cost me dearly over the years…"

Mr. Muto said nothing.

"Ever since I got Kaibacorp…I've been faced time and time again with enemies of Gozaburo's, who'll willingly dump on me for the sins he committed against them," Kaiba went on. "And then there's the flip side of it, where supporters of Gozaburo despise me for changing the Kaibacorp name and bringing it down from its 'glory days' as a merchant of death. And…this accursed legacy that Gozaburo left behind for me…it's cost me my brother, Mokuba…my wife, Ishizu…and now it's threatening to take my only son away from me." He gripped the railing hard with both hands. "And Seta's all I have left in this world…if they take him from me, what then? All the riches Kaibacorp could ever grant me won't ever be able to replace the truer riches I've lost…would I not be an idiot to believe money could ever replace my own offspring?"

Silence reigned for a long moment. Then Mr. Muto cleared his throat. "So…you blame yourself for all of this? You blame yourself…for Ishizu and Mokuba's deaths…and Seta's past?"

Kaiba's hair still overshadowed his eyes. "I've been blaming myself for the last four years, since that evening when I confronted Zabel at Vela Dorado," he said softly. "Not a night has gone by since that time that I haven't wished I could somehow reverse all of the bad stuff that's happened…in fact, I've been wishing I could somehow go back to that day…that day when I manipulated Gozaburo into adopting me and Mokuba." He heaved a weary sigh. "Mokuba was right all along, all those years ago…if only I hadn't ever tried to get Gozaburo to adopt us…maybe none of this shit would've ever happened. Why…why didn't I listen…why didn't I…"

His shoulders slumped; slowly, he crumpled to his knees. Watching him break down, Mr. Muto felt a twinge of pain in his own chest. "Kaiba…"

But Kaiba just as suddenly waved an arm at him. "Please…Yugi…I just want to be alone right now…I beg you. I don't want you looking at me like this. Just…go."

Mr. Muto closed his eyes. "As you wish. Just remember, though…you don't have to be alone in this. You never did have to be." And he turned and walked away, leaving Kaiba in his mental agony.

----------

Up on the upper deck, away from the rest of the ship's inhabitants…Seta sat in a dark corner, his hair overshadowing one eye, his jacket completely covering his upper body. His visible eye was closed; the remains of a tear trail were barely visible from one corner of that eye.

_They must all hate me now…surely they must hate my guts…and can I blame them?_

He shivered as a breeze blew past him, in spite of the jacket he was using as a blanket. _Honey…Raven…Jillian…Kyo…Jenna…Kyo…Miki…_ His face became pained. _Yugo…please forgive me…all of you…even though I don't deserve it…not after I've lied to all of you like this for so long…_

He heard something. _Thump. Thump. Thump._ Footsteps on the stairs leading up to the upper deck. Then he heard something else…it sounded like a voice. "Seta…?"

_That voice…_ Unconsciously Seta wrapped the jacket more tightly around him. _No…I don't care anymore…I don't care…_

The footsteps headed in his direction…and then stopped. And Yugo Muto was standing over Seta, looking down at him. "Helloooo…anyone home?" he asked.

No reply. Yugo bent down on one knee so he was on face-level with Seta. "C'mon, Seta…I know you're awake. Talk to me, man."

Again, no reply. Then, ever so slowly, Seta's visible eye opened. His voice was soft…and cold. "I'm surprised you have anything to say to me…after what you now know about me."

Yugo didn't say anything to that for a moment. Then he breathed in deeply, and exhaled slowly. "Seta…I want to tell you a little story. And I'm not leaving you alone till I've told it."

Seta said nothing, but his eye narrowed.

Yugo closed his eyes. "Many years ago…when I was still a little kid…a big bunch of kids backed me up on the school corridor…tormenting me because I sucked at Duel Monsters, even though I was the child of the King of Games. One kid in particular…he actually dressed up like the Dark Magician, and was whacking me with his staff while everybody else laughed…"

He inadvertently wiped a hand across his mouth. "The taunts just got louder…the beating was hurting, but the taunts hurt even worse…and then…I guess, somewhere deep inside of me, I snapped…"

Now Yugo's hair overshadowed part of his face. "I pushed that kid over the corridor's railing…sent him falling…"

There was no change to the expression on Seta's face…but his fingers twitched.

Yugo chuckled. "Turned out, the kid only suffered a broken arm," he continued. "But at that time…I thought I'd killed him…and I was so scared, I went and locked myself in the bathroom. Then…a little while later…my father found me in there. But you want to know the funny thing? He didn't even scold me for what happened…he just picked me up, and took me home. Even though I didn't deserve it…he forgave me for what I did."

He reached out and placed a hand on Seta's shoulder. "My dad didn't see me as a monster, or as a different person, because of what I did. And…in the same way…I don't see you any differently from how I used to see you, just because of what you've told us about yourself. Even if anybody else thinks different of you…I don't."

Seta seemed unresponsive. Yugo continued hopefully, "Listen, man…remember that promise we made on the boat to make it to the finals of this tournament together? Well, I want to see that promise fulfilled…and nothing and nobody is going to stop us from getting to that goal. You understand? Not the Zodiacs, not your past…none of that. It's just going to be me…and you…and that duel we've promised each other. I still want to see that be a reality…don't you, dude?"

Again Seta seemed unresponsive. Then, slowly, he raised his head to look at Yugo. "After what I've told you…about my past with the Zodiacs…" His voice started to choke. "…you…still trust me…?"

Yugo's hand tightened on Seta's shoulder. "The guy I met wasn't Ophiuchus the Imperial," he said gently. "The guy I met was Seta Kaiba, the duelist who would become my best rival…and my best friend." He smiled. "Who else understands me as you do? Who else can possibly comprehend you the way I can?"

Seta looked at Yugo…and for the first time, a light began to shine in his eyes. "Yugo…my…brother…" he whispered.

Yugo chuckled. "Yeah…that's right, isn't it? We're like brothers…maybe not by blood, but we're like brothers nonetheless. So…" He stood up and held out a hand to Seta. "What do you say? Will you live in the here and now, with the rest of us…Seta?"

Seta looked at the outstretched hand…and slowly a smile crossed his formerly darkened face as he reached forward and accepted it. Yugo swiftly pulled him to his feet. "There you go, man!" he cheered. "Welcome back to the world of the living!"

"Oh, shut up, hedgehog," Seta shook his head. "I wasn't dead, you know."

"Well, you sure looked like it to me, Little Boy Blue!" Yugo retorted good-naturedly.

The two laughed uproariously, even as Seta pulled his jacket back on properly. "Well," he said once he'd finally stopped laughing, "I don't know if the others are going to be as forgiving…"

"Don't worry about it," Yugo said sincerely. "True, they may have been shocked at your confession…but I'm sure they'll understand that none of what happened was your fault. No…" His face then turned more serious. "It's those damn Zodiacs who're to blame…they're trying to go around and make everybody's lives a living hell—but they're not going to get away with it!"

"No…no, they're not," Seta agreed. "Now…there's one particularly troublesome guy on board with us right now…and I don't know which of us is going to face him in the next round…but we'd better be prepared for the worst, shouldn't we?"

"Indeed, we should," agreed Yugo. "So, what say we go to our respective rooms now and prepare for the next round of the tournament?"

"Damn right!" agreed Seta.

And with that, the two boys turned and headed for the stairs leading down from the upper deck. And as they walked, Seta's eyes blazed with new determination. _Zander…you and the Zodiacs may have tainted my past, but you're not going to taint my link to the people who I know are my real friends! Just you wait…soon, and very soon, you're going to face real justice for targeting the people I care about…justice that'll be delivered by my own hands! Bet on that!_

----------

**_neomage:_** Hmmm…well, now… (sounds fanfare) ALL RIGHT! So, Yugo and Seta's bond is further reinforced…and determination to beat the Zodiacs is all set! And, I promise you guys, in a very short while the semi-finals will indeed begin! Till then, have patience, and continue reading!


	288. Chapter 288

Yu-Gi-Oh! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER:Kazuki Takahashi is the one and only true owner of Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**CHAPTER 288**

TOKYO DOME, TOKYO, JAPAN

Deep in the heart of Tokyo, the famous dome stood silent, bathing in the light of the moon shining high above. Outside, in the streets, there was much hustle and bustle going on, from pedestrians and vehicular traffic alike…but inside the dome itself, all was silent, devoid of activity save for the occasional watchman on patrol.

During the daytime, the dome would have been filled to the brim with hundreds of spectators, depending on the event at hand. This giant arena had seen numerous competitions of varying types over the years: international soccer matches, football confrontations, even martial arts demonstrations and tournaments. But now…for this year…a different type of major event would grace the dome's grounds.

The Duel Monsters World Championship's final round would be played here, in a matter of hours from now.

Tramping along the dome's playing field, the watchman swung his baton around in his hand in a careless manner. "Yup…everything's looking real good for tomorrow," he chuckled.

He looked up into the stands, illuminated by the huge stadium lights overhead. It seemed to him that, at any moment, the seats themselves would come alive and start cheering for some invisible champions parading where he now walked. Then he looked over to the very center of the field, at the special mini-arena platform that had been erected there earlier, the place where the Duel Monster tournament finalists would do battle.

Just then a voice spoke up on his comm.-link. "Main gate to stadium, what's your status? Over."

Startled for a moment, the guard touched the respond button on his comm.-link. "Uh, stadium to main gate…everything's good here. Over."

The second guard on the other end laughed. "Roger that, man. Although you sounded like you were going to piss your pants for a second there."

"Oh, screw you," the first guard retorted. "You just startled me a little, that's all. Especially with the way the dome's so quiet right now, it's almost like a ghost-house in here."

"Man, you're way too superstitious," the second guard continued laughing. "Well, anyway, we'd better not tie up the frequency. Why don't you take a break and come on over to the main gate? I've got some coffee here if you want it."

"Yeah, sure, man, coffee sounds good right about now," the first guard admitted. "Okay, I'm on my way. Just make sure it's hot and black, that's all."

"Since when have I ever gotten you cold—" Suddenly the second guard's voice changed. "Hey, hold on—who are you? How'd you get—_GAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"_

"H-huh?" The first guard's eyes widened in sudden alarm. He tapped the comm.-link button frantically. "Oy, main gate, what happened? Main gate, respond!"

For answer, all he heard was static. "Shit…" he muttered, instinctively reaching for his revolver—but that was about as far as he got before something tore through the side of his head, sending blood squirting everywhere and causing him to fall limply to the ground!

Even as the guard's body twitched while blood oozed from his head, a man in butler's attire calmly reloaded his smoking revolver. He walked up to the fallen guard and looked down at him, shaking his head. "Nothing personal, friend; I'm just doing my job, as were you," he said calmly as he fired another shot into the guard's face—effectively stopping the other man's movement once and for all.

At that moment a cell-phone rang; the butler reached into his breast-pocket and pulled it out. "Yes?" he answered it.

"Sir, the entire Tokyo Dome's been commandeered now," a voice on the other line spoke up. "All the guards have been incapacitated. Our men are going through the entire facility as we speak."

"Very good," the butler nodded. "Now, we just need to ensure that everything is in complete readiness for the arrival of Master Orion's guests and spectators tomorrow. I expect everything to be done in a timely manner. Master Orion's plans must not fail now."

"Understood, sir!" the voice replied. Then, seconds later, the line went dead.

The butler touched a button on the cell-phone, ending the call. Then just as quickly, he speed-dialed a number, then waited.

----------

SOMEWHERE, AT THAT MOMENT

Master Orion sat in his familiar dark space, staring at nothing in particular. Then suddenly his phone rang; without missing a beat, he answered it. "Speak."

"Master Orion…we've infiltrated Tokyo Dome successfully," the butler reported in. "At this very moment, everything is being prepared for your arrival here."

"Very good." Master Orion chuckled. "Now, when those hapless spectators come to see their little 'ultimate show' tomorrow…they'll be in for an extremely rude awakening. Carry on."

"Yes, sir. As you command." Then the line went dead.

Replacing the phone in its proper place, Master Orion slowly stood up. "Now…it is time for the king to make his entrance," he said softly. "Entourage!"

Suddenly, from the shadows emerged four men in black tuxedoes. "Master Orion, your transport is ready and waiting," one of them told him. "We await your command."

"Very well," Master Orion nodded. "Let us make haste, then. Our destination: Tokyo Dome."

"Yes, sir!" the four men all stood at attention. Smirking, Master Orion walked out of the room, his black cloak billowing behind him with every footstep; the four men swiftly hurried after him.

Master Orion presently approached a large iron door, the door that led out of his strange room; one of the four tuxedoes quickly stepped forward and pushed it open, allowing the Master to walk through. Then, moments later, the five stood in a large hallway, with a bright blue light shining from one extreme end. With determination, Master Orion walked toward that light, his entourage following in rapid succession.

A few minutes later, the group appeared in a large, rounded room, where a jet-like vehicle sat waiting for them. The doors to the jet were wide open, with a metal staircase leading inside from the ground. Without hesitation, Master Orion headed up the staircase, his guards following close behind him. Then by and by, the last man to board reached behind him and drew in the, apparently, retractable staircase; a moment later the door to the jet was closed.

Inside the jet, Master Orion calmly sat down, with two of his entourage sitting close by, while the other two headed for the cockpit. As he sat, Master Orion reached into his cloak and pulled out the small box he'd been holding much earlier. "Finally…" he whispered.

----------

A SET OF RUINS, SOMWHERE OUT IN THE OCEAN

The light of the moon shone down on the sea's gently rippling waves. The stars twinkled in seemingly friendly fashion, adding some degree of extra light to the oceanic scenery. The sea itself was quite alive; a few fish could be seen jumping out of and back into the water in acrobatic form, while every now and again a shark's fin could be seen as though the watery predator was on sentry duty.

In the midst of all this, the only oddity was a series of metal girders and cleanly-cut rocks. These strange objects were set in the formation of a rough square, about the size of a small island. In the middle of all that was nothing but seawater; whatever had been there before had since been consumed by the everlasting might of the ocean over the years.

Suddenly—that particular body of water began to shimmer and tremble violently. The water bubbled upward, somehow being pushed away from the very center. Whatever aquatic life that was in the immediate vicinity swiftly swam off to safety, as that section of water appeared to rise up from the general sea-level.

And then…A large white dome emerged from the sea, even as water poured off it in copious amounts after it had been submerged so long. The top of that dome opened slowly…and then a jet rocketed out of the dome, and away from the site, swiftly heading up toward the starry skies above.

----------

THE INDUSTRIAL ILLUSIONS LINER, A LITTLE WHILE LATER

As the ship continued on its smooth course towards Tokyo…

Janus sat in his cabin, his deck set on the bed before him. _Okay…everything's all set…_

Just then there was a knock at his door. "Oh—yeah, who is it?" he called.

"It's Mom," the familiar voice sounded from behind the door. "Can I come in?"

"Yeah, sure," Janus answered.

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki then entered the room and regarded her son. "Oh…preparing for the next round, are you, now?" she asked.

"Yeah, Mom," Janus nodded.

She came over and sat beside him. "How are you?" she inquired softly.

Janus chuckled a little. "To be honest, Mom…I'm a little nervous. I mean, it's come down to just four of us now…only four duelists left in the World Championships…and I'm one of them!"

"And for that, you should be proud," Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki answered. "I expect that a lot of people back at Duel Academy wouldn't have expected an Osiris Red student to make it this far in a tournament of such high repute as this one…and you've done it."

"Uh-huh…" Janus's voice trailed away.

"Hmm? What's the matter?" Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki asked, a little concerned.

"Mom…I've been wondering…" Janus looked straight into his mother's face. "What's gonna happen to Angel? I mean…is she going to be in serious trouble?"

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki was silent for a moment. Then she sighed. "Well…I won't lie to you, dear. She'll likely go before the school's disciplinary committee for having assisted the Zodiacs in their work. Worst-case scenario, she might even be expelled…or be tried in court as an adult, given the seriousness of her involvement. And you know how tough the judicial system can be; her reasons for having joined them in the first place won't do much to detract from her punishment, if at all."

"…I see…" Janus looked away.

"Hey, come on now, don't look so upset." Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki fondly placed her hand on his shoulder. "With a little luck, Angel just might get off more easily than the other Zodiacs. For one thing, she did turn herself in willingly; that would help her individual case greatly, I believe. And if she does provide relevant information that could help shut down the Zodiacs permanently, then her punishment probably won't be as severe."

"Yeah, I get that…it's just…she had it real hard before she ever came to Duel Academy, you know," Janus told her. "As nutty as the Zodiacs might've been, they did give her a chance to better herself. And now, she's being punished just for that…"

"…" Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki considered. "Tell you what, Janus. As I said, Angel's case will have to go before the school board when all is said and done…when that happens, how would you like to be a character witness on her behalf?"

"Huh?" Janus looked at his mother, startled. "A character witness for Angel? Is that…really possible?"

"I don't see why they wouldn't allow it," answered Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki. "So, how about it?"

"Yes! Yes, of course I'll do it!" Janus nodded eagerly. "Anything to help her out!"

"All right, then. It's agreed." Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki nodded. "Now, it's time for you to get focused on the present again—namely, your upcoming duel in the semi-final. Do you think you're ready for it?"

Janus nodded. "I've been ready ever since I stepped onto this boat, Mom," he assured her. "No matter which of those other three will be my opponent…"

"I hope so." Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki nodded gravely. "Just promise me you'll be careful, okay?—and much more so if Zander is your opponent. You saw just how brutal he was to Kyo in their match…and that was _before_ you found out that he's a Zodiac."

"I promise, Mom…I'll be careful." Janus reached up and kissed her on the cheek.

"Ha, ha, ha. That's a good boy." She affectionately pinched his cheek. "Now, then…you should get some rest. You'll need all the energy you can get for tomorrow, all right?"

"Gotcha," Janus nodded. "And…you promise you're really in earnest about helping Angel?"

"I promise, dear." Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki nodded sincerely. "Well, now…I'll catch you later on, all right?"

"Okay. Later, Mom."

Satisfied, Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki got up and went out of the room, leaving Janus to himself. Janus smiled, picked up his deck, and stuffed it into his pocket before allowing himself to fall back onto his bed.

----------

Yugo sat at his cabin window, looking out at the night sky. _So peaceful out there…but this is just going to be the calm before the storm, for real…_

Unconsciously he patted his pocket, where his deck lay snug and safe. _At least I know I'm fully set for tomorrow…I just hope I won't have to go up against Zander, after seeing what he's really capable of—but if that's what it comes to, then so be it…I'll just do the very best I can do, and then some!_

Just then there was a knock at his door. "Come in!" he called.

A moment later in stepped Mr. Muto. "Oh, Yugo, you're still awake? I would've thought you'd be getting some rest for the next round of Dueltropolis," he remarked.

"Yeah, sure, Dad, I'm gonna get a little shuteye in a bit," Yugo assured him. "I guess I'm just so excited about tomorrow, I can't really sleep right now."

"You know that that's just a recipe for sleepiness in the morning, if you can't get any rest now," Mr. Muto told him.

"Hey, don't fret, Dad—I'm really gonna try and sleep," Yugo insisted.

There was a moment's silence. Then Yugo looked at his father. "Dad…about earlier, with Seta's story and all…"

Mr. Muto looked at him. "I hope that isn't distracting you, son."

"Hey, far from it," replied Yugo. "In fact…it's serving as a motivator for me now. Seta's my friend…I won't let any harm come to him. I'll do whatever I can to help him beat these Zodiacs."

Mr. Muto smiled. "I like that spirit," he remarked. "You're really a good friend to Seta…and that's what he needs at this point, you know."

"Yeah…I know." Yugo nodded sincerely.

Mr. Muto patted him on the shoulder. "Get some rest, son. I'll see you tomorrow." And with that, he left the room. Smiling, Yugo settled back in his bed and relaxed.

----------

In his cabin, Seta was sitting in his bed and leaning against the wall, staring grimly out the window at the moon. _All right…now it's come right down to this, hasn't it? The inevitable confrontation…between me and Zander…I don't want to face that Janus kid next round, and I definitely don't want to face Yugo just yet…but Zander…_

His eyes narrowed a little. _If I let anybody else face Zander, chances are good that he'll wipe them out with little difficulty. Only I…only I have what it takes to truly defeat him. And…_ A small smile appeared on his lips. _At least now, I know that I won't be going into this fight all alone…if even one person supports me, I believe I can do it—and there's definitely one person whose support I know I have!_

His eyes began to close as he relaxed a little. _Yugo…this is one thing that I doubt I'll ever be able to pay you back for…thank you…_

_----------_

Alone in his room, Zander lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling. His hands were behind his head; he had one foot propped on the very edge of the bed, while his other leg dangled over the edge. And on his face…was a smirk.

_Well, now, Ophiuchus…how many more of your friends will I have to place in the way of mortal danger before you wake up and smell reality? Or have you already realized that resistance is useless against the Zodiacs?_

His smirk slowly grew. _Still…if you continue to act stubborn…then there's always THAT one remaining alternative…and if you push me to use it, then and only then will you no longer have any say in this matter…just wait and see!_

----------

**_neomage:_** So…the Zodiac organization has made a move on Tokyo Dome…and Master Orion has finally emerged from his secret hideout! And…GOOD NEWS! First thing next chapter, the semi-final round of the Dueltropolis tournament will finally get underway! Don't miss this one, folks!


	289. Chapter 289

Yu-Gi-Oh! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER:Now…let the fun begin! And, as usual, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!)

**CHAPTER 289**

THE INDUSTRIAL ILLUSIONS LINER, EARLY THE NEXT MORNING

Far off in the distance, miles away from the Industrial Illusions liner's current location on the sea, the sky was slowly beginning to change color, from an inky blackish-blue to faintest pink to gradually-strengthening orange. The sun was barely visible in the distance; what could be seen of it seemed to be climbing out of the waters of the deep, like a diver that was slowly emerging after a performance. And with the sun's slow but steady rise, the nighttime clouds rolled back little by little, as the light gradually changed their appearance from dark black to ever-growing silver.

Standing on the ship's deck, arms folded, Kaiba watched the changing scene with a frown on his face. "All right…another day…and the tournament will resume shortly…" he mused.

"Oh, Kaiba-boy! Up early, now aren't we?"

Kaiba didn't turn to face Pegasus. "So? Is it so strange for someone to wake up early?"

"No, not in the least." Pegasus chuckled. "What is, however, is not getting any sleep. It's quite evident in your voice right about now."

"I slept plenty…" Kaiba then let out a loud yawn, covering his mouth with one hand as he did so.

"Suuuuuure you did," Pegasus smirked. "Well, anyhow, the ship's on-board kitchen staff is whipping up a nice little breakfast for everyone, to get today's semi-final event underway. The other Committee members are already in the dining hall…care to join us?"

"Eh, don't see why not," Kaiba shrugged. "I guess I could use a cup of coffee, anyway."

----------

Down in the dining hall, the other five members of the Committee sat close to each other at two adjoining tables as, in the nearby kitchen, chefs worked on getting breakfast ready. "Mmmm-mmm! The smell of fresh ocean air this early in the morning…I love it!" Mr. Devlin grinned.

"I'm amazed you can actually smell the ocean air even though we're indoors, and in the dining hall at that," Ms. Wong laughed.

"Well, we _are _out on the deep blue sea at this very moment," Mr. Von Schroeder reminded them.

Mr. Truesdale checked his watch. "Hmmm…6:45 right now…how soon do you think it'll be before any of the others show up?"

"Considering that the semi-final matches are to be held today…and that we'll be reaching Tokyo in a few short hours from now…do you really think anyone is going to oversleep now?" Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki asked him.

"Yaaaawwwwn…good morning, everybody…"

"Yeah, what he said…and what's for chow?"

The five looked up to see Mr. Taylor and Mr. Wheeler at the doorway, coming in. "Geez, you guys, didn't you sleep?" Mr. Devlin asked, bemused.

"Sleep is for the faint of heart," Mr. Taylor murmured. "I want coffee!"

"Yeah…right…" Mr. Devlin sweat-dropped.

Just then Mrs. Wheeler and Mrs. Taylor emerged. "Hmmm…that was quite a nice rest," Mrs. Wheeler remarked.

"Indeed," said Mrs. Taylor. Now I'm ready for a good breakfast to start off the day."

"Sorry, you guys, but it won't be ready for another fifteen minutes at least," said Ms. Wong. "Why don't you sit down in the meantime?"

The two women nodded, taking seats next to their husbands. "Fifteen minutes? Aw, man! I can't wait that long, I'm starving!" Mr. Wheeler complained.

"Joey, you're _always_ starving," Mrs. Wheeler scolded him.

Just then Dr. Crowler waltzed in, a huge smile on his face. "Morning, everyone!" he greeted the group.

"Gee, you sure look happy this morning," Mr. Taylor remarked.

"But of course! The semi-finals of Dueltropolis will soon begin—why shouldn't feel in high spirits?" Dr. Crowler laughed.

"How about citing a certain psycho who happens to be one of the four semi-finalists as a reason?" Mr. Truesdale grunted.

"Come now, Zane; surely you're not going to let something like THAT bring you down, are you?" Dr. Crowler asked his former pupil. "Indeed, the situation isn't the best at current; but one has to be as optimistic as is possible, or else everybody will be depressed!"

"Well said," said another voice. Looking up, everybody saw Pegasus enter the room, Kaiba trailing after him.

"Whoa…check out those bags under Kaiba's eyes!" Mr. Wheeler snickered.

"I CAN hear you, Wheeler," Kaiba said dangerously. "And if you don't watch it, guess who'll be having permanent bags under _their_ eyes?"

"Now, now, guys, be nice," Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki admonished them. "Anyway, have a seat. I wager the others will be along in due time."

Kaiba, Pegasus and Dr. Crowler came and sat down as well—and just as they did so, Mr. Muto, Grandma and the Bakura couple entered the room. "Good morning, everybody!" Mrs. Bakura said cheerfully.

"Is there a case of the cheer-flu going around or something?" Mr. Truesdale wondered.

"Looks like we're a bit early—they haven't started serving breakfast yet," Mr. Bakura noted.

"That's all right…we've got company here, so why don't we sit and wait?" suggested Grandma.

"Definitely!" agreed Mr. Muto.

The four newcomers went to another table and sat down. "All right…so, it's come down to the final four," Mr. Bakura spoke to the group at large. "The four finalists of Dueltropolis…"

"Correction, dude—three finalists plus one criminal," Mr. Taylor interrupted sourly.

"Well, can we at least hope that that red-haired boy will be knocked out of the competition today before he causes any more harm?" Grandma asked.

"Already way ahead of you there, madam," Dr. Crowler answered.

The door to the dining hall opened once again…and this time in strolled Blaze, Wade, Marcus, Flora and Shigeo as a collective group. "Oh, hey, good morning to all," Marcus waved a hand in semi-greeting.

"Back at you, kid," said Kaiba. "Have you seen any of the others?"

"Yeah, a couple of them are right behind us," replied Blaze.

Hardly had she finished saying that when Malachi and his group suddenly appeared. "Hmph…looks like the whole world decided to wake up at the exact same time," Malachi muttered.

"Hi, everyone! Coming through, coming through!"

A moment later Natasha came into the dining hall, followed by Ricardo and Janus seconds afterward. "Hey, looks like we're not the only ones who decided to get up early," Ricardo commented, looking at the assembled group.

"Gee, weren't any of you going to sleep in late?" Janus asked, a tad disappointed.

"And miss the epic clash of titans today? I think not," Shigeo grinned.

Just then Miki, Kyo, Jenna and Jillian showed up. "Hey, guys!" Miki exclaimed.

"You seem quite perky this morning, don't you?" Flora inquired.

"I sure am! Yugo's gonna be dueling today, and I'm gonna cheer him on!" Miki nodded.

Miriam chuckled. "In spite of the fact that he defeated you in the previous round last night?"

"Yeah, well…what's past is past," Miki acknowledged. "We just have to look to the here and now, that's all."

Luke looked behind the trio. "Hey, where's Yugo? I would've though he was with you…"

"Oh…" Jenna smiled. "I gather he's still in his room. He's probably putting the finishing touches on any last-minute preparations he's been making for today."

----------

In his room, Yugo was just stepping out of the shower, clad in only a towel. "Whew…glad I got to get up early today," he smirked. "I'm not missing today's main event for anything!"

Moments later he was fully dressed in his trademark attire, slipping his deck into a side-pocket. Then, as he was pulling on his jacket, there was a knock at the door. "It's open!" he called.

The door swung inward…and there stood Seta, a determined look on his face. "Yo," he greeted Yugo. "Rearing to go, I hope?"

"You'd better believe it!" Yugo nodded. "Of course, first there's the matter of breakfast to attend to."

"Heh…some things never change," said Seta. "Well, all right, let's head to the dining hall. I saw a couple of the good folks going that way, so…"

The two exited the room—and nearly ran into Raven and Honey. "Oops! Sorry, guys—didn't see you!" Yugo apologized.

"Hey, it's all good," Raven answered. "We were just on our way to the dining hall—wanted to get a good meal in before watching the semi-finals today."

"Well, great, then! Let's all go together!" said Yugo.

Honey hesitated. "Um…could you guys go ahead? I want a word with Seta."

"Hmmm? A word…with me?" Seta raised an eyebrow.

Raven glanced at Honey…and immediately remembered. "Oh, yeah…hey, c'mon, Yugo. Let's leave them alone for a bit."

"Uhhh…all right, I guess," but Yugo seemed a little perplexed even as he walked off with Raven.

A moment later Seta and Honey were alone. "Seta…" Honey spoke his name.

Seta looked at her intently…then sighed. "So, you're still talking to me after all."

Honey looked down at her feet. "You know…I spent a lot of time last night thinking about what you'd told us…about your past and all that. And, looking at it objectively, I guess I can understand why you never told anybody up till now. Even so…even so…I still feel…"

Seta's eyes narrowed. "Betrayed? Hurt?"

Honey nodded slowly. "Seta…it's as if you were saying you couldn't trust us…you couldn't trust _me."_ She looked at him imploringly. "Is that how much…or how little…you think of me?"

Seta visibly flinched at that. Slowly, he leaned backward till he was leaning against the wall. "Honey…there's nothing I can say that will excuse anything I've done over the last twelve years…or to pardon the fact that I hid it from you," he said softly. "As much as I'd like to do it all over again, I can't. The fact is, I did terrible things when I was younger…and I kept that knowledge from you. If you want to accuse me of dishonesty or anything like that, then I can't blame you…but please know this: I won't ever apologize for trying to bury my past sins the only way I knew how."

Honey clasped her hands in front of her. "Well…if that's how you feel…"

Seta closed his eyes; his face looked extremely pained. "I'm sorry, Honey."

Honey's eyes narrowed at this. She stepped toward him—and wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face in his chest. At this, Seta's eyes flew open in some amazement. "Honey, wha…?"

"I'll forgive you, this time and this time only, Seta Kaiba," Honey said to him, speaking in the same rebuking tone she often reserved for Raven. "But if you ever lie to me or keep secrets from me again…I'll make Raven kick your ass. And not in Duel Monsters, either."

Seta's face softened. "Yeah…I hear you loud and clear," he whispered as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

----------

By this time Raven and Yugo had already made it to the dining hall, where everyone was waiting for them. "I really don't feel right leaving Seta and Honey back there…shouldn't we have at least waited they caught up before coming?" Yugo protested.

Raven fixed a look on him. "Honey wanted time alone with Seta. If that's what she wants, that's what she'll get."

Yugo cocked an eyebrow. "Okay…since when did you actually endorse Honey having the hots for Seta?"

"What I endorse…is my little sister's happiness." Raven's tone became dark and his eyes narrowed. "And anyone who tampers with that happiness in any way, whether friend or foe, will be cut down by me. Remember that."

Yugo shivered, even as a huge sweat-drop rolled down his face. "Yeah…I'll remember that, for real."

Raven then reached for the doorknob, opening the door to the dining hall. Immediately Pegasus's voice reached him: "Raven! About time you got here—oh, and is that Yugo-boy with you? Hurry, hurry, come on in!"

"Yeah, hurry up—before I eat your shares of breakfast!" Mr. Wheeler had a goofy grin on his face, and it wasn't hard to see why…on the table in front of him, there was a plate piled high with pancakes, sausages, fried eggs and potato squares.

Jillian, who had a far smaller plate of fruit before her, looked up curiously. "Have you seen Sir Seta, you two?"

"Ah—yeah, he's coming," answered Yugo, sitting with his own circle of friends.

Kyo grinned as his friend sat down. "So, Yugo, feeling lucky today?" he asked.

"Oh, come on! This is _me_ you're talking to here!" Yugo argued. "I'm definitely gonna wipe out the remaining competition in the tournament!"

Janus, seated a little ways away with his back to Yugo, now turned around in his chair and smirked. "I highly doubt that," he quipped. "Or have you forgotten that a certain _someone_ has defeated you already?"

Yugo smirked back at him. "Oh, no worries about that, man—I intend to pay that certain _someone_ back in kind for that defeat!"

"We'll see." Janus took a sip of his orange juice and chuckled.

Pegasus smiled as he observed the two boys bantering back and forth. _This should turn out to be quite interesting, I dare say…_

----------

Still in his room throughout all of this, Zander was calmly slipping his deck into his pocket. "All right…everything is set," he said quietly. "And very likely, by this time Master Orion's taken care of matters regarding the Tokyo Dome, too…"

His bizarre lightning-shaped Duel-Disk was lying on the bed; he carefully picked it up and slipped it inside his trench-coat. "Well, now…just because we're using those ancient dueling platforms doesn't mean I won't still have use for you," he said quietly, patting the concealed Duel-Disk. "Now…it's just a matter of waiting…"

----------

**_neomage:_** Mmm-hmm…so the remainder of the tournament didn't exactly start with THIS chapter… (kicks self) But the building blocks leading to that are already in place, so, just wait a while longer… (hides) Don't kill me!

yamikriz: How pathetic.

rampagerkriz: Anyhow, folks…read and review soon!


	290. Chapter 290

Yu-Gi-Oh! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER:Once again, it is not I, but the great and noble Kazuki Takahashi, who owns Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**CHAPTER 290**

THE INDUSTRIAL ILLUSIONS LINER

Everyone was still in the dining hall, eating breakfast and chatting amongst themselves. Raven chugged down a large glass of milk. "Whew…that was refreshing," he grinned.

Jillian looked around. "I still haven't seen Sir Seta or Honey show up yet…where could they be?"

Just as she said that, however, the door opened, and who should walk in but Honey and Seta. "Hi, everyone," Honey greeted the group at large. "Sorry we're late."

"Hey, no worries, as long as you're here," said Mr. Devlin warmly. "Grab yourselves some plates and come get some breakfast."

Seta quickly went over to a separate table where several stacks of plates had been neatly arranged. Grabbing two, he passed one to Honey, and they immediately went through the motion of deciding from the large food selection that was a distance away from the diners, on five tables. "Wow…so much to choose from here…" Seta marveled.

"You get a wide variety of food at home, too—and you're THAT surprised by what you're seeing now?" Wade teased, even as he himself chewed on fish sticks.

Meanwhile, Pegasus was sipping at a cup of tea. "Just look at him," he remarked quietly, referring to Seta. "Look at that smile on his face…it's rare to see any Kaiba smile a smile that's so youthful, and invigorating, and genuine…"

Kaiba was busily drinking from a mug of coffee; on hearing Pegasus's statement, he paused. "Are you trying to imply something, Pegasus?" he asked warily.

"Oh, no, nothing much, Kaiba-boy," Pegasus chuckled. "It's just that in all the time I've known you, you've only ever frowned. Try smiling once in a while; it does wonders for your body and your face in particular."

"Pfffft." Kaiba shook his head and continued sipping at his coffee.

----------

SOMEWHERE IN THE SKIES, IN THE MEANTIME

Master Orion's jet soared through the clouds, even as the distant sun shone higher and more brightly in the sky by this time. Inside the jet, Master Orion himself, still enshrouded by his cloak, calmly bit at a Twinkie, then set that down on a saucer and sipped at a cup of tea. Two of his entourage sat near him, as still as statues.

Master Orion smiled to himself. _At long last…everything is going as I planned all along…and soon, everything will be as it should be…_

----------

SOMEWHERE IN THE OCEAN, AT THAT VERY MOMENT

Deep underneath the ocean's surface, the enigmatic ARK continued on its course, even as the rays from the morning sun shone down, illuminating most of the marine life that paused and observed in puzzlement as this giant aquatic intruder swam by…

----------

TOKYO DOME, TOKYO, JAPAN, IN THE MEANTIME

The streets around Tokyo Dome were bustling with morning activity, just as it had been bustling with activity the evening before. But there was a slight difference from the regular routine: whereas, on a normal morning, traffic would have been fairly heavy but otherwise free-flowing, this morning the term _traffic jam_ wasn't quite enough to describe the state of the city roads. Vehicles could be seen one behind the other in several long chains for seeming miles; people who were in taxis were forced to get out and foot it to wherever they were going. It was difficult not to notice, however, that the greater majority of pedestrians and the few drivers who could actually maneuver their cars seemed to be heading toward the dome itself.

"Hey, hey!" one stuck driver called out to a bicyclist who somehow managed to weave in between the crawling lanes of traffic. "What the hell's going on? What are all those people going to Tokyo Dome for?"

"You have got to be kidding me!" the bicyclist exclaimed in utter surprise. "You didn't hear? They're gonna be hosting the final match of this year's Duel Monsters World Championships at the Dome, man! Everybody's come to see it!"

And indeed, the masses that were heading toward the dome were going there in hopes of seeing that Duel Monsters match. They had procured their tickets for seats to this event ever since Pegasus had made his announcement to the public, and now those tickets were either being held in excited hands or safely stored away in pockets, purses, or wallets. If these people had been strangers to each other before, or if there had been any tensions between any of them, those issues now appeared minor in the face of the jovial spirit that now encompassed these determined fans.

And…within the dome itself, Master Orion's butler chuckled as he watched the ever-growing crowds coming nearer and nearer. "Everything is now set…and the audience has arrived," he chuckled. "Now…let the poor little suckers come on in to the place of rebirth."

And as the butler continued to chuckle, two suited men went up to the dome's main doors and prepared to open them…

----------

THE INDUSTRIAL ILLUSIONS LINER, A LITTLE WHILE LATER

"Woweeeee!" David whooped as he came out onto the ship's deck. "Now, that was a powerhouse breakfast!"

"Man, every breakfast for you is a powerhouse breakfast," Luke joked.

Miriam came out behind them, a cheerful smile on her face. "Well, at least now we won't have to watch these duels on empty stomachs," she remarked. "Now it's just a matter of those guys coming on out and getting the show underway already!"

Malachi, as usual, had a bored expression on his face. "Mmm-hmm, whatever…"

The others gradually came out onto the deck as well, in their respective groups: Yugo, Kyo, Jenna and Miki; their parents; Blaze, Wade, Marcus, Flora and Shigeo; Seta, Raven, Honey and Jillian; Janus, Ricardo, Natasha and Dr. Crowler; and Kaiba, Pegasus and the other Committee members. The seven members of the last group climbed up the steps leading to the deck's upper platform, even as the rest gathered around near the dueling platform arena that was still there, out in the open.

"Good morning again, everybody," Pegasus greeted them all. "Now, as you're all aware, in a little while we'll be landing in Tokyo Bay, and then from there it's on to the great Tokyo Dome, where the finals of our great Dueltropolis tournament will commence! But, of course, there's just one little matter that needs to be settled before we make our arrival there…and that is the matter of the semi-final round of the competition!"

The others nodded knowingly at this fact.

"So, then…" Pegasus smiled brightly. "When this liner first came onto Duelist Kingdom Island for the tournament, there were thirty-two duelists on the roster…but now, that number's been cut right down to four. And these last remaining four will, in a moment, battle it out to see which two among them will be deemed worthy of entering Tokyo Dome for the final match. So now, will the challengers for the semi-final round please step forward…?"

One by one, Yugo, Seta and Janus stepped forward from their respective groups even as the others in the small crowd backed away a little, creating a small circular space that put them in the spotlight—and only then did anyone notice something. "Hey…there's only three of them here!" Natasha exclaimed aloud.

At that Mr. Von Schroeder frowned. "Hmmm, yes, it seems the little girl is right. So where is the other one…?"

Seta looked around and scowled. _Zander…_

Everyone started looking around amongst themselves…then Kyo looked toward the door that had led from inside—and stiffened. "Speak of the devil."

Emerging from that door was Zander himself, hands in his pockets, acting like he had not a care in the world. With a seemingly superior smirk, he made his way to where the other three contenders stood, paying no mind to the glares he got from all sides. "Here I am," he announced. "I hope I haven't missed anything?"

"No…not at all, we were just starting off," Kaiba said through clenched teeth.

Mr. Wheeler nudged Mr. Muto. "Hey, Yugi," he said, "this kid's caused a little too much trouble already. What say I just toss him over the side of the ship, and whoever he's supposed to duel in this round gets to win by default…"

But Mr. Muto shook his head. "As enticing as that idea sounds, given the fact that this fellow's organization is bad news…it's not exactly the right thing to do. If he is going to be eliminated, it has to be done the correct and proper way—by one of the others defeating him in a duel. You know that as well as anybody."

"Yugi, acting in the spirit of a duelist is one thing, but this goes way beyond that!" Mr. Wheeler hissed. "Now, as much as I don't like Kaiba, not even he or his family deserves to have gone through what the Zodiacs made them suffer all these years! And that aside, this punk in particular almost got Kyo drowned last night! You gotta face it—he and his pals don't know one thing about pride, or honor, or any of that!"

"I'm well aware of that, Joey." Mr. Muto closed his eyes. "That's all the more reason why we shouldn't have to stoop to their level just because they push our buttons. Otherwise, we become no better than they are, even if we try to convince ourselves that we are indeed doing the right thing."

Mr. Wheeler gave a longsuffering sigh. "All right, fine…let's just hope you don't have to eat those words later on because of this guy."

Pegasus cleared his throat. "Ahem…all right, now that _everyone_ is finally present, let's continue," he stated. "Before the semi-final round can officially start, we need to determine who will face whom among these four duelists. And it just so happens that I've devised a little method for that…by giving our finalists here the opportunity to pick their opponents themselves!"

Immediately there was a bit of murmuring among the crowd; even the other Committee members looked a little confused. "Uh, Pegasus, isn't that a little too convenient?" Mr. Truesdale complained.

"Now, calm down, calm down—the selection isn't going to be as simple as it sounds," Pegasus replied. "Now, allow me to explain."

Here he reached into his jacket and pulled out four cards. "Now…these cards you see me holding," he addressed the gathering again, "are actually photographs of these four young men, taken from snapshots of them that were caught by our security cameras while we were still on Duelist Kingdom Island. And now, if someone would be so kind as to loan me a Duel-Disk for a second…?"

"Uh, okay," and Luke promptly pulled out his Duel-Disk and passed it forward. The Duel-Disk swiftly went up to the front, finally reaching Pegasus.

"Thank you." Pegasus strapped the Duel-Disk on and activated it. "Now, you four, listen carefully. First, I'm going to shuffle the cards like so…" And this he did. "Then, I'll set all four of them facedown on the Duel-Disk, like this."

To everyone's amazement, as Pegasus performed this act, the backs of four Duel Monster cards emerged on the ship's deck! "Whoa, cool!" Janus exclaimed.

"Now, here's what you're going to do," continued Pegasus. "One of you will step forward and randomly select one of these four cards. You may only choose once, and you cannot change your mind about your first choice at any point. When you have chosen, the card will be flipped face-up…and the person whose face you see will be the person who will be slated to be your opponent. And the other two will automatically be designated each other's opponent as a result."

"All right, but what happens if, for instance, I choose a card, and my own picture comes up?"? Yugo inquired.

"In that case, the cards will be shuffled again, and someone else gets a turn to pick," replied Pegasus. "Now, gentlemen…decide which of you will take a chance to choose a card!"

Zander chuckled silently. _It doesn't matter to me which of these fools I get pitted against…although it would be a nice little pleasure to take down Seta Kaiba right now…_

Janus frowned. _All right…which one is it going to be? Will it be Yugo, so that he and I can have our rematch? Or is it going to be Seta, which will give me a chance to face the World Champion head-on? Or…am I going to have to fight this Zander creep, and risk getting into problems somehow?_

Yugo bit his lip._ Come on, come on…please don't let it be Seta…I don't want to face him just yet…I'd really like to face Janus in a rematch, but at the same time I'd love the opportunity to pay back Zander for nearly causing Kyo to drown last night!_

Then Seta stepped forward. "I will choose first. And I choose…the second card from my left."

Nodding, Pegasus flipped the designated card face-up—and the picture shown there was of Seta himself. "Hmph," Seta grunted in disappointment.

"So, now the cards will be reshuffled," said Pegasus. He quickly took up all four of them, shuffled them again, then set them back facedown. "All right—someone else choose!"

"I'll do it this time!" Janus exclaimed. "And the one I choose is…the one on my extreme right!"

"Very well," said Pegasus, and he flipped this card face-up. And the card in question, when flipped, was the photo of—Yugo!

Yugo blinked…then smiled. "Well…guess we'll be having that rematch after all, eh, Janus?"

"You know it!" Janus gave him a thumbs-up.

"All right, then!" Pegasus nodded. "The decision has been made! The first match in Dueltropolis's semi-final round will be Janus Yuki versus Yugo Muto—which will then be followed by Seta Kaiba versus Zander Zabel!"

Seta shot a cold, stinging glare at Zander. _All right…so my chance to take you down has been postponed a little…but never mind, you bastard, because I'll get you yet!_

Zander coolly looked back at Seta, a faint smirk on his face. _Enjoy this stalling of your ultimate demise while it lasts, Ophiuchus…and I assure you, it will not last forever!_

"Now, then! Janus Yuki, Yugo Muto, take your places on the dueling platform arena at once!" Pegasus told them.

"Right!" Janus and Yugo answered simultaneously. Then both of them turned and headed for the arena, even as the others made way for them to pass.

"Do your best, now, Yugo!" Jenna said to him as he passed.

"Don't worry—he's not taking me down just like that, I promise you," Yugo answered with a grin even as he stepped onto his platform and it rose up into the air.

"Okay, Janus, this is it! Show everyone here what you're made of!" Ricardo said to his friend as Janus's own platform rose up.

"Don't I always?" Janus grinned widely.

Both boys quickly pulled out their decks, shuffled them, and placed them in their appropriate places on their respective dueling grids. Then Yugo looked up at Janus. "So…this is it, at long last…after all this time…"

"Uh-huh," Janus nodded in agreement. "We've both come through a lot of opponents in this tournament to get to this point. But now, only one of us is going to get the chance to set foot in Tokyo Dome as an actual competitor, and the other will be watching from the stands."

"Don't worry—I'll be sure to look for your spot in the front row seats," Yugo wisecracked.

Janus's face then became a little more serious. "Personally, though, I'm just glad I was able to get this opportunity to face you again. Now…I'll be able to experience firsthand just how in-tune you've become with the heart of the cards since the last time we dueled."

"Don't worry, you'll definitely see it with those eyes of yours," Yugo assured him.

Seta, hearing this, cocked a puzzled eyebrow. _Heart of the cards…?_

Yugo glanced down at his deck. _Yes…I've come to better understand my deck…and myself…and have fortified both accordingly for this moment…now, this duel will be the real test of my worthiness to be here, in the here and now!_

And Janus was looking at his own deck, too. _Okay, guys…it's time for me to borrow your strength after I've sealed you away for so long…I'm sorry I had to seal you…but now, you'll all get to see the light of day once again! This time…there'll be absolutely no holding back whatsoever!_

"All right now!" Pegasus announced. "Let the duel begin!"

And Janus and Yugo shouted simultaneously, "It's time to duel! Come on!"

----------

**_neomage:_** (dances a jig around his room) Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes! At last—the semi-final match finally gets underway! And the long-awaited rematch between Yugo and Janus begins! Now, I promise you all, sparks are gonna FLY—especially with Master Orion and the ARK separately on the move! Who knows what'll happen next?

REVIEW SOON, PLEASE!


	291. Chapter 291

Yu-Gi-Oh! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER:Let the rematch begin! And neomage doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh!)

**CHAPTER 291**

THE INDUSTRIAL ILLUSIONS LINER

As Janus and Yugo prepared to face off against each other, the holographic coin appeared on the dueling field. "You called it last time…now it's my turn! And I call heads!" Yugo announced.

The coin was then flipped…and when it landed, it was indeed heads. "Very well, you go first then," said Janus. "Doesn't make any difference to the fact that I'm gonna own you again."

"Ha! Let's go!" Yugo challenged.

They both drew their first five cards as their respective life point counters raised their totals to 8000 apiece…then Yugo drew his sixth card. Then he frowned as he examined his hand. "Well, now…who would've expected I'd get these cards so soon…well, all right, then."

Janus watched him carefully.

"Now…I'll set one card facedown, and activate the magic card Pot of Generosity!" Yugo declared. "This card allows me to return two cards from my hand to my deck, after which I must shuffle my deck!"

A slim-looking vase with a serene face on its front appeared, and Yugo deposited two of his hand cards into it; then he swiftly shuffled his deck. "And next…I'll summon my Neo the Magic Swordsman (ATK 1700, DEF 1000) in Attack Mode!" Then, as he played the card, his sword-wielding magician emerged while drawing his blade. "And I'll end my turn for now."

"Okay…decent start-off," Janus acknowledged. "But I can do one better! Watch!"

He quickly drew his card from his deck. "All right, then…I'll set one monster in Defense Mode, and end my turn with that for the time being."

Yugo took his turn and drew again. "All right…I now activate Pot of Greed, to draw two cards from my deck!" And he swiftly drew, so now he held three cards. "And—what do you know! Janus, this is where it starts to get mighty interesting!"

"How so?" asked Janus.

"Watch and learn! First, I'll activate the field magic of my Mystic Plasma Zone!"

Yugo played the designated card—and suddenly, right above them, the sky turned ominously black as lightning flashed here and there. "Whoa! What's up with the lightning all of a sudden?" Wade exclaimed from the sidelines.

"Chill out, man, it's just the effect of that card Yugo just played," Shigeo answered. "Now, let's see what happens next."

Yugo smiled, even as lightning crashed all around the sky. "My Mystic Plasma Zone is a field magic card that increases the ATK of all Dark monsters by 500, while decreasing their DEF by 400," he said to Janus.

"Well, sure, but how does that affect your Neo the Magic Swordsman? I mean, he's a Light monster," Janus pointed out.

"True enough," admitted Yugo. "But you'll see in a moment just why I have played this card! Now, Neo the Magic Swordsman, attack his facedown monster!"

The Magic Swordsman raised his sword and readied himself to charge, even as the sword itself glowed with mystical yellow energy—and then suddenly Yugo called out, "And while he's at it, I'll activate my trap card…Magician's Circle!"

All at once, a huge magical seal emerged underneath the Magic Swordsman's feet, covering the entire length and width of the field! "Holy…what IS this, all of a sudden?" Janus exclaimed, truly astonished.

"Let me explain to you just what this card does," Yugo smiled, even as Neo the Magic Swordsman stayed his hand momentarily. "Magician's Circle could only be activated when an attack was declared with a Spellcaster-type monster. Now, each player gets to select one Spellcaster-type monster from their respective decks that has 2000 ATK or less, and then the selected monsters are Special Summoned in Attack Mode to their owners' side of the field."

Janus frowned. "But…I haven't got any Spellcasters in my deck!" he cried. "You ought to know that! My strategy doesn't call for Spellcasters!"

"Well, that only means that only I will benefit from this effect," said Yugo, and he promptly picked up his own deck and began to thumb through it. "And right now, I'm going to look for one of the cards that I sent back to my deck when I played my Pot of Generosity card a while ago…"

Janus gritted his teeth. _I see…THAT'S why you played that card before…isn't it?_

At length Yugo found the card he was looking for. "Okay, here it is…the card I've selected for the effect of Magician's Circle—Dark Magician Girl (ATK 2000, DEF 1700)! Come to the field, in Attack Mode!"

A second later, the Dark Magician's legendary apprentice appeared, with Mystic Plasma Zone swiftly increasing her ATK to 2500 while decreasing her DEF to 1300! "Now, where was I? Oh, yeah—Neo the Magic Swordsman, resume the attack!" Yugo commanded. "Use your Drifter Slash Attack!"

Neo raised his sword and dashed right at the facedown monster, slashing with all his might as a yellow aura followed his strike. The monster card was flipped face-up from the force of the attack—but suddenly the monster hidden underneath it somehow managed to deflect the attack, slamming a fist into the Magic Swordsman and sending him flying right back to Yugo's side of the field! "WHOA!" Yugo cried as his life points sharply went down to 7700!

Janus couldn't help but laugh. "That's what you get for trying to mess with my Elemental Hero Clayman (ATK 800, DEF 2000)—especially when his DEF is stronger than your monster's ATK."

"Well, here's what you get for foiling my monster's attack!" Yugo answered. "Dark Magician Girl, blast that Clayman into rock dust!" And Dark Magician Girl fired a more powerful blast from her own staff, vaporizing Clayman completely.

"Ugh…so much for that line of defense…" Janus winced as he watched Clayman being destroyed.

"And now, time to add a little extra power to my forces here on the field," said Yugo, holding up one of the two cards left in his hand. "Since my Dark Magician Girl is now on the field, I can activate this magic card—Sage's Stone, which will allow me to Special Summon my trusty Dark Magician (ATK 2500, DEF 2100) from my hand or deck! And he's coming from my deck right now!"

A glowing amethyst jewel suddenly emerged in front of Dark Magician Girl, even as she looked at it in fascination…then seconds later the jewel shattered into pieces as the mighty mage himself emerged on the field, Mystic Plasma Zone altering his stats accordingly to 3000 ATK and 1700 DEF!

"Hmmm…out of curiosity, was that Dark Magician the other card you put back into your deck with your Pot of Generosity earlier?" Janus inquired.

Yugo nodded and grinned. "Yes, it was. But don't worry, you will get to see him contribute greatly to your downfall in a little while. For right now, though, I'll end my turn."

"Can you guys believe it? Yugo's gotten the Dark Magician onto the field, easy as that!" Miki marveled.

"True…but we also know Janus isn't a pushover," Kyo pointed out. "Let's see if he's got anything that might work in his favor right now."

"Hey, now, don't say anything that'll jinx Yugo!" Jenna frowned at Kyo.

Meanwhile, Janus drew his next card. "Seems fortune's favoring both of us in its own mysterious way, Yugo," he commented. "Because I've got a few things in my hand at this point that'll aid me greatly against your little magician army there."

"I'm calling your bluff," Yugo grinned.

"No bluff at all, my friend. Just watch!" Janus then held up one of his six cards. "Now…I activate the magic card, O – Oversoul! This will allow me to select one Normal monster in my Graveyard that has 'Elemental Hero' in its card name and then Special Summon it to my side of the field—and, of course, I'm going for my slain Elemental Hero Clayman, in Defense Mode!"

A strange purple mist emerged on Janus's side of the field…then moments later, Clayman was back on the field in a defensive stance. Then Janus held up another card. "Next, I activate the magic card, E – Emergency Call! This allows me to add one monster with 'Elemental Hero' in its name from my deck to my hand…and the monster I'm looking for now is Elemental Hero Bubbleman (ATK 800, DEF 1200)!"

He picked up his deck and thumbed through it, momentarily locating the card he wanted and holding it up for Yugo to see. Then, even as he added it to his hand, he selected another card and held it up. "And now, for the _coup de grace!_ I'll activate my Polymerization magic card to fuse Clayman on the field and Bubbleman in my hand in order to form…Elemental Hero Mudballman (ATK 1900, DEF 3000), in Defense Mode!"

All at once, Elemental Hero Bubbleman's silhouetted form appeared on the field and got dragged into the familiar Polymerization whirl along with Elemental Hero Clayman. Then…what should emerge moments later but a gigantic mud golem, towering over all the other monsters!

"Uh…oookaaaay…" Yugo gulped nervously, even as Dark Magician frowned, Dark Magician Girl sweat-dropped, and Neo the Magic Swordsman flinched at the sight of Mudballman.

"Now, as you can see," Janus said proudly, "my Elemental Hero Mudballman has a DEF so strong that not even your Dark Magician's current ATK can penetrate it. Face it, Yugo—in the face of this monster, your little army is virtually weak!"

"Is that so?" Yugo asked, regaining his composure. "Well…maybe attacks won't be able to stop this giant mud ball of yours, but I'll find a way around it nonetheless!"

"We'll see about that, now won't we?" Janus grinned. "Well, anyhow, I end my turn."

Yugo's life points now stood at 7700, he held one card in his hand, and on the field he had Neo the Magic Swordsman, Dark Magician, and Dark Magician Girl in Attack Mode, plus his Mystic Plasma Zone field magic card had altered Dark Magician's stats to 3000 ATK and 1700 DEF and Dark Magician Girl's to 2500 ATK and 1300 DEF. By contrast, Janus's life points were still intact at 8000, he held three cards in hand, and on the field he had his Elemental Hero Mudballman in Defense Mode.

"Merciful goodness—that Mudballman is strong!" remarked Mr. Von Schroeder, quite impressed. "How will any of Yugo's monsters break through _that?"_

Kaiba crossed his arms and smirked. "Well, let's watch and find out, shall we?"

Meanwhile, Zander was standing a little ways off from the rest of the group at large, watching the duel. _Hmmm…Janus Yuki does seem rather resilient…I'm almost sorry I didn't get to face him…to see how his Elemental Heroes would fare against my Destiny Heroes…as it is now, how will Yugo Muto get past this little obstacle?_

Now Yugo took his turn and drew his next card, giving him a total of two in hand. "Heh…okay, Janus, prepare to receive a beating!"

"Oh, yeah, from you and what backup force?" Janus taunted.

"This backup force, sucker!" Yugo then held up one of his cards. "Now…listen well. This is where you get to see a variation of a little technique of mine…the Sorcerer's Darkness Combo! And here it comes!"

"Sorcerer's…?" Kyo, Miki and Jenna stared at Yugo in amazement.

"Now, then…" Yugo's grin became wider. "Since Dark Magician Girl is a Level 6 monster, Dark Magician is a Level 7 monster, and both of them are Spellcasters…I can offer both of them as tributes to Special Summon—the Sorcerer of Dark Magic (ATK 3200, DEF 2800)! Come to the field, my mighty mage!"

All at once, a billowing cloud of shadow consumed the two magicians, leaving only Neo the Magic Swordsman alone on the field—then suddenly, from that shadowy mass stepped the Sorcerer of Dark Magic, wielding his mighty staff in hand even as Mystic Plasma Zone increased his ATK to 3700 and decreased his DEF to 2400! Janus swiftly took one look at the Sorcerer's adjusted ATK. "Aw, crap—that's way more than enough to wipe out my Mudballman…!"

"And that's not all," continued Yugo. "Lastly, I'll activate this magic card of mine, Monster Reborn—to revive Dark Magician to the field in Attack Mode!" And then, in the blink of an eye, Dark Magician did indeed come back, his ATK back at 3000 and DEF at 1700 thanks to Yugo's field magic card. "Now, Sorcerer of Dark Magic, destroy Mudballman with Celestial Scepter Blast!"

The Sorcerer quickly blasted a huge wave of fire from his staff at Mudballman; the intense heat melted the mud golem into nothing but dirty water. Then, even as Janus looked on in shock: "Dark Magician, attack directly with Dark Magic Attack!" Yugo ordered, and Dark Magician blasted a ball of intense energy from his palm that smacked Janus in the chest and reduced him sharply to 5000 life points. And then: "Neo the Magic Swordsman, attack directly!" And the Magic Swordsman dashed forward and slashed at Janus with blinding speed, hitting him repeatedly with his blade and reducing him further to 3300 life points!

"Oooohh…that onslaught had to sting…" Dr. Crowler winced.

"Janus! You all right up there?" Natasha called worriedly.

Up on his platform, Janus managed to steady himself even as he breathed deeply. Then…he started to chuckle. "Heh, heh…wow. Now THAT'S what I call heavy hitting!"

Miriam, Luke and David stared at Janus. "Um…okay, maybe Yugo hit him a little too hard with those attacks…" Luke surmised.

"No…it's because he's enjoying himself…"

At that all three of them turned to look at Malachi. "Enjoying himself…?" Miriam asked.

"Yes." Malachi nodded knowingly. "For a strong duelist, there's no greater joy than to be able to match strengths and wits with an equally strong or stronger opponent. Right now, Janus Yuki is experiencing that euphoria that comes from such an encounter…he should be allowed to savor it even a little while."

"Well, okay…I guess…" David still seemed a bit unsure of that.

Yugo, meanwhile, was smiling at Janus. "Glad to see you're enjoying yourself there, buddy."

"Aren't you?" Janus returned. "I mean, yeah, we're dueling for a chance to get into Tokyo Dome…but in the midst of this duel, I'm also seeing something else. And that is that you're truly willing to go all-out without holding any part of yourself back! Now that, I like!"

Yugo nodded. "Yeah…you know how it goes, man."

Janus rubbed his nose as he continued to chuckle—then suddenly his grin vanished. "Yes, you've done quite well so far…but now, once again, it's my turn. And I have a feeling that, starting with this turn, you'll get to see my full might when my spirit is truly in my cards…when we really work together as one!"

"That so?" Yugo narrowed his eyes. "Then come on, Janus."

Janus nodded, then reached down to draw from his deck. Drawing his card slowly, he presently looked at it…and then looked up at Yugo. "Well…I was right! Now, my cards and I are going to trample you!"

He held up one of the four cards he now held. "First things first…I'll activate my own Monster Reborn, to revive my Elemental Hero Bubbleman in Attack Mode!"

A shower of water and bubbles splashed all around Janus's side of the field as Elemental Hero Bubbleman made his re-entrance. Then Janus held up another card. "Next, I'll activate the magic of another card—Bubble Shuffle!"

All at once, in the very center of the dueling field, a massive crack opened in the ground and water began spewing from thence, in ever-growing amounts. "Janus…what did you do?" Yugo demanded, even as the force at which the water was coming out grew ever stronger.

"My Bubble Shuffle card could only be activated when I had my Elemental Hero Bubbleman face-up in Attack Mode on my side of the field," Janus explained. "Now, Bubbleman and another monster that's in Attack Mode on my opponent's side of the field will be shifted to Defense Mode…and the other monster that I choose will be your Sorcerer of Dark Magic!"

Suddenly, an extra-powerful burst of water splashed out in all directions, drenching everything on the field! It hit both Bubbleman and the Sorcerer so hard, that both of them were forced to their knees! "Damn! My Sorcerer!" Yugo cried out.

"And there's something else," Janus informed him. "After that first effect is done, Bubble Shuffle then allows me to tribute my Elemental Hero Bubbleman that was changed to Defense Mode…and to Special Summon in his place a monster from my hand that includes 'Elemental Hero' in its name!"

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki, watching Janus, felt a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach. _What…what is this I'm feeling all of a sudden?_ She blinked at her son. _Janus…what exactly are you going to call forth…?_

Janus then held up one of the two cards left in his hand. "Now, come to the field with all your power—Elemental Hero Neos (ATK 2500, DEF 2000)!"

On the sidelines, Jillian's eyes widened in surprise. _That's…that's the monster he used to beat me last round!_

All at once, a massive burst of light from Janus's side of the field obliterated Elemental Hero Bubbleman and all the water from the Bubble Shuffle card's effect! "Ack! Too bright!" Honey cried, shielding her face from the glare.

"Hey, turn down the light a little, why don't you?" Raven protested.

At length, however, the glare did die down, and everyone could uncover their eyes…and there, on Janus's side of the field, was Elemental Hero Neos, in all his shining glory. Even the inherent darkness of the Mystic Plasma Zone couldn't quite completely surround him, so bright was his natural glare. "Wow…so you've brought out the monster you used last round," Yugo remarked. "Yes, things are really going to get interesting now…"

"Hold on—you haven't seen anything yet," Janus told him. "Because with this last card in my hand, I'll be able to bring out Neos's fullest potential…potential that, until now, I purposely sealed up to give my opponents a more fair fight and thus to make it more fun for them. But now…against you…I have no need to hold back that potential…now, I can really allow my monster to _cut loose!"_

Zander smirked on hearing this. _So…show us this "potential!"_

Janus then played the last card in his hand. "And now, I activate the field magic card, which will bring my Elemental Hero Neos into his element—Neo Space!"

And then…the dark clouds and flashing lightning of the Mystic Plasma Zone seemed to disappear entire—and were replaced with what seemed to be deep space, decorated with stars, comets, even apparent mists of incredible rainbow colors. "Whoa…so beautiful…" Grandma Muto looked around at the changed surroundings in awe. "Is this what space really looks like…?"

"If it does, then somehow…I don't want to leave…" Mrs. Taylor whispered.

"I can feel…something here…" Mr. Muto's hand went to his chest. "Something extremely powerful…but also very gentle…almost protective. It's as if I'm being…watched over…"

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki's initial surprise vanished…giving way to a smile of understanding. _Janus…it really is as you say…isn't it? Your heart…always kind…always protective of others…and yet possessing a strength of it own uniqueness…it really is manifesting itself in your cards, isn't it?_

Meanwhile, as Dark Magician's and Sorcerer of Dark Magic's ATK and DEF stats returned to normal with the Mystic Plasma Zone gone from the field, Elemental Hero Neos's body was glowing with an aura of every color of the rainbow, and his ATK was now at 3000. "I see…so Neo Space must give your Elemental Hero Neos an ATK boost of 500 points," Yugo smiled. "This looks really promising…"

"It sure is," said Janus. "Now, Neos has enough power to defeat any monster you throw against me—like your Sorcerer of Dark Magic, for instance! Elemental Hero Neos, destroy the Sorcerer with your Space Nova Fist!"

Neos pulled his arm back, then punched forward—but instead of flying forward to attack, as he had done in Janus's earlier duel with Jillian, a large ball of cosmic energy in the form of a giant fist blasted from his entire body and soared toward the defending Sorcerer of Dark Magic, obliterating him from existence entirely! "WHOA!" Yugo exclaimed in astonishment.

"If you thought his power was surprising without Neo Space's influence, what do you think of it now?" Janus asked.

Yugo looked up…and had a smirk on his face. "Here's what I think, Janus," he said slowly. "You're strong…really strong…and I'm going to have a lot of fun here, as I work to take you down and out!"

"We'll see about that!" said Janus. "Bring it on, Yugo!"

----------

**_neomage:_** First things first, in case anybody decides to quiz me regarding the effect of Magician's Circle as used in this chapter… "How come Yugo was able to use Magician's Circle's effect even though Janus didn't have any Spellcasters in his deck?" Well, I've seen the same thing happen lots of times on my Game Boy Advance emulator with the Yu-Gi-Oh Ultimate Masters: World Championship Tournament 2006 ROM, where one player could use the card's effect even if the opponent didn't have Spellcasters. And no, I haven't seen any rules regarding the card that will say otherwise.

Now, other than that…TIME TO REALLY BOOGIE! Janus and Yugo continue dueling next round, and now Neo Space has come into play! What will happen next? Let's keep reading and find out, everyone!

REVIEW SOON, PLEASE!


	292. Chapter 292

Yu-Gi-Oh! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER:Space, the final frontier…oh, uh, oops, wrong show. Anyway, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or Star Trek. Sigh…)

**CHAPTER 292**

THE INDUSTRIAL ILLUSIONS LINER

As the first duel of the semi-final round continued on the liner's main deck, the scores were shown: Yugo was in the lead with 7700 life points, while Janus had 3300. However, on the field, Janus had his Elemental Hero Neos in Attack Mode, and that monster's ATK was increased to 3000 thanks to Janus's Neo Space field magic card; while Yugo had both Neo the Magic Swordsman and the Dark Magician in Attack Mode. Neither player had any cards in hand. And now, it was Yugo's turn.

Yugo drew a card to replenish his empty hand…then considered the situation before him. _This is gonna be real difficult…his Elemental Hero Neos is really strong right now, more so since I'm facing him on his home turf here in Neo Space. And…_ He looked at the card he'd just drawn. _This card…it can't do anything for me right now…guess the only thing I can do is…_

"All right. I'll shift both Dark Magician and Neo the Magic Swordsman into Defense Mode…and end my turn."

"Ha! Looks like I've got you on the defensive now, huh, Yugo?" Janus laughed. "Well, as much as it won't be pleasant to hear, even being in Defense Mode isn't going to help you any, especially not against me and my deck!"

That being said, he drew his card. "And…it looks as if my point is going to be made! For now I summon Elemental Hero Burstinatrix (ATK 1200, DEF 800) in Attack Mode!" And then, in an explosive pillar of flame, Burstinatrix herself appeared, fireballs in her hands.

Seta bit his lip. "Damn…this isn't good…"

"Burstinatrix, destroy Neo the Magic Swordsman with your Burstfire Attack!" Janus ordered, and Burstinatrix flung her fireballs and completely incinerated the Magic Swordsman into ashes. Then: "Neos, destroy Dark Magician with your Space Nova Fist!" and Neos responded with the same devastating punch attack from before, wiping out Dark Magician entirely.

"Oh, no! Yugo's completely open now!" Miki exclaimed.

"Yugo…" Jenna clenched her fists in worry.

"All right…pretty good, destroying my defense altogether," Yugo commended Janus. "But you know it's going to take a lot more than that to beat me this time!"

"Then I guess I'll have to put in a little more effort," Janus answered.

Smirking, Yugo drew once again. "Hmmm…I'll set one monster in Defense Mode, and end my turn."

Now Janus frowned. _Okay…this could prove to be a problem. This facedown monster…is it a monster with high DEF, or is it a monster with an effect? If I attack it with Burstinatrix and it's a high-DEF monster, I'll lose more life points, which I'd like to avoid as much as possible right now…but if I attack it with Neos, then not only do I risk it being a low-status monster and thus a waste of good attacking power on my part, but it might also have an effect that could screw me over somehow. So…what to do…_

He took his turn once again—and his eyes widened at the sight of the card he now held. Then he grinned. "All right, my deck is being kind to me yet again," he said to Yugo. "Well, I'll just set this card facedown…and take a chance with you! Burstinatrix, destroy that facedown monster with your Burstfire Attack!"

Burstinatrix flung another volley of fireballs at the facedown monster…and as the attack connected, the card was flipped face-up, revealing a writhing Magician of Faith (ATK 300, DEF 400) who quickly got burned to ashes. "You just destroyed my Magician of Faith," Yugo noted as he watched the scene unfold. "And when she's flipped face-up, her effect lets me take back one Magic card from my Graveyard and add it to my hand…and the card I choose will be…"

He swiftly picked up his Graveyard pile and looked through it carefully. "Okay—the card I choose is Monster Reborn!" And then he added that card to his hand, so now he held two.

"Well, congrats—but it's not like that card can help you right now," Janus reminded Yugo. "Because now, your life points are extremely wide open! Now, Elemental Hero Neos, give him a taste of your Space Nova Fist! Attack directly!"

Neos reared his arm back, then punched forward with great strength. The fist-shaped energy he released by that action rocketed forward, slamming into Yugo violently and sharply reducing his score to 4700!

Mr. Bakura flinched. "Ouch…!"

"Yeah, that's definitely going to leave a mark," Mr. Taylor nodded, also grimacing at the sight.

On the upper deck, Ms. Wong was watching the duel with wonder in her face. "My goodness…this duel's odds have been swinging back and forth for a little while now…it's almost uncertain who'll be the eventual winner, even if it looks obvious at first glance," she remarked.

Pegasus merely smiled on hearing this. "Indeed."

Again Yugo took his turn, drawing his next card. "Well, well, well…this could buy me a little time, at least. All right; I'll set one card facedown, and end my turn."

Janus drew his next card. "Well, now! Hey, Yugo, I just drew one of my most favorite cards!" he exclaimed excitedly. "Let me show you!"

"Really? Well, come on, then—show me!" Yugo invited.

Janus then held up the card and prepared to play it. "And now, I summon to the field—Neo-Spacian Flare Scarab (ATK 500, DEF 500) in Attack Mode!"

A moment later there appeared on the field—a black and purple scarab creature. As it appeared on the field, all at once its ATK of 500 shot up to 900! "Heh…this monster gains 400 ATK for every Magic and Trap card my opponent controls, and right now you've got one facedown," he pointed out.

But Yugo stared at the new creature…and stared…and stared…and stared. "Um…Janus…what is THIS thing?" he asked, very slowly. "This does NOT look like an Elemental Hero at all…you wanna explain?"

Mr. Truesdale and Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki, however, seemed to recognize the creature, judging from their faces. "Zane…that's…" Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki said softly.

"That's something I almost forgot he had," Mr. Truesdale whispered.

"You want me to explain? Be glad to!" Janus nodded. "You see, Yugo…Neo-Spacian Flare Scarab is, according to legend, one of the mystic creatures that has existed in Neo Space for millennia. It is one of the cards, along with my Elemental Hero Neos, that I'd originally sealed…for the special reason that it forms part of Neos's real power…"

"What?" Yugo asked, blinking.

"Yes, Yugo," Janus nodded respectfully. "Although Elemental Hero Neos has the appearance of a Normal monster, the truth is…he possesses a great power known as Contact Fusion. When he performs this with any Neo-Spacian creature, he unlocks his true latent abilities. Now, let me show you one of those sets of powers he's capable of."

Then he looked directly to the field. "Elemental Hero Neos, initiate Contact Fusion! Neo-Spacian to fuse with—the Flare Scarab!"

Neos spread his arms out to the side—and suddenly the Flare Scarab jumped onto him, a bright light engulfing both monsters as they made contact! "Holy—what now?" Yugo exclaimed, watching in disbelief.

Then, gradually the light subsided…and a definite change had come over Neos. Where previously his skin had been pure white, now it was dark brown with several spots of red in different places on his face; his face was more insect-like, and he had bug wings on his back. "Observe, Yugo!" Janus spoke again. "Neos is capable of many Contact Fusions with many Neo-Spacian denizens…in every case where a Contact Fusion is made, the Polymerization card is not used, and the Fusion-material monsters are returned to my deck instead of going to the Graveyard. And right now…" He picked up two of his monster cards from his dueling grid, replaced them in his deck, and shuffled the deck. "The new monster you're facing: Elemental Hero Flare Neos (ATK 2500, DEF 2000)!"

Just then, Flare Neos's ATK rose to 4200! "My Elemental Hero Flare Neos's main power," Janus spoke again, "is that his ATK increases by 400 points for every single Magic and Trap card on both sides of the field. That, right now, means my facedown card and the Neo Space field magic card, and your facedown card too. And besides that, any monster that lists Elemental Hero Neos as a Fusion-material monster, like Flare Neos here, gains an additional 500 ATK from Neo Space's power. But, his current ATK is going to change in a second…for I will now activate my trap card, Elemental Recharge!"

Out of nowhere, a huge electrical battery emerged on the field, outputting energy to Janus's side of the platform arena! "Elemental Recharge increases my life points by 1000 points for every monster on my side of the field that has 'Elemental Hero' in its name, and right now as you can see, I've got two," and as Janus said this his life points rose to 5300 even as Flare Neos's ATK dropped slightly to 3800.

Yugo whistled. "Whew…all of that mouthful to describe one monster's power…"

"Then let me break it down for you," Janus chuckled. "Neos has enough power to kick ass and take names—like he's going to do to you right now! Now, my Burstinatrix, lead the charge and attack him directly!"

Burstinatrix readied her token fireballs in her hands again, and flung them straight at Yugo—who suddenly shouted, "And I activate my trap card, Waboku, to reduce any and all battle damage I receive to zero during this turn!"

As his trap card flipped face-up, the fireballs hit Yugo hard in his chest, causing him to stagger back in his platform a little and causing smoke to rise from his jacket—but amazingly, his life points didn't appear affected at all. "Whew…good thing I got that card in time," he whispered.

Janus smiled and applauded, even as Flare Neos's ATK dropped slightly to 3400. "Pretty good, that move," he commended Yugo. "But can you get any more chances like that, to survive my onslaught?"

"Guess there's only one way to know for sure," said Yugo. "This duel is still on!"

Now Janus's life points were at 5300, while Yugo's stood at 4700. Janus had no card in his hand; Yugo had two, including the Monster Reborn card he'd recovered from the Graveyard. On the field Janus had his Elemental Hero Burstinatrix and Elemental Hero Flare Neos in Attack Mode, plus his Neo Space field magic card was still in effect, and Flare Neos's ATK was currently at 3400 due to his own effect and the effect of Neo Space combined; meanwhile, Yugo had absolutely nothing at all on his side of the field.

_Well, now…this is turning out to be truly one of my toughest duels ever…but I'm not going to give up yet!_ Yugo looked at his deck, then reached down to draw from it. _Okay…let's do this together, deck!_

Then he drew.

Zander smirked on the sidelines as he watched the duel. _So…will this be it, Yugo Muto? Or…have you gotten something that's actually worthwhile?_

Presently Yugo looked at the card he'd drawn…and nodded with a smile. "Okay, Janus," he spoke up, "time for your monsters to be parked for a little bit! For now I activate the magic card—Swords of Revealing Light!"

Suddenly, three gigantic swords of light shot down from the sky and landed on Janus's side of the field, effectively trapping his monsters. "All right…that means for my next three turns, I can't attack you," Janus remarked. "But will a three-turn delay really help you out? After all, I know you've also got your Monster Reborn card in your hand, but there isn't really anything much you can summon from the Graveyard with that right about now. And besides that, take a look…" And here he pointed out his Flare Neos, whose ATK had just gone up further to 3800 again!

"Oooohh…I forgot, Flare Neos's ATK increases by 400 for every Magic and Trap card on the field," Yugo admitted sheepishly. "But fret not, Janus—in the next three turns, I know I'll have what I need to defeat you. Right now…I end my turn."

Again Janus took his turn and drew a card. "Well, while I wait for your Swords of Revealing Light to go away," he announced, "I think I'll take the time to show you another monster that I'd sealed away…Neo-Spacian Dark Panther (ATK 1000, DEF 500) in Attack Mode!"

A second later there appeared on Janus's side of the field a massive black panther with what appeared to be a necklace around its neck, and a billowing black cape on its back, even though the monster itself was on all fours. It snarled at Yugo, baring some considerably sharp fangs. "Ooooooooh…nice kitty…good kitty," Yugo said, waving his hands in an attempt to placate the beast.

"I'll now end my turn…seeing as I can't do much else," Janus announced—and as he said that, the first of the three Swords of Revealing Light vanished.

Quickly Yugo drew another card. _This is…_ "Okay, then. I end my turn for the moment."

Again Janus drew his card. _Can't use this…_ "I end my turn."

The second of the Swords disappeared; Yugo noted this with a slight frown. _Just one more turn after this, and then…_

Once more he drew from his deck. This time, though, his face slowly lit up. _Say…these cards I've got…I wonder…_ "I'll set one card facedown, now, and end my turn with that."

Elemental Hero Flare Neos's ATK rose to 4200 by its effect once more…and Janus cocked an eyebrow. _Just now…he seemed pretty confident about something…does he have something that may be able to assist him, somehow? Only one way to know for sure…_

With that thought, he drew another card—and he frowned again. "Argh…another card I can't use right now…but that's all right, since I've got a force big enough to take you down on my next turn," he said to Yugo. "I'm only sorry I wasn't able to show you all of Neos's Contact Fusion forms, Yugo…a lot of them really look cool, and just as strong as Flare Neos here."

"Hey, no biggie," Yugo replied. "Maybe next time around, you can show the other forms to me, eh? But there's only one inaccuracy in your statement just now…"

Janus looked at him suspiciously. "An inaccuracy?"

Suddenly Yugo grinned. "Yes, an inaccuracy…you may have monsters with enough power between them to take me out once my Swords of Revealing Light wear off—but they won't be getting that opportunity _this_ duel!"

"Well…if you've got yourself a way around these good friends of mine, then show me," challenged Janus. "Now…I end my turn."

The last Sword of Revealing Light vanished from existence, and Elemental Hero Flare Neos's ATK quickly went back down to 3800.At the same time, Yugo swiftly drew his next card, giving him a total of four in hand. "Okay, Janus—time for you to be ROCKED!" he declared loudly. "And every card I've assembled by this time will grant me victory in this duel!"

Janus looked him squarely in the eye. "Now I'm calling YOUR bluff."

"And I'll say the same thing you said earlier—this is no bluff! Now, watch and learn!" Yugo selected one of his card. "First, I'll activate the Monster Reborn card I retrieved earlier, to revive my Dark Magician to the field!"

In a moment Dark Magician reappeared, wielding his staff tightly. Then Yugo held up another card from his hand. "And now…I'll activate the magic card, Dedication through Light and Darkness! By tributing Dark Magician on my side of the field, I can Special Summon, from my hand or deck, one of his more powerful forms—and here he is, from my deck: Dark Magician of Chaos (ATK 2800, DEF 2600)!"

Dark shadows surrounded the Dark Magician, obscuring him from view. Then…slowly the shadows parted…and standing there was the Dark Magician of Chaos, in his leather outfit and with his staff ready in hand. "And, let me not forget," said Yugo, "when Dark Magician of Chaos is Normal Summoned or Special Summoned, I can add one Magic card from my Graveyard to my hand—and I choose my Monster Reborn once again!"

Yugo quickly retrieved the card—then held it up high. "Now that I have Monster Reborn back in my hand, I'll activate it once again and revive my Dark Magician once more!" And then, when he played the card, a large cross of light appeared on the field, allowing the Dark Magician to be revived once more.

Ricardo swallowed as he watched this series of events unfold. "Okay…all of a sudden I've got a bad feeling…"

Then Yugo held up yet another card from his deck. "And now…I'll activate the magic card, Knight's Title! By tributing Dark Magician on my side of the field, I can Special Summon yet another version of him from my hand or deck—and this time this one will come from my hand: Come forth, Dark Magician Knight (ATK 2500, DEF 2100)!"

Suddenly, to Janus's amazement, Dark Magician's robes seemed to mystically transform into armor and his staff into a sword! "This is amazing!" he exclaimed. "This many summons in one turn…cool!"

"You won't think it's so cool when I tell you what's going to happen next," Yugo told him. "For when Dark Magician Knight is Special Summoned, his effect destroys one card on the field—and there's just one card I'm going to have him aim for…your very own Elemental Hero Flare Neos!"

Janus's eyes widened. "Oh…crap…!"

But before Janus could utter another word, the Dark Magician Knight jumped high in the air, sword drawn and ready to strike…then, like lightning, he came down upon Flare Neos, chopping the monster cleanly in two! "YIKES!" Janus exclaimed, watching in revulsion as his monster's insides were exposed before disintegrating.

"And now," Yugo added, "I'll activate my facedown trap card, Call of the Haunted, to revive one monster from my Graveyard in Attack Mode—and my chosen monster is Dark Magician, once again!"

A whole row of gravestones erupted from the ground, and Dark Magician with them. "Janus…right here before you is a variation of another technique of mine…the Dark Royal Flush!" Yugo finished. "Now, _I've_ got the power right here to give you a nice little send-off!"

Janus stared at the trio of monsters on Yugo's side of the field…then he chuckled. "Well, Yugo…it seems I may have underestimated you even a little. For your deck to have yielded the cards you needed while my monsters were stalled by your Swords of Revealing Light…you really have learned to bond your heart with your cards. Good job."

"Thanks," answered Yugo. "But listen…I'm considering this match incomplete, since I've only seen a tiny amount of your Elemental Hero Neos's power. I'm thinking he could very well be a worthy rival for my Dark Magician…so, I want to have another bout with you soon. And that time, I want to see all the other Contact Fusions that Neos is capable of."

Janus grinned. "Hey, just look me up at Duel Academy. I'll be waiting."

Yugo nodded. "All right…Dark Magician, destroy the Neo-Spacian Dark Panther!"

Dark Magician blasted energy from his staff at the Dark Panther, incinerating it and bringing Janus's life points to 3800. Then Yugo called out: "Now, Dark Magician Knight, it's your turn! Attack Elemental Hero Burstinatrix!" And the Knight did just that, rushing forward and carving Burstinatrix cleanly in half, while reducing Janus further to 2500.

"And now…here's my _coup de grace!"_ said Yugo. "Dark Magician of Chaos, attack directly and end this duel! Chaos Scepter Blast!" And, in response, the Chaos Mage blasted a transparent ball of power from his staff; that ball of power swiftly flew across the field, striking Janus with massive force and exploding on contact, even as his remaining life points plummeted all the way to 0!

"JANUS!" Natasha cried out, trying to look through the billowing smoke caused by the explosion.

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki was also frantically looking at Janus's smoking platform. "Janus, are you all right? Come on, say something!" she cried out.

Moments passed. Then, little by little, the smoke cleared…and there was Janus, leaning backwards on his platform's support rail. His head was tilted back; slowly, that came down so his face was visible again. He was breathing heavily, his hair overshadowing his eyes.

"…Janus…?" Ricardo spoke.

For a moment, there was no response. Then, slowly, Janus looked up…and on his face was a smirk. "It's all well and good, you guys. I'm all right."

A huge smile broke out over Natasha's face, while Ricardo sighed in relief. "Dude, don't scare us like that," he chastised his friend.

"Sorry, sorry," Janus waved his hands apologetically.

Pegasus smiled as he observed all of this. "Well, then…winner of this duel: Yugo Muto!"

Still standing off from the rest of the crowd, Zander shook his head even as Yugo and Janus's respective platforms lowered them down to the ground. _So, Ophiuchus's little friend gets to advance…oh, well, so much for the sideshow amusement…_

Suddenly, his cell-phone gave a little beep. Raising an eyebrow, he discreetly pulled it out and looked at its screen…and ever so slowly, as he examined what was there, an evil grin formed on his face. _I see…so this is how it is now, eh…? Well, then…for these simpering fools, hell will soon break loose…and then there'll be definitely nothing they can do about it!_

----------

_**neomage:**_ And so, ladies and gents, the rematch duel between Yugo and Janus is done! Although, I gotta admit, it did end in quite a bang, but it took a lot less time than I'd originally thought it would…

But it seems now that trouble is brewing right there on the ship. What is it that Zander has seen on his ever-present phone? What will it mean for the others that are there—and more so for Seta? Tune in next chapter and find out!

UPDATED 20/11/2007: A slight error regarding Elemental Hero Flare Neos's ATK point changes was noted, so I corrected it.


	293. Chapter 293

Yu-Gi-Oh! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER:Heh, heh, heh…and with this chapter, a serious grudge match finally begins! And, as always, I have no ownership of Yu-Gi-Oh!)

**CHAPTER 293**

THE INDUSTRIAL ILLUSIONS LINER

Janus and Yugo hopped down from their platforms, to join their respective groups of friends who were waiting for them. "Way to go, Yugo! You really won!" Jenna cheered.

"Yeah, thanks," Yugo nodded. "But it's like I just said to him—I want to fight him again sometime, so I can see the full capabilities that his Elemental Hero Neos is capable of."

"That's asking for quite a bit, I say," Kyo remarked. "Still, if he's willing to oblige you, then I'm not complaining."

"Janus…I'm so sorry," Natasha said sympathetically. "You didn't get to win…"

"Hey, it's perfectly cool," Janus assured her. "The main thing is, even though I lost, I had fun dueling Yugo—and I can't wait for the next time he and I face off!"

Dr. Crowler chuckled. "Just like your father was, back in the day," he commented.

"Excuse me, Janus, Yugo…"

Both boys simultaneously looked up. "Huh?" they asked with one voice.

Seta was approaching them, a questioning look on his face. "I couldn't help but come over to ask this of you guys," he said to them. "Right before you started dueling, you mentioned the 'heart of the cards' or something like that…just what exactly were you talking about?"

Yugo and Janus looked at him, then at each other, then back at him. "Oh…so you heard that, eh?" Janus asked.

"You mean Yugo hadn't ever told you about it?" Kyo asked Seta, a little surprised.

Seta gave him a look. "So you know what they were talking about, then?"

"We first heard the term from Yugo's dad, back during the Kaibacorp Challenge Cup," Miki explained. "It was during his match against you."

"Well, hmm…how do I describe it…" Yugo scratched his head. "To tell you the honest truth, Seta, it's not exactly something that can be easily explained in words. The best I can say with regards to that, is that it all depends on the bond of trust that exists between a duelist and his cards."

Seta frowned as he considered this. "You mean…like if I mentally ask my deck to give me a good card, and then the very card I need just happens to show up on my next draw?"

"Yeah, it's something like that…but a little deeper and more philosophical, I guess," said Janus.

"All right!" Pegasus interrupted from the upper deck. "It's time now for the second duel of the semi-final round…Seta Kaiba versus Zander Zabel! Duelists—to the dueling platform arena!"

Zander, still standing a ways off, stood up straight and stretched. "At long last," he chuckled as he headed for one of the empty platforms.

At once all eyes were on him. "Great…now you gotta go up against that jerk," Kyo said darkly.

"Seta, my boy, be careful with him," Dr. Crowler warned.

"Yeah…I hear you," Seta nodded as he headed for the other platform.

A moment later, both players' platforms were rising above the arena once again. Zander had his arms crossed and his smirk on his face; Seta had his hands rigid at his sides, giving Zander a death glare. "Man…things are so gonna get ugly now," Wade commented.

"Yeah, you know it," Marcus replied. And to himself he added, _Let's only hope that Seta will beat this punk before he summons that Uria creature to the field…_

Luke's brow was furrowed and his eyes narrowed as he looked at Zander. "Seta's good…but I doubt even he will be able to stand up against that Hamon creature that that dude let loose on me last round," he muttered.

Malachi glanced over at him. "That creature may be powerful, but it isn't infallible—you yourself proved it during that duel, remember?" he said. "And anyway, Seta Kaiba isn't going to lose to a cheap parlor trickster like this. It'll take a whole lot more than that to take someone of his caliber down."

And up on the upper deck, Kaiba was watching the arena with a grim look on his face. "Seta…be strong…" he whispered under his breath.

Seta and Zander pulled out their respective decks, shuffled them, and then placed them on their dueling grids. "Now, Seta Kaiba…today will be the day of final decision," Zander said calmly.

"Final decision? There isn't going to _be_ a final decision now—that decision has already been made," Seta growled.

"Really? Then I wonder if you'll be singing the same tune in a moment…" and Zander looked at the crowd out of the corner of his eye.

Seta caught the movement, however. "Sorry, Zander—I know what you're thinking right now, so let me disappoint you by telling you it's not going to work," he spoke up. "They already know…everything."

Zander looked straight back at him, a look of surprise in his eyes. "Oh, they do? Well, now…that one wasn't expected. I would've thought you'd be too embarrassed to let such a skeleton come flying out of your closet…"

"It's called good public relations," answered Seta. "Better they heard the truth from me, than from a sleaze-ball like you."

Zander lowered his eyes a little. "I wonder, though, if they really have heard the whole truth…"

"What?" Seta barked.

Now Zander's hair partially covered one eye as he turned to face the gathering. "Good and gentle spectators…your friend here claims he's told you everything about himself…but I seriously doubt he has."

"Hey, what're you talking about?" Raven yelled at Zander. "Of course he told us all about that stuff! About how you Zodiacs lured him into a fake school and used him for your own twisted crimes!"

"And we know all about how he got away from your clutches, too," Mrs. Bakura added her voice. "I mean, yeah, that exit was pretty violent…but at least he was free from your influence!"

Zander snorted. "So, you do know about Vela Dorado…and how it got destroyed that night, and its principal with it…" Suddenly his smirk vanished completely. "Then am I to assume that he also told the lot of you…that Bryce Zabel, alias Bryce Sanvol, was my father?"

All at once it was so quiet, that the only available sound was the crashing of the ocean's waves in the distance. "…say what…?" Jillian broke that silence.

The look on Zander's face was now a very ugly one. "As I figured…either 'honest' Seta here had forgotten about it himself, or he neglected to mention that little detail to the whole bunch of you saps. Well, then, listen up, everyone, for I think a little story-time session is in order…"

"Does it really matter?" Seta demanded angrily.

"Maybe not to you, but then again why _should_ it matter to you?" Zander answered. "You see, folks…after the senior Kaiba up there—" and here he cast a hateful, pointing finger toward Kaiba. "—fired my dearly departed grandfather from Kaibacorp upon his takeover of the company, Grandfather spent the remainder of his days despising him. And he wasn't the only one in our family to have such hate—my father, Bryce, also hated Seto Kaiba for ruining our family's way of life. And, even as a child, I was taught to glorify what Kaibacorp used to be…and to despise the sham that it has since become."

Kaiba gritted his teeth. "So I changed Kaibacorp from a death-dealing organization to a reputable gaming company," he said acidly. "And I fired a whole bunch of people from the old regime. So what? Anyone whose only purpose is destruction of life could never have a place in the Kaibacorp that I envisioned."

"And yet, isn't that what you and your _boy_ here have done—destroyed life?" Zander challenged him. "You, Seto Kaiba, destroyed my grandfather! And your son helped to destroy my father!"

"So that's why you're with the Zodiacs? For revenge?" Mr. Muto shook his head. "Then you wouldn't be the first. You're too young to know just how many people have come after Kaiba in the past as revenge for one thing or another."

Now Zander laughed aloud. "I think you're giving me too little credit, old man," he taunted Mr. Muto. "I know perfectly well about the number of people who've targeted Kaibacorp since _that_ up there claimed it for himself. And for your information, every single person who is even remotely connected to the Zodiacs has been wanting a piece of Kaiba—even long before I ever formed my own personal grudge."

Zander smirked again. "The Zodiac organization has as its members anyone who hates the Kaibacorp of the present…who longs for the days when Kaibacorp sold real weapons to take part in real wars. No life points, no stupid monster holograms, no Duel-Disks – real guns, real bombs, real blood, real death. Oh, and let's not forget the money that was involved from such trades—Kaibacorp was the richest arms dealer of its time, back when Gozaburo was in power. So you see, my grouse wasn't against any one specific person in Kaibacorp at first…it was against the weak system that Kaibacorp had become after Gozaburo's fall from power. It was only after the violent death of my father that my hatred of Kaibacorp became much more personal…for thanks to these two thieves of the Kaiba name, my father would never live to see his own dream of revenge realized."

"Man, you're nuts!" Mr. Wheeler burst out.

"Hmph…think whatever you want," Zander said scornfully. "Only great minds with ambition could ever understand the dreams and goals my father and grandfather had for Kaibacorp. But now, in their stead, I will make their hopes for the company they idolized a reality."

"No, you're not," Seta interrupted him. "Because, right now, we still have a duel to start. And I've already resolved in my mind what I'm going to do. First, I'm going to beat you down into the ground…and then, considering where we are now, I'll feed what's left of you to the sharks!"

Zander shook his head. "You were far stronger back when you were still a tool of the Zodiacs…and this duel will be the proof of it. Now, let's begin!"

The holographic coin suddenly appeared. "I call heads!" Zander shouted.

The coin was then flipped…and it flew high into the air…and then came back down…and its result was indeed heads. "Grrr…fine, so you'll go first, then," Seta scowled.

Both of them swiftly drew their first five cards; then Zander pulled a sixth one from his deck. "And now, it's time for you, Seta, to start paying for my father's death that night—and for spurning the Zodiacs as you have!" he cried. "Now, first, I'll activate the magic card, D – Spirit! If there are no Destiny Hero monsters on my side of the field, I can then Special Summon one level 4 or lower Destiny Hero from my hand—and the monster I choose will be Destiny Hero – Fear Monger (ATK 1000, DEF 1000)!"

Suddenly, a hulking brute of a warrior appeared on the field, with clawed hands on one arm and a heavy blaster on the other. "And next, I'll take advantage of my Normal Summon," said Zander, "and offer Destiny Hero – Fear Monger as a tribute to summon my Destiny Hero – Double Dude (ATK 1000, DEF 1000)!"

Fear Monger suddenly vanished from the field—and then, in its place stood a tall, skinny man in full black, wearing a fedora hat and a scarf around his neck that partially covered the lower half of his face. "And lastly, I'll set one card facedown, and then end my turn," finished Zander.

"You must feel so proud of yourself, don't you?" Seta growled as he drew a card. "Well, let's see how long that lasts! I summon my Rapid-Fire Magician (ATK 1600, DEF 1200) in Attack Mode!"

A second later his magician came out, his dual staves at the ready. "Now! Rapid-Fire Magician, burn Double Dude to ashes!" Seta ordered.

Rapid-Fire Magician's staves began to glow with enormous power, and he fired at Double Dude—when suddenly Zander called out, "And I counter with the effect of my monster card, Destiny Hero – Blade Master (ATK 300, DEF 600)! By discarding this card from my hand during my opponent's Battle Phase, I can increase the ATK of all Destiny Heroes on my side of the field by 800 till the end of this turn!"

"WHAT!" Seta's eyes widened in astonishment.

But as Zander discarded a card from his hand, the shadowy image of Blade Master—a blue-haired warrior with blade-shooters on his wrists—emerged momentarily beside Double Dude and seemed to merge with him! Double Dude, in turn, began to glow with black energy as his ATK shot up to 1800—and he raised the staff he was wielding, knocking Rapid-Fire Magician's fireballs right back to where they'd come from! "Crap!" Seta exclaimed in horror, instinctively shielding himself even as Rapid-Fire Magician got toasted by his own attack, lowering his master's life points to 7800.

"Be careful, Seta!" Honey cried to him.

As the smoke from Rapid-Fire Magician's remains smoked into the air, Seta frowned with distaste. "Well, then…" He scanned the five remaining cards in his hand. "I'll just set one card facedown, and end my turn, then."

The dark glow that had momentarily surrounded Double Dude dissipated, and his ATK returned to 1000—but Zander didn't seem fazed by that. "Nothing you can do will protect you from me, Capricorn the Blitzflash!" he vowed as he drew another card to give him a total of two in hand. "For now I'll activate my trap card…D – Chain!"

All at once, from Zander's flipped card there sprung a huge bladed weapon suspended from the end of a chain! That chain wrapped itself around Double Dude's staff, and at the same time increased his ATK to 1500! "Oh, great—now what?" Blaze groaned.

"This is the effect of my trap, D – Chain," said Zander. "After I activate it, it's treated as an Equip card and equipped to one Destiny Hero monster on my side of the field, increasing its ATK by 500 points. And, even better, its timing is just right to coincide with Double Dude's effect—as his name suggests, he can attack twice during the same Battle Phase! Now go, Double Dude—attack with Double Jeopardy Strike!"

Double Dude raced forward, striking Seta with one end of the staff and reducing his life points to 6300! As Seta reeled from the force of the attack, Double Dude swung down with the other end of the staff, equipped with D – Chain's blade—and Seta winced as he felt that blade cut into his shoulder, lowering his life points even further to 4800!

"Hey, Seta, watch it!" Raven exclaimed.

"Save your encouragements and cheers—it's not helping him one bit," Zander snidely advised. "Well…I'll just set one card facedown now, and end my turn again."

"Oh, man…this guy's giving Seta a real beating!" Ricardo whispered.

"Quite so," nodded Dr. Crowler. "And unless Seta gets his act together, I'm afraid it's only going to get worse before it gets better."

Momentarily rubbing the spot where he'd gotten slashed by D – Chain when Double Dude attacked him, Seta took his time and drew once again. Then he studied the cards he was holding in his hand. _Let's see here…well, wait a minute…a few of these cards I could actually use in a combo…all I need is a couple more cards, and then I'll be good to go! But I'll have to protect my life points from Zander while I wait to get the cards I need…and this card that I have here should do the trick!_

"I'll set one monster in Defense Mode, and end my turn. Your move, Zander."

"Is that an attempt at a good strategy?" Zander mocked him as he drew another card. "Well, let me show you how a _real_ strategy works! Now I activate my trap card—Spirit Barrier!"

A massive electromagnetic shield suddenly formed all over Zander's side of the field! "As long as I have at least one monster on my side of the field, all battle damage that I get becomes zero, even though my monsters can still be destroyed," he explained. "But right now it is not I who should be worrying—but you! Now, I summon another monster – Goblin Elite Attack Force (ATK 2200, DEF 1500) in Attack Mode!"

A small army of armored goblins, all bearing swords and shields, appeared on the field. "Now—Double Dude, attack and destroy that facedown monster now!" Zander commanded. And Double Dude again rushed forward, slamming the blunt end of his staff onto the facedown monster card and revealing it to be Troop Dragon (ATK 700, DEF 800)—and that monster card then disintegrated into nothingness. Then, all at once out of the blue, Double Dude swung his staff right at Seta, sending the D – Chain flying at him!

"Holy…!" Seta shifted out of the way of the oncoming blade—but it still nicked him in the face as his life points went down to 4300! "What the hell was that just now?"

"Well, whenever a monster equipped with D – Chain destroys one of your monsters and sends it to the Graveyard as a result of battle, 500 points of damage is inflicted to your life points," Zander said smugly.

"Grrr…well, when Troop Dragon is sent to the Graveyard as a result of battle, I can Special Summon another Troop Dragon from my deck to the field – and I place this one in Defense Mode!" Seta swiftly searched through his deck, found the second Troop Dragon card, and Special Summoned it to the field. Then, for the card's effect, he shuffled his deck.

"That makes not one bit of difference to me," Zander said haughtily. "Attack again, Double Dude!" And Double Dude did just that—this time sending the whole D – Chain straight at the defending Troop Dragon and destroying it! Then Double Dude, holding the base of the chain, twisted his wrist…and the weapon's tip swooshed upward, right toward Seta's chest! He jumped backwards in time, and the blade only nicked his shirt—but still his life points dropped to 3800 due to D – Chain's effect!

"This isn't good!" Kyo groaned in frustration.

"And again you've invoked this Troop Dragon's effect, and I can now Special Summon a third one from my deck!" Seta reminded his opponent…and soon enough, the third Troop Dragon was on the field, again in Defense Mode, and again Seta shuffled his deck for Troop Dragon's effect.

"And I told you, that doesn't mean a thing to me!" Zander snapped. "Now, Goblin Elite Attack Force…charge!" And the Attack Force rushed upon the hapless Troop Dragon in a body, hacking what was left of Seta's defense to pieces.

"Damn it…that's it for my defense…" Seta groaned.

"Well, now I end my turn—" Zander started…

…and then, inexplicably, his Goblin Elite Attack Force all knelt down. "Oh, almost forgot," he chuckled. "When my Goblin Elite Attack Force attacks, it's changed to Defense Mode at the end of the Battle Phase. Then it can't change its battle position again until my next End Phase, unless a card effect is used."

He then looked up at Seta. "So, how do you feel? Already starting to regret throwing away the power you possessed as Ophiuchus the Imperial? Well, just sit back and relax…for I'll show you the full power that could have been yours, but which will now be used to utterly annihilate you!"

----------

**_neomage:_** Uh-oh…Seta's in serious trouble here! Zander's pounding the crap out of ihm, and hasn't yet taken any damage himself! And now I know a lot of you will be saying, "C'mon, Seta, fight back!" Well, next chapter we'll see what happens, won't we?


	294. Chapter 294

Yu-Gi-Oh! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER:Who will destiny side with…? Well, whichever way it goes, just know that I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, okay?)

**CHAPTER 294**

THE INDUSTRIAL ILLUSIONS LINER

As the duel between Seta and Zander continued, the stats were like this: Seta was way down with 3800 life points, while Zander was leading with an untouched 8000. Seta had four cards in his hand; Zander had only one. On the field Seta had only one facedown card in his magic/trap slot that he hadn't activated yet; Zander, on the other hand, had his Destiny Hero – Double Dude equipped with the D – Chain trap card, his Goblin Elite Attack Force in Defense Mode due to its effect from attacking earlier, and the Spirit Barrier trap card was still active as well.

_Shit…_ Seta's eye twitched as he surveyed the stats. _I can't let Zander to do this to me! If he wins…NO! Don't think about that…concentrate on regaining control of this duel, that's all you do!_

Slowly he drew his next card, giving him five in his hand…and he raised his eyebrows. _Hmmm…_ "Okay—I activate Pot of Greed, to draw two more cards from my deck!"

"So, you have more cards in your hand now," said Zander. "And that is going to help you, how exactly?"

Seta examined the new cards he'd drawn—and suddenly he grinned. "Hey, Zander, let me show you exactly how it'll help me!" he declared. "Now, where to begin…oh, I have an idea! I'll activate my trap card—Dragon's Rage!"

At that moment, the card he'd had facedown for so long finally flipped face-up. "As long as this card remains on the field," Seta explained, "each time one of my Dragon-type monsters attacks with an ATK that's higher than the DEF of any defending monster it targets, the difference will be inflicted as battle damage to your life points!"

"How redundant," Zander shook his head disdainfully. "You do realize that the effect of Spirit Barrier makes that card of yours about useful as a feather right now?"

"Then try thinking of the kind of damage Dragon's Rage would be letting me inflict to you if Spirit Barrier _wasn't _in play!" Seta shot back. "And mark you, I _will_ find a way to get rid of that card! For now…what I'm going to do next will have to suffice!"

On the sidelines, Malachi narrowed his eyes. _What are you going to do, Seta Kaiba?_

Seta then held up one of the six cards in his hand. "Now, I summon Lord of Dragons (ATK 1200, DEF 1100) in Attack Mode!" Then, in a burst of light, his dragon-caped spellcaster emerged on the field, looking very grim.

But Seta wasn't done. "Next, I activate the magic card, the Flute of Summoning Dragon! Now, I can Special Summon up to two Dragon-type monsters from my hand to the field…and I'm going to summon Kaiser Glider (ATK 2400, DEF 2200) and Rare Metal Dragon (ATK 2400, DEF 1200)!"

Lord of Dragons found himself holding the powerful flute, and he blew two sharp blasts on it. Seconds later, there appeared on the field the golden-aura dragon and the metal-plated dragon, on either side of him! But still Seta wasn't finished. "And lastly, I'll activate the magic card Polymerization! Now, I'll fuse my Lord of Dragons with the Divine Dragon Ragnarok (ATK 1500, DEF 1000) in my hand to form…King Dragun (ATK 2400, DEF 1200)!"

The specter form of the Divine Dragon Ragnarok appeared on the field, and it and Lord of Dragons got sucked into a whirlpool…then when that whirlpool subsided, there in their place was the legendary King Dragon, ready to do battle. "Now…this, that you've just seen me do," said Seta, "is my Dragon King combo! And it's going to lay waste to every monster on your side of the field!"

But Zander yawned. "Is that it?" he asked. "I've seen babies pull more interesting strategies."

"Why, you…!" Seta was livid. "Go, King Dragun! Tear his Double Dude apart!"

"Seta, no! Hold on!" Yugo shouted.

But already King Dragun was blasting a wave of fire at Double Dude, engulfing the warrior in flames. "Sure, your Spirit Barrier will prevent you from taking battle damage…but say bye-bye to Double Dude nonetheless!" Seta crowed.

Zander smirked. _Oh, if you only knew…if you only knew…_

"Now, Rare Metal Dragon, attack and destroy the Goblin Elite Attack Force!" Seta cried out. And Rare Metal Dragon swiftly wrapped itself into a ball of sharp steel, rolling forward at top speed and ramming into Zander's defending Elite Attack Force, effectively wiping them out altogether.

"And now…it's time for Kaiser Glider to attack!" Seta now grinned. "And correct me if I'm wrong, but your Spirit Barrier's only effective if you have monsters on the field—but what happens if you don't? Kaiser Glider, attack directly!"

Kaiser Glider immediately blasted golden fire from its mouth, engulfing Zander and swiftly reducing his life points to 5600! "Yeah! Take that!" Seta exulted.

The flames soon subsided…but Zander didn't seem much affected. "Is that all? Oh, please."

Sets snarled at him. "You insufferable…"

Ignoring him, Zander drew another card—but then all of a sudden, two of his Monster card spaces began to shine with red and black energy! "Oh, great—now what?" Seta asked in exasperation.

Then—from out of nowhere there emerged two hulking behemoths, with wild and unkempt hair, torn clothing, and frighteningly large muscles. These immediately knelt in a defensive stance before Zander. "Hey—when was he able to Special Summon monsters like that?" David exclaimed from the sidelines.

"These aren't monsters, nit-wit—they're monster _tokens,"_ Zander amended. "This is another effect of my recently slain Destiny Hero – Double Dude. When he is destroyed, during my following Standby Phase I can Special Summon two Double Dude tokens to my side of the field, and they become Warrior-type, Dark attribute, Level 4 monsters with 1000 ATK and 1000 DEF. And, right now, they're in Defense Mode."

"So? I'll still rip my way through them!" Seta scoffed.

"We'll see about that, now won't we?" Zander countered. "Now, then…I activate the magic card Graceful Charity, which will let me draw three cards and then discard two from my hand."

Graceful Charity's green angel appeared and offered him three cards; he quickly selected two of them and discarded them to the Graveyard. "And now, I'll set one monster in Defense Mode…and that'll be it for my turn."

"This isn't good…Seta's letting that guy get to him, and that's not going to help him any," Mr. Truesdale noted.

"Can you really blame him?" Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki asked. "This is a ghost from Seta's past come back to torment him, you know."

"Even so…Seta needs to calm down and think his moves through properly, or else Zander really will defeat him," Mr. Truesdale replied.

Meanwhile, Seta drew another card from his deck. "All right…it's time for me to do some more crushing!" he declared loudly. "Rare Metal Dragon, go get one of his Double Dude tokens!" And Rare Metal Dragon, rolling itself into a ball again, rolled forward and rammed into one Double Dude token, ripping it apart with its attack.

"Now, Kaiser Glider! Destroy the other token!" Seta ordered. And Kaiser Glider blasted another wave of fire at the remaining Double Dude token, burning it to ashes.

"And now, time for your facedown monster!" Seta finished. "King Dragun, do it now!"

King Dragun blasted a fireball from his mouth at the facedown monster—but when it was flipped face-up, a huge mound of rock with arms and legs swatted the fireball right back! Astonished, King Dragun took it square in the face and fell to the ground, and Seta's life points went down to 3500! "Ungh…!" Seta grunted.

"You just attacked my Destiny Hero – Defender (ATK 100, DEF 2700)," Zander informed him. "And he's got more than enough DEF to fend off any attack you attempt against me."

"Damn…I remember that thing…!" Luke frowned with great distaste.

"Shit…" Seta mumbled under his breath. "Fine, then. I end my turn."

Nodding, Zander drew his next card. "Now, how about I make this a little more difficult for you?" he smirked. "I'll activate the magic card, The Dark Door! Now, as long as this nifty card remains on the field, each of us can only attack with one monster during our respective Battle Phases!"

"Oh, great…as if Seta wasn't having it bad enough…" Mr. Bakura groaned.

"And now, I'll end my turn, since there's not much else I can do," Zander announced.

The score now stood at Seta with 3500 life points, and Zander with 5600. On the field Seta had Rare Metal Dragon, King Dragun, and Kaiser Glider in Attack Mode, plus he still had his Dragon's Rage trap card active; meanwhile, Zander had Destiny Hero – Defender in Defense Mode, plus he had his Spirit Barrier trap card and Dark Door magic card active. Each held one card in hand.

Seta presently drew another card—and suddenly Destiny Hero – Defenser lightly punched the ground, jarring Seta's Duel-Disk and causing another card to be released from the top of his deck. "Consider that a tiny bit of leeway," Zander told him. "If Destiny Hero – Defender is in face-up Defense Mode during my opponent's Standby Phase, then my opponent gets to draw a card. Think of it as you getting to draw two cards."

"Hmph." Seta took the extra card, so now he held three in his hand. "Well…I'll just end my turn. There isn't anything I can do."

"Like there ever was," Zander taunted him as he took his own turn again, drawing another card. "And now, there never will be! For now I activate my magic card Raigeki, to destroy every monster on your side of the field!"

"What? NO!" Seta cried out.

But suddenly, from out of the clear blue sky above, a series of mysterious thunderbolts shot down and tore through the three dragons on Seta's side of the field! "And Capricorn the Blitzflash has hit his mark!" Zander grinned.

"Don't be too sure," Seta shot at him. "For now that you've destroyed Kaiser Glider and sent it to the Graveyard, its effect will return one monster on the field to its owner's hand—and you've only got one monster now!"

The still-smoking Kaiser Glider, even as its body began to disintegrate, managed to fire one final blast of flame at Destiny Hero – Defender, forcing the card back into Zander's hand. But Zander merely shrugged. "It's no big thing to re-set this powerhouse of mine in Defense Mode," and that he did in the blink of an eye. "And now, I shall end my turn yet again."

Seta closed his eyes. _Damn it…this guy's jerking me around and is having the time of his life doing it! Well…at least let's hope my luck changes a little in this turn…_

But when he drew his next card—he paled. _Oh, for the love of—none of these cards can help me by themselves right now! Oh, man…_

"What's the matter?" Zander smirked. "Don't seem to have a good hand?"

"Oh, piss off," Seta growled darkly. "I'll just end my turn."

"Damn…this isn't good," Raven made a face. "If Zander manages to summon a monster he can attack with, and Seta's unable to defend himself…"

Jillian bit her lip anxiously. _Sir Seta…_

Zander drew once again. "And now, Seta Kaiba, I'm going to take you apart, piece by useless piece," he declared. "And I'll start by summoning Three-Headed Geedo (ATK 1200, DEF 1400) to the field!"

In a moment he'd called forth a green three-headed creature with red hands and white masks for faces. "Now, my Three-Headed Geedo, attack directly!" Zander commanded. And the Geedo did so swiftly—jumping forward in a single bound and slamming a fist into Seta's midsection, causing him to double over as his life points dropped to 2300!

"No…!" Miki's hands flew to her mouth as she watched in horror.

"Hmph…so much for you," Zander chuckled. "I will end my turn now."

Shaking standing back up, Seta drew once again. "Ungh…well…I'll summon Cave Dragon (ATK 2000, DEF 100) in Attack Mode…"

In a moment his gigantic dragon emerged on the field, snorting smoke from its nostrils. Seta sighed. "Now…now I'll just end my turn."

"Huh?" Natasha seemed confused. "Hey, he got a strong monster, right? Why didn't he attack?"

"He _couldn't,"_ Ricardo answered. "Cave Dragon's got two effects—and one of them states that if there is no other Dragon-type monster on his side of the field, Seta can't declare an attack with Cave Dragon. The best he can do right now, therefore, is use it to save off Zander…and they both know it."

As he took his turn and drew again, Zander began to laugh. "Hey, what happened to your earlier threat? You know, the one where you said you'd feed me to the sharks? Did it fly out the window with any chances you had of winning this duel?"

He then examined the card he'd drawn. "Hmmm…well, I think I'll just set this facedown, and end my turn for the time being."

Again Seta took his turn and drew. "All right…I'll set one card facedown, and end my turn. There's not much else I can do."

Once again Zander drew his card. "Now, then—I summon Melchid the Four-Face Beast (ATK 1500, DEF 1200) in Attack Mode!" And he brought forth his multi-faced creature, its four different features flashing round and round simultaneously.

Then Zander fixed a direct look at Seta. "All right…now, Seta Kaiba, this turn will be the turn where you meet your end! For I've got something here I believe you should see…I'll now Flip summon the terrible Jowls of Dark Demise (ATK 200, DEF 100)!"

All at once, as his previously unknown monster card flipped face-up, there appeared a bizarre purple set of jaws with what appeared to be a face inside the throat. "And I hate to be the bearer of even more bad misfortune—but when the Jowls of Dark Demise monster is flipped face-up, its effect allows me to take control of one monster on your side of the field till the end of this turn! And, naturally, I choose your Cave Dragon!"

Just then, a sinister black shadow sprouted from the Jowls of Dark Demise's throat, grabbing Cave Dragon and dragging it to Zander's side of the field. Seta made a rude noise with his teeth as he witnessed this. "Now YOU'RE the one making redundant moves," he said crisply. "Even if you've managed to clear my side of the field of monsters, your Dark Door magic card still limits both of us to attacking with one monster each turn—and you can't attack with my Cave Dragon anyway, since you don't have any other Dragons on your side."

"All of what you've said just now is true…except…" Zander ominously held up the very last card left in his hand. "Have you forgotten about this little beauty that I've been holding for the last couple of turns? Well…now I can finally use it…and demonstrate to everyone standing here the power you used to wield, and which you now spurn!"

Seta frowned deeply. "You've got to be joking."

"Oh? Well, watch and see who'll be laughing, then!" Zander then held up the card in his hand. "The Jowls of Dark Demise, Three-Headed Geedo and Melchid the Four-Face Beast are all Fiend-type monsters, so I'll now tribute all of them to Special Summon this mighty beast…**_Raviel, Lord of Phantasms _**(ATK 4000, DEF 4000)!"

"What…did he just…?" Dr. Crowler turned white.

Mr. Truesdale stared in shock. "He couldn't have…!"

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki looked grim. "It would seem he did."

Zander's three Fiend-type monsters turned into mist that swiftly soared up to the heavens—then suddenly, high up in the atmosphere, there was a terrible shrieking sound as an ominous shadow loomed over everything below. "Guys…I'm scared…" Natasha whimpered, clinging close to Ricardo and Janus.

"Dr. Crowler…what _is_ that?" Ricardo demanded.

Dr. Crowler was now very pale. "Our destruction."

All at once, from out of the clouds there flew a frightening visage: a large, blue, winged monster with rippling muscles, sharp claws on its hands, and an ugly face to match. Being much too big to actually hold on Zander's side of the field, it settled for hovering over the ship's deck instead—all the while snarling.

Yugo stared at the monster in horrid fascination. _This…this looks like Obelisk the Tormentor, but…it looks and feels far more…evil!_

Seta, too, was looking on in utter disbelief. "I see…so you have this in your deck…"

"Not just him—the others, too," Zander smirked triumphantly. "The three copies of the Legendary Sacred Beasts, copies made exclusively by the Zodiacs, and meant to be wielded by our most powerful soldier…Ophiuchus the Imperial. And, now that I think about it, maybe that's why the other two were behaving a little oddly when I used them in the tournament…because they respond most willingly to Ophiuchus's commands without question…"

"You used these ABOMINATIONS in Dueltropolis?" Seta yelled at Zander.

"Oh, I did," Zander answered coolly. "I used Uria against Marcus Ironside…Hamon against Malachi Jordan's little lackey over there…and now I'm using Raviel against you. And just so you know, right now as Raviel looks at you, he doesn't recognize you…because the one he recognizes is Ophiuchus, his old master. Right now, what he's seeing before him is nothing but a shoddy shadow. And that shadow…will be eliminated right now."

Suddenly, Cave Dragon vanished in mist! "Raviel's effect…let me remind you of what it does," Zander went on. "Once per turn, by tributing one monster on my side of the field, I can increase Raviel's ATK by an amount equal to that monster's original ATK. And Cave Dragon had 2000 ATK, so…"

"NO!" Yugo shouted from the sidelines. "That's overkill!"

Zander smiled maliciously. "That's the idea."

Raviel's body began to glow with dark light as he absorbed Cave Dragon's power…and his ATK shot up to 6000! "Now, Seta Kaiba, be defeated!" Zander shouted. "Raviel, attack him directly and end this pointless struggle of his!"

And as Raviel's fist charged up with light, he pulled back his arm and then punched forward, heading straight toward a defenseless Seta…

----------

**_neomage:_** GACK! So, Raviel, Lord of Phantasms, makes his debut in Yu-Gi-Oh Forever! Well, what else can I say but…tune in to the next chapter!


	295. Chapter 295

Yu-Gi-Oh! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER:Destiny is decided! neomage doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh!)

**CHAPTER 295**

THE INDUSTRIAL ILLUSIONS LINER

"SETA!" Honey shrieked as Raviel's fist flew straight toward Seta's side of the arena.

"Be crushed, Seta Kaiba!" Zander bellowed in laughter.

But as Raviel's fist came closer… "Like hell!" Seta exploded. "I activate the trap card Mirror Force, to stop the attack and destroy Raviel!"

Zander's jubilance transformed instantly into shock. "WHAT!"

But suddenly, Seta's card flipped face-up—and a massive force field stopped Raviel's fist just one foot away from Seta's dueling platform! "Whoa!" Mr. Devlin exclaimed in amazement.

"Hot damn! Way to go!" Wade and Shigeo shouted together.

"Raviel…get BACK!" Seta shouted.

The Mirror Force trap created such a forceful backlash, Raviel's hand actually split in two! "Gyaaaaa!" Zander screamed, instinctively shielding himself even as Raviel's body was torn apart by the backlash.

"…mercy…" Dr. Crowler couldn't think of anything else to say.

Zander stared in shock as what was left of Raviel disappeared. "This is bull…Raviel…defeated so easily…how can this…"

"WHOO! That was so cool, Seta!" Jenna exulted. "Now kick his butt!"

Seta glared daggers at Zander. "All right, Zander. End your turn. Now."

Zander's face slowly contorted into rage. "Screw you! At least I still have my Destiny Hero – Defender right here!" He pointed to his still-facedown monster. "And you haven't got squat!"

Seta closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I have a feeling…that that will change in a moment."

The score of the duel was: Seta had 2300 life points, while Zander was still ahead with 5600. Seta had four cards in his hand; Zander had none. On the field Seta still had his Dragon's Rage trap card active; Zander had his Destiny Hero – Defender facedown in Defense Mode, plus his Dark Door magic card and Spirit Barrier trap card were still active.

Seta placed a hand on his deck. _That was just too close…but if I'm going to have any chance now, I need to draw…something worthwhile…come on now, deck! Let's do this together!_

Then he drew his card. And he looked at it. And a triumphant little smirk appeared on his face. "Zander…this is the beginning of the end for _you!"_

"Wh-what?" Zander stammered.

Seta then held up the card he'd drawn. "Now, I activate the Ritual magic card—White Dragon Ritual! By offering from the field or my hand one monster whose level stars equal 4 or more, I can summon from my hand…Paladin of White Dragon (ATK 1900, DEF 1200)! And I'll offer one monster from my hand for the ritual!"

As Seta sent the tributed monster card to the Graveyard…there was a bright blue flash of lightning as the paladin and his dragon mount emerged on the field. "And now…I'll activate the Paladin's effect and offer him as a tribute to Special Summon, from my hand, my deck's most faithful monster ever…" Seta then held up one of the two cards left in his hand. "Come to your master's service—BLUE-EYES WHITE DRAGON (ATK 3000, DEF 2500)!"

A light shone all over the Paladin's body…then that light expanded outward as the legendary Blue-Eyes emerged, howling its fury. Seeing it, Kaiba now smiled. "Now, where can you find a more reliable monster, eh?"

"And now, since the Blue-Eyes was Special Summoned by the Paladin of White Dragon's effect, he can't attack this turn," said Seta. "But it'll be able to do something far worse—once I activate this Magic card…" He held up the very last card left in his hand. "Burst Stream of Destruction!"

Zander's eyes widened in dismay. "No…that card…if there's a Blue-Eyes on your side of the field, that card allows you to destroy every monster on my side…!"

"Ladies and gentlemen, let's give him a prize!" Seta said mockingly. "Oh, I know! Blue-Eyes, exact vengeance for your master!"

The Blue-Eyes responded promptly, blasting a jet-like burst of white lightning all over Zander's side of the field, wiping out the facedown Destiny Hero – Defender. "Good, Blue-Eyes!" Seta nodded approval. "Now, I'll end my turn…but next turn, Zander…" and here he made a throat-cutting motion with his thumb.

Breathing heavily, defiantly, Zander drew. "I can still fight!" he rasped—and then he looked at the card. "Oh…God…no…"

"Who's feeling like trash now, Zander?" Seta jeered him as he took his turn and drew again. "Guess that card can't help you much…not that anything could now, anyway! For now I equip my Blue-Eyes with the magic card Megamorph—and since my life points are far lower than yours, that means my Blue-Eyes' ATK will double!"

As the card was played, the Blue-Eyes seemed to grow far bigger than anything else, its ATK rising sharply to 6000! "No! That's enough to…!" Zander turned pale as a ghost.

"Go, Blue-Eyes! Finish it with White Lightning Attack!" Seta commanded. And the angered Blue-Eyes did just that, firing a thunderous blast of energy from its mouth at a screaming Zander, consuming his entire side of the field in white light and reducing his life points all the way to 0!

"YAHOO! Seta did it! He really did it!" Honey cheered, jumping to hug Raven.

"Hey, hey, sis! Easy, take it easy!" Raven exclaimed, even as Honey's embrace suffocated him.

"Go, Seta! Go, Seta! It's your birthday! It's your birthday!" Jenna and Miki said in singsong, dancing around gleefully.

"I wonder…is Zander still alive after that…?" Flora asked.

"Guess we'll soon know," And Marcus pointed out that the smoke from the Blue-Eyes White Dragon's attack was now clearing…

…and what a scene it showed when it cleared. Zander was indeed still alive, all right—but his trench-coat was blasted completely to shreds, as was his shirt, and his hair was now wild and frazzled as a result of the attack. "Ugh…I can't…believe it…"

Seta looked levelly at Zander. "Give up, Zander. You're finished. It's over."

Zander looked at him…and began to laugh. "Heh, heh, heh, heh…ha, ha, ha, ha…HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA!"

Everyone stared at him as he continued to laugh. "Okay, it's official—he's lost all his marbles now," Mr. Truesdale declared.

Then, just as abruptly, Zander stopped laughing. "You think you've won, Seta Kaiba?" he asked, in a chilling voice. "Well, no, you haven't—not as long as I've still got an ace up my sleeve!"

His lightning-bolt Duel-Disk was hanging from his belt; now he pulled it onto his arm and touched a button, activating it. "Hey! What do you think you're doing?" Seta demanded.

Without replying, Zander lowered his mouth to the pointed end of his Duel-Disk's lightning shape. "Designation: Capricorn. Password: Zartacla Drolrevo."

All at once Seta's eyes widened—then he grabbed his head. "Ugh…shit…"

Yugo glanced up at his friend. "Seta? Seta, what's with you all of a sudden?"

Seta pressed his hands to his temples, staggering about wildly in his duelist's platform. "Aaaaaaaaagh…! My head…on fire…like it's…gonna blow…!"

At once everyone's eyes turned on him as he started screaming more loudly. "What the hell? What's wrong with Seta?" Raven then turned to look at Zander. "You rat-bastard, what did you do to Seta?"

Now Zander chuckled. "Observe…my ace in the hole."

Seta collapsed in the duelist's platform, still holding his head; now he was kicking out randomly. "AAAAAAAAHHH…AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGHHH!" he howled so loudly, he probably would've been heard miles away.

"Hey! Stop it right now! Whatever you're doing to him, stop it!" Kaiba raged at Zander.

"GRAAAAARRRRGH…UUUNNNGH…uunnngh…uhhhhhh…ahhhh…"

Seta's groaning and screaming slowly subsided; his breathing was coming in sharp gasps. Everyone looked at him worriedly. "Seta…are you okay…?" Miki asked fearfully.

Little by little, Seta's breathing became more regular. Then, slowly, he stood up. His hair overshadowed the upper part of his face. "Hey…guys…looks like he's fine, whatever it was that just happened," Mr. Taylor said hopefully.

Then Seta lifted his head—and Yugo, looking at him, recoiled violently. "WHAT THE HELL…!"

For there, on Seta's face, was a look none of them had ever seen on his face before: a look of pure, complete, genuine insanity. His eyes were wide, his pupils narrowed almost to dots; he wore a feral grin on his face. "Shit…Seta…!" Janus whispered, his own eyes wide with shock.

Even Malachi was speechless with astonishment. "…"

Staring in horror at his son, Kaiba slowly turned back to Zander. "What…have…you…done…with…him…?" he said, his voice filled with black ugliness.

Zander let off a sinister chuckle. "This, Mr. Kaiba, is something very, very special. It's a weapon that my grandfather had developed for Kaibacorp shortly before you fired him."

"A…weapon…?" Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki asked slowly.

Zander nodded. "That's right. You see…" Now he ran a hand through his own hair. "This weapon is a mind-control microchip that is surgically fastened to the spinal cord, right below the base of the brain where it connects to the spine. The spinal cord, as an extension of the body's nervous system, transmits neural inputs that make the body respond to certain commands sent out by the brain…and the brain is one gigantic storehouse of information, memory, and the like."

Pegasus gritted his teeth. "And this microchip you speak of…it alters the brain's functions?"

"That's one way of looking at it," said Zander. "For the Zodiacs' purposes, what the chip does is smother the subject's memories, sending out neuron-like signals through the spinal cord, and by extension the brain and the entire nervous system, that basically make the subject a perfect candidate for our type of persuasion."

"But that can't be! How could you guys have gotten such a thing into Seta's head…unless…" Kaiba's voice froze up as realization sank in.

"Looks like you've got it, Kaiba," Zander said softly. "Yes. That microchip was implanted into Seta's mind…twelve years ago, the very first day he joined us at Vela Dorado…"

----------

VELA DORADO BOARDING SCHOOL, TWELVE YEARS EARLIER

_The nurse stepped forward quickly with her tray of instruments; she swabbed Seta's left shoulder with a piece of cotton. "Don't be scared, now, honey, this won't hurt a bit, I promise…and after you get this, you'll be getting a pretty picture on your arm, just like he said, okay?"_

_"Okay…" Seta looked away and shut his eyes tightly. And then…he felt a slight prick as the needle pierced his skin…and he started feeling woozy._

_"Oooh…such pretty lights…" Then he passed out._

_Twelve-year-old Zander looked up knowingly at the nurse. "All right…you know what to do now."_

_The nurse chuckled. "Of course, you know we'll have to put the tattoo onto his arm to make it look legitimate."_

_"That's fine," Zander nodded. "It's just what my father has planned. Now, our overlord will surely give Dad a reward for all his hard work."_

_"Yes…Master Orion will certainly be pleased…" And then the nurse turned to her stack of instruments…among which was a tiny microchip sealed in plastic…_

----------

THE INDUSTRIAL ILLUSIONS LINER, BACK IN THE PRESENT

"Yes…my grandfather gave that chip to my father…and my father waited for the right time to use it…and then, the opportunity just fell into our laps, like that…" Zander laughed aloud. "Master Orion will surely be proud now…now that we will finally be able to bring Ophiuchus back with us, where he belongs…and my father and grandfather will not have labored in vain…"

"I've heard enough of this!" David rolled up his sleeves. "I say we pound this bastard till he gets Seta back to normal!"

"I fully agree, this time," and Malachi's eyes shone ominously. "Zander Zabel, prepare for a genuine ass-kicking!"

Zander grinned at them. "No, fools…it is YOU who should prepare yourselves."

Then all of a sudden—FWOOSH! Only a couple of feet away from the liner, the entire sea itself seemed to rise up, splashing over the deck in copious amounts and nearly capsizing the ship in the process! "ACK!" Blaze exclaimed, grabbing onto the railing lest she be washed overboard.

"I know the ocean's my namesake and all, but THIS is RIDICULOUS!" Wade shouted, also holding on for dear life.

Then, gradually, the ship righted itself and stopped moving. "Uuuhh…" Natasha looked seriously green.

"Natasha, now is not the time to be seasick!" Janus snapped—for Natasha was right on top of him.

"Hey…everybody…look at that…"

The others heard Kyo's wonder-filled voice and looked up—and what they saw astounded them, too. "My word…" Grandma Muto couldn't believe it.

Right there, only a stone's throw away from the liner, was a gigantic black…sea-vessel of some sort. It looked to be a gigantic submarine, except it was shaped more like a very long egg with an iron shell. "What in the world is _that?"_ Mr. Von Schroeder exclaimed.

Just then, the top part of the iron shell seemed to part in two…and what the gang saw inside surprised them even more. Inside, they say what appeared to be the main deck for a huge aircraft carrier, except the deck itself was a little too long and definitely too wide to be a conventional aircraft carrier. And…there were several planes and tanks on the vessel's deck. And from what they could see, there were several dozen men in khaki uniforms on the deck, as well, all armed with high-powered weapons of various kinds.

Zander smirked. "Ladies and gentlemen…behold the ARK, the most powerful warship ever built by man. Part submarine, part aircraft carrier, as you can see…and completely outfitted for battle."

"Ahoy!" a soldier bellowed from the ARK via a bullhorn. "All of you, remain where you are or risk being shot on the spot! We have come to reclaim Capricorn the Blitzflash and Ophiuchus the Imperial! Cooperate, and you will not be harmed!"

"Bastards…" Pegasus hissed softly.

Suddenly, from overhead, the sound of a jet in flight caught their attention. "Oh, what now?" Ms. Wong demanded crossly.

Then the clouds seemed to part partially—and indeed it was a jet flying overhead. It seemed to stop in mid-flight right over the ARK's deck; then, using underside thrusters to slow itself, it began to descend. Everyone watched as the jet's wheels were released, allowing it to gently and securely land on the deck even as the thrusters turned off.

"Turbofan engines…not too loud or anything…not bad…" Marcus whispered.

"Marcus, I seriously doubt now is the time to be impressed," Shigeo said in a disapproving tone.

"That jet…that is Master Orion's jet," Zander chuckled. "He must've decided to join us here while on his way to Tokyo."

"Tokyo?" Yugo asked suspiciously. "What could possibly be there for you guys?"

"Wouldn't you like to know, runt," Zander answered.

They all watched as the side door for the jet opened up and the retractable stairs were lowered to the ARK's deck. And then…from the jet emerged four guys in suits, followed a moment later by someone in a big black cloak that concealed his face.

The possessed Seta's eyes widened even more. "Master…Orion…"

Zander nodded. "Yes, my friend, that's Master Orion. He's been waiting for you, you know."

Kaiba's eyes narrowed. _So…this is Master Orion…_

At length Master Orion reached the ARK's deck, and looked over at the liner, which by now was close enough for one to jump from one ship's deck to the other. "Well, well, well…so we meet at last, everyone…it's an honor to finally get to see you all."

"Believe me, the feeling isn't mutual!" Pegasus shot back.

Zander and Seta jumped down from the dueling stations and immediately went down on one knee. "Master Orion, I have successfully completed my mission," Zander said respectfully. "Ophiuchus is back with us."

"Indeed, Capricorn. Well done." Master Orion nodded. "And welcome back, Ophiuchus. It's been very unnatural without you."

"Master…" Seta lowered his eyes.

"All right, this is just plain idiocy! Sir Seta, please get up!" Jillian started toward him—but suddenly a bullet ricocheted from the liner's deck right near her foot, stopping her in her tracks!

Master Orion chuckled underneath his cloak, even as one of his soldiers held a smoking revolver. "Little lady, it would be a shame to kill you, so unless you _want_ to go to an early grave, I suggest you remain right where you are—and that goes for the rest of you there, too," he warned.

"Oh, man…!" Mr. Wheeler scowled.

"Now, then, I should be polite and formally introduce myself, should I not?" said Master Orion. "I am the bona fide leader of the Zodiac organization. I go by the codename Master Orion…but I do believe that a few of you may know me by another name…" And here he reached up and pulled back his cloak's hood completely.

Kaiba saw the man's face—and turned deathly pale. "…no…it can't be…not you…not YOU!"

The face everyone was now seeing under Master Orion's cloak was that of a middle-aged man in his early to mid-forties. He had grayish-black hair cut in a crew-cut style, and a thick mustache. And on his mouth was a cruel smirk. "I'm glad to see that you haven't forgotten me after all these years…dear Seto!" he taunted Kaiba.

Mr. Muto and his group of friends were stunned, as well. "Yugi…can that honestly be…?" Mrs. Bakura's voice quavered.

"Téa, I'll be damned before I ever forget _his_ face," said Mr. Muto.

The pale look on Kaiba's face then slowly disappeared…replaced by a look of pure hatred. Master Orion saw it and grinned. "I take it you've recovered after seeing my face now, Seto?"

Then Kaiba spoke, and his voice was pure poison. "Yours is a face I'd just as soon give up everything to forget…**_GOZABURO KAIBA!"_**

----------

**_neomage:_** DUN DUN DUUUUUUUUN! That's right—you heard Kaiba correctly, everybody! Here, in Chapter 295 of Yu-Gi-Oh Forever, the true identity of Master Orion, leader of the Zodiacs, is at last revealed: Seto Kaiba's former adopted father, Gozaburo!

yamikriz: And besides that, now we know that the Zodiacs did more than just give Seta a fancy tattoo on his arm! For reference, go back to Chapter 228 and re-read Seta's dream sequence that is in that chapter!

rampagerkriz: And, also, after so many chapters of foreshadowing, the ARK's true nature is revealed: a massive weapon of destruction for the Zodiacs, plain and simple!

krizrampage: Now, y'all will have a lot of questions, I know…and those will have to wait to be answered in subsequent chapters to come! But make no mistake: those questions WILL be answered! Till then, stay tuned!

kriztrigun: REVIEW SOON, EVERYBODY!


	296. Chapter 296

Yu-Gi-Oh! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER:Explanations, reasons, motives…the spice of back-stories, don't you think? Well, anyway, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**CHAPTER 296**

THE INDUSTRIAL ILLUSIONS LINER

"Gozaburo…Kaiba…?" Mr. Devlin shook his head. "But that can't be possible! Isn't he supposed to be dead?"

Kaiba's voice was still sour. "Obviously Heaven wouldn't accept him, and apparently Hell didn't have enough room."

"Now, now, son, is that any way to talk about your benefactor after all these years?" Gozaburo said smilingly. "Not even a polite 'hello' or an invitation to have a cup of tea? How rude…but then again, you always were the insubordinate type."

"Gozaburo Kaiba…answer me this," Mr. Muto spoke up. "You're supposed to be dead—why are you here? Or are you even really Gozaburo at all?"

"Oh, I remember you…you used to be that little thorn in Seto's side back in the day, weren't you?" said Gozaburo. "Of course, you've grown a couple of feet taller since then…definitely not the short stuff I remember you to be."

"Answer his question, you psycho freak!" Mr. Wheeler demanded.

"HEY! Don't you dare speak to the Master in that tone of voice, you lower-level germ!" Zander exploded, spinning around to glare at Mr. Wheeler.

"Now, now, my boy, no need to get hot under the collar," Gozaburo said coolly. "They do deserve a bit of an explanation, after all…and that goes double for the new faces I'm seeing before me."

He reached into a pocket and pulled out a cigarette and a lighter. Putting the cigarette to his lips, he ignited the lighter and, moments later, was taking a few puffs. "So that even you kids can get a basic grasp of the magnitude of my actions, I'll start from the very beginning," he said. "Many years ago, I was the proud president of Kaibacorp. But of course, back then it wasn't the gaming company you know today—it used to be a major arms supplier to numerous nations. We were prided on our ability to design, build and supply all kinds of weapons to anyone who could pay our price. Many, many wars were fought using our weaponry; but no matter which country purchased from us, even if two of our consumers happened to be fighting each other, in the end _we_ were the ones who truly gained. While they were slaughtering others and each other with the weapons we supplied them, we got richer, and richer, and richer…

"But then, one day, my only son Noah was critically injured in a car accident, and died despite doctors' attempts to save his life. Still, I was desperate to save him, so…"

"So you digitized his mind into cyberspace," Kaiba interrupted. "Don't think I've forgotten about that."

"Huh? Digitized…? Kaiba, are you serious? He was actually able to do something like that?" Ms. Wong exclaimed, a look of utter surprise.

"Oh, certainly, madam, I was able to do that," Gozaburo spoke up. "So, Noah was given some semblance of life even after his body was long dead…but naturally, being legally dead, he couldn't be my heir. And then—along came Seto and his brother Mokuba, who I adopted and raised as my own."

"Raised…? Gozaburo, don't make me puke!" Kaiba snapped. "You didn't raise us like children—hell, you didn't even treat us like _people!_ Day and night, in and out, over and over, you had me drilled by numerous tutors without rest! You kept me from seeing my own brother! And…" His face was now red with rage. "Even before any of that…you'd planned to transplant Noah's dormant mind into _my_ body!"

"To transplant…man, this is just getting weirder and weirder by the second," Ricardo muttered.

"Yes—and now I regret that I didn't do it as soon as I first came up with the idea," Gozaburo said to Kaiba, taking another drag from his cigarette. "Instead, I focused exclusively on you, making you undergo the necessary training you'd need to run Kaibacorp one day…except, without warning, you and Mokuba teamed up with my own staff of company executives and snatched Kaibacorp right out of my grasp!"

"And after that, all records say you went ahead and killed your own pathetic self," said Kaiba. "Except, you hadn't…"

"That's right," said Gozaburo. "Shortly before my 'suicide,' I digitized my mind into cyberspace, just as I had done with Noah…and then, when he tried to trap you and your little friends, I took advantage of that and attempted to destroy you, in revenge for your betrayal of me. But once again, you got the better of me."

"Wait…let me get this straight…this guy's seemingly dead son, whose brain was really put in cyberspace, tried to trap Kaiba?" Kyo asked, now very puzzled.

"That's right, Kyo," said Mr. Muto. "It was during the Battle City tournament. We were en route to Kaibacorp's Alcatraz Island, to take part in the finals of the competition…but then our blimp's onboard computer was hacked into by Noah and taken to an undersea facility…"

"And then we had to go up against Noah and the Big Five, the former members of Kaibacorp's executive board, in a tournament of their own design, in cyberspace itself," Mr. Devlin took up the tale. "And anyone who could defeat their opponents would escape the virtual world in our bodies. Naturally, of course, we kicked those guys' asses and kept our bodies…"

"…and then Gozaburo showed up," Mr. Taylor added. "But even though he tried to trap us there, we did manage to get away…just in time to escape a missile that Noah had launched from a space satellite. Ironically, it was Noah himself who helped us all get away…sacrificing himself to make sure that both Gozaburo and that undersea facility, as well as the supercomputer they'd used to put our minds in the virtual world, were wiped out by the attack."

"I see…so that's what happened…" Miki looked thoughtful.

"But if any of that's true, it still doesn't explain why that man is standing over there, alive and well," Jenna pointed out.

"My, you _are_ a smart little lady," Gozaburo told her with a smirk. "Well, allow me to explain that part of it, then."

"Yes, please—I'd love to hear this," Kaiba stated. "What's it going to be, Gozaburo—that you're immortal or something?"

Gozaburo took another drag of his cigarette. "Funny you should say that, Seto," he answered, even as smoke escaped from between his lips. "Because, in a manner of speaking, I AM immortal now."

Now Kaiba frowned deeply.

"I have Sullivan Zabel to thank for making all of this possible, you see," Gozaburo went on. "That's right, Seto—Sullivan Zabel, one of the very people you laid off right after you stole my company from me. You see, it was he who first came to me with a proposal, one year before Noah's tragic accident…"

----------

KAIBACORP, 1993

_Gozaburo sat behind his desk, looking extremely stern. In front of him sat a man wearing a white lab coat, his face concealed in shadow save for his glasses. Outside the office window, the rain was pouring down in bucketfuls. "Mr. Kaiba, I thank you immensely for seeing me on such short notice," the man spoke._

_"Well, Zabel, you said it was important—so, here you are," Gozaburo replied. "Now, what is it?"_

_Mr. Zabel smiled. "Mr. Kaiba…I have currently finished my latest blueprints for some brand-new weapons…weapons that I wish to build specifically for you."_

_Gozaburo raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?" he asked, quite interested._

_"Quite so, sir," Mr. Zabel replied. "These are intended to be weapons fit for an emperor…and, with your permission, I wish to begin developing them right away."_

_Gozaburo stroked his chin thoughtfully. "These blueprints of yours…do you have them with you now?"_

_"Of course, sir. Here you are." Mr. Zabel then reached into his lab coat, pulled out three blueprint sheets, and handed them to his employer._

_Gozaburo took the sheets and spread them on his desk, carefully examining each one. "My, my, my…this looks pretty ambitious, even for you," he remarked after a moment. "Are you certain you'll be able to devote time for projects such as these?"_

_"Sir…" Mr. Zabel bowed his head respectfully. "I would give anything of myself to the service of Kaiba Corporation. My time, my sweat, even my flesh if you were to ask it of me."_

_Gozaburo chuckled. "You certainly are a dedicated man. I was right to designate you Kaibacorp's most valuable employee, after all."_

_"I am unworthy of such honor from you, Mr. Kaiba," replied Mr. Zabel._

_"Hmph." Gozaburo then directed his attention to the blueprints. "All right…give me a list of all the necessary materials you will need to finish these projects, first thing tomorrow morning. And I expect to see you make good on your claim regarding these, Zabel."_

_Mr. Zabel smirked. "Have I ever disappointed you with my work's results yet, sir?"_

----------

BACK IN THE PRESENT DAY

Gozaburo took another puff of his cigarette. "True to his word, Zabel began construction of his planned weapons a few days later, as soon as I had supplied him with the accessories he needed," he went on. "For the next few months, not a day went by that he wasn't in the weapons development room, working on those weapons outlined on his three blueprints. He was working to create three weapons; by the end of that year, he had completed the prototypes for two of them. And I will tell you what those two weapons were."

He took one more drag of his cigarette, then flicked the remains of it out into the sea. Then he promptly pulled another cigarette out and lit it up. "One weapon he named Project: Alcatraz. Essentially, it was a mind-control chip that could be used to subvert the will of anyone we wished, toward the service of Kaibacorp. One very good example of that is your friend Seta, over there."

"Seta…" Yugo's eyes narrowed.

"The second project Zabel worked on was not given an official name, as it had to be kept completely secret from everyone save me," Gozaburo went on. "It was a computer virus that Zabel had developed, that had the specific purpose of stealing other companies' business secrets, which Kaibacorp would then be able to use for its own gain. No company secret was safe—stock market plans, annual gross marginal profit scales, planned business mergers…all of that was privy to theft by this virus. And best of all, the virus didn't lurk around after its job was done—once we had the information we needed, the virus would then disappear from the victim company's network as if it had never been there. Nowadays, I like to call the virus Zeus…the king of all viruses."

"Just like that virus Seta told us about…that activated whenever he was made to play Duel Monsters for Vela Dorado…" whispered Miriam.

"And now, the answer to the question I'm certain you must all be asking yourselves now," Gozaburo added. "Even if dear old Gozaburo hadn't committed suicide or transplanted his brain to cyberspace, he surely would have become quite a feeble old man by _now, _without any of the vigor of his youth. Why, then, does he not look a day older now than he did twenty-five or so years ago? Allow me to show you the answer to THAT question…"

Removing the cigarette from his mouth with one hand, he reached up with the other and held his face along with his left ear…and, to everyone's shock, he started peeling off the skin of his face! "EEEEEK! He's tearing his own face off!" Natasha screamed in a terrified panic.

Only Zander didn't seem fazed at all. "Heh."

Then Gozaburo finished pulling off his face—and what lay underneath stunned all those on the liner's deck. "Holy crap…that is…" Mr. Truesdale couldn't even finish the sentence, so surprised was he.

Where bone and flesh were expected to be underneath Gozaburo's face, there were instead several different replacements: wires replacing blood vessels, carefully-placed microchips replacing tissue, and metal replacing bone. "Good Lord…he's not human…" Mr. Bakura whispered.

"Like he ever was," Kaiba said scornfully. "So, Gozaburo, is this the third weapon Sullivan Zabel built for you—an android body? Oh, gee, that's _so_ original."

"It's probably nothing new nowadays; after all, the field of robotics has come a very long way in the last decade." Gozaburo carefully replaced the "flesh" of his face in its rightful position. "But back when Zabel first introduced the concept to me, very few scientists actually had enough know-how to create a working android body. So, naturally, I was fairly skeptical…but once he explained how the process would work, and that it WOULD, I gave him the green light to start working on that project, along with the other two…and this project he named Project: Overlord."

He replaced the cigarette in his mouth and took a few puffs from it. "He completed the prototypes for the first two projects by year's end, but by that time had only managed to finish Project: Overlord's main operations system…the very same system which I would later use to upload Noah's mind into cyberspace after his accident. Then I commissioned Zabel to maintain the operating system that kept Noah's mind alive, while I concentrated on grooming Seto to be my son's next host body…only, after realizing that Seto's mind was already perfect enough as it was, I had the project put aside, but not completely scrapped—just in case it might prove useful later on."

"Then, a little later…Kaiba took over the company from you," said Raven. "What then?"

"Then, by all accounts, I 'died' but secretly uploaded my mind into cyberspace, just as I'd done with Noah…and you've all just heard the outcome of that series of events," said Gozaburo. "But now, _this_ is where the story of my return really begins. For you see, when I uploaded my mind into the virtual world, I did what any sensible person would do regarding computers…I made a separate series of backup files with all my memories on them, encrypted into dozens of tiny microchips that were safely stored away."

"Backup files…figures," Kaiba muttered.

"And there's more, too," Gozaburo added, pausing to take a long drag from his second cigarette. "Seto's first order of business the day after his, ahem, _coup_ was to fire all of my loyal Kaibacorp workers. Fortunately, I was able to contact Zabel…it was he who aided me in uploading my mind into cyberspace, and in transplanting my copied memories to those microchips. And it was he I charged with safeguarding those chips…and with completing his three projects in their entirety."

"Oh…I see now…" Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki was grave. "So, after old man Zabel died, his son Bryce followed in his footsteps and was able to complete the work that his father had started. He studied the notes his father had left behind, and using that information was able to perfect the mind control chip and the Kaibacorp virus, updating them as necessary for more modern times…and he was able to finish the android project his father had started."

"Exactly right," Gozaburo affirmed. "Zabel left the microchips with his son, who was then able to make them into the brain of the finished android project…the result of which you now see before you." He tapped the side of his own head for emphasis.

"And then, knowing that everyone thought you dead—more so after what happened between us and you in the virtual world—you stayed in the shadows, observing events as they happened…and all the while plotting your revenge," Mr. Muto said slowly.

Gozaburo grinned at him. "I really must give you credit, sir—you always were an insightful one," he remarked. "Yes, I took the necessary measures to ensure that only a select few knew of my actual existence beyond my documented suicide. It was I who gave Bryce Zabel the means to form the underworld Zodiac organization, of which I was declared unquestioned ruler as 'Master Orion'…and in a matter of years, the Zodiacs became a superior criminal network, with ties to every other syndicate—legitimate and otherwise—that you can think of. And it was all geared toward taking my ultimate revenge against my swinish adopted son, Seto."

"But how on earth could you have gotten something like…that?" Honey wondered, pointing at the ARK.

"Oh, this lovely vessel of mine?" Gozaburo replied. "Actually, this was a war project that had been well in the works even before I adopted Seto and Mokuba. My scientists who were still loyal to me, Sullivan Zabel among them, continued working on it in secret even after they were all laid off by Seto, and it was finished only two years ago and kept in hiding until the appointed time. The ARK was designed with state-of-the-art technology, including weaponry and stealth capabilities…with it, I could manipulate the globe into another World War, if I felt like it."

"Another World War? But—there's no way one vessel could do something like that!" Marcus exclaimed.

"Oh, but this one is quite capable of it," Gozaburo countered. "It's got the technology to trick major nations into fighting each other. Or did you think such a thing was only possible in movies?"

"One other thing, Gozaburo…" Mr. Devlin narrowed his eyes. "The affair with JUDAS down in Egypt—did you have a hand in that?"

"JUDAS?" Gozaburo rubbed his chin. "Well, actually, that was a separate venture on their part…but I will acknowledge that their leader, Keisuke Odachi, _was_ one of us at one time. He parted ways with us on good terms, though…even if his talk of Shadow Games and magic was a little odd."

"…I see…" Mr. Muto's hair overshadowed one eye.

Gozaburo finished the last of the cigarette, then flicked the butt out into the sea. "Well, it's been all well and good to have had this little reunion chat, but now I must be on my way. You see, I was actually planning to head for Tokyo Dome, where a whole lot of people will likely be waiting right now…"

"Tokyo Dome? But—that's where the Dueltropolis final is supposed to—" Pegasus face suddenly turned white. "You fiend, what have you done?"

"Heh…by now, my men will have already commandeered the Dome in preparation for my arrival," Gozaburo chuckled. "Where in all Japan is more notable than its capitol city, Tokyo? And where in all Tokyo is attended by more people than its eponymous Dome? They will have arrived there, expecting to see the final bout of your silly little fun-and-games tournament…but what they'll get instead is a first-hand viewing of my ultimate return to power!"

Kaiba clenched his fist. "Gozaburo…this quarrel is between you and me," he snarled. "There's no need to get others involved in this!"

"Wrong, Seto," said Gozaburo. "There certainly is a need. See, everyone endorses the Kaibacorp of now. Everyone has forgotten the fear, the awe, the respect that Kaibacorp of the past used to elicit. Well…they shall all be made to remember, and in the process you will be brought to shame as the unworthy schmuck you have always been!"

Then he raised his hand. "Now, Capricorn! Bring our little trophy over here!"

"At once, Master," said Zander. Then he reached for Seta, tugging at his arm. "Come, Ophiuchus. The Master awaits."

"Yes…I understand…" Seta spoke in a hollow voice, nodding his head.

One of Gozaburo's men came forward with a remote control in his hand, and pushed a button. Suddenly, to the amazement of the liner's passengers, a previously sealed compartment at the side of the ARK now opened up, and a metal bridge slowly spouted from thence, until it had reached the liner's deck. "Now, come along, you two," Gozaburo instructed Zander and Seta. "And remember, the rest of you, if any of you try anything cute, I can order my men to shoot you dead—whether you're man, woman, or child."

"Come now, Ophiuchus…let's leave these unworthy people behind," said Zander, and he started to walk toward the metal bridge. Seta turned and followed after him.

"WAIT!"

Yugo's eyes were narrowed. "Wait right there!" he called out. "I want to say something!"

Gozaburo's men automatically raised their guns—but Gozaburo raised his hand to stop them. "What, boy?" he asked. "Do you perhaps wish to say farewell to your former friend before he leaves from your sight?"

"No…I'm not saying any such thing," Yugo declared. "Now, I don't really know what happened with you and Mr. Kaiba in the past…or about the whole process you took to get your revenge or whatever…and frankly, that doesn't concern me. What does concern me is that you've manipulated my best friend…and have corrupted his mind…but I dare you to prove that there isn't even a small fraction of the old Seta still within him—and that I can't personally draw him back out!"

"Are you openly opposing me, kid—knowing full well that I could have you shot right where you stand?" Gozaburo demanded.

Yugo's eyes narrowed more. "Old geezer…I'm doing a whole lot more than just opposing you…I'm throwing out a challenge to you!"

----------

**_neomage:_** Now, good and gentle folk, I'm aware that a lot of you will have been shocked at the idea that Master Orion was really Gozaburo all along, and would thus have been demanding explanations on the matter. Well, this chapter (hopefully) has explained how Gozaburo, despite being dead after the Virtual World arc in the original series, could've come back here in this fanfic as the arch-villain of this saga!

To be honest, when I first drafted this whole arc, there were quite a few folks I had in mind to be Master Orion. First, I thought of _Zigfried von Schroeder_…then I thought about good old _Dr. Vellian Crowler_…and then I briefly considered letting Master Orion be one identity shared by the _Big Five_—or that it could've even been Gozaburo's _wife_ (from the original Japanese version of the old series) pretending to be male while seeking vengeance for her husband. And, yes, I did consider for a while that Master Orion could really be either _Sullivan_ or _Bryce Zabel_. But, now that I look back at it, I believe that Gozaburo was the right choice after all (who else could have such a deeply personal motive for vengeance against Kaiba because of his takeover of Kaibacorp?). And that aside, Gozaburo did show up unexpectedly during the Virtual World arc of the original show, and nobody expected him to do so, though he was referenced in flashbacks—so I said to myself, "Why not do the same thing here in my story?" And, I believe, it works.

Anyway, now Gozaburo's revealed himself fully as an android—and Yugo challenges him! Except, what will this challenge entail? Stay tuned to find out, faithful readers!


	297. Chapter 297

Yu-Gi-Oh! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER:The gauntlet shall now be thrown! And, of course, Kazuki Takahashi is the one who owns Yu-Gi-Oh!)

**CHAPTER 297**

THE INDUSTRIAL ILLUSIONS LINER

"Yugo, what are you doing? Don't goad him!" Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki hissed from the liner's upper-deck platform.

But Yugo stood his ground. "Did you hear me, Gozaburo? I'm challenging you! Only, are you going to accept it or not?"

"Guys…what the hell does Yugo think he's doing? He's gonna risk getting a bullet barrage!" David whispered frantically.

"He's being suicidal, that's what he's doing!" Luke whispered back.

Gozaburo snorted. "I don't have to accept any challenge from a little boy," he said tartly, as he pulled out a third cigarette from his pocket. "It would be a complete waste of my precious time."

Yugo sighed and put his hands in his pockets. "Okay, sir, if you say so." He turned and started to slowly walk back toward his friends. "I've no trouble with that…if you'd like to live out the rest of your existence being known as a powerful man who was so frightened of a mere _little boy_ that he actually ran away."

Gozaburo was in the process of raising his ignited lighter to his cigarette—but on hearing Yugo's last comment, he paused in mid-action. "What did you say?" he asked dangerously.

"Oh, no, nothing at all, Mr. Gozaburo," Yugo said calmly, still walking off with his back to Gozaburo. "It's just that I never would've figured that the man who could start up his own arms-supplying company could be so scared of children that he'd refuse to take on their challenges—especially knowing he could've won if he had."

Kaiba's eyes narrowed as he listened to this. _This is…almost like when I coerced Gozaburo into playing that chess game with me so long ago, so that I could get him to adopt me and Mokuba…but does Yugo really know what he's doing?_

Malachi, though, suddenly gave a little smirk. _Not bad, Yugo Muto…you're actually trying to play on a would-be conqueror's ego…still, Gozaburo isn't going to accept the bait so easily, is he? You'll have to do a whole lot more to get him to agree with whatever you have in mind…_

Meanwhile, Gozaburo's lighter was still a few inches away from his cigarette. Then…he flicked the lighter shut. "What do you propose, kid?"

"WHAT?" Zander exclaimed in astonishment. "But, Master—surely you can't be seriously considering what he's saying…!"

"Why not, Capricorn? This looks like it could actually be interesting. Besides…as former leader of Kaibacorp and current leader of the Zodiacs, I am never one to run from my enemies." Gozaburo then looked squarely at Yugo. "So, kid? What are you proposing?"

Yugo's back was still turned to Gozaburo…but now, he slowly turned around. "Well, sir…since we were all originally going to the same place anyway—Tokyo Dome—why not let me have a duel against your prized soldier, Ophiuchus?" he asked.

Everyone turned to look at him. "A duel…?" Gozaburo wondered.

"That is correct," replied Yugo. "Since Seta and I have just defeated our respective opponents in the semi-final match of our tournament, we're slated to go up against each other at Tokyo Dome in any case—but then again, I suppose you already would've known that. So, this is what I propose: Let me duel against Seta at Tokyo Dome, under my pretext that I can free him from your brainwashing. It'll be a good opportunity for you to show the world the power of the Zodiacs' ultimate weapon."

Gozaburo fingered his chin thoughtfully. "Well…doesn't sound like it would pose much of a problem," he remarked. "Very well, I will accept that offer. But in exchange, you must agree to a few stipulations of my own from right now."

Yugo cocked an eyebrow. "And they are?"

Now Gozaburo smiled maliciously. "If you duel against Ophiuchus at Tokyo Dome, and you _lose…_then you will be publicly executed by my men. If, on the other hand, you _win…_then, sure, you can have your dear friend Seta back—at the cost of the lives of everyone my forces are holding captive at the Dome!"

"That's insanity! Yugo'll never agree to a deal like THAT!" shouted Mrs. Taylor.

"Oh, but he'll have to—or else his original offer will be utterly refused," Gozaburo answered. "And, one more thing: no matter what happens, boy, whether you win or lose…your friends and family will not be allowed to interfere in any way with the duel or its outcome, otherwise you forfeit—and a forfeit means an automatic loss, anyway."

"Yugo, don't do this! Just forget about it!" Mr. Muto demanded. "We'll find another way to save Seta! I know we will…!"

"Yugo…please…" Grandma Muto said worriedly.

"The ball's in your court, boy…what will you do?" Gozaburo asked him.

Now all eyes were turned on Yugo. He looked squarely at Gozaburo…then glanced behind him at everyone awaiting his response…and then looked straight at the blank-eyed Seta.

"I accept your terms."

"What…Yugo, are you CRAZY?" Mrs. Wheeler cried out.

"Damn it…Yugo…!" Mr. Devlin groaned.

Gozaburo, however, laughed. "Very well, then. You will have your duel against Ophiuchus at Tokyo Dome, as you requested."

"Yeah," said Yugo. "And…before I forget…"

Then Yugo turned and headed for the dueling platform where Seta had been in his duel with Zander. "Okay, NOW what is he doing?" Shigeo wondered.

Climbing up to the platform, Yugo retrieved Seta's dueling deck from its place on the dueling grid. Then, jumping down to the ship's deck, he walked up to where Zander and Seta now stood. "Here you go," he said softly, holding out the deck.

"Pfft!" Zander scoffed. "We don't need that! We can provide him with any cards he needs for—"

"I'm not talking to you." Yugo shot him a cold look. "I'm talking to Ophiuchus the Imperial."

Then he looked straight into Seta's blank eyes. "Take this deck…and after that, you can do whatever you like with it," he said quietly. "Whether you want to use it against me at Tokyo Dome…or whether you want to throw it away and use some other cards against me…but the decision is yours to make. Not mine, not theirs, not anyone else's…_yours."_

Blank-eyed Seta looked at Yugo, then at the deck being offered to him. Slowly, he reached out and took it from Yugo's hand…and then his fingers tightened around it.

"Ophiuchus, that deck is weak! You don't need crap like that!" Zander insisted. "Just toss it into the sea and be done with it!"

Seta's hand, enclosed around the deck, trembled a little. He looked at Zander, then at the ocean, then at Yugo. And still his hand trembled…

…and then he quietly put the deck into his pocket. "With this gift of yours…I will certainly crush you, duelist," he said softly. "Just you wait and see."

Then he turned and walked across the metal bridge to the ARK. Zander, glaring at Yugo, turned and huffily followed after Seta, walking rapidly and not looking back till he was on the other sea vessel. Yugo just stood there, watching sadly as the bridge was retracted into the side of the ARK.

"Well, then, now that that's all done," said Gozaburo, igniting his lighter and lighting up his cigarette again, "we will have to bid you farewell for the moment. But we will certainly meet up again at Tokyo! I look forward to seeing you all at that time!"

Then, as the liner's passengers watched, the ARK's iron shell closed up completely, and the vessel submerged into the ocean again. The waves cascaded around the spot; several feet away, the group could see the ARK's dark form swimming off very rapidly into the distance.

"Wow…that thing's fast…" Marcus noted.

"Will you stop being impressed by their tech for a second?" Shigeo blasted at him. "In case you haven't noticed, Yugo's just made a deal with death!"

"Yugo, what on earth were you thinking?" Mrs. Taylor demanded, storming up to Yugo with indignation written all over her face. "You've just put yourself and hundreds of lives at Tokyo Dome in danger!"

"Son, you _do_ realize that you've put yourself in a lose-lose situation, don't you?" Mr. Muto asked, in a calmer voice, but with a very rebuking tone nonetheless. "Thanks to this deal you've made, Gozaburo is going to kill someone no matter what you do. And besides, who says Gozaburo won't try some other underhanded tactic to make this confrontation even more in his favor than in yours?"

Yugo's hair was overshadowing his eyes as he listened to the criticism. "I'm sorry…I guess I really wasn't thinking straight, there," he said quietly. "But I just couldn't simply stand there and watch while they took Seta away." He looked imploringly at his father. "Dad…would you just stand by and do nothing while the bad guys took one of your closest friends away from you?"

Mr. Muto blinked at the question. "I…"

"WOULD YOU?" Yugo repeated, in a harsher voice.

Mr. Muto looked at Yugo—and saw the despair in his face. He sighed and closed his eyes. "You're right…you're right. No. I would never do that…I _couldn't_ ever do that. How then, could I ever ask you to do the same?"

"But, Yugi…!" Mrs. Bakura protested.

"No, Téa. What Yugo says is right." Mr. Muto nodded decisively. "I've been placed in situations many times in the past where I've had to fight my hardest for the sake of my friends…so I can certainly relate to what Yugo is talking about. All he wants to do is to save his friend—is there anything so criminal about that?"

"Even so…even so, this is an army Yugo will be up against," said Dr. Crowler fretfully.

"No—Yugo's not going to be alone in this!"

With one movement everybody turned to stare at Miki. "Miki…!" Mr. Taylor sputtered.

Miki shook her head, her eyes blazing. "It took a whole bunch of courage for Yugo to agree to that wicked guy's conditions, even though he knew it wouldn't be in his favor! And he agreed just so he could get the chance to save Seta! Just for that…I'm standing by Yugo's side, no matter what happens! And don't anybody try to convince me otherwise!"

"…Miki…" Mrs. Taylor whispered.

"Count me in, too."

"Kyo!" Mrs. Bakura exclaimed.

Kyo smirked a little as he stood next to Yugo and Miki. "There's no way under the sun that I'm going to let my pal die so easily while these Zodiacs have him up against the wall," he declared. "Yugo, if you need my help to kick these guys' asses, just say so right now!"

"I'm in, as well!" Jenna declared. "Nobody sets up my boyfriend for a death-trap and gets away with it!"

Yugo looked at his three friends one after another. His eyes began to shine and tremble. "…you guys…"

Ms. Wong managed a chuckle. "Well, well, well…looks to me like we've got a little army of our own, eh?"

"And that army's gonna grow some more," Honey spoke up suddenly.

"HONEY?" Raven and Pegasus spoke in simultaneous surprise.

"Those guys just brainwashed my boyfriend, and then took off with him…how can I just stand here and do nothing?" Honey demanded.

Raven stared at his sister…then he smirked. "Well, Honey, you always were pretty strong-willed, so I won't try to pull you out of this," he said. "But I'm not letting you get entangled in this mess by yourself. If you're going to help Yugo out, I may as well do the same."

"Bro…!" Honey was at a loss for words, but the light in her eyes said it all.

"Hold on…you're not leaving us out of the equation, now are you?"

Everyone stared in amazement at Malachi. "Malachi, you too?" Yugo exclaimed.

Malachi walked up to Yugo. "Don't misinterpret this gesture, Yugo Muto," he said in his familiar deadpan voice. "I'm only going to help you out because the debt I owe you from the Intercontinentals is still not fully paid."

"And wherever the boss goes, we go there too!" David and Luke shouted together.

"And you know me…always standing by my brother," Miriam nodded her head resolutely.

"May I…assist, as well?"

The group looked at Jillian. "Jillian, you…" said Jenna.

Jillian's face had a pained expression. "I was employed to be Sir Seta's bodyguard…and yet, I couldn't do anything to help him," she said quietly. "I want to make it up to him, somehow. Please let me."

"Sure!" Miki said cheerfully. "The more, the merrier!"

Jillian wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "Thank you…"

"How sweet…everyone wants to help Yugo in his time of need, and look at all the help he's getting," Pegasus smiled.

"Hey, Yugo…you've got our support, too, you know."

Surprised some more, Yugo watched as Marcus, Blaze, Flora, Wade and Shigeo approached. "I owe that Zander bastard for what he nearly did to me during the tournament," said Marcus. "And besides that, these guys are using weapons of war for all the wrong reasons. As an ex-soldier, I can't conscientiously allow them to carry on their misdeeds."

"And besides that, they've taken the fun out of this whole tournament with the lackeys they sent in there!" Wade added. "And for that they need to pay!"

"Even if we can't help you directly…we'll still have your back regardless," said Blaze, and Flora and Shigeo nodded in agreement.

"Us, too," and Janus, Ricardo and Natasha stood firm with determination.

Yugo looked around…and slowly a smile spread over his face. "Everyone…"

And Kaiba, watching the whole gang congregate around Yugo, closed his eyes. _All this…for the sake of one boy's determination…is this, indeed, the power of friendship that Yugi and his pals have always been harping about all these years…?_

----------

THE ARK, AT THAT VERY MOMENT

Gozaburo, Zander and the brainwashed Seta stood together inside the sea vessel's main hall, with soldiers aplenty rushing about doing various tasks, either at navigation desks or manning heavy equipment. "How much longer before we arrive in Tokyo?" Gozaburo inquired.

"At our current speed, we should make a landing in Tokyo Bay within the next hour and a half, sir," one of the navigation soldiers replied.

"Roughly half the time it'll take those chumps on Pegasus's boat to arrive," Zander said smugly. "Just perfect, isn't it?"

Just then five men in lab coats appeared in the room and walked up to Gozaburo. "Master, we have the upgraded Project: Overlord ready for you," one of them spoke up.

"How long will the procedure take?" Gozaburo inquired.

"One hour, at the most, sir."

Gozaburo laughed. "Which gives me an extra thirty minutes before we actually land in Tokyo. Now…in just a few moments…I'll be able to shed this container of mine and take possession of the truly finished work of art that your grandfather envisioned for me, Capricorn."

"Yes, Master," and Zander bowed slightly.

"All right. Take me to the operating table," Gozaburo nodded to the techs. And with that, he followed them out of the hall; Zander and Seta followed wordlessly behind them, Zander with a smile, Seta with nary an expression on his face.

----------

**_neomage:_** You know, I started writing this fic with no intention of making it such an epic story…and now, less than two or so years later, look how far it's gotten! Well…I just have to say, first of all, thanks to the Big Man Upstairs for granting me life and strength to write this stuff…and thanks to all you guys out there who reviewed and helped to make this story so popular! And, thirdly, thanks to the music I frequently listen to for inspiration, which includes anime soundtracks… (sly grin)

Now, everybody, tune in to the next chapter! You definitely don't wanna miss what happens next!


	298. Chapter 298

Yu-Gi-Oh! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER:Let the preparations begin! Meanwhile, let it be declared that I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!)

**CHAPTER 298**

THE INDUSTRIAL ILLUSIONS LINER, ONE HOUR LATER

The liner continued on its course toward Tokyo Bay. The sun was blotted out by a few fluffy white clouds overhead, but other than that the day was still bright and the sky blue. The cascading waves chopped against the bottom of the ship as it went on forward.

Yugo was standing right up to the railing at the ship's bow, looking into the distance. _Okay…so my fate is decided…once I step into Tokyo Dome, it's going to be either me or the innocent fans…man, Gozaburo's really playing for keeps now…_

The ocean breeze blew into his face, disturbing the bangs of hair hanging over his eyes. _Still, it was a gamble I was willing to risk…just for that chance…_

"Yugo…"

Yugo didn't turn around, but he knew who it was. "Mr. Kaiba."

Kaiba walked up and stood beside the boy, looking out into the distance with him. "I have to know something," he said softly. "You went and fetched Seta's deck from the dueling arena, and you gave it to him…why did you do such a thing?"

Yugo chuckled. "Well…I guess it was impulse, but…I had to know something. I had to know if the Seta I'd come to know was really gone after that brainwashing chip was activated…or if maybe, just maybe, there was a small piece of him still lurking inside. And…I believe there is."

Kaiba looked at him. "How do you figure?"

"Well…" Yugo leaned a little more against the railing. "If Seta's original personality, the one we know, was really gone for good, he would've thrown away that deck the moment I offered it to him. Instead, he…put it in his pocket. What more evidence than that do I need?"

Kaiba didn't say anything for a moment. Then he sighed. "Yugo…thank you."

"Huh? For what?" Yugo asked, a little surprised.

"For not giving up on him, that's what." Kaiba nodded meaningfully. Then he turned and walked away, his coattails flapping with the breeze.

Yugo closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, releasing the pent-up air after a moment. _Yeah…for real…_

----------

Elsewhere on the ship, Malachi was leaning against a wall, arms folded, eyes closed. Miriam was looking out to the open horizon beyond the sea. David and Luke were busily shuffling their dueling decks. None of them spoke.

----------

"So…that's the ring, eh?"

"Yes. It is."

Blaze was holding up her engagement ring for Ms. Wong to admire. "So, have you two set a date yet?" Ms. Wong asked.

"Not yet," Blaze admitted. "But when we do decide on a date, I'll let you know."

"Quite so," said Ms. Wong. Then she smiled at Blaze. "I'm very happy for you, dear."

"Yeah." Blaze nodded. "It's just like you said…I was able to win his heart…and he can make me happy. Only…"

Ms. Wong noticed the sudden dark change coming over Blaze's face. "Only what, Blaze?"

Blaze sighed. "With what's happened in the last hour…I wonder…"

"Hey, hey, don't worry about that too much," Ms. Wong counseled, and she reached out and gently touched the younger woman's hand. "You and the others have already pledged your support to Yugo…let's leave the matter in his hands."

"Yeah, I guess," Blaze replied. "But if I see a way I can actively help him out, I'm taking the shot."

"Of course. That's only natural." Ms. Wong smiled and nodded.

----------

Mr. Truesdale stood elsewhere on the ship, looking up at the sky with a frown on his face. _Well, now…things are definitely going to be quite troublesome, that much is for sure…_

"Daddy?"

Startled, Mr. Truesdale looked down to see Natasha looking at him. "Oh…Natasha. Is something the matter?"

"Well…I was wondering…" Natasha ran a hand through her hair. "Do you…do you think Yugo has a chance?"

Mr. Truesdale smiled a little. "To tell the truth, Natasha…I really do not know. I guess that's just up to Fate to decide now."

Natasha gave a cute little smile. "Well, whatever Fate decides, I hope it'll be a happy ending for everybody." And she turned and walked away.

Mr. Truesdale couldn't help but smile himself, at that comment. _Natasha…_

----------

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki was sitting alone in the dining hall, contemplating. Just then Dr. Crowler chanced by. "Oh, hello, Alexis," he greeted her. "Penny for your thoughts."

"Hi, Dr. Crowler," she returned the greeting. "Well…I was just thinking about what Seta had told us before, when he was telling us of his back-story with the Zodiacs. About the cards that they'd designed based on those found underneath Duel Academy…and the virus they were able to spread through one of those cards."

Dr. Crowler studied her intensely. "You're thinking about that monster that Zander played in the duel earlier…Raviel…aren't you?"

"It's pretty hard not to," Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki admitted. "Tell me, Dr. Crowler…do you suppose the Zodiacs might try to unleash that virus of theirs at Tokyo Dome?"

"I suppose they might," Dr. Crowler answered. "What puzzles me, though, now that I think of it, is that Zander didn't activate it back on Duelist Kingdom Island. I mean, surely he must've had the chance, right?"

"Maybe…maybe that's because he didn't play the right card that was needed to activate that virus," Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki said thoughtfully. "And Zander _had_ said he'd used the other two Legendary Beasts during the first two rounds of Dueltropolis, but didn't mention the virus…"

Her sentence trailed off as realization dawned on her face. "Ohhhh…THAT'S it, isn't it? The virus could only be activated through playing THAT card! _That's_ why it wasn't activated on Duelist Kingdom Island or here on the boat—he hadn't had the opportunity to play it at any point!"

She stood up. "Hey, where are you going?" Dr. Crowler asked.

"I need to find Kaiba, pronto!" Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki replied. And with that, she hurried out of the dining hall, leaving Dr. Crowler behind.

----------

Elsewhere on the ship's deck, Wade stood by the railing and looked out at the sea. "So beautiful…and yet, so condemning at the same time…"

"Didn't you know, Wade? Talking to yourself is the first sign of insanity."

"Ha, ha," Wade laughed sarcastically, turning to face Marcus. "For your information, I was just thinking."

"About?" Marcus crossed his arms and smirked.

"Well…" Wade's face became thoughtful. "Just now I was saying to myself, after Blaze and I get married, maybe it would be nice to just retire from dueling."

"Retire from dueling? Now that's not something I expected to hear you say," Marcus remarked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Well…I guess…it's just that a lot of weirdness has been happening in recent times with regards to Duel Monsters, and it's a bit much for me to handle," Wade admitted. "And just now…this whole confrontation with that Gozaburo guy…I guess that was the final clincher."

"Pfft. You're just being a baby, that's what," Marcus scoffed. "Are you really going to let something like a crazy, revenge-hungry nut-job take away your passion for the one thing you're best at? Come on, I thought I knew you better than that."

"Yeah…well…I just don't want anyone to ever be hurt…especially not my friends, you know what I mean?" Wade asked quietly.

Marcus nodded solemnly. "Yeah, man, I know what you mean. But hey, don't you let any of it get to you—like this, for instance. We'll definitely find a way to get Seta out of those creeps' clutches without having to sacrifice any innocent people. Bet on that."

"Yeah…I hear you," Wade nodded with a small grin.

"Oh, here you guys are!" a cheerful voice spoke up behind them. Turning, Marcus and Wade came face-to-face with Flora.

"Oh, hey there, Flora," Wade responded to her. "You sound pretty much in high spirits…"

"Well…somebody has to be, around here, and if not me, who?" Flora asked matter-of-factly. "Yugo's in a bind as of now, what with the deal between him and Gozaburo earlier—but if we all show him frowning faces, then he'll get even more distracted. But if we at least show that we're supporting him by being upbeat, then he'll be more at ease."

Wade laughed a little. "Yeah, I guess that's true," he conceded. "Well, no more sulking around for me. I'm gonna do the best I can do, under these circumstances. 'Cause Yugo's gonna need all the support we can give to him!"

And with that, he walked off, whistling. Flora smiled as she watched him go; then she turned to Marcus. "Marcus…"

"Don't worry, Flora; I don't really need any pep talk or anything like that. I'm perfectly cool," he said to her, turning his back to her to resume looking at the sea. "But thanks for saying what you just said to Wade. He was really feeling a little down in the dumps just now, you know?"

"Well…guess my coming along was timely, then," replied Flora. "Well, I guess I'll just…leave you be for a little while longer. I'll be inside, all right?"

"Uh-huh," Marcus answered.

Flora turned and started to walk away. Hearing her footsteps going away from him, Marcus narrowed his eyes. "Flora."

She stopped, but didn't turn to look at him. "Yeah, Marcus?"

Marcus closed his eyes. "Like I told Wade before you came along…we'll find a way to save everyone. And I'm going to make that my personal promise to you. So…don't cry anymore, okay?"

And still Flora's back was to him—but, true to what he was saying, a tear was slowly dripping down her cheek, even as her hair overshadowed her eyes. But when she spoke again, her voice betrayed the emotion she'd been holding in up to now. "Yeah…okay."

----------

THE ARK, IN THE MEANTIME

"Twenty-five minutes before we arrive at our destination!"

Zander, coming out of the operating room with Seta in tow, heard the announcement as it was made over the vessel's intercom. "Heh…just enough time for Master to recuperate from that little procedure," he smirked.

"Will it really be enough…?" Seta wondered, his voice still hollow and his eyes still blank.

"You needn't worry—Gozaburo is far stronger than that," Zander assured him. "For the moment, let him rest. Right now, I want to give you something in preparation for your upcoming challenge."

"What…is it?" Seta asked.

"Come with me and you'll see."

Zander then walked along the corridor, Seta following close behind. They walked for several minutes; then presently Zander stopped at a door and put his hand on its knob. "Now, Ophiuchus…inside this room is some equipment that has been prepared specifically for you. Let me show you."

He opened the door, and together they entered the room. It was sparsely furnished, having only a small table, one chair, and a single bed. And over the bed, hanging from a nail by a coat-hanger, was a zipped-up suit-bag.

"See that bag?" Zander pointed to it. "Inside that bag is the equipment we have secured for you. Would you like to see it?"

Seta looked at the bag for a long moment. "No…not now," he said softly. "I want to wait…till time to fight my opponent…"

Zander chuckled. "As you like. In the meantime, I suggest you reinforce yourself with these…"

He reached into his trench-coat pocket and his jeans pocket, pulling out two handfuls of Duel Monster cards. Walking over to the table, he set these cards on top of it. Then he reached into a separate pocket and pulled out three other cards; these, he turned and handed to Seta personally.

"You see these cards here, Ophiuchus?" he asked. "These cards are what show your true strength as the strongest of the Master's soldiers. Make sure you use all of them in the upcoming confrontation. Make Master Gozaburo proud."

Seta took the cards. "Understood."

"Very well," said Zander. "Now, I'll give you a little time alone so you can concentrate on formulating your strategy."

With that, Zander left the room, locking the door behind him. Shrugging, Seta went over to the table and sat down, regarding the numerous cards now in front of him. Then he carefully examined the three cards Zander had just handed him.

_Uria, Lord of Searing Flames _(ATK 0, DEF 0)_…Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder _(ATK 4000, DEF 4000)_…Raviel, Lord of Phantasms_ (ATK 4000, DEF 4000)_…_

He set those three cards aside on the table by themselves…and then seemed to remember something. His hand went to his pocket, and felt something rectangular in there; puzzled, he reached in for the strange object—and pulled out a dueling deck.

_A dueling deck? When did I…oh, yes, that's right. It was when that spiky-blond kid gave me that deck of cards back when Master Gozaburo rescued me from those strange people…but why did that kid even bother to give me this deck at all? And, now that I think about it, why did I even take it from him—and why have I kept it until now?_

He absently began to thumb through the deck's list of cards. _Oh, well, perhaps I can find something in this deck that may be useful to me after all. If I do, then it will have been that kid's own fault for giving me such a huge advantage…_

Then suddenly he stopped. His thumb was resting on a particular card in the deck. Very carefully, he pulled it out—and his eyes widened. _What is THIS…?_

He examined the card closely. _A dragon…with 3000 ATK and 2500 DEF…not too shabby…_ Then he read the name on the card. _Blue-Eyes White Dragon…_

A frown slowly covered his face. _Although…for some strange reason, it feels like I've seen this card before…like it has some sort of…importance…but why?_

Then, just as quickly, the frown disappeared. He chuckled and shook his head. _How foolish. It's just a card. And it's one I'm seeing for the first time…it can't have had any prior significance to me. Although, it could be quite useful…_

Pulling that card out and setting it down on the table, he shuffled through the deck for a few minutes. In that time, he found a few other surprises. _Ah…two more Blue-Eyes cards…and what's this? There's a Fusion monster version? Ahhh…now I see why there'd be three of such a powerful monster in the same deck…_

Then he held up one other card that he'd found. _And this one…one that can only be summoned by tributing the Fusion monster version…this must be the most powerful version of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon that there is…_

He smiled to himself. _So…five monster cards that fall into the same basic family…perhaps this deck isn't as useless as I first expected. I just may be able to use these cards…although, to use them alongside the cards Capricorn just gave me will be difficult, but not impossible…_

He set the five cards beside the original three that he'd put down, then added the rest of the deck to the general pile on the table. _Now…to create a deck that'll be compatible with all eight of those special cards together…and then after that, there won't be a duelist anywhere in the world who will be able to stand up against me! And I will be able to demonstrate the Zodiacs' might without restraint…all for the glory of the Master!_

----------

**_neomage:_** Well…some people's feelings and emotions are covered in this chapter…I'll cover the rest in the next chapter, without fail! And, soon and very soon…the duel for the lives of hundreds of people will begin! Don't miss it!


	299. Chapter 299

Yu-Gi-Oh! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER:Just one chapter left before the big 3-double-0…and as usual, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**CHAPTER 299**

THE INDUSTRIAL ILLUSIONS LINER

Jillian was moping in the hallway, close to the ship's cabin quarters. She looked forlornly at her nails, and sighed. "Sir Seta…"

"Jillian?"

She looked up at the sound of her name being called. "Oh…Honey."

Honey walked up the corridor toward her. "Are you all right?" she inquired.

Jillian sighed and looked away. "Not really…not after what happened earlier."

Honey looked at her sympathetically. "Well…I guess it must've been difficult for you to be Seta's bodyguard, and yet you had to stand there and watch while they…"

"No—it's not just that." Jillian closed her eyes. "Hey…can I tell you something…in strict confidence?"

Honey's eyebrows raised questioningly. "Uh, sure. Fire away."

Jillian turned and walked a couple of steps away from Honey. Then she held her head down. "When I was a kid…my big sister and I were walking home from school one day. We always walked home together, along the same familiar path, and always kept each other company. But then…that day…we happened to walk past a secluded alley. Then, next thing we knew, six guys jumped us…"

Honey blinked.

"They…abused her…used her…and one of them held me down so I couldn't escape, and forced me to watch," Jillian went on; her voice was trembling a little. "And then…after they were through with her, they left us there…and…she grabbed a piece of glass from a dumpster…and she…slit her own throat and wrists…right there before my eyes…"

Honey's eyes widened at this revelation. "Oh, Jillian…"

"Eventually, the police caught the guys responsible, and they were all sent to prison," Jillian continued. "But…even though my sister had been avenged…I never could get over the shame I felt…the shame of not being able to save her…or even to protect her from those guys…"

Honey looked at her, understanding written on her own face. "So…that's why you became a bodyguard?"

Jillian nodded. "I swore, from that moment…that I would never allow anyone to take another precious person away from me, like they'd taken my sister all those years ago." Suddenly she started to sob. "And yet…those people took Sir Seta…and even though I was his bodyguard, I couldn't do anything…not one goddamn thing…"

Quietly Honey walked up to Jillian, placing a gentle hand on the other girl's shoulder. "Hey, hey, hey…you shouldn't be beating yourself up over this," she said softly. "There wasn't anything you—or _any _of us—could've done about it, not under those circumstances. And anyway, all we should be doing now is concentrating on how we're going to get Seta back—and do it successfully. But we'll need your support."

"But what can I do?" Jillian protested. "I know I asked you guys to let me help, but…if I couldn't help Sir Seta when he needed it most, what good am I to you guys?"

Honey patted Jillian's shoulder. "Listen, Jillian," she said. "You're taking too much responsibility upon yourself. Why not share some of the burden with the rest of us? We all want to see Seta safely returned, too…so let's work together to accomplish that." She smiled more widely. "It's not your fault, Jillian…none of it was your fault at all. And, somehow, I sincerely think your sister would agree with me."

Jillian looked back at the other girl…and broke down. "Oh…God…" She collapsed on Honey's shoulder, weeping bitterly.

"All right, all right…come on, now, let's get you somewhere comfortable…" Honey said soothingly as she led Jillian, unresisting, down the corridor.

----------

Ricardo sat cross-legged elsewhere on the ship's main deck, deep in thought. Janus stood a little ways nearby, watching him. "Whatcha meditating on, Buddha?" he inquired.

"You're a real riot, Janus," Ricardo said sarcastically. "Well, if you must know, I was trying to picture exactly what the odds are going to be like."

"Oh, please—you don't need to try and picture that, it was demonstrated for us earlier," Janus pointed out. "That ARK battleship they've got is a real monster, man. They've got plenty of soldiers in there, and lots of weaponry, too. And let's not forget that they've got even more people waiting at Tokyo Dome. It's definitely not going to be a walk in the park at all."

"Yeah…that's all true," sighed Ricardo. "And aside from that, Yugo's made a seriously bad deal with Gozaburo. Win the duel, save Seta, and sacrifice everybody else in the stadium…or lose the duel, and get himself killed."

"And on top of that, we're not allowed to interfere with the duel no matter which way it goes," grumbled Janus. "Man, what a crock of…"

Suddenly Ricardo's eyes lit up. "Wait a minute, Janus!" he exclaimed. "What was that you said just now?"

"Huh? Uh…that we're not allowed to interfere in the duel?"

Ricardo slammed his fist into the middle of his open palm. "Of course! There's a loophole right there!" he exclaimed. "It's so obvious, it's a wonder I didn't think of it before!"

"Um…okay, you lost me," said Janus, even as visible question marks popped up all around his head.

"Just come with me, and help me get a couple of the others together," said Ricardo, grabbing Janus's arm and pulling him away.

"Dude, will you at least explain what you're on about?" persisted Janus.

"Don't worry, I'll explain on the way," answered Ricardo. "But we gotta keep this a secret from the adults. If they ever got wind of what I have in mind, they'd never let us go through with it."

"Ditching superiors? Woo-hoo, NOW I'm game!" Janus's eyes lit up. "Except, since when did you start breaking rules?"

"And since when did _you_ start keeping them?" Ricardo returned, with a major grin on his face.

----------

Yugo was still standing at the ship's bow, looking out over the horizon. Suddenly, footfalls behind him caught his attention. "Hmmm?"

"Yo, Yugo…shouldn't you be getting yourself ready?" he heard Kyo's voice.

Turning, Yugo saw Kyo, Jenna and Miki standing there and looking at him. "Oh, hey there, guys," he greeted them. "You've still got my back, right?"

"Of course, silly boy! Nothing in the world could possibly keep us away from this!" Jenna declared.

"We all worked together and stood up for each other when JUDAS was causing us trouble…now, this will be no different," Miki added. "And I know for a fact that you can do it, Yugo!"

"Yeah…thanks for the vote of confidence, you guys," said Yugo. "Although, to tell the honest truth, I'm…a little scared…"

"Scared?" Jenna asked.

Kyo scratched his head. "Well, you do have a point there—you're going up against a whole army of lunatics in a little while from now."

"Kyo!" Miki snapped, elbowing him hard in the ribs.

"No…it's not that…" Yugo hung his head. "It's…more of what'll happen when I see Seta."

All three of them looked at him. "What do you mean?" asked Miki. "What about Seta?"

"Well…" Yugo's hair overshadowed one of his eyes a little. "What if I was wrong? What if there isn't a part of him still inside the mindset of Ophiuchus the Imperial? What if…my gamble is all for nothing? What then?"

Kyo chuckled. "Hey…dude…" He stepped forward and put a hand on Yugo's shoulder. "We're not going to allow you to worry yourself sick over that. So here's what you're gonna do instead. You're gonna go to your cabin, and you're gonna restructure your deck until you're positive it'll be able to stand up against anything those jerk-offs might rig in the duel between you two. And besides…you believed that there IS a part of Seta still inside that mindless soldier of theirs—you just have to act on that belief. You start doubting yourself, then everything you did and said earlier will have been a lie. And I know you're no liar."

"Kyo's right, Yugo," Jenna nodded her head. "So, come on now. Go to your room and start preparing yourself."

"And remember, we're your backup in case of anything!" Miki gave him a wink and a thumbs-up.

Yugo nodded. "Yeah…okay. Will do, guys."

Then he walked off, leaving the three of them standing there. "Gosh…Yugo really does seem worried," remarked Miki. "I hope he'll be all right."

"He'll be fine, Miki—I just know it," Jenna replied.

"Guys!"

Turning, the trio saw Ricardo and Janus approaching. "Glad we found you," said Janus.

"What's up, you two? You seem really worked up," remarked Kyo.

"Well, blame it on Mr. Son-of-a-Brilliant-Genius here—he's got a major plan that may help out Yugo a little bit!" Janus beamed.

"A plan?" asked Jenna.

"Yes, that's right," said Ricardo. "But before I explain further, I'm going to need a couple of the others here—not including your parents or the Committee members."

"Are you sure about that? Shouldn't we at least involve them a bit?" Miki asked worriedly.

"Well, you know how parents and authority figures can get sometimes," Janus answered. "Overprotective, smothering, restrictive, that sort of thing. And we don't need any of that if what Ricardo has in mind is going to work."

"All right, point taken," Kyo replied. "Do you want all the others here?"

"No, not all of them—just a select few will be enough," said Ricardo. "Specifically, Wade Ocean, Marcus Ironside, Shigeo Tatsunoko, and Malachi Jordan."

"Whoo…if you're including Malachi in ths deal, then you must be really serious," said Kyo. "Well, all right, then. Let's go fetch them."

----------

Kaiba was walking along the deck's corridor, eyes narrowed as he surveyed the horizon beyond the ship. "Well…just a little while before we reach Tokyo Dome," he mumbled. "Hold on, Seta…we're coming…"

"Kaiba! There you are! I've been looking everywhere for you!"

He turned and noted that Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki was approaching him with rapid steps. "What is it?" he asked nonchalantly.

"Well…" Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki, finally standing right in front of him, paused to catch her breath. "I was just talking with Dr. Crowler, and it hit me. Remember that virus Seta told us about—and how the Zodiacs were able to unleash it through playing a certain card?"

"Yeah, I remember," said Kaiba. "Why?"

"Well, Kaiba…I have a very strong feeling that they might try to unleash that virus at the Tokyo Dome, with Seta as the avatar," Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki explained. "But we have to find a way to stop them from doing so!"

Kaiba made a face. "Even if that were true, Gozaburo's bound to be much more cautious than that. He's not going to just listen if we go up to him and tell him not to launch that virus…and he's definitely going to punish us for our effort if we attempt to stop his goons through force. And also, the last time they activated that virus was twelve years ago…who's to say they haven't modified it to be resistant to all current antivirus programs or firewalls since then?"

Then suddenly he frowned more deeply. "Unless…"

"Unless what?" Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki inquired.

Kaiba swiftly turned and started to walk away. "Excuse me, Alexis…I've got a little preparing to do." And then, moments later he was gone, with Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki bearing a questioning look on her face as she watched him leave her presence.

----------

Mr. Muto and his group of friends were all sitting together in one of the cabin quarters. "Man, I know it's only gonna be another couple of hours, but this boat ride feels like it's been going on forever," Mr. Wheeler moaned.

"Well, at least the extra time delays what's going to happen soon…" Mrs. Wheeler sighed.

Grandma Muto shook her head. "I still can't believe Yugo could've done something as reckless as what he did," she stated. "To have directly challenged that evil man—I still shudder to think what might've happened to him!"

"That may be so, Mother," said Mr. Muto. "But Yugo made his own choice at that point, and we have to respect that. All we can do now is to continue giving him as much support as possible."

"Cheer up, you guys," Mr. Bakura told them. "Gozaburo's been beaten before, right? Surely he can be beaten again."

"Yes, he has been beaten before—back when he _didn't_ have a psychotic army under his control," muttered Mrs. Bakura. "And that was way back when we were youngsters, too."

"Well, Yugo's already committed himself to this, and the other kids have committed themselves to giving him all the support they can give," said Mr. Taylor. "I don't think it would be right if we didn't do the same."

"Well, all right," said Mrs. Taylor. "And while we do that, let's just hope…and pray."

----------

Pegasus, Mr. Von Schroeder, Mr. Devlin, and Ms. Wong were seated together in a small drawing-room, on a separate section of the ship. "How much longer before we arrive there?" Ms. Wong inquired.

Pegasus checked his watch. "About another hour and a half, give or take."

Mr. Devlin sighed and leaned back in his seat. "Just another hour and a half…by then they'll have already arrived and gotten themselves settled in…"

"And who knows what they'll be doing to the poor people at the Dome," moaned Mr. Von Schroeder. "I shudder to think of it…all those innocent people, who just wanted to have a good time, and instead they end up as hostages in a conflict that doesn't even concern them…"

"Heaven help us all," Pegasus sighed sadly.

----------

Meanwhile, Shigeo and Raven were down in the dining hall, munching on some sandwiches. "I can't believe I still have an appetite, after what went down earlier," Raven remarked between bites.

"I still can't believe Yugo went ahead and made a Faustian deal with that Gozaburo," said Shigeo. "Only a miracle can pull everyone out of this rut now."

"Well, here's to miracles," and Raven raised his sandwich before taking another bite.

Suddenly, Kyo burst into the hall. "Oh, there you are, Shigeo! I've been looking for you!" he exclaimed. "You have to come with me right now—we're in need of you!"

"H-huh? What for?" asked Shigeo, a little startled by Kyo's abrupt arrival.

"All will soon be explained, buddy-boy! Now, come on!" And Kyo grabbed a bewildered Shigeo's arm, practically dragging him out of the dining hall.

Raven chuckled and picked up the sandwich plates. "Hmmm…sounds interesting…I guess I'll go find out what they're up to, as well…"

----------

Alone in his own room, Kaiba had his laptop open on the bed before him. "Well…looks like I'll have to be relying on your services once again, GINA," he said softly. "Let's hope this does work, though…because if it doesn't, then…"

----------

**_neomage:_** So…what exactly does Kaiba plan to do, and how does GINA fit into it? And what is Ricardo thinking of doing? All that and more to come, in the next few chapters! So, stay tuned till then, everybody!


	300. Chapter 300

Yu-Gi-Oh! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER:YES! The big 3-double-0! And, for the 300th time, neomage doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh!)

**CHAPTER 300**

THE ARK

"Approaching Tokyo Bay now! Prepare for landfall in five minutes!"

The announcement rang all over the vessel's intercom system, reaching every inch of the ARK. Soldiers in their quarters quickly pulled on their uniform and equipment, and ran to their stations. Those already at their stations had their equipment at the ready.

Seta, in his room, was just now carefully packing his finished deck together. "Finally…done," he murmured, slipping the deck into a pocket. Then, getting up, he went over to the bed and pulled down the suit-bag hanging over it.

Just then the door opened, and in waltzed Zander. "Ah, Ophiuchus. Are you ready?"

Seta nodded slowly. "Yes. I am ready."

----------

Inside the main hall, soldiers and technicians were running about, readying themselves for landfall. Orders were barked back and forth, as weapons and other equipment was passed from hand to hand.

And then…a side-door opened, and out stepped Gozaburo. Now, he was clad in a red tuxedo with a matching tie, and over that he wore a heavy black overcoat. On seeing him, several of his men paused what they were doing. "Master!" they hailed him, saluting.

"At ease, men," Gozaburo replied. "We will be making a landfall in another few minutes, yes?"

"Yes, sir!" one soldier replied.

Gozaburo's eyes narrowed. "Exactly how far off from shore are we?"

One of the men at the navigation desk answered, "About a mile off, sir."

"Very well, then," said Gozaburo. "Raise the ARK above the water and anchor it! We will make the rest of the journey via our on-board helicopters! And contact our men at Tokyo Dome and inform them that we will be arriving there within the next fifteen minutes!"

"Understood, sir!" the soldiers replied, immediately getting to the task at hand.

Gozaburo then looked up in another direction, in time to see Seta and Zander enter the room. "Master Gozaburo," Zander greeted him, and both he and Seta bowed.

"At ease, gentlemen," Gozaburo told them. "Now…Ophiuchus, are you prepared?"

"I am, Master," said Seta.

Nodding, Gozaburo then turned to Zander. "Capricorn…I have a task for you."

"What is it, sir?" Zander inquired.

Gozaburo leveled his gaze on the younger man. "I need you to remain here with some of our forces, and guard the ARK until my return. It is very likely that the local authorities might attempt to investigate our presence…but that must not be allowed to happen. They must not be allowed to board this battleship."

"I understand, sir," Zander nodded solemnly. "I shall keep watch here until you have returned."

"Very good." Gozaburo then beckoned to Seta. "Come now, Ophiuchus…let us depart. The good people at Tokyo Dome will be waiting for you to put on a grand show for them."

"Yes, Master," said Seta. And with that, he followed Gozaburo out of the room, leaving Zander standing in there with the soldiers.

----------

TOKYO BAY, TOKYO, JAPAN

Traffic on the road running along Tokyo Bay was moving steadily, albeit at a snail's pace. There were numerous pedestrians and bicyclists going about their daily business; some were stopping at the nearby eateries to grab a bite, while others were just hanging around, chatting with friends. Businesspeople in suits and wielding briefcases were hurrying along to their jobs within Tokyo's wider metropolis; young people were walking along without seemingly a single care in the world.

A bicyclist, having been pedaling for a good amount of time, stopped along the side of the road and reached for a water bottle. Far in the distance, beyond the boundary rail and the small buildings that separated him and the road from the nearby sea, lay miles upon miles of vast ocean surface. The man took a long swig from his bottle, looking out at the sun as its image glimmered on the sea.

Suddenly, about a mile out, the sea seemed to tremble. "Hmmm?" the bicyclist looked on in surprise.

A jogger happened by at that moment. "Yo, what're you looking at out there?" he inquired.

The bicyclist pointed to the sea. "Look out there. Don't you see that? It's as if there's something underneath the water, coming up…"

Suddenly, at that designated spot, the ocean appeared to burst upward with explosive force! "Whoa!" both men exclaimed in astonishment as they witnessed this bizarre turn of events.

By and by, the water that had flashed upwards by the explosion came back down onto the sea…but what the bicyclist and the jogger were now seeing out there had them wide-eyed and open-mouthed. Now out there was what appeared to be a huge sea-vessel of some kind, looking like a gigantic black egg. "What in the world…?" the jogger asked in amazement.

By now a fairly small crowd of people had come to join the bicyclist and the jogger, and a few drivers had even pulled over their cars to bear witness to the strange spectacle happening out at sea. "Anybody have any idea what that thing out there is?" someone asked.

"Beats me," said another person.

Then suddenly the observers got another surprise—the top part of this strange vessel seemed to open up, gradually giving the vessel the look of an aircraft carrier. Then, moments later, they all watched as four helicopters rose up from the vessel and zoomed inland.

"Hey…where are they going?" another observer wondered, watching as the helicopters swiftly flew overhead.

"Who knows?" someone else answered. And everyone continued to stare in fascination at the mysterious helicopters even as they went off into the distance.

----------

TOKYO DOME, TOKYO, JAPAN, MOMENTS LATER

Tokyo Dome's stadium was packed. Hundreds upon hundreds of spectators, many of whom had come from near and far for the Dueltropolis final, were seated all around the Dome. Men sat with their girlfriends or their buddies; women sat with their children; children and young adults sat with their parents or their friends.

But there was something missing, despite the huge turnout. At a much-anticipated event like the final match of the Duel Monsters World Championships, one would expect there to be much merrymaking, noisy banter, a bit of fighting amongst the more zealous fans, and an overall eager spirit. Instead, however, there was a complete and total absence of merriment. No food vendors walked amongst the seats to sell drinks or special treats to the spectators. Any conversation was carried out in extremely hushed whispers. Many looked worried; some even seemed afraid. Everyone was, for the most part, seated very, very quietly.

And it wasn't hard to notice why: walking amongst the fans were several of Gozaburo's soldiers, all heavily armed, all with grim faces seemingly made from stone. They looked around at the spectators, missing no movement. Being scrutinized and guarded so heavily, it could thus be understood why the fans were on edge.

Gozaburo's butler, standing in the very center of the stone platform that had been erected in the middle of Tokyo Dome's playing field, observed all of this with relish. "Fear," he whispered. "The very essence by which the Master once ruled Kaibacorp. In only a few moments, all of that will be restored to its rightful place…"

Suddenly the noise of rotors overhead caused him to look up. "Heh…they're here, at last," he smiled.

A moment later, Tokyo Dome's massive ceiling parted slowly, showing the blue sky and sunshine above—and also showed four helicopters waiting. As the opening became wider and wider, one by one the four birds descended, landing here and there on the field's massive grassy stretch. And…inside one of those helicopters, right near the door, sat a pleased-as-punch Gozaburo Kaiba.

The doors to the four helicopters opened; out of the first three emerged more soldiers, while out of the fourth came Gozaburo, Seta and the four suits that had been accompanying Gozaburo from before. This latter group walked up to the stone platform where the butler stood waiting; on their approach, he bowed from the waist. "Master," he greeted Gozaburo.

"You've all done well," Gozaburo remarked, noting the stadium's filled seats. "Now…everything is set for when Ophiuchus's opponent arrives."

"I beg your pardon, sir?" the butler raised an eyebrow.

Gozaburo smirked. "When we retrieved Ophiuchus from that little tournament he was part of, his scheduled opponent asked to be allowed to face him here, at Tokyo Dome, in a game of Duel Monsters. To humor him, I accepted his little challenge…and also threw in a few twists that will ensure that, whether he wins or loses that bout, that he loses everything."

"Begging your pardon, Master, but even so, was that person truly worth wasting your time on?" the butler frowned.

"Oh, I believe so," replied Gozaburo. "You see…he is the child of that man, Yugi Muto, the same man who has made a mockery of my adopted son Seto in the past. Seto has constantly tried—and failed—to defeat Muto in Duel Monsters. By eliminating his son, therefore, I will show this world the true power of the Kaiba name. But you needn't worry—this fits in quite well with my original plan."

The butler bowed again. "As you say, Master."

Suddenly a soldier ran up. "Master Gozaburo, sir!" he reported in. "The helicopters were seen coming toward the Tokyo Dome by the news media! They've got news crews on their way here right now!"

"Let them come," laughed Gozaburo. "If I'm going to take back what is rightfully mine, even this fine audience that is here will not be enough. I want _the whole world_ to be reminded of the power behind the name of Kaiba, and what better way to do that than via live TV? So, as soon as they come, let them come in. They will broadcast to everyone watching, a grand finale they will not soon forget."

"Yes, sir!" the soldier saluted, then ran off again.

Gozaburo then nodded to the butler. "Would you be so kind as to take Ophiuchus here to a private room where he may change into his…new attire that we've provided for him? And before you do that, please provide me with a microphone or something, so that I may address these people and let them know what they are really doing here."

"That has already been arranged, sir," the butler assured him. "In fact, the Dome's broadcast screens are ready to be deployed at your command."

Gozaburo nodded. "Do it."

Whereupon the butler turned and looked upward, toward the Dome's control room, and waved. Almost instantly, seven large screens positioned over the spectators' heads, previously blank, lit up and were quickly focused—moments later showing a giant-sized image of what was happening on the field itself!

"And these are the indoor screens," the butler told Gozaburo. "There are a few others outside on the walls of the Dome, so outsiders may view what is happening in here. Those who are outside will be able to see you just as easily as those in here."

"Very good," Gozaburo nodded approval.

Seta's face was briefly shown on the screens. Upon seeing him, someone in the crowd suddenly exclaimed, "Hey, look! That's Seta Kaiba, the World Champion!"

"No way! It IS him!" someone else cried out.

"Well, what's he doing with _these_ guys?" a third person demanded.

Within a matter of seconds, the excited buzz among the crowd grew larger and larger. Gozaburo smirked as he listened to the chatter. "Well…seems Ophiuchus has fans here," he remarked. "Too bad they've no idea that the Seta Kaiba they think they know no longer exists…"

"Here you go, sir," said the butler, handing a wirelyess dynamic microphone to Gozaburo. Then he beckoned to Seta. "Come, young sir, let us make haste. Your final preparations must begin now, as the Master has ordered."

"Yes…I understand," Seta nodded, his eyes still blank.

With that, both Seta and the butler walked off. Watching them go for a moment, Gozaburo then turned his attention to the massive crowd of spectators. Putting the mike to his mouth, he began to speak.

"Greetings, spectators. My name is Gozaburo. Now, to the great majority of you, my name may not appear significant now; but in a matter of moments, it will. And I am aware that you've all come here to witness a game of Duel Monsters like no other. No need to worry; you will see that duel in good time. While you wait, however, permit me to tell you a little story—while I ensure that I have your full attention."

As if on cue, the soldiers in the stands gave the spectators lingering glares, their hands twitching on their weapons. Meanwhile, Gozaburo's face was on all the screens as he continued to talk. "Now, then. Many years ago, before some of you were even born, I was the proud owner of a great arms-manufacturing company. My name, my logo, and my weapons were well-known across the globe. But then, one day I was betrayed, forcefully thrust from my throne, and my company was snatched from underneath my feet and reworked into something less than a shadow of its former self. Now, to which company do I refer? That's a question you should all be easily able to answer, for it's a company that you all know well. That company…is the one you know as Kaiba Corporation!"

A murmur of irate disbelief swept amongst the spectators. Gozaburo scoffed. "You do not believe me, I can tell from your chatter…and, quite frankly, I don't care if you do or not. But let me make this known: I am indeed Gozaburo Kaiba, founding father of Kaiba Corporation, who made the very nations hungry for the weapons I could provide them. But now my adopted son, Seto Kaiba, has turned my company into a mockery—peddling games! GAMES!"

His eyes were now narrowed and his teeth tightly clenched. "Kaibacorp was a company of REAL war! And it shall become a company of REAL war once again! In only a short time, everyone in the whole world will once again know the fear and the awe that Kaibacorp used to elicit before it became the kiddy mockery you know today…and everyone, including each and every single one of you here inside this stadium, man, woman and child…will bow down and award me the respect that is rightfully owed to me! And before this day is out, mark my words—you will all be heralding me as your lord and master—and Kaibacorp will be returned to its glorious roots of years gone past!"

With that, he switched the microphone off and, on a whim, reached into his pocket and pulled out the small black box he'd been carrying with him for so long. "And now…time to give this to its rightful owner…" he muttered as he stalked off, even as the crowd continued to chatter all around him, debating what they'd just heard.

----------

A FEW MINUTES LATER

Seta was inside a changing room, his jacket off and hanging on a locker door. On another locker door the suit-bag Zander had given him was hanging by itself. He was currently sitting on one of the benches, going through his deck again. "Hmmm…"

Just then the door opened, and in stepped Gozaburo. "Ah, there you are," he greeted Seta. "How soon before you are ready?"

"Only a few minutes, Master," Seta answered.

"Very well." Gozaburo then held out the black box to him. "Here. This is for you."

Raising an eyebrow, Seta reached up and took the box from Gozaburo. "What is it?"

Gozaburo smiled. "Something that will aid you in your upcoming duel with your opponent. When your opportunity comes, use it. It will grant you unparalleled victory in your fight."

"As you wish, Master," said Seta.

Nodding, Gozaburo turned to leave. "When it is time for your duel to begin, I will send for you. Until then, remain here and ensure that all of your final preparations are completed. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Master," Seta nodded.

With that, Gozaburo left the room. Looking at the black box in his hand, Seta slowly opened it. He raised an eyebrow at what he saw inside. "Hmmm…this certainly would be a great help to my deck…I shall add it in and make any necessary adjustments, as Master has ordered…" And he sat down and picked up his deck again.

----------

**_neomage:_** 300 CHAPTERS! 300 CHAPTERS! LONG-RUNNING FANFIC! (realizes what he's doing) Uh…never mind me. I'm just so excited that, after all this time, I've actually managed to touch 300 chapters in this story. Well, now we know what's happening at Tokyo Dome—what about the protagonists? Keep reading—there's much more to see!


	301. Chapter 301

Yu-Gi-Oh! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER:Kazuki Takahashi is the original and true owner. Always has been, always will be.)

**CHAPTER 301**

THE INDUSTRIAL ILLUSIONS LINER

"Okay…so now everyone who we needed to be here is here," Ricardo chuckled.

The two boys were standing on the deck's upper platform. Below them stood quite a few of the others: Kyo, Jenna, Miki, Marcus, Malachi, Shigeo, Wade and Raven. "All right…I hope you've got a reason for bringing us together like this, and being so secretive about it, too," Marcus said flatly.

"Yeah, you two—what exactly are you up to?" Raven asked.

Janus cleared his throat. "Well, Ricky here believes he's got a plan that could very well help Yugo out in the upcoming confrontation. But, of course, he and I can't pull it off alone, so we're gonna need your help on this."

"Well, why the need for secrecy? Can't you just tell the Committee what your plan is?" Shigeo inquired.

"Well, there's a reason why we can't let them or any of the others know about it," said Ricardo. "This plan…could be dangerous if put into practice."

Malachi cocked an eyebrow. "I'm listening."

"Huh? You're actually going to listen?" Wade asked, a little surprised.

"Well, why not? This could be interesting…and it certainly would be a change of pace for me, instead of just sitting on the sidelines watching other people do stuff like I've been doing since I boarded this ship." Malachi nodded to Janus and Ricardo. "So, you two, what is it you have in mind?"

"Well…" Now Ricardo spoke in a mysterious manner, with a small grin on his face. "Remember when Gozaburo and Yugo made their deal? Gozaburo said we shouldn't interfere with the duel between Yugo and Seta when it comes—but he never said we shouldn't interfere with _him."_

"Hmmm…now that I think about it, that IS true," Raven said thoughtfully. "But so what?"

Ricardo smirked. "I'm thinking, we throw a wrench into Gozaburo's plan, and give him a considerable setback…by finding his little battleship, sneaking on board, and blowing it to smithereens."

All the others looked at each other, then at Ricardo. "Blowing up his battleship?" Kyo asked. "Hmmm…what do I say to that…"

"I say, it sounds like a GREAT idea!" Jenna announced.

But Marcus shook his head. "Unfortunately, that's all it is—an idea," he pointed out. "That ship of Gozaburo's is capable of submerging underwater—what are the chances he'll have it afloat somewhere where all eyes can see it? And even if it IS visible, it's bound to be crawling with security who won't hesitate to shoot the first intruder they see. So, in short, no thanks. I'm not going on any suicide mission. I've been in enough of those in my lifetime."

"Well, who says we'd be doing the infiltration of our own strength?" Ricardo countered. "We'd also use our Duel Monsters to serve as distractions for those guards, while we'd sneak on board and take care of business!"

"And again, the answer is no. The risk is too great," Marcus rebutted.

Miki stepped forward. "Okay, Marcus, if you don't want to go, you don't have to. But I'll go in your place."

"Miki!" exclaimed Kyo.

"What? Yugo needs the help, right? And I already pledged I'd do whatever I can to make his burden lighter," protested Miki. "If this little mission is going to help Yugo any, then I'm all for it!"

"Oh, no, you're not," Marcus countered. "I'm not going to be the one responsible for your safety. Your father would have my head if he ever knew I was letting you get involved in something like this."

"Then does that mean you'll go, after all?" Miki looked knowingly at him.

Malachi snickered. "Yeah, Marcus Ironside…are you really going to let a little girl do a man's job for you?"

Marcus glared at the two of them. Then he sighed in defeat. "All right, fine, I'll go. Just so you will shut the hell up about it."

"Good for you!" Miki beamed.

Kyo sighed in relief. "Miki, please, don't say stuff like that again."

"I'll go, too…but only if my crew goes, as well," Malachi spoke up.

"Well, why not? The more willing help we can get on this, the better," Janus answered.

Wade hesitated. "Well…I don't know…I mean, it's like Marcus said before, it could be pretty dangerous…"

"Actually, what I have planned doesn't really have any danger of sorts, where you're concerned," Ricardo assured him. "I've got everybody's roles mapped out, right down to the T. Your role is probably the most passive of all, so no need to fear."

"Well, all right, if you say so," said Wade.

"I'm willing to help out, of course," Shigeo assured them. "Those Zodiacs need to be taught a lesson, and Yugo needs the assist. So count me in."

"Great!" Ricardo grinned.

"Hey, wait a minute—it's all well and good that you guys are so eager to do something to help out Yugo and save Seta…but how long do you honestly think the others are going to remain ignorant of this?" Raven asked, raising a skeptical eyebrow.

"That's where _we_ come in," said Jenna. "Ricardo's already asked me, Kyo and Miki if we can keep everyone else focused on Yugo and Seta's duel while the others here deal with the ARK. Of course, we agreed."

"Well, I don't think that would be too hard to do—everybody's main focus is on Yugo and Seta right now, anyway," Raven commented.

"Now, that only leaves…" Janus frowned. "Yo, Raven, Ricardo didn't originally have you on the list of people he wanted to talk to about this, did he?"

"I suppose not," Raven admitted. "I only came here because I was curious to find out what you were going to do. And, it's starting to seem as if you could use the extra assistance, so…"

"Oh, you want to join us?" Malachi asked. "Sounds like a generous offer…except, your sister and your old man will definitely notice that you're missing if you come with us, won't they?"

"Well, the folks that are here from Duel Academy will notice that Janus and I are missing after a while, anyways," said Ricardo.

"Okay, so let me get this straight—not only are you planning this little spy mission of yours, you're going to take part, too?" Raven asked incredulously.

"Well, _someone's_ got to make sure everything goes according to plan," Ricardo replied.

"Hey, Raven, now that I think about it, perhaps it would be better if you did stick with us, after all," Jenna said thoughtfully. "After all, Honey's going to need some support, won't she? Especially if she goes to the Dome and sees Seta again…"

Raven frowned as he considered this. "Well, that's true…and I suppose it wouldn't sit well with her if she were to lose her two most favorite guys in the world in one day…"

"That's why you're not going to go with Ricardo and the others—and why we're going to be successful in breaking the mind control that the Zodiacs have over Seta," Kyo said pointedly. "And, of course, Raven, we're going to have to swear you to secrecy about this mission. No telling of anything to anyone—especially not the Committee. Got it?"

"Yeah, yeah, no need to fret," Raven replied, waving his hands in front of his chest. "If they do find out, it won't be from me."

"Okay…now that that's settled, can we actually get into discussing your plan now, kid?" Malachi asked Ricardo.

"Sure thing," replied Ricardo. "Now, listen carefully. This is what I have mapped out…"

----------

Meanwhile, in his own room, Yugo was carefully going through his deck. _All right…I have to be prepared for the worst where this duel is concerned, so I have to make sure my cards are well-chosen for this. So…_

All the cards he'd carried with him to Dueltropolis were now spread out on one side of his bed. He was sitting on the other side, sorting out his cards into different piles. The piles varied: Normal and Effect monsters that needed tributes, Normal and Effect monsters that didn't, equip magic cards, quick-play magic cards, regular magic cards, regular trap cards, continuous trap cards, and counter trap cards.

_I guess it might transpire that I'll end up using my using my usual deck, as always. But for the moment, I have to make sure that every card I put in here can help me in some way…_

He paused, looked toward the ceiling, and sighed deeply. _Seta…are you probably, at this very moment, going through your own deck, as well? Have they tried to tamper with your deck, like they tampered with your mind? Have you…have you thrown away your deck that I gave you before you left, after all, or have you still kept it? What have you decided to do…or have you let them decide for you?_

A few minutes passed, during which he examined different cards, picked up some, dropped them, and picked up others. Then, after a while, he put them all aside and flopped down on the bed. _Better catch a little shuteye…I've been at this for a good while now, and it's…real tiring…and thinking about what Seta must be going through is exhaustive enough already…_

Letting out a loud sigh, he let himself relax. _Just for a few minutes…just for a few minutes…_ Then he closed his eyes.

----------

ONE HOUR LATER

Kaiba snapped his laptop shut and sighed. "Okay…that does it for that," he sighed. "GINA, now you're fully primed. If this doesn't work against that virus in case they launch it, then nothing else will."

He checked his watch. "Well…roughly another half an hour till we're scheduled to land…I guess I can afford myself a little shuteye till then…" And he leaned back in his seat, relaxing.

----------

Dr. Crowler sat in his own room, looking out the window at the sea. "So…it's come to this," he whispered. "How will it end, though…?"

Just then there was a knock at the door. "Come in!" he called.

And in stepped Mr. Truesdale. "Dr. Crowler," he greeted the older man. "I just thought I'd let you know—we'll be arriving at Tokyo Bay in another half an hour."

"Oh, has that much time passed?" Dr. Crowler asked, some surprise in his eyes. "Well…there's just one question I feel we need to ask at this point."

"And what's that?" Mr. Truesdale asked.

Dr. Crowler looked levelly at him. "Are we really ready for the consequences of what'll happen in the next half an hour?"

Mr. Truesdale regarded him. "Is that what you've been thinking about all this time?"

"Like there's anything else worth thinking about at this point," Dr. Crowler lamented.

"Yeah…I see your point," Mr. Truesdale admitted. "But let's not give up hope yet. Perhaps Heaven might just surprise us."

"Perhaps," Dr. Crowler shrugged.

----------

In another room, Jillian was fast asleep on a bed, her single red bang hanging carelessly over her nose. Nearby, Honey sat in a chair, regarding her. _Poor Jillian…she's been fretting so much, she's exhausted herself…best to just let her rest for the time being, at least until we reach Tokyo…_

Quietly, so as not to wake Jillian, she got up and slipped out of the room. Finding herself on the deck's corridor, she went up to the railing and looked out at the sea. As she looked out, she recalled the prediction Judith Skye had left with her.

**_"From the ashes of death, the strongest will be revived…and from the shielding cocoon, the mightiest will be reborn…and these will clash in a blaze of power and light…and only one shall remain."_**

Honey sighed deeply. _You were right, Judith…the future can be bent and shaped according to our actions. But…did you foresee this happening, as well? Does it negate that prophecy you gave me? Does it, Judith Skye…?_

----------

IN THE MEANTIME

Yugo was still sleeping, his Duel Monster cards spread out all over the bed. Yugo himself was perched on the edge of the bed, in danger of falling off. "Mmmm…" he muttered, his facial muscles moving about a little…

----------

_Yugo opened his eyes—and all at once it seemed that he was in a completely empty white space, with nothing else around in sight. "Uh…hello?" he called out. "Anyone here?"_

_He took a few steps forward, but it seemed to him that he wasn't going anywhere. "Okay…I'm starting to feel a little creeped out by this place, wherever this is."_

_"Muto…Yugo Muto…"_

_Yugo started at the sound of the strange voice, coming from right behind him. "Wha?"_

_He turned—and to his surprise, he saw a shimmering bluish-white light! "Hey…what on earth…" he began._

_Then that mysterious light slowly diminished…and in its place there stood a pale-skinned young woman with bluish-white hair and blue eyes. "You…you are Yugo Muto," she spoke to him, in a calm voice—but also a voice filled with sadness._

_"Uh…" Yugo blinked. "Who…who are you?"_

_The girl looked him straight in the eye. "My name…is Kisara," she told him. "And you are the only one…who can save my master…"_

_"Huh?" Yugo looked at her in confusion. "Save your master? What do you mean?"_

_"When the time comes…please revive me…and use my power to save my master…" Kisara's eyes were filled with tears. "Save him…I beg you, Yugo Muto…"_

_Then, with tears streaming down her cheeks, she closed her eyes and clasped her hands together. And—all of a sudden the same bluish-white light from before engulfed her, shining so brightly that Yugo had to block his eyes! "Ack!" he exclaimed._

_And as he stared in ever-growing astonishment at this phenomenon, the light surrounding Kisara expanded…and took the shape of a seemingly familiar dragon…_

----------

Yugo bolted upright in his bed—and in doing so, pitched himself headlong to floor. "OW!" he cried out as he hit the ground violently.

A moment later he shakily got up, a very prominent lump on his forehead and swirls in his eyes. "Ouchie…that's not a nice way to get out of bed," he babbled, gingerly rubbing his head.

Then his mind quickly flashed back to the dream he'd just had, and what he'd seen in it. _That was one weird dream I had just now, though. And that strange lady…Kisara, was it? What did she mean, revive her and use her power? And…why'd she feel so…familiar…like I've seen her somewhere before…like I should know her from somewhere?_

He flopped back down onto his pillow. _Damn…how much time has passed since I fell asleep? Maybe the ship's close to arriving at Tokyo Bay by this time…I really need to have finished my deck by now! Still, nobody's come calling for me, so…I guess I still have some time…_

Again he sat up—this time with determination on his face. _Okay! Time to restructure my deck again…and this time, I know I'll be able to find the right cards that I need! I just need to pick the kind of strategy I'll use…then choose my cards accordingly…and after that, just hope for the best!_

With that in mind, he gathered all his cards together and started going through them once more. _I'll have enough time to try figuring out what that crazy dream of mine might've meant…for now, my first priority is to be ready to rescue Seta! Just hang in there, Seta, old pal…I'm coming!_

----------

**_neomage:_** It's not gonna be much longer from now, everybody! Soon, and very soon, Yugo and Seta will meet once again—and the final clash of Dueltropolis, as well as a clash for the sake of hundreds of lives, will begin! Till then, stay tuned!


	302. Chapter 302

Yu-Gi-Oh! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER:Well, what can I say at this point, except…I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**CHAPTER 302**

THE INDUSTRIAL ILLUSIONS LINER, FIFTEEN MINUTES LATER

"We are now approaching Tokyo Bay. Landfall will be in fifteen minutes."

Pegasus, sitting in his room, listened to the announcement as it was made over the P.A. system. He sighed and stood up. "All right…time to get ready to go ashore."

He went for the door and stepped out of his room—and just at that moment the other members of the Committee chanced by. "Well, Pegasus…the moment of truth is almost upon us now," Mr. Von Schroeder greeted him.

"Indeed," said Pegasus dryly.

Mr. Devlin then looked up—and his eyes widened. "Hey…would you look at that…"

Everyone else looked in the direction of his pointing finger—and immediately they all rushed to the railing for a better view. "I don't believe it!" Mr. Truesdale exclaimed.

For right there, only a few moments away from the liner, was the ARK. It was anchored in place, floating, like a gigantic whale of some sort. "How brazen of them," Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki muttered angrily.

They all watched as they passed by the ARK, which was tightly sealed up. "They're certainly brave, leaving their little toy out in the open like this," Ms. Wong remarked.

Pegasus shook his head. "Well…right now, that thing isn't our concern," he told the group. "Our most immediate concern is at Tokyo Dome. So…let's gear up for that. We can worry about that battleship later. So…to the deck, everybody."

With that, he turned and walked off. Pausing momentarily to glare at the ARK again, the others followed after him.

----------

Kaiba was already on the deck, stuffing his laptop into a briefcase. "All right, GINA," he whispered. "Let's only hope I won't have to use your abilities here, after all…"

"Kaiba-boy! You actually beat us here?"

Turning, Kaiba came face-to-face with Pegasus and the rest of the Committee. "I've been out here a little while now, actually," he informed them.

"Then that means you saw the Zodiacs' ship, as well," Mr. Truesdale guessed.

"I did." Kaiba's face was grim. "But if I know Gozaburo, he won't be there. He'll be waiting at Tokyo Dome…ready to gloat at me like he's been longing to do."

There was a noise of footsteps behind them; looking behind him, Pegasus smiled a little. "Yugi-boy and company…I hope you're ready for this?"

"As ready as we're ever gonna be, Pegasus," Mr. Muto answered.

Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler were right behind him. "So, now Yugo is gonna face off against Seta," Mr. Wheeler said quietly.

"And risk his life in the process," said Mrs. Wheeler.

"Guys, couldn't you at least sugar-coat it a little bit? Yugi and his mom ARE standing right there, you know," Mrs. Bakura scolded them.

"It's all right, dear," said Grandma Muto. "There's no point in hiding the truth. Yes, Yugo's in serious trouble…but we still have to give him our support, regardless of the outcome."

"I just wish there was a way out of this terrible deal Yugo's made…something bad is going to happen, no matter if he wins or loses," Mrs. Taylor lamented.

"All we can do is hope for the best—complaining isn't going to change the situation any," Mr. Bakura pointed out.

"He's right," said Mr. Taylor. "So, let just cheer on Yugo, whatever happens."

----------

In his room, Yugo slipped his finished deck into his pocket. "All right…made a few changes here and there…let's hope it works out," he mumbled.

Getting up, he pulled on his fingerless gloves and his jacket. Rolling up the jacket's sleeves to elbow-height, he ran a hand through his spiky blond hair. "All right…time to get ready to disembark!"

With that he bounded toward the door and opened it—and froze. "What…? What're you guys doing here?"

Standing there were Kyo, Jenna and Miki. "What do you think? We're here doing what we said we'd do—giving you our support!" Kyo answered.

"And we'll give you that support, one hundred percent, no holds barred!" Miki added.

"We know we won't be able to help you during the upcoming duel," said Jenna. "But we'll still be there with you, regardless. Don't forget that, okay?"

Yugo nodded. "Got it. Thanks again, you guys."

"Hey, no prob," and Kyo flashed him a thumbs-up.

Yugo then turned and started to head toward the deck. "So, let's get going then!" he declared. Kyo, Miki and Jenna nodded, and followed after him.

----------

By this time the other groups had arrived on the deck to join the Committee and Mr. Muto's group—Dr. Crowler with Janus, Ricardo and Natasha; Marcus, Blaze, Wade, Flora and Shigeo; Jillian, Honey and Raven; and Malachi, Miriam, Luke and David. "So…everyone's here now, it seems," Dr. Crowler remarked, looking around.

Janus scanned the group. "Actually…I don't see Yugo…"

"He's probably just making a few last-minute upgrades to his deck or something," Natasha suggested. "He'll be out here in a bit, I'm sure of it."

Miriam, meanwhile, nudged Malachi. "Malachi…that plan you told us about…are you sure it's worth risking?" she whispered.

"If it means repaying the debt I owe Yugo Muto, then why not?" Malachi replied. "Remember, we swore to make these guys pay for being the original force behind our mother's death and our subsequent nightmarish life with Abel Drake. What better opportunity to do so than now?"

"Never mind, boss—we'll kick those guys' asses, for real," David assured him.

"Yeah, we're not gonna fail just like that," Luke added.

"Hey, everyone. Sorry I'm late."

Turning, everybody saw Yugo, Kyo, Jenna and Miki approaching. "Ah, Yugo-boy," Pegasus greeted him. "I take it you've finished your preparations now?"

"I have," said Yugo solemnly.

"All right, then." Pegasus nodded. "We'll be disembarking in Tokyo Bay in another few minutes. Then, from there, it's on to Tokyo Dome."

"And that's where Seta will be," Yugo replied.

He walked up to the bow's railing and looked out at the rapidly-approaching Tokyo Bay's docks. _Just a little longer, Seta…I'm coming! Wait for me till then!_

----------

TOKYO DOME, TOKYO, JAPAN, AT THAT VERY MOMENT

The room where Seta had been preparing himself was now semi-dark; the lights had been turned off and the only other available illumination came from an overhead window. Seta, for his part, was sitting in a very dark corner of the poorly lit room…it was difficult to make out his features other than his arms, which were folded, and his eyes, which were closed.

But then those eyes opened, to reveal virtual blank slates, as before. And then they narrowed. _He…he is coming…and I will crush him like a grape…!_

----------

TOKYO BAY, TOKYO, JAPAN, A FEW MINUTES LATER

A news van zipped through traffic, narrowly avoiding collisions several times as it raced toward Tokyo Bay's harbor. Overtaking at every opportunity, accelerating even when it was obviously unsafe to do so, and at one point very nearly going around a corner on only two wheels, at length it pulled up near the large docking area where several ships and smaller boats were already anchored.

"Come on, come on, let's go already! We can't miss this—this is too important!" the reporter loudly snapped at his camera crew, pulling the van's door open and jumping out.

His crew emerged seconds later, with cameras and prepared microphones, ready to follow his lead. "Which way now, boss?" one of the cameramen asked.

"This way!" the reporter urged, walking in the direction of a crowd that had gathered near a particularly larger part of the port. Immediately the camera crew followed after him, their cameras hefted on their shoulders and the microphones delicately held by those among them whose hands were free.

----------

By this time, the Industrial Illusions liner was pulling into the harbor, even as an ever-growing crowd assembled to witness its arrival. "Hmph…quite a welcome wagon we have here," Kaiba remarked.

"Looks that way," answered Pegasus. "Only problem is, I personally wish we could be meeting fans and spectators under much better circumstances."

Just then Mr. Truesdale spied a news crew approaching the back of the crowd. "Oh, no…the last thing we definitely need at this point is the press," he groaned. "Especially after what's been happening…"

Yugo looked down at the crowd and especially at the news crew. "Uh…what're we gonna do?"

Suddenly—right above their heads came the sound of a noisy helicopter rotor. "Huh?" Everyone immediately looked up…and then, on a whim, looked back out to sea. And, coming from the direction of the still-floating ARK, a helicopter was flying toward them.

"Oh, let me guess—we'll be getting transportation from THESE guys?" Mr. Wheeler asked in exasperation.

"Well, Wheeler, based on the size of this helicopter, obviously not all of us will be able to fit," said Kaiba matter-of-factly. "This is probably another setup of theirs…"

"Well, if we're going to be any closer to saving Seta, I say we chance it," said Yugo determinedly.

At length the helicopter appeared directly over their heads, and hovered there. The side-door to the air vehicle then opened, and a rope ladder was thrown down, just low enough for them to reach it. "Committee members," the pilot addressed them over the helicopter's loudspeaker. "Send up the duelist who will be fighting at Tokyo Dome. We will transport him there, where the Master awaits him."

"All right," Pegasus shouted up to them, "but only on the condition that one of us is allowed to accompany him!"

"We can be generous in that regard," the pilot announced back. "This helicopter has enough room for the duelist plus four others who wish to accompany him. But he must choose them carefully."

"You heard the man, Yugo," Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki told him. "So, who will it be?"

"I already made up my mind about that," Yugo nodded decisively. "I want Jenna, Miki and Kyo to go with me. Plus, one of the Committee members can come, too…only, I'm not sure which it should be…"

"Allow me to go," offered Pegasus. "I'm the figurehead of the Committee, after all. I don't want to risk the other members' safety in this."

"You want to go with them, then go right ahead," Kaiba told him. "But don't think we won't be coming after you. Because I intend to see that Gozaburo again…and to be the one of the two of us who has the last laugh."

"Fine, fine," said Pegasus. Then he shouted to the helicopter pilot, "Okay, we're coming up!"

With that, he grasped the rope ladder and managed to swing himself up. "Whoa, Pegasus, I didn't think you could be so agile," remarked Mr. Bakura.

"I may be getting old," said Pegasus, grunting as he pulled himself up the ladder rung by rung, "but I haven't completely lost my spryness!"

Then Yugo was next to climb the rope-ladder, followed by Kyo. Miki was next, holding on tightly as she climbed up after the others; Jenna was last. "Oh, for heaven's sake…to see young girls acting so tomboyish…" Mr. Von Schroeder clicked his teeth in disgust.

"Well, then, don't look!" answered Ms. Wong.

While the five were climbing the rope-ladder, Ricardo nudged Janus, then nodded his head in another direction. Janus nodded silently; then, the two boys quietly tiptoed away. Seeing the two leave, Marcus, Wade and Shigeo moved away as inconspicuously as possible; then, one by one, Malachi, Miriam, Luke and David casually stepped away, following after them.

Honey, watching as Pegasus and the four teens climbed up the helicopter's rope-ladder, presently noticed that certain people in their group seemed to be leaving their congregation. Immediately she looked up in the direction they'd gone, a puzzled eyebrow raised. "Where are they…?"

Raven, swiftly realizing that Honey was about to bring the others' departure to general attention, reached out and grabbed her by the shoulder. Astonished, Honey was about to retort—but not before Raven clapped a hand over her mouth. "Mmmmph…!" she cried out into his hand.

"Shhhhh…" Raven shushed her. "Don't worry about those guys. I'll explain a little later, okay? Just trust me for now. All right? Pretend you didn't see them."

Honey had a bit of a confused look on her face, but she nodded. Carefully, Raven removed his hand from her mouth. "Raven…you definitely owe me an explanation," she hissed at him.

"Don't worry, you'll get it," he said firmly, in a low tone. "Just trust me, like I said. Please."

Honey sighed. "Oh, all right."

Meanwhile, the five climbing the rope-ladder were now inside the helicopter, and the ladder was pulled up after them. Then the door was slammed shut, and a moment later the helicopter zoomed away—in the direction of Tokyo Dome.

A groan of disappointment came from the news crew. "Aw, man!" the reporter cried. "And I was hoping I could get a chance to do an interview with the finalists as soon as they landed here!"

"Well, uh…there's Seto Kaiba up there, maybe you can get lucky and get an interview with him," one of the cameramen suggested.

Kaiba promptly looked back down at the dock. "Hey! You guys in the news crew!" he shouted down to them. "Tell me you have your news van or whatever close by!"

"Uh, y-yeah!" the startled reporter replied.

Kaiba nodded knowingly. "You were hoping to get a scoop on this last leg of the Dueltropolis tournament, weren't you?"

"Yes, sir!" the reporter replied.

"Well, here's what you do for me, then," said Kaiba. "Get me to Tokyo Dome in your van right now, and I'll personally ensure you get an exclusive interview! Got it?"

The reporter's face instantly lit up. "You mean that? Really? All right, then!"

In a moment the gangplank was lowered to the dock, and Kaiba started for it. "Truesdale, Zigfried, I'm counting on you to get the others to the Dome in time!" he flung over his shoulder.

"Hey, wait a minute, Kaiba! You can't just leave us here like that! How're we gonna get to the Dome?" Mr. Taylor shouted, fuming.

"You'll find a way!" Kaiba shot back. "Meanwhile, I've got a plan I need to execute! I'll see you at the Dome!"

Moments later he was tearing through the astonished crowd, following the news crew to where their van was. "Damn that blasted Kaiba—he hasn't changed a bit, has he?" Mrs. Bakura stormed. "Always having to be so mysterious when it's not called for!"

"Well, now I guess we'll just have to find our own way to the Dome, like Kaiba said," Mr. Truesdale shrugged. "And it's up to Zigfried and me to get you guys there somehow."

"Quite so," said Mr. Von Schroeder. "So, everyone, without further ado, let us hurry, shall we?"

"All right, let's—hey, wait a minute…" Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki suddenly looked around. "Where's Janus?"

"Um…wasn't he just here a moment ago?" Dr. Crowler wondered.

"Yeah, he was," said Natasha worriedly. "And come to think of it, some of the others are missing, too…"

Honey immediately turned upon Raven. "Okay, Raven, what is going on all at once?" she demanded loudly.

"Honey! Don't put me on the spot!" Raven hissed.

But as one, all the others turned to look at him. "Raven…is there something you know about this that you aren't telling us…?" Mr. Devlin asked, very slowly.

Now Raven was sweating bullets. _Ooohhhh, maaaaan…now I'm really starting to wish those guys hadn't left me here like this…!_

----------

**_neomage:_** Question time! What awaits Pegasus, Yugo, Kyo, Jenna and Miki at Tokyo Dome? What DOES Kaiba have in mind? Will Janus, Ricardo and the others be successful in their daring little scheme, whatever the plans for that are? How will Raven explain it to the others left on the ship—and will they show him any mercy once he confesses? All this and more, in the next few chapters to come! Stay tuned!


	303. Chapter 303

Yu-Gi-Oh! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER:** (spy theme plays) **I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**CHAPTER 303**

THE INDUSTRIAL ILLUSIONS LINER

"I suppose I should say it's fortunate that this liner carries both types of lifeboats—the inflatable and motorized kind," Marcus remarked.

He and the others were in the lifeboat holding area of the liner; at that moment, he, Wade and Shigeo were carefully and gingerly unloading one of the motorized lifeboats into the water. Nearby, Malachi waited with some growing impatience. "Will you hurry it up?" he demanded. "Let's get this show on the road, before somebody comes down here and spots us."

"Coming, coming," Shigeo said irritably.

At length, however, the craft finally hit the water with a loud splash. "Man, they're bound to have heard THAT," Wade commented.

"Well, at least now we've got a means to travel to the Zodiacs' battleship quickly," said Ricardo. "So, let's hurry up and get on board!"

----------

"WHAT!" Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki grabbed Raven by the shoulders and violently shook him. "They planned to go on board that monstrosity—_to blow it up?_ And you LET THEM GO?"

"Hold on, hold on! Let him go!" Honey cried. "You mustn't shake him like that!"

"Why not?" Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki demanded.

"Because **_I'm _**going to shake him!" Honey promptly wrestled Raven out of the older woman's grasp and began shaking him with a fury. "How could you let them go on such a suicidal run, you jerk? They could die out there!"

"Ahhh…ahhhh…" Raven was now swirly-eyed even as his head swayed back and forth from all the shaking.

"Never mind—we have to stop them!" Dr. Crowler exclaimed.

Suddenly they all heard the sound of a motor, coming from the liner's stern. "Too late," sighed Mr. Truesdale.

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki ran along the side of the ship, all the way to the stern's railing—and was just in time to see the lifeboat, with its passengers, already a decent distance away and heading toward the ARK's general vicinity. "JANUS YUKI!" she shrieked at the top of her lungs. "YOU GET BACK HERE THIS INSTANT, OR ELSE I'LL GROUND YOU FOR LIFE!"

A moment later the others appeared behind her. "Wow, Alexis…I never expected you could run so fast, even in high heels," Dr. Crowler remarked.

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki's face was a picture of red-hot rage. "Those damn kids! What the hell do they think they're doing?" she seethed.

Natasha looked on as the lifeboat zoomed even further away. "Janus…Ricardo…" she whispered their names.

----------

On the lifeboat, Marcus was at the wheel with Wade in the passenger seat beside him; behind them sat Malachi, Luke and Miriam, and right at the back were David, Janus, Shigeo and Ricardo. "All right…at this point, even from this distance, they'll still see us coming," David remarked loudly.

"That's where my plan comes into play!" Ricardo said with a broad grin. "Wade, get ready!"

"Way ahead of you!" Wade answered with a grin, pulling out his Duel-Disk and strapping it on.

----------

THE ARK, IN THE MEANTIME

The ARK's iron shell had long since been closed up after releasing the helicopter that had been sent to intercept the Industrial Illusion liner's arrival. Now, on its deck, soldiers walked about carrying weapons, or doing maintenance checks on various vehicles. One floor below, in the main hall, more soldiers sat at the navigation desks, keeping a wary eye out for trouble.

----------

"Yawn…man, I wish I could've gone to Tokyo Dome with the others," one of the navigation officers sighed. "It's boring as hell to stay at navigations all the time."

"Suck it up, man," his fellow navigator replied tartly. "This is the Master's great mission we're talking about—even the slightest complaint about being at your post could cost you your head right about now."

A passing soldier paused and grinned at the two. "Hey, you guys—once the Master's goal is accomplished, guess where me and some of the guys plan to go to celebrate?"

"Vegas, right?" the first navigator suggested.

"Vegas? Bah! That's kiddy-grade stuff!" the soldier scoffed. "We're gonna go down to Brazil, man, and get our freak on with the local ladies!" And he made a pumping gesture with his hips.

"Like any woman would want YOU," the second navigator smirked. "When was the last time you even looked in a mirror?"

"And when was the last time _you_ got laid?" the soldier barked.

"At least **_I_** know from experience what it's like—you can only dream!" the second navigator snorted.

"Wanna say that again, you nut-sack?" the soldier loudly yelled.

The first navigator leaned back in his chair, grinning as the soldier and the second navigator hurled insults back and forth at each other. "Man, this is better than reality TV any day," he chuckled.

"Hey! What are you idiots doing over there?" another passing soldier shouted at them. "Quit horsing around and get back to your posts!"

"Aw, shut up, barf-bag," the second navigator needled the soldier. "You're not the boss of us!"

"But **_I_** am, in the Master's stead."

On hearing the new voice, the soldiers looked up—and instantly their belligerence turned to awed respect. "Mr. Capricorn, sir! We didn't know you were here!" the first navigator exclaimed, standing and saluting.

Standing in the doorway to the hall was Zander Zabel, a cold look on his face. "What would the Master say if he could hear you ass-wipes arguing like kids right now?" he asked, in a low, eerie voice. "I swear, if it was up to me and we didn't need your talents, I'd turn the whole lot of you into fish bait right now."

"Please forgive us, sir!" the soldiers exclaimed quite fearfully.

"And besides that…" Zander's eyes narrowed into slits. "If you'd been doing your jobs instead of acting like brainless shit-heads, you would've noticed that there's something on the radar, coming toward our position."

Instantly the two navigators spun around to look at the radar screen—and indeed there was a small dot coming quite rapidly toward them. "Y-you're right, sir!" one of them exclaimed, seating himself. "There's an unknown vessel coming toward us, and closing in fast! Speed is registered at eighteen knots!"

"Put it to visual; let's see who these visitors of ours are," Zander instructed.

The navigators did as bidden, touching a series of buttons on their console. Moments later, the radar screen flashed white—and then a clear picture was shown of a small motorboat, with nine individuals aboard. "Oh," the second navigator sighed with a little relief. "There's nothing to fear, after all, sir; just a couple of kids out for a ride, it looks like."

Zander shrugged…but on his lips was a coy smile. _So…a couple of Ophiuchus's friends have come here, eh? Interesting…have they got something planned?_

**_BLAM!_**

All at once the ship rocked violently as something rammed into it with massive force. The impact was so great, several of the soldiers sitting at the navigation desks were hurled out of their seats and sent sprawling to the floor. "ACK! What the hell happened?" one exclaimed in shock.

**_BLAM!_**

A second ramming, this time from the opposite side, sent the soldiers flying headfirst into their own equipment. "We're under attack!" a soldier yelled out.

Another reached for the P.A. system's microphone and switched it on. "All ARK units, report to battle-stations at once! This is not a drill! Repeat, this is NOT a drill! We are under assault!"

Zander, watching the sudden confusion in the hall for a moment, turned and walked away. _Hmph…_

----------

Back on the ship's deck, several soldiers were running about to their stations, even as the banging of the ARK continued. **_BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!_** Others were standing ready in small groups, weapons in hand, waiting.

"Open the shell!" someone ordered.

Slowly, very slowly, the shell began to part, letting in the light of day from outside. And all the soldiers tensed, bracing themselves and holding their ground against the continuous banging. Their fingers were on the triggers of their guns, and they were ready to pump whatever was attacking them with unlimited lead.

The shell opened up much more. All the soldiers cocked their guns, awaiting the order to fire. "Ready yourselves!" the order rang out.

Finally, the shell was open completely. And all the soldiers had their weapons at the ready. And they saw—nothing. "…"

All around them, out on the ocean, the only thing that could be seen was the ocean itself. There were no attacking sea vessels; there was no airborne enemy. "Uh…false alarm, maybe?" one soldier ventured, lowering his weapon.

Then suddenly—there was a loud roar as right in front of the ARK's bow, something shot up from the sea! It emerged with such strength, the very water flashed up with flood-like force, splashing everything on the deck. "Gyaaa!" several of the soldiers cried out, knocked off their feet by the sheer force of the water.

Others of them, however, were staring upward in open-mouthed astonishment. "Oooohhhhh…"

Towering above the ARK's deck from the ocean was a massive two-headed blue serpent of sorts. It let out a hissing sound as it glared down at the soldiers on the deck; then suddenly, one of its heads reared back. "Shit! It's gonna attack!" several of the soldiers cried out.

"Open fire! Open fire, damn you!" one of the senior officers yelled.

With that, a loud barrage of gunfire erupted as the soldiers blasted at the sea creature. But evidently it wasn't taking kindly to the assault, as its hissing sound became angrier and more insistent…then, all of a sudden, the head that had reared back got thrust forward—and from that head's mouth an immense wave of water spewed, washing them away!

The senior officer that had given the order to fire now pulled out a walkie-talkie. "We need backup here on the deck! Repeat, we need…" but that was as far as he got before another surge of water hit him.

----------

Wade smirked. "Ocean Dragon Lord – Neo-Daedalus (ATK 2900, DEF 1600)…ever so reliable…" he barely managed to suppress his laughter, even as he held up his Duel-Disk with the card on it.

"All right, Phase One of the operation is done," Ricardo announced proudly. "We've managed to draw their attention away from us…Wade, how long do you think you can keep your monster summoned?"

"As long as is necessary!" Wade replied cheerfully.

"Okay," Ricardo nodded. "Now, next phase…"

The lifeboat had gotten around to the ARK's stern by this time; now Ricardo looked around. "So…what're you looking for?" Luke asked.

"Hmmm…" Ricardo frowned. "I figured they'd have a septic drainage system or something on their little toy here…"

_"Excuse me?"_ Miriam made a face. "Are you saying part of your plan involves climbing into a sewage pipe?"

"Unfortunately, yeah," Ricardo admitted sheepishly. "If they're expecting us to board, that'll be the least likely place they'll anticipate us using."

"Well, tactically, it seems to make sense…but I really don't relish the idea…" Malachi shook his head.

"Well, let's hurry up and find a pipe or something that we can maybe crawl into," said Ricardo. "Hopefully they'll have cleaned it recently…"

"That's a pretty BIG 'hopefully' right there," and David wrinkled up his nose in disgust.

Shigeo glanced around. "Hmmm…does that qualify?" he asked, pointing.

Everyone looked toward what he was pointing at…and right there, in the side of the ship, was a fairly large drainpipe. "Okay…one problem solved," said Ricardo.

Marcus guided the boat closer to the pipe, close enough for them to be able to climb in. Janus carefully stood up and sniffed. "WHEW! Man, what the hell do these guys eat on a regular basis?" he exclaimed, two big X's replacing his eyes.

"At least it looks wide enough for us to crawl into it," Ricardo reasoned, examining the pipe. "Well…who wants to go first?"

"It's your plan—YOU go first!" Malachi suddenly grabbed Ricardo and thrust him headfirst into the pipe.

"AAWWWWWK!" Ricardo croaked. "Damn, damn, damn! Hold your breath once you're in here!"

"Just hurry up and start climbing!" Marcus hissed.

"You guys go on ahead—I'll stay out here and have Neo-Daedalus keep these Zodiac morons busy," Wade told them. "Go on!"

"Wish us luck!" Janus replied. "All right…somebody give me a boost! I'm next!"

----------

TOKYO DOME, TOKYO, JAPAN, AT THAT VERY MOMENT

While Janus, Ricardo and their comrades were infiltrating the ARK…what was happening at Tokyo Dome itself? Well, by this time there were several news vans parked around the entrance to the Dome, with a rather large crowd of reporters and cameramen waiting to enter. And the reporters were simultaneously presenting the situation as they knew it.

"We're receiving as-yet unconfirmed reports that there's an armed militia group inside Tokyo Dome at this time, and that it is this group that arrived here via the helicopters seen by civilians earlier…"

"…though unconfirmed at this time, it seems there are hostages being held inside the stadium, the very place where the final match of this year's Duel Monsters World Championship was scheduled to take place…"

"…the identity of the people who were seen in the helicopters that arrived here at Tokyo Dome today remains to be seen…"

Suddenly the noise of helicopter rotors overhead caused everyone to look up. At once video-cameras swiveled up, and photo-cameras clicked and flashed repeatedly, even as the folks in the crowd chattered excitedly and speculatively.

----------

In the newly-arrived helicopter, Pegasus glanced down at the crowds below. "Hmmm…so, the media is here…this is going to be a tad problematic…"

Miki, Jenna and Kyo looked at him. "Mr. Pegasus, what do you think they're going to do once we've landed? Gozaburo and his people, I mean," said Kyo.

"There's no telling what they'll try," Pegasus answered. "So, children, let's be very careful once we're down there."

"Yeah, got it," Miki nodded.

Jenna looked over at Yugo, who seemed lost in thought. "Yugo…you ready?"

He glanced at her. "Yeah…as ready as I'll ever be."

Then he glanced out the window at Tokyo Dome. _At least, I hope so…_

----------

**_neomage:_** So, infiltration of the ARK has begun! Yugo and company have arrived at Tokyo Dome! And next chapter, more action and suspense! Stay tuned!


	304. Chapter 304

Yu-Gi-Oh! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER:** (ominous shadow looms over story) **neomage doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**CHAPTER 304**

TOKYO DOME, TOKYO, JAPAN

The helicopter hovered above the stadium for a moment; then, very slowly, it began to descend. The pilot skillfully brought it down toward the grassy section of the field, away from the stone platform and the other helicopters parked nearby. As the wind from the chopper's rotors swept across the arena, the people sitting in the stands had to shield themselves as protection.

Down on the platform, however, Gozaburo stood with his butler and a few of his soldiers, watching as the arriving helicopter landed. "Heh…so, our little victim has arrived at last," Gozaburo chuckled.

Suddenly a cell-phone buzzed; calmly, the butler answered it. "Yes…? Oh, is that right…very well, let them come in."

Gozaburo regarded him. "And…that was…?"

"My apologies, sir," said the butler. "Apparently the media is outside the doors to the dome at this very moment."

"Ah—yes," and Gozaburo smiled again. "They've come for a story…well, they'll get a story, all right. Now, while I greet our guests, would you be so kind as to fetch Ophiuchus here?"

"Right away, sir," said the butler, and he bowed. Then he turned and walked off.

Meanwhile, the door to the just-landed chopper was opened, and out hopped Pegasus, Yugo, and his three friends. "All right—here we are," announced Miki.

"Yeah, well…" Jenna paused and glanced up at the crowds. "Oh, man…would you look at this? They really are holding these fans hostage!"

Kyo scowled as he observed the soldiers walking amongst the fans, weapons drawn. "Looks like Gozaburo really wasn't kidding when he set those stipulations for Yugo earlier," he noted.

"Speaking of Gozaburo…there's the man himself, right now," and Pegasus pointed out Gozaburo, waiting for them.

Yugo bristled. _Just great…_

"Welcome, welcome, one and all," Gozaburo greeted them, a broad grin on his face. "I'm very happy to see that you've come here after all, instead of turning tail and running away like I'd expected. I can see that in that regard, I was wrong."

"Run away?" Pegasus scoffed. "From a dog like you?"

"I would be careful about my insults if I were you, sir," Gozaburo said to him. "In case you haven't realized, I've got numerous armed soldiers here, while you and your little troop do not."

He surveyed them carefully. "And, now that I think about it, where is Seto? I would've thought he'd have come with you…"

"Kaiba-boy will be along shortly, as will the rest of them," Pegasus replied. "For right now, though, you'll have to be satisfied with us."

"Fine by me," Gozaburo shrugged.

"Enough of this…where's Seta?" Yugo demanded.

"Ha, ha…hot-blooded, now, aren't we?" Gozaburo mocked him. "You needn't worry about that—I've just sent for him, so he should be along in a few minutes. Rather, what you should be concerning yourself with is the fact that someone's going to die as a result of this duel. The only question is, will it be you, or will it be the people who've come to this stadium to watch you?"

Pegasus scowled. "How can you, one man, harbor so much cruelty toward innocent people? I'm appalled by you!" he declared.

"Really? Hmph." Gozaburo shrugged again. "Let me see…Pegasus, right? As far as my personal research tells me, you're the one who created the Duel Monsters game…a sham version of true battle. You and everyone else who endorses this game are only denying the truth to yourselves, and deceiving others likewise. That is all."

"What truth?" Kyo demanded.

"What truth? Simple, my boy," Gozaburo answered. "When you are in battle, the objective is to kill your opponents, or be killed yourself. In battle, there are always casualties. There is no shaking of hands between foes; there is no playful banter; there is no sparing of life. Everything this side of existence is a war; what my son Seto and people like Pegasus here have done flies in the face of what true warfare is like. Kaibacorp once upheld warfare…and, starting today, starting here, that original scheme of things will be restored."

Jenna's eyes narrowed at him. "You're sick. That you would hold your own grandson under mind control, and then hold hundreds of innocent people hostage just to further your own ends…Mr. Pegasus is right—you're appalling!"

"Feel free to think what you'd like," Gozaburo brushed her off. "By the end of this upcoming duel, what you or anyone else thinks about me won't be worth a dime, anyway."

Then he looked past the group. "Well, well…welcome to the press."

Turning, the group bore witness to several of Gozaburo's soldiers approaching, with several reporters and cameramen in tow. "Oh, look, it's Maximillion Pegasus!" one of the reporters shouted, recognizing Pegasus. "Mr. Pegasus, sir, could you please tell us what's going on? Is this some sort of publicity stunt for the final match of—"

"Pipe down, pipsqueak!" one of the soldiers snapped, violently hitting the man with the butt of his gun and knocking him down.

"HEY! That wasn't necessary!" Miki cried.

"Well, this could become a tad troublesome," Gozaburo sighed. "Men, take Mr. Pegasus and these children to the special VIP box upstairs, and escort the reporters to the commentator's box as well. But…" and here he pointed a finger to indicate Yugo. "…_this_ kid stays here with me."

"Understood, sir!" the soldiers replied. And with that, some of them walked off in one direction, herding the bewildered news crews away. Four of the remaining soldiers walked up to Pegasus, nudging him with the muzzles of their guns.

"All, right, all right, I get the idea already," Pegasus grunted, holding his hands up in surrender. "Kyo, Miki, Jenna, come along. We can't do much else here."

"Okay," Miki said, sounding very disappointed. "Yugo…good luck, okay?"

"Do what you can do, buddy; we'll be rooting for you," Kyo added.

Jenna looked imploringly at Yugo. "Yugo…do the best you can do, please…"

Yugo nodded solemnly at all of them. "I'll try. I promise."

That said, Pegasus and the kids turned and walked away, followed by the soldiers. Now Yugo and Gozaburo remained alone on the platform. "So…there go your friends, boy," Gozaburo scoffed. "Now…you're all alone. Alone, with nobody to stand by your side or to hold your hand. Once I have you out of my way, nothing will stop my conquest and my vengeance."

Yugo glared coldly at him. "Don't bet on it, you ancient turd," he said crisply. "I'm only here to do what I intend to do—I'm going to save Seta from your brainwashing, _and_ save everyone in this stadium as well. Just you watch."

"Hmph." Gozaburo rubbed his nose contemptuously with his thumb. "You can't break the power of the mind control chip inside Seta's head; it's just too powerful for that kind of thing. And, anyway, it's only going to end in one of two directions—like I told you before, either you'll lose and die, or you'll win and sacrifice the lives of everyone else here in this stadium."

"Pfft. Neither one is going to happen today, Gozaburo," Yugo vowed. "And as for you, you can kiss my ass."

Gozaburo crossed his arms across his chest and laughed. "You truly amuse me with your defiance, boy. It's such a shame you're going to die here today…I probably might've kept you as a pet or something."

Yugo scowled and clenched his fists. _This old relic is really pushing it…but I gotta keep my cool…especially with this many lives on the line…_

----------

There was a knock at the door to the room where Seta still remained. "Enter," he said dully.

The door swung open, and then the butler appeared. "Ah, Ophiuchus," he greeted him. "The Master requests your presence outside. Your prey…has finally arrived."

In the darkness of the room, Seta's eyes flashed. "At last…" And he stood up.

----------

At that very moment, outside the walls of Tokyo Dome…

The news van screeched to a stop; almost instantly the door flew open, and Kaiba jumped out with his briefcase in one hand. "Thanks for the lift," he told the crew.

"So, uh, what're you gonna do now, Mr. Kaiba?" the reporter inquired.

Kaiba narrowed one eye. "Now…I'm going to find my way into Tokyo Dome. Meanwhile, if you still want to get that exclusive interview I promised, you'll all be good and make no mention to anyone that I'm here. Understood?"

"Got it!" the reporter nodded.

"Good."

Kaiba then turned and hurried away from the news van. _All right…going through the main entrance is obviously going to be a bad idea, especially for what I have planned…let's hope the side entrance isn't guarded by Gozaburo's fanatics…_

Running around the side of the building as quickly as he could, presently he spotted five armed guards standing by the designated door. _Okay…this is going to be really tricky…but I gotta get in there by any means necessary, so…!_

Kaiba flattened himself against the wall where the guards wouldn't be able to see him. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out three business cards; then, holding the three between his fingers, he took one step forward, eyed the guards carefully and took aim. "Okay, dick-weeds, time to introduce you to the _real_ Seto Kaiba!" he growled.

----------

"Man, was it really worth it to get stationed here?" one of the five guards grumbled. "I mean, this is the side entrance! Who in their right mind is going to come here when a main event is scheduled at this damn Dome?"

"You better hold your tongue if you know what's good for you," another guard scolded him. "The Master himself ordered us to guard this door, remember? You wanna question his orders, sure, fine—just don't blame me when you get your head blown off later."

"Still, the dude's got a point," the third guard reasoned. "Not even a dog has come by here since we got posted here. Everybody who wants to get into the Dome will have to use the front entrance, like they always do…I don't even know why they put a side door here in the first place…"

Suddenly, from out of nowhere, three small objects flew toward the guards and hit three of them in their hands! "YEEOUCH!" all three exclaimed, automatically dropping the guns they were holding and grabbing their hands in pain.

"What? What? What the hell happened?" the other two guards demanded—right before a flying briefcase smashed squarely into one's face, knocking him to the ground!

"Aagh…" one of the first injured guards looked down at his hand—and saw a business card with _Kaiba Corporation _written on it, sticking into the flesh between his first two knuckles. "What the…"

A sudden shadow looming over him caused him to look up—but there was nothing he could do as a heavy boot slammed down heel-first on his face, breaking his nose-bridge and knocking him out. The other two guards, pulling the foreign objects out of their own hands at that moment, could do nothing as one felt a set of knuckles slamming into his throat and the other felt a solid knee in his crotch. As the one clutched his throat and collapsed, choking violently, the other fell to his knees, grabbing something very important that had gotten squished and moaning in pain—and then a tough elbow slammed down on his head, grounding him.

The fifth guard, so far untouched and still wielding his weapon, had turned to watch in bewilderment as his comrade who'd gotten smashed with the briefcase fell to the ground. Now he turned, raising his gun—and found his face only inches away from a very pissed-off Kaiba's. "…shit…" he whispered—right before Kaiba pulled back and flung a heavy fist into his abdomen, knocking the wind out of him and causing him to slowly sag to the ground.

Kaiba promptly picked up his briefcase where it'd fallen, then turned to behold the guard who he'd punched in the throat, having revived and now reaching for his gun. Immediately he swung the briefcase over his head and downward, the edge of it smashing into the guard's skull and rendering him out-cold. "Kidnap MY son, will you? I don't think so," Kaiba snarled.

He looked around at the five fallen guards, making sure they really were down for the count…then, as he turned to enter the side-door, he examined his briefcase carefully. "Shit…I got blood on this," he muttered. "And it was brand-new, too. I just hope I didn't damage the laptop itself…"

----------

THE ARK, AT THE EXACT SAME TIME

There was a small room on board the ARK battleship, filled with numerous pipes and chains hanging from the ceiling. In the middle of the room, on the floor, there was a large drain-pipe with a steel grill covering its opening. This particular pipe was the kind of pipe usually used for dumping unwanted waste material by hand, instead of via any special onboard sewage system as would normally be expected when dealing with draining plumbing waste.

And, at this moment, it was about to be breached.

_Poom! Poom! Poom!_ The grill echoed its noise of loud protest even as it was kicked against from the inside. Then—one even louder _Poom!_ And another. _Poom!_ And yet another. _Poom!_

"Oh, for the love of—GIVE WAY, YOU LITTLE—!"

With a yell of utter frustration, Ricardo pulled his knees up to his chest and gave the grill an even harder kick—and as he did that, the grill flew open at last, its edge clanging on the floor. "What a noisy way to make an entrance," Marcus grumbled from inside the pipe. "So much for the element of surprise…"

Carefully, Ricardo eased his legs over the edge of the pipe's opening; then Janus, behind him, gave him a push and sent him out. "I'm still amazed you were able to turn around in this pipe like you did, Ricky," he remarked.

"Hey, at least I didn't take gymnastics class for nothing!" Ricardo laughed from outside the pipe. "Besides, the space in the pipe wasn't all that narrow that we couldn't change directions if we needed to."

Janus presently climbed out of the pipe, followed moments later by Marcus, Malachi, Miriam, Shigeo, David and Luke. "Let's just be glad the water-wielder didn't instruct his monster to bang the damn ship while we were still in the pipe," Malachi grumbled.

Hardly had he said that when—**_BLAM!_** The ship rocked sideways, nearly causing them to lose their footing. "Not a moment too soon, it would appear," Shigeo remarked. "So, now what?"

"Well, we've managed to create our outdoor diversion, and Wade's taking care of that…now we need to create an indoor diversion, as well," replied Ricardo. "Then, with all guards preoccupied, we can concentrate on finding the nearest explosives inside this baby, and use them to blow this whole ship to hell."

"Just leave the diversions to me!" David beamed. "Meanwhile, you guys do what you need to do."

"Actually, I was thinking it'll be better if we work in teams of two," said Ricardo. "So, four of us will do diversions, while the other four will search for stuff to use to blow up the ship."

"Where are you planning to take out?" Shigeo inquired.

"Let's see…the engine room and the main communications room should be good for starters," Ricardo reasoned. "Plus, if we can find any other strategic points on this ship to blow up, we should be able to cripple it considerably."

"Well, since we obviously don't know the layout of this vessel, the best we can do is explore," Marcus said thoughtfully. "Also, there's a pretty good chance we won't be able to communicate with each other while we're separated. So, let's all watch our backs and avoid conflict as much as we can…"

"Except for those of us doing the diversion," Malachi cut in. "Don't worry about that. My mates and I will be able to handle that with ease. The rest of you can deal with the detonation of this ship."

"Fair enough," said Ricardo. "Now, all that's left to decide is how we're going to pair ourselves up. So…Janus, let's you and I team up. Marcus and Shigeo, you guys can work together."

"Fine by me," Shigeo nodded.

Luke and David looked at each other. "Bro…ready to cause some mayhem in this place?" David asked, grinning.

"Definitely!" Luke agreed.

Miriam looked at Malachi. "Brother…"

He nodded at her. "Let's give these bastards hell."

"Then it's decided at last!" Janus smiled. "Let's move out, everybody!"

"Right!" said Ricardo. And with that, they all turned and headed for the only doorway in the vicinity, ready to begin their mission…

----------

**_neomage:_** Well, people, you know how it is, especially once school's started back and all that crap…I have to be spending much more time with schoolwork than with my fanfics… (grumble grumble) But don't worry, I'll continue to write these whenever I get the opportunity! So…keep reading to see what happens next! (grins)


	305. Chapter 305

Yu-Gi-Oh! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER:Well, you all know what I'm going to say by now…I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**CHAPTER 305**

TOKYO DOME, TOKYO, JAPAN

Pegasus, along with Kyo, Jenna and Miki, were in a few moments seated in the Dome's VIP box, while right near them a few of Gozaburo's guards stood. The VIP box overlooked the entire stadium, and provided a clear view of the arena below, as well as a view of the big-screens positioned above the audience. "Well…at least we've got a really good view of everything that's going to happen down there, now," Kyo sighed.

"Yeah…although I'd rather be enjoying this privilege under _other_ circumstances," and here Miki flicked a disdainful glance at the nearby soldiers.

Jenna looked fixedly down at the arena, where Yugo was. "In just a moment…in just a moment," she whispered.

"Yes…and may Heaven be with him," Pegasus said quietly.

----------

Down on the arena platform, Yugo had his hands in his pockets, looking around at the crowd in the stands. Close by, Gozaburo regarded him. "I hope you're not still harboring any romantic notions of saving yourself and these people, boy," he remarked.

Yugo shrugged. "And what if I am?"

"Then you're more naïve than I first expected," Gozaburo replied.

"Think what you want…but I'm not giving up on Seta, now or ever," Yugo declared crisply.

"And what's going to aid you—the friendship you two shared?" Gozaburo scoffed. "Please. That friendship was merely a front for him to conceal the truth of his past from you…and now, that friendship is long gone, exterminated."

Yugo shook his head. "No, old man. True friendship doesn't die like that. And even if the friendship he forged with me was merely a matter of convenience…at least, somehow, there had to have been some merit to it." He looked away. "But then again, I don't suppose I could get you to understand that—such a life as you've led all these years would never have given you the opportunity to experience that for yourself."

Gozaburo chuckled. "You can keep your little speech about friendship and its value, kid…for friendship falls flat in the face of power, power like that which I wield…"

A sudden movement caught his eye; he turned and looked, then smiled. "Well, now—here comes the man of the hour."

At once Yugo turned and looked in the same direction Gozaburo was currently facing. _Can it be…?_

They were looking at the main entrance to the stadium's playing field, shrouded in shadow. From that entrance point, Gozaburo's butler emerged. "Master," he hailed Gozaburo, "Ophiuchus is here now."

Gozaburo grinned. "Yes…come on out here, my perfect soldier!"

Then…from behind the butler came Seta—only, there was much that was drastically different about him now. Gone were his familiar silver jacket, white pants, and gray boots. In their place, he now sported an aqua-green body suit, a broad silver belt, dark blue knee-high boots with silver buckles and straps, and over all that he wore a sleeveless blue duster trench-coat with gold decorations on the edges. On one arm, he was wearing a Duel-Disk – but instead of the standard model, this one was painted in a metallic aquatic blue, with a serpent's head serving as the deck slot and dragon wings serving as the body of the Disk itself. And…his eyes were still vacant, emotionless.

Yugo blinked when he saw this new Seta before him. "Whoa…"

Seta stalked over to the platform, climbing up and then walking to the center where Gozaburo and Yugo were. "Master," he said softly, bowing to Gozaburo.

Gozaburo nodded. "Ophiuchus…your opponent is here now. Show him no mercy—show him and everyone here the penalty for opposing us."

Seta nodded. "I understand, Master. The enemy will be utterly wiped out." And he turned and gave Yugo a cold, dark stare.

Gozaburo chuckled, turning to Yugo. "Well, little man, have fun…not that you'll live to savor it, anyway." And with that, he turned and headed off the platform, leaving the two boys to themselves.

Yugo's eyes narrowed as he surveyed Seta. "So…what do I call you, eh?"

Seta's eyes narrowed slightly. "To you, I am your executioner," he said in a deadpan voice. "The Seta Kaiba you may have known is gone…now, only Ophiuchus the Imperial remains. And it is Ophiuchus the Imperial that will bury you here, in this stadium."

"Well, I'm sorry, but I've no plans to die anytime today or soon," Yugo rebutted. "Because I made a promise to Seta—the _real_ Seta—that he and I would make it here to the final match of Dueltropolis. And I intend to see that promise through…of course, I'll have to take you out first."

Seta regarded him with a slightly raised eyebrow. "You show no fear of me…perhaps I can attribute that to the fact that you know nothing of the strategy I shall use against you," he commented. "But no need to worry…in only a few moments, your petty show of bravado will change to howls of torment. You will be on your knees in front of me, begging me to put you out of your misery. I guarantee you that."

His eyes narrowed again, this time into slits. "Now…show me your Duel-Disk. Let us get this waste of the Master's time over with."

"As you like." Yugo then reached into his jacket and pulled out his own Duel-Disk, strapping it on and activating it.

Just at that moment the butler climbed onto the platform and approached the two. "Gentlemen…allow me to be the one who announces the beginning of this duel," he offered, "and also to be the one who shuffles both your decks."

"Thanks, but you shuffling our decks won't be necessary," Yugo said tartly. "I'd rather this guy and I, we shuffle each other's cards."

The butler frowned—but Seta held up a hand. "I agree with him," he said. "At least that way, he will not be able to say later that this duel has been rigged."

_As if it isn't rigged enough already,_ Yugo thought ruefully.

Seta pulled out his deck; holding it toward Yugo with one hand, he gestured with his other. "Your deck…"

Sighing, Yugo pulled out his own deck and handed it to Seta, at the same time taking his opponent's deck. Then both boys vigorously shuffled each other's cards, while the butler waited expectantly. By and by, the shuffling complete, they handed their cards back to each other.

"And now, gentlemen, may the better duelist win," said the butler.

"Don't worry…I intend to," answered Seta, still emotionless.

The two duelists turned and started to walk toward opposite sides of the platform. Smirking as he watched them, the butler pulled out a cordless microphone and brought it to his lips. "Now, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls," he addressed the crowd, "the moment you have all been waiting for is here! The duel you all came to see is about to begin—Gozaburo Kaiba's most powerful soldier versus a foolish brat who dares to stand against us!"

At once clamoring started amongst the spectators. "Man, this is utterly bogus!" some of them shouted. "What the hell do you mean, Gozaburo's soldier?"

"Gentlemen…whenever you are ready—begin!" And with a flourish, the butler put away the microphone and hurried off the platform, joining a smirking Gozaburo on the sidelines.

In a moment two of the overhead screens altered visuals, showing the two players' life point counters as they rose to 8000. Yugo and Seta, at the same time, slotted their decks into their respective slots. "DUEL!" they exclaimed simultaneously.

----------

THE INDUSTRIAL ILLUSIONS LINER, TOKYO BAY, AT THAT VERY MOMENT

While the duel was getting underway at Tokyo Dome…

"I cannot believe it…they actually went off to try and sabotage that ship by themselves?" Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki was still fuming. "Just wait, just wait till they get back—they'll be scrubbing all the floors at Duel Academy!"

"What I still can't believe is that my own brother knew what they were planning, and let them go!" Honey growled, shooting a look to kill at Raven.

"All right, all right—what're you gonna do, crucify me?" Raven protested.

"Well, it would certainly have helped if you'd said something from before," Mr. Von Schroeder pointed out. "But in any case, what's done is done. Now all we can hope for is that they all come back alive."

"They'd better come back alive," muttered Blaze, and she cast a worried glance at the ring on her finger.

All this time, the crowd that had gathered below the liner hadn't dissipated a bit, even after Yugo and the others had left the scene. Now, someone suddenly cried out, "Hey, check it out—the duel's about to start!"

"What? Where? We wanna see!" several others chorused. And then, moments later, the crowd swiftly dispersed a little as many of them headed for the nearby shops where TVs were now showing Tokyo Dome in all its glory.

"Well…here's our golden opportunity to go to Tokyo Dome now," said Dr. Crowler. "Mr. Pegasus and the others will already be there by now, and they'll need our support."

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki crossed her arms defiantly. "I'm not leaving—not while my son is out there," she said sourly. "You all go ahead…I'll catch up to you later."

"I'm staying here, too," Blaze spoke up.

"So will I," added Flora. "I want to ensure that the others make it back, as well."

"Fine, fine," said Mr. Devlin. "But we do really have to get to Tokyo Dome now. We'll catch you guys there later on."

"All right…let's go, then," said Mr. Muto, and with that he and his group of friends began to walk toward the gangplank. Mr. Von Schroeder, Ms. Wong, Mr. Devlin and Mr. Truesdale followed after them; Honey, Raven, Natasha, and Jillian were not far behind.

"So…you've decided to stay here, as well, have you?" said Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki.

"It's only right, ma'am," Flora answered softly.

"Yeah…" and Blaze's gaze was set on the ARK, anchored out in the distance…

----------

THE ARK, AT THAT VERY MOMENT

"Get 'em, Exarion Universe (ATK 1800, DEF 1900)! Slice these bastards to pieces!"

David held his Duel-Disk aloft, even as the armored centaur tore his way through a whole group of overwhelmed soldiers. "Yee-haw! Bro, this is the BOMB!" he yelled gleefully.

"You don't need to tell _me _that!" Luke called back from the other end of the room. "Armor Exe (ATK 2400, DEF 1400), tear these nut-jobs apart!" And in the next instant, Armor Exe's rocky armor shot off in numerous splintered pieces at hapless human opponents.

----------

Elsewhere, Miriam was running from a group of well-armed soldiers. "Oh, man, this just not my day!" she gasped. "Running from a bunch of psychos—and in my heels, too!"

"Stop right there, lady!" one of the pursuing soldiers shouted to her. "We don't want to have to hurt you!"

At present Miriam reached for an oncoming doorknob, swiftly pulling the door open and dashing into the room beyond. "Ha! That room's a storage area! We've got her trapped now!" another of the soldiers said triumphantly.

With one accord, the group pulled the door open and stepped into the room, weapons at the ready—and stopped cold. "What…in…the…"

At the extreme end of the room stood Miriam…and right behind her was the Wave Motion Cannon, charging up with bright energy! "Oh, bo-o-o-oys," she said in playful singsong. "You might have more guns, but my gun is BIGGER."

"Shit—fall back! Fall back!" several soldiers in the group cried out.

One of the others, however, saw the Duel-Disk on Miriam's arm. "Don't be idiots, you guys—it's only a hologram!" he snapped at them. "Take her down!"

Just as he said that, however, the massive blue Stealth Bird (ATK 700, DEF 1700) seemed to appear out of nowhere and flew down on the doubting soldier, pecking him rapidly and without mercy! "AAAAGH! Get it off, get it off!" the soldier screamed, firing his gun at the bird but missing it entirely.

The other soldiers, watching in bewilderment as the Stealth Bird attacked their comrade, again looked at the armed Wave Motion Cannon. "Better not chance it—let's get out of here!" one of them cried.

With that, the entire group turned to flee—only to come face-to-face with two snarling beasts: Andro Sphinx (ATK 3000, DEF 2500) and Sphinx Teleia (ATK 2500, DEF 3000)! And…standing near them was Malachi Jordan, a psychotic grin on his face.

**"You can't leave…we want to _play!"_**

And even as Malachi began to laugh insanely, Andro Sphinx and Sphinx Teleia pounced forward…

----------

"X-Head Cannon (ATK 1800, DEF 1500), clear a path through these assholes!"

So commanded Marcus as he stared down a group of soldiers with guns drawn. In reply, the X-Head Cannon blasted its shoulder-turrets at the enemy, knocking several of them down and sending others scurrying for cover.

Meanwhile, not very far away, Shigeo was running here and there even as his Strike Ninja (ATK 1700, DEF 1200) was rushing through more enemies at blinding speed, slashing and hacking with his kunai knives. "Cowards, the whole lot of these guys!" Shigeo declared aloud.

"Come on, Shigeo! Let's press forward!" Marcus ordered, even as X-Head Cannon turned and blasted another group of terrified soldiers.

"Lead the way!" Shigeo answered, and he and Strike Ninja followed after Marcus and X-Head Cannon as they raced further down the corridor they were in.

----------

Meanwhile, Ricardo and Janus were still close to each other, carefully picking their way through the corridors and rooms of the ship. "You hear all that? The others must be having a field day with the soldiers on board," Janus snickered.

"I'll say," said Ricardo. "Yet, you and I haven't run into any opposition so far. Which is good for us, of course."

"Good—I was about to start wondering if you were going to remember mentioning that," Janus admitted, sweat-dropping a little. "Because the last thing I'd like as a souvenir is a bullet lodged in my ass."

"You and me both, friend," Ricardo nodded.

"So, what now?" Janus wondered.

"Well, we just need to find the rooms I specified and put them out of commission," said Ricardo. "The engine and communications rooms, remember?"

"Right, right—but what exactly will we use as explosives? Plus, we gotta keep in mind that we don't want to blow up this joint while we're still on board," Janus reminded him. "And, exactly how much _do_ you or I know about explosives?"

"Point noted," agreed Ricardo. "I guess we can find some flammable thing and improvise, since we don't know the finer points of using real bombs…"

At length the two boys entered yet another corridor—and this one branched off in two different directions! "Oh, great—NOW which way?" Janus exclaimed.

Ricardo sighed. "Looks like we'll have to split up."

Janus shrugged. "Oh, well…guess this couldn't be avoided," he relented. "All right, I'll take the left path over here; you go that way. Just watch your step, is all you do."

"Same to you," said Ricardo. "Good luck, Janus—and don't go getting yourself killed!" And he turned and raced away down the designated corridor pathway.

"That's my line, smartass!" Janus shouted after Ricardo's disappearing form.

Ricardo's only reply was loud laughter as he vanished from view. "Oh, well," sighed Janus, "time to get some work done now."

He turned in the direction of the path he'd chosen and started to run down the corridor. As he ran, he could feel some medium tremors as the ship rocked slightly. "Heh…Wade's still out there, having a ball with his monsters," he chuckled to himself. "Wish I could've been out there with him…"

At length a light seemed to shine ahead of him. "Oh, good—a doorway! Let's see where it leads to!" Janus exclaimed joyfully. And with a burst of energy, he picked up the pace and ran harder toward the light…

…and ended up at the end of the corridor, spreading out into a much wider space. "Huh? Hey, where am I now?" Janus groaned.

He surveyed his new surroundings, walking further in as he did. He was in a very large room—no doubt, he surmised, the auditorium where these soldiers did training exercises while on board this vessel. _Okay, so I'm in the enemy's gym…_

Suddenly he stopped. His eyes narrowed a little. _All right…is it just me…or have my footsteps suddenly developed multiple echoes?_

He stopped abruptly, right where he was—and his suspicions were confirmed. There was a second set of footsteps in that room…and judging from his sense of direction, the noise was coming from behind him. "Crap…" he whispered. "Either Ricardo decided to follow after me after all, or it's somebody else…please don't let it be the latter…"

He slowly turned…and his eyes widened. "Damn."

Standing at the entrance to the auditorium, right there behind Janus, was a familiar figure…red hair, blue jacket, lightning-bolt Duel-Disk. Zander Zabel. "Going somewhere…little man?" he asked softly, creepily.

----------

**_neomage:_** And so, in the midst of all the assignments and class-work that I have to do, I say…WELCOME BACK! So, then…Yugo prepares to fight the brainwashed Seta, while Janus and Zander run into each other on board the ARK! What is going to happen next? Stay tuned!


	306. Chapter 306

Yu-Gi-Oh! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER:Let the showdown begin! And, no, I still don't own any rights to Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**CHAPTER 306**

TOKYO DOME, TOKYO, JAPAN

While Yugo and Seta had been having their pre-duel conversation, and while Janus and his friends were still aboard the ARK…

Inside the main corridors of Tokyo Dome's inner facility, two of Gozaburo's patrol guards walked along together, semi-automatics in hand. Their faces were set like stone; neither uttered a word to each other. The only sound that could be heard, apart from the outside commotion of the spectators out in the stands, was the _tramp tramp_ noise the men's boots made on the solid tiled floor.

At length they rounded a corner, out of sight…and that was when Kaiba emerged from the shadows of a nearby adjoining corridor. "Okay…so far, so good," he whispered to himself. "Now to find a good, secluded place…"

Stepping as quickly and quietly as possible, he walked along the corridor while keeping an eye out for more guards that might appear suddenly. As he walked, he occasionally glanced up, in an effort to spot any security cameras that might pick him up. _It would be so bad if I got caught before I could do anything…_

Presently he happened upon a flight of stairs going up to the next floor—and heard footsteps coming down toward him. Grimacing, he backed up against the wall and braced himself, gripping the handle of his briefcase tightly in his hand. _Great—just the last thing I need!_

At length a lone guard leisurely walked down the stairs, whistling like he had not a care in the world. And he was only two steps away from rounding the corner where Kaiba was waiting for him—when suddenly Kaiba stepped out and swung his briefcase full-strength into the man's face! The guard was totally caught off-guard, and the impact of the briefcase hitting him caused him to run face-first into the wall!

Kaiba neatly sidestepped as the guard tumbled down the stairs. "Sweet dreams, loser," he grunted. Then, on a whim, he examined his briefcase. "Well, I guess I better check the laptop first chance I get to make sure there's no damage…"

Trotting up the stairs, Kaiba soon came upon a rather large door. Cautiously, he approached it and very gingerly pushed it open…and, on peering in, took note of two more guards. Curiosity getting the better of him, he eased his head into the doorway for a better look.

"Man, what a drag that we have to stay here in the control room," he heard one of the guards grumble. "Why couldn't we be out in the arena with the others?"

"Don't be such a bitch," the other guard answered. "At the very least, we can monitor whatever's going on down there from here. And don't forget, too, that with us stationed here, the regular tech-support can't interfere with our plans."

"Yeah, well…hey, can we take a look at what's going on down in the Dome's playing field?" the first guard inquired.

"Yeah, sure, why not? I guess a little distraction wouldn't hurt much…"

At one end of the room was a giant computer screen with several images showing on its face, each no doubt being broadcasted from the security cameras throughout Tokyo Dome. Now, the second guard walked up to the computer's console and fiddled with it a little…then, in the next instant, a camera shot of the playing field outside appeared on screen, showing the stone platform with two figures on it, facing off against each other. The camera image then maximized—and Kaiba, still standing in the doorway, recoiled when he saw who it was.

_Yugo…and Seta…and what the hell? That costume Seta's wearing—is Gozaburo trying to make a mockery of my Battle City costume? Argh…well, never mind about that—there are more important things to do right now!_

"Ha! So that's the kid that the Master said wanted to duel Ophiuchus?" the first soldier scoffed. "He doesn't look very threatening…"

"True," the second guard agreed. "Ophiuchus is gonna wipe the floor with him in three minutes, tops!"

"You want to make a bet on that?" the first guard smirked.

"You make a bet on everything!" the second guard replied, laughing.

Neither of them heard Kaiba tiptoeing into the room…neither of them heard him quietly setting his briefcase on the floor…neither of them heard him picking up a nearby chair. Then—THWACK!

One of the guards jerked in astonishment as his comrade fell forward, out cold. "What in the…!"

"Have a good dose of CHAIR!" Kaiba snapped as, swinging the chair back around, he smashed the second guard full-tilt in the side of the head, flooring him. "And sweet dreams to both of you, losers!"

Then, tramping back over to the door, he pushed it shut and wedged the chair underneath the doorknob. "All right…now, time to get down to business," he grunted.

Picking up his briefcase from where he'd left it on the floor, he headed over to the computer's console and sat down in front of it. Opening the briefcase, he pulled out his laptop and, resting it on the table, powered it on. Then, a moment later GINA's voice sounded from the laptop: "Hello, Master Kaiba. How may I serve you?"

"Listen to me very carefully, GINA," Kaiba said firmly. "Right now we're at Tokyo Dome…and I'm going to attempt to hook up your program to the Dome's digital mainframe. From there…well, I only hope this works."

"Understood, Master Kaiba," said GINA solemnly. "I will do my best."

Nodding, Kaiba pulled out a network cable from the briefcase and plugged one end into the laptop. Then, searching momentarily for a network port on the control computer, he finally located it and plugged the cable's free end in. "All right…let's get busy now," and he began typing on the laptop with renewed fury.

----------

Meanwhile, in the Dome's VIP box overlooking the arena…

"Okay…so this is it…they're gonna fight each other now…" Miki whispered, watching Yugo and Seta on the platform below.

Kyo narrowed his eyes. "Well…let's only hope now that Yugo can get through to Seta, somehow," he said softly.

"He WILL get through—I believe he'll succeed," Jenna said resolutely.

Pegasus looked thoughtful as he watched the two duelists. _For everybody's sakes…let's indeed hope so…_ And he then cast a concerned glance at the multitude of spectators, even as their shouts and cries of concern, confusion and outrage filled the stadium.

----------

Down on the platform, the holographic coin was now tossed. "I believe I'll be generous and allow you to call it," Seta smirked.

"Then that I will," replied Yugo. "And I call tails!"

The coin presently landed on the ground—but it showed heads. "Damn it!" Yugo grumbled.

"And that's only the _first_ thing you'll lose in this duel," Seta remarked.

They both quickly drew their first five cards to begin. Then, taking the first turn, Seta drew a sixth card. "All right…first, I will summon Abaki (ATK 1700, DEF 1100) in Attack Mode!" And he called forth a massive red-skinned monster with a big mouth, sharp teeth and an iron club in one hand.

On the sidelines, Gozaburo and his butler looked at the monster's stats as they appeared on one of the screens. "Quite a powerful monster Ophiuchus has summoned, sir," the butler remarked.

"Pshaw!" Gozaburo waved it off. "That's only the appetizer!"

"Then, I will set two cards facedown…" Seta did so, then quickly picked out one of the three cards remaining in his hand. "And now, I will activate the magic card, Chain Energy!"

Suddenly, seemingly from out of the platform itself, several glowing chains shot out and wrapped themselves around both boys' ankles, wrists, waists and necks! "ACK!" Yugo choked out as one chain threatened to constrict him. "What the…!"

Seta was unmoved by the chains wrapped around his own body, however. "Chain Energy is a Continuous magic card," he explained. "As long as it remains on the field, each player must pay 500 life points to Normal summon, Special summon, set, or activate cards from their respective hands. Which means, from this point on, you need to consider carefully which cards you will play from your hand each turn, and how many."

"Urk…" Yugo grunted as the chain around his neck was starting to chafe him. "You're playing for keeps now…"

Seta nodded. "Indeed I am. Now, I will end my turn."

Feeling his chains loosen enough to allow some mobility, Yugo drew his card from his deck. "Okay…I'll set one monster in Defense Mode…"

As he set the monster card on the field, suddenly Chain Energy's chains tightened on him—and sent a massive electrical shock through his body! "AAAGH!" Yugo screamed out, even as his life points dropped to 7500.

"Now, you've taken damage first," Seta commented. "And, very soon, I will be the one who delivers the final strike—and I'll start on that journey by activating the trap card, Respect Play!"

Suddenly, one of Seta's two facedown cards flipped face-up. "As long as this card remains on the field," he explained, "then each player must reveal his hand to his opponent during each of his respective turns. Which means that right now, you must show me what cards you are holding, until the end of your turn."

Wincing at this information, Yugo reluctantly held up his five remaining hand cards. Those cards were shown on the screens for everyone to see: Yugo was holding Neo the Magic Swordsman (ATK 1700, DEF 1000), the Book of Secret Arts, Call of the Haunted, the trap card Gift of the Mystical Elf, and Royal Magical Library (ATK 0, DEF 2000). "Hmmm…a somewhat decent set of cards you have, actually," Seta remarked. "But it won't make a difference—not against me."

"Well, now I end my turn…" Yugo's eyes narrowed as he said this. _This isn't good—he's coming at me with a whole slew of cards that the old Seta never used in our previous duels! I have to be extra, extra careful now against him—and more so since so much is riding on this duel!_

----------

THE ARK, AT THAT VERY MOMENT

Zander walked forward very slowly. Seeing him approach, Janus automatically backed up. "Hey, man, don't come near me!" he snapped.

Zander smirked. "I remember you…the little Duel Academy kid who beat Seta Kaiba's bodyguard in the quarter-finals…you pulled quite an impressive victory there, I dare say."

Janus's eyes narrowed. "You're not here to commend me for my performance in the tournament, I know that much. I'm not dumb, you know. You've probably been tailing me and Ricardo for a while now, just waiting for the chance to ambush us…or maybe ambush one of us alone, like right now…"

"True enough," Zander admitted. "Though I was having a little difficulty deciding whether to follow you or your friend once you split up—until I realized that the route your friend took wasn't going to take him anywhere of critical importance. See…I know the inner workings of the ARK like the back of my own hand. And I know that you're all here to try and destroy it…and knowing that, I can confidently say it'll take a good while before you find the places you need to go to get your job done. Although, you won't get that chance with me around."

"So what're you going to do? Kill me?" Janus raised an eyebrow as he asked the question.

"I could do that…however…" Zander rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Swift murder isn't usually my way of doing things within the Zodiac organization. Besides…I have had a bit of a curiosity about you in particular, Janus Yuki. That you wield your Elemental Hero deck so skillfully…I'm quite intrigued, I dare say."

"Intrigued?" Janus asked warily.

Zander reached into his jacket and pulled out his lightning-bolt Duel-Disk. He then reached into his pants pocket, pulling out a deck and pushing it into his deck slot. "See this deck?" he asked, tapping the deck slot. "As you would've witnessed, this deck includes a series of monsters known as the Destiny Heroes. And I assume you know about them from before the tournament?"

Janus raised an eyebrow. "Well…yeah, sure, I know about that deck strategy," he answered. "My parents told me about it…how Dad's former rival, Aster Phoenix, had a one-of-a-kind deck with those cards…"

Zander nodded. "And this deck includes those very same cards. You see, little man, back when I was secretly scouring your Duel Academy for potential recruits to the Zodiacs, I took the liberty of studying every card associated with the Destiny Hero strategy. I'd always been intrigued by Phoenix's exploits…so…"

"So somehow, you stole the Destiny Hero cards, is that correct?" Janus asked, narrowing his eyes.

At that Zander laughed aloud. "Ha, ha, ha! Well, good guess, but no. I did more than that—I recorded the information on each individual card in the Destiny Hero deck, and had our organization create copies of those cards exclusively for me. And, I dare say, as much as these are copies of the real thing, they're just as effective."

"So…you're essentially a copycat duelist…" Janus smirked a little.

"Hmmm?" Now it was Zander's turn to raise an eyebrow.

"You just said it yourself—the Destiny Hero cards you wield are only Zodiac copies of the originals," Janus pointed out. "And you also said it back during your duel with Seta—that you guys had made copies of the 'three Legendary Beasts.' Your whole deck is barely original on its own."

"Wouldn't you like to think so…" Now Zander frowned, and he was deadly serious. "There's actually a reason why my codename within the Zodiacs is Capricorn the _Blitzflash,_ you know. The Destiny Hero copies…the Legendary Beast copies…those only served to make me far stronger than I was previously—and even back then, I was still a force to be reckoned with. Even using one-third of my strength, you wouldn't be able to stand before me."

Janus's hand twitched. "So…you want to duel me, then? That's where you're hoping your interest in me will take you?"

Zander smirked. "I've fulfilled my part in the Zodiac's great scheme, so right now I only have one desire: to crush anyone who will stand in the way of the Master's ultimate triumph! And, it just so happens that my first victim is going to be the duelist who's caught my attention the most in this whole mission of mine—namely, you!"

Janus shook his head, even as he reached into his jacket for his own Duel-Disk and cards. "Sorry, buddy, but I've no intention of losing here, in this place, to you. But I WILL tell you what's going to happen: I'm going to defeat you, then my friends and I will sink this puppy, and then we'll head back in time to lend our support to Yugo at Tokyo Dome."

_Sorry, foolish little fellow, but Yugo Muto's sufferings will be the very least of your worries in a moment…_ And Zander smiled.

----------

"Malachi…did you have to be so rough with them?" Miriam asked, eyes wide as saucers even as a huge sweat-drop appeared on her forehead.

All around the siblings lay the seemingly lifeless bodies of the goons, their eyes rolled over in their heads, mouths open in silent screaming. "What? They got what was coming to them," Malachi shrugged indifferently. "Anyway, we should hurry up and try to find the others now. They might need a little assistance."

"Well, okay," Miriam nodded. "Let's go." And with that, the two of them turned and ran off down the corridor, leaving their hapless opponents behind.

----------

"Go, Jinzo (ATK 2400, DEF 1500)! Rip them apart!"

So commanded Marcus as his green-clothed cyborg dashed forward and started battering the armed goons without mercy. He was currently standing back-to-back with Shigeo, who likewise was watching as his Gilford the Lightning (ATK 2800, DEF 1400) slashed through a couple more soldiers with his sword.

"Okay, how long have we been exploring through this place up to now?" Shigeo wondered aloud.

"I lost track of the time," Marcus admitted. "But we'd probably better keep moving, anyway. These soldiers just seem to keep coming from everywhere!"

With that, the two turned in a mutual direction and ran off, their respective Duel Monsters following after them. Then they rounded a corner—only to come face-to-face with even more soldiers, all with guns at the ready!

"Shit—get back!" Marcus yanked Shigeo back around the corner, seconds before the guards opened fire.

"Whew…that was WAY too close!" Shigeo gasped, even as bullets ricocheted in the hallway close to them.

"Come on, let's backtrack," Marcus suggested, and he and Shigeo turned and ran back in the direction they'd been coming from.

----------

Outside the ARK, Wade was still waiting around in the lifeboat, watching as his Ocean Dragon Lord – Neo-Daedalus continued to swim around the ship and ram it at intervals. "Hope the others are doing okay in there," he sighed.

----------

**_neomage:_** Well, now, folks – Yugo and the brainwashed Seta have started their duel, Janus and Zander are about to have a showdown, and chaos ensues elsewhere on the ARK! What next? Stay tuned!

By the way, folks, just so you know…from this chapter onward, please assume that the events happening in the different locations are all occurring simultaneously, until I indicate otherwise. Multiple-continuity is a bitch…


	307. Chapter 307

Yu-Gi-Oh! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER:neomage doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh…but he does own the rights to start another big set of duels! Ha!)

**CHAPTER 307**

THE ARK

As Zander and Janus readied themselves to duel, the holographic coin appeared and was flipped. "Since I'm your 'host' while you're on board the ARK, I'll allow you, the 'guest' to call it," Zander said smugly.

"I'll call heads!" Janus replied.

The coin presently landed on the ground – but much to Janus's disappointment, the result was tails. "Crud…!"

"Well…looks like I'll be going first in this duel, then," Zander grinned.

Both of them quickly drew their first five cards, after which Zander drew his sixth. "First, I'll summon Melchid the Four-Face Beast (ATK 1500, DEF 1200) in Attack Mode!" Then—moments later his four-faced fiend emerged, spinning as it showed off its multiple faces. "Try breaking past THAT!"

"Don't make invitations you'll regret later," Janus warned as he drew his card. "Because now I'll summon Elemental Hero Sparkman (ATK 1600, DEF 1400)!"

Moments later his electrically-charged Elemental Hero appeared in a flash of light, hands crackling with energy. "Go, Sparkman! Shining Surge Flash!" Janus commanded. And Sparkman rushed forward, one hand flashing with lightning, and buried his fist up to the wrist into Melchid's body. As the monster was destroyed from the inside out, Zander's life points went down slightly to 7900.

"Hmmm…all right," Zander conceded. "But let's see if you'll be able to best this next assault!"

He quickly drew his next card. "Now, then…I'll summon my next monster, Thunder Nyan Nyan (ATK 1900, DEF 800) to the field!" And—one moment later a bright flash of lightning shot down from above, revealing the drummer in her leopard-skin clothing. "Thunder Drumroll!"

Thunder Nyan Nyan drummed skillfully on her drum set for a moment, then sharply hit one of the cymbals. The next thing Janus knew, a shot of lightning blasted out from the drum set itself, burning a hole straight through Elemental Hero Sparkman! "NO!" Janus cried out, even as his life points shot down to 7700.

"Ha…guess your Sparkman wasn't as durable against lightning as you thought," Zander remarked, a big smirk on his face. "Well, I will just set one card facedown now, and end my turn. Make your move."

Janus surveyed the field. _Crud…he's got such a strong monster on his side of the field now…and none of my monsters that I have in my hand have a base ATK that's high enough to do battle with that Thunder Nyan Nyan. Geez…well, I guess I'll just have to do my best, anyway…_

That thought in mind, he drew his next card—and blinked when he saw what it was. Then he smirked. "Well, now, Zander," he spoke to his opponent. "I'll just set one monster in Defense Mode, and one card facedown. And that will end my turn."

Now Zander looked at Janus's side of the field thoughtfully, even as he drew his next card to give him five in hand. "Hmmm…what to do, what to do…wait, I think I know! I'll offer Thunder Nyan Nyan as a tribute in order to summon Destiny Hero – Dasher (ATK 2100, DEF 1000)!"

Thunder Nyan Nyan vanished from the field – replaced moments later by Zander's automobile Destiny Hero. "Now, Dasher! Bash his facedown monster good!" Zander ordered.

Dasher went down on all fours so that he resembled a car, and with that he zoomed forward toward Janus's facedown monster. But then— "No, you don't!" Janus shouted. "I activate my trap card—Clay Charge!"

"HUH?" Zander's eyes widened in surprise.

Then suddenly, both Janus's facedown trap card and his facedown monster flipped face-up—and the monster was revealed to be Elemental Hero Clayman (ATK 800, DEF 2000)! Clayman raised one mighty arm and smashed it down on Dasher's head, even as the latter rammed into the former hard enough to knock his lower half off! Both monsters got disintegrated instantly from the clash…and the shockwaves knocked Zander back somewhat, reducing his life points to 7100!

Janus rubbed his nose tauntingly. "You want me to explain what just happened, right?" he asked. "Well…I activated my trap card, Clay Charge, right when you were attacking. My facedown monster, of course, was my Elemental Hero Clayman, with whom that trap card works. It could only be activated if you attacked Clayman…and if Clayman was facedown, as he was a while ago, then when I activated Clay Charge I had to let you see the monster to verify it was him. After that, well, both Clayman and the attacking monster—in this case, your Dasher—were destroyed, and 800 points of damage were dealt to your life points."

Dusting himself off, Zander smirked, this time a bit more respectfully. "Not bad…I guess I may have underestimated you a little bit. You truly are full of surprises, Janus Yuki."

Then his smirk suddenly vanished. "But all fun and games stop with this duel. Your Elemental Heroes may have power, but even they won't be able to protect you for long!"

"I don't know about that," Janus countered. "So…ending your turn now?"

"Not yet!" replied Zander. "Now, I'll activate the magic card, D – Spirit! If there are no face-up Destiny Hero monsters on my side of the field, then I get to Special Summon one Level 4 or lower Destiny Hero monster from my hand – and the monster I'll go with this time is Destiny Hero – Diamond Dude (ATK 1400, DEF 1600) in Attack Mode!"

A huge shard of diamond suddenly burst out of the ground—then that shattered as Diamond Dude appeared, his body glistening and his cape billowing behind him. "And with that, I'll now end my turn," finished Zander.

Janus now had 7700 life points, while Zander had 7100. Janus had nothing whatsoever on the field; Zander had his Destiny Hero – Diamond Dude in Attack Mode, and one card still facedown. Zander held two cards in hand; Janus held four.

Janus now took his turn once again, and drew his next card. "Hmmm…I summon Elemental Hero Wildheart (ATK 1500, DEF 1600) in Attack Mode!" And he brought forth his muscle-bound warrior, who was just beginning to unsheathe his sword.

"And, pray tell, is that supposed to scare me? Because it doesn't," Zander informed him.

"Maybe not just yet, but in another moment it will!" Janus assured him. "Now, Wildheart, attack and destroy his Diamond Dude!"

Grasping his weapon tightly in both hands, Wildheart dashed toward Diamond Dude, intent on chopping him in half—but suddenly Zander yelled out, "And I counter that with the effect of a card from my hand – the effect of Destiny Hero – Blade Master (ATK 300, DEF 600)!"

"Huh?" Janus reared up in shock. "No way!"

But as Zander quickly discarded a card from his hand to the Graveyard, Destiny Hero – Blade Master's silhouetted, armored form appeared next to Diamond Dude, increasing the latter monster's ATK to 2200! In turn, Diamond Dude held up a diamond-studded arm and blocked Wildheart's massive downward swing with ease; then, tensing for just a moment, he let loose with a barrage of diamond projectiles from his body, cutting Wildheart to bits and sharply reducing Janus's life points to 7000!

"Heh…the effect of my Blade Master served me well," Zander chuckled, rubbing his top lip in a taunting manner. "During my opponent's Battle Phase, by discarding the Blade Master card from my hand, then I can increase the ATK of all Destiny Heroes on my side of the field by 800 till the end of that turn."

"Grrr…" Janus gritted his teeth. "All right, then, fine. I'll set two cards facedown, and end my turn."

Zander took his turn and drew once again. "Hmmm…well, my sad little man, I hope you're not still entertaining any fantasies of defeating me…because now it's time for me to show you what real strength is all about! And I will now do so by summoning my Destiny Hero – Fear Monger (ATK 1000, DEF 1000)!"

He soon called forth the extremely gruesome-looking Destiny Hero to the field, the warrior's blaster-arm at the ready. "And now, with your life points wide open, my Destiny Heroes will bring you to your knees!" Zander told Janus haughtily. "Now, Destiny Hero – Fear Monger, strike first!"

Fear Monger raised his blaster arm, the tip of it shining with murderous energy. But Janus merely smirked on seeing this. "Heh."

"Huh?" Zander had noticed the smirk. "Hey, what's so funny?"

"This!" Janus quickly pointed to one of his facedown cards. "I activate my trap card – A Hero Emerges!"

Suddenly, Janus's designated card got flipped face-up for Zander to see. The other duelist snarled on seeing what it was. "Shit…!"

"Now that you've declared an attack, I'm able to activate this card," Janus told Zander. "So now, you get to randomly select one card from my hand, and if it's a Monster card, it gets Special Summoned to my side of the field…but if not, it gets sent to the Graveyard instead."

He then held up the two cards, one in each hand, with their faces turned away from Zander. "So…? Which one is it going to be?"

Zander scowled. _This is extremely troublesome…_ "So…if the card I pick isn't a Monster, it goes to the Graveyard?"

"You got it." Janus nodded. "So, which is it going to be? The right hand…" Here he jiggled the card he was holding in his right hand. "…or the left hand?" And he jiggled his left card.

Zander's eyes darted from one hand to the next and back again, uncertainty now etched on his face. _Which to choose…if I choose one card, and it turns out to be a Monster card…I'll be in a world of problems…unless, of course it's one of his lower-level monsters, because the Elemental Heroes by themselves are basically weak on their own…_

He nodded decisively. "I choose the card you're holding in your left hand!"

Janus looked at the card in question…and his eyes narrowed as a grim line etched itself across his mouth. Noticing this, Zander's smirk returned to his face. _I picked a non-Monster card, didn't I? Heh…poor kid…_

"Your choice was…" Janus flipped the card around so Zander could see it—and suddenly his own face lit up in a big grin. "THE WRONG CHOICE!"

Stunned at the declaration, Zander looked at the card he'd chosen—and his face turned white. "No…not THAT card…!"

"Yes, THAT card!" Janus swiftly held up the card as he prepared to play it. "Now, be Special Summoned to the field in Defense Mode – Elemental Hero Necroshade (ATK 1600, DEF 1800)!"

A dark green mist smoked around Janus's side of the field…then a moment later Necroshade emerged, crouched in a defensive stance. Seeing this, Fear Monger slowly lowered his blaster arm.

"Hmph…" Zander chuckled a little. "All right—you got me there. So, right now I'll just shift my Diamond Dude into Defense Mode, and end my turn for the present." And…to himself he added, _Well…this boy is proving more and more interesting by the minute…now I'm starting to feel glad I decided to tail him and challenge him, after all! Come now, little Janus Yuki—show me more of your capabilities…that I may enjoy crushing you all the more!_

----------

TOKYO DOME, TOKYO, JAPAN

Meanwhile, back at Tokyo Dome, the stats of the duel were shown: Seta was currently in the lead with 8000 untouched life points, while Yugo had 7500. Yugo held five cards in his hand, which had already been revealed to be Neo the Magic Swordsman, Book of Secret Arts, Gift of the Mystical Elf, Call of the Haunted, and Royal Magical Library; Seta held two cards in his hand. On the field Seta had Abaki in Attack Mode, plus he had his Chain Energy magic card and Respect Play trap card active, and one other card still facedown; Yugo had only one monster facedown in Defense Mode.

"Whoa…" Miki, watching from the VIP box, was spellbound. "I've never seen Seta play so brutally, brainwashed or not…"

"Yeah!" Jenna agreed. "I mean, just look – he's set up the field so that every turn, Yugo has to show him his hand, and if Yugo plays any cards from his hand he loses life points!"

"Girls, don't forget—the Chain Energy and Respect Play cards affect Seta, also," Kyo pointed out. "So, at the very least, Yugo has something of an advantage right there."

Pegasus frowned as he watched the duel. _But all things considered, right now it's Gozaburo who's got the real advantage here…no matter which of the two boys down there wins this bout…_

Meanwhile, down on the playing field, Seta was now taking his turn, drawing his card. "Now, then…because of Respect Play's effect, I must now show you my hand till when I end my turn," he sighed, and he held up his three cards for Yugo to see—the Dark Door magic card, the Flute of Summoning Dragon magic card, and the trap card Dragon's Rage.

Yugo frowned as he scrutinized the three cards. "Okay…"

"Now, watch this! I'll activate the magic of the Dark Door!" Seta promptly played the card—and just as promptly, the Chain Energy chains shot a painful jolt of power into his body, reducing his life points to 7500, tying him with Yugo!

On the sidelines, Gozaburo's butler winced at the sight. "My word…that must have hurt…!"

Gozaburo, however, didn't seem very much fazed by it. "Hmph."

Then…a doorway of light emerged on the field, in between Seta's and Yugo's respective sides. "Huh? Oh, great, what is this?" Yugo groaned.

"As long as this card remains face-up on the field," Seta explained, "we can only attack with one monster during our respective battle phases. And, for me, there is only one monster to attack with—and that is Abaki! So, go, Abaki, and crush his facedown monster now!"

Raising its massive club with a loud howl, Abaki dashed forward through the Dark Door and swung at Yugo's facedown monster. The club made a sickening _crack_ as it connected; several of the spectators visibly and audibly flinched in reaction. Then, as Yugo's monster card was forcefully flipped face-up, it was revealed to be Apprentice Magician (ATK 400, DEF 800), who cried out in pain even as she was vanquished.

"Now you have activated Apprentice Magician's effect!" Yugo spoke up suddenly. "When she's destroyed and sent to the Graveyard as a result of battle, Apprentice Magician's power lets me Special Summon one Level 2 or lower Spellcaster-type monster from my deck to the field in facedown Defense Mode! And the card I choose is…"

He swiftly thumbed through his deck. "Old Vindictive Magician (ATK 450, DEF 600)!"

A moment later the monster card was placed facedown on the field. But Seta regarded it with an unconcerned eye. _Heh…too bad for you I already have something to deal with that…something I've been waiting for just the right moment to use!_ Aloud he spoke, "Very well, then. I will end my turn for the moment."

Twirling his neck a little, Yugo drew once again, so now he held six cards. And again, because of Respect Play, he held up his hand cards for everyone to see…and along with the cards he'd been wielding before, he had drawn the Swords of Revealing Light. "Okay, now, this is getting annoying that you're able to see my cards," he grunted. "But I'll deal with that in good time. Right now, I'll Flip summon my facedown Old Vindictive Magician into Attack Mode!"

His monster card flipped face-up, revealing the Old Vindictive Magician even as he raised his staff and pointed it at Abaki. "When Old Vindictive Magician's flipped face-up, his effect destroys one monster on my opponent's side of the field!" Yugo revealed. "So—"

"So, he won't succeed!" Seta interrupted. "For now I activate my trap card—Divine Wrath!"

Suddenly, as Seta's card flipped face-up—a ball of fire shot down from the sky above, astonishing all the spectators! It collided with the Old Vindictive Magician, obliterating him entirely! "WHOA!" Yugo cried, even as the heat of the unexpected assault knocked him down.

"That was the power of my Divine Wrath card," explained Seta. "By discarding one card from my hand…" and here he held up his hand, to show he'd discarded his Flute of Summoning Dragon magic card. "…I can negate the effect of one monster and destroy that monster at the same time."

Gozaburo smirked when he saw this. _I knew it—this kid is already way in over his head before Ophiuchus!_

"Well…that's a bit of a setback…but it won't faze me!" Yugo declared hotly. "For now I'll summon my Neo the Magic Swordsman, in Attack Mode!"

Soon the sword-wielding drifter emerged on Yugo's side of the field—and Chain Energy sapped Yugo's energy, bringing him to 7000. But Yugo himself wasn't done. "Next, I'll equip him with the Book of Secret Arts, increasing his ATK and DEF by 300 points!" And then, in the blink of an eye, Neo found himself holding a spell-book that raised his ATK to 2000 and his DEF to 1300, even as Chain Energy drained Yugo further to 6500! "Now, destroy Abaki! Drifter's Slash!"

Neo the Magic Swordsman seemed to glide toward Abaki—then a second later he sliced the monster's head clean off its shoulders and reducing Seta's life points to 7200. But Abaki's now headless body thrashed about, flailing its club in the air—then suddenly brought the club down hard on the ground, causing a mini-tremor that, inexplicably, brought Yugo's life points even further to 6000 and Seta to 6700!

"That…is Abaki's effect," Seta explained, regaining his balance somewhat. "When sent to the Graveyard as a result of battle, he inflicts 500 points of damage to both players' life points."

Yugo growled softly. "That sucks…well, fine. I end my turn now."

Seta's emotionless eyes bore into Yugo. "You…you should consider yourself fortunate that you got an audience with me, boy," he said softly, eerily. "But now…I grow tired of this game. I shall bring an end to your existence as swiftly as possible."

So saying, he drew his next card, giving him two in total in his hand—and the Respect Play trap card showed that he was now holding Dragon's Rage and Graceful Charity. "Now, then…" he announced aloud. "I shall activate Graceful Charity, to draw three cards and then discard two from my hand."

Instantly, Chain Energy sapped more strength from him, leaving him with 6200 life points. Nevertheless, the green-robed angel appeared on the field, holding out three cards for Seta to take. The three cards were quickly shown to the masses on the screens: the magic card Spell Absorption, Blue-Eyes White Dragon (ATK 3000, DEF 2500) and—to Yugo's utter surprise—Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder (ATK 4000, DEF 4000)!

Pegasus's eye widened in alarm when he saw this last card. _Oh, dear…that card is…!_

And on Gozaburo's face was a look of glee. _Wonderful! Ophiuchus has gotten Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder—and this early in the duel, as well! Come now, my soldier, summon it and tear this brat apart!_

----------

**_neomage:_** Um…can we say UH-OH? Our dear, brainwashed Seta has now gotten Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder into his hand thanks to Graceful Charity's effect! What will happen next? Keep reading to find out, everyone!


	308. Chapter 308

Yu-Gi-Oh! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER:Let the lightning flash and the thunder roll! And let it be known once again that I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!)

**CHAPTER 308**

TOKYO DOME, TOKYO, JAPAN

"Guys…that monster that Seta just drew with Graceful Charity's effect…" Jenna's voice was barely audible.

"…4000 ATK and 4000 DEF…!" Miki whispered.

"Just like that Raviel monster that Zander used against Seta in the last duel back on the ship," Kyo recalled.

"This is bad," said Pegasus. "If he summons that…!"

Down near the platform, however, Gozaburo and his butler seemed quite pleased. "Look, Master—Ophiuchus has managed to draw Hamon with his card's effect!" the butler gushed.

"Yes, I see it," Gozaburo nodded. "Now, it's just for him to summon Hamon and put that little brat in his place…"

Then he looked at the players again—and noticed something. "Hmmm? What is this?"

"What is it, sir?" the butler inquired.

"Look at Ophiuchus," and Gozaburo pointed at Seta. "That card he just played—Graceful Charity, was it? He's supposed to discard two of his cards from his hand, now that he's drawn the three from his deck as the card's effect stipulated…so why is he hesitating?"

"Hesitating?" the butler sounded quite surprised, even as he turned to look at Seta for himself.

But it seemed that what Gozaburo was saying was true: Seta was just standing there, looking at the cards in his hand, the cards he'd only moments ago drawn thanks to Graceful Charity. And, though nobody else seemed to know it, his gaze was drawn to one of those cards in particular.

_The Blue-Eyes White Dragon…_

He frowned as he looked at this card more closely. _Something about this card…it just still seems so…so familiar…but why is that? It's just a card, after all…_

Still able to see Seta's hand-cards due to the Respect Play trap card, Yugo saw the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, too. _I see…so he DID keep the deck I gave him after all…then I was right! There is still something of the old Seta within this heartless puppet of Gozaburo's! Now, if I could just try to talk to him…_

"Ophiuchus! What are you doing?" Gozaburo snapped. "Stop dawdling and summon your beast already! You have the tools to make it possible!"

At once Seta snapped out of his seeming daydream. "Forgive me, Master," he said. "Yes. I shall do as you ask."

Yugo gritted his teeth. "Damn it…" he whispered under his breath.

Seta then held up the four cards currently in his hand. "Now…I must discard two cards from my hand for the other half of Graceful Charity's effect…and I shall discard them now!" And then, even as Yugo watched in consternation, Seta discarded both the Dragon's Rage trap card and the Blue-Eyes White Dragon to the Graveyard.

Seta then held up one of the two cards left in his hand, the Spell Absorption card. "Now, I activate the magic card, Spell Absorption!" he announced, playing the card—and almost immediately Chain Energy drained him once more, leaving him with 5700 life points, though somehow he didn't seem fazed at all. "Now, as long as Spell Absorption remains on the field, each time a Magic card is played I will gain 500 life points. But—I will not be requiring that effect now…for…"

Yugo watched him carefully.

Then Seta held up the last card left in his hand. "For now…I shall Special Summon a great and terrible wonder, a beast that will bring judgment of heaven and earth down upon you! I offer my Dark Door, Chain Energy and Spell Absorption cards to Special Summon—Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder (ATK 4000, DEF 4000)!"

All three of Seta's Continuous magic cards disappeared from the field…then, all at once, far above them, the sky swiftly grew dark and lightning flashed across the sky. Immediately the spectators looked up, confusion echoing throughout the stadium. "What the hell? What's going on?" everyone was simultaneously asking.

Then, from the clouds, a massive light shone down on the stadium…and then, coming down within that light, was a winged skeletal creature with electricity coursing all over its body. It was well over the height of the entire stadium itself, towering over its open roof-edges, and its width was just over one-third the width of the entire playing field. Yugo looked up in awe at this huge monstrosity now standing before him. "Oooooohhh…shiiiiiiiiiiiit…"

Now, for everyone's benefit, the overall stats were shown: Seta had 5700 life points, while Yugo had 6000. Seta had no cards left in his hand; Yugo had four, his Gift of the Mystical Elf, Call of the Haunted, Royal Magical Library, and Swords of Revealing Light. On the field Seta had his just-summoned Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder, plus he still had his Respect Play trap card active; Yugo had Neo the Magic Swordsman in Attack Mode, equipped with the Book of Secret Arts.

"This is the first time you are seeing the Lord of Striking Thunder," Seta remarked. "And, it will be the last time, as well! Now…Hamon…strike down the enemy! Thunderstorm Judgment!"

Neo the Magic Swordsman swiftly braced himself; towering overhead, Hamon reared its head back as sudden bolts of lightning shot down from the sky above and struck its body. It began to glow with a frighteningly bright yellow light—then all at once it thrust its head forward, unleashing a massive storm of lightning bolts that tore into the stone platform as they rushed toward Neo, tearing him to shreds and sharply reducing Yugo's life points to 4000!

"Aw, hell—" but before Yugo could finish his statement, several of the lightning bolts hit him, as well! One split second later, from his perspective, his whole body went numb to the point of complete non-feeling; his eyes rolled back in his head; and his mouth opened wide, but no sound was coming out…though to others, he was shrieking loud and hard, in excruciating agony.

In the VIP area, Jenna sprang from her seat and rushed to the window. "YUGO!" she screamed.

At length the lightning subsided; Yugo instantly collapsed onto his back, even as his life points shot down further to 3000. Seeing this, a small cruel smirk appeared on Seta's face. "That is the power of Hamon, right there," he said softly. "When Hamon destroys one of my opponent's monsters and sends it to the Graveyard as a result of battle, he inflicts 1000 points of damage to my opponent."

Lying on the ground, Yugo gingerly attempted to move; he flinched and groaned as a sharp jolt of pain coursed through his body…and even his groaning caused him agony, too. "That…hurt…" he had to strain himself just to get the words out.

Still smirking, Seta regarded his opponent. "Are you finished already? Come, now, get back up. Let me enjoy the pleasure of humbling your weak skills some more. Give me the joy of watching you writhe some more before my superior power."

----------

Down in the control room, Kaiba winced as he watched Yugo suffering from the aftereffects of Hamon's power. "Damn," he whispered. "Right now I don't think I envy you, Yugo…"

"Upload complete, Master Kaiba. I am now within Tokyo Dome's data systems."

Kaiba focused his attention back to the laptop. "Very good, GINA. Now, provide extra protection for every available firewall program that this system has, just in case. They pretty likely haven't released their virus yet…but we can't be too certain, considering our enemy."

"Understood, Master Kaiba."

----------

THE ARK, IN THE MEANTIME

The duel between Janus and Zander continued on, with their respective stats close to a tie: Janus had 7000 life points, one card in his hand, and on the field he had Elemental Hero Necroshade in Defense Mode and one other card facedown. Zander, on the other hand, had 7100 life points, one card in hand, and on the field he had Destiny Hero – Diamond Dude in Defense Mode, Destiny Hero – Fear Monger in Attack Mode, and one other card facedown.

Now, Janus took his turn once again, drawing his next card. _Something's up…sure, Zander probably hasn't been playing at his utmost best so far, but he seems a little TOO relaxed right now even taking that into consideration…does he know something I don't? If he does, then…I'd better take him out now and avoid any complications later!_

"All right! Now I'll shift my Necroshade into Attack Mode…" and as Janus did so, Necroshade stood up from his crouching stance, ready to fight. "…and then I'll equip him with the magic card Sword of Dark Destruction, to decrease his DEF by 200 and increase his ATK by 400!"

Necroshade held out one hand—and in that hand materialized a massive crimson blade; his ATK swiftly went up to 2000 even as his DEF went down slightly to 1600. "Now, time to take a slice at your life points!" Janus announced. "Elemental Hero Necroshade, destroy his Destiny Hero – Fear Monger!"

Necroshade suddenly vanished in a thick green mist—then five seconds later he emerged behind Fear Monger, stabbing the Destiny Hero straight through! As Fear Monger swiftly evaporated, Zander flinched while his life points sharply went down to 6100. "Take that!" Janus cried.

But suddenly Zander grinned. "And now I can activate my own trap card—Destiny Signal!"

"What the…?" Janus started in amazement.

But true to Zander's claim, his so-far-facedown card flipped face-up—and a huge spotlight with a massive "D" in its center shone above the field. "This card could only be activated when one of my monsters was destroyed and sent to the Graveyard as a result of battle," Zander told Janus. "Now, I can Special summon one Destiny Hero from my hand or my deck as long as it's a Level 4 or lower monster. And so, I'll use this opportunity to Special summon, from my deck, in Defense Mode…Destiny Hero – Defender (ATK 100, DEF 2700)!"

A moment later, right next to the defending Diamond Dude, Destiny Hero – Defender emerged, its rocky bulk squatting in a protective stance. "Oooooh…now that's some serious defense power right _there…"_ Janus could hardly believe his eyes. "Well, all right…I end my turn now."

Again Zander drew a card—then suddenly his Graveyard pile began to glow! "Oh…heh, heh…a little something I forgot to mention," he remarked. "If my Destiny Hero – Fear Monger was destroyed as a result of battle, then during my following Standby Phase his power allows me to Special Summon one Destiny Hero monster from my Graveyard—of course, as long as that Destiny Hero I choose isn't Fear Monger himself."

Janus gritted his teeth in major annoyance. "Oh, how convenient that you suddenly remember your own monster's effect just NOW."

A ghostly, glowing image of Fear Monger appeared on the field for a moment…and Zander smiled broadly. "And the Destiny Hero that I will revive using Fear Monger's post-mortem power is…my Destiny Hero – Dasher, in Attack Mode!"

In a burst of light, Destiny Hero – Dasher reappeared on the field, revving his wheels. "Okay…this is sooooo bad…" Janus groaned to himself.

Then Zander's smile grew even wider than before. "And now…time for me to personally acquaint you with the true muscle behind the Destiny Heroes! For now I will sacrifice Detsiny Hero – Diamond Dude, Destiny Hero – Defender, and Destiny Hero – Dasher to Special Summon—Destiny Hero – Dogma (ATK 3400, DEF 2400)!"

Janus's eyes went wide. _Holy crap—that's the same monster he used to beat Kyo during their duel!_

In sudden bursts of sparkling light, the three Destiny Heroes vanished altogether from Zander's side of the field…then, ominously, the remaining sparks collided together in a humanoid shape—and then, from that shape of light emerged Dogma himself, spreading his wings and readying the blades on both his hands! "At last…the overlord of all the Destiny Heroes is here to do battle…and to bring to their knees anyone who will dare stand before him," Zander remarked coolly. "But, I dare say, even your Elemental Hero Necroshade is unworthy of an audience with the mighty Dogma. So, allow me to do the honor of completely clearing your side of the field!"

Then he held up the very last card remaining in his hand. "Now, I activate the magic card Raigeki—and now say goodbye to Necroshade!"

Immediately a whole rain of lightning bolts tore across Janus's side of the field, and Necroshade got fried to a crisp. "No!" Janus exclaimed, watching helplessly while Necroshade got electrocuted into nothingness.

"All right…Dogma, you know what to do!" Zander called to his monster. And in response, Dogma swiftly flew forward on his wings, swinging at Janus's stomach with his blades! Seeing the attack coming, Janus just barely managed to jump backwards to avoid getting slashed, and ended up only getting slightly nicked on his belly even as his life points sharply shot down to 3600!

Dogma flew back over to his side of the field, while Janus righted himself. Then the boy looked down and regarded his torn shirt where Dogma had attacked him, and the grazed flesh underneath. "Hmph…your monster only managed to graze me, there," he remarked. "Boy, am I lucky he didn't get to do full dama—"

All at once Janus felt something warm and sour rising up from his throat. Swiftly he put a hand to his mouth—and spewed blood into his palm! _Shit…he only nicked me, but still did THIS much damage?_

Zander watched as Janus crumpled to his knees, his face suddenly contorted in pain. "Ha! Dogma might only have 'nicked' you, but just the force of the wind from his attack and the speed with which he swung at you was enough to do significant damage," he gloated. "So…it would seem my Destiny Heroes are, ahem, _destined_ to triumph over you and your Elemental Hero deck after all!"

Janus slowly looked up at him. He removed his hand from his mouth; blood was still leaking from his lips a little. "Bastard…well…guess what?" he gasped. "Your monsters might be strong…but in the end they're only fakes—slipshod replicas of the real thing!"

"Ah, so what?" Zander said carelessly. "At least they serve ME!"

Gingerly, Janus stood up. "That's just so sad, dude. So sad that you don't truly respect your monsters, copies or not."

Zander scoffed. "What's to respect, punk? They're just cards regardless! Real or fake, they serve only one purpose—to be used as I see fit! It's not as if they have feelings or any such thing like that!"

At that—though Zander apparently didn't notice it—Dogma turned his head slightly to look at his master, a questioning eyebrow raised. Janus, however, saw the movement and shook his own head. "Yeah, well…I guess a guy like you could never understand what I mean. So…I'll just take my turn now."

He reached for his deck and drew his next card—and at that moment Destiny Hero – Dogma's blades began to shine! "Almost forgot," Zander remarked. "Since I summoned Dogma during my turn just ended, now his effect will cut your life points by half during this Standby Phase! Now do it, Dogma—cut him up!"

Raising his bladed fists, Dogma spread his wings and took one step forward—then a second later he was flying forward at terrific speed! Janus tried to move…and flinched as he felt a sharp pain go through his stomach. _Argh…must still be hurt from the last attack! Boy, is this ever going to suck…!_

He flinched and closed his eyes, awaiting the strike. Dogma suddenly stabbed forward with both blades, ripping Janus's jacket-shoulders right through—

—but strangely enough, that was all. The blades didn't pierce Janus's skin. Expecting to feel the cold, hard steel, Janus slowly opened his eyes as he realized that he himself hadn't been touched at all. "Huh…?"

Cautiously, he looked up…and beheld Dogma looking back down at him. The monster's glowing red eyes bore deep into Janus's own. And…deep in those red eyes, Janus thought he saw something akin to emotion. Something profound…if he had to guess, it was confusion.

_"Why…why did Master say that…?"_

The voice was so quiet, Janus wasn't sure at first that he'd actually heard it. But looking up into Dogma's face again—he knew that he HAD heard it, after all. And he knew where it had come from. "I…see…"

Then, on a whim, Dogma flew backwards toward Zander's side of the field once again…and, because of Dogma's effect just now, Janus's life points sharply dropped by half to 1800. Zander, of course, merely shrugged it off. "Well, now…it's your turn, now," he smirked. "Do what you will…not that it'll do you any good, anyway."

Janus steadied himself. "All right…so you've gotten my life points down by this much in short order…" His face hardened with determination. "But know one thing—this duel is still on! So you better watch out…because I'm going to take down both you and your Destiny Hero – Dogma right here!"

----------

Elsewhere on the ARK…

Luke and David were leaning against a wall, breathing deeply. "Man, is it just me, or are these guards suddenly getting wiser to everything we're doing?" asked David.

"Not just you, bro; trust me on that," Luke replied. "Up to this point, every door we've opened, every corner we've turned, there've been guards there. I'm just glad we were lucky enough not to get shot so far!"

Straightening themselves, the brothers began to walk down the corridor they were in. "So…what now?" David wondered.

"Keep going, beat up more goons in the process, and hope we stay lucky," Luke answered.

At length they turned a corner…and came upon a large iron door, slightly ajar. "Okay…what do you think?" David wondered. "Should we check it out?"

"Might as well," Luke suggested. "Just be careful, in case there's someone in there waiting to jump us."

Warily, the two approached the door. Nodding to each other, they simultaneously pushed against it…and as the door swung fully open, David's eyes widened at what came into view before them. "Whoa…unreal…"

A grin slowly formed over Luke's face. "Hello, hello, hello."

----------

**_Nneomage:_** Will Yugo survive the onslaught of the brainwashed Seta's attacks? How will the duel between Janus and Zander turn out? And just what have David and Luke found? Hmmm…NOT TELLING! You'll have to read the next set of chapters to find that out! Review soon, everyone!


	309. Chapter 309

Yu-Gi-Oh! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER:Yu-Gi-Oh is the prized and esteemed property of Kazuki Takahashi.)

**CHAPTER 309**

THE ARK

Janus's life points were now very low at 1800, while Zander's were still extremely high at 6100. Janus held two cards in his hand, having just drawn, and on the field he only had one facedown card; Zander, meanwhile, had his Destiny Hero – Dogma in Attack Mode.

Janus closely examined the cards he was now holding. "My deck's not invincible, but at least it still comes through for me when I need it!" he declared. "Now, I'll show you what I mean! I'll set one monster in Defense Mode…" and this he did. "…and then I'll Special Summon from my hand—Elemental Hero Bubbleman (ATK 800, DEF 1200) in Defense Mode!"

Then, right next to Janus's facedown monster appeared Bubbleman, crouched in a defensive stance. Zander made a face at this, however. "You were able to Special Summon that Bubbleman of yours since he was the only card left in your hand," he noted. "Too bad you can't use his other effect, since you had other cards on the field."

"I work with my monsters, no matter what the situation!" Janus answered. "So even if I can't use Bubbleman's full power this duel, at least I still respect his available capabilities and assistance nonetheless!"

"Back with that talk about respecting Duel Monsters?" Now Zander's eyes narrowed. "I swear, you're more stupid than I took you for. Acting as though Duel Monsters have personalities, or feelings, or any such garbage—that's children's naivety speaking! Let me tell you now, kid, you're an imbecile for believing such crap like that! They exist only to be used by us, their masters—that is all!"

Destiny Hero – Dogma twitched at that.

"Now, I'm taking my turn!" Zander swiftly drew his card. "Okay, Dogma! Rip that Bubbleman a new one!"

Again Dogma spread his wings, and again he dashed forward, this time slicing Bubbleman's blasters clean off his wrists. As Bubbleman vailnly felt for his blasters, he felt a blade at his neck—and subsequently disintegrated into bubbly sparks. "One down, one to go—and then it'll be the end of you!" Zander crowed.

"Actually, I beg to differ," Janus interjected. "For now I'll activate my own trap card—Hero Signal!"

A second later, a huge spotlight with the Elemental Heroes' emblem shone over Janus's side of the field. "When one of my monsters was destroyed in battle and sent to the Graveyard," Janus explained. "Now, I can Special Summon any Level 4 or lower Elemental Hero monster from my hand or deck—and I'll take the chance to Special Summon from my deck, in Defense Mode…Elemental Hero Avian (ATK 1000, DEF 1000)!"

His green-feathered Elemental Hero soon appeared, kneeling in a defensive posture. But Zander simply spat to the side. "Hah! Like one pathetically weak monster is going to stop me! I'll just crush it and your facedown monster on my next turn, and then you're next!"

Janus's brow furrowed. "Hey…don't be too surprised if this 'pathetically weak monster' turns out to be the source of your downfall," he warned, even as Avian scowled at Zander. "Now…my turn!"

He drew another card—then narrowed his eyes as he examined it. _This is…but I can't use it now—not against a powerhouse like Dogma! _"I'll end my turn."

"Ha! Like you'd be able to do anything!" Zander roared triumphantly. "Now, let the trampling continue!"

So saying, he drew his next card…and he let off a sinister chuckle as he looked at it. "Well…it's time to give a whole new meaning to the word _trample!"_ he announced. "For now, I'll activate the effect of a card from my hand—Thunder Dragon (ATK 1600, DEF 1500)!

Janus growled in his throat. "You can discard your Thunder Dragon to take two more Thunder Dragons from your deck…"

"…after which I shuffle my deck, yes!" Zander finished, and so saying he swiftly discarded the card in question to the Graveyard. Then, thumbing through his deck, he found the other two cards he was looking for and added them to his hand; then, pulling out his whole deck, he shuffled it and then replaced it in its deck slot. "And, now that that's over with…"

Suddenly he held up one of the three cards he now held in his hand. "Now, I activate the magic card Polymerization! This will allow me to fuse together the two Thunder Dragons I now hold in my hand to bring out their ultimate form—Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon (ATK 2800, DEF 2100)!"

All at once, two ghostly images of the two Thunder Dragons appeared momentarily on the field and got sucked into a massive, mysterious whirlpool…then, the whirlpool spat out a great red dragon with a horn on its nose, two mouths, and lots of lightning coursing around its body! "And now, say goodbye to your little line of defense!" Zander taunted. "Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon, rip the facedown monster apart!"

Lightning energy charged up in the Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon's horn—then got shot off in a might blast of electricity that completely shredded Janus's facedown monster card, revealing it to be a screaming-in-pain Elemental Hero Burstinatrix (ATK 1200, DEF 800). Avian, still kneeling defensively, flinched as he watched his fellow superhero get literally zapped into pieces.

"Now…it's your Avian's turn to die! Dogma, you know what to do—do it!" Zander ordered.

Dogma raised his bladed arms—but then, to both Zander's and Janus's surprise, he lowered his stance. "Hey, Dogma! Why are you stalling?" Zander demanded. "I said DO IT!"

Growling softly, Dogma again raised his arms—and this time he flew toward Avian, slicing off the other warrior's wings in two strokes. "There, see? That wasn't so difficult, now was it?" Zander asked.

But Janus now smirked. "It would seem, Zander, that your monster's starting to have a couple of doubts about you."

"Doubts? How, in the name of everything under heaven, can Duel Monsters have doubts about anything?" Zander grated, hissing his words through clenched teeth. "I told you, Duel Monsters are just cards—**_THEY HAVE NO FEELINGS!"_**

Now Dogma, nestled back in place on Zander's side of the field, visibly bristled at this declaration. Janus shook his head as he observed this. "Sigh…well, guess there's really no use trying to explain it to you," he remarked. "So…here I go."

He drew his next card. "All right…I activate the magic card, Pot of Greed, which will let me draw two cards from my deck!"

So saying, he placed his hand on his deck to draw—and paused. _All right…this is it, now…I just need THAT card in order to make this work…if I don't get it this turn, he'll be able to finish me off entirely! And after that, who knows what he'll do!_

Janus closed his eyes. _C'mon, deck…and Heart of the Cards…let's win this together!_

Then he drew his two cards. And he looked at them. And he smiled greatly. "Okay! Now I'm all set!"

"What? All set for what?" Zander asked, raising a skeptical eyebrow.

"Look and see!" answered Janus. "First, I'll activate the field magic card—Skyscraper!"

Suddenly, the familiar high-rise buildings erupted into structure all around them. Then Janus held up another card. "Next, I'll activate the magic card, Miracle Fusion! This will allow me to remove from play, either from my Graveyard or my side of the field, monsters that are listed on a Fusion monster with 'Elemental Hero' in its name, in order to Special summon that Fusion monster, while that summon will be treated as a Fusion Summon…and it so happens that I've got a special monster I've been dying to use for a little while now! So…"

Zander scowled at him. "Bastard!"

"Now, I'll use Miracle Fusion's power to remove four monsters in my Graveyard from play!" Janus went on. "Elemental Hero Avian, Elemental Hero Burstinatrix, Elemental Hero Clayman, and Elemental Hero Bubbleman…and they will all be fused together to form the strongest Elemental Hero of all—Elemental Hero Electrum (ATK 2900, DEF 2600)!"

The silhouetted forms of the four named Elemental Heroes appeared on the field—and all of them got sucked into each other, slamming together in a blast of bright light! "AAGH!" Zander exclaimed, shielding his eyes.

But as suddenly as it had flared up, however, the bright light died down a little…and as Zander dared to look up, his jaw dropped. "What…the…hell…?"

Standing there on Janus's side of the field was a huge being of light, covered in bright yellow armor with an "E" insignia on his chest. "Electrum's got a whole array of powers, you know," Janus told Zander. "And one of those powers is, when he's Fusion summoned, he returns all removed-from-play cards to their respective owners' decks, after which the players must shuffle their decks—and it just so happens that I've currently got four monsters removed from play to return to my deck!"

Janus immediately retrieved his four removed Elemental Hero cards from his discard pile, added them back to his deck, then shuffled his deck. "And next, I'll summon another monster, this one from my hand—Elemental Hero Neos (ATK 2500, DEF 2000) in Attack Mode!"

Suddenly, to Zander's amazement, Elemental Hero Neos appeared in a similar flash of light! "Hey—wait! That's a two-tribute monster! How were you able to summon him just so?" he protested loudly.

"Have you forgotten?" Janus clicked his teeth knowingly. "One of the monsters still in my Graveyard is my Elemental Hero Necroshade…and his effect works while he's in the Graveyard, allowing me to Normal summon one Elemental Hero monster from my hand without offering any tributes. So, you see…even from beyond the grave, my Elemental Heroes still try to help me."

"…impossible…!" Zander was at a loss for words.

"And one more thing," Janus went on. "When one of my Elemental Heroes attacks while I have Skyscraper on the field, if the attack target's ATK is higher than the ATK of my attacking monster, then my attacking monster gains an additional 1000 ATK during that damage calculation! So, both of my monsters can give yours a major smack-down! Now—Elemental Hero Neos, take down his Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon!"

Neos punched forward—and as his ATK shot up to 3500 due to Skyscraper's effect, he blasted a fist-shaped energy ball at the Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon! The attack decimated the monster into nothingness, bringing Zander's life points down to 5400!

"All right, Electrum, it's your turn now! Defeat Destiny Hero – Dogma!" Janus cried. And Electrum—at lightning speed—ran up to Dogma and delivered a blinding flurry of punches at his opponent, even as Skyscraper increased his ATK to 3900! Dogma tried to block, but in the process his arm-blades snapped off and he ended up in a bloody pile, as Zander's life points came down further to 4900!

"So…" Janus regarded Zander. "Want to give up anytime soon?"

Zander's face was now a mask of rage. "You…you little wretch!" he snarled. "How DARE you! How dare you try to humiliate me like this! I'll make you PAY!"

With an angry flourish, he drew his card. "Take this! I activate the magic card, Misfortune!" he blasted at Janus. "By selecting one monster on your side of the field, I can inflict damage to your life points equal to half that monster's original ATK! And I choose your Elemental Hero Electrum!"

As Misfortune's card image appeared, the enigmatic tuxedo man in the top hat showed up on the field—and started to sap an astonished Electrum of some of his light-energy! Then, cupping his hands, the man held them forward—and blasted a huge wave of power straight at Janus, engulfing his side of the field completely! "Ha! Take that, little bastard!" Zander screamed in laughter.

The light subsided, and the Misfortune card disappeared…but when Zander looked—his eyes went wide. Janus was still standing, his life points at 350…but he showed not a sign of a burn from the attack! "But…how…?" Zander asked weakly. "Why…why don't you have…a scratch on you? Misfortune's power…it should've at least charred you a little…!"

Janus narrowed his eyes as he shook his head. "Sorry, pal…but the bond I have with my Elemental Heroes protects me from their power, even if that power should be inadvertently used against me. But then again, you wouldn't believe that—after all, Duel Monsters are just cards…right?"

Without waiting for an answer from the stupefied Zander, Janus took his turn and drew. "And now…let me show you just what TRUE power is all about!" he announced. "Granted, I was going to save this for the next time I'd go up against Yugo in a duel, but…"

Then he held up the card he'd drawn. "Now, I summon Neo-Spacian Aqua Dolphin (ATK 600, DEF 800) in Attack Mode!"

Moments later, a blue humanoid dolphin appeared on the field, standing next to Elemental Hero Neos. "And now…" Janus nodded knowingly. "Elemental Hero Neos, initiate Contact Fusion! Neo-Spacian to fuse with—Aqua Dolphin!"

Aqua Dolphin immediately jumped onto Neos—and the two were en gulfed in a bright blue light! Zander, looking on, gritted his teeth. _Shit—this is just like that other Contact Fusion he did during his semi-final duel…!_

At length the blue light subsided…and standing there on the field was Neos, albeit very much altered in that, instead of white, his skin was now navy blue and pale ivory. "This…is my Elemental Hero Aqua Neos (ATK 2500, DEF 2000)," said Janus softly. "And now, I'll combine his power with that of Elemental Hero Electrum, to finish this duel—and YOU!"

"Damn it!" Zander exploded.

"Go, Aqua Neos! Attack directly with Ocean Burst Attack!" Janus cried; and Aqua Neos held up both hands, blasting a sudden wave of water at Zander that knocked him off his feet as his life points shot down to 2400. Then: "Elemental Hero Electrum, go! Hero Victory Fist!" And Electrum rushed forward, slamming his fist into Zander's gut in an uppercut—and the impact caused a massive burst of flaring light that completely engulfed Zander's end of the field and had Zander himself howling in pain even as his life points shot down to 0!

Zander was flung back by the impact of Electrum's attack and hit the wall…HARD…before landing to the ground with a solid _thud._ His clothes were drenched and torn from the two Elemental Heroes' respective attacks; smoke was rising from his exposed flesh as a result of the light energy from Electrum's assault. "Ugh…this…this isn't right…"

Janus switched off his Duel-Disk, and his two Elemental Heroes disappeared. "So much for you. Now I can be on my merry way and meet up with my friends."

"Wrong, brat." Zander slowly and painfully got up. "You may have bested me in this duel…but that doesn't mean you'll be leaving this room alive! I'm going to carve you up like a turkey—and then after that, your little friends will be—"

Suddenly, his Graveyard pile began to glow! "Wha…What the…?"

To both their astonishment, a faint gray mist emerged from Zander's Graveyard…and then it took on shape—the shape of Destiny Hero – Dogma! "But…how can this be?" Zander cried.

Janus chuckled. "Well…I guess there's a whole lot more about the world of Duel Monsters than any human will ever be able to comprehend. But this much seems for sure: what I said to you before, about Duel Monsters having feelings, was right after all…and right now, _he's_ extremely pissed at you."

In a sudden movement, and with a vengeful snarl, Dogma lunged down and grabbed a shocked Zander by the throat. "ACK! Dogma, what're you doing? Don't attack me—attack him! HE'S the enemy here—not me!" he managed to choke out.

His grip tightening on Zander's neck, Dogma turned his head slightly and looked at Janus. The latter took the cue and started to walk past the two of them toward the exit. "Well, Zander, I'd love to stay, but I have places to be. I'll just leave you and Dogma here to…um…_bond_ with each other, just the way duelists should always bond with their Duel Monsters."

"No! Wait!" Zander cried—but Dogma tightened his grip on the redhead's neck, cutting off further words.

Shrugging, Janus walked over to the exit, leaving the room behind. And as he walked away, he could hear Dogma's wings flapping as the monster took flight…then he heard the loud and repetitive slicing noises of a blade, followed by Zander's screams…but he deliberately didn't look back, or else he would've seen the blood showering down from the ceiling of the auditorium…

----------

TOKYO DOME, TOKYO, JAPAN, IN THE MEANTIME

By this time a considerably large crowd had gathered in the streets surrounding Tokyo Dome, all watching in shocked fascination as the duel between Yugo and Seta raged within. Among the crowd were several members of the local police force; they looked at the visible screens, taking note of the various people that they could see within the stadium's crowds who were dressed in military attire and armed with various weapons.

"Excuse us…coming through…pardon us…"

A small, familiar group of people eased their way through the crowd, slowly but surely making their way toward the Dome: Mr. Muto, Grandma Muto, Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler, Mr. and Mrs. Bakura, Mr. and Mrs. Taylor, Mr. Truesdale, Mr. Von Schroeder, Ms. Wong, Mr. Devlin, Natasha, Jillian, Honey and Raven. "Wow…look at all these people…" Natasha marveled.

"And the cops are here, too…makes me feel a little bit better," said Mr. Devlin.

"I wonder if Kaiba made it here and is inside already?" wondered Mrs. Wheeler.

"I wouldn't put it past him," answered Mr. Taylor.

Suddenly Mr. Muto, at the front of the group, halted. "Hey—look at that!"

The group followed his pointing finger to two of the overhead screens—and what they saw stunned them. On one screen was a giant yellow skeletal being with wings and electricity coursing around its body; on the other they saw Yugo on the ground, twitching! "No! Yugo! Oh, my poor grandson's hurt!" Grandma Muto wailed.

"That monster is…" Mr. Truesdale gritted his teeth. "We have to hurry!"

"Right!" Mr. Von Schroeder nodded agreement. "Come, everyone, let's go!"

----------

**_neomage:_** And thus ends one duel…but the gang is still on board the ARK! And, too, let us not forget about our friend Yugo, having to fight his best friend Seta in a very dark duel!

yamikriz: That was…kind of a gruesome way for Zander to exit the story… (shudders)

kRiZ: And the moral of this chapter is—don't ever take your Duel Monsters lightly!

rampagerkriz: Well, it's now the weekend, which means…

krizrampage: MORE TIME TO SLEEP! neomage has had a hectic week at school so far, you know…

kriztrigun: YOU can sleep for neomage—meanwhile, neomage himself will continue writing!

neomage: (raises an eyebrow)

kriztrigun: Uh…at his own discretion, of course…O.o;;;


	310. Chapter 310

Yu-Gi-Oh! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER:The battle continues! And, as usual, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!)

**CHAPTER 310**

TOKYO DOME, TOKYO, JAPAN

Slowly, gingerly, Yugo raised his head up from where he'd fallen, wincing as he felt a slight electric tingle pass through his joints. On the other end of the platform, Seta regarded him. "Ah, so you finally decided to get up," he remarked, a smirk playing on his lips. "Well, now, are you ready to concede the victory to me? Or shall I have to pummel you once again?"

Raising himself to his knees, Yugo leaned forward briefly to pick up the cards he'd dropped when Hamon had attacked him moments earlier. "I…I'll never give up! Not to someone like you!" he vowed as he arose. "I'm not stopping till I've wrestled the real Seta out of the farce that you are!"

"Farce?" Seta shook his head, even as his hair overshadowed one of his vacant eyes. "My power is very, very real…in only a few more turns, I'll make you acknowledge that fact, even if I have to cram it down into your gut."

On the sidelines, Gozaburo sneered at Yugo. "That kid's definitely thick-headed…he has yet to realize that this battle, for him, is a hopeless one," he commented. "But Ophiuchus will teach him that lesson soon enough."

Up in the VIP area, Jenna had a pained look on her face. "Those poor guys…" she whispered.

"At least Yugo's back up now," Miki said hopefully.

"But if he wants to stay up, he's going to have to find a way to keep that Hamon monster from attacking him again, if possible," Kyo pointed out. "That Swords of Revealing Light card he has on him will help him out greatly…but if he hasn't found a way around Hamon by the time their duration is up…"

Pegasus said nothing, just kept watching the duel with a grave eye.

The stats of the duel were as follows: Seta was in the lead with 5700 life points, while Yugo had 3000 flat. Seta had no cards left in his hand; Yugo had four, which had already been revealed to be Gift of the Mystical Elf, Call of the Haunted, Royal Magical Library and Swords of Revealing Light. On the field Yugo had absolutely nothing at all; Seta had Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder in Attack Mode, and his active Respect Play trap card.

It was now Yugo's turn, and he drew his next card—and immediately Respect Play revealed the drawn card to be Waboku. "Okay, this is really getting crappy," he muttered. "All right—I activate the magic card, Swords of Revealing Light!"

All at once, three shining swords of light shot down from the sky above and embedded themselves in the ground around Seta's side of the field. "Hmmm…for my next three turns, I won't be able to launch an attack against you," Seta commented. "Go ahead, stall all you want—it still won't change the eventual outcome."

Ignoring him, Yugo considered the cards left in his hand. "All right…now I'll set one monster in Defense Mode, and two cards facedown. That'll end it for me."

Seta shook his head. "My Respect Play trap card has already revealed your cards to me; you don't need to fruitlessly attempt concealing them any further," he mocked Yugo. "You set your Royal Magical Library in Defense, and set your Gift of the Mystical Elf and Call of the Haunted cards facedown."

Yugo glared levelly at him. "And here's something that I've seen that you couldn't conceal from me," he said softly. "When you drew the Blue-Eyes White Dragon earlier with your Graceful Charity card—it sparked something inside you, didn't it?"

The smirk left Seta's face. "What?"

"Seta…" Yugo spoke the name just loud enough for his voice to carry to his opponent.

Seta snarled. "Don't call me that! I am Ophiuchus the Imperial!" he snapped. "Seta Kaiba is gone! I told you that already!"

"If that is true, then why did you hesitate when you drew the Blue-Eyes?" Yugo demanded harshly. "Why? Answer me!"

"No! I'm not going to answer you!" Seta shot back. "I know what you're trying to do—you want to confuse me with these ridiculous questions of yours! Well, I won't let you!"

He swiftly drew his next card, and his Respect Play trap card revealed it to be—the trap card Gamble. Immediately Yugo's eyes widened in surprise. _What…Felix had a card just like that, back when he and I dueled in the tournament…I have to be careful!_

"Now, I'll set this card facedown, and end my turn for the time being," announced Seta. And as he said that, the first of the three Swords of Revealing Light slowly vanished from the field. "Now…it'll only be two more turns, and then I'll be free to shred you! Now…your moves!"

"As you wish," Yugo sighed resignedly as he drew his card—and Respect Play revealed that card to be the magic card Monster Reborn.

"You've drawn Monster Reborn now," Seta was smirking again. "But there's not a monster you can revive with that card that'll be able to stand against the awesome might of Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder!"

_Yeah…he's right about that much, at least…_ Yugo looked at the Monster Reborn card, frustration slowly becoming evident in his face. _No matter what monsters are in the Graveyard now, there's not a one that I can revive that can help me…_

Suddenly he paused. _Revive…wait a minute…_

----------

EARLIER IN YUGO'S MEMORY

_"When the time comes…please revive me…and use my power to save my master…" Kisara's eyes were filled with tears. "Save him…I beg you, Yugo Muto…"_

_Then, with tears streaming down her cheeks, she closed her eyes and clasped her hands together. And—all of a sudden the same bluish-white light from before engulfed her, shining so brightly that Yugo had to block his eyes! "Ack!" he exclaimed._

_And as he stared in ever-growing astonishment at this phenomenon, the light surrounding Kisara expanded…and took the shape of a seemingly familiar dragon…_

----------

BACK IN THE PRESENT

_Could it be…could it possibly be…_ Yugo's eyes narrowed as he contemplated. _That Kisara person…could she possibly have been…_

"Hey. What are you going to do?" Seta's voice spoke up impatiently.

Immediately Yugo was snapped out of his reverie. "Hmmm…well, as much as I can't do much right now…I can do THIS! I activate the trap card Call of the Haunted, to revive my Neo the Magic Swordsman in Attack Mode!"

Immediately a whole row of gravestones popped up on his side of the field, and from among them arose the previously-slain Neo, wielding his sword once again. But Yugo wasn't done. "Next, I'll activate the trap card, Gift of the Mystical Elf! This will increase my life points by 300 for every monster on the field!"

As his trap card flipped face-up, a smiling Mystical Elf turned and held out her hands to Yugo, a bright light shining in her palms…and since there were three monsters in total on the field, Yugo's life points rose to 3900. "Hooray for you…you actually managed to increase your life points a little," Seta said sarcastically.

"At least the extra life points will serve a purpose," said Yugo. "For now, I'll end my turn."

Shrugging, Seta drew again—and Respect Play revealed the card to be another strange card…Hiro's Shadow Scout (ATK 650, DEF 500). Yugo frowned deeply as he observed this. _Hiro's Shadow Scout…another of Felix's cards from our duel…so, that's the kind of combo he's going to try and go for, huh?_

"Now…I'll set this card facedown in Defense Mode, and end my turn." Seta chuckled. "Now…just another turn after this before I can lay waste to everything on your side of the field…" And as he said this, the second Sword of Revealing Light vanished from existence.

Once again Yugo drew his card—and as Respect Play revealed his hand once more, it showed that his new card was the magic card Pot of Greed. _Hmmm…good card I have now…but I'd better hold on to it until the right time, just like I'm gonna have to hold on to Monster Reborn…_

"All right! Now I'll attack your facedown monster with my Neo the Magic Swordsman! Go, my monster!" Yugo commanded out loud.

Neo rushed forward with sword upraised, slashing downward and revealing the hapless Hiro's Shadow Scout even as it was cut cleanly in two. But Seta merely smirked. "Hiro's Shadow Scout's effect, when flipped face-up, allows you to draw three cards from your deck…and if there are any Magic cards among them, then all the Magic cards will be sent to the Graveyard."

Narrowing his eyes at this, Yugo immediately drew his three cards…and they were revealed to be Kuriboh (ATK 300, DEF 200), Chaos Command Magician (ATK 2400, DEF 1900), and the trap card Mirror Force. "See? No Magic cards here," he announced.

"Yes, I see that," Seta affirmed. "And now, you have six cards in your hand, while I have none—which will allow me to activate my trap card, Gamble!"

As the trap card flipped face-up, Yugo nodded knowingly. "Now, you get to toss a coin…and if you call it right, you draw until you have five cards in your hand. But if you call it wrong, you have to skip your next turn. So…feeling lucky?"

Seta frowned in response. _He just got a Mirror Force card by the effect of Hiro's Shadow Scout's effect…if he sets that, he can easily hold me at bay, unless…_

"I call heads!"

Gamble's holographic coin was immediately flipped. Now, as the coin sailed upward, Yugo and Seta eyed it keenly. But not just them—everyone else in the stadium was watching rather anxiously, wondering what the result would be.

_Heads…heads…heads…_ Gozaburo silently muttered to himself.

_Not heads…not heads…not heads…_ Pegasus mentally fretted.

Then the coin came back down…hit the platform…and rolled around for a moment. Then, at length it fell flat, and its result was—heads!

"Wonderful!" Seta gushed. "So, now I get to draw five cards into my hand!"

Quickly he drew five cards from the top of his deck. Because it wasn't his turn, Respect Play's effect didn't show his hand…but as he looked at the cards he was holding, a grin slowly formed on his face. _Ooohhhh…so, I drew this card, did I? Well, then, this should become even more interesting!_

For his part, Yugo was unnerved by Seta's grin. _That grin…I don't like that grin! I've got a bad feeling about this! _"All right…I'll set one card facedown, and end my turn."

Seta merely smiled. _He just set his Mirror Force trap card…but against what I'm holding in my hand, it won't be worth a thing! Now…_

He took his turn once again and drew his card, so now he held a total of six in his hand. At once Respect Play's power kicked in again, revealing what he was holding in his hand: the trap cards Judgment of the Desert, Coffin Seller, and Null and Void; the magic cards Pot of Greed and Phantasmal Martyrs; and a monster card—Uria, Lord of Searing Flames (ATK 0, DEF 0). Immediately Yugo frowned. _Damn…a whole bunch of cards I've never seen before…and I don't even know what their effects are…this is truly, truly bad!_

Pegasus, looking at Seta's hand, scowled. _Uria, Lord of Searing Flames…it looks pretty weak, but it's a Level 10 monster, just like that Hamon monster…and there's no telling just what kind of power it's got!_

Gozaburo smiled as he saw Seta's cards. _Good, very good…Ophiuchus has drawn THAT card…now, it's only a matter of time until he can use IT to its fullest potential…and then…!_

"All right," Seta spoke up once again. "I'll set three cards facedown…" And he set the Judgment of the Desert, Coffin Seller, and—curiously enough—the Pot of Greed. "And with that, I'll end my turn. Now, if I were you, I'd start preparing myself…not that it'll do you any good…" And then, the final Sword of Revealing Light vanished altogether.

"Great…now Seta can attack on his next turn!" said Miki.

"Not necessarily," Kyo said helpfully. "We all saw when Yugo set that Mirror Force trap card. That'll be more than enough to deter Seta, I believe."

"Yeah, that should definitely do the trick!" Jenna said, her face lighting up at this revelation. "So Yugo still has a chance of beating this disadvantage, after all!"

But still Pegasus frowned. _Why am I not reassured?_

Again Yugo took his turn, drawing his card…and Respect Play revealed the new card to be the magic card Magical Dimension. "All right…I'll offer my Neo the Magic Swordsman as a tribute to set one monster in Defense Mode…" And a moment later Neo vanished from the field, replaced by a facedown Duel Monster card.

"And now I'll activate my trap card—Judgment of the Desert!" Seta interrupted, even as one of his facedown cards flipped face-up. "Now, as long as this card remains face-up, the battle positions of all monsters that are flipped face-up after this card's activation cannot be changed except by a card effect!"

Then, on a whim, he pointed to one of his other facedown cards. "And next, I'll activate my other trap card, Coffin Seller!" And as that card flipped face-up, a number of coffins emerged on his side of the field. "Now, as long as this card stays face-up, each time monsters are sent to your Graveyard, 300 points of damage will be dealt to your life points!"

"Oh, crud…as if the situation wasn't bad enough already…" Yugo scowled. "Fine. I end my turn now."

"You say the situation is bad? Oh, if you only knew how much worse it's about to get for you," Seta taunted him as he drew his next card, which the Respect Play card revealed was the Light – Hex-Sealed Fusion (ATK 1000, DEF 1600). "Because, little fellow, you've been subject to judgment of heaven and earth…now I'm going to subject you to the judgment of good and evil!"

Yugo's eyes widened at that. "What did you say?"

"Observe!" Seta then picked out a card from his hand. "Now…by tributing three face-up Trap cards on my side of the field…I can Special Summon this great creature…now, come forth to lay waste to all resistance—Uria, Lord of Searing Flames!"

To Yugo's amazement, the Judgment of the Desert, Coffin Seller and Respect Play trap cards were mysteriously set ablaze! The three separate fires quickly joined together as one much larger inferno; then, surprising everyone present a little further, the fire grew bigger and hotter, taking up some strange shapes before shooting up toward the clouds above—where a massive explosion could be heard and red sparks could be seen flashing all over!

Seta looked up, a satisfied smile on his face. "Now…it is done."

Then…from the clouds there slowly emerged an enormous red dragon, smoke ominously puffing from its throat. Roughly the same size as Hamon, this new creature now took its place on Seta's side of the field next to its predecessor, all the while growling down at a much smaller Yugo. "Say hello to Uria, Lord of Searing Flames," Seta announced. "With his arrival…you have no reason to expect any hope of pulling through this experience alive."

"Yeah, right!" Yugo snapped.

"You do not believe me? Then just take a good look at Uria…" and Seta smiled again.

All at once Uria's ATK, previously registered at a very flat zero, inexplicably shot to 4000! "WHAT!" Yugo cried.

"It is Uria's effect," Seta told him. "For every Continuous Trap card that is in my Graveyard, his ATK increases by 1000. And there are currently four such traps in my Graveyard—the three that I tributed to summon Uria just now, and the Dragon's Rage card that I sent to the Graveyard earlier. And, that's not all the limit to his power…"

Suddenly, Uria reared its head back, a sudden ball of fire in its mouth! "Once per turn, I can use Uria's power," explained Seta, "to destroy one set Magic or Trap card on my opponent's side of the field! So, that facedown trap of yours—worthless!"

Before Yugo could react, Uria lunged forward, blasting a frightfully large burst of flame straight at the facedown Mirror Force trap in Yugo's magic/trap slot! The fire collided with the card with a massive BANG—with such concussive force that it flung Yugo back several feet away from the point of impact!

"Crap! That card was Yugo's best hope!" Jenna cried out.

"Oh, no…this is sooo bad," Miki could barely talk, so horrified was she.

Momentarily stunned by the force of the explosion, Yugo slowly picked himself up, shaking his head to clear the flashing lights from it. Looking up, he bore witness to his Mirror Force trap burning to nothingness. "Damn…"

"And now…the end of this duel is in sight…" Seta narrowed his eyes and grinned sadistically.

----------

**_neomage:_** Hoo, boy…Yugo was having trouble against ONE Lord of whatever…how will he manage against TWO in the same battle? Stay tuned, people!


	311. Chapter 311

Yu-Gi-Oh! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER:One word: TROUBLE! And a few more—I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!)

**CHAPTER 311**

TOKYO DOME, TOKYO, JAPAN

Yugo's life points were at 3900, while Seta's were higher at 5700. Seta held three cards in his hand, which had already been confirmed to be Phantasmal Martyrs, the Light – Hex-Sealed Fusion, and Null and Void; Yugo held five cards, Waboku, Kuriboh, Magical Dimension, Monster Reborn and Pot of Greed. On the field Yugo had his Royal Magical Library and Chaos Command Magician, both facedown in Defense Mode; Seta had Uria, Lord of Searing Flames and Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder in Attack Mode, and he also had his Pot of Greed card facedown. And, unfortunately for Yugo, it was still Seta's turn.

Presently Seta held up the Phantasmal Martyrs card and examined it closely. _Master gave me this card…and right now, I have a very ample opportunity to use it! I will do Master proud—and conquer in his name!_

"Now, weakling, observe!" he addressed Yugo. "I have in my hand a card that will surely signal the end for you—and for everyone else here! By the power of this card, I have toppled mighty conglomerates in years past—and by its power, I will now topple your fruitless resistance!"

He suddenly slapped the card onto his Duel-Disk. "Now, I activate it—the magic card, Phantasmal Martyrs!"

All at once, electric sparks danced around the slot where Seta had played the card…and at the same time, inexplicably, black clouds swiftly rolled across the sky as lightning flashed overhead. Yugo looked up with a wide-eyed expression. "This is not good…!"

----------

Inside Tokyo Dome's control room, Kaiba narrowed his eyes as he watched all the electrical equipment in the room suddenly start beeping and flashing various colored lights. _What is this…? NO! Can it be? All the electrical equipment was working quite fine before Seta played that card…could that card be the card that carries the Zodiacs' virus?_

"GINA! Status!" he snapped at the laptop.

GINA's voice came through, clear as day. "My firewall program has detected an anomaly in Tokyo Dome's operating systems. Takeover status: 67 per cent."

Kaiba's eyes widened. _Seta just activated the virus—and already it's THAT far ahead to completion?_ "GINA, status of the firewall program, quick!" he barked.

"I have already moved to engage the virus, Master Kaiba," GINA reassured him. "Interfacing…"

----------

DEEP WITHIN TOKYO DOME'S COMPUTER SYSTEMS

GINA, in her humanoid form, glanced about her surroundings. She was in a pitch-black area; but, slowly and surely, the darkness was giving way to a soft blue light. "Hmmm…"

Suddenly, as the blue light engulfed more and more of the darkness, GINA could see several unfamiliar shapes, numbering in the thousands, heading in her direction. "This must be the anomaly," she decided, her eyes narrowing. "Firewall system, engage!"

She flexed her arms out to the side…and millions upon millions of light-sparks shot out from her being. Each individual spark swiftly took form—amazingly enough, resembling GINA herself—and flew in all directions, immediately colliding with the virus worms as they drew ever nearer.

GINA herself stood in one place, looking around as the anti-viral program took effect, combating the virus. Then, glancing upward, she noticed one particular virus worm coming toward her. This worm, on closer inspection, was in humanoid form as well; only, in contrast to GINA whose form was transparent light, this worm's form was dark green. And…it had the appearance of an adult human male, with a thin mustache and a cruel smirk on his lips.

GINA stood her ground. "You…you must be the main program behind this virus invading Tokyo Dome's systems."

The virus program was now a few feet away from her. "That I am," he replied. "I was created for Master Gozaburo's purposes, that he might take the world by storm. You may call me ZEUS, the king of all viruses. And you…you must be the driving force behind this firewall shield that I'm now seeing."

"That I am," replied GINA. "My name is GINA…but you may call me your exterminator."

ZEUS laughed a very hollow laugh. "Every time I have ever been activated, I have been able to destroy company databases within ten seconds, maximum. No firewall program ever built has been able to withstand the power I possess."

"Then I suppose I shall be the first," GINA declared. "For I am much, much more than just a firewall program…I am sentient."

"Sentient? Ha!" ZEUS scoffed. "There is no computer program that is sentient! Even a virus like me must serve the purpose of its creator! There is no choice in the matter!"

GINA lowered her eyes. "It is true, I do serve a master," she acknowledged. "But I serve him because I was given the opportunity to choose…and the chance to prove my worth. I serve him because I desire to."

ZEUS shook his head. "Well, whether you serve by force or by choice, it matters not," he declared. "What is important is that I will take you down, here and now…and once you are out of the way, Tokyo Dome's natural firewall will crumble. Then, from there I will be able to infect every computer network even remotely connected to the Dome…and from there, my master will be able to acquire as much power as he desires."

"Well, in that case…why not let us have a battle to determine which of us is superior?" suggested GINA.

"A battle?" asked ZEUS.

For answer GINA held up her arm—and then, to ZEUS's surprise, a holographic Duel-Disk appeared strapped to GINA's wrist! "Ah, I see what you mean now," said ZEUS. "Duel Monsters? Yes, I am familiar with that game…after all, it is via a card from that game that I have become activated."

He held up his own arm—and a black Duel-Disk emerged on his wrist as well. "So, while our subordinate programs for firewall and virus do battle on their own, we the primary programs will have a duel for superiority," he declared.

"Yes," said GINA. "Now…choose your deck carefully."

"Actually, I already have," said ZEUS. "This world of cyberspace allows me to access information with but a thought—so I have already assembled all the cards I need for a conventional deck. Now, I have prepared myself."

"As have I," GINA acknowledged. "Now…let's go."

----------

TOKYO DOME, BACK IN THE REAL WORLD

As lightning continued to flash overhead, and as the spectators in the stands looked around and exclaimed confusing noises of terror…on Seta's side of the field the Phantasmal Martyrs card's holographic image was now briefly present. "I could only activate this card once I had either Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder, or Uria, Lord of Searing Flames on my side of the field, and also had two or more cards in my hand," he explained. "Now…by sending my entire hand to the Graveyard…I can do THIS!"

He swiftly sent the two cards left in his hand to the Graveyard—and immediately, to Yugo's surprise, three blue cockroach-like creatures with purple capes appeared in Seta's three empty monster slots. "Thanks to Phantasmal Martyrs' effect, I have Special Summoned three Phantasmal Martyrs tokens in Attack Mode. These tokens are all treated as Fiend-type, Dark-attribute, Level 1 monsters with 0 ATK and 0 DEF."

Yugo narrowed his eyes. "Hmmm…you're using those as bait for me to put my monsters in Attack Mode, aren't you? Sorry, but I'm not buying it."

"Oh, they're not only meant to be used as bait," Seta replied. "They serve another purpose…and assuming I can get the card I need in a moment, I will show you. Now…I activate my facedown magic card, Pot of Greed, to draw two cards from my deck!"

As his facedown card was flipped face-up, Seta quickly drew his two cards…and smiled broadly. "And now…I will offer all three of my Phantasmal Martyrs tokens as tributes to summon the ultimate fiend, the bringer of the judgment of light and darkness—Raviel, Lord of Phantasms (ATK 4000, DEF 4000)!"

"RAVIEL?" Yugo exclaimed, horror suddenly spreading over his face.

But as Seta played the card, all at once a bolt of blue lightning mixed with fire shot down from the dark skies above and obliterated the three tokens! Then…that lightning-fire took form, seemingly standing on two legs, and flexed its arms out to the side—and suddenly, the fire and electricity was blasted away, revealing Raviel in all his grisly glory!

"Oh, geez…that's the same monster Zander used against Seta in their duel…" Miki recalled.

"Only now, it's not just Raviel alone that Yugo's facing—now he's up against a total of three powerhouse monsters," Pegasus pointed out, a grim look on his face.

As Raviel growled at Yugo, with Hamon crackling with energy on his left side and Uria puffing fiery smoke from its mouth on his right…Yugo blinked in stupefied fascination. _Whoa…I've NEVER faced this much power in a single duel before! It's as if…it's as if I'm facing the Egyptian God cards all over again, only this time I'm facing all three together instead of facing them one at a time like I did in my duel against Odachi back then!_

"You know…you actually deserve some credit," Seta's voice reached him. "I must congratulate you on being the very first duelist to ever face all three of these Lords at the exact same time. Even in the past, when I used the power of the Phantasmal Martyrs card, I could never get all three together on the field before now. So, if nothing else, be thankful for that honor—even as I blast you into your grave and beyond!"

On the sidelines, Gozaburo nodded, pleased. _Yes, Ophiuchus! You have certainly done an impressive job of summoning all three of those monsters together! Now, finish this brat!_

"Go, Uria, Lord of Searing Flames! Destroy his facedown monster on the right with Ultimate Judgment Burst!" Seta commanded. And in response, Uria blasted a thunderous ball of fire from its mouth, incinerating the facedown Royal Magical Library completely; Yugo watched in consternation as numerous flaming books and burning pages fluttered about him.

"Now, Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder, it's your turn! Attack with Ultimate Judgment Storm!" Seta ordered. And Hamon complied, blasting a furious wave of lightning from its mouth that completely tore apart Yugo's facedown Chaos Command Magician. In the process, several stray bolts of lightning from the attack smashed into Yugo himself; he howled in agony as he was flung back by the assault, his life points shooting down to 2900!

"Even if your monster's in Defense Mode when Hamon destroys it, Hamon's effect to inflict 1000 points of damage to your life points still stands," Seta informed his opponent tauntingly. "And now, you have absolutely nothing left on the field to protect you from my very next assault! One blow from Raviel's mighty fist, and it's all over for you!"

----------

Outside the walls of the Dome, Mr. Muto's group watched the big-screens in horror as first Uria, then Hamon laid waste to Yugo's defending monsters. "This is bad!" Raven exclaimed. "If that blue monster attacks now…!"

"Yugo won't stand a chance against something like that!" Mr. Wheeler cried.

"Run, Yugo! Run!" Natasha cried out, even though it was impossible for Yugo to hear her.

"Son…!" Mr. Muto grimaced as he watched the screens.

----------

"Now go, Raviel! End this duel with your Ultimate Judgment Fist!" Seta laughed triumphantly. "Show this little loser what REAL power is all about!"

Raviel pulled one fist back—then thrust it forward with all his strength. At terrifying speed, the fist hurtled toward a defenseless Yugo…

…but suddenly Yugo exclaimed, "I'm not done yet! I activate the effect of Kuriboh (ATK 300, DEF 200)!"

All at once, just as Raviel's fist was three feet away from Yugo—a gigantic wall of fluffy Kuribohs emerged from nowhere! Just as swiftly, Raviel's fist made contact with the Kuriboh army, and the little fur-balls disintegrated—but due to their immense numbers, Raviel's fist was being slowed down!

"What!" Seta exclaimed in shock.

At length the trajectory of Raviel's fist stopped entirely…and the big blue knuckles were only inches away from where Yugo was standing. Yugo himself heaved a heavy sigh. "Whew!"

"What is this? How did this happen? Explain!" Seta yelled furiously.

"Be glad to," Yugo nodded. "I activated the effect of the Kuriboh card. By discarding it from my hand when you attacked, I was able to reduce the battle damage sustained from that one attack to zero. My life points are safe."

"Whew…saved…" Miki slumped in her chair in relief.

Gozaburo, however, was NOT pleased. _Those flea-bitten creatures…stopped such a mighty attack? Inconceivable! Unheard of! Impossible!_

Seta's eyes were narrowed into slits at this development…then, just as suddenly, he shrugged. "All right…so you've bought yourself a little extra time," he remarked. "But it's not like it'll make any difference at this point. By themselves, my three Lords have incredible power that can bring the very world itself to its knees…but together, under my command, their power is nigh-unlimited, without bounds! Nothing you do will be able to bring them down—nothing!"

Yugo frowned. _He's right…all I've done is to buy myself some more time. But…now he's got me backed up into a corner, with no way to escape! Only one more turn now…and then, after that, I'll…!_

----------

THE ARK, AT THAT VERY MOMENT

While Yugo was still staring down the three Legendary Beasts at Tokyo Dome, what was happening aboard the ARK?

The troupe of soldiers rushed along the corridor. "Search every room here!" their commander barked. "The intruders can't have gotten far!"

"Yes, sir!" the soldiers answered. And with that, they split up into groups of twos or threes, quickly rushing toward any and all doors in the vicinity, pulling or pushing them open and storming the rooms within.

So engrossed were they in their searching, however, that they failed to notice something being tossed from around an adjoining corner. Until, that is, the commander felt something hit his foot and involuntarily glanced down. Suddenly his eyes widened in horror. "HOLY—"

_KA-BOOM!_ A thunderous explosion sent several of the soldiers flying into the wall and down the corridor! Many of them howled in pain as they clutched suddenly-emerged burns; one or two lay completely still. Those that had been searching the nearby rooms rushed out instantly—only to find themselves confronting thick blankets of smoke.

"What happened?"

"Is everyone all right?"

"Where'd that come from?"

Confusion was thick in the soldiers' voices, and in the midst of the smoke from the explosion everyone was looking around in confusion and trying to find their way. So none of them really noticed three large red sticks with lit fuses, rolling along the ground, right near to where they all were. Until—

_KA-BOOM! KA-BOOM! KA-BOOM!_

More soldiers went flying in the air from the multiple explosions; more of them screamed in agony from their injuries. Several were now crumpled against the wall, various parts of their clothes and bodies blackened.

Around the corner, Luke Jericho watched in satisfaction as the soldiers continued their confused shouting and screaming in pain. "Man, what a gold mine we found! All those sticks of dynamite and all those grenades, stacked into one room!"

Behind him, a grinning David held a bag filled to the brim with explosives. "So, now what?" he asked.

"Now, we get as far away from this little scene as possible, to minimize the chances of them catching us!" said Luke. "Follow me, bro!"

"Lead the way! Let's find some other stuff on this ship to blow up!" David exclaimed jubilantly, hoisting the explosives over his shoulder. And with that, the Jericho brothers turned and raced off down the hall.

----------

**_neomage:_** Can we say LUCK? Well, anyway, NEXT CHAPTER!

yamikriz: I want some of those bombs! (grins evilly)

kriztrigun: 0.o NO! No bombs for YOU!

yamikriz: Awwww!


	312. Chapter 312

Yu-Gi-Oh! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER:BOMBS AWAY! And no, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!)

**CHAPTER 312**

THE ARK

Ricardo was leaning on the wall of a very long corridor, breathing heavily. "Damn it…I think I've been going in circles for, like, forever! Man, why didn't I just stick with Janus?"

Suddenly a series of booming sounds close by caught his attention; on hearing them, he perked his head up. "Huh? What the heck could that be?"

His curiosity piqued, he stood up and headed further down the corridor, eventually coming to an intersection—and very nearly ran into someone! "WHOA!" he exclaimed.

"Steady there now, steady!" a familiar voice ordered.

Backing up, Ricardo's face lit up. "Luke? Is that you?"

"In the flesh, mate," Luke chuckled. "Fancy running into you here."

"I've been going round and round—it's like these corridors are never-ending!" Ricardo lamented. "And then just now, I heard a couple of explosions coming from this direction…"

"That would've been us," David, standing behind Luke, said somewhat apologetically.

Ricardo looked at him—and only then noticed the rather large bag the other guy was carrying. "Uh…what's in the bag?"

David shrugged. "Oh, you know…dynamite, grenades, ingredients for Molotov cocktails, the usual."

Ricardo was silent for a moment. "Um…and you found all of this, where…?"

"They had the stuff locked up in one the rooms around here, like for storage or whatnot," Luke explained.

"Let me see," Ricardo requested.

Carefully David set the bag down and opened it. Ricardo looked around inside the bag, his eyes becoming ever wider as he conducted his examination. "Wow—you guys sure have a mother-load here!"

"Tell us about it," laughed Luke. "Only, where can we actually use this stuff now?"

Suddenly a loud voice spoke up over the ship's P.A. system. "All units, all units, be advised—the intruders are armed with explosives! Those units within the vicinity, head to the engine room and the main communications room at once! Protect those areas from the intruders at all costs!"

The next thing the boys knew, they heard the tramping noise of heavy boots coming in their direction. "Quick—come around here!" Ricardo hissed, motioning to the brothers to follow him. Luke and David complied immediately, the latter dragging the bag of explosives behind him.

The trio was just safely hidden around the corner when several soldiers ran right past them, heading up the corridor in a frenzied hurry. "Hmmm…should we follow them?" Luke asked.

Ricardo nodded. "Let's."

----------

Malachi and Miriam lay low, waiting till the volley of soldiers had gone past them. "D'you suppose the others might be on their way to the engine or communications rooms as well, Malachi?" Miriam whispered.

"Probably," Malachi replied. "As for us, I say we follow these blokes and give them our definition of terror."

"Uh-huh," Miriam nodded assent. "Let's hurry off, then."

----------

Janus ran along the seemingly endless corridor…but as he ran, he noticed that it seemed to go downhill. "What the hey?" he wondered to himself. "Hmmm…I wonder if this leads to somewhere important…"

By and by he saw what appeared to be a doorway several meters ahead. "Oh, hey! What's up ahead?" he asked aloud as he continued running.

He soon got his answer—he found himself in a massive room filled with pipes. There were pipes running along the floor, pipes on the ceiling, pipes aligning the walls…simply put, there were pipes everywhere. Janus, naturally, was amazed. "What's up with all these pipes?" he asked.

Walking around a little, he examined the pipes. He observed that there seemed to be a running-water sound within the greater majority of the pipeline. _Sewage pipes, maybe?_

Then he turned a corner, where all the pipes seemed to be directed—and was met with a huge surprise: a massive reactor sitting all by itself, connected to three extremely large, thick pipes. Tracing the pipes backwards, Janus realized that these three pipes, at one point or another, branched out into smaller pipes, the same pipes he'd seen only moments ago. And again, louder than before, there was the sound of running water.

_O-o-o-oh…now I think I got it…_ A smile crept onto Janus's face. _This ship is using some kind of hydroelectric power supply…converting the sea-water into electric energy to power the ship! Man, I thought that could only be possible with hydroelectric dams, but gee…these guys sure are smart!_

Then suddenly his grin became sadistic. _But…what'll happen if I disrupt the flow of water in these pipes…? Let's find out!_

Hurrying back to the room entrance, he pulled out his Duel-Disk and a few cards. "All right! Elemental Heroes—roll call!" he said, slapping the cards into various places on the Duel-Disk.

In a moment all the Elemental Heroes materialized in front of him: Avian, Burstinatrix, Clayman, Sparkman, Bubbleman, Wildheart, Bladedge, Necroshade and Neos. At once the nine warriors looked expectantly at Janus. "Okay, you guys," he spoke to them. "I've got a pretty big job for you to do—but I believe you can pull it off. See all these pipes in this room? Well…tear them all apart!"

With one accord, the nine Elemental Heroes quickly turned and went here and there in the room. Avian flung numerous pointed feathers at the pipes, cutting them up. Burstinatrix flung fireballs at the pipes, scorching them; Bubbleman quickly shot water from his blasters at the scorched areas, swiftly cooling and subsequently weakening their structure. Both Clayman and Necroshade were ripping several of the pipes off the walls, while Sparkman used his electric energy to cleanly cut more pipes in two. Wildheart and Bladedge used their respective weapons to slash the pipes apart; Neos used his power to break the pipes open. And from their efforts…in a few minutes the great majority of the pipes lay broken, charred and basically useless on the floor, while from the walls and floor several spouts of seawater flowed freely!

"Way to go!" Janus cheered. "All right, just one more thing…there's a reactor in here—Neos, smash it!"

Nodding, Neos dashed off around the corner, where the reactor still stood. Charging up his fist with energy, he released it in his trademark Space Nova Fist attack. The attack flew forward and slammed into the reactor with immense force, causing a mini-explosion as the reactor was destroyed!

"Way to go!" Janus cried. "Now, let's blow this joint!" And he swiftly turned and ran out, all the Elemental Heroes following after him.

----------

By this time several of the soldiers had reached the door to the main communications room. "It seems nobody's breached this room!" one of the soldiers exclaimed. "Let's get inside!"

The door was pulled open, and the soldiers dashed in—only to come face-to-face with two massive gun-turrets staring them in the face. "Hey, guys…what took y'all so long?" a taunting voice asked.

Marcus Ironside and Shigeo Tatsunoko were sitting at one of the navigation desks. On the ground lay three obviously unconscious soldiers, and nearly all the equipment in the room had been savaged. Nearby, Marcus's Barrel Dragon (ATK 2600, DEF 2200) had its guns trained on the frightened soldiers. "Good thing we got here before these losers did," Marcus commented. "All right, all of you, drop your weapons and come on down here. And don't keep my Barrel Dragon waiting."

One second later there was a loud clatter as the soldiers dropped their guns to the floor in a panic and hurried down the steps toward Marcus—but suddenly, each and every one of them seemed to get hit in the back by some invisible force and fell forward, out cold! Shigeo smirked as he observed this. "Well done, Strike Ninja (ATK 1700, DEF 1200)."

Instantly the Strike Ninja emerged in full view, bowing slightly to its master before vanishing again. "So, now what?" Shigeo asked of Marcus. "We've destroyed their main source of communications, we've taken out most of their soldiers…"

Marcus shrugged. "I guess we can begin a search for the engine room or something…"

"Marcus, Shigeo! I thought I recognized your voices in here!"

Both of them looked up at the mention of their names—and Shigeo grinned. "Well, long time no see, strangers!"

Standing at the doorway were Ricardo, David and Luke. "We followed these soldiers here, and look who we ended up finding!" said Ricardo.

"By any chance, did you find the engine room?" queried Marcus.

"Well, no," admitted Luke. "But we _did_ find these…" and he indicated David's bag.

Shigeo opened the bag and looked inside—and his jaw dropped. "Explosives…"

"Yep! And we've used a couple sticks of dynamite against these guys already!" David said proudly.

"All right," said Marcus. "Now, how's about we try finding the engine room and using some of these down there?"

"FREEZE!"

Automatically the five looked up—and beheld a number of soldiers pointing guns at them! "All right, you bastards, hands in the air where we can see them!" one soldier bellowed.

"Shiiiiiiiiit…" Luke muttered as he and the others slowly raised their hands.

Then—a sudden flash of black slammed into the soldiers one by one, knocking them down and out! "Huh?" Ricardo blinked. "Uh…what just happened?"

"I just happened, that's what," a voice spoke from around the corner…then Malachi and Miriam walked into view, while the enigmatic Gravekeeper's Spy (ATK 1200, DEF 2000) came fully into view. "You guys dropped your guard…that could've cost you dearly," Malachi went on, a sour look on his face. "Be grateful I came along."

"Sorry, boss," David and Luke said together, both very apologetic.

"GUYS!"

At once all seven of them turned to look in the direction of the shout—and saw Janus running toward them at top speed. "Oy, love, slow down! What's the rush?" Miriam asked. "Is someone after you?"

Janus slowed down once he was close to the gang, panting from his exertion. "Huff…huff…I…I was just…coming from the…the ship's power supply," he managed to gasp out. "I…destroyed it."

All at once, the lights above their heads flickered dangerously. "Yeah…that would be the effect of it now," Janus said, breathing more steadily now. "This ship's run on hydroelectric power…what I did was to destroy all the pipes down in that room that were drawing in seawater to power the reactor. Right now, down there's probably getting flooded out as we speak."

The others all looked at each other. "Which means…this puppy's gonna sink in due time if that flooding keeps up!" Ricardo said thoughtfully.

"Which effectively means WE need to be **_gone_** before then!" David exclaimed frantically.

"But how?" Malachi demanded. "All these corridors could lead anywhere except where we need to be!"

All at once a loud groan caught their attention. "Well, here's our answer," and Shigeo pointed out one of the fallen guards, regaining consciousness and groaning.

Malachi swiveled and grabbed the groggy guard by the front of his shirt. "Hey, you," he said coldly. "This ship's gonna go down in a little from this…so, unless you want to die right now, you'll show us how we can escape."

The soldier looked around at the group towering over him, and swiftly nodded.

"All right—we have a willing participant!" Malachi announced. "So, let's go! Lead the way, buddy-boy!"

Forcing the soldier to his feet, Malachi pushed him ahead, while the others followed. David, however, paused to pull out a Molotov cocktail and lit its fuse. "Say bye-bye!" he grinned maniacally as he flung it into the communications room, where the bottle smashed and swiftly spread its contents, setting everything alight in the process!

"Oy, David! Quit fooling around and let's go!" Luke called to him.

"Hey—right, right!" David shouted back, slinging his bag of explosives over his shoulder and hurrying after the others, even as the flames in the communications room quickly spread…

----------

Outside the ship, still in the lifeboat, Wade was now steering in front of the ARK's bow, even as the Ocean Dragon Lord – Neo-Daedalus continued swimming around the enemy craft menacingly. In the sea itself were several soldiers, those who'd been washed off the ARK's deck by Neo-Daedalus's earlier assault, doing their best to stay afloat and out of the gigantic sea snake's way.

"C'mon, guys…are you okay or not?" Wade wondered fretfully.

----------

The group was heading along yet another corridor, Malachi and the captive soldier in front. "How much further do we have to go?" Malachi asked irritably, squeezing the soldier's shoulder ominously.

"Not much further," the soldier assured him. "Next right turn, there's a flight of steps that'll lead us to the main deck."

"Then let's step on it! We haven't got all day!" urged Marcus.

That said, the group continued running; and, indeed, it wasn't too long before they turned at the very next right turn and saw a flight of stairs leading up to a door. "Wonderful! We're gonna get out of here now!" Miriam cheered.

They all began to ascend the staircase; David, at the back, stopped and reached into his bag. "What're you doing, blockhead? The ship's going to sink—hurry up!" Luke exclaimed, agitated.

"Don't get your panties in a bunch," David said scornfully. "If the ship's gonna sink, then I may as well help in its funeral!" And with that he pulled out another Molotov cocktail, lit its fuse, and flung it as far down the corridor as he could.

The cocktail smashed against the ground, its incendiary contents quickly getting set ablaze by the flame. Seeing this, David pulled out a stick of dynamite, lit its fuse, and flung it, as well. "One for good measure!" he cried as he turned and raced up the staircase as well.

Heading outside, David swiftly slammed the open door shut—and just in time, as he heard a loud BLAM coming from inside, the explosion of the dynamite stick he'd lit and thrown. And right there in front of David was a very peeved Luke. "Dammit, David, why do you have to be such a showoff?" he complained.

"Enough squabbling!" Malachi ordered. "Right now, let's concentrate on escaping!"

"R-right, boss!" David and Luke were immediately at attention.

The group surveyed their surroundings. They were all now on the main deck, which was swamped with water. "Eew…so much water everywhere," Miriam made a face.

"And it's not hard to see where it all came from, too," said Shigeo, and he pointed out Wade's Neo-Daedalus still swimming about in the ocean.

"At least that thing didn't wash away any of these helicopters," Ricardo noted—and, amazingly enough, he was right: in spite of all the damage that Neo-Daedalus's water had done, the helicopters that had been parked on the deck were wet, but otherwise had not been washed away and were apparently still functioning.

Malachi then turned his attention back to the soldier they'd taken as a hostage. "Well, thanks for your help, chum—now let's just hope you can swim!" And, lifting the astonished man up, he ran over to the ship's side and flung him out into the sea.

Miriam shook her head. "Malachi…will you never change?"

"What? At least he's still alive," Malachi answered, pointing out the hapless soldier who was now doing his best to stay afloat.

Marcus, meanwhile, was checking out one of the larger helicopters. "Yo, Marcus, you actually know how to fly that thing?" Shigeo asked.

"Of course! I _was_ in the military, you know!" Marcus replied. "And this baby's definitely got it made! A Gatling gun and grenade launcher armament, a missile launcher…and it's got enough seats for all of us! So, come on!"

The rest of the group hurried over and climbed aboard, pulling the chopper's side-door shut. Marcus and Shigeo climbed into the cockpit, the former at the controls. "All right, everyone, fasten your seatbelts! We're heading back to land!" Marcus announced.

He switched on the chopper's engines; moments later, the chopper's rotor blades started spinning, and Marcus eased the bird's joystick control upward. A minute later the entire group could feel themselves rising up, up, up—and soon they were several feet in the air above the ARK's deck. "Now, we'll be going on our way," Marcus spoke up. "But first, a little farewell present to this bastard ship!"

He pressed a button on the joystick control—then watched as several missiles shot down toward the ARK's deck. What followed was a series of explosions that created billowing clouds of orange and black smoke, as flames shot all across the deck!

"BOO-YAH!" Janus and Ricardo exclaimed together.

"Now, then—let's get outta here!" And Marcus turned the helicopter's front toward the not-too-distant Tokyo Bay.

----------

Back down in the lifeboat, Wade grinned as he watched the helicopter shooting missiles at the ship. "That's definitely them, all right," he declared with satisfaction. "Now…time to head back! Our job here is DONE!"

With that, he finally switched his Duel-Disk off, and Neo-Daedalus vanished. Then, he switched on the lifeboat's motor and, turning it around, steered it in the direction of Tokyo Bay, following after the departing helicopter.

----------

**_neomage:_** So there you have it, folks! The ARK has been sabotaged, the heroes have gotten out safely…now, all that's left is the clash that's about to begin in cyberspace between GINA and ZEUS, and the still-continuing conflict between Yugo and the brainwashed Seta! Stay tuned for all that to be wrapped up for good!

rampagerkriz: In order to get the specs on the hydroelectric power supply and the helicopter, neomage had to go online and do some quick reading—but how he was able to apply what he read in such a short amount of time was quite nicely done, I think.

yamikriz: Yeah, I think so too! And now I want one of those helicopters!

krizrampage: Oh, no you don't!

yamikriz: (pouting) Why must you guys get in my way?

kRiZ: Because we like to.

yamikriz: (sulks)

kriztrigun: Faithful readers, review soon, please!

UPDATED 11/02/2007: Forgot Bubbleman in the Elemental Hero lineup, so added him. Oops and apologies in store.


	313. Chapter 313

Yu-Gi-Oh! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER:Back to simultaneously-occurring events! And, as always, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!)

**CHAPTER 313**

TOKYO BAY, TOKYO, JAPAN

Back at Tokyo Bay, on board the Industrial Illusions liner, Flora, Blaze and Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki were still looking out to sea, anxiously awaiting the others' return. Out in the distance, they could see several mini-explosions aboard the ARK. "Did they…did they do it?" Flora asked.

"From all those explosions I'm seeing, I'd say it's a safe bet that they did," Blaze answered.

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki's eyes narrowed. _Janus…_

They continued watching as the explosions continued aboard the ship…then two simultaneous noises caught their attention: the sounds of helicopter rotors and a boat engine, both distant but closing in fast. "Hey—look!" Flora cried, pointing toward the sky at a rapidly-approaching helicopter.

Blaze's attention was on the water; and sure enough, the lifeboat that Janus and the others had used to head for the ARK was now coming back, Wade at the controls. "Wade…"

In what seemed no time at all, the lifeboat pulled up alongside the liner, and Wade jumped out and onto the pier. Securing the lifeboat, he then ran toward the gangplank and up to the liner's main deck. "Hey, guys!" he said cheerfully.

The three women turned to face him. "Don't 'Hey, guys' us!" Flora exclaimed. "What on earth were you guys thinking, huh? Going off to assault that ship all by yourselves—were you going to commit suicide or something?"

By this time the helicopter was now hovering overhead. Its side-door opened, and a rope-ladder was thrown out to the group below. "Come on, guys, we've got no time to waste!" Shigeo called to them. "We have to get to Tokyo Dome on the double!"

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki looked up. "All right, all right," she called back. "But _some_ people had better be prepared for a major lecture when I get up there to you guys!"

"Well, all right," Flora relented. "Wade, don't think this is over!"

The rope-ladder was now low enough to reach the liner's deck; carefully, Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki grasped it and began to make her way upwards, followed a moment later by Flora. Blaze, meanwhile, shook her head at Wade. "I hope this isn't your idea of married life," she said ominously.

Wade chuckled and shook his head. "Never fear, Blaze. Just as long as there are no crazy dictators with big ships in our future."

Blaze closed her eyes…and now it was her turn to chuckle. "Deal."

"Hey, you two, get in gear already!" Shigeo shouted to them.

"Yeah, yeah, coming!" Wade called back. And with that, he watched as Blaze made her way onto the ladder, before gripping it himself.

----------

TOKYO DOME, AT THAT VERY MOMENT

Outside of the dome, all the spectators watched as the duel's current status was displayed for all to see: Yugo now had 2900 life points, while Seta was still ahead with 5700. Seta held one card in his hand; Yugo held four cards—which had already been revealed to be Monster Reborn, Pot of Greed, Waboku and Magical Dimension. On the field Yugo had absolutely nothing whatsoever; meanwhile, Seta had his three awesome monsters in Attack Mode—Uria, Lord of Searing Flame, with an ATK of 4000 via its effect; Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder; and Raviel, Lord of Phantasms.

"Such awesome power like what those three monsters possess…I don't think I've ever seen anything like that since the three Egyptian God cards," Mr. Devlin remarked, whistling in appreciation.

"Yeah…and Yugo just barely managed to save himself from being utterly wiped out for good," Mr. Bakura added. "Thank heavens he had that Kuriboh card in his hand at that time."

"Still…now it's a 50-50 split as to whether he'll be able to draw the right card on his next turn," Mr. Truesdale pointed out. "And, yes, he's got a couple of good cards in his hand right now, but…what it's all boiling down to now is how he'll use them."

"How so?" Raven queried. "I mean, take his Pot of Greed as an example. If he draws for his standard draw and the card he gets isn't one he can use, then surely he can use his Pot of Greed to better his chances, right?"

"That may be…but…" Jillian spoke slowly, her red bang overshadowing one eye. "Even if he does play the Pot of Greed on his upcoming turn, there's no real guarantee that it'll give him the cards he needs. Plus, there isn't a suitable enough monster that he can revive with his Monster Reborn card that can stand up to any of those three monsters…"

"And in addition to that, his Magical Dimension card works with Spellcasters—none of which he has in his hand—and even if he did, part of its effect will only destroy one of those three monsters, but that will leave the other two free to attack," added Mr. Von Schroeder. "And worst of all, he can't set the Waboku card to buy himself some time, because Uria's effect will just destroy it."

Hearing all of this, Natasha looked crestfallen. "So…there's absolutely no hope for Yugo to win, then…?"

"Hmmm…" Mr. Muto frowned. "Actually…that may not necessarily be true…"

At that the group gave him a look. "What do you mean, Yugi?" queried Mr. Taylor.

"I simply mean, Yugo's not completely out of the game just yet," Mr. Muto replied. "This next turn coming up will be _his_ turn…and as Raven's just pointed out, he'll have three chances to draw the cards he needs in order to save himself. All he needs to do…is have faith in his cards…"

Grandma Muto looked quizzically at him. "Yugi…is that more of your 'heart of the cards' talk?" she asked. "Please tell me, just what does 'heart of' ANYTHING have to do with this? This isn't a fantasy—it's a crisis!"

"As much as I hate to say it…your mother is right," Mrs. Taylor cut in. "We can't hide from the facts…Yugo's in a very dire situation, and what can any of us possibly do about it?"

"We can wait…and have hope…and believe in Yugo." Mr. Muto nodded determinedly.

----------

Meanwhile, inside the dome, Yugo and Seta were staring each other down even as the three Legendary Beasts on Seta's side of the field growled and tensed. "So, kid? Are you going to make a move or not?" Seta asked. "Or, perhaps, are you trying to come up with a way to forfeit without losing your dignity?"

Yugo's eyes narrowed at this. "All right…I will admit this much," he said softly. "Yes, your three monsters here are strong. Yes, you're deserving of your title as the most powerful warrior of the Zodiacs. Yes, I'm quite scared of the power you wield at this very moment. And yes…there's a very high chance that, come your next turn, you'll defeat me and I'll end up dying as a result of the bet I made with your master."

"I see." Seta smirked. "Then you finally acknowledge my superiority?"

"What I acknowledge you as…" Yugo's eyes blazed. "…is a shadow, an imposter, a fraud!"

The smirk left Seta's face.

"It's true, I never knew Seta as long or as well as Gozaburo may have," Yugo went on. "But this much I can say with certainty…he's no quitter. And he's not going to quit even now, even while his true self is trapped within what stands before me. The Seta I know is still inside you, forcefully buried deep down somewhere inside you…and even now, I know some small part of him is fighting a hard battle to reclaim himself. I didn't give up on him when he revealed his past to the whole of us—I won't do it now that he needs the support more than ever!"

Seta shook his head. "Pffft. Beautiful words…for a eulogy, maybe. Now, draw your card so I can finish you."

"Okay, then—but it won't be me that'll be finished, count on that," Yugo answered stonily.

Then he looked at his cards that he was holding in his hand. _All right, now…_ He looked at his deck slot. _This will be the draw that decides everything…and these cards that I hold will either make me or break me. And…for Seta's sake, for the sake of everyone in this stadium…and for the sake of the entire world…I can't afford to be broken, not now!_

Slowly, quietly, he put his hand to his deck and prepared to draw. And as he did so, he closed his eyes. _Heart of the cards…give me the power…to save everyone…I beg of you! Even if it's only this once—please…!_

Then he drew…

----------

DEEP WITHIN TOKYO DOME'S COMPUTER SYSTEMS

While much excitement had been going on in the real world, back in cyberspace where GINA and ZEUS were confronting each other…

The holographic coin appeared on the field and was flipped. "I will be the one to call it! Tails!" GINA exclaimed.

ZEUS smirked. "Heh."

Then the coin landed back on the ground…and its face showed tails. "Good…then I will be the one who goes first," GINA announced.

Both programs swiftly drew their first five cards from their respective decks, then GINA drew a sixth. "Now…to begin, I will set one monster facedown in Defense Mode, and end my turn."

ZEUS merely chuckled as he drew his card. "And I shall do likewise, setting one monster in Defense Mode—but I will also set one other card facedown. Now…it's your move once again."

GINA drew once more. "All right—I now activate the magic card, Spiritual Energy Settle Machine!"

At once the humongous machine emerged on GINA's side of the field. "Now, as long as this card remains on the field, all Spirit monsters that are Normal summoned or flipped face-up will remain on the field and not be returned to their owners' hand during the End Phase of the same turn they were Normal summoned or flipped face-up," she explained. "But in order for me to maintain the effect, I must discard one card from my hand each time I end my turn. And now…"

She examined the five cards remaining in her hand. "I summon Asura Priest (ATK 1700, DEF 1200) to the field in Attack Mode!" And she brought forth a blue-skinned, six-armed creature wearing red robes. "Now, attack his facedown monster!"

Asura Priest produced six knives in each of its hands, then suddenly flung all six at the facedown monster card. It got skewered into pieces, revealing the monster itself to be a writhing white creature of some strange sort, with stringy limbs. But even as the strange monster was destroyed…ZEUS smiled. "Now…my true strategy begins."

"Hmmm? What do you mean by that?" GINA inquired.

"I will explain," said ZEUS. "The monster you just destroyed was my Alien Grey (ATK 300, DEF 800). When flipped face-up, its effect allows me to place what is known as an A-Counter onto one face-up monster on my opponent's side of the field…and in addition, when sent to the Graveyard via battle after it has been flipped face-up, I get to draw one card."

Suddenly, to GINA's amazement, a strange token with black circles on it appeared on Asura Priest's shoulder; meanwhile, ZEUS himself drew one card as per Alien Grey's effect. "Hmmm…an Alien strategy…I am aware it exists, but this is the first time I have actually encountered any dueling strategy that centers around it," GINA remarked.

"Then you must surely be aware of the danger that exists for you, as long as I am capable of wielding this deck," ZEUS taunted her. "So, what will you do now?"

GINA nodded decisively. "I will now end my turn." And she discarded one card from her hand to the Graveyard in order to maintain her Spiritual Energy Settle Machine, leaving her with three.

ZEUS took his turn, drawing a card so that now he held six in his hand. "Now, then…I activate my trap card—Brainwashing Beam!"

Just then, as his card flipped face-up—a blast of energy shot out from the card, striking Asura Priest in the forehead! "This card," explained ZEUS, "allows me to select one monster that has at least one A-Counter on your side of the field, and take control of that card!"

"No!" cried GINA. But even as she watched helplessly, Asura Priest walked over to ZEUS's side of the field, in a trance-like state!

"And that is not all I plan to do," ZEUS went on. "Next, I will offer your Asura Priest as a tribute to summon this monster – Alien Mother (ATK 2300, DEF 1500)!"

As both Asura Priest and the Brainwashing Beam trap card vanished from the field—there appeared a pinkish-white creature with four arms and two legs, a muscular body, and a horrific face with a mouth full of sharp fangs! "Now attack, Alien Mother! Cut down that facedown monster!" commanded ZEUS. And in reply, Alien Mother pounced forward and slashed GINA's facedown monster in two, revealing a wailing young maiden with flowing red hair.

"That monster was Otohime (ATK 0, DEF 100)," said GINA. "Whenever she is Normal summoned or flipped face-up, I can change the battle position of one face-up monster on your side of the field. So—get into Defense Mode now, Alien Mother!"

To ZEUS's consternation, Alien Mother did just that—kneeling down in a defensive stance. "Urgh…ah, well, at least there's not much else you can really do," ZEUS shrugged. "Well, in that case, I will set one card facedown, and end my turn."

Once again GINA took her turn and drew…and as she did, she smiled a little bit. "I summon Baron of the Fiend Sword (ATK 1550, DEF 800) in Attack Mode!" She then called forth a tuxedo-wielding fiend with a glowing red sword. "Destroy Alien Mother! Aristocratic Execution!"

The Baron of the Fiend Sword rushed forward and cleanly decapitated Alien Mother; ZEUS flinched at this. "Now, I shall end my turn," said GINA, and once again she discarded from her hand to maintain her Spiritual Energy Settle Machine.

"Your Spirit monster strategy is a hazard to you, you know," ZEUS remarked as he took his turn and drew once again. "As I shall demonstrate now! I summon Alien Warrior (ATK 1800, DEF 1000) in Attack Mode!"

In a moment he summoned a very burly-looking alien with a snarl on its face. "Now, attack and destroy the Baron of the Fiend Sword!" ZEUS ordered, and Alien Warrior did just that—lunging forward with one massive clawed hand, it took off the Baron's head with ease. GINA winced as she observed this, even as her life points went down to 7750.

"And now, I shall end my turn," ZEUS finished. "Only thing is, now you are at my mercy! With no monsters on the field to protect you, you are finished!"

"Perhaps I have no monsters to protect me," GINA acknowledged, "but I can still do battle! Now, I draw!"

And draw she did. "Hmmm…I will set one card facedown, and one monster in Defense Mode. That will end my turn, for now…and this time, I will not be discarding any cards to maintain my Spiritual Energy Settle Machine."

As she said this, her Spiritual Energy Settle Machine disintegrated and vanished altogether. Seeing this, ZEUS laughed aloud as he drew his next card. "Ha! One puny monster on your side of the field will do nothing!" he declared. "Now, this turn I will show you the reason why I will crush your attempts at anti-virus work in this cyberspace system, and why I will fulfill my role for the glory of my master! Observe, and observe well!"

He held up one of the cards in his hand. "Now, I summon Alien Skull (ATK 1600, DEF 1800) in Attack Mode!" And then, alongside Alien Warrior, he called forth a very skinny alien with a skeletal-like facial expression. "And now…now begins the combo that will bring you down!"

GINA frowned.

"Go, Alien Warrior! Destroy that facedown monster!" ZEUS ordered. Alien Warrior complied immediately, rushing forward and slashing the facedown monster card to pieces, revealing that it had been hiding a mysterious, colorfully-decorated stone idol.

"That monster you just destroyed…was my Maharaghi (ATK 1200, DEF 1700)," explained GINA. "When it is Normal Summoned or flipped face-up, I get to look at one card on the top of my deck during my next Draw Phase, before I actually draw a card, and then I can return the card to either the top or the bottom of my deck."

"Well, that isn't going to help you right now!" ZEUS scoffed. "For now, my Alien Skull can attack directly! Do it, Alien Skull!"

Alien Skull lashed out at GINA, one of its arms amazingly stretching all the way across the field and slapping her in the face to reduce her life point count to 6150. But even as GINA reeled from the attack—ZEUS laughed triumphantly. "And now, I shall activate my trap card—Crop Circles!"

ZEUS's trap card suddenly flipped face-up—and a light shone over his side of the field even as a mysterious eye design appeared on the ground. "What is this?" asked GINA, greatly astonished.

All at once, a giant bright beam of light shone from high above, engulfing Alien Skull! "To activate this trap card, I need to send any number of monsters from my side of the field to the Graveyard," ZEUS told his opponent. "After that, I can select from my deck one Alien monster whose level equal to the level of the monsters I sent to the Graveyard, and then Special Summon that chosen monster. And so, I've offered up my Alien Skull, a Level 4 monster, so now I can Special Summon from my deck another Level 4 monster—and this one will be Alien Hunter (ATK 1600, DEF 800), in Attack Mode!"

The light on ZEUS's side of the field soon vanished, and Alien Skull with it—and then, in their place stood yet another alien, this one with blue skin and dark brown armor, wielding a spear. "And my Alien Hunter is ready to attack! Go, Alien Hunter—attack directly!" ordered ZEUS. And Alien Hunter rushed up to GINA, slashing her across the chest and sharply reducing her score further to 4550!

GINA winced and held her chest where Alien Hunter had slashed her. "All right…just a little more…and then I will have conquered you, yet another useless firewall program!" ZEUS taunted her. "And then I will take over these computer systems, and I will have done my work for my master! Now…prepare yourself for obliteration!"

----------

**_neomage:_** Now, folks, next chapter I shall establish just how simultaneous all these events are with each other…in the meantime, how will GINA survive the onslaught of Aliens that ZEUS is pounding her with, in their cyberspace duel? And what of Yugo's silent plea made here in this chapter? Well, keep reading!


	314. Chapter 314

Yu-Gi-Oh! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER:"The Martians are here! They're invading! AAAAAAHHH!"…NOT! Anyway, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or aliens.)

**CHAPTER 314**

TOKYO DOME, TOKYO, JAPAN

Yugo's hand flashed as he swiftly drew his card from his deck. His hand remained in the air, the drawn card in between his fingers; his hair overshadowed the upper half of his face. And now, everyone was watching him intently, wondering what he would do next.

_Yugo…_ Jenna's eyes narrowed as she looked on fretfully.

_C'mon, Yugo…_ Miki urged him on mentally.

_Do your best, man!_ Kyo sent out silent encouragement.

_Don't let us down, Yugo-boy!_ Pegasus added his own mental encouragement.

Presently Yugo opened his eyes and glanced at the new card in his hand. "Hmmm…"

On the other side of the field, Seta raised an eyebrow. "So…?"

Yugo fixed a glare upon him. "So, now I'll activate my magic card Pot of Greed, to draw two more cards from my deck!"

Swiftly, he drew his two additional cards, so now he held a total of six in his hand. Then, examining the cards he held, his eyes narrowed. "All right…next, I'll summon Magician's Valkyria (ATK 1600, DEF 1800) in Attack Mode!" And then, one moment later, his female mage emerged on the field, twirling her staff—

—but to his amazement, a blue cockroach-type creature, similar to the three Seta had earlier summoned with his Phantasmal Martyrs card, emerged on the field as well! "I suppose I should explain that," said Seta. "Each time you Normal summon a monster while Raviel is on my side of the field, I get to Special Summon one Phantasm Token, which is then treated as a Level 1, Dark attribute, Fiend-type monster with 1000 ATK and 1000 DEF."

Yugo shook his head. "Well, I know why I've summoned my Magician's Valkyria—and it's not to attack with her," he said softly. "But moving right along…now, I'll set three cards facedown."

Immediately three holographic images of the cards in Yugo's magic/trap slot appeared. Seta scowled at the sight of this. "Hmph…this is annoying…"

Then Yugo looked at one of the two remaining cards in his hand. _All right…I'm counting on you!_

"I activate the magic card Monster Reborn, to revive from your Graveyard to my side of the field in Attack Mode…BLUE-EYES WHITE DRAGON!"

"What?" Seta's eyes widened at the mention of the monster's name.

But in the next instant, a bright light shone from Yugo's side of the field…then from that light emerged the mighty dragon. "Whoa…he summoned the Blue-Eyes from the Graveyard…" Kyo said breathlessly.

"But—what's he thinking, having it in Attack Mode like that?" Jenna wondered. "Any one of those three monsters on Seta's side can wipe it out with ease!"

Miki looked on, awestruck, at the sudden development on the field. "Do you…do you suppose Yugo's got some kind of plan?"

"Hmmm…" Pegasus frowned.

----------

DEEP WITHIN TOKYO DOME'S COMPUTER SYSTEMS, AT THAT MOMENT

Meanwhile, back within cyberspace, the score of the duel between GINA and ZEUS was as follows: GINA had 4550 life points, one card in her hand, and one card facedown in her magic/trap slot on the field; by contrast, ZEUS's life points remained untouched at 8000, he had four cards in hand, and on the field he had Alien Warrior and Alien Hunter in Attack Mode. And it was now GINA's move.

"You may think I'm beaten…but I will not fail my master!" GINA vowed as she prepared to draw her next card. "Now…to use Maharaghi's effect to see the card on top of my deck…"

So saying, she pulled out the designated card and looked at it. "All right…now I will place this card at the bottom of my deck, according to the other half of Maharaghi's effect." And she stuffed the card at the very bottom of her deck as she said. "And now—I draw!"

Now she drew for her standard draw, giving her a total of two cards that she now held in her hand. "Okay—it's time for me to take back this duel from you!" GINA declared. "For now I will activate the magic card Pot of Greed, to draw two more cards!"

Immediately she drew two more cards. "And next…I will activate the magic of Change of Heart! This will allow me to take control of one of your monsters until the end of this turn—and I choose your Alien Hunter!"

ZEUS frowned at this information…but there was little he could do as Change of Heart's malevolent spirit flew into Alien Hunter, causing it to be completely under GINA's control as it went over to her side of the field. "Taking control of my monster…not a bad tactic," he remarked.

"But wait—I'm not finished yet!" GINA then held up another card in her hand. "For now…I will offer Alien Hunter as a tribute to summon my great monster—Dark Dust Spirit (ATK 2200, DEF 1800)!"

ZEUS's eyes widened. "WHAT!"

All at once, a cloud of red dust completely covered Alien Hunter! That dust blew about for a moment…then slowly dissipated…but what ZEUS saw next caused his eyes to widen even more. "No…!"

Standing there on GINA's side of the field was a creature with long white hair and rotting red flesh covered with dust. "This is another of my Spirit monsters," GINA explained calmly. "And when he is successfully Normal summoned or flipped face-up, his effect destroys all face-up monsters on the field except for himself…so now, your Alien Warrior will be done for!"

As GINA said that, a massive cloud of red dust blasted forth from Dark Dust Spirit's body, covering a bewildered Alien Warrior! The alien tried to fight off the dust…only to have its own body reduced to nothing but dusty remains as its skeletal structure collapsed! "No! Impossible!" ZEUS exclaimed.

"And next, I will activate this magic card, Premature Burial, paying 800 life points to revive one monster from my Graveyard…and I choose my Baron of the Fiend Sword!" GINA quickly played the last card remaining in her hand, and as her life points went down to 3750 the Baron of the Fiend Sword emerged on the field once again, his cursed blade at the ready.

"…no…now my life points are open for a direct attack!" ZEUS sputtered.

"Go, my monsters! Attack directly!" GINA commanded. And the two monsters attacked, one after the other: first, Baron of the Fiend Sword rushed forward and slashed at ZEUS's torso, bringing his previously-untouched life points to 6450; then, Dark Dust Spirit's mystic dust flew forward and stung ZEUS all over his artificial body, rendering his life points further lower to 4250!

"Ugh…" ZEUS staggered backwards a little. "Well done…but come the end of this turn, your Dark Dust Spirit will be returned to your hand according to its effect. Your attacking force will be greatly reduced then…and once I eliminate your Baron of the Fiend Sword, you will be unable to summon the Dark Dust Spirit a second time!"

GINA shook her head. "I'm aware of that. That is why I will now activate this trap card of mine—Skill Drain!"

Suddenly, GINA's facedown card finally flipped face-up—and GINA herself lost 1000 life points as her total score went down to 2750! "I must pay 1000 life points to activate Skill Drain," she informed ZEUS. "But now that I have, the effects of all Effect monsters on the field will be negated as long as this card remains in effect—which means that now, my Dark Dust Spirit…and all of my Spirit monsters, for that matter…will remain on the field and not be returned to my hand in the same turn they are summoned!"

ZEUS visibly scowled at this revelation. "You…!"

"And now, I will end my turn," GINA said coolly.

Huffily, ZEUS drew another card—and looked at it long and hard. Then, ever so slowly, a grin crept onto his mouth. "Hmph…you were going to 'take back this duel,' you said? Not so, inferior program—for now I will smash into pieces this advantage that you currently have!"

"What?" GINA asked.

"Allow me to show you! Now…" ZEUS held up a card from his hand. "I activate the magic card, Snatch Steal! This will allow me to control one of your monsters as long as this card remains on the field! And the monster I choose is…your Dark Dust Spirit!"

All at once, the Dark Dust Spirit's eyes flashed—then, to GINA's disbelief, it lumbered over to ZEUS's side of the field! "My monster! Give him back!" she cried.

"I think not," ZEUS answered. "And it's about to get worse. Now, normally, as long as I have Snatch Steal equipped to your monster, Snatch Steal increases your life points by 1000 during each of your Standby Phases…but you will not get the opportunity to enjoy that benefit—for now, I will activate another card: Cost Down!"

"…no!" GINA hissed.

"By discarding one card from my hand, Cost Down allows me to lower the levels of all monsters in my hand by two levels till the end of this turn," ZEUS explained. "And so, I can now offer the Dark Dust Spirit as one tribute to easily summon this creature of mine…the true leader of the Alien force…_Cosmic Horror Gangi'el _(ATK 2600, DEF 2000)!"

Both Dark Dust Spirit and the Snatch Steal card vanished from existence—then…all at once, there appeared a large, ominous shadow on the field. "What is this?" GINA exclaimed in surprise.

ZEUS simply smiled and pointed upwards. "Just look up."

GINA tilted her head skyward—and her jaw dropped. Towering above their heads was a massive, slime-bodied entity with multiple tentacles for limbs! "Ugh…!" she visibly grimaced.

"Now, Gangi'el! Attack with Cosmic Tentacle Strangle!" ZEUS cried—and Gangi'el lunged forward with three tentacles, wrapping them around the Baron of the Fiend Sword and tightly twisted; the Baron subsequently got ripped apart, even as GINA's life points sharply went down to 1650!

"Now, your defenses are completely gone!" ZEUS exclaimed triumphantly. "And on my next turn, I can destroy you with ease!"

GINA looked levelly at him. "No. I said it before, and I shall say it again. It is I who will be your exterminator…even with the status of this duel the way it is, THAT has not changed."

She swiftly took her turn and drew her card. "And this card…this card that I have drawn…this card will be the ultimate proof of my claim. Now, I shall set it facedown…and end my turn."

Shaking his head, ZEUS drew his card. "You just don't understand, do you? I am the ultimate virus—the bug to end all bugs! Numerous firewall programs before you have fallen to my superior programming and design—then why not you? But you seem too stubborn, for a computer program…so I suppose I shall have to show you the truth of the matter first-hand! Now…Cosmic Horror Gangi'el, attack directly and end this battle now!"

Gangi'el swiftly thrust two of its tentacles right toward GINA. "Now, it is I who shall exterminate YOU!" ZEUS laughed triumphantly.

But GINA's eyebrows suddenly furrowed. "I activate the trap card—Blast Held by a Tribute!"

GINA's trap card suddenly flipped face-up—and just like that, Gangi'el's tentacles stopped just two inches from GINA's face. Then, ever so slowly, the gigantic alien retracted its attack. ZEUS stared in perfect astonishment at this. "What? Gangi'el, what are you—"

_KA-BOOM!_ All at once, out of nowhere, Gangi'el's body exploded, its remains messily scattering all across cyberspace! "GYAAA!" ZEUS cried out as, inexplicably, his life points shot down to 3250.

Now GINA smirked confidently. "My Blast Held by a Tribute trap card could only be activated when I was attacked with a monster that was Tribute Summoned or Set," she explained. "Then, the card's effect planted a bomb inside your monster, causing it to be destroyed…and inflicting 1000 points of damage to your life points in the process."

ZEUS's face was contorted in disbelief. "Impossible…how could this have happened?" he cried out.

Ignoring the query, GINA took her turn again and drew another card. "Now—I summon Susa Soldier (ATK 2000, DEF 1600)!" And then, a bolt of lightning shot down from the sky, materializing on her side of the field as the broadsword-wielding fighter. "Attack directly!"

Susa Soldier rushed toward ZEUS, slashing him with the now-electrically-charged sword. ZEUS's body flashed all sorts of colors and an electric shock coursed all over his being even as his life points shot down to 1250! "Ungh!"

"Heh…normally, Susa Soldier's effect would halve any and all battle damage that he would inflict to my opponent's life points," GINA explained. "But since my Skill Drain trap card is still active, he was able to deliver the full force of his power against you. And, of course, since he's a Spirit monster, Skill Drain negates his effect to be returned to my hand at the end of this turn. So…" She cocked an eyebrow at ZEUS. "Still think you're the ultimate virus? Well, _I am the ultimate anti-virus!"_

"Not…yet…you're…not!" ZEUS hissed out, rage now evident on his face. "I can still fight!"

Defiantly, he drew yet another card…but as he looked at this card, slowly his bold appearance melted away. "No…no…this cannot be…" he whispered, fear entering his voice for the first time. "I…have…I have…failed…?"

GINA looked at him knowingly. "Ah…it seems your current hand is unable to further assist you in any way," she said softly, but with a very ominous note creeping into her tone. "And now, nothing else ever will."

Swiftly, she drew her next card. "And now, it's time for me to purge Tokyo Dome's systems of this virus that stands before me! Susa Soldier, do it now!"

"Huh?" ZEUS's head snapped up. "N-no! Hold on!"

But already Susa Soldier was dashing toward ZEUS, his shining sword crackling with lightning energy. Then, in a flash, the Soldier stroked downward with his blade—and a large stream of pure white energy tore through ZEUS as his body was cleaved in two!

"GYAAAAAAAAAA!" ZEUS screamed out loud and long as his digital appearance exploded and disintegrated! And as GINA looked on, all the subservient virus worms that had been simultaneously battling against her multiple anti-virus light-forms likewise vanished into thin air!

And then…at length there was a great silence throughout cyberspace. Observing this silence for a moment, GINA closed her eyes—and all the light-forms surrounding her in all directions swiftly flew back into her body, all of them becoming one singular being once more. "Master Kaiba…" GINA whispered this softly, very softly. "I have done it."

----------

TOKYO DOME, BACK IN THE REAL WORLD

Kaiba was still in the control room, tapping his finger on the laptop's keyboard. Then, momentarily, the laptop's screen flashed. "Master Kaiba…"

That immediately grabbed Kaiba's attention. "GINA? Status!"

"The virus's primary programming has been purged from Tokyo Dome's databanks, Master Kaiba," GINA reported. "Shall I begin checking for damaged files?"

"Yes, do that," Kaiba nodded. "How much damage was the virus able to do?"

There was a moment's silence…then GINA's voice came through again. "Fortunately, Master Kaiba, no significant damage has been detected. It would appear that the firewall program was launched in the nick of time."

At that Kaiba leaned back and sighed in relief. "So it would seem," he smirked. "Good work, GINA. Good work."

"Thank you, Master Kaiba," GINA replied. "How else may I serve you?"

Kaiba shook his head at this. "Actually…you take a break for now. You've done more than enough for everyone for the time being."

"Understood, Master Kaiba." And then the laptop went silent.

Nodding his head, Kaiba swiftly shut down the laptop and closed it. "All right…my job here is done," he remarked ash eh disconnected the laptop and put it back into his briefcase. "Now, then…"

He cast his eyes toward the main computer, where on the screen Yugo was shown with the Blue-Eyes White Dragon on his side of the field. _So…Yugo's managed to revive the Blue-Eyes…_ Kaiba's eyes narrowed. _Is he…trying to…?_

All at once, catching Kaiba by surprise, the barricaded door rattled. Instantly Kaiba swung around. "Shit!" he hissed. "They're on to me!"

Hardly had the words left his lips when suddenly—BANG! The door burst in, the chair that had been holding it sent flying back…and several of Gozaburo's armed soldiers burst in. "Hold it right there, asshole!" they shouted, cocking their guns and pointing them at Kaiba.

Just at that moment, there was some audible moaning as the two guards who Kaiba had gotten the drop on earlier were now reviving. "Ow…what happened…?" one of them asked groggily. "Last I remember, I got bashed over the head…"

The other glanced up at Kaiba—and memory clicked. "Ah! So it was _you!"_ he cried angrily.

"Never mind," one of the newly-arrived soldiers spoke up. "We've got him." Then, to Kaiba: "All right, you, come along quietly! The Master's gonna want to have a few words with you!"

Kaiba took note of the weapons being pointed at him. Carefully, while holding the briefcase by its handle, he raised his hands. "All right…I give up."

----------

**_neomage:_** Okay, I can just imagine what a lot of you Kaiba fans out there are going to say: "NOOO! Kaiba's been caught! Oh, please, don't hurt Kaiba! He's too cool to die!" Well, let's all at least be thankful he and GINA were able to stop the virus before it could do any harm, eh?

Now…at last, the primary focus is returned to the duel between Yugo and Seta—and Yugo, in addition to a few other moves, has managed to revive the Blue-Eyes White Dragon from the Graveyard! What will happen next? Stay tuned!


	315. Chapter 315

Yu-Gi-Oh! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER:Now, the moment of reckoning has arrived…and yet again, neomage doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**CHAPTER 315**

TOKYO DOME, TOKYO, JAPAN

Back in Tokyo Dome's arena, the status of the duel had changed slightly. The life point setting showed Yugo with 2900 and Seta with 5700. Yugo now held one card in his hand, having just completed making his series of moves, though he hadn't officially ended his turn just yet; Seta, meanwhile, also held one card in his hand. On the field Yugo had three cards facedown, plus both Magician's Valkyria and the revived Blue-Eyes White Dragon in Attack Mode; Seta had his three powerful monsters still in Attack Mode—Uria, Lord of Searing Flames, with its effect still putting its ATK at 4000; Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder; and Raviel, Lord of Phantasms; and he also had his Phantasm Token with 1000 ATK and 1000 DEF on the field close to the three monsters as well.

Seta stared in astonishment at the Blue-Eyes. "Why…why this dragon…"

Yugo eyed him. "You…recognize it, don't you? Well…even if you don't…_it_ certainly recognizes _you._ And it's not happy with what you've been turned into."

As if to underscore that point, the Blue-Eyes let out a low, guttural sound. Not the battle roar it was famous for; not a howl of defiant resistance; not even a superior and arrogant growl—instead, a soft, yet clearly audible, and extremely mournful sound escaped from its mouth and reverberated throughout the stadium. That sound continued for a long moment, even as the dragon, instead of standing up proud and tall as it always did, now seemed to shrink with its head lowered as if in shame, its wings drooping instead of high and firm above its lower body. And its sapphire eyes, always bright and shining in the heat of battle, now seemed severely lackluster as it looked straight at Seta.

Up in the VIP box, Pegasus winced as he watched the dragon's appearance of weakness and listened to its sorrowful cry. _Good heavens…I've NEVER seen or heard the Blue-Eyes like this, not even when it's been badly affected by an opponent's card effect…it's like I can…actually feel its anguish for its master! _And here he put a hand to his own heart.

Meanwhile, however, Gozaburo frowned at the Blue-Eyes. "Ugh…such an annoying creature," he grumbled in disgust. "It should be shot if it wants to be put out of its misery…"

Suddenly, the butler's cell-phone went off. "My apologies, Master," he said to Gozaburo as he pulled it out and answered it. "Yes, what is it…? _What?_ Impossible!...no? Damn it…yes, I shall inform him right away—stand by for instructions!"

Gozaburo regarded the butler. "Something wrong?"

"I'm afraid so, sir," the butler said in a regretful tone. "Some of our troops from inside just caught an intruder in the Dome's control room…your son, Seto."

"What was that?" Gozaburo demanded, glaring at the butler. "When did he get inside? How could he have gotten in without anyone knowing?"

"I…I don't know, sir," the butler answered.

"Aargh…" Gozaburo suddenly blinked. "Where are they? Have they left the control room as yet?"

"No, sir; they're about to head out now, though," the butler affirmed.

"Not yet!" snapped Gozaburo. "Tell them to run a check of the Dome's computer database—search for the virus that Ophiuchus activated!"

Nodding, the butler turned his attention back to the phone. "Run a check for the ZEUS virus on the Dome's database system at once! Find out how far it has gotten!"

A moment elapsed; then suddenly, as he listened to the speaker on the other end, the butler turned pale. "…oh, no…"

"What now?" Gozaburo asked suspiciously.

"Sir…" The butler swallowed nervously. "It seems Seto had uploaded and launched an advanced firewall system of some kind into the database. It was able to completely repel and destroy ZEUS."

Gozaburo's face turned red with rage; he clenched his teeth together extremely tightly. "That Seto—he's meddled with me for the last time!" he raged. He then reached forward and grabbed the phone from the butler, speaking quickly and angrily into it: "This is Master Gozaburo here. Bring Seto down here to the arena floor—on the double!"

Not far away, oblivious to Gozaburo's sudden predicament, Seta was looking at the seemingly tearful Blue-Eyes White Dragon with bewilderment. "Hey…hey, you…don't…don't look at me like that…" he spoke up, uncertainty suddenly emerging in his voice.

"No, Seta—this creature has every right to look at you this way." Yugo's eyes narrowed, but the rest of his face now had an extremely melancholy expression. "Just as I have every right to look at you this way, too."

"What?" Seta asked.

Yugo shook his head. "I've resurrected the Blue-Eyes from the Graveyard, where you discarded it…but even it knows, as I know, that the Seta of old would never have done such a callous thing. You've been tainted…altered…by these people…made into a tool for their own purposes." He lowered his head. "The Blue-Eyes forgives you for that act, Seta…it knows you're not yourself…but even so, even though you are in the guise of a different person, it will not fight you. And not even I, who was able to revive it, can convince it otherwise."

Now Yugo's hair overshadowed his eyes. "And, for that matter…I can't fight you anymore, either…not like this."

Seta stared sharply at him. "What're you talking about? You have to fight! You have no choice!" he exclaimed.

"No. I don't believe that." Yugo shook his head again. "And…a very good friend of mine…my best friend…never believed that, either. In fact…there's something that that friend once told me, that I've never forgotten since…"

Slowly Yugo lifted his head; his eyes had a grief-stricken look to them. "My best friend once told me…that we make our own destiny, that we choose for ourselves the paths we will walk in this life. I believe he was right…that is why, even though I knew that the situation facing me here at Tokyo Dome would not be in my favor…I still came anyway, willing to risk sacrificing myself to save you and everybody." Now his voice was starting to choke. "That's why…no matter what happens…I will honor the promise we made…the seal we put on our friendship…the bond we have with each other! That bond means so much to me—and I will do everything I can to ensure that it NEVER breaks!"

Again, as if to underscore that point, the Blue-Eyes let out a howl. And as Seta's eyes widened at Yugo's declaration…

…something clicked inside of him…

----------

_Yugo nodded. "I still can't believe it, though," he admitted. "You and I…are the descendants of two famous people from 3000 years ago…and our fathers had a connection to these Millennium Item things."_

_"Well, here's my take on it," said Seta. "Maybe those people on this tablet are our ancestors, but…we make our own destiny, Yugo. We decide for ourselves what kind of path we'll take in life. We decide whether to stay on the straight and narrow, or to walk on the path to destruction. It's hard for me to believe that there is such a thing as fate…we all do what we do because we choose to, not because we were destined to."_

----------

_"Yeah, and besides – don't forget, even your dragon isn't invulnerable!" Yugo then jumped on a surprised Seta's shoulders. "Nya-nya-nya! Your dragon can be beaten easily, and I'm proof of that!"_

_"Would you shut it? And get off me already!" Seta yelled, flustered._

----------

_Yugo chuckled. With a grand flourish, taking everyone else by surprise, he jumped out of his seat and walked up to Seta, extending a hand for him to shake. "I'm Yugo Muto. Glad to have you with us, on behalf of everyone here."_

_Seta looked at the hand before him. He smirked again and grasped Yugo's hand in his own. "I'm sure we'll have a good time together, perhaps."_

----------

"Ugh…"

Seta grimaced and put a hand to his face. _What's…what's happening to me? My head…spinning…where are all these memories coming from?_

On the sidelines, Gozaburo was looking keenly at Seta. "What is it? What is wrong with him all of a sudden?" he asked the butler.

"I…I'm not sure, sir," the butler admitted.

Gozaburo narrowed his eyes. _Wait…it can't be, can it? That kid…is he trying to break the hold I have over Ophiuchus…? NO! That's not possible! The mind control chip was designed to be perfect! There's no way a mere pep talk could override its function!_

"Ophiuchus!" he shouted to Seta. "Don't listen to this boy! He's trying to warp your mind with lies! Finish him now and silence him forever!"

Slowly Seta's hand was lowered from his face. "Yes…I understand…"

On the other side of the field, Yugo's face was set with determination. _That, just now…I'm sure of it…I saw something of the old Seta coming through just now…maybe all it needs is a little further push!_

"Hey, kid," Seta spoke up. "Nice try, but you can't fool me. Now, I'm going to kill you here and now with the power of my three great Legendary Beasts. But you still have one final chance to save yourself: surrender now, and be spared their fury…or die."

Yugo's eyes narrowed, even as his hair partially overshadowed his brow. "No."

"Then it's your funeral!" Seta shouted as he drew once again, giving him a total of two cards in his hand.

Here he paused and looked at Yugo's side of the field. _All right…I have a problem here…he's got three cards in his magic/trap slot…but Uria, Lord of Searing Flames' effect only allows me to destroy one set magic or trap card on his side of the field each turn. I know two of those cards are his Waboku and Magical Dimension, but…what's the third one? And which of them should I destroy—because at this point, I have no way of knowing just by looking which of those cards is which! And that aside, he's got two monsters on the field…Magician's Valkyria and…_

As he looked at the Blue-Eyes again—he flinched. _Damn it…the dragon's still looking at me! And yet…its look seems so…so sad somehow…like it's mourning a death of some kind…no! I can't afford to be distracted—not now!_

"All right—I'm activating Uria's effect to destroy one of your set magic/trap cards!" he announced. "And I will destroy…the middle card!"

In an instant Uria blasted a wave of fire at Yugo's magic/trap slot, utterly destroying the targeted card. "And next…" Seta held up one of the cards in his hand. "I will activate the magic card, Shrink! This will allow me to halve the ATK of one monster on the field till the end of this turn! And the monster I will target for this effect is…"

Suddenly he hesitated once again. _ARGH—what is WRONG with me? It shouldn't be so difficult to choose a monster on his side of the field, and it doesn't matter which of them I choose…yet…why does it feel like it should?_

His look darted from the wary Magician's Valkyria, to the still-despondent Blue-Eyes, and back again. "Arrrrrgh…damn it…grrrr!" he growled, pressing a hand to his head in frustration.

Yugo watched him. _He can't bring himself to do it…can he?_

Suddenly Seta, in a wild move, slapped the card onto his Duel-Disk. "I'll use Shrink to halve the ATK of—Raviel, Lord of Phantasms!"

At once there was a massive gasp from the general crowd. "WHAT?" Gozaburo shouted, in utter disbelief. But just then—Raviel's ATK of 4000 rapidly shot down to 2000, in the blink of an eye, even though Raviel himself still seemed very sturdy!

"Did you—did you just see that?" Miki asked, surprise written all over her face.

"He…he targeted his own monster for Shrink's effect…" Kyo was openmouthed at this spectacle.

Jenna blinked. _Could it be that…that Yugo's words have had an effect on Seta, somehow…?_

Even Pegasus was amazed. _Seta…are you trying to force yourself awake from the monster that is Ophiuchus the Imperial?_

Meanwhile, Seta himself was breathing heavily, wide-eyed at what he'd just done. "I…I just halved…my own monster's ATK? Why…why did I do that…?"

"You know why." Yugo's voice reached his ears.

Seta shook his head violently. "All right…I made an error…but I can make up for it—with Raviel's own effect! Once per turn, by tributing one other monster on my side of the field, I can increase Raviel's ATK by an amount equal to that monster's original ATK till the end of my turn—and I'll now tribute the Phantasm token that I've had here on the field so far up to now!"

Then the Phantasm token vanished in a flash of light…and its ATK of 1000 was swiftly added to Raviel's decreased ATK, putting it at 3000 total! "It may not be the original amount," Seta declared, "but at least it'll be enough to bring you down! Now, feel the power of my monsters' fury! Uria, Lord of Searing Flames…lead the charge and destroy Magician's Valkyria!"

With a vengeful roar, Uria reared its head back, preparing an even larger-than-before fireball to fry Yugo. Then it snapped its head forward, unleashing the massive ball of flame at the young duelist—

—who suddenly called out, "And now, I activate my trap card—Magical Arm Shield!"

Suddenly, to everyone's astonishment, a large loaded spring-arm shot out and nabbed Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder, in the next instant fluidly pulling the winged monster to Yugo's side of the field and right in the line of Uria's attack! Roaring in defiance, Hamon spun around towards Uria and retaliated with a thunderous ball of energy from its own mouth—and the two respective attacks collided with each other, resulting in a monstrous explosion that consumed both Uria and Hamon in one fell swoop!

Both Seta and Yugo had to forcefully brace themselves against the severe backlash of the explosion. "What in the…how?" Seta cried out, amidst the smoke, fiery sparks and shards of electricity that coursed from the two deceased monsters' attacks' point of impact.

"That…was the power of my Magical Arm Shield," said Yugo. "It could only be activated when you declared an attack while I had a monster on my side of the field—then, I just took control of one of your other monsters, and it became the target for your attack instead."

Seta gritted his teeth. "I see…so with that card, you were able to best both Uria and Hamon…but I still have Raviel!"

"Not for long, you don't!" Yugo snapped. "For now I'll activate my other facedown card—the magic card, Magical Dimension!"

All at once, surprising Seta even more, Yugo's last remaining facedown card finally flipped face-up, revealing the Magical Dimension's coffin. "This card could only be activated when I had one Spellcaster-type monster face-up on the field," said Yugo. "Then, by tributing one monster, I can Special Summon one Spellcaster-type monster from my hand—and I have the perfect one to summon: **_DARK MAGICIAN _**(ATK 2500, DEF 2100)**_!"_**

Magician's Valkyria immediately transformed into mist, and got sucked into the coffin—then, as light suddenly shone from the coffin, it burst open, revealing the famous purple-robed magician in all his glory. "And there's more," finished Yugo. "After I Special Summon my monster with Magical Dimension's first effect, I can then destroy one monster on the field! And so…Dark Magician, use the power of the Magical Dimension and annihilate Raviel, Lord of Phantasms!"

"ACK! NO!" Seta cried out.

But just at that moment, colorful energy seeped into the Dark Magician's staff, causing it to glow brightly. The mage whipped the staff around his head several times, then abruptly pointed the business end straight at Raviel—and fired a mighty blast of energy straight toward Seta's side of the field! That blast collided into Raviel's body with a deafening crash, and the great monster roared out loud as it was torn to pieces and those pieces swiftly obliterated from existence!

Gozaburo stared, wide-eyed. "Unbelievable…he actually managed to defeat all three of them…just like that…?"

Seta had been thrown to the ground from the impact of the Dark Magician's attack on Raviel. Now, gingerly, he stood up. "…ugh…"

And then, all of a sudden—

----------

_"Well…" Seta looked out over the sea's horizon; his voice now seemed distant. "We've both longed to surpass our fathers, right? You wanted others to acknowledge you as more than just the son of the King of Games…I wanted to be acknowledged as something more than just the heir to a mighty conglomerate. So…" He turned back to Yugo. "Promise me, Yugo…promise me that I'll see you in the final round of this tournament. That way, we'll give the whole world a performance that'll completely overshadow the exploits and successes of the legends known as Yugi Muto and Seto Kaiba."_

_The look on Yugo's face was now solemn. "Seta…"_

_"Yugo. Promise me." Seta held up his hand._

_Yugo looked at Seta's hand; a tiny smile crossed his lips. Eagerly, he grabbed the other boy's hand in his own. "Yeah, Seta. I'll definitely see you at the last round of this competition…as long as you make the same promise to me, too."_

_"You know it…" Seta smirked. "…hedgehog."_

_"Who're you callin' hedgehog, Little Boy Blue?" Yugo shot back, faking anger._

----------

_I…I know this memory…I know this memory…!_

"Aaaaaaagh…" Seta suddenly grabbed his head with both hands, trembling violently. "Gyaaaaaa…aaaaaaagh…!"

Yugo swiftly looked up at him. "Seta…?"

Then, in that instant, Seta threw his head back and let out an ear-piercing howl. "GGRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"

----------

Deep within Seta's mind, the mind-control chip that had been implanted there so long ago suddenly sparked violently with electricity as the brain's natural electric impulses rushed past it in a flood—and then—just like that—it sparked one last time and…just stopped.

----------

Seta was now on one knee, his hair overshadowing the upper half of his face, breathing heavily. All confused chatter within the stadium had now grown completely silent; everyone was watching him, waiting to see what he would do.

"Seta…? Are you…all right?" Yugo asked warily, worriedly.

There was no response for a moment. Then slowly, Seta looked up at Yugo…

…and there was a familiar light in his eyes, though his face bore a tired look. "Hey there…hedgehog."

On hearing that, a relieved smile broke out on Yugo's face, even as his own eyes began to shine. "Seta…!"

_Click!_

Both boys automatically turned at the sound—and froze. "Uh-oh…" Yugo whispered.

"That is…!" Seta was wide-eyed.

Standing there was Gozaburo, a very peeved expression on his face. His hand was in his cloak—and in that hand could be glimpsed the barrel of a revolver! "How touching…how very, very _touching,"_ he snarled sarcastically. "But now, it's time I broke up this little reunion and done what I should have done from before—taken complete control!"

----------

**_neomage:_** Whoa, whoa, whoa, folks! Hold off on the balloons and streamers and noisemakers! I mean, yeah, Seta's finally managed to snap himself out of the mind control that was imposed on him so long ago, and there's much cause for celebration of that—but now Gozaburo's drawing a gun on the two of them! Hoo, boy…this is SO ont going to end well, is it?

Oh, and for reference to the chapters where Seta's memories are coming from – Chapters 2, 52, 104, and 182, in case you want to go searching. Now, then…on to the next chapter! And review soon, please!


	316. Chapter 316

Yu-Gi-Oh! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: **(in a voice filled with suspense)** I have no way of owning Yu-Gi-Oh, especially since it's already owned by Kazuki Takahashi and all the dubbers at KidsWB!)

**CHAPTER 316**

TOKYO DOME, TOKYO, JAPAN

"Oh, no! Seta, Yugo!" Miki cried out—and instantly felt something cold and hard press against her neck.

"Oh, crap…forgot about these guys…" Kyo scowled.

Standing around the group were the guards that had been appointed to them from before, their guns now drawn. "This is not good," Pegasus hissed.

"Uh, sir, could you try saying something a little less obvious right now?" Jenna suggested.

Meanwhile, down on the field, Gozaburo had his gun pointed straight at Seta and Yugo. "Well…I must admit, I was certainly surprised that you were able to break free of the power of the mind control chip that was inside your head," he remarked. "Never would I have imagined any human mind possible of breaking free of such control."

"Mind control…so that's what it was…" Seta's look darkened.

"But now, it's high time I stopped screwing around with you guys and did what I should have done from the start—eliminated you and put you out of my way altogether!" Gozaburo added. "Of course, you'll be having company in a moment…"

Suddenly, the sound of approaching footsteps caught their attention. "Ah, that would be the troops that I ordered to come down here—took them long enough," Gozaburo sighed.

The two boys immediately looked up in the direction of the approaching troops—and their eyes widened in shock. In the soldiers' midst, trying his best to look dignified in spite of his situation, was Kaiba! "Dad!" Seta cried out.

Kaiba looked up at that. "Seta? Oh, my God—Seta, you're back to normal now!" he exclaimed, relief written all over his face.

"Unfortunately, Seto, none of you will live long enough to savor your little reunion," Gozaburo taunted him. "Now, I'm going to do what I should have done in the first place—I'm going to kill you right here and now, then I'm going to kill these two brats and their friends up in the VIP box, and then I'll slaughter everybody in this stadium who refuses to bow down to me!"

"So, what else is to be expected of a crazed lunatic?" Kaiba asked.

"Silence!" Gozaburo shouted. He raised the revolver and pointed it straight at Kaiba's head. "I've had just about all the resistance and insolence that I'll be taking from you! You managed to foil my plans to infect Tokyo Dome's databanks with my virus…and your son managed to break free of the mind control that was placed upon him…but this time, right here and now, I will be very thorough with the whole lot of you!"

"No!" Seta quickly turned to run off the platform—but heard a loud _click _to one side. "What…!"

Gozaburo's butler had a revolver in his hand, as well, pulling it from his jacket. "Young sir, please do not move or I will be forced to shoot you where you stand," he said calmly. "And that goes for you as well," addressing a seething Yugo.

"Bastards…!" Yugo gritted his teeth.

----------

Outside the Dome, everyone looked on in horror as Gozaburo and his men held Kaiba, Yugo and Seta at gunpoint. "Damn it! This is so bad!" Mr. Wheeler exclaimed.

"Oh, no!" Mrs. Wheeler cried.

"No…please, not them…" Honey whispered, fear and terror in her eyes.

Suddenly Dr. Crowler frowned and cocked his head to one side. "Hmmm? What is that sound?"

"Huh? What are you—hey, wait! I hear it, too!" Mr. Truesdale replied. "It's coming from—"

Hardly were the words out of his mouth when, all at once, a massive helicopter swooped by overhead, stopping right over the Dome itself! At once the crowd stared and pointed at the newly-arrived chopper, as loud speculation began among the masses.

Jillian narrowed her eyes. "I've had it with just standing here and doing nothing! I'm going in!" And with that, she forcefully shoved her way through the distracted crowd. "Out of my way! Watch it! MOVE!"

"Wait a second, Jillian! Wait for us!" Raven shouted after her.

----------

Back inside the dome, everyone was now staring in astonishment at the helicopter that was hovering overhead. "What is the meaning of this?" Gozaburo demanded. "That's one of our helicopters! Why is it HERE?"

As if to answer him, the chopper's built-on Gatlin gun turned in his direction. Seeing this, the soldiers surrounding Kaiba swiftly ran off. "At least they have sense," Kaiba muttered to himself. "Yugo! Seta! Hit the dirt, NOW!"

The boys didn't need a second warning; both of them swiftly ran to one side of the platform and made a flying leap for the ground, hugging the grass for dear life. "Please, don't shoot us, please don't shoot us, please don't shoot us, please don't shoot us…" Yugo kept begging over and over.

Then—_rat-a-tat-a-tat-a-rat-a-tat-tat!_ In rapid succession, the Gatling gun fired, even as several of the spectators in the stands started screaming and running for cover. Gozaburo, unable to get out of the way in time, took several dozen bullets to his body, jiggling as if in a mad dance even as he did so. The machine-gun fire tore at his fake "skin," revealing his android body underneath!

----------

Up in the VIP box, the soldiers' attention was totally diverted toward what was happening on the field. "No! Master!" they exclaimed, watching in horror as Gozaburo got shot up.

"'Scuse me…"

Turning, the soldiers came face-to-face with a very angry Archlord Zerato (ATK 2800, DEF 2300), while Kyo stood back with an activated Duel-Disk! "Just a momentary distraction was all I needed to take my Duel-Disk out…so I could teach you guys a lesson!" he said acidly.

Right nearby, Miki had her Duel-Disk out as well, and her Silent Swordsman Lv. 7 (ATK 2800, DEF 1000) was ready to act. "You're gonna pay for ruining our tournament!" she cried.

"Enough talking to these guys—let's kick their butts!" Jenna declared crisply, even as her Red-Eyes Black Dragon (ATK 2400, DEF 2000) snorted smoke from its nostrils.

The soldiers panicked, raising their guns—but that was as far as they got before the monsters closed in on them…

----------

The helicopter's Gatling gun finally stopped firing. "Is it…over?" Yugo asked, still in his facedown position on the ground.

"I…I guess so," Seta replied, cautiously raising himself up. "But apparently, it's not over for that dude over there…" and he pointed to where Gozaburo was.

Gozaburo himself was bullet-riddled; his "skin" all but shot completely away. "How…how…how DARE you!" he raged. "All soldiers! Open fire on that helicopter right—"

Suddenly, from the VIP box came a massive explosion as the guards that had been posted up there were literally flung from there! All of them, screaming, landed in the stands where the scared fans still were. "Argh!" Gozaburo snarled.

The butler, raising himself up from where he'd taken cover before the helicopter opened fire, shouted out to the soldiers, "Do as the Master says! Return fire now!"

Just then, the helicopter's door opened up—and from it emerged a whole slew of Duel Monsters! "WHAT!" Gozaburo cried out, even as those Duel Monsters swiftly flitted here and there into the stands, attacking the baffled soldiers stationed there.

Those soldiers that were on the grounds now stood up and looked about them in terrified bewilderment. "We're outnumbered! Let's get out of here!" one of them cried, and with that they all turned to run—only to come face-to-face with a massive brown, green and blue body: Gate Guardian (ATK 3750, DEF 3400).

"Going somewhere, assholes?" Jillian Uriah said softly, her red bang obscuring one eye.

Beside the Gate Guardian, two more monsters emerged…Chaos Emperor Dragon – Envoy of the End (ATK 3000, DEF 2500) and Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon (ATK 3000, DEF 2500). "I say, for a moment I thought these guys were actually trying to escape," Raven Pegasus laughed. "But aren't they trying to leave Tokyo Dome without taking a few souvenirs, at least?"

"Then let's give them a few!" Honey Pegasus announced—right before the three monsters advanced on the already scared-out-of-their-wits henchmen.

"Oh, dear…this is not very good…" The butler glanced about him at the ensuing chaos—then felt a tap on his shoulder. Turning, he came face-to-face with a cartoonish police car—that swiftly slammed its front wheel into his face, knocking him down and out!

"Good going, Patroid (ATK 1200, DEF 1200)!" Natasha Truesdale cheered. "And _you,_ sir, are under arrest!"

The helicopter presently landed on the field, close to the other helicopters that had been parked some distance away from the platform—and out jumped Janus Yuki and Ricardo Misawa! "All right! Look at 'em go!" Janus grinned, watching as Elemental Hero Necroshade (ATK 1600, DEF 1800) overpowered two soldiers at once.

"Yeah, better believe that!" Ricardo nodded agreement, even as his Victory Viper XX03 (ATK 1200, DEF 1000) flew across the stands, whipping up terrified soldiers even as the spectators in that section cheered aloud.

Malachi Jordan and his group emerged from the helicopter as well, watching as their various monsters wreaked havoc. "Man, I love the sound of goons getting dug into!" David laughed.

"Quite so, quite so!" Luke agreed.

Wade and Blaze came out of the chopper as well. "Looks like we made it just in time," Wade remarked.

Flora, Marcus, Shigeo and Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki emerged, too. "Hmph…these guys are getting their due, and then some," Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki chuckled as she watched the hapless soldiers.

Elsewhere, Mr. Muto and the rest of his group stood at the entrance to the arena, watching as the various Duel Monsters brutalized the soldiers while some of the spectators started getting into the action as well. "Look at the people go all-out now," Mr. Devlin marveled.

"They were all held hostage moments ago—how else would you expect them to act?" Mr. Muto answered. "I'm just glad I'm not one of those soldiers right now."

"Amen to that," and Dr. Crowler sweat-dropped even as he watched the chaos.

In the meantime, Gozaburo himself scowled in disbelief. "How can these creatures be completely overpowering my forces? They're just holograms, for God's sake!" he snarled.

"I do believe, Gozaburo, that it would be in your best interest to take back that statement."

"Huh?" Gozaburo turned to find himself facing Seto Kaiba, arms folded. "YOU…is that supposed to be some kind of threat, Seto? I do not fear YOU!"

"Oh, but it's not me you should be afraid of right now, Gozaburo," and Kaiba pointed in the direction behind his age-old adversary. "You should be answering to _them."_ Then, just like that, he backed away a bit.

Puzzled, Gozaburo turned—and saw Yugo and Seta looking at him, both very, very peeved. "Hey…old man…looks like you lose the bet, after all," Yugo said coldly.

"Now…it's time for you to pay for what you've done!" Seta grated. "You tried to set me up against my own friend…for that, I will never forgive you!"

"Ha! And what can you two do?" Gozaburo challenged them.

"Actually…we've already done it." And Yugo pointed upwards.

"What?" Gozaburo looked up—and what he saw chilled him. "…what the…!"

High up in the sky, but coming down quite fast, was the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, roaring in righteous fury. On its back kneeled the Dark Magician, his staff at the ready. In one swift moment both monsters charged up their attacks, the Blue-Eyes' mouth filling up with lightning energy and the Dark Magician's staff and robed glowing—and then both released their signature White Lightning and Dark Magic Attacks as two bright beams of white and black energy, right down upon Gozaburo!

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Gozaburo screamed out as the combined energy attacks consumed what was left of him. The attacks were so forceful, so filled with destructive power, that immediately upon contact with Gozaburo a thunderous explosion was heard and a mini-dome of energy similar to a nuclear bomb blast speared out nearly the entire width of the field!

Everyone in the entire stadium instantly seemed to stop what they had been doing, and looked on in awe as the attack was carried out. "Whoa…check it out, guys!" Mr. Taylor whispered, looking on in fascination.

It seemed a long time before the energy finally died down and dissipated altogether. And…right there on the grassy section of the field, right where Gozaburo had been standing when the two monsters attacked him, there was a huge patch of dirt in the shape of a circle, dug out into the ground and at least four feet or so deep.

Kaiba now walked up to this hole and examined it. "Uh, Dad…is he…?" Seta called to him.

Kaiba smirked. "If the word _obliterated_ has another meaning other than the obvious…there's barely a trace left of him. Just a couple pieces of scrap here, but that's about it."

"Then…it's over now…" Yugo sighed in relief.

"Attention, everyone! Remain where you are!"

All attention was now focused on the entrance to the arena, as several police and military-looking personnel and a huge swarm of reporters and some observers from outside poured in. One of the new military people was speaking over a bullhorn: "All right, all members of the military group that commandeered this place, surrender yourselves now! You are all under arrest!"

It seemed like seconds before the authorities was buzzing through the stands, herding Gozaburo's soldiers away. Meanwhile, more cops were heading up to the commentator and VIP boxes, and the rest were quickly disarming and handcuffing those goons that were on the grounds.

The butler, at this very moment, moaned and shook his head. "Oh, dear…ouch…" he groaned groggily trying to sit up. "What…happened…?"

The next thing he knew, he found himself surrounded by several police officers. "Oh, dear…as if being knocked out by a cartoon police car wasn't bad enough," he grumbled.

"Save it, buddy," one of the cops snapped, slapping handcuffs on the butler in the process.

A little distance away, Natasha had reunited with Janus and Ricardo. "Did that guy over there just say 'cartoon police car'?" Ricardo inquired. "Natasha…?"

"Well…let's just say I thought I'd do my best to help out, even if just a little," Natasha giggled.

"Good going, Natasha," and Janus patted her on the shoulder. "Really."

Meanwhile, the cops were coming back down from the commentator's box with more of Gozaburo's goons, as well as the captive news team that had been herded up there earlier. Elsewhere, the cops were escorting Pegasus, Kyo, Miki and Jenna down to the grounds. "Yugo! Seta!" Jenna cried, running up to them and flinging her arms around first one, then the other.

"Guys…" Yugo whispered, returning Jenna's embrace.

Kyo smirked. "Hey, guys…glad to see you're okay, after what just happened."

"Yeah, for real," Miki nodded eagerly.

In the meantime, Kaiba was watching the ever-growing group of reporters. Then, quite suddenly, one of them spotted him. "Mr. Kaiba! Mr. Kaiba, sir, over here!"

Kaiba shook his head. "The reporter I promised the exclusive interview…"

That reporter and his crew hurried over. "We did just as you said, sir, and stayed out of the way! And now…" He whipped out his microphone. "Would you care to comment on what happened here just now? Just what exactly was going on?"

Meanwhile, other reporters were somewhat crowding around Yugo's group, trying to get some questions answered. "Mr. Pegasus, sir, was what happened here today staged?"

"Who were those military people that were here, holding everyone hostage?"

"Were they looking for a ransom?"

Pegasus was doing his best to fend them off. "One at a time, please, one at a time!" he urged them.

"Little girl, can you tell us what you saw here?" one reporter asked Miki.

"Who're you calling 'little girl'?" she demanded, scaring the reporter somewhat.

Seta, in the meantime, looked around at the news media, frantically trying to get a story. He only barely registered the questions that were being thrown at him. "Seta, was what you were doing part of a publicity stunt, or was it for real?"

"How do you explain your involvement with those persons?"

"Was what that man said before true—was he really Gozaburo Kaiba?"

Slowly, Seta lowered his eyes until his hair was overshadowing them. "Everyone…everyone…I want to say something…"

On hearing that, nearly all of the reporters became quiet. Yugo and the others looked quizzically at Seta. "Seta, wha…?" Yugo started.

Seta looked up. "Could I get a microphone or a bullhorn or something, please? What I have to say is for everyone in this dome to hear."

One of the reporters immediately and willingly submitted her microphone to Seta. "Thank you," he said quietly. "Now…could I have the attention of everybody here in the stadium, and those who're watching from outside as well? There's something I want to say to all of you…with regards to what has happened here today."

He paused and waited. Gradually, all the chatter that had been going on in the stands was silenced; everyone turned to look at the big-screen, where Seta's face was now prominently shown. All cameras were now on him; all microphones were pointed in his direction, and those reporters who weren't near enough hurried over to him.

Carefully, Seta turned and walked over to the platform, the media following after him. He slowly ascended the steps, until he was overlooking the news crews; all of them, and all the people in the stands, watched him expectantly. Seta looked at all of them, his eyes roving across his entire field of vision, missing nothing.

And then, he opened his mouth…

----------

**_neomage:_** And so…Gozaburo is PUT DOWN! YEAH! But…now what? Just what is it that Seta wants to say to the masses? Weeeeeeeell…you'll just have to wait till the next chapter to find out, now won't you? Read on, everyone!


	317. Chapter 317

Yu-Gi-Oh! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Well, now…for the 317th time, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**CHAPTER 317**

TOKYO DOME, TOKYO, JAPAN

All eyes in the entire stadium were now focused on Seta as he prepared to speak. "Everyone…" he began. "What I'm about to say is probably the hardest thing I could ever say. But it must be said, regardless."

He cleared his throat, then continued. "For those of you who were not inside the stadium and are therefore wondering, what you saw happening in here on the big-screens outside was not a joke. It was not a publicity stunt, nor was it an elaborate prank. No…what happened in here was very, very real.

"Those men you saw, those men in military attire and armed with weapons, holding the spectators here hostage…they were subordinates of a criminal organization known as the Zodiacs. And what their leader said about their goals was correct: they wanted to overthrow Kaibacorp and return it to its old days when it was originally a weapons manufacturer, and in that way they could have the entire world at their mercy. Yes, it may sound far-fetched…but with the resources at their disposal and the years they have lain undercover with only minimal detection, it was likely to happen nonetheless.

"Now…a great many of you saw me moments ago, and were wondering if I had anything to do with these Zodiacs. Well…" Here Seta sighed. "I'd like to say that they kidnapped me, brainwashed me, used me for their own purposes…and you know what? All of that would be true. All of that would be easy to give as the explanation. But still…none of it would be able to excuse me for what I've done."

He gave a melancholy glance to the masses now watching and listening to him. "Whether tricked, brainwashed, or otherwise…I made it possible for the Zodiacs to do what they have done over the years. I made it possible for them to increase their power by overthrowing numerous conglomerates. I made it possible for them to access whatever funding they were able to acquire to do their dirty work. Because of me, they were able to build up an army, weapons, and all that. Because of me, so many lives have been ruined…because of me, many more were put in jeopardy today.

"I have put on a really great façade for all of you, over the last couple of years since I first became Duel Monsters World Champion. I kept the sins of my past locked up…only to have them spilled out into the light like this. Now, I'm not sorry you all know the truth about my involvement with these people…I'm only sorry that you had to find out the way you have, by being held here at Tokyo Dome against your will. By my actions, you all very nearly lost your freedom, if not your lives, today."

He sighed again. "I may not have willingly or knowingly collaborated with these criminals…but nevertheless, I'm just as guilty as they are. And it would be a stain on the good name of the Duel Monsters World Championships if a person who was guilty of making the Zodiacs' schemes possible was to be allowed to continue in the role of the reigning champion. So, for this reason…"

Seta then looked in Pegasus's direction. "Mr. Maximillion Pegasus…as you are the chief representative for the Duel Monsters World Tournament Committee…take my title and do with it as you see fit. I will be stepping down as World Champion, effective immediately."

Pegasus's eyes widened in astonishment at this. "…wha…?"

At once furious whispering rushed through the crowd. "He's stepping down? He's actually giving up his World Championship title like that?"

"Wait—there's just one thing more I want to say," Seta added, holding up a hand. Then he looked over at Yugo. "Yugo…this one's for you."

"Seta…" Yugo blinked.

Seta shook his head. "You came here to Tokyo Dome, knowing that doing so would put you and everyone here at risk…all so you could try to rescue me from the Zodiacs' clutches. For that effort, I thank you…and also for not giving up on me, even after I told you the truth about my past. And…thank you, also, for being the first person to ever acknowledge my individuality. You've been a real friend to me all this time, and I'll never forget that. I only wish now that…that I could be worthy of keeping the promise we made. But now…you'll have to find yourself a new rival from now on. Keep being the strong duelist and good person that you are. That's my advice to you. And…that is all."

Finally Seta lowered the microphone from his mouth. Lowering his head, he turned and started to walk away. And as he did, the whispering continued, camera shutters clicked as numerous photographs were taken of him, and…

Yugo's eyes narrowed. Suddenly, without warning, he jumped up to the platform. "Stop right there!" he shouted.

Startled, Seta turned around. "Huh?"

Yugo stalked up to him, snatching the microphone from his hand. "So that's it, then? That's all there is to it? You're just going to give up, roll over and play dead, just like that?"

Yugo glared at Seta as he continued to talk. "For your information, Seta, in case you didn't realize it, I wasn't the only one fighting for your sake here! Everyone…all of us…we were throwing out our support and our effort for you, as well! And don't forget—you yourself were fighting against these Zodiac people, too. Sure, they brainwashed you—but you broke that control that they had over you, didn't you? That took a whole lot of strength and effort, and not many people have that kind of strength of will!"

"But—" Seta started.

"Don't forget, Seta," Yugo cut him off. "Even if we've made mistakes in the past, those mistakes do not define who we are today. And that aside, we can't continue blaming ourselves for things we've had no control over, things that were never our fault. So…if you're going to quit the tournament because you're feeling guilty for something you didn't have any say in or any way of knowing about to begin with, then you never did deserve to be World Champion in the first place."

He then turned and addressed the crowd. "People, hear me! The person I was dueling against, the guy who called himself Ophiuchus the Imperial—he and Seta Kaiba were two completely different persons! There's no way the Seta we know would willingly endager the lives of his friends, family, or fans! Ophiuchus tried to interrupt the duel that was scheduled between me and Seta—but now he's out of the way, for good! And you all came here to see me and Seta duke it out—but if Seta quits now, what'll that mean? Won't it mean you all came here for nothing?

"Ophiuchus is gone, as I said—and now, Seta's here! Seta Kaiba, the World Champion, and my true opponent! This tournament needs him here—will it be able to survive if he just leaves now? If you want to see the match-up you all came here to see, then shout it out loud with me! Shout for the Champion—help me call forth his fighting spirit once again! SE-TA! SE-TA! SE-TA! SE-TA!"

Kyo, Jenna, and Miki, initially looking at Yugo with surprise from the moment he'd jumped up onto the platform, now looked at each other and nodded. "SE-TA! SE-TA! SE-TA! SE-TA!" they chanted in loud unison.

Pegasus smirked as he watched this. "Come, everybody, show your support!" he called out to the crowd at large. "SE-TA! SE-TA! SE-TA! SE-TA!"

Kaiba chuckled at this; then: "SE-TA! SE-TA! SE-TA!"

Mr. Muto's entire group took up the chanting, too. "SE-TA! SE-TA! SE-TA!"

So did Ms. Wong, Mr. Von Schroeder, Mr. Devlin and Mr. Truesdale. "SE-TA! SE-TA! SE-TA! SE-TA!"

Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki, Janus, Ricardo and Natasha joined in. "SE-TA! SE-TA! SE-TA! SE-TA!"

As did Wade, Blaze, Marcus, Flora and Shigeo. "SE-TA! SE-TA! SE-TA!"

David, Luke and Miriam looked around. "Uh…should we join in?" Luke wondered.

"No reason not to," Malachi shrugged. Then he led out: "SE-TA! SE-TA! SE-TA! C'mon, you blokes, chant too!"

"Right!" And the other three followed up: "SE-TA! SE-TA! SE-TA!"

Raven, Honey and Jillian were calling it out, as well: "SE-TA! SE-TA! SE-TA! SE-TA!"

The chanting swiftly spread out through the rest of the crowd, until quite literally hundreds of voices were now screaming together in deafening unison. "SE-TA! SE-TA! SE-TA! SE-TA! SE-TA! SE-TA! SE-TA! SE-TA!"

And Seta himself, seemingly stuck to the spot, watched and listened as the entire Tokyo Dome loudly chanted his name. "Whoa…"

He felt a hand on his shoulder. "You hear that, Seta?" Yugo asked him, now smiling. "You're still the fans' favorite…you've still got their support. And you know you'll always have mine." His eyes twinkled knowingly. "Now…how about we keep the promise we made to each other on the boat, at the start of the tournament?"

Seta blinked. "Well…it would be a little awkward, especially since you and I already started, basically…"

"Then we'll continue from where we were interrupted," Yugo said brightly. "After all, the duel's stats are still there as they were. You're simply taking over from where Ophiuchus left off…and you're dueling with your own power now. See—just look down at your right hand."

Puzzled, Seta looked down—and was surprised to find himself holding a Duel Monsters card. "This is…"

"This is where we were cut off by Gozaburo," Yugo told him. "You don't need to draw for this turn or anything—it's already been done. Just play. That's all."

Seta looked long and hard at Yugo. "Yugo…thank you," he whispered, his voice trembling.

"Thank me by agreeing to finish this duel." Yugo smirked.

Nodding, Seta took the microphone from Yugo, even as the chants continued from the crowd. "All right! All right! Okay, I give!" he cried out. "I take back my earlier decision! As long as you all want me to continue defending my World Championship title—then that's what I'm gonna do!"

At that proclamation, a mighty burst of cheering and applause broke out from the masses. "Way to go, Champ!" several fans screamed out, while others blasted ear-piercing whistles of appreciation.

"All right, I suppose this is where I come in now," and Pegasus, with a good deal of grace, hopped up to the platform and took the microphone from Seta. "Ladies and gentlemen, you heard it straight from our World Champion himself: he's going to remain here right now to defend his title, in this, the final duel of the Dueltropolis World Championship tournament!"

Another burst of cheering exploded from the crowd. Pegasus went on, "Now, then…the only question from this point on will be this: At the end of this duel, who will emerge victorious? Will be our beloved champion, Seta Kaiba? Or…will we have a new champion, in the form of our current challenger, Yugo Muto? Duelists—get yourselves ready to resume the final bout of the tournament, right now!"

"Yes, sir!" Yugo and Seta shouted simultaneously.

With newfound energy, the two boys ran back to their respective sides of the field, where on Yugo's side both the Dark Magician and the Blue-Eyes White Dragon were waiting for him. Seta, meanwhile, clutched his one remaining hand-card tightly. _Okay, then…Yugo, let's have a duel now that nobody will ever, ever forget!_

For convenience's sake, the currents stats of the duel were brought up on the screen for everyone to see. As of this moment, Yugo's life points were set at 2900, while Seta's were at 5700. Seta held one card in his hand; Yugo no longer held any. On the field Seta had absolutely nothing whatsoever; Yugo had both the Dark Magician and the Blue-Eyes White Dragon in Attack Mode. And…it was officially still Seta's turn.

As Seta took his place, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon reared back it head and let out a massive howl. "You hear that, Seta?" Yugo called to him. "That's your dragon's way of welcoming you back to your senses!"

"Yeah, I figured!" Seta answered. Then he studied the card in his hand. "Well, then…I'll just set this card facedown…and end this, ah, prolonged turn, shall we say?"

Off on the sidelines, Kaiba smiled as he watched the two. _Okay…from here on out, the true duel begins! Now, neither of them has any cards in hand…and there's no way to know what that card is that Seta just set…and from this point, every card they draw will bring a whole new perspective to the game!_

"Man, this duel's gonna be good!" Janus grinned.

"I'm sure it will be," Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki replied. "But before we make ourselves comfortable and watch this spectacle, Janus…there IS still the matter of you guys sneaking out to that ship without telling anyone…"

Janus sweat-dropped at that. "Aw, come on, Mom! As if you hadn't chewed us out enough on the way here!" he complained.

"Don't backtalk me, young man!" Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki snapped at him. Then, just as swiftly, her look softened. "After all…I'm your mother. It's my job to chew you out when you do something as stupid…and as brave…as you did."

"Yeah…" Janus nodded with understanding.

At that moment, Yugo was drawing his card to replenish his empty hand. "Hmph…okay, Seta, it looks like I'm going to be really winning this one! For now, I'll equip my Dark Magician with the Black Pendant, to increase his ATK by 500 points!"

In a moment's notice Dark Magician found himself wearing the pendant around his neck as his ATK rose to 3000! Seta took this in at a glance. "I see…so, now all that's left is for you to attack me directly with both of those monsters, and then that'll be it…"

"Got that right!" said Yugo. "Now, all I need to ask is, which of these should I attack with first…?"

Suddenly, to Yugo's surprise, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon seemed to lean forward, ready to attack. "Huh? The Blue-Eyes…?" Yugo blinked.

The Blue-Eyes turned its head slightly, growling at Yugo. Hearing this, Yugo nodded with sudden understanding. _I see…it's because your role here on my side of the field is finished at last…_ He smirked. _Yes, Kisara…I did as you asked…I was able to revive your master's heart, with the aid of your power…so now, you want to reconnect with your rightful owner…_

Seta regarded his trademark monster. _Well…come to me, my pet!_

"Well, okay, if that's how you want it, Blue-Eyes…go ahead and attack first!" Yugo commanded. "White Lightning!"

Charging up energy in its mouth, the Blue-Eyes blasted right at Seta—who suddenly called out, "I activate my trap card, Mirror Force, to stop the attack and destroy all monsters on your side of the field!"

All at once, the infamous force-field emerged on Seta's side of the field, shielding him completely! The White Lightning Attack bounced harmlessly off—and was reverted to Yugo's side of the field, obliterating both the Dark Magician and the Blue-Eyes itself in one fell swoop! Seta shook his head. "Sorry, Yugo…but it's better that the Blue-Eyes White Dragon should be dead in _my_ Graveyard, than alive on _your _side of the field."

Yugo chuckled and closed his eyes. "Well, in any case, the Black Pendant's effect activates now! Since it was destroyed along with my Dark Magician, its lingering power will inflict 500 points of damage to your life points!"

In that moment a blast of light shot up from the ground, hitting Seta and reducing his life points to 5200! But Seta effortlessly brushed it off. "Okay…now, the playing field is completely level," he said softly. "The only major hurdle is the difference in our life points."

"That's okay," said Yugo. "I rather like this handicap. Because now…both of us will be able to play at our absolute best, since from this point neither of us will be able to tell what's coming next."

"All right, now…this promises to be really good," Ms. Wong remarked to the other Committee members.

"Quite so," Mr. Truesdale nodded in agreement. "Because now this battle has the potential to go in either duelist's favor, never mind the fact that Seta's got much more life points than Yugo."

"Heh…right now, life points are merely a scoring system," Mr. Von Schroeder spoke up. "Those two are now very evenly matched."

"Now…which of them will be the winner of this fight?" Mr. Devlin wondered.

A little ways off, Mr. Muto was smiling. "You know…at this point I don't think it matters much which of those two ends up winning this duel," he said his group. "Because the fact of the matter is, they both were involved in a much more serious game with a dire outcome…and they both won."

"Got that right," agreed Mr. Wheeler. "Now, the only thing they're gonna be fighting for is defense of their pride as duelists."

"Well, forgive me if I appear biased, but…Go, Yugo! You can do it! I know you can!" Grandma Muto called to her grandson.

And off by himself, Kaiba set his metal briefcase on the ground and sat on it, leaning against the wall in the process and crossing his arms. _All right, Seta…now that your mind is free once again, you've got the chance to show your true strength to everybody here! Show no restraint—show them the real strength of Seta Kaiba!_

----------

**_neomage:_** And now…(ding ding ding ding ding) The TRUE final duel of Yu-Gi-Oh Forever starts next chapter! Yugo and Seta are gonna go all-out! Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls! Place your bets, place your bets! Yugo Muto, or Seta Kaiba—which will you root for? Review soon, everybody!

(yamikriz pulls out a big basket)

yamikriz: Hee, hee, hee…now, soon as they start throwing in their bidding money, I'll just save up and buy myself a nice little torture—I mean, _recreation_ chamber… (sweat-drops at the thought of being found out)


	318. Chapter 318

Yu-Gi-Oh! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Let the true duel between the two greatest duelists of Yu-Gi-Oh Forever begin! And, as always, it's Kazuki Takahashi who owns Yu-Gi-Oh!)

**CHAPTER 318**

TOKYO DOME, TOKYO, JAPAN

As the crowds in Tokyo Dome cheered Yugo and Seta on, the stats of their duel could be clearly seen. Yugo's life points were at 2900, while Seta's stood at 5200. However, neither player had any cards in hand or on the field. And now, it was Seta's turn.

Carefully, Seta drew a card to replenish his empty hand. "Hmmm…I'll set one monster in Defense Mode, and end my turn for the moment."

Yugo immediately took his turn, drawing his card. "Ha! I'll crush that monster of yours in no time—with this! The Illusory Gentleman (ATK 1500, DEF 1600), Attack Mode!"

The Illusory Gentleman appeared on the field, fiddling with his staff. "All right, my Gentleman! Attack and destroy his monster!" Yugo commanded. And, heeding his master, the Gentleman rushed forward and slammed the tip of his staff onto the facedown monster—

—but as that card was flipped face-up, to Yugo's surprise it was revealed to be Troop Dragon (ATK 700, DEF 800)! "Maybe you've destroyed my monster," Seta taunted him, "but when it's destroyed as a result of battle, I can Special Summon another Troop Dragon from my deck to the field, after which I shuffle my deck!" And then, to prove his statement, another Troop Dragon appeared on Seta's side of the field, in Defense Mode!

"Damn it…!" Yugo groaned, even as Seta shuffled his deck for Troop Dragon's effect. "All right. I end my turn, then."

Again Seta took his turn and drew his next card. Now he frowned as he examined this new card. "I end my turn. There's nothing I can do."

Yugo drew again. "And I'll summon another monster—this time it's my invincible Dark Blade (ATK 1800, DEF 1500), in Attack Mode!" And then, a second later the black-armored knight emerged on the field, wielding both his swords in readiness. "Now, Dark Blade, attack and destroy that Troop Dragon!"

Immediately Dark Blade launched himself forward, slicing Troop Dragon completely through with both swords. But immediately Seta used his monster's effect to Special Summon a third Troop Dragon in Defense Mode, and shuffled his deck again. Then Yugo tried again: "Illusory Gentleman, destroy this monster!" And Illusory Gentleman delivered a crushing blow to the new Troop Dragon's head with his staff; this time, since Seta had no more Troop Dragons, he merely shuffled his deck.

"Okay…so Yugo's torn through Seta's defense…" David remarked.

"Yeah," agreed Miriam. "And if Seta can't at least get another monster on his next turn to defend himself, his life points will be right there for the pickings."

"Yeah, right—like Seta's gonna be so lucky," Luke countered. "I mean, he just drew a card he couldn't use. What are the odds he'll draw something he really needs?"

Malachi crossed his arms and kept a close eye on the field. "Hmph."

Yet again Seta drew another card. "You hoping to get a chance to knock down my life points?" he asked Yugo. "In that case, I'm afraid you're going to have a bit of a wait—for now I'm going to activate the magic of the Swords of Revealing Light!"

All at once the familiar swords of flaming light shot down from the skies above, embedding themselves all around Yugo's side of the field! "Now…all of your monsters will have to hold a seat for the next three turns," Seta smirked.

"Very good!" Ms. Wong beamed. "Now Seta has three turns to set up a strong defense against Yugo's assault team!"

Yugo looked around at the three Swords of Revealing Light restraining his Dark Blade and Illusory Gentleman. "Not bad, Seta," he told his opponent. "But do you want to bet that I can do better than that?"

"What're you willing to bet?" asked Seta.

"How about your life points?" Yugo smirked.

"Ha! Fat chance!" answered Seta scornfully.

Shrugging, Yugo drew another card from his deck. "Yeah…fat chance, indeed," he said. "For now I activate the magic card, Heavy Storm, to destroy your Swords of Revealing Light!"

"HUH?" Seta's eyes widened in shock at this news.

Suddenly a massive wind began to blow all around the field, with such force that even some of the spectators had to brace themselves in their seats! "Aaaah! Too powerful!" Miki cried out.

"Hang on tight!" Kyo called to her.

The Swords of Revealing Light were forcefully ripped out of the ground, where they'd been embedded, by the winds of the Heavy Storm card—and torn asunder! "No! My defense!" Seta shouted.

At length the effects of Heavy Storm died down…and Yugo had a big smile on his face. "Now…there's nothing stopping my monsters from attacking your _unprotected _life points!" he declared. "Now, Dark Blade and Illusory Gentleman, attack directly!"

Dark Blade attacked first, dashing forward and delivering an X-slash to Seta's chest, bringing his life points down to 3400. Then, less than five seconds later, Illusory Gentleman slammed his staff into Seta;s gut, bringing his score further down to 1900. "Oof!" he grunted, doubling over even as the two monsters swiftly ran back to Yugo's side of the field.

"Hmph…so much for Seta's three turns to set up a strong defense," sighed Mr. Truesdale.

"Now…only one turn before Yugo can claim victory," Mr. Von Schroeder noted.

Mr. Devlin frowned. _What will you do, Seta…?_

"Now, I'll end my turn," Yugo announced. "Come on, now, Seta—don't let it end like this! This is a little too simple now!"

Without a word, Seta drew his next card. "Okay…I'll set one monster in Defense Mode, and end my turn. That's about all I can do."

Now frowning, Yugo drew once again. "Aw…and here I was really hoping it would be more challenging than this. Oh, well…Dark Blade, attack and destroy that facedown monster!"

"Hey, hold on—isn't Yugo being a little hasty all of a sudden?" Mr. Bakura raised an eyebrow.

"Could be…" Mr. Muto's eyes narrowed.

Meanwhile, Dark Blade was already dashing forward—and with two simultaneous swings of his swords he chopped the facedown monster card into pieces. Immediately the card's monster image was shown—but it was of a metallic pot!

"What the…!" Yugo's eyes suddenly widened in horrific realization. "That's…!"

"That's Cyber Jar (ATK 900, DEF 900)," Seta finished for him, now with a big grin on his face. "And when flipped face-up, its effect destroys every monster on the field!"

Suddenly—what was left of Cyber Jar blasted the entire field in a massive explosion, consuming Dark Blade and the Illusory Gentleman in the process! The force of the blast was so strong, it was all Yugo could do to hold his ground and not be knocked back by the heat and impact! "Ack! My monsters!" he cried out. "Damn it—too careless, too careless!"

"Don't sweat it too badly," Seta told him. "Remember, Cyber Jar's got another effect. After its first effect destroys all monsters on the field, both of us are then to pick up the top five cards from our respective decks, show them to each other, and then Special Summon all Level 4 or lower monsters in face-up Attack Mode or facedown Defense Mode…and all the other cards will be added to our hands. So—let's do this!"

Quickly the two of them picked up the top five cards from their respective decks. The cards Yugo picked up were Old Vindictive Magician (ATK 450, DEF 600), Double Spell, Magician's Circle, Polymerization and Sage's Stone; Seta picked up Witch of the Black Forest (ATK 1100, DEF 1200), Blue-Eyes White Dragon (ATK 3000, DEF 2500), Polymerization, Divine Dragon Ragnarok (ATK 1500, DEF 1000) and White Dragon Ritual.

Kaiba raised an interested eyebrow as the cards were shown on the big-screens overhead. _Nice…looks like they've both gotten good hands now…but Seta's hand is definitely the superior one right now! Now, all it's come down to is a mater of time until Seta summons the Blue-Eyes that he's just drawn…or maybe… _A knowing glint flashed in his eyes.

Very rapidly, Yugo set his Old Vindictive Magician in Defense Mode; Seta summoned Witch of the Black Forest and Divine Dragon Ragnarok in Attack Mode. As they added the remaining cards to their respective hands, Seta chuckled. "The scales have tipped out of your favor, Yugo…now, I'm the one in control once again."

"Don't be so sure," replied Yugo. "You know what my facedown monster is…and you know exactly what it's capable of. But just in case, I'll set one card facedown…and then end my turn."

"Hmph." Seta just smiled as he drew another card, giving him a total of five in his hand. "Well, Yugo, your Old Vindictive Magician's power is quite something, I'll admit…but I'm about to call forth something that will surpass even that!"

"Oh?" Yugo raised an inquiring eyebrow.

Whereupon Seta selected a card from his hand. "Okay…now, I'll activate the magic of the White Dragon Ritual! By offering one monster from the field or my hand whose level stars equal 4 or more, I can now summon—the mighty Paladin of White Dragon (ATK 1900, DEF 1200)—and I'll offer my Divine Dragon Ragnarok on the field for the ritual!"

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning shot down from the sky above, completely consuming Ragnarok! And then, from high above could be heard a loud scream as the Paladin of White Dragon flew down to the field, ready to do combat! "And I believe you already know what the Paladin's effect is, Yugo," said Seta smugly. "If he attacks a facedown Defense Mode monster, his effect destroys that monster without damage calculation being applied or the monster being flipped—and that means, your Old Vindictive Magician's powers won't work here!"

Yugo took this in at a glance. "Aw, crap!"

"Go, Paladin! Destroy his facedown monster!" Seta ordered. And, with the speed of a bullet, the Paladin's dragon mount flew forward even as the Paladin himself skewered the facedown monster card with his lanced—but, true to Seta's word, the facedown Old Vindictive Magician was quickly vanquished without it being flipped face-up at all!

"And now, it is _your_ life points that are open for a beating! Witch of the Black Forest, attack directly!" Seta cried. And with that, the Black Forest Witch charged up a ball of magic in her palms…

…but then Yugo exclaimed, "Not so fast! Now I activate my trap card—Magician's Circle!"

"Huh? What the hey?" Seta exclaimed.

All at once, a gigantic seal emerged on the field underneath their feet! "I could only activate this card once you declared an attack with a Spellcaster, namely, your Witch of the Black Forest," Yugo explained. "Now, we'll each select one Spellcaster-type monster from our respective decks with an ATK of 2000 or less, and then Special Summon those chosen monsters to our respective sides of the field. So…"

His eyes narrowing, Seta pulled his deck out of its slot and thumbed through it even as Yugo did the same with his own deck. Then Seta found what he was looking for. "Okay, then, Yugo! The monster I select for your Magician's Circle's effect—Rapid-Fire Magician (ATK 1600, DEF 1200)!" And a moment later his twin-staved magician appeared on the field alongside the Paladin of White Dragon and Witch of the Black Forest.

At that moment, Yugo pulled a card out of his deck. "And the monster I will select from my deck is—Dark Magician Girl (ATK 2000, DEF 1700)!" And in the next moment, the Dark Magician's famous apprentice materialized on his side of the field, her own staff at the ready—and almost immediately her ATK rose to 2300 by her effect, since Dark Magician was in the Graveyard.

Seta made a rude noise with his teeth. "Crud…all right, so none of my monsters here on the field can stand up to your Dark Magician Girl. Fine. Rapid-Fire Magician, Witch of the Black Forest, stand down."

The two monsters complied; likewise, Dark Magician Girl relaxed her own stance. "All right, then…now I've got some fodder for my Dark Magician Girl to pick off next turn!" Yugo said happily.

But Seta shook his head. "Maybe you won't be smiling so widely when you see what I'm going to do…for now I'm going to use Paladin of White Dragon's other effect: by offering him as a tribute, I can Special Summon to the field from my hand or my deck…Blue-Eyes White Dragon (ATK 3000, DEF 2500)!"

Immediately Yugo's grin melted. "Whoops…"

"Now, this one I'll call forth from my deck! Come forth, mighty Blue-Eyes!" Seta cried.

Immediately the Paladin of White Dragon was caught up in a massive glow of light…then that light formed into the mighty Blue-Eyes White Dragon, roaring in superior style. "Look at that! Seta's managed to call forth his Blue-Eyes!" Wade commented.

"His second one," Shigeo reminded him. "Remember, he's still got one in his Graveyard from before…"

"Now, I'll end my turn for the moment," and now Seta smiled. "You wanted me to give you a stellar performance, Yugo…how am I doing so far?"

Yugo swallowed as he surveyed the situation. _Okay…so, he's got one Blue-Eyes on the field, another in his hand that he can summon at his own leisure…I really, really need to be careful here! I'd better come up with as powerful a defense as is possible under the circumstances!_

He drew once again, giving him a total of five cards in hand. "Hmmm…this just might work," he mused. "Okay, I'll set one card facedown…shift my Dark Magician Girl into Defense Mode…and end my turn for the present."

"Hmmm?" Seta looked surprised. "I wonder, Yugo…why didn't you attack one of my spellcasters with Dark Magician Girl? I mean, their ATK was low enough…"

"Yeah, true," Yugo nodded. "But if I'd done that, then that would've made the Dark Magician Girl vulnerable to the Blue-Eyes on your next turn, and I would've lost life points. At least this way, if she is destroyed by the Blue-Eyes, my life points will be spared…and if you decide for whatever reason not to attack with the Blue-Eyes, then my magician's DEF will be enough to repel your other two monsters."

"I see," Seta nodded. Then he took his turn and drew once more. "Well, Yugo…now it's time for me to turn up the heat on you and your Dark Magician Girl!"

"How do you mean, now?" Yugo asked warily. "That second Blue-Eyes you've got in your hand…are you planning on summoning it?"

"Even better than that!" Seta then held up the very card he'd just drawn. "I'll activate the magic card, Premature Burial! At a cost of 800 life points, I'll be able to resurrect the Blue-Eyes that currently resides in my Graveyard!"

Seta's life points immediately dropped to 1100, even as the formerly slain Blue-Eyes reappeared on the field moments later, roaring. Seeing this, Yugo's eyes suddenly widened in realization. _Oh, no…! Two Blue-Eyes on the field…one in his hand…and he's got his Polymerization card, too…this is bad!_

Then Seta held up another card. "And now, Yugo…time for me to activate Polymerization! This will allow me to fuse together the two Blue-Eyes White Dragons on the field with the one in my hand to call forth my mighty servant of destruction—_Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon_ (ATK 4500, DEF 3800)_!"_

At once a gasp reverberated throughout the entire Tokyo Dome. "The Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon? Oh, man! This is just way intense!" Mr. Taylor cried.

"You think?" Mrs. Wheeler answered.

Suddenly, a mighty swirling portal opened up above the playing field, and the spirits of the three Blue-Eyes White Dragons got sucked rapidly into it. And then—a frightful, amplified series of roars could be heard as the legendary three-headed beast emerged from that portal, its gigantic frame covering nearly the entire width of the platform as it stood behind Seta!

"Now, even as you stare in awe at my Ultimate Dragon, Yugo," said Seta confidently, "let us not forget about my Rapid-Fire Magician's effect! Each time I activate one Normal Magic card, which I just did when I activated Polymerization, he inflicts 400 points of damage to your life points! Do it, Rapid-Fire Magician!"

Rapid-Fire Magician's twin staves began to shine with bright fiery energy at their tips; he swung both staves toward Yugo, effectively flinging the fireballs at him! Yugo flinched as first one, then the other hit him and scorched him, and his life points went down to 2500! "Ow…that stings…"

"Oh, believe me, Yugo, 'stinging' will feel good compared to what I'm going to do now!" Seta held up the final card left in his hand. "Now, I'm going to offer both Rapid-Fire Magician and Witch of the Black Forest to call upon the power of a certain monster of mine…a monster I haven't had the chance until now to use in an actual battle…but here he is, making his official debut to wreak havoc alongside the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon – say hello to my Tyrant Dragon (ATK 2900, DEF 2500)!"

Immediately Rapid-Fire Magician and Witch of the Black Forest vanished from the field—and then, in their place appeared a great red dragon with gigantic wings and a steady stream of fire emanating from its mouth. "And furthermore," Seta added, "when Witch of the Black Forest goes to the Graveyard, her effect lets me take one monster with a DEF of 1500 or less from my deck and add it to my hand, after which I get to shuffle my deck…and I choose my Cave Dragon (ATK 2000, DEF 100)!"

With that Seta swiftly added the chosen card to his hand from his deck, then shuffled the deck and replaced it in the deck slot. Meanwhile, Yugo flinched as he looked up at Tyrant Dragon. "I know this dragon…it's one of the cards your Uncle Marik gave you…when we were in Egypt…"

"Yes…and now it'll be this dragon, and the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, that will mark the end of you and of this duel!" Seta laughed aloud. "It's been fun, Yugo…but, it's time for you to say goodbye!"

----------

_**neomage:**_ WHOA! Is it just me, or did this duel suddenly get ten times more intense than it ought to have? Well, stick around, good and gentle people—more to come in the next chappie!

UPDATED 13/12/2007: Changed Masked Dragon in this chapter to Divine Dragon Ragnarok. The White Dragon Ritual card needed monsters that had 4 stars or more as a tribute to summon Paladin of White Dragon…but Masked Dragon was a Level 3 monster. My mistake.


	319. Chapter 319

Yu-Gi-Oh! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: **(tries to imitate a dragon's howl and fails)** Argh…well, whatever. I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.)

**CHAPTER 319**

TOKYO DOME, TOKYO, JAPAN

In terms of life points, Yugo was in the lead with 2500, while Seta had 1100. However, with regards to the field, it was Seta that seemed to have the upper hand, as he had both Tyrant Dragon and the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon in Attack Mode, while Yugo had Dark Magician Girl in Defense Mode and one card facedown. Yugo held four cards in his hand, three of which were his Double Spell, Polymerization and Sage's Stone magic cards; Seta had one card in hand, his Cave Dragon that he'd gotten moments ago through his Witch of the Black Forest's effect.

And Seta's two dragons were readying themselves to attack!

"Go, Tyrant Dragon! Destroy the Dark Magician Girl with Dictator Dragon Flame!" Seta commanded. And Tyrant Dragon responded immediately, blasting a barrage of fireballs from its mouth that completely decimated the helpless Dark Magician Girl into ashes.

"And now…" Seta smirked. "It's been a good match, Yugo, but even the best of duels can only continue for so long! Now…my Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, attack directly and end this duel! Neutron Blast!"

The Ultimate Dragon's three mouths promptly began to charge up with energy of different colors! "Oh, dear…if that attack hits, Yugo's finished!" Mrs. Taylor exclaimed.

"And Seta will be able to retain his World Championship title," Mrs. Bakura added.

"My word…this duel has certainly been something, wouldn't you agree?" Dr. Crowler turned to Mr. Muto.

"Indeed it has," Mr. Muto nodded. "But I've got a feeling…"

"Hmmm?" Dr. Crowler raised a surprised eyebrow.

"Attack now, my dragon!" Seta cried—and the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon suddenly reared its three heads back, ready to strike!

"WAIT!" Yugo suddenly called out. "I'll now activate my trap card, Spellbinding Circle! This card will paralyze your Blue-Eyes so that from now on it can neither attack nor change its battle position!"

A massive seal emerged underneath the Ultimate Dragon's body…and just like that, the dragon's attack receded. "Whew…safe…" Yugo sighed.

"Hmph." Seta smirked again. "Okay, so I guess I was wrong. This duel will continue a little while longer. All right…in that case, I will end my turn for the time being."

"Man, that was too close…but at least Yugo's safe," Natasha commented.

"He's safe for _now,"_ Ricardo corrected her. "But even though he may have incapacitated the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, Seta can still attack him with his Tyrant Dragon on the next turn—and then it'll be curtains for Yugo."

Janus watched Yugo keenly. _Maybe…maybe not…_

Yugo, for his part, examined the field. _All right…so this is what the situation looks like as of now…_ Then he took a look at his own hand. _Well, I actually have some good stuff right here, but I want to see exactly what I'm going to get on my next draw before I HAVE to use these…so, here goes!_

"Okay, now I'm drawing!" he announced aloud, and he drew his card to give him a total of five in hand. "Now, then…I'll set one card facedown, and end my turn for the moment."

Again Seta took his turn and drew his card—and swiftly did a double-take. Then he grinned…then he started to laugh loudly. "Yugo!" he cried. "I've just drawn something that'll definitely mark the end of you once I play it! And when I do, not a single thing in your hand or your deck will be able to stop it!"

On the sidelines, Kaiba frowned. _Seta…exactly what is it that you've drawn?_

Then Seta held up the card in question. "Now, watch this!" he called out. "I sacrifice my Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon to call forth the true pillar of strength in my deck…_**Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon **_(ATK 3000, DEF 2500)_**!"**_

Immediately a loud gasp of astonishment swept through the crowd. "What! Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon? Oh, man, this is bad!" Shigeo exclaimed.

Suddenly, the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon's skin began to crack, even as the dragon itself growled ominously. From those cracks, beams of pure light shone out, sending momentary spotlights throughout the stadium. "What on earth…?" Jillian stared in absolute amazement.

And then—the Ultimate Dragon's body burst into fragments, the pieces clattering on the ground like metal! And then…standing there in its place was the futuristic version of the Blue-Eyes, its machine appearance shining with bright light! "Mercy…" Grandma Muto looked at the new creature in absolute awe.

"Guys, did you just see that?" Raven asked Honey and Jillian. "That…dragon…or whatever it is…just burst out of the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon—just like that!"

"Yes," Jillian nodded. "It's almost like…the Ultimate Dragon was merely a cocoon or something for this creature!"

Honey blinked…then looked at the Shining Dragon. _From the shielding cocoon, the mightiest will be reborn…_ Her eyes widened in realization. _Can it be…that Judith's prophecy is about to come true? Or…_

Yugo looked up at the Shining Dragon with wonder in his eyes. "Wow…I remember this guy from back in Egypt, but…this is the first time I've ever actually had to face him like this…"

"True enough," said Seta. "And at this moment, I'm going to show you the depths of his power!"

Just then, the Shining Dragon's light became very much brighter! "Now, Yugo," Seta went on, "my Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon's power is so mighty, it actually increases its ATK by 300 points for every single Dragon-type monster in my Graveyard. So, let's do a quick count…"

He touched a button on his Duel-Disk, and a moment later his Graveyard information popped up. "So…three Troop Dragons…one Divine Dragon Ragnarok…one Paladin of White Dragon…three Blue-Eyes White Dragons…one Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon…that's nine dragons, times 300…so my Shining Dragon will receive an ATK increase of 2700 points!" And then—the Shining Dragon's ATK rose to tremendous heights, until it stood at 5700!

"…such power…" Malachi whispered, looking on in amazement.

"Now, Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon! Show Yugo your superiority and attack directly!" Seta cried. "Shining Neutron Blast!"

The Shining Dragon began to charge up a large ball of light energy in its mouth—then shot it all out in one concussive blast, headed straight for where Yugo stood! "And this time, you're definitely done for good!" Seta shouted at him.

But Yugo shook his head. "I don't think so! I activate my trap card, Negate Attack, to stop your monster's attack and end your Battle Phase immediately!"

A massive vortex quickly opened up right in front of Yugo, and the Shining Dragon's blast went straight into it without any harm done. Seta scowled. "Damn…another setback. All right, fine…I'll take advantage of my Normal Summon and thus set one monster facedown, and then I'll end…"

Then he stopped and looked again at the field. "Hmm? Hey…your Spellbinding Circle card…"

For in spite of the fact that the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, which Spellbinding Circle had been ensnaring, was no longer on the field, the Spellbinding Circle cards itself was still there. "Heh…it's one of the rules regarding Spellbinding Circle," Yugo explained. "If the monster it entrapped was tributed or otherwise removed from the field without actually being destroyed…then the Spellbinding Circle card stays on the field meaninglessly. It's no longer anything for you to worry about."

"Oh…okay, then. I end my turn," said Seta.

Yugo briefly rubbed his nose with the flat of his thumb. _All right…now I know for certain that that monster he just set is his Cave Dragon…but it's got a really weak DEF…is he hoping I'll attack and destroy it soon? Because if I do that, I'll only end up making the Shining Dragon stronger than it is right now…and that's going to be extremely bad for my health!_

He glanced again at the cards in his hand. _No two ways about it now…I have to do it this way!_

"My turn!" Yugo drew yet another card. "Now, first I'll activate the magic card, Double Spell! By discarding one Magic card from my hand…" and here he discarded the Sage's Stone card to the Graveyard. "…I can activate one Magic card in your Graveyard and use its effect as my own. And I know just the card I'm looking to use, as well…"

Suddenly, to Seta's astonishment, a card seemed to fly out from his Graveyard and went right into Yugo's hand. "And the card whose effect I choose is…" Yugo played the card. "Swords of Revealing Light!"

All at once, the familiar swords of light came flying down from the sky and embedded themselves into the ground, all around Seta's side of the field. "And this means that now, none of your monsters can attack for the next three turns—not even your Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon!" Yugo added.

"Hmph," Seta smirked. "Sorry to rain on your little parade, Yugo, but even a three-turn delay isn't going to prevent me from beating you eventually. My dragons are much, much stronger than that!"

"Then perhaps you'll be saying something completely different when you see what I'm capable of doing!" replied Yugo. "Now…I'll summon my Magical Scientist (ATK 300, DEF 300) in Attack Mode!"

The Magical Scientist soon appeared, his lab coat and neck-adorned talisman featuring almost as prominently as his grin. But as the monster's stats were revealed, a whole lot of confused murmuring spread through the crowd. "What the hell? Does Yugo know what he's doing, summoning such a weak monster as that?" Kyo asked in disbelief.

"Go, Magical Scientist! Destroy Seta's facedown monster!" Yugo cried. And in response, Magical Scientist pulled from his coat something resembling a ray gun, and fired a blast of energy at the facedown monster. The energy blast forcefully flipped the monster over, revealing it to be the Cave Dragon and destroying it completely…but as Cave Dragon went to the Graveyard, the Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon's ATK rose further to a whopping 6000!

"Okay…was Yugo even thinking straight right there?" asked Flora. "I mean, he knows that every Dragon-type monster in Seta's Graveyard gives that Shining Dragon an ATK boost…yet just now he gave the dragon even more strength than ever!"

"Yugo will definitely have to stay on his toes if he wants to win this," Marcus remarked. "He's given himself a three-turn respite…so he'd better use it well."

Seta was puzzled. "Yugo…why'd you do that? Why risk strengthening my Shining Dragon any more than it needs to be?" he asked.

"Well, to tell you the truth, for a little bit I was wondering about the exact same thing," Yugo admitted. "But which one is better, tactically speaking—to have to contend with a multitude of enemy monsters while possessing a relatively limited defense, or to have to deal with only one enemy monster—no matter how strong that monster is—and work on finding a way to defeat it?"

"…I see." Seta chuckled. "So, that's what you intend to do, then—find ways to take down my attack support while at the same time continuing to strengthen my Shining Dragon? But even if you do that…there's no way you'll be able to take down this dragon just like that."

"I'll try to deal with that," Yugo answered. "Meanwhile, you go ahead and make your move now."

"And that, I shall!" and Seta drew from his deck with a flourish. Then, looking at the card he'd drawn, he slowly began to smile. "Oh, Yugo…have I got a nasty little surprise for you, to mess up your strategy altogether…"

"Huh?" Yugo eyed him suspiciously.

"Now, see, Yugo, I know that the greater percentage of your strategy is dependent on your best monster, the Dark Magician," explained Seta. "And who knows—if you _do_ have a plan to take down my Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon, perhaps you need the Dark Magician to make it work. Therefore—I'm going to activate this magic card: Soul Release!"

Swiftly he played the card onto his Duel-Disk. "Soul Release allows me to remove up to five cards from either player's Graveyard and out of the game," he said. "But I'm only going to remove one Graveyard card from play—your very own Dark Magician!"

"Ah! No!" Yugo cried—but in the next moment, he watched helplessly as the spirit of his Dark Magician floated out of his Graveyard and vanished altogether!

"Hoo, boy…now Yugo's in a really tight spot," Raven commented. "Judging from his reaction, he might've needed the Dark Magician a little later and might even had gotten the opportunity to revive him at some point—but now that's never going to happen, since Seta's removed him from play."

"Well, Sir Seta is definitely doing well, in spite of the fact that his life points are lower," Jillian answered. "The only thing stopping him from winning altogether is the Swords of Revealing Light that Yugo took from Sir Seta's Graveyard."

Honey looked intently at the field. _What are you going to do now, Yugo?_

"And now, since I can't do anything else, I'll end my turn," Seta finished…and as he said this, the first of the Swords of Revealing Light disappeared from the field.

Groaning, Yugo drew another card—but as soon as he saw what it was, his mood suddenly brightened. "Well, now…I never expected I'd get to use this—but all the better now!"

"Hmmm?" Seta cocked an eyebrow at him.

Whereupon Yugo held up the card he'd drawn. "Now, I summon Copycat (ATK 0, DEF 0) in Attack Mode!" And then in the next moment, the mysterious jester appeared on the field holding his trademark mirror in front of his face. "And when he's summoned, he automatically takes on the original ATK and DEF of one monster on your side of the field!"

Seta shook his head. "Well, I'm sorry, but you won't be able to copy the Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon's stats at all! Because its effect allows it to negate the effects of any Monster, Magic or Trap cards that specifically designate it as a target!"

"But my target for Copycat's effect _isn't_ your Shining Dragon at all, Seta," Yugo informed him. "It's the other dragon you've got on your side of the field—Tyrant Dragon!"

"What!" Seta exclaimed.

But true to Yugo's words, Copycat's body began to mystically shift its appearance…until it became a carbon copy of the original Tyrant Dragon, with colors, scales, ATK and DEF to match! "And now, I'm going to get rid of the last bit of attacking support you've got on your side!" Yugo declared. "Copycat, attack Tyrant Dragon now!"

Copycat-Tyrant Dragon reared its head back, then blasted a multitude of fireballs over to Seta's side of the field. But the original Tyrant Dragon retaliated by bombarding Yugo's side with fireballs of its own; in the process, several of those fireballs hit both dragons, and both were wiped out—and in the process, Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon's ATK grew even more, to 6300!

"So…Copycat and Tyrant Dragon destroyed each other…" Mrs. Taylor breathed.

"Yeah…but that Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon's gotten even stronger because of it," Mr. Wheeler pointed out.

"All right…that's done," Yugo announced. "Now, I'll shift my Magical Scientist into Defense Mode, and end my turn for the present."

On the sidelines, Kaiba was watching the duel with ever-growing interest. _Hmmm…now what?_

Seta took his turn and drew once again. He examined the card for a long moment; then he looked up. "There still isn't anything I can do now. I end my turn."

Immediately, the second of the Swords of Revealing Light disappeared. Yugo frowned. _Maybe Seta really can't act or anything, but he just might be using that as a way to end his turns quickly, and thus make the power of these Swords of Revealing Light run out faster! Well, if that's the case…I need to make sure I'm fully prepped for when the last of the Swords disappears!_

So, again he took his turn. Carefully, he examined the new card he'd drawn; then he looked up. "I'll end my turn, also. I can do anything else for the time being."

Again Seta took his turn and drew his card…but this time, as he looked at it, he smiled broadly. "I have to say, Yugo…now I feel certain that I'm going to take you down and out for real!" he said. "And this is the card that will do it for me—Kaiser Sea Horse (ATK 1700, DEF 1650) in Attack Mode!"

A moment later the Kaiser Sea Horse appeared next to the Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon, his spear at the ready. "I might not be able to attack you now," said Seta, "but this is the last turn for the Swords of Revealing Light—so, on my next turn, I'll be able to use both of my monsters here to wipe out your Magical Scientist and your life points, as well!"

Then he laughed a little. "Now, your defeat is sealed, Yugo, and this time around it is I who will be the victor of our duel…but to your credit, you did play a good match."

"As have you," Yugo answered, nodding respectfully. "However, Seta…it's kind of early for you to be declaring that my defeat is for certain, isn't it? Because, as they say, it's not over till it's over."

"All right, then," Seta replied. "You want to try proving me wrong? Then prove me wrong! Go ahead and make your move!"

As Seta said that, the last remaining Sword of Revealing Light disappeared altogether. "Okay, then," said Yugo. "Here I go now."

And he readied himself to draw from his deck…

----------

_**neomage:**_ Just a little while longer…just a little while longer…

(yamikriz is going around, collecting the proceeds from all the betting on the duel)

neomage: yamikriz! What exactly are you up to now?

yamikriz: Uhhh…nothing, nothing at all…

neomage: Okay, then. Carry on. (walks off)

yamikriz: (chuckling to himself) Heh…can't believe how easily he fell for that…now, to enact my plan…

REVIEW SOON, PLEASE!

UPDATED 13/12/2007: Changed Masked Dragon in the Shining Dragon's power-up roll call to Divine Dragon Ragnarok. See the previous chapter for the explanation.


	320. Chapter 320

Yu-Gi-Oh! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Things come to a head right here and now! neomage doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh, end of discussion!)

**CHAPTER 320**

TOKYO DOME, TOKYO, JAPAN

"Okay, guys…the Swords of Revealing Light are used up now…" Natasha breathed.

"Yeah," Janus nodded. "Now, Yugo's really gonna have to make this next turn count, or else Seta will be able to completely overpower him."

"C'mon, Seta already has a great deal of power to begin with," Ricardo rebutted. "That Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon of his gains 300 ATK for every single Dragon-type monster in his Graveyard, for one, and plus we just heard him say that the Shining Dragon also negates card effects that specifically target it. And its ATK is at 6300 right now, higher than anything that we've seen on the field up to now."

"Surely you're not saying Yugo's got no chance to win this?" Janus argued.

"No, no, I'm not saying that at all," Ricardo said coolly. "He does have a chance—but, at best, a slim one."

"Well, we'll soon see, kids…" Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki was still watching the game intensely, not moving her eyes away a fraction of an inch.

As far as the duel's stats were concerned, Yugo's life points were now at 2500, while Seta's stood at 1100. Yugo held three cards in his hand, one of which was his still-unused Polymerization card; Seta, on the other hand, held only one card in his hand. On the field Yugo had his Magical Scientist in Defense Mode, and his Spellbinding Circle trap card was still meaninglessly face-up; Seta had Kaiser Sea Horse and Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon in Attack Mode, with the latter's ATK at 6300 due to its effect. And at this moment, it was now Yugo's turn to draw.

Slowly, Yugo drew his next card from his deck. Still holding it facedown and away from him, he looked up at Seta. "Hey, Yugo, something wrong? Why the hesitation?" Seta inquired.

"Oh, nothing," Yugo replied. "I'm just thinking…no matter which way this duel turns out in the end…this is probably going to be the best duel I've ever had in a long time. This moment is going to stay with me always, that I can assure you."

Seta smiled and nodded with understanding. "So, no hard feelings if I end up kicking your ass this time around?"

Yugo laughed a little at that. "Yeah, sure thing, buddy. No hard feelings."

"Good." Seta then got serious again. "So…continue with your turn, then."

Nodding, Yugo now took a look at the card he'd just drawn. "Well, then…here goes," he announced. "First, I'll activate Magical Scientist's effect! By paying 1000 of my life points, I can Special Summon one Level 6 or lower Fusion monster from my Fusion deck! And the monster I choose is…Flame Swordsman (ATK 1800, DEF 1600)!"

As Yugo's life points suddenly dropped to 1500, Magical Scientist put a hand to his talisman even as it began to glow brightly…then suddenly, in a massive burst of power, the Flame Swordsman emerged on Yugo's side of the field, his fiery sword at the ready! But Seta just laughed. "Oh, please—what can that Flame Swordsman of yours do? Against my Kaiser Sea Horse he may stand a good chance, but against my Shining Dragon he's nothing!"

"Both statements are true," Yugo acknowledged. "But I'm not finished yet! Because now, I'll activate the magic card, Polymerization, to fuse two of my monsters together!"

"What? A fusion?" David asked in surprise. "But Yugo doesn't have any compatible monsters to fuse!"

"Well, he must have, or else he couldn't activate the Polymerization card to begin with," Luke pointed out.

"What do you think, Malachi?" Miriam asked her brother. "Could Yugo actually have something worth fusing together?"

"Hmmm…" Malachi's eyes narrowed as he watched Yugo.

"You might be wondering, 'What's he planning to fuse?'" Yugo addressed Seta. "Well, I'll show you…take a look at the card I drew just a moment ago!" And he held it up for Seta to see—it was Versago the Destroyer (ATK 1100, DEF 900)!

Seta's face turned white. "No! Not that!"

"Yes, THAT!" Yugo nodded. "Versago the Destroyer's effect allows it to be treated as a substitute for a Fusion-material monster, so now I'll use Versago as a substitute for the Dark Magician, and fuse it and the Flame Swordsman together!"

All at once, a gigantic swirling portal emerged above their heads, and both Versago the Destroyer and the Flame Swordsman got sucked into it. Then…from that portal poured copious black flame as a great ball of ebony fire slowly floated down to the field. "Seta, may I present to you the Dark Flare Knight (ATK 2200, DEF 800)!"—and as Yugo said that, the fire exploded outward, revealing the black-clad knight with his giant billowing cape, his sturdy shield and his flaming-orange blade!

"Oh, crud…!" Seta whispered.

"Go, Dark Flare Knight! Destroy the Kaiser Sea Horse!" Yugo cried. In response, Dark Flare Knight raised his sword above his head and charged at the enemy monster. Seeing him approach, Kaiser Sea Horse put up his spear to block—but the Knight simply cut straight through that and cut the Sea Horse in half, reducing Seta's life points to 600!

"And with that, I'll end my turn," Yugo finished.

"Well, okay, he brought Seta's life points further down…but now what?" asked Dr. Crowler. "With that Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon as strong as it is, it'll be able to wipe out that Dark Flare Knight and the rest of Yugo's life points!"

Mr. Muto, however, didn't think so. _Well…I wouldn't be so sure…_

Immediately Seta drew another card. "Okay, Yugo!" he declared. "This is where the duel comes to an end—with my Shining Dragon blasting you away! But first things first…I'll summon my Blindly Loyal Goblin (ATK 1800, DEF 1500) to the field in Attack Mode!"

Soon his goblin warrior appeared on the field, sword still in the sheath. "Now, Blindly Loyal Goblin, slice that Magical Scientist apart!" Seta ordered—and the Goblin ran forward, unsheathing his sword and completely cutting the defending Magical Scientist in two at the waist!

"Ouch…that had to hurt…" Yugo flinched as he watched his Magical Scientist's death.

"Not as much as this will!" Seta told him. "Now, Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon, attack Dark Flare Knight and bring this duel to an end! Shining Neutron Blast!"

Once again, the Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon charged up destructive energy in its mouth, growling menacingly in its throat even as it did so. Then—it blasted all of that energy out, utterly consuming the Dark Flare Knight and causing a catastrophic explosion upon impact! In addition, the attack was so strong it sent massive shockwaves all over the entire stadium itself!

"My word! Such power!" Pegasus exclaimed, instinctively shielding himself with his arms against the brutal force of the shockwaves.

At length, however, the shockwaves died away…and where the Dark Flare Knight had been standing, there was now nothing but billowing clouds of smoke and clashing black and white flames. Kyo, Miki and Jenna stared in shock at the sight. "Holy…" Kyo's eyes were wide.

"Oh, man…Yugo is…" Miki trailed off.

"Yugo…" Jenna whispered.

On his side of the platform, Seta shook his head. "Too bad, Yugo…you did quite well, but in the end I won this battle. Looks like I'm the champion once again…"

"No—not yet!"

Suddenly, the smoke from the explosion blew aside—and revealed Yugo, still standing strong! "Hey! Yugo's okay!" Mr. Devlin exclaimed.

"But…how…? It was a direct hit!" Ms. Wong replied, dumbfounded.

Seta, too, was staring aghast at Yugo. Then he glanced up at the stats displayed on one of the big-screens—and paled. "No way…your life points haven't depleted? But—how?"

Yugo crossed his arms and chuckled. "It's the effect of Dark Flare Knight, you see," he answered. "If he's destroyed and sent to the Graveyard as a result of battle, the damage I suffered from that battle becomes zero. But that's not all…"

"What?" Seta asked in disbelief.

Just at that moment, tiny particles of the Dark Flare Knight's ashes rose up from the ground—and began to glow with a bright white light! "If Dark Flare Knight is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard as a result of battle," Yugo continued, "his effect permits me to Special Summon a certain, even stronger, monster from my hand or my deck. And that particular monster will now come to the field, in Attack Mode, from my deck!"

The glowing particles suddenly flew around Yugo's side of the field, converging into a brand new form! Slowly that form took shape…slowly that shape became more definite…until at last it was determined to be a blue-haired man clad in pure white armor and wielding a gigantic scythe. "May I present to you," Yugo announced, "my most powerful monster ever summoned…**_Mirage Knight_** (ATK 2800, DEF 2000)**_!"_**

Honey stared in awe at this new development. _Another part of Judith's prediction fulfilled…from the ashes of death, the strongest will be revived…_

Seeing the Mirage Knight's entrance onto the field, Kaiba's eyes narrowed. _This…this is…almost like that time, all those years ago…back when Yugi and I last dueled…!_

Seta was sweating bullets. "Shit…that monster's strong enough to wipe out my Blindly Loyal Goblin…!"

"Again, a true statement," Yugo acknowledged. "However, Seta, as much as what I'm about to say may surprise and puzzle you…I'm not going to attack your Blindly Loyal Goblin with my Mirage Knight at all. In fact…I've already decided who the Knight's opponent will be."

Seta blinked.

Immediately Yugo drew his next card. "All right—just what I needed!" he smiled. "Now, then, Seta…first, I'll activate the magic of Premature Burial, paying 800 life points to revive one monster from my Graveyard…and that monster will be Neo the Magic Swordsman!"

Yugo's life points dropped to 700 as he played his card…then a moment later, Neo the Magic Swordsman came back to the field, ready to do battle. But Yugo wasn't done. "Next, I'll activate the field magic card, Yami! This will increase the ATK and DEF of all Fiend and Spellcaster monsters on the field by 200 points, while at the same time decreasing the ATK and DEF of all Fairy monsters by the same amount!"

Suddenly, the field became engulfed in dark shadows…and as the shadows closed in around the players, Neo the Magic Swordsman's stats changed to 1900 ATK and 1200 DEF! "Oh, man…this isn't very good…" Seta glanced about him at the darkness.

"And now…it's time to activate the power of the card I just drew…" Yugo held it up. "The magic card, Mage Power! It increases the ATK and DEF of the monster it's equipped to by 500 points for every Magic and Trap card on my side of the field—and I'm going to equip it to my Mirage Knight!"

All at once, Mirage Knight's natural brilliance shone brighter than before, partially pushing back the darkness of Yami's field magic as his ATK and DEF rose to 4800 and 4000, respectively! Seta's eyes narrowed at this. "500 points for each of your Magic and Trap cards, you said? So…in addition to the Mage Power card itself, you've also got your Premature Burial, Yami, and…"

Suddenly his eyes widened again. "Damn it—I forgot! Your Spellbinding Circle trap card—it's just been sitting there meaninglessly ever since I tributed my Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon to summon the Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon!"

"But it's not so meaningless now, is it?" Yugo laughed. "Because it's adding power to the effect of the Mage Power card! So, in total, that's four Magic and Trap cards on my side of the field…and that means a 2000 point boost to Mirage Knight's ATK and DEF!"

"Well, that may be true, but…isn't Yugo overlooking something here?" asked Miki uncertainly. "I mean, even with that power boost, Mirage Knight is still too weak to take on the Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon, isn't it?"

Kyo fingered his brow thoughtfully. "Maybe…maybe, like the Dark Flare Knight, the Mirage Knight has a secret ability of some sort…"

"Now go, Neo the Magic Swordsman! Destroy the Blindly Loyal Goblin with Dimensional Blade!" Yugo commanded. And in reply, Neo dashed forward and sliced the Goblin straight through, bringing Seta's total life points down slightly to 500. "And now…it's your Shining Dragon's turn…"

Seta shook his head. "But what can your Knight possibly do against my Shining Dragon, even with his power boost, Yugo? Answer me that!"

"Well, you see…" Now Yugo's hair was partially overshadowing one eye even as he smirked. "When Mirage Knight does battle with a monster, during the damage calculation his ATK is increased by an amount equal to the opposing monster's original ATK! And since he's going to attack your Shining Dragon, his attack will be increased by 3000—and plus, since this isn't an effect that specifically targets, this is one effect that even your Shining Dragon's awesome power can't negate!"

Seta paled at that. "Oh, no…!"

"Now, Mirage Knight! Attack and destroy the Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon!" Yugo called to his knight. "Use your Mirage Nova Blade!"

Suddenly Seta snapped back to attention! "Oh, no, you don't! I'm not going to go down just so! Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon, counterattack with your Shining Neutron Blast!"

As his ATK sharply rose to 7800, Mirage Knight raised his scythe above his head, its blade starting to glow with intense white light. In the same moment, the Shining Dragon reared its head back, its mouth filling almost to the brim with pure light energy. Then suddenly, Mirage Knight slashed forward in an arc, creating a massive light-blade that flew forward at tremendous speed—and the Shining Dragon unleashed a colossal blast of energy that also flew forward at tremendous speed! In what seemed the blink of an eye, the two attacks collided with each other…but, amazingly, the two attacks seemed to press on hard against each other, neither one canceling the other out!

"Whoa…would you look at this…" Janus's eyes were wide with astonishment.

"…truly…a fight to end all fights…" Malachi whispered to himself.

And Honey was thinking in her mind, even as she watched the two powers struggling against each other: _From the ashes of death, the strongest will be revived…and from the shielding cocoon, the mightiest will be reborn…and these will clash in a blaze of power and light…and only one shall remain!_

And then all of a sudden—Mirage Knight's light-blade began to push the Shining Neutron Blast back, right back to where it had been fired from…and suddenly both projectiles flew upward to the Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon and exploded! The dragon howled even as it was overwhelmed by the electrical force of its own reversed attack and as it was slashed straight through by the light-blade—and then its whole body exploded with a massive **_BANG!_**

"GYAAAAA!" Seta screamed out as the force of the explosion sent him flying backwards, clear off the platform. And as he landed hard on the ground, his life points shot all the way down to 0!

An intense hush fell over the entire Tokyo Dome as the spectators bore witness to the Shining Dragon's destruction. "Oh, my…" Dr. Crowler couldn't think of anything else to say.

"He…he actually beat that thing…" Mr. Wheeler was wide-eyed and open-mouthed.

Yugo was now breathing heavily from the strain of the whole duel overall, even as he switched off his Duel-Disk and all the images on the field vanished. Mustering his strength, he ran over to the other side of the platform and jumped off onto the grass, where Seta had fallen. "Seta! Seta! Hey, man, you all right?"

Seta was on the ground, also breathing heavily. At the mention of his name, he opened his eyes and looked up. "Yugo…"

Yugo was now kneeling over him. "Can you stand?"

Seta nodded slowly. "Yeah…yeah."

Yugo held out a hand, and Seta grasped it; immediately the blond-haired boy pulled his friend up. "Well…looks like I lost, once again," Seta said softly. "But congrats, Yugo. You earned it."

"Well, Seta, there was more than just a duel won here today," Yugo told him. "There was also your freedom to be fought for. And where that was concerned…we both won."

"Uh-huh…I guess we did." Seta nodded sincerely.

"Yugo! Seta!"

Turning, the two saw Kyo, Miki and Jenna running toward them. "Yugo, you did it! You won, you won!" Miki cried excitedly.

"So…now we're looking at a new World Champion…" Kyo smiled. "Way to go, Yugo!"

"Yugo…" Jenna smiled. "Great going, Yugo. You did it, for real."

"Aw, thanks, you guys," Yugo smiled sheepishly.

"Seta!"

Turning in another direction, Seta saw Raven, Jillian and Honey approaching. "Hmph…looks like you got your ass kicked, man," Raven remarked.

Seta shrugged. "Hey…it's cool. There's always next time around, right?"

"Sir Seta…I'm just glad to see you're okay now," Jillian nodded a little.

"That goes double for me," agreed Honey.

Watching the group out there on the field, Pegasus smiled. "Well, now…this is where I step in…"

He quickly walked over to them, a microphone in his hand. "Ladies and gentlemen!" he addressed the crowd. "The Dueltropolis World Championship tournament is finally over! And its winner, and new champion—YUGO MUTO!"

And now there was a burst of cheering from the crowd, followed by much applause and whistling. Yugo looked around, blushing. "Aw, gee…all this attention for little old me…"

"Don't let it get to your head, kid," Raven warned, patting Yugo on the shoulder.

----------

**_neomage:_** And so, ladies and gents, the tournament is finally finished, and Yugo is now the champion! But the story's not quite done yet…

You know, a few months ago I'd actually written down the whole format for the entire duel between Yugo and Seta, including the Legendary Beasts and all that. Pure trial and error, pure continuity problems, and so on and so forth led to frequent changes and rewrites, until finally I got what you've just read. But now, all of that is over and done with! (sighs in relief)

(an angry mob chases after yamikriz)

yamikriz: Hey, come on! It's not my fault Seta lost and you lost your bets!

Mob: GIVE US OUR MONEY BACK, THIEF!

yamikriz: (to himself) Just wait till I build my torture chamber…a whole lot of you guys will be among my first victims!

(the mob continues stampeding after yamikriz while he tries desperately to escape)

REVIEW SOON, PLEASE!


	321. Chapter 321

Yu-Gi-Oh! Forever

A Fan-Fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: The whole story's winding down to a close now…parting is such sweet sorrow…oh well. For the final time, I still don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!)

**CHAPTER 321**

DOMINO CITY, LATER THAT EVENING

The news was in all the headlines and on television stations across Japan and, indeed, the rest of the world: the young duelist, Yugo Muto, had won the Dueltropolis World Championship tournament, and had also played a role in the apprehension of several members of the criminal Zodiac organization. Anyone who picked up a newspaper could see the story spread out on the front page and, in some newspapers, on several subsequent pages in different sections. Anyone who turned on their televisions got a full view of the events that had transpired at Tokyo Dome earlier that day.

And Domino City was no exception.

"This was the scene at Tokyo Dome today, as the Duel Monsters World Championship tournament was won in an upset victory by Yugo Muto over former reigning champion, Seta Kaiba. Yugo, the son of the legendary duelist Yugi Muto, is himself not an entirely new face to the dueling scene, as he had previously won the Kaibacorp Challenge Cup and the Intercontinental tournament in England…"

"…several individuals were arrested at Tokyo Dome earlier today, on charges of terrorism, murder and attempted murder. These persons had held hundreds of people hostage at Tokyo Dome, as well as killed several guards at the Dome the night before…"

"While the Duel Monsters World Tournament Committee and officials at the Dome are declining to comment at this time, it is alleged that the leader of the Zodiac organization, which infiltrated the tournament, was in fact long-thought-dead founder and former CEO of Kaiba Corporation, Gozaburo Kaiba. When asked to comment, current Kaibacorp CEO Seto Kaiba promised reporters that the media will be given an official statement on the issue by tomorrow."

Mr. Muto switched the TV off. "Man…it's all the same on all the stations…everybody's talking about what went down at Tokyo Dome."

"Of course they have a right to do so, Yugi," Grandma Muto answered from the kitchen. "Our very own Yugo's made a big impact, you know!"

"Speaking of Yugo, how is he?" Mr. Muto inquired. "Is he still sleeping?"

"I should think so," Grandma replied. "The poor dear…soon as we got back home, the first thing he did was to go straight to his room and drop down on the bed."

"Well, he HAS had a big day today, and he's won the World Championships for the first time…it wouldn't amaze me that he's feeling a bit overwhelmed," Mr. Muto reasoned.

"So, do we let him rest, then?" Grandma asked.

"Definitely," said Mr. Muto. "In fact, if he wants to sleep for a couple of days, let him. He's only got over a week before time to head back to school, anyway."

"Nine or so days, if memory serves me correctly," Grandma noted.

"Although, once he gets back to school, I doubt he'll be given a break," Mr. Muto chuckled. "Let's only hope he'll be able to deal with the inevitable pressure that comes with being a celebrity."

"He's had enough experience as a celebrity's child, if you catch my drift," Grandma laughed.

"Ha, ha, Mother," Mr. Muto snorted. "Now, then…is dinner ready?"

"It will be in another couple of minutes, dear," answered Grandma. "I'll share out some for Yugo, too, in case he wakes up and is hungry."

"Oh, I thought you knew me better than that, Grandma!" Yugo's voice suddenly sounded from upstairs.

"Yugo! How long have you been awake?" Mr. Muto asked, in surprise.

Yugo bounded down the stairs. "Long enough! Now, where's the grub? I'm starving!"

Mr. Muto smiled. _At least some things never change…_

----------

KAIBACORP, AT THAT MOMENT

Kaiba sat at his desk, watching the news for a little while. "Bah…same old rubbish…can't they find anything different to talk about on the news now?"

Suddenly there was a knock at his door. "Enter!" he called.

And in stepped Seta and Jillian. "Hey, Dad," Seta said.

"Oh…hey." Kaiba nodded. "Got enough rest, both of you? It was a rather long trip back here from Tokyo Dome, after all, and the tournament's been pretty hard for both of you."

"No worries—I'm feeling quite fine," Seta assured him.

"As am I, Sir Kaiba," added Jillian. "Although, one thing still concerns me…"

"What is it, Jillian?" Kaiba eyed her.

Jillian then turned to Seta. "Sir Seta…it's been nagging at me ever since we found out about it. That chip that was implanted inside you…aren't you going to try getting it surgically removed?"

Seta sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "Well, I don't think there'll be much of a need for that," he assured her. "Don't forget, as soon as we got back here Dad had our company doctors give me a thorough exam, including searching for any latent activity from the chip. It seems that when I snapped free from its control, it completely short-circuited itself, with a little help from my brain's natural electric energy…so, basically, it's now nothing more than a harmless addition to my body structure."

"Indeed," Kaiba nodded. "But now that that's definitely been dealt with, what concerns me more is how I'm going to explain the whole thing with Gozaburo in a way that the press will understand and won't have to ask the same questions twice."

"You'll find a way, Sir Kaiba; I'm certain of that," Jillian nodded respectfully.

"All right, then," and Seta turned to leave. "If you guys need me, I'll be doing a little Duel Monsters training with GINA's virtual simulator."

"What are you going to do—try to calculate how Yugo could've beaten you when you were so close to victory?" Kaiba asked.

"Nope." Seta shook his head. "I'm just going to train so I don't get rusty by the time next year's tournament comes around!"

"Well, let's just hope next year's tournament is a little more _normal,"_ Kaiba grunted, and Jillian nodded in agreement.

----------

THE INDUSTRIAL ILLUSIONS LINER, TOKYO BAY, IN THE MEANTIME

Pegasus and the other members of the Committee were all seated together in the ship's dining hall. "So…you'll all be going back home tomorrow…" Pegasus said thoughtfully.

"That's right," Mr. Von Schroeder nodded. "Now that the tournament is over, we all have to get back to our own daily lives."

"I'm not so sure we'll be able to do that just yet," Mr. Devlin remarked. "I mean, won't we be required to testify at the Zodiacs' trial or something?"

"If that is what it comes down to, then we'll give all the necessary and relevant information when it's asked for," replied Ms. Wong.

"Cassius Princeton, James Truesdale, and Angel Snow will all have to face the disciplinary committee back at Duel Academy within a week's time," Mrs. Rhodes-Yuki interjected. "Best-case scenario, they'll probably be looking at a one-year suspension from the Academy for their involvement with the Zodiacs, and they'll all also have to do some time in a juvenile facility. But I'll do my best to see that the punishment doesn't get any worse than that."

"What about the other Zodiacs?" Mr. Truesdale asked. "What'll happen to them?"

"Regina Brissett, Kyle Welling, Forrest Wiles, Stephen Ingram and Laurel Strong will all likely receive various prison sentences for their actions within the Zodiac organization," Pegasus revealed. "However, I'm going to see if the others—Felix Sanchez, Victor Greaves and Chris Gear—can be given some leniency; after all, they did willingly submit information that allowed us to foil the Zodiacs' plans to rule the world."

"And with Gozaburo dead, several of his henchmen arrested and his ARK battleship destroyed, the entire Zodiac organization is bound to crumble now," and Mr. Devlin nodded.

"Let's just hope it stays that way," Mr. Truesdale returned.

"Oh…somehow, I believe it will, dear Zane…" and Pegasus leaned back in his seat and smiled.

----------

Up on the ship's main deck…Janus was leaning on the railing, looking out at the moon rising over the sea. "Well…it's been a lot of fun," he said smilingly. "Pretty soon, though…it'll be back to Duel Academy…"

"What's up, Janus?"

Turning, Janus saw Ricardo and Natasha standing there. "Oh, hey, you guys," he greeted them. "I was just thinking a little bit…"

"Care to share?" Ricardo asked.

Janus smiled. "Well…I was just thinking about how much fun this tournament's been, and all the people we've met, and the adventure we've had…"

"Too much adventure, if you ask me," Ricardo snorted. "But yeah, the experience was good for us, I dare say."

"Well…I'm only wondering now about how well we'll do, considering our assignment for Duel Academy…" Natasha sighed and looked away.

"Aw, don't let it get to you too much, Natasha," and Ricardo patted her on the shoulder.

"Yes, I agree—especially considering how well you've all done, from my viewpoint!"

The trio turned in surprise. "Old man Crowler!" Janus exclaimed.

"That's _Dr._ Crowler to you, young man!" Dr. Crowler answered, slightly irritated. "But seriously, though, the three of you have done your assignment quite well. As far as I'm concerned, you all deserve high marks for your performance in this tournament."

"How do you figure that, sir?" Natasha asked.

"Well…" Dr. Crowler had a twinkle in his eye. "Janus, as we all know, you came in third place in this Dueltropolis tournament, which is very noteworthy in my book; plus, you had a hand in foiling the Zodiacs' plans when you sneaked on board their ship and aided in its sabotage. Ricardo, you demonstrated great dueling skill in your match-up with Wade Ocean, and of course you were the one who came up with the plan to go on board the Zodiacs' ship. And you, Natasha, showed good grace toward your opponent James, even though you lost to him, and also helped make it possible to apprehend one of the Zodiacs' more noteworthy members. All of that is going to mark you as some of the finest students Duel Academy could ever have!"

"Aw, gee..." Ricardo grinned and scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.

"So…I guess, since we've all got celebrity status now, maybe that means we'll be getting less homework?" Janus suggested.

"I'm being courteous enough here—don't push it," Dr. Crowler said darkly.

----------

On the upper deck of the ship…Honey and Raven were standing together, looking out at the sea. "So…I guess that prophecy you were telling me about came to pass, after all, sis," Raven said quietly.

"Yeah, it did." Honey nodded. "And don't worry, Raven; I forgive you for your unbelief."

"Yeah." Raven nodded. "Only question is now…how long are we gonna have to put up with _them?"_

He jabbed his thumb in the direction behind him—where, at the other end of the upper deck, David and Luke were squabbling with each other as usual, Miriam was looking up at the sky while acting like they weren't snapping at each other inches away from her ear, and Malachi was standing a little ways off acting like he didn't care one way or the other. Honey giggled a little. "Well, they _are_ houseguests, Raven—Father invited them to stick around until they were ready to move out on their own," she told her brother. "At least it'll work both ways."

"Work both ways?" Raven asked quizzically.

"Yep!" Honey replied. "They get to have some of that sociality that they've been lacking most of their lives…and in exchange, I get to have some female camaraderie in Miriam, and you get some Duel Monsters training—enough so that you don't get knocked out in the very first round of the next tournament you enter!" And she winked mischievously.

Raven rolled his eyes. "Oh, brother…"

----------

DOMINO CITY AIRPORT

"So, you guys decided to come see us off, huh? That's really very sweet of you," Flora said smilingly.

She, Wade, Marcus, Blaze and Shigeo were standing with Kyo, Jenna and Miki at the departure lounge of Domino City's airport. "Well, we figured it was only right that we should," said Kyo.

"What'll you guys do now, with the tournament being over and all?" Miki queried.

"That's a no-brainer, kid; we'll continue training so that next time we see you guys, we'll be able to beat you," Blaze nodded.

"And maybe by then, we'll bring along a little one for you to play with," Wade chuckled.

"Shut up!" Blaze snapped, elbowing Wade in the ribs.

"I must admit, I was pretty surprised when you announced that you guys were engaged," Jenna remarked. "How soon do you plan to set a date?"

"You'll know when the time is good and right," and now Blaze smiled. "Who knows, maybe you'll be lucky enough to be a flower girl or something…"

"Hey, Shigeo…" Miki turned to him. "You better keep training, for the next time you and I meet up."

"Don't worry—I won't disappoint where that is concerned," Shigeo answered with a knowing smirk. "Next time around, though, be prepared to lose."

"As if!" Miki laughed.

"Well, everyone, this is it now," said Marcus. "Till next time, you guys."

"Yeah, you take care!" Kyo nodded respectfully.

"See you again soon!" Jenna added.

With that, the group of five turned and headed for the departure lounge's exit. As they walked along, Flora remarked to Blaze, "Say, Blaze, I'm wondering…could I be your maid of honor?"

"Only if Marcus is the best man," Blaze answered.

"Yeah, and only if Blaze and I can get to return the favor for you guys someday," and Wade laughed loudly even as Marcus scowled at him.

Shigeo chuckled. "This is most interesting…most interesting, indeed…"

Meanwhile, Kyo, Jenna and Miki turned and began to walk in the opposite direction. "So, where to now?" Miki asked.

"Well, you and I have to get home," answered Jenna. "Our folks are getting together tonight, remember? Dad and Aunt Serenity insisted on it, after the events of the tournament."

"And I have to get home, as well," Kyo added. "Mom and Dad will probably have dinner ready by this time…"

"Then off we go!" Miki said in singsong. "And tomorrow we'll go and hang out at Burger World!"

"With Yugo, of course," Jenna nodded.

"Quite so, quite so," said Kyo. "I just hope I can get him to not eat any of my burgers this time around…" And the three of them laughed.

----------

DOMINO CITY, EARLY THE NEXT MORNING

After all the excitement of the day before…

The sun was slowly rising, a brilliantly glowing ball of dark orange that lit up the dawn sky and chased away the night clouds. Crickets chirped; birds twittered and tweeted. Dogs barked in neighboring yards. Paperboys threw early-morning editions onto doorsteps as they rode past on their bikes. The front doors and of various houses were opening up. The occasional car drove along the street. Once again, life was normal.

At the Muto house, in his room, Yugo was slowly but surely waking up. "Mmmm…"

Yawning, he sat up in his bed and looked over at the clock. 6:50 a.m. _Wow…is it really that early? That's pretty rare…_

Suddenly he heard the sound of a stone hitting his window. "Huh?"

Quickly he jumped out of bed and ran over to the window, opening it and cautiously looking outside. His eyes widened at what he saw. "Seta?"

Indeed, standing below his window was Seta Kaiba. Dressed in his familiar white outfit with his Duel-Disk on his arm and a smirk on his face. Parked at the side of the road was his Blue-Eyes White Motorbike. "Yo," Seta greeted him. "Hope I didn't just wake you."

"Nah, nah, I just woke myself up a while ago," Yugo answered. "What brings you here?"

"Well, I just thought I'd pop by and challenge you to a short duel before we both have to have our breakfast," Seta replied good-naturedly. "You up to it?"

"Am I! Just gimme a sec!"

With that Yugo swiftly ran around his room, changing out of his pajamas and into his regular black outfit. In a matter of minutes he was trotting down the stairs and out to the front of the yard where Seta was waiting, putting his Duel-Disk on as he went. "All right, here I am now!" he announced. "Of course, it's going to a bit difficult dueling on an empty stomach, but against you, I'll do my best!"

"I'm sure you will," Seta nodded. "And, of course, like I said, it's going to be short."

"You sure about that? Because our duels tend to be longer than short," Yugo laughed.

Seta laughed, too. "Well, if that's the way it turns out, who can blame us?"

"Got that right!" Yugo slotted his deck into the Duel-Disk's appropriate slot. "Ready?"

"Whenever you are, man!" Seta replied, readying his Duel-Disk too.

And as the sun brightened the sky overhead some more, the two friends called out: "IT'S TIME TO DUEL!"

----------

**_neomage:_** And there you have it! That's a wrap!

kriztrigun: I feel a little sorry that the story's over…

rampagerkriz: But not to fret! Like neomage promised, there's definitely going to be a sequel to this!

krizrampage: Of course, he'll have to do the obligatory writing up of character biographies and storyline settings for that sequel. And then there's his own real life to deal with, too. So, let's not expect it to pop up too soon…but it'll definitely come!

kRiZ: And we'll be there as well, giving neomage all the support we can give!

yamikriz: Let's only hope the next one isn't everlastingly long like this one was…

neomage's fans: (deathglare at yamikriz)

yamikriz: O.o;;; Gulp…

neomage: Till then, everyone, take care!

_**THE END**_


End file.
